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52 Ancestors How I Finally Found Margaret

Margaret Hausauer and her first husband, Henry Buisch are my great great grandparents. They are the parents of Henry George Buisch [52 Ancestors #1] according to his death certificate. The were both complete brick walls for me back when searching was more difficult and required waiting for microfilm to be ordered, delivered and then searched at the local Family History Library. Now with online indexes and records, searching is so much easier! And it helped me finally find Margaret. [Margaret’s life with Henry is still a bit of a mystery but I’ll detail that in a later post.]

Other Hausauer researchers on Ancestry.com that connected to the line that I suspected my Margaret was part of had no additional information on her other than her place and year of birth. What little I knew about Margaret when I began searching in earnest recently was what I had been able to gather from online trees and records at Ancestry. It included when and where she was born, when she arrived in America, her parents names, two places of residence for her parents and two places of residence for Henry Buisch’s possible parents. I took that information and did some creative searching.

  • Margaret Hausauer, born 1826
  • Parents: Michael Hausauer and Margaret Zittel
  • Immigration: 1833 from Alsace, France
  • Parents’ residences: Sheldon, Wyoming, New York [1840] and Wales Center, Erie, New York [1860]
  • Henry’s parents: George Buisch and Barbara LNU
  • Immigration: 1834 from Alsace, France
  • Henry’s parents’ residences: Sheldon, Wyoming, New York [1840] and Buffalo, Erie, New York [1850]

My preference for searching is at FamilySearch.org although I do use the search feature at Ancestry.com in tandem with what I uncover at FamilySearch.org. I just prefer the interface there over the one at Ancestry. Here is how I searched and found Margaret step-by-step.

FamilySearch.org Search Page
FamilySearch.org Search Page

On the main search page at FamilySearch.org [shown above] I left the Name fields blank. [Yes, you can do that.] I restricted records to United States and New York because my direct lines never left New York. [Or if they did leave, they returned later.] Then I put Birthplace > France and Birth Year (Range) > 1825 – 1827 and clicked Search. The number of records found was 17,735. Time to drill down the results into something more manageable.

FamilySearch.org Search Results 1
FamilySearch.org Search Results 1

As shown above, in the search parameters on the left I added Search with a life event > Residence Place > Erie County, New York. That narrowed the search down to 3,769 people. Still a little high.

Further down in the search parameters there is a filter for gender. I used the gender filter for female and narrowed down the search results to 1,678. Then I went back up to the top and added Refine your search > First Name > Margaret. [shown below]

FamilySearch.org Search Final Results
FamilySearch.org Search Final Results

That narrowed down the results to 127. Much more to my liking. Oh, and look, there’s Margaret (Hausauer) Buisch Bamberg in the #1 search result. Voila! And genealogy happy-dancing commenced. [In my head anyway.] In a later post, I will explain how I knew this was my Margaret and what else I have been able to find out about her since then.

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The following Ancestry.com Desktop Education videos were very helpful to me in learning how to do more effective searches at both Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. Maybe you will find them helpful as well.

 

 

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Notes:

  1. This post was last updated/edited on 14 March 2014.
  2. If you have questions about or corrections to anything posted here, please post a comment or contact me using the form on my Contact Me page.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Cite This Page:

Erin Williamson Klein, “52 Ancestors #4 How I Finally Found Margaret (Margaret Hausauer Buisch Bamberg).” My Family History Files, 26 February 2014 (https://myfamilyhistoryfiles.com/buisch/hausauer/52-ancestors-4-how-i-finally-found-margaret/: [access date]).

Please do not copy without attribution and link back to this page.

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52 Ancestors A New Name on a Branch

Image courtesy nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I have a new name for a branch on my family tree. This branch is one I am just starting to piece together. The name I found doesn’t lead me anywhere in particular except to give me more confidence that I have found the right DeLong family in census records.

When I was putting together a timeline for my grandfather, Raymond C Williamson [52 Ancestor’s post #2], I noticed someone enumerated with the family in the 1892 New York State Census and 1900 US Federal Census that I had no record of in my files. The 1892 NY State Census doesn’t give any designation for family members and the 1900 US Census lists this mystery child as a boarder. I am sure I noticed her there earlier, but before now I couldn’t put two and two together to see that she was possibly a niece to Georgiana [DeLong] Williamson. Georgiana is my great grandmother and Raymond’s mother. I hadn’t pursued this line for quite some time because of the DeYoung/DeLong brick wall I originally encountered. And I have yet to find Georgiana DeLong with her parents in any US Census [still hopeful for the 1861 Canadian Census], but I have found a DeLong family that I am confident is her family. One of the other daughters is Viola Ida DeLong.

So with all that explained, let me introduce you to Viola I Dorgan, the mystery child enumerated with the Williamson family in 1892 and 1900. She is my first cousin 2x removed. As I was uncovering her information in census records and newspaper clippings, in my head Viola seemed a little like an antithesis to Raymond and I decided I wanted to post a little something about her. Viola’s story is one of a family connection that death and separation couldn’t break.

Viola I Dorgan, age 8, enumerated with Thomas E Williamson and family in 1892 New York State Census, Monroe County, Rochester
Viola I Dorgan, age 8, enumerated with Thomas E Williamson and family in 1892 New York State Census, Monroe County, Rochester

I gathered from the record above that Viola might be Thomas and Georgiana’s niece. Then I wondered which one of Georgiana’s sisters she belonged to and why was she living there? By the 1905 NY State Census and the 1910 US Census, Viola is out of the Williamson household so I thought [okay, assumed] she was married and I thought [okay, assumed] I would not be able to find her again. I was wrong.

While I was writing up my last post for my grandfather Ray, I got sidetracked searching through the Historical Marriage Records Research Site at the City of Rochester Municipal Archives. On a lark, I searched for the surname Dorgan hoping to find something on Viola Dorgan. What I found instead was an 1882 marriage record for her parents, Viola [Delong] Jones and William Dorgan.

Dorgan_William_E_b0000_18820629_marriage

I was pretty excited to see the bride’s parent’s names and information for bride’s birthplace. [I’m sure I did a happy dance.] It confirms I have the correct DeLong family in the 1850 US Census and then again in 1870 and 1880. But then it was… Wait? What?! Last I saw, in 1880, Viola was married to Dr Charles Jones and living in Greece, New York with their three children, Fana, Bertha and Frank. I did a little more digging and found two siblings for Viola DorganDaniel and William. So I dug a little deeper in the 1892 NY State Census and found most the children farmed out to various relatives in neighboring communities. [I still need to do some more digging to find everyone and to locate information on the probable deaths of Dr Charles M Jones, Viola [DeLong] Jones Dorgan and William Dorgan.]

It looks like there are six orphaned children:

  1. Fannie [Fana] Jones, born about 1876 — living with Charles’ sister, Josephine
  2. Bertha Jones, born about 1878 — living with Charles’ sister, Josephine
  3. Frank D Jones, born September 1879
  4. Daniel Dorgan, born about 1883 — living with Viola and Georgiana’s sister, Ada
  5. Viola Ida Dorgan, born about 1884 — living with Georgiana
  6. William E Dorgan, born 1 March 1886

In my quick searches, I did not find any other information for Frank D Jones nor Daniel Dorgan. Neither are mentioned in Bertha’s 1932 death notice whereas Fannie, Viola and William are. Frank and Daniel may be deceased by that time. Although Ada ends up in Illinois with her husband so perhaps there are records for Daniel there. I didn’t dig that deep.

Although this family was one of half-siblings that were separated after losing their mother and apparently both fathers, they still managed to reunite and live into adulthood with strong family ties. It seems as though Viola Dorgan had a life full of family despite their early separation from one another. In a 1908 marriage announcement for William E Dorgan to N Louise Jones, Viola Dorgan is mentioned as the attendant to the bride. Viola herself never marries but it appears she had a well-paying job / career as she is listed in the Rochester papers in 1933 and 1938 as the newly registered owner of an automobile. She lives with her half-sister, Fannie and Fannie’s husband, Alexander MacKenzie, until their deaths in the 1940s. I did not find a death notice for Viola but she is frequently mentioned in the society column of Rochester newspapers traveling with family members or traveling to visit family and friends into the late 1950s. She was apparently close to her nieces and nephews even after her siblings deaths.

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Notes:

  1. This post was last updated/edited on 14 March 2014.
  2. If you have questions about or corrections to anything posted here, please post a comment or contact me using the form on my Contact Me page.
  3. More about Viola Ida Dorgan will be found on the DeLong Surname Page as soon as I get it updated

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Cite This Page:

Erin Williamson Klein, “52 Ancestors #3 A New Name on a Branch (Viola Ida Dorgan).” My Family History Files, 23 February 2014 (https://myfamilyhistoryfiles.com/delong/52-ancestors-3-a-new-name-on-a-branch/: [access date]).

Please do not copy without attribution and link back to this page.

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52 Ancestors Someone I Wish I Could Have Known

Image courtesy of nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Writing this post today has put me in a quirky mood so indulge me… Let’s pretend there’s a photo of a person of medium height with a medium build, blue eyes and light brown hair over there on the left instead of one of a camera, okay?

You see, if I had any connection with the other Williamson family lines I am related to, I might possibly have been able to insert a photo here but that is not the case. When death and divorce split my grandparents apart, we lost connection not only to my grandfather but to everyone in my grandfather’s family. [I realize it is possible that even connecting with distant cousins now won’t produce a photo but I can hope.] My grandfather left my grandmother right after my dad was born and he lived on never having contact with his family again. [That is something I have a hard time understanding.] He could have known his children as adults and his grandchildren could have known him but that was not to be. However, the past has passed and I choose to live in the here and now so let me introduce you to what I know about my paternal grandfather…

Raymond Curtis Williamson was born in Rochester, New York on 18 March 1886 or 1887—take your pick. For every record I have that says 1886, I have another record that says 1887. Grandpa liked to keep ’em guessing… [I need to order his birth certificate.] I have been able to find Raymond in all the applicable Federal and State Census with his parents and siblings. His parents are Thomas Edwin Williamson and Georgiana DeLong. Raymond is the second youngest of eight children. [I believe there was another daughter, Bessie born in 1889 that died in 1890 at 6 months of age. I need to order the death certificate to confirm her parentage.]

On the 31st of July 1912, Raymond married Grace Rose Buisch at Christ Episcopal Church in Rochester. The church is a beautiful structure full of fabulous architectural details, famous stained glass windows and pipe organ. I can hardly imagine what it would have been like to be married there. There are the things I wonder about their marriage now: Had they known each other long? How did they meet? Were they madly in love or was a child on the way the reason for their trip down the aisle? [If I’d only thought to ask my grandmother these things.]

New York, County Marriages, 1908-1935 on FamilySearch
New York, County Marriages, 1908-1935 on FamilySearch

A little side note about this marriage record… When I received a transcribed copy of this record from the Monroe County Vital Records office, Georgiana’s maiden name was written as DeYoung instead of DeLong. Yes, the “L” looks a little funky there on the original — kinda looks like a “Y”. But there are only four letters there — not five. It’s indexed on FamilySearch.org as DeYang. [At least they got the number of letters right.] That inaccurate copy caused much head banging against brick walls until I finally got a copy of Georgiana’s death certificate that listed her maiden name as DeLong.

The first copy I had of my grandfather’s draft registration was really blurry and I couldn’t make out the questions he was responding to. Then I found this copy on FamilySearch.

WW1 Draft Card for Ray C Williamson
WW1 Draft Card for Ray C Williamson

Much clearer. [I am beginning to think it’s not only important to look for multiple sources but to see if there are additional sources for the same records.] So I have my grandfather’s physical description and signature. Not quite the same as a warm hug and fond memories but I’ll take it. I believe my grandfather gave himself the 18 March 1887 birth date so he could qualify to register for the draft. He was probably thirty-one and not thirty. I also can see from this copy that he was in the New York State National Guard for three and a half years. I don’t know what type of military records are available for the National Guard but it is another avenue to pursue.

These are the children born to Ray and Grace:

  • Martha B Williamson
    • Born: 18 December 1912, Rochester, NY
    • Died: 9 February 1921, Rochester, NY
  • Raymond Curtis Williamson, Jr
    • Born: 7 October 1921, Rochester, NY
    • Married[1]: Elizabeth Jane Arnold
    • Married[2]: Mary Tarrant Hoffman
    • Died: 30 March 2009, Texas
  • Delores Elizabeth Williamson [aka Betty]
    • Born: 24 February 1927, Rochester, NY
    • Married: Walter Harold Olson, Jr
    • Died: 8 January 1987, Inverness, FL
  • Paul Rene Williamson [my father]
    • Born: 12 December 1932, Rochester, NY
    • Married: Opal Duthie
    • Died: 14 October 2006, Las Vegas, NV

In 1920, Ray switched occupations from meter reader/inspector to salesman. He traveled during his work as a salesman. I remember my grandmother cried when she was relating to me that their daughter, Martha died of diphtheria in her father’s arms and that Ray was never the same after that. She said after Martha died their marriage deteriorated. My grandmother was pregnant with their son, Ray, Jr, and carried on the best she could with Ray, Sr absent for long lengths of time. My grandmother would say she was a widow when asked her marital status according to census records and city directories for Rochester.

The 1925 New York State Census is the last time Ray and Grace are enumerated together. The Rochester City Directory for 1926 shows them living at separate addresses. It appears that their relationship was an on and off again affair until shortly after my father, Paul was born. I can find no record of Ray in the 1930 US Census that appear to be my grandfather. I believe it is possible that he wasn’t enumerated at all because of his travels. Grace lists herself as a widow.

Postcard - Lafayette Hotel, Buffalo, New York
Postcard – Lafayette Hotel, Buffalo, New York

In 1940, Ray is living in Buffalo, New York at the Lafayette Hotel. He is divorced according to the 1940 census, although I recall my grandmother showing me her divorce papers dated after that time. [I would so like to have those papers now as divorce records in New York are sealed for 100 years.] He is still a salesman for a food company and was living at the same place in 1935.

I do not know if Ray ever remarried or anything else about him except that he died on 1 May 1971 in Olean, New York. My grandmother never remarried.

Raymond C Williamson 1887-1971 Photo by Nancy Thomas. Used with permission.
Raymond C Williamson
1887-1971
Photo by Nancy Thomas. Used with permission.

Notes:

  1. This post was last updated/edited on 14 March 2014.
  2. If you have questions about or corrections to anything posted here, please post a comment or contact me using the form on my Contact Me page.
  3. More about Raymond Curtis Williamson can be found on the Williamson Surname Page

Cite This Page:

Erin Williamson Klein, “52 Ancestors #2 Someone I Wish I Could Have Known (Raymond Curtis Williamson).” My Family History Files, 16 February 2014 (https://myfamilyhistoryfiles.com/williamson/52-ancestors-2-someone-i-wish-i-could-have-known/: [access date]).

Please do not copy without attribution and link back to this page.