In some states during some time periods, a person could marry immediately after a divorce. State statute may have dictated a specific amount of time as a waiting period before a divorced person could marry again. There also may be residency requirements before a divorce is filed, so a your ancestor could not have moved to a new state and immediately filed for a divorce.
An estate settlement for Michael Trautvetter indicated that his deceased sister Mrs. Ernestine Hess had three children, Wilhelmina Smith (her husband’s last name), Valentine Hess and William Hess. Just because Wilhelmina, Valentine Hess, and William Hess were children of Ernestine does mean they shared the same father. Valentine and William probably did, but it is very possible that Wilhelmina had a different father. Saying they are Ernestine’s children does not mean they all share the same father. Don’t read into documents what is not there.
Many name changes before the early 20th Century were not done by any sort of court order. The person could simply have chosen to use a different name. Sometimes these name changes presented later problems, particularly for individuals who later wanted to obtain a military pension. Probate and estate settlement records may also indicate a person’s former names, as may divorce records if the individual later divorced. Naturalization records may also document name changes as may passport applications.
If you cannot find your 1850 ancestor in the 1840 census–and you are certain he’s heading his own household–consider searching for his 1850 neighbors in 1840. Then look at their neighbors in 1840. There is a chance your ancestor is near at least one of his 1850 neighbors in 1840. A chance–not a guarantee.
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Grave markers, tombstones, and other memorials erected in cemeteries can be a great source of genealogical information. The problem is that not everyone buried in a cemetery necessarily has a physical marker for their grave. Some stones fall down and, like the remains of the person they memorialized, end up buried where they cannot be seen. Other stones disintegrate, break, or eventually weather away–perhaps even being destroyed by someone when they are viewed as being beyond repair. Other individuals never had a marker. There might not have been the money to pay for anything besides a burial and the grave remained unmarked. If the deceased individual left behind no local family members, a stone may never have been erected or maintained adequately. The genealogist is more likely to […]
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