Marriage License Confusion

From a genealogist's point of view, a marriage license is considered an original source. It’s not a copy or secondhand information—it is filled out by the primary participants. Often, the details on the record are considered facts. These documents are incredibly valuable to family historians because they often list the bride and groom's parents, offering a window into one more generation back on both sides of the family tree. Awesome!

On December 1, 1943, my grandparents filled out their marriage license, no doubt a happy day for them! However, there was an unexpected snag for my Grandma Betty. When asked to list her parents on the document, she didn’t write down her biological mother and father. She didn’t even name the relatives who raised her. Instead, she listed her aunt and uncle—the ones who legally adopted her.

Harry and Alma Allen are not Betty's parents. They are her aunt and uncle. 

As a family member who recognized the names on the document (and that they weren't her parents!), I have the advantage of asking difficult questions. I can explore Betty’s complicated relationships and try to understand why she made this choice.

But what if I didn’t have this personal knowledge? What if a non-family genealogist was researching Betty’s family tree? Would they blindly accept the mother and father listed on her marriage license and move on, potentially exploring a completely different lineage?

I’ll admit, I’ve accepted the information on many marriage certificates of my ancestors as fact. I rarely stop to ask, “Were those REALLY their parents?” Most people know the names of their parents, right?

This example gets to the heart of genealogy. Records tell one story, but they don’t always tell the truth—even firsthand, original source records. 

My grandparents' marriage license is a reminder that family trees are complicated and that, at the end of the day, genealogists might never know the real story.

Regardless of the paperwork, my grandma and grandpa got married the next day and were happily married for almost 40 years.

Family member name: Betty Lee Sullivan (Adoptive name: Allen)

Years of life: 1922 - 2007

Places lived: Nebraska, Michigan, New York

Tree branch: Boyle
Relation: My grandma (my mom's mom)

Sources:

National Genealogical Society: Genealogical Proof Standard

Illegitimate

After researching my five Euphemias from a previous blog post, I decided to try to go further back in the family tree.  But I ran into a brick wall.  Let's go through the facts.

Family member name: Robert Crosser

Lifetime: 1821 - ?
Tree branch: Anderson
Relation: My great-great-great grandfather? (my mom's dad's mom's mom's dad?)

I already knew my great-great-great-grandmother's name was Agnes Gilchrist, (more on her story in an upcoming blog post) so I was researching her husband, Robert Crosser.  Here he is in my family tree.

Here's what we know:

• Agnes Gilchrist's husband's name was Robert Crosser
• He was born about 1821 in Carluke, Scotland
• Agnes' youngest daughter, Euphemia, is my 2x great-grandmother
• Agnes is a widow on the 1861 census, meaning Robert died before 1861
• Some believe he died on August 1, 1858, but there is no source material to prove that date  (PS: That is 162 years ago today.)

The Brick Wall: When did Robert really pass away? If he passed away more than 9 months before Euphemia was born in May 1859, that calls into question her ancestry.

With some kind help from two Ancestry.com power-users, I located Euphemia's birth certificate.

Notice that Euphemia is listed as "illegitimate" and no father's name is given.  Also, Euphemia's mother Agnes is shown as a widow.

So now we do not know Euphemia's father's name.  It is lost to time.  (Major brick wall!)

However, years later on Euphemia's marriage certificate, she listed Robert Crosser as her father.  That is confusing.  Maybe her mother told her that Robert was indeed her father.  After all, August 1, 1858 was 9 months and 6 days before her birth, making it technically possible that he was her father.  But again, we're unsure of that date.

Until that date is confirmed, I'll have to consider this birth certificate as fact since Agnes was present and "signed" it with her mark.

So I've updated my family tree with this new information.  Do you notice that the ancestry line for Euphemia only points to Agnes, and not to Robert? Robert Crosser is now only a part of my family tree in that he is my great-great-great grandmother's husband, and not my great-great-great grandfather.

  

Namesakes: My five Euphemias

Euphemia (pronounced you-FEM-ee-ah or oh-FEM-ee-ah) is not a common name these days.  According to the Social Security Administration, its peak popularity as a baby name in the US was between 1903 and 1915.  However, it is more popular in Scotland.

I'm happy to have FIVE Euphemias in my family.

Euphemia #1

Family member name: Euphemia McMillen

Lifetime: 1785 - unknown
Tree branch: Boyle
Relation: My 4x great-grandmother (my mom's dad's mom's mom's mom's mom)

Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1785.  We don't know much about her except that one of her children was Agnes Gilchrest, who named her own daughter after her mother.  (See Euphemia #2)

Euphemia #2

Family member name: Euphemia Crosser Anderson

Lifetime: 1859 - 1918
Tree branch: Boyle
Relation: My great-great-grandmother (my mom's dad's mom's mom)

Named after her grandmother, she was born in Scotland and married Robert Anderson there. At the age of 35, they moved to the United States and settled in Indiana.  Among their 15 (!) children, they named their 8th Euphemia.

Euphemia #3 - nicknamed Effie
Family member name: Euphemia Anderson Moss
Lifetime: 1887 - 1917
Tree branch: Boyle
Relation: My 2nd great-aunt (my mom's dad's mom's sister)

Named after her mother, she was also born in Scotland and was 7 when she came to the US.  She married and had a daughter, named Mildred Euphemia.  Unfortunately, both she and her 6-year old daughter were killed in a tragic car accident on May 10, 1917, which is 103 years ago today.

Euphemia #4 - nicknamed Famie
Family member name: Euphemia Catherine Boyle Koos
Lifetime: 1918 - 1988
Tree branch: Boyle
Relation: My great-aunt (my mom's dad's sister)

Named after her grandmother or aunt who both passed away shortly before her birth. I remember Aunt Famie from our visits to grandma and grandpa's in Michigan.  My mom describes her as "bright and opinionated and suffered no fools." For her husband Vic's work, they moved their young family to Geneva, Switzerland for several years.  

Euphemia #5 - nicknamed Phemie (Phemia in Spanish)
Family member name: Euphemia Melissa Hight Hargreaves
Lifetime: 1975 - 
Tree branch: Hargreaves
Relation: My sister-in-law

A completely British name for my wonderful sister-in-law with Mexican heritage. She was named after her great-grandmother, Eufemia Rosales Osuna from Sinaloa, Mexico.  Fun-loving and smart, she's raising her two lovely daughters in sunny California.

I'm happy to have a picture of 3 out of 5 of my Euphemias.

Manitoulin

Forty-nine years ago this month, on August 18, 1970, my family experienced a terrible tragedy.  

My great-grandfather, his son Bernie, and Bernie's two sons went on a fishing trip to Manitoulin, Ontario, Canada from Michigan.  They were caught in a fast-moving storm and their boat capsized.  After a horrific night spent in frigid waters, only two of the four survived.  

My great-grandfather and his 12 year-old grandson (also named Bernie) drowned.  Despite the fatigue and anguish, my mom's uncle Bernie did not give up.  He was able to save his youngest son, Johnny who was 10 at the time.  Yet how awful to lose his father and older son.

It was a miracle that any of them survived.  I can't imagine the pain and heartache of the whole family in the months and years to come.  My grandpa lost his dad and his nephew in one night.  My mom lost her grandpa and her cousin in one night.

We will never forget the tragedy at Manitoulin.

Family member name: Bernard Boyle
Lifetime: 1889 - 1970
Tree branch: Boyle
Relation: My great-grandfather (my mom's dad's dad)


Family member name: Bernard William Boyle
Lifetime: 1930 - 2008
Tree branch: Boyle
Relation: My great-uncle (my mom's dad's brother)

A boy named Louis

My Grandma Boyle's paternal grandparents were Eugene C. Sullivan and Louise Auguste Huth.  My research just revealed some facts about Louise's life. 

Family member name: Louise Auguste Huth Sullivan
Tree branch: Sullivan
Lifetime: 1867-1948
Relation: My 2x great grandmother (my mom's mom's dad's mom)

Louise was born in 1867 in Marshall, Michigan, in the palm of the hand near Battle Creek.  Her parents were William Huth and Magdelena (Lena) Dewieghter, both immigrants from Germany.  She was the middle child of five with two older sisters and a younger sister and brother.  Louise only finished the 5th grade.

Just a quick note about how I found this information. I've been searching for years and was frustrated by the brick wall, but finally had a breakthrough!

Louise was mistakenly listed in the census as a boy named Louis.  Maybe the census taker didn't understand her parents' accents or maybe two-year-old Louise had a short haircut and looked like a boy. I don't know, but she was hidden in the census.  But comparing with several other sources, this is definitely her.

Notice the 2-year old male named Louis.  This is my great great grandmother, Louise.

We next find Louise at 17 years old in Nebraska working as a domestic servant.  She married Eugene three years later.  Louise and Eugene had five children in Nebraska, and three lived to adulthood.  However, to date we only know of two of their children, Alfred and Percy.

By the time Louise was 53, her husband passed away and she had moved to Sunnyside, Washington.  She worked as a dressmaker, which she may have learned from her father who was a tailor.  She then moved to Eugene, Oregon in 1924.  She lived there for the rest of her life and passed away in 1948, 13 days after my mom (her great granddaughter) was born.  

Sadly, I can't find any pictures of Louise, yet.  This is all I have.