Incorrect Information May Have Elements of Truth

My great-grandfather immigrated to the US in the 1920s with his wife and children, including my grandfather. I have done extensive research on his ancestral lines. Each of my great-grandfather’s ancestors, thus far, were born in England. However, the 1930 and 1940 United States censuses could create confusion. The 1930 census correctly identified his place of birth as well as his father’s place of birth as England. But his mother’s place of birth was incorrectly listed as Illinois. The 1940 census records his mother’s place of birth as St. Louis, rather than identifying a state or country.

Elements of truth

As a researcher, I look at all information with a questioning eye. Sometimes people lied when they had good reasons to do so. But sometimes people honestly don’t know the whole story. Did my great-grandfather honestly believe his mother was from Illinois? Or was he trying to stretch the truth to give himself more credibility for his American citizenship if he claimed to be the son of an American citizen? The 1930 census recorded that his first papers for naturalization were submitted and the 1940 census shows that he was naturalized. Maybe he used the Illinois claim in his citizenship papers (which were recently filed for the 1930 census and likely fresh on his mind) and he decided to stick with the same story on the census.

So, was my great-grandfather’s mother born in Illinois? No. My great-grandfather’s mother, Elizabeth, was born in England, and her birth was registered with the English government. She was baptized in the Church of England and all evidence shows that her family was living in England. Then where did the Illinois claim come from?

When Elizabeth was either an infant or toddler she moved to Canada with her parents and siblings. The 1851 and 1861 censuses show her in Canada with her family. At some point she moved back to England and married (her second cousin) in 1867. All of Elizabeth’s children, including my great-grandfather, were born in England. Still wondering where Illinois comes in?

Elizabeth had two brothers who moved from Canada to Illinois. Additionally, according to an obituary from an unknown newspaper in England, Elizabeth’s mother died in Illinois at the home of one of Elizabeth’s brothers. There we have it! The element of truth! Elizabeth was not born in Illinois, but she had two brothers that lived there and her mother apparently died in Illinois. While Elizabeth did not personally have an Illinois connection (that I know of), someone else in her family did. My great-grandfather’s cousin (the son of one of Elizabeth’s brothers who lived in Illinois) lived or worked in both St. Louis County, Minnesota and St. Louis, Missouri at different times in his life. That might have been the St. Louis connection, and would explain why St. Louis was listed, and not a state. Perhaps my great-grandfather said it was in Minnesota, but the census taker was only familiar with St. Louis, Missouri and since they disagreed, he just wrote St. Louis. But that’s just me speculating. Either way, his mother was not born in St. Louis or Illinois; she was born in England.

Why did he say something that wasn’t true?

My great-grandfather was known for stretching the truth. Fibbing on census records may not have been too out of character. Maybe he was trying to assimilate into US culture and perhaps preferred to look like the son of someone who was born in the US.

There is also the possibility that he really was mistaken. He may have heard stories about how his mother didn’t grow up in England and maybe he really didn’t realize that she was actually born in England. It is also very possible that he didn’t know a lot about his mother’s family. His mother, Elizabeth, died when my great-grandfather was just 7 years old. And his grandmother, Maria, who died in Illinois, died when he was just 1 year old. His mother’s family lived in Canada and the United States while he lived in England. He may have heard stories and just confused who they were about. Most of what he knew about his mother would have been told to him by others and it is understandable that facts might have been misconstrued. There is a family connection to Illinois, it just wasn’t with his mother, Elizabeth.

Keep the contradictions in mind

When information seems to be completely wrong, I try to think why that wrong information showed up. Maybe they once lived in that location. Or maybe a different family member lived there. Maybe a date is way off because that date belongs to someone else. Some dates, such as immigration dates, might be confused with a date of naturalization.

When I saw two censuses with a reference to my great-grandfather’s mother being born in the US, I knew that was more than just a simple error. While I can only speculate regarding the reasons he gave an incorrect location, the location he chose definitely has familial connections.

When doing research, if you come across information you know is incorrect, don’t completely dismiss it, as there may be some element of truth to the story. The tricky part is trying to identify what that element of truth is!

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