Advice needed re America

[carolchipp]

My g.g. grandfather had, as far as I have ever been able to ascertain, eight children. I have him, his wife and both their families (including siblings and their families) on all the census records and other various records.
However, at the inquest into his death in 1877, he is described as having 'nine children, one of whom is in America'.
I'm not too worried about the unknown ninth child at the moment - if it's there to be found, I'll find it eventually. What I would like to know is which of his children was in America at the time. His eldest child (a daughter) would have been 17 at the time but there was huge poverty in south Wales at the time so I suppose one of the younger children might have gone.

So, my question is, what's the best way of trying to find out who went to America.

Thanks
Carol

[Megan Roberts]

In a nutshell you do need to know the identity of the ninth child because that child might be the eldest and could be the one in America.

Once you know who all nine are then you need to try and place them in 1877 and see if any appear on passenger lists. Failing that you could try searching the 1880 US Federal Census.

[Pam Downes]

I'm not sure if it's the way you've written it, or the way I've read it (the most likely ), but can you confirm that you have the eight children in the 1881 census in the UK. If by then any of them were married, had they married over here?

Were the eight children born and baptised in the same town/village? And are there any 'gaps' between the children where another one might have been born? Is there any possibility that gg-granddad could have been married before, and the ninth child is from that marriage? (My great granddad said he was a bachelor when he married in November 1861 despite allegedly having a wife in the 1861 census. Though he was wise enough to move from a large town to a small village in another county before making such a declaration. And, in fairness, I've not found a previous marriage for him.)

Have you checked passenger lists and Castle Garden. America's first immigration centre? https://www.
castlegarden.org/

ETA: I do agree with Megan about the need to find the ninth child, as the eldest in the family is the most likely one to be in America.

Pam

[carolchipp]

Thanks for that, Pam and Megan. The eldest was born in the first year of marriage and I have those I know of in the 1881. I only have a uk ancestry subscription which is showing up nothing. I guess I'll have to track down the missing child - all were born between 1860 and 1877, so there is room for another child - but it's also possible one of the others went and returned between two census years. I've tried Castle Garden already but with no luck. Maybe the missing child is the one that went and maybe never came back

[Megan Roberts]

Its also possible that he had child before he married - do you have his marriage certificate and if so what was his condition? i.e. bachelor, widower etc.