Saturday, March 7, 2009

Resolving an Evidence Conflict - Post 2: The Evidence

This is the second post in a series about resolving an evidence conflict in my genealogy research. It's also part of my homework for my ProGen Study Group that I described in Post 1: The Assignment.

Here are the sources, and the information in each source, that relate to the birth name, the birth date and birth place of Devier James Lamphier Smith.

Source 1:
Devier and Abigail (Vaux) Smith Family Bible records, 1805-1946, loose family pages only, first entries made in 1889. Original pages held by Randall J. Seaver, 1154 Via Trieste, Chula Vista CA 91911 in 2009.

Information in Source 1:
Informant = Devier J. Smith
Birth Name = Devier J. Smith
Birth Date = 7 May 1842
Birth Place = not given

Source 2:
1850 U.S. Census, Dodge County, Wisconsin, Population Schedule, Burnett township, Page 43 (stamped), Dwelling #609, Family #632, Ranslow Smith household, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com, : accessed
28 February 2009), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 996.


Information in Source 2:
Informant: unknown, perhaps Ranslow Smith or Mary Smith
Name: Devier Smith
Age: 11 (Birth Date ~ 1 June 1838 - 31 May 1839)
Birth Place: New York

Source 3:
1860 U.S. Census, Dodge County, Wisconsin, Population Schedule, Oak Grove township, Page 745 (penned), Dwelling #704, Family #701, Ranslow Smith household, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com, : accessed 28 February 2009), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M653, Roll 1406.

Information in Source 3:
Informant: unknown, perhaps Ranslow Smith or Mary Smith
Name: Devier Smith
Age: 21 (Birth Date ~ 1 June 1838 - 31 May 1839)
Birth Place: New York


Source 4:
1870 U.S. Census, Taylor County, Iowa, Population Schedule, Benton township, Page 13 (penned), Dwelling #207, Family #207, Devier Smith household, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com, : accessed 28 February 2009), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M593, Roll 421.

Information in Source 4:
Informant: unknown, perhaps Devier Smith or Abigail Smith\
Name: Devier Smith
Age: 30 (Birth Date ~ 1 June 1839 - 31 May 1840)
Birth Place: New York

Source 5:
1880 U.S. Census, Pottawatomie County, Kansas, Population Schedule, Shannon township, Page 243D (stamped), Dwelling #125, Family #125, D.J. Smith household, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com, : accessed 28 February 2009), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T9, Roll 393.

Information in Source 5:
Informant: unknown, perhaps Devier Smith or Abigail Smith
Name: D.J. Smith
Age: 41 (Birth Date ~ 1 June 1838 - 31 May 1839)
Birth Place: New York


Source 6:
1875 Kansas State Census, Cloud County, Kansas, Population Schedule, Lincoln township, Page 12 (penned), Dwelling #107, Family #107, D.J. Smith household, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com, : accessed 28 February 2009), citing Kansas State Census Collection, 1855-1925, Roll K-4.

Information in Source 6:
Informant: unknown, perhaps Devier Smith or Abigail Smith
Name: D.J. Smith
Age: 35 (Birth Date ~ 1 June 1939 - 31 May 1840)
Birth Place: New York

Source 7:
1885 Kansas State Census, Clay County, Kansas, Population Schedule, Clyde township, Page 35 (penned), Dwelling #69, Family #82, D.J. Smith household, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com, : accessed 28 February 2009), citing Kansas State Census Collection, 1855-1925, Roll K-23.

Information in Source 7:
Informant: unknown, perhaps Devier Smith or Abigail Smith
Name: D.J. Smith
Age: 46 (Birth Date ~ 1 June 1838 - 31 May 1839)
Birth Place: Ohio


Source 8:
State of Wisconsin, Private & Local Laws Passed by the Legislature of Wisconsin and Acts & Resolves Passed by the Legislature of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, digital image, Wisconsin GenWeb, Name Changes in Wisconsin database, http://www.wigenweb.org/waupaca/Misc/M1.htm, accessed 28 February 2009.

Information in Source 8:
Place: Dodge County, Wisconsin
Date: 21 May 1866

Informant: unknown, almost certainly Devier J. Lamphier
Name: Devier J. Lamphier (name change to) Devier J. Smith
Age: not given
Birth Place: not given

Source 9:
Robert T. Ray, compiler, Cemetery Records of Red Willow County, Nebraska, Southwest Nebraska Genealogical Society, 197?, 47. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah (978.2843 V3r), 12 January 2009.

Information in Source 9:
Location: McCook, Red Willow County, Nebraska
Informant: Unknown, probably son David D. Smith
Name: Devier J. Smith
Birth Date: 1842
Birth Place: not given

Source 10:
Andrew County, Missouri Probate Court, Probate Records, 1841-1918; Index to Probate Records, 1841-1976, Case No. 1074, Smith, Ranslow, page 47, Andrew Count, Missouri, Courthouse, Savannah, Missouri. Family History Library Microfilm 1,006,198, Item 3, accessed on 12 January 2009.

Information in Source 10:
Informant: Ranslow Smith, adoptive father of Devier J. Smith
Name: adopted son Devier J. Lamphear alias Devier J. Smith
Age: not given
Birth Place: not given

Source 11:
Abigail (Vaux) Smith Family Papers, 1805-1894, loose family pages only, first entries probably made in about 1894. Original pages held by Randall J. Seaver, Chula Vista CA 91911 in 2009.

Information in Source 11:
Informant: Abigail (Vaux) Smith, wife of Devier J. Smith (her handwriting, probably written after 1894 death of Devier J. Smith).
Name = Diver James Smith
Birth Date = 7 May 1839
Birth place: not given

To summarize:

* Name: It appears that Devier J. Lamphier was adopted by Ranslow and Mary (Bell) Smith and changed his name to Devier J. (AKA D.J. or Devier James) Smith in 1866.

* Birth Date: The Family Bible in Devier J. Smith's own hand says 7 May 1842, and his gravestone says 1842. All census records say 1839-1840, and his wife's notes say 7 May 1839.

* Birth Place: The Ranslow Smith family resided in Henderson, Jefferson County, NY in 1840. All census records but 1885 Kansas State Census say he was born in New York; 1885 Kansas State Census says born in Ohio.

It's an interesting problem, isn't it? Stay tuned for my analysis of relevance and credibility of each piece of evidence, using the terms used in the Genealogical Proof Standard for Sources (Original or Derivative), Information (Primary or Secondary) and Evidence (Direct or Indirect).

What other sources might I find to help me resolve the conflicts in evidence noted above?

2 comments:

Delia Furrer said...

1840 census of Henderson, Jefferson County, NY shows a "tick" mark for a male under the age of 5. One thing I did notice, where is the 12 year old girl from the 1850 census in 1840?
I have the same issue with an ancestor who changed his birth date by 2 years. He was a soldier in the Civil War and married 5 times! Still haven't figured it out.

WaverlyWanderer said...

i came accross a civil war posting earlier today that is a Walter Smith from NY and the claimant is his mother Esther.

Also...randalls and smiths are probably related. I've still got to prove this one but if you look in Lorraine new york you will find a randall cemetery. Everyone in that cemetery is related...i just don't quite understand how yet.

Also..your James Bell ..there's two of them or else james was married more than two times. His second marrage ...or at least the one in the book i found ...says his second wife was a Smith. his first wife was a Wood..which makes him related to me in some odd way. They lived in brownville and owned businesses in dexter. He was a senator and ...he had property out west in wisconsin. Ring any bells? (har har)

anyhow james' parents were from ireland.

ALSO..there's a chauncy smith from henderson..who went to wisconsin. Might be related.