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Singerline Genealogy/Family History: Census Snippets |
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United States:
The surname is spelled here pretty much
as a German would pronounce it and an American would likely
hear it.
There is no mention here of a son Frank
or a daughter Ann. They may have been out of the house on
the day the census enumerator came around and so were not
counted. Both appear in the next census, although the son
Joseph does not.
If the information about the daughter
Mary is correct, the Zengerling line arrived in the US by
1847.
The surname is a bit mangled in the census manuscripts,
but the remaining information, e.g. names, ages, and
places of birth, rings true.
These are the parents and siblings of Johann Joseph, who
is not listed. He had been married the previous
year, so it is likely he was in his own household.
It can be assumed that Newark still had farmable land in
the vicinity in 1860.
Catherine is likely the only child left at home. This is
the year that Joseph establishes his last will and
testament, and he names Catherine alone of the children.
The information about where John, Thomas' brother, was
born, as well as that about his parents, is incorrect.
This is the only record that indicates that any of the
Gargan's other than Thomas and his own family had come
over to the States. It is pretty certain that John
returned to Scotland at some point.
I'm not sure how to explain some of the given names in
this record. George may be a corruption of Johann,
or it might be a nickname. Mary might be another
name for Anna, e.g. Anna Maria. Actually, it is possible
that this is a second wife, a Mary Reinhardt, as
I've found a marriage record that suggests it. If this is
correct, then Freddie is a stepbrother. Joseph, i.e.
George here, will definitely remarry an Anne McNair at
some point, and she will outlive him by two censuses, at
least.
References to the tanning industry appear here. Benjamin's
death notice in 1911, will name Stengel Leather Company as
an employer.
Isabella is noted as a widow. The problem is not with
Bernard McDonald, who did die in 1898, but in the
comparison with information from the 1910 census, which
notes that she was married for thirteen years. So, if the
later census is correct, then the earlier one should have
her married for three years already.
This dwelling had apparently been in the family for
decades. Annie will still be there in the 1910 census.
This census is clear on the year of Joseph's arrival in
the United States -- 1840. That seems a bit on the early
side. Other records, such as those in the archives at
Detmold, Germany, concerning his "secret emigration,"
suggest a later date. Then again, the 1860 census of his
parents and siblings notes that his then 13-year old sister
was born in New York, i.e. around 1847. It's possible that
his parents made a blanket decision early on that
they would not allow their sons to be conscripted into the
Prussian military, rather than following a Joseph old
enough to decide for himself, and that the Prussian
authorities did not find out until later.
This census is pretty clear in terms of dates of arrival
into the United States. It would seem that Thomas Gargan
came over first in 1870. Family history suggests that he
was intended to become supervisor at the Clark Thread Mill
in East Newark, NJ. Whether true or not, that is
where several generations ended up working. His wife, Jane
Graham, apparently followed with the children in 1872.
According to this census, they were married about 1888,
but I have been unable to find the record in diocesan,
county, or state records. It is possible that there is
some still unknown New York connection, and they were
married there (although both seem to have been born in
New Jersey).
There is no reason, other than this document, to think
that Mary Jane Woods' parents are from Germany.
1910, Isabella Donnelly (née
Gargan, previously McDonald), 2nd Husband, & Family
This census notes that Isabella is the mother of three
children still living, but it then lists five,
all of which are her children.
There is no mention of a first daughter, Mary, although
it is possible that she might be out of the
house at this point.
Isabella and her parents are incorrectly noted as being
born in New Jersey.
The mother-in-law is Mary McDonald (née Smith),
Bernard's mother; she will die in 1916, at the Essex
County Hospital in Cedar Grove, NJ.
Thomas Gargan, the father-in-law (Isabella's father) is
noted as being born in Ireland when, in fact, he was born
in Scotland; his father was born in
Ireland.
Scotland:
The Samuel Carson listed here should be the father of
Isabella Gerrigen. It may be that his wife, Margaret
Cameron, is out of the house on census day, or is already
dead.
I am currently thinking that this family is indeed an
earlier generation of Gargan's. The family name is rendered
as Gahagan in the baptismal records of the next generation
and the given names, Thomas and Prudentia/Prudence, are
correct.
This is the same family, ten years later.
Thomas is noted as a Chelsea pensioner, which signifies
that he had been a soldier and had applied for a pension.
If correct, then this might be the lead needed to
trace the Gargan's back to Ireland, as there was some bit
of paperwork necessary in filing for such a pension.
Tirol (Austria):
This source notes only family
names; there is no information down to the individual. So,
all this really does is point to the presence of Singerline
ancestors in the Paznaun Valley area some 572 years ago.
But even if I can't prove specific links, it's still
quite a find.
Westfalen (Germany):
This list is dated more than two hundred
years before the church books in Gehrden (Brakel)
begin, so there is no way to make concrete connections, but
one of the first family names to appear in those church
books -- Pipers -- also appears in this list.
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Webpage last updated: 23 November 2001