So excited today!
I finally laid my hands on a marriage document that totally confirms what I suspected all along – Nellie Brown, the woman listed as the wife of William E and the mother of Margaret C in the New Jersey 1905 census, is undeniably Helen MacDonald.
This is how I pieced it all together, it’s also the origin story of how I became so obsessed with the house at 114 Slater st.
The image above is a 1905 New Jersey Census report. It shows three families living at 114 Slater. The first family listed is William E , Nellie, Margaret and William E. William Earnest Brown Junior is underlined. The second family listed (living in the same house) is John & Mary Brown with their daughters Elizabeth and Maggie. The third family consists of the widow, Elizabeth McDonald and her daughter Agnes O, with Agnes’ husband William Moore and their children Alfred , Elizabeth and Morris.
Mysteries aren’t often solved with one document. This one census doesn’t tell the entire story. Margaret C, my great grandmother was supposedly born in January of 1900. I checked the same house for a census in 1900 expecting to see her as an infant. The 1900 federal census was enumerated in June. If she was born in January of 1900, she would be an infant. Instead, I saw that their daughter Mary McDonald (whose surname was emphasized with an exclamation mark) claimed to be married and had one child. Presumably, a daughter named Lizzie Brown, who was also listed in the house. Agnes’s entire family is using the last name Orr instead of Moore, and Nellie is listed as married (but without children in June of 1900). Mysteries are afoot.
So the 1900 census left\ me wondering if Margaret C Brown’s birth year was accurate. But when I realized that Agnes Orr / Moore and Mary Brown were both John and Elizabeth’s daughters, a lightbulb went on. Maybe Nellie was their daughter too. Was Nellie Brown formerly a McDonald? Did John & Elizabeth’s daughters Mary and Nellie marry brothers? At this point, I had a hunch and decided to follow it.
Elizabeth’s 1919 probate records mentioned a daughter, Nellie, who was married to Robert J Farnon. The New Jersey Marriage index entry for their 1913 union connects Nellie Brown MacDonald and Robert J Farnon. So she was a Brown… but was she MY Brown?
Since both Nellie and her sister Mary married brothers, I figured their descendants would be DNA cousins of mine. Turns out, I hit the jackpot! Found descendants of John Brown and Mary MacDonald sharing DNA on my 1st and 5th chromosome through Ancestry and Gedmatch.
Now, all these clues should have been enough, but I’m a sucker for research and details. I wanted rock-solid confirmation that John and Elizabeth’s daughter Nellie married my William Earnest Brown. And guess what? Today’s the day – a marriage return from New Jersey, dated Feb 22, 1899, showing that John and Elizabeth’s daughter Helen married William Earnest Brown, son of George and Margaret of 126 Pine St. The names, the addresses – it all lines up perfectly! I also learned that John’s middle initial stands for Stevens and that Elizabeth McDonald’s maiden name was Shaw.
Now that I’m sitting on a conclusive goldmine of both DNA and paper documentation, I can dive headfirst into uncovering John and Elizabeth’s backstory before they hit Paterson, New Jersey. Turns out, they were both Irish, though John may have been born in Scotland.
The Browns had a mixed heritage – George’s parents were both born in Scotland, and Margaret VanRiper’s roots trace back to Dutch colonists in the 1600s. I’m not sure I’ll find much on George Brown, there were several Scottish George Browns in Paterson, many of whom worked as Boilermakers.
If I am remembering correctly, my Grandma Bebe Bertha used to tell us she was Dutch, Irish, Scottish and American Indian. I’ve yet to substantiate any claims to American Indian heritage. Project remains an active investigation. The image below shows her Irish Ancestors. William’s parents brought the Scottish and Dutch.
