I think I've found the earliest census record for my great-grandfather
Hans Petersen and his wife Catherine in 1880. Both were living in Belle
Prairie, Fillmore County, Nebraska. Their ages check out as does their
lack of children---they were newlyweds that year---and I know that their
first three children were born in Nebraska. I think this is them. I'll
know for certain when I receive a copy of their marriage license, which
Fillmore County actually still has on file.
From the 1900 census, the last one where Hans appears prior to his death
a couple years later, he's listed as having emigrated in 1872 (or so it
looks to me) but is also listed as having been in the US for 24 years.
Either someone's math is off or he spent four years in limbo somewhere.
Is there any other reasonable explanation for this, or should I assume
it's just a census error?
More confusing is another Hans Petersen who appears in the 1870 census,
this time in Douglas County Nebraska in a town that looks like Ouiola but
is perhaps a strangely spelled (or written) Omaha. His age works out for
my Hans (who was born in late June 1850) but if he didn't emigrate until
1872, how would he be here in 1870? Or did he misremember?
There are other Hans Petersens in Nebraska but I haven't run across any
of the same age as my Hans. I assume that locating his actual immigration
or naturalization records is the only way to verify his actual year of
arrival, but is there anything else I can check to see whether this 1870
Hans is the same as the 1880 Hans? Any guidance would be appreciated.
----
saki@ucla.edu
Census reliability: immigration year
Moderator: MOD_nyhetsgrupper
-
Doug Corbin
Re: Census reliability: immigration year
The 1900 census record looks to me like 28 for years in US which would be
correct.
The surname of the Hans in 1870 doesn't look like Petersen to me. It looks
more like Peterweiss or something like that. The name before him is
definitely Petersen.
I don't know what they charge for copies, but the Nebraska Historical
Society has a card file index to naturalization records in Nebraska. Hans
was probably in Nebraska long enough to be naturalized there.
Doug
"saki" <saki@ucla.edu> wrote in message
news:Xns954B66C4B304Dsakiuclaedu@169.232.47.140...
correct.
The surname of the Hans in 1870 doesn't look like Petersen to me. It looks
more like Peterweiss or something like that. The name before him is
definitely Petersen.
I don't know what they charge for copies, but the Nebraska Historical
Society has a card file index to naturalization records in Nebraska. Hans
was probably in Nebraska long enough to be naturalized there.
Doug
"saki" <saki@ucla.edu> wrote in message
news:Xns954B66C4B304Dsakiuclaedu@169.232.47.140...
I think I've found the earliest census record for my great-grandfather
Hans Petersen and his wife Catherine in 1880. Both were living in Belle
Prairie, Fillmore County, Nebraska. Their ages check out as does their
lack of children---they were newlyweds that year---and I know that their
first three children were born in Nebraska. I think this is them. I'll
know for certain when I receive a copy of their marriage license, which
Fillmore County actually still has on file.
From the 1900 census, the last one where Hans appears prior to his death
a couple years later, he's listed as having emigrated in 1872 (or so it
looks to me) but is also listed as having been in the US for 24 years.
Either someone's math is off or he spent four years in limbo somewhere.
Is there any other reasonable explanation for this, or should I assume
it's just a census error?
More confusing is another Hans Petersen who appears in the 1870 census,
this time in Douglas County Nebraska in a town that looks like Ouiola but
is perhaps a strangely spelled (or written) Omaha. His age works out for
my Hans (who was born in late June 1850) but if he didn't emigrate until
1872, how would he be here in 1870? Or did he misremember?
There are other Hans Petersens in Nebraska but I haven't run across any
of the same age as my Hans. I assume that locating his actual immigration
or naturalization records is the only way to verify his actual year of
arrival, but is there anything else I can check to see whether this 1870
Hans is the same as the 1880 Hans? Any guidance would be appreciated.
----
saki@ucla.edu
-
saki
Re: Census reliability: immigration year
"Doug Corbin" <bookrk@swbell.net> wrote in
news:0TrVc.9817$IC5.8505@newssvr22.news.prodigy.com:
Thanks for the clarification. I was reading the "8" as a "4".
You're also right about this. I enlarged the image and it's definitely
Peterweiss, although ancestry.com indexes it as Petersen. I'll stick with
1872 as the emigration year for my Hans.
His wife Catherine indicated on the 1910 census (by which time she was
remarried) that she was naturalized in 1885; both Hans and Catherine were
still in Nebraska that year prior to moving to Illinois in the 1890s.
Perhaps that was the year for Hans' naturalization as well. I'll check
with the Nebraska Historical Society. Do you think it's also worth
checking microfiche of the Family History Library's holdings on Nebraska
naturalizations and declarations of intention?
Thanks very much for the help!
----
saki@ucla.edu
news:0TrVc.9817$IC5.8505@newssvr22.news.prodigy.com:
The 1900 census record looks to me like 28 for years in US which would
be correct.
Thanks for the clarification. I was reading the "8" as a "4".
The surname of the Hans in 1870 doesn't look like Petersen to me. It
looks more like Peterweiss or something like that. The name before him
is definitely Petersen.
You're also right about this. I enlarged the image and it's definitely
Peterweiss, although ancestry.com indexes it as Petersen. I'll stick with
1872 as the emigration year for my Hans.
I don't know what they charge for copies, but the Nebraska Historical
Society has a card file index to naturalization records in Nebraska.
Hans was probably in Nebraska long enough to be naturalized there.
His wife Catherine indicated on the 1910 census (by which time she was
remarried) that she was naturalized in 1885; both Hans and Catherine were
still in Nebraska that year prior to moving to Illinois in the 1890s.
Perhaps that was the year for Hans' naturalization as well. I'll check
with the Nebraska Historical Society. Do you think it's also worth
checking microfiche of the Family History Library's holdings on Nebraska
naturalizations and declarations of intention?
Thanks very much for the help!
----
saki@ucla.edu