Thursday, March 6, 2008

How good was Della's list?

Attentive readers of Genea-Musings will recall that Della (Smith) Carringer listed the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Samuel and Mary Ann (Underhill) Vaux in a letter to a cousin (see "Letters from Home - Post 19").

I posted seven articles detailing the descendants of Samuel Vaux and Mary Ann Underhill at

* Post 1 - Children of Samuel and Mary Ann (Underhill) Vaux

* Post 2 - Mary A. Vaux who married James Woodward

* Post 3 - Celia Ann Vaux who married (1) Milo Redfield and (2) Francis Munger

* Post 4 - Abigail A. Vaux who married Devier J. Smith

* Post 5 - James P. Vaux who married Mary Alice Patrick

* Post 6 - Elizabeth Vaux who married Samuel Crouch

* Post 7 - Amos Vaux, who died young.

How accurate was Della? Did she miss any of the descendants when she wrote the letter in October 1903? Let's see:

Grandchildren from Della's list (using Della's numbers, and the names from my lists):

1. Della (Smith) Carringer - born 1861, daughter of Abigail Vaux .
2. Orpha (Woodward) Needham - born 1864, daughter of Mary Vaux.
3. Nellie (Redfield) Woodward (dead) - born 1864, daughter of Celia Vaux.
4. David D. Smith - born 1863, son of Abigail Vaux.
5. Ada Redfield (dead) - born 1865, daughter of Celia Vaux

6. Mary (Woodward) Dyar - born 1866, daughter of Mary Vaux
7. Matie (Smith) (Chenery) (Cramer) Morrill - born 1866, daughter of Abigail Vaux
8. Aggie Smith (dead) - born 1868, daughter of Abigail Vaux
9. Myrtle (Crouch) Milbank - born 1872, daughter of Elizabeth Vaux
10. George Munger - born 1874, son of Celia Vaux.

11. Amy (Munger) Doctor - born 1876, daughter of Celia Vaux
12. William Crouch - born 1874, son of Elizabeth Vaux
13. Lutie Smith (dead) - born 1875, daughter of Abigail Vaux
14. Lou (Munger) Doctor - born 1878, daughter of Celia Vaux
15. Ralph Crouch (dead) - born 1880, son of Elizabeth Vaux

16. Bert Vaux - born 1879, son of James Vaux
17. Guy Vaux (dead) - born 1880, son of James Vaux
19. Callie Vaux - born 1883, daughter of James Vaux

I don't think she missed one of them. She got them a little out of birth order, but she did well, I think.

Great-grandchildren of Samuel and Mary Ann (Underhill) Vaux (in Della's order, which ended up being in family groups because she didn't write all the names) -

18. Gean Woodward (dead) - born 1885, grandson of Celia Vaux
20. Ada Woodward - born 1889, granddaughter of Celia Vaux
21. Verdie Dyar - born 1886, granddaughter of Mary Vaux
22. Roy Dyar - born 1888, grandson of Mary Vaux
23. Devier D. Carringer (dead) - born 1889, grandson of Abigail Vaux

24. Nellie Woodward - born 1890, granddaughter of Celia Vaux
25. Eva Smith - born 1890, granddaughter of Abigail Vaux
26. Chester Dyar - born 1891, grandson of Mary Vaux
27. Lyle L. Carringer - born 1891, grandson of Abigail Vaux
28. Vern Dyar - born 1895, grandson of Mary Dyar

29. Ellen Doctor - born 1896, granddaughter of Celia Vaux
30. Lezzie Doctor - born 1900, granddaughter of Celia Vaux
31. Grace Doctor - born 1902, granddaughter of Celia Vaux

32. Mable Smith - born 1902, granddaughter of Abigail Vaux

33-34. Willie's two girls
33. Vivian Crouch - born 1899, granddaughter of Elizabeth Vaux
34. Evangeline Crouch - born 1901, granddaughter of Elizabeth Vaux

35-37. Amy's two girls and a boy

35. Celia Doctor - born 1898, granddaughter of Celia Vaux
36. Frank Doctor - born 1900, granddaughter of Celia Vaux
37. Peter Doctor - born 1903, grandson of Celia Vaux


38-40. Geo. Munger's 2 girls and a boy
38. Georgia Munger - born 1901, granddaughter of Celia Vaux
39. Callie Munger - born 1902, granddaughter of Celia Vaux
40. Frank Munger - born 1903, grandson of Celia Vaux

41. Orpha's daughter: Ada Needham - born 1885, granddaughter of Mary Vaux.

She apparently missed Lyndia Needham, born 1892, granddaughter of Mary Vaux. Several great-grandchildren were born after 1903, so she didn't know about them.

All in all, I think that Della did a great job of identifying the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of her grandparents. Considering that all of that was done by mail and personal contact, she identified 18 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren, only missing one (I think!).

Don't we all wish that every great-grandmother had done something similar with their family lines?

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