Setting the Record Straight: Iowa, Marriage Records, 1880-1937

I don't always pay much attention to those little green leaves which Ancestry uses to signify a hint but a recent one for my maternal great grandfather Jesse David Webb (1860-1935) caught my eye. When I checked it out, this is what came up:

[Ancestry.com hint for Jesse David Webb]

Since we know that Great Grandfather Jesse married Elnora May Worden not Swiden, it was clear that a mistake had been made. Was the error in the original record or did the person transcribing it mis-read what was there?

Closer inspection leads me to conclude that this is a case of hard-to-read handwriting coupled with careless transcription. What do you think?

Also Richard Worden's wife's maiden name was Groves, not Graves.

Lastly, Jesse's mother's maiden name was Darling (or Darlin) so the original record is wrong.

Great Grandmother Elnora's first cousin Josie (Josephine J.) Alspaugh married traveling salesman Henry Hodges* six days earlier so only two other marriage records separate the cousins. Josie's mother, Caroline Groves, was Elnora's mother Delilah's older sister. Note that in this record, Caroline's maiden name is spelled Graves.

[All images above taken from Iowa State Archives; Des Moines, Iowa; Volume: 328 (Hamilton - Kossuth) Volume : 328 (Hamilton - Kossuth)

Ancestry.com. Iowa, Marriage Records, 1880-1937 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

Original data: Iowa Department of Public Health. Iowa Marriage Records, 1880–1922. Textual Records. State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa. Iowa Department of Public Health. Iowa Marriage Records, 1923–37. Microfilm. Record Group 048.

State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa.]

Naturally I added the correct names in Ancestry's index.



© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Family Friday: Worden

The couple in this family photo taken in Cedar City, Iowa, are my great great granduncle John Henry Worden (1847-1924) and his wife Lucinda Ellen "Sindy" Hodges (1845-1926) together with their daughters Mariah Jane "Jennie" Worden Bissell (1870-1900) and Lillian "Lillie" Worden Seitsinger (1877-1972). 

[Courtesy of Olive Kennedy]

John was the second son and fourth child of Porter and Hannah Leonard Worden. He and his older brother Willet Orlando "Dick" Worden* served together during the Civil War as privates in Company G of the 24th Iowa Infantry Regiment.

*My great great grandfather.

© 2015 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.