Mary HARTFORD - can you say "brick wall"??

[genealsue]

Mary, Mary has been quite contrary, and will not let me find her! :confused:

Mary Hartford was born somewhere in the "Irish Free State" in May 1868 - at least that's what it says on the 1900 NY City census records, which is the single record on her life that I have located! She is alleged to have emigrated to NYC somewhere around 1887. In 1892 she married Joseph HYLAND (and no, I can't find his origins either!) and together they had 4 sons: Thomas (my grandfather), John, James and Michael.

I have combed the FamilySearch.org website, and using a hint I found on this forum (yay!) was able to find 1200 Hartford names to read through. I pulled out more than 30 Mary Hartfords - some with Mary as first name, some as middle name - and numerous spellings of the last name.

So why can't I find her??? |banghead|

I found three possible with the correct year, but not the correct month. I found many, many more with neither the correct year nor the correct month. And I found ONE with the right month - but the wrong year.

I have been searching for a death record, but so far I haven't purchased the right one. I can't get a birth record, because I don't know where she was born. I can't get a marriage record, because there is no record available on any list I have been able to access. Did I mention I can't find her husband either? Sigh.......

So: do I put more weight on the year of birth, or the month of birth?? Or do I just keep looking???

Any and all suggestions|biggrin| gratefully accepted!!

Sue

[ChristineR]

Personally, if this was my Mary, I would absolutely forget about finding a birth record for now.

You do not have any idea if the information on month and year for her birth are correct anyhow. How are you going to know if it is really her when you do find one that matches. I would concentrate on finding her marriage. I am not familiar with US records, but I would presume at least her father would be recorded. How do you know that they married in 1892 if you do not have the marriage record? curious :)

Have you searched the Ellis Island records for her emigration.

Do you have Thomas' birth registration?

Do you have Joseph's death?
Have you checked to see where he is buried and if Mary is buried with him. Did he die before the 1901 census? since you do not know where he originated from. If he did die then Mary probably married again, which would make her death harder to find.

[Peter Goodey]

Mary Hartford was born somewhere in the "Irish Free State" in May 1868 - at least that's what it says on the 1900 NY City census records

That's very odd. The "Irish Free State" was established in 1922. How could a document written in 1900 mention the name of a state that did not yet exist?