Missing In The Census: When Your Ancestor Goes MIA
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3 responses to “Missing In The Census: When Your Ancestor Goes MIA”
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Researching a “Margaritte Fleming” or “Margaret Fleming.” I find her living with her parents Solomon & Sarah Ann (Davis, Bateman) Fleming in 1850 in Harpers Ferry. She is age 14. I think that I also find a duplicate record of her living with her grandparents Joseph & Mary (Ward) Davis in 1850 in “District 28” of Jefferson County. She is listed as Margaret age 12. She is NOT listed in 1860, so I would assume she married or died. I cannot find her in any of these records, and the records seem to be fairly complete–maybe that’s not true? Do you have an opinion about the online marriage/death records for Jefferson Co?
Interestingly, I find a Annie Margt Fleming who died 27 Aug 1906 in Harpers Ferry. This person was born 1835, which would match my Margaret. I find an Annie Fleming in the 1860 census listed as pauper, occupation servant. She is listed with several other paupers. Was there some kind of poor house in Harper’s Ferry? I can’t find anything about a poorhouse. In 1900, an Annie Fleming is listed as “inmate.” The header for the census says “Infirmary” in the Middleway Magistrate District, but some families are listed on the same page. Maybe they are associated with the infirmary? The family name is Hiedwohl. Do you know anything about this infirmary? Is it the same place as the poorhouse? Where do I go to find records about this place? I don’t even have a name of the institution.
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Hi Veneta,
Hmm, I do not know of a Margaret or Annie Fleming off the top of my head from my prior research. In my personal belief, I do not believe that the online vital records for Jefferson County are complete. There have been many cases spanning many different families where someone who was born or died here according to attendants or church records does not have a county recorded record. However, according to the Jefferson County Clerk’s office and the State of West Virginia, Jefferson County has provided all vital records in their possession to the state archives (and they have been digitized). It’s not a far stretch to believe that some were accidentally lost, destroyed, or misplaced. We also must remember that sometimes things went unreported for various reasons. These reasons are not a replacement for a thorough search, though, and if you haven’t already, I would suggest a search of surrounding area records. If you are certain she was born in or near Harpers Ferry, I would suggest both Frederick and Washington County, MD and Loudoun County, VA, specifically.
As far as the 1850 census, “District 28” spans the Bakerton area beginning near lower Bolivar Heights following down the river to Shepherdstown, so those two households are not far at all from each other.
As far as a poor house, I do not know of one in Harpers Ferry. There was a poor house in Leetown, although that doesn’t explain her 1860 census entry. The poor house in Leetown was called Snow Hill, but also sometimes just “Jefferson County Infirmary/Poorhouse”. If you are searching newspapers, it’ll probably just be called the “Alms house”. If memory serves, this poor house was in operation at the time her life. I think it first opened as a poor house shortly before the civil war. I do not know where records of this operation would be located, if they even survived at all. I believe that the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks commission owns the property currently, so I would start there.
I apologize for my extremely late reply and I hope that you have found the answers you seek, but if not, I hope this was helpeful!
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Here’s a few things I found: There is a Joseph Ward mentioned in the Virginia Free Press Jan. 17, 1880 — he had died prior to that, but the tidbit mentions he worked for the B&O and made runs from Winchester to Jefferson County. He was born in England, married somewhere in the area, and left behind a wife and two children. November, 1883 a Solomon Fleming resigned as Justic of the Peace. In June of 1879, Solomon Fleming was paid $6.50 for brooms for the poor house. He also served as School Commissioner for district 12 in 1860. In 1896, a daughter of a Solomon Fleming — Druscilla– died of a “second stroke of paralysis”.
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