[Genealogy] George Lasted Four Days, Keep Getting Updates, I've Proved It

Tue Nov 25 08:08:15 CST 2025

In This Update:

George Lasted Four Days

Keep Getting Updates

I've Proved It

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George Lasted Four Days

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Our responsibility in research is to report what we find and leave the
judgements about the personal actions of individuals to others. Records
often only tell a part of the story and it can be difficult when we are
left with few records to know the “entire” or the “real” story. Even when
we think we have the “real” story, there are still likely omissions. We’re
often just left with the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Such is the case with one-time Warsaw, Illinois, resident George Fennan.
The man may or may not have been my step-ancestor.

He only appears in one set of records–and only for a short time. And is
appearance does not put him in a positive light.

On 12 May 1856 he is appointed administrator of the estate of Peter Bieger
and guardian for Bieger’s two children by the Hancock County, Illinois,
court.

Four days pass.

On 16 May 1856, Fennan signs a letter in Warsaw, Hancock County, Illinois,
indicating that he is leaving the state and wishes to be relieved of his
duties as administrator and guardian.

Other documents in the Bieger estate style Bieger’s widow, Barbara, as
Fennan’s wife and she is appointed under the name Barbara Fennan as the
administrator of Bieger’s estate and guardian of her children in June of
1856. There’s little doubt that she and Fennan were in some sort of
relationship.

Fennan is never heard of again after his 16 May 1856 letter.

When Barbara marries in 1859 the marriage license indicated that she “had
no lawful husband living.” The reference is not to Peter Bieger, but
instead to George Fennan.

Sound genealogy methodology indicates that I need to research George Fennan
a little more. It’s possible that some piece of information on him may
provide me with a clue on Barbara. And Barbara’s life is essentially
undocumented before her 1849 marriage to Peter Bieger in Cincinnati, Ohio.
It’s possible that Fennan’s life holds a clue to help me research Barbara’s.

Or it’s possible he was the only unattached German male living in Warsaw,
Illinois, after Peter Bieger died in the fall of 1855 leaving Barbara with
two small children.

Like most stories the truth probably rests somewhere in between.

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I've Proved It!

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I’ve proved it.

That’s a loaded sentence.

We don’t prove something with one just record that states what we want.

We evaluate that record. We determine how reliable that record is. We
decide who the probable informant is. We determine how reliable
that probable informant is. We need to make certain that the scribe or
clerk wrote down faithfully what the informant said.

We need to be aware of things we have assumed.

We look for all the records that may address the point we are trying to
establish. We do not limit our searches to records that are easy to access.
We research without preconceived answers directing our searches. We look at
records even if they are inconsistent or make statements with which we are
uncomfortable. We continue to look for all the records even if our
preliminary searches point in one consistent direction.

We don’t just copy down a piece of information from a record and say
“there’s our proof.”

We copy that piece of information down and say:

Here is a statement from a record. Now it is time to analyze that statement.
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Until Next Time
-- 
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Michael John Neill
Genealogy Tip of the Day
http://www.genealogytipoftheday.com
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