For twenty years, it seemed as if my ancestor Ira Sargent was dropped off by a UFO in Hancock County, Illinois, in 1880.
Turns out he wasn’t.
He was in the 1850 and 1860 United States Census listed under the last name of his step-father–whom his mother had married in 1849. Until I discovered the last name of the step-father, I was unable to find Ira.
Is it possible that your UFO ancestor wasn’t dropped off by aliens but was instead listed in records as a child under his (or her) stepfather’s last name? And that the first time they used their “birth name” in a record was when they married?
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I was confused for many years by an 1870 census listing where all the children had the same last name as the husband (my 2-great-grandfather). The family story was that the husband had been married twice and so I supposed the oldest children were his because he did not marry 2-great-grandma until about 1866. Turns out 2-great-grandma was married three times and the older children were hers by her first marriage, one child was hers by her second husband who had the same name as husband #3, and only the youngest children were both his & hers. It took a Civil War pension file held by a small, local historical society in PA, to learn about the 2nd husband. It included documentation of the 2nd & 3rd marriages and that both husband #2 & #3 had the same name. It also included documentation that one daughter was by husband #2. Quite a mess!!