Pennsylvania marriage query

[looby loo]

I have a copy of the marriage license of my ancestor dated 1893, but it doens't contain the father's name. 

Do the USA have marriage license's and not certificates? I was hoping to get a copy of the marriage certificate in the hope that will give me the father's name so that I can be sure I am following the right line.

Can anyone advise me please?

[johnnyboy]

Marriages in the U.S. are the province of the individual states. Pennsylvania marriages were and are recorded at the county level. In 1893 they frequently were recorded only in a church register. If they were recorded by the county, it was often only in an official register book in the office of the Register of Wills. Having a copy of the marriage license is a bonus for you.

Each Pennsylvania county might have had its own protocol for registering marriages in 1893, and I'm not sure if the names of parents were recorded. If you post your ancestor's name and the county (and town, if available) in which the marriage occurred, we might be able to help you further.

Ultimately, to get parents' names, you may have to find the church in which the marriage took place. If the marriage was not a church marriage, it would probably have been performed by a justice of the peace (a judge in local criminal matters). From Pennsylvania marriages in my family in the 1910s and 1920s, I've learned that the justice of the peace was supposed to return a copy of the marriage license to the county. They frequently did not.

Regards,
John 

[looby loo]

Hi John,

Many thanks for the offer of help and for the info you have given me.

His name was Arthur J Baker and his wife was Mary Yeo. The marriage took place on 2 Oct 1893. as far as I know it was Pittsburg, Allegheny, Pennsylvania.

On the license It states - Minsister - Alderman or Justice of the Peace. It's numbered 15978 if that helps.

It looks as if the wife was under age as her father had to give permission.  It looks as if Arthur Baker  resided at either 27th Ward or 29th Ward Pitsburg.

His family were Church of England.

Thanks again John

[Ohio Susan]

1892 Pittsburgh City Directory
Baker Arthur none
Yeo Geo lab Cobden n Cologne
        Jas lab Cobden hd S thirty-first
        Thos electrician 981/2 Forty-fifth

1893 Pittsburgh City Directory
Baker Arthur none
Yeo Josephus engineer 8925 Mifflin
        Thos electrician 98 1/2 Forty-fifth


1894 Pittsburgh City Directory
Baker Arthur none
Yeo Geo lab Cobden n S thirty-first 
        Jas lab Cobden n S thirty-first
        Thos wireman 121 Forty-fifth

[johnnyboy]

I found Arthur J. Baker and Mary in the 1900 U.S. census in Lower St. Clair Township, Pennsylvania. Lower St. Clair Township was annexed to the City of Pittsburgh in 1920. I was able to see the image of the 1900 census on FamilySearch Pilot website. Lillian and Arthur J. are the children. Isaac Yeo is the father in law. Arthur and Mary were married seven years (1893).

The 1900 census has Arthur as being naturalized (no date). He could have naturalized in a local, state, or federal court. Naturalization papers from that era may not have much family information on them.

In the 1910 census (image not on the FamilySearch Pilot site), Mary is a widow. She is living in Ward 16 of Pittsburgh, with children Lillian, Arthur J., Marie, Edith, Alice , and Ruth. Isaac Yeo is listed as parent, meaning that he is probably living with them.

In 1920 (image not on the FamilySearch Pilot site), Mary has remarried to Cosimer Charles. He is Polish, 46, born 1874. Cosimer is probably Casimir. Charles may be an Angilcized name from the Polish. All of the children but Lillian are with them. 

You can find these census records by going to http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html. Click "Search or Browse our records." Then click on the map of the U.S. and Canada, then scroll down to "United States Census." You can search 1900, 1910, and 1920. For 1900, use Arthur J. as first name and Baker as surname. For 1910, search Mary Baker, then filter by Place, using England. For 1920 search Cosimer first name and Charles last name.

A 1930 directory of Pittsburgh has an Arthur J, Baker (poss. the younger Arthur) living at 2704 Shelly St., which is in Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood. His occupation is laborer. Given where he lived, he may have been a steel worker at the South Side Works of J & L Steel Co., a very large plant.

The 1936 Whites Pages has Arthur J. Baker at 2901 Sarah St., which is not far from Shelly St.

No sign of Cosimer (Casimir/Kasimir) Charles in the directory or in the White Pages. There is a Mary Charles, but the place of residence is far from the area where the Bakers and Charles' lived in 1900-1920.

The conclusion from all of this is that Arthur J. Baker, the husband of Mary Yeo Baker, died between 1900 and 1910. If he died in or before 1905, the death record (which may or may not have the father's name) is in the main branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. If he died after 1905, the death certificate is with the state of Pennsylvania.

Carnegie Library's birth and death record info is at http://www.clpgh.org/locations/pennsylvania/BirthDeathRecords.html

The death record before 1905 may or may not have the father's name. The death certificate after 1905 should have it.

Regards,
John 

[johnnyboy]

A website called Donslist.net has directories for many U.S. cities. But the site seems to have more for Pittsburgh than any other city. Going to http://www.donslist.net/PGHLookups/DirM.htm takes you directly to the Pittsburgh directories. The directories have the address for the previous year.

Looking in the available directories for Arthur J. Baker:
In the 1902, 1903, and 1905 directories Arthur J. Baker (and presumably Mary and children) is living at 2408 Berg St.
In 1907 Isaac Yeo is living at 2821 Cobden St; George Yeo is at the same address.
In the 1908 directory Arthur Baker is living at rear 1011 Arlington Avenue.
In the 1910 directory there is no listing for Arthur Baker.
In 1912 Mary Baker is listed as the widow of Arthur J. Her address is 2708 Shelly St.
After double-checking the 1910 directory, I found Mary Baker, the widow of H. A. Baker. The address is 2708 Shelly St. Too close to be coincidence. I think the H. A. Baker is a mistake. I think Arthur J. Baker died in 1909, possibly 1910, with 1911 being a remote possibility.

I also went all the way back to the 1890 directory and found Arthur Baker living at Salisbury and Clover (occupation roller, probably in the Steel Mill on the South Side).

Berg St., Cobden St., and Salisbury St. run parallel to one another. Arlington Ave. and Shelly St. are in the same neighborhood.

Unlike most people searching U.S. censuses, you know where Arthur Baker was in 1890, since the 1890 U.S. census was destroyed by fire.

Arthur Baker's death certificate would come from the State of Pennsylvania.

John 

[looby loo]

Hi John,

Wow!  What can I say?  I'm totally speachless and don't know how I can ever thank you. What you have found is truly amazing and the detailed info you have given me is just brilliant.

I've got lots of meat to add to the bones now - so thanks a lot for that.

The new leads will keep me nice and busy for some time.  Thank you so much for taking the time and trouble to do such a detailed search for me. 

I will order the death certificate, and fingers crossed that should give me the father's name I am hoping for.   

I will also look into the South Side Works.

Thanks again John for the address's you have given me, I shall endeavour to look them up, what a treasure of info you are!

I really don't know how to thank you.  But Thanks a million anyway.

I have taken notes of everything you have 'said' and will follow up on the sites you suggest.

Good luck to you in your own research.

Regards, Lou

[looby loo]

Hi Susan,

Many thanks for the Yeo info. I am not sure if it's connected yet, but will keep notes for future reference.

Thanks again, Lou

[johnnyboy]

Hi John,

Wow!  What can I say?  I'm totally speachless and don't know how I can ever thank you. What you have found is truly amazing and the detailed info you have given me is just brilliant.

I've got lots of meat to add to the bones now - so thanks a lot for that.

The new leads will keep me nice and busy for some time.  Thank you so much for taking the time and trouble to do such a detailed search for me. 

I will order the death certificate, and fingers crossed that should give me the father's name I am hoping for.   

I will also look into the South Side Works.

Thanks again John for the address's you have given me, I shall endeavour to look them up, what a treasure of info you are!

I really don't know how to thank you.  But Thanks a million anyway.

I have taken notes of everything you have 'said' and will follow up on the sites you suggest.

Good luck to you in your own research.

Regards, Lou

Hi Lou: No need to thank me, but...

The addresses I posted are all in the Pittsburgh neighborhood called the South Side, and they are at the southern end of that neighborhood. If you map them on Google or Multimap, you should know that the neighborhood is built on a hill sloping up from the river (all of Pittsburgh and the surrounding area is like that).

If you want to find more about what I called the South Side Works, be careful what you look for. Search either Jones and Laughlin Steel Co. or J & L Steel. The South Side Works were one part of the company's operations in Pittsburgh.

All of the South Side mills are now gone, replaced by housing and commercial development that goes by the name South Side Works.

John