Research Highlights
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[CLIENT] Carroll1804 IW1804308mh 26 July 2018 Research Highlights GOALS Research John Carroll, born 1818 in New York to determine his immigrant ancestor. PROGRESS Located John Carroll in the 1850 federal census in Montgomery County, New York, which indicated he and his presumed wife Jane were born in Massachusetts. Examined John Carroll’s enumeration in the 1855 New York State Census, which stated John was born in Schenectady County, New York, and his presumed wife Jane was born in Massachusetts. Noted the 1855 census stated his presumed daughter Harriett was born in Montgomery County, New York. Determined Aaron Carroll was the only Schenectady County head of household with that surname from 1820 to 1840 old enough to have fathered John Carroll. Learned Aaron Carroll resided relatively close to John Carroll in Glenville, New York, as enumerated in the 1860 federal census. Using census records and Find A Grave memorials, found Aaron Carroll and his presumed wife Cynthia were likely born in Massachusetts in the 1780s. Learned Cynthia’s maiden name was Dresser, per the image of her headstone found at Find A Grave. Searched for probate and land records for John and Aaron Carroll in Schenectady and Montgomery County, New York, but found none. Discovered the marriage record of Aaron Carroll and Cynthia Dresser in 1803 in Charlton, Worcester County, Massachusetts. Learned several men surnamed Carriel, a likely variant of Carroll, were enumerated in Sutton, Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the 1800 federal census. Their given names were Nathaniel, Aaron, Timothy, John, and Henry. Reviewed the client’s DNA matches and noted her father matched many men surnamed Carroll who claim descent from Nathaniel Carriel, reportedly born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1638. Located online family trees that included many men by the name of Carriel who lived in Sutton, Worcester County, Massachusetts, and who allegedly descended from Nathaniel Carriel, born in 1638. Determined Aaron Carrol and Cynthia Dresser were most likely the parents of John Carroll, and that the client probably descends from Nathaniel Carriel, born in 1638. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Search for church records, newspaper articles, and other private records, such as diaries, in Schenectady and surrounding counties in New York that might directly state the relationship between John and Aaron Carroll. 2. Examine records in Worcester County, Massachusetts, that might do the same, and could also establish the parentage of Aaron Carroll of Glenville, New York. 3. Seek military service and pension records for Aaron Carroll in the War of 1812 that could provide genealogical or biographical details and possibly more evidence of his connection to John Carroll. 4. Research the Dresser family in Worcester County, Massachusetts, to establish the ancestry of Cynthia Dresser Carroll. Tracing her family might shed more light on Aaron Carroll’s life and ancestry. 2 Research Report For this session, we were asked to research John Carroll, born 1818 in New York, to determine his immigrant ancestor. We began by examining the documents provided by the client directly and those attached to her Ancestry family tree. Those documents included a compiled descendancy report for John Carroll; images from John’s enumeration in the 1855 New York state census, as well as his appearances in the 1860 and 1870 federal censuses; and an 1863 draft registration for John in Joliet, Will County, Illinois. None of these documents provided information about John’s parentage. We thus sought additional records in Schenectady County, New York, that might do so. John Carroll Prior to the record of his appearance in the 1855 New York State census, as provided by the client, John Carroll was enumerated in the 1850 federal census. He was counted in Montgomery County, New York, which adjoins Schenectady County to the west. John’s later town of residence, Glenville, was only a short distance east of the Montgomery County line.1 John, 35, was reportedly a carpenter born in Massachusetts. His presumed wife, Jane, was 25 and also said to have been born in Massachusetts. Their household also included a presumed son, Alexander Carroll, age 10 and born in New York.2 Due to the calculated age of Jane at Alexander’s birth, she might have been John’s second wife. Also, Alexander could have been a relative of John, such as a much younger brother, cousin, or nephew. U.S. 1 Google Maps, http://maps.google.com, accessed July 2018. 2 1850 U.S. Census (population schedule), Montgomery County, New York, dwelling 180, John Carroll household, http://myheritage.com, subscription database, accessed July 2018. DOCUMENT 1. 3 Census enumerators were not required to note relationships between members of a household until 1880, though they sometimes did so anyway. Comparison of John’s 1850 household with his household as enumerated in 1855 in the state census of New York, a copy of which was attached to the client’s Ancestry tree, indicated Alexander Carroll had either died or moved away. John had reportedly only aged one year in the intervening five years, but his presumed wife “Jane Abigail” was 29 in 1855, consistent with her reported age of 25 in 1850. In 1855, Jane Abigail was said to have been born in Massachusetts, as “Jane” had been in 1850. However, John was described as being born in Schenectady County, New York, in the 1855 census. This is consistent with 1860 and 1870 census returns, provided by the client, which indicate a New York place of birth for John. Finally, the 1855 census reported Montgomery County as the place of birth for presumed daughter Harriett. She was born there about 1851. Presumed son Richard was said to have been born in Schenectady County about 1854.3 The combined evidence from the 1850 and 1855 censuses indicated John and Jane Abigail had married in or before 1850, possibly as early as 1840. John had either been born in Massachusetts or Schenectady County, New York, between 1814 and 1819. Jane had been born in Massachusetts around 1824–1826. John had been working as a carpenter in 1850, but had become an innkeeper in Glenville, New York, by 1855.4 Examination of John’s household in 1860 and 1870, using images provided by the client, showed John was still an innkeeper in Glenville in 1860. His and Jane’s places of birth were listed as New York and Massachusetts, respectively. By 1870, John and his family had relocated to Joliet, Will County, Illinois, where John was once again working as a carpenter, 3 Documents provided by the client. 4 Documents provided by the client. 4 while his and Jane’s places of birth were by then reported as both being in New York.5 Overall, the evidence pointed to a Massachusetts origin for John and Jane, or their recent ancestors, due to the patterned inconsistency of their reported places of birth. Aaron Carroll of Schenectady County Operating under the assumption that John Carroll was likely born in Schenectady County, and that his family had probably come from Massachusetts previously, a search was made for Carroll men heading households in Schenectady and Montgomery Counties prior to 1850. Only one man was found who was old enough to have been John’s father—Aaron Carroll of Glenville, New York. Glenville was the same town in which John Carroll also lived between 1855 and 1863. Aaron first appeared in Schenectady County in the 1820 federal census, as “Aaron Carl” in Glenville. His household included three white males aged less than ten years. John was born 1814–1819, so would have been of the right age to have been Aaron’s son in 1820.6 Aaron was not found in the 1830 census, but in 1840 his household in Glenville included two white males age 20 to 29. John Carroll would have been about 25 in 1840 and thus could have been one of the white males in Aaron Carroll’s household that year.7 The presence of Revolutionary War veteran Andrew Seaman in Aaron’s household is unexplained, as a consultation of Andrew’s pension file revealed no mention of Aaron Carroll or anyone of a similar name.8 5 Documents provided by the client. 6 1820 U.S. Census (population schedule), Glenville, Schenectady County, New York, p. 120A, Aaron Carl household, http://myheritage.com, subscription database, accessed July 2018. DOCUMENT 2. 7 1840 U.S. Census (population schedule), Glenville, Schenectady County, New York, p. 316, Aaron Carl household, http://myheritage.com, subscription database, accessed July 2018. DOCUMENT 3a–b. 8 Revolutionary War Pensions, Andrew Seaman, private, Hoyt’s Company, Col. Bradley’s Regt., Connecticut Line, pension no. S.28872, 1838, National Archives and Records Administration, http://fold3.com, subscription database, accessed July 2018. Copy available upon request. 5 In 1850, Aaron Carroll was enumerated in the town of Rotterdam, Schenectady County, New York. He was said to be age 67 and born in New York. He was working as a cooper. His presumed wife Cynthia was also said to be 67 and born in New York.9 Rotterdam is about 13 miles south of Glenville.10 Aaron was not found in the 1855 New York state census. In the 1860 federal census, however, Aaron was reportedly age 79 and born in Massachusetts. He was a farmer living in Glenville. His presumed wife Cynthia was 76 and also born in Massachusetts.11 They were enumerated only four pages from John Carroll, the client’s ancestor. In the 1865 New York state census, Aaron was reported as being 84 and born in Massachusetts, while his presumed wife “Synthy” was 82 and born in Massachusetts, also. The census that year included the information that he and Cynthia were the parents of twelve children.