Ddale --
This is a VERY interesting story. William A. Dell married Sadie E.
Boyd on Dec. 24, 1882, so you just missed their 120th wedding
anniversary. This information comes from:
Illinois State Archives
Statewide Marriage Index, 1763-1900
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/marriage.html
You may wish to order a copy of their marriage certificate because of
the uncertainties that unroll as this story goes forward. Here's how
it's done:
Illinois State Archives
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/marrcopy.html
From your background, I next went to the National Archives depository
near me and tracked Sarah and William A. down in the 1900 U.S. Census,
taken at their residence on June 2, 1900. He has died; she is the
head of the household in Astoria, IL (Astoria Township) and here's
who's living in the house:
Sarah E., born March, 1864
George R., born October, 1883, who is working as a coal miner
Nellie, born March, 1886
Oscar L., born March, 1889
Katie E., born November, 1894
Lillie M., born October, 1896
Carl D., born August, 1898
Sarah's mother is from Ohio; her father from Pennsylvania; as we know
William A. had been born in Maryland. She owns the house and it
carries a mortgage. Should you ever wish to look this up or get a
printout, they are on microfilm roll 673-302 for the 1900 U.S. Census;
vol. 88, ED #2, sheet 3, line 60.
The 1890 Census was destroyed in a fire, so the next place to look for
them is in the 1880 Census (before they were married). He does not
appear in the 1880 Census either in Astoria, IL or in the state of
Maryland. Nor do his parents.
However, there he does appear in the 1870 Census – and is the only
William A. Dell in the state of Maryland (there's one other William
Dell, but he's 45 in 1870). In 1870 he is 8, making his birthday
sometime in 1862.
William is living with Milton S. Dellison, 22, a blacksmith, and his
wife Clarissa, also age 22, in Carroll County, MD. The Dellisons also
have a daughter, Roseanna R., age 1 at the time of 1870 Census.
Carroll County is northwest of Baltimore. Most census sheets show the
relationship of children living in a household; it's curiously absent
from all of the Carroll County census sheets from this year. This
Census data can be found on roll 582 of the 1870 Census, page 448.
After finding this different spelling, I went back to 1880 to see if I
could find the Dellisons in Maryland during that Census but with no
luck.
If you'd like to see or print any of these Census records, NARA has
facilities throughout the country, though the records are principally
on microfilm:
NARA Facilties
http://www.archives.gov/facilities/index.html
For further research let me suggest the following:
To obtain a death certificate in the state of Illinois:
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/idphdeathindex.html
There are many excellent databases of cemeteries and headstones on the
Internet but unfortunately Fulton County, IL is not one of them.
However, a query to genealogical researchers in the county may yield
some information:
Rootsweb – Fulton County, IL
http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilfulton/
Birth certificates back to 1862 can be a problem but this Maryland
state page has instructions on how to confirm births via church
records:
Maryland State Archives
http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/refserv/html/birth.html
Google search strategy:
genealogy + IL + "Fulton County"
Best regards,
Omnivorous-GA |
