Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Housekeeping: Gone to Oz!

You may not see any more posts this year (2006) because I will be on vacation until Jan. 7, 2007. I will be in Australia (aka Oz) with my family, hunting down those elusive ancestors ~ maybe the ones I can't find moved there? Just kidding. I have no known family there, but I will be taking a much-needed break.

Have a great Holiday Season and a Happy New Years! I will continue to post after I get back (give me a few days to recover from jet lag!)

Saturday, December 16, 2006

The Marriage of Joseph Fields and Mary Jane Larocque




Sorry, the image above is from Ancestry.com's files, and doesn't enlarge very well. This is a copy of the Marriage Registry showing the union of Joseph Fields and Mary Jane Larocque in the middle column. My best transcription with comments afterwards:


Source Information:
Ancestry.com and Genealogical Research Library (Brampton, Ontario, Canada). Ontario, Canada Marriages, 1857-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2006. Original data: Ontario, Canada. Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1922. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Archives of Ontario. MS932, 632 reels.

Top of Register:
p. 179
Schedule B -- Marriages
County of Hastings, Division of Trenton(1)


Middle Column from Top:
No. 25
Stamped over: 004630

Groom's Name: Joseph Fields
Groom's Age: 20 years old
Residence when married: Trenton
Place of Birth: Cornwall
Bachelor or Widower (B or W): B
Groom's Occupation: Laborer
Name of Parents: Oliver Fields & Sarah Tovall(2)

Bride's Name: Jennie Larocque
Age of Bride: 19 years
Residence when married: Trenton
Place of Birth: Prescott
Spinster or Widower (S or W): S
Name of Parents: John Larocque & Mary Martell

Names of Witnesses: Adolphus Shorbia & Jane McCormick, Trenton
Date of Wedding: November 23rd, 1885
Place of Wedding: Trenton
Religion of Groom: RC (Roman Catholic)
Religion of Bride: RC
By [unreadable]: E.J. Walsh, B (3)
Lines on bottom are county clerk verifying that above was correct (as told to him) and date.
Footnotes:
(1) Even though the register is from Hastings, it does not necessarily reflect that the marriage took place there. It could easily be the county seat, or the nearest governmental place to file the marriage. However, given that the bride, groom and witnesses lived in Trenton at the time of the marriage, it is a good bet that the marriage took place in the vicinity of Trenton.
(2) The last name of Joseph's mother has been transcribed as: Tovall, Lovell, and Lovatt by numerous websites. I have tried searching Canadian censuses with all those names, as well as for Oliver Fields, and have not turned up anything.
(3) From the looks of it, this was the priest or justice of the peace who performed the ceremony.
My commentary:
Finding this marriage registry was huge for me because it was the first non-US documentation that I found for any of my family lines. It also gave me the names of Joseph and Jennie's birthplaces as well as their parents. For Jennie, this linked to other family members who I will talk about later. However, Joseph's ancestry has become a brickwall for me. I can find no Oliver Fields nor Sarah Tovall/Lovell/Lovatt anywhere.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Who's Who -- Francis & Elizabeth's Family

Francis O'Keefe married Elizabeth McPartland on 8 Sept 1897 in Wheatville, Genesee Co., NY. (see previous blog). I'll be posting more, including photographs, of these two and their lives later.

They had the following children:

Leo Francis O'Keefe - (5 Sept 1900 - 21 Feb 1976)
-- married Leona Fields (see previous posts)

Joseph William O'Keefe - "Joe" (16 Dec 1898 - 1930)
-- married Rita [last name unknown]

Irene O'Keefe (abt. 1905 - ??)
-- married Cletus Martin

M. Helen O'Keefe (1907-1987)
-- married Thomas Brophy

Monday, December 04, 2006

The Marriage of Francis O'Keefe and Elizabeth McPartland

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This is the official copy (for genealogical purposes only) of the Marriage License for Francis O'Keefe and Elizabeth McPartland. The transcription of above certificate:

Left-hand Column:

Date of Marriage: September 8, 1897
Groom's Full Name: Francis O'Keefe
Residence of Groom: Medina, NY
Age: 30 Years
Color: White
Occupation: Hotel Landlord
Single or Widowed: Single
Birthplace of Groom: Shelby Center, Orleans Co, NY
Father's Name: Corneilus O'Keefe
Mother's Name: Mary Morgan
Number of Groom's Marriage: First
Bride's Full Name: Elizabeth McPartland
Residence of Bride: Wheatville [NY]
Age: 24 Years
Color: White
Single or Widowed: Single
Maiden Name if widowed: No
Birthplace of Bride: Wheatville, NY
Father's Name: Patrick McPartland
Mother's Maiden Name: Bridget Dugan
Number of Bride's Marriage: First
Name of Person performing Ceremony: Rev. F. J. Burns
Official Duties: Catholic Priest
Residence: East Pembroke, NY
Right-sided Column:
County of Genesee
Town of Alabama
Villiage of Wheatville
Certificate and Record of Marriage
State of New York -- Bureau of Vital Statistics
Numbers on left side: 16032 (stamped, meaning unclear)
Registered No. 193

I hereby certified that Francis O'Keefe and
Elizabeth McPartland were joined in Marriage
by me in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, at Wheatville, NY
this eighth day of September 1897
Signature of Witnesses in Marriage: Joseph Kearney, [unreadable]
Signature of Person performing ceremony: Rev. F.J. Burns
The marriage certificate contains all sorts of wonderful genealogical information. It lists the bride's maiden name as well as her parent's names (including mother's maiden name!) . Also listed are occupation for the groom and his parental information as well. These all help to link generations together, as well as point in new directions for research.