Thanks to Family Search obtaining Vermont Vital records, the Blanchard side of my family has opened up ten-fold. I recently found out that my great grandfather Charles Forrest Blanchard was not always married to my great grandmother Lucy Ann Riley. In the Family Search records, it clearly shows that he was married twice before:
First to Rose A Ashley on 25 Dec 1886
Source Citation: "Vermont, Vital Records, 1760-1954," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XFQB-FHB : accessed 8 April 2012), Luther W. Blanchard in entry for Charlie F. Blanchard and Rose A. Ashley (1886).
Then to Lucy A Eastman in 1891
Source Citation: "Vermont, Vital Records, 1760-1954," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XFQB-FCR : accessed 8 April 2012), Charles F. Blanchard (1871).
But then he married my great grandmother Lucy Ann Riley. Based on the age of their oldest child, Charles T. in the 1900 census, I estimated their marriage to be around 1894-1895. But I couldn't find a record of it. I had a gentleman on Ancestry actually argue with me about my findings, claiming that there was no way. But there it was, in black and white. There are no other Charles Forrest Blanchard's that I have found in Vermont at that time, with a father named Luther and a mother named Lydia. So this leads me to believe that I am on the right trail.
Then something weird happened. I found a census record for a Stephen T. Riley in Vermont, with a wife named Grace E. and a daughter named Lucy Ann. I punched it into my tree with the hope that something would show up in the shaky leaf hints. Nothing, after several weeks.
I did a search for Stephen, but all I kept coming up with was a Thomas Riley with the same birth date. Just out of curiosity yesterday, I tried searching Family Search for Thomas Riley. And poof....there it was.......
First to Rose A Ashley on 25 Dec 1886
Source Citation: "Vermont, Vital Records, 1760-1954," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XFQB-FHB : accessed 8 April 2012), Luther W. Blanchard in entry for Charlie F. Blanchard and Rose A. Ashley (1886).
Then to Lucy A Eastman in 1891
Source Citation: "Vermont, Vital Records, 1760-1954," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XFQB-FCR : accessed 8 April 2012), Charles F. Blanchard (1871).
But then he married my great grandmother Lucy Ann Riley. Based on the age of their oldest child, Charles T. in the 1900 census, I estimated their marriage to be around 1894-1895. But I couldn't find a record of it. I had a gentleman on Ancestry actually argue with me about my findings, claiming that there was no way. But there it was, in black and white. There are no other Charles Forrest Blanchard's that I have found in Vermont at that time, with a father named Luther and a mother named Lydia. So this leads me to believe that I am on the right trail.
Then something weird happened. I found a census record for a Stephen T. Riley in Vermont, with a wife named Grace E. and a daughter named Lucy Ann. I punched it into my tree with the hope that something would show up in the shaky leaf hints. Nothing, after several weeks.
I did a search for Stephen, but all I kept coming up with was a Thomas Riley with the same birth date. Just out of curiosity yesterday, I tried searching Family Search for Thomas Riley. And poof....there it was.......
Source Citation: "Vermont, Vital Records, 1760-1954," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XF36-46R : accessed 22 Aug 2012), Thomas S. Riley in entry for Charles F. Blanchard and Lucy A. Riley, 1892.
The proof I was looking for to show the marriage date of my great grandparents. They were married July 10th, 1892. And then on top of that, I found out that for whatever reason, most of Lucy Ann's fathers life, he went by Thomas, not Stephen. I can only guess why he showed up in the census that one time with Stephen....did he have a son of the same name? Did someone other than a family member give the info? Did the census taker just swap the names by accident? Who knows. But it has opened up two other family lines....the Riley's (paternal of Lucy Ann) and the Kathan's (maternal of Lucy Ann).
I haven't searched to find out what happened to the first two wives....illness causing death? Another adventure to add to my "to do" list! Right now I am busy getting my files in order and trying NOT to get off track. Finding rabbit trails like this though make it awfully tempting lol.
The proof I was looking for to show the marriage date of my great grandparents. They were married July 10th, 1892. And then on top of that, I found out that for whatever reason, most of Lucy Ann's fathers life, he went by Thomas, not Stephen. I can only guess why he showed up in the census that one time with Stephen....did he have a son of the same name? Did someone other than a family member give the info? Did the census taker just swap the names by accident? Who knows. But it has opened up two other family lines....the Riley's (paternal of Lucy Ann) and the Kathan's (maternal of Lucy Ann).
I haven't searched to find out what happened to the first two wives....illness causing death? Another adventure to add to my "to do" list! Right now I am busy getting my files in order and trying NOT to get off track. Finding rabbit trails like this though make it awfully tempting lol.
