FamilySearch Confusion

Question

On FamilySearch, David McKinstrey is said to have been married to a woman named Polly Clemens. He is also described as the husband of Mary D. Clemence. I originally thought they were the same individual, but they have different parents.
If they are different women, who was the mother of Susan (McKinstry) Bigelow?

Comments

Polly can also be a nickname for Mary which makes it even more confusing.

Answer 1

Might be 2 different children 

https://www.ancestry.com.au/sharing/19952912?h=af23b6&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

https://www.ancestry.com.au/sharing/19952917?h=fa6d89&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

Comments

https://www.ancestry.com.au/sharing/19952929?h=5db455&utm_campaign=bandido-webparts&utm_source=post-share-modal&utm_medium=copy-url

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So who were the parents of the Susan McKinstry who married John Jones Bigelow?

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Probably Daniel and Polly

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It looks like you have to get the original records (birth, wedding, death) and.or extra records to decide. Are they online ?

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the daughter of Daniel and Polly died unmarried

Susan McKinstry

 in the Massachusetts, Death Records, 1841-1915

Name:	Susan McKinstry
Gender:	Female
Age:	75
Birth Date:	abt 1816
Birth Place:	Charlton, Massachusetts
Death Date:	8 Nov 1891
Death Place:	Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA
Father:	Daniel McKinstry
Mother:	Mary Clemens
Wills and Probates:	Search for Susan McKinstry in Massachusetts Wills & Probates collection

Source Citation

New England Historic Genealogical Society; Boston, Massachusetts; Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840???1911

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David McKinstrey's wife Mary

Mary McKinstry

 in the Massachusetts, Death Records, 1841-1915

View

Name:	Mary McKinstry [Mary Clemence]
Gender:	Female
Age:	88
Birth Date:	abt 1780
Birth Place:	Charlton
Death Date:	29 Dec 1868
Death Place:	Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA
Father:	Ebenezer Clemence
Wills and Probates:	Search for Mary McKinstry in Massachusetts Wills & Probates collection

Source Citation

New England Historic Genealogical Society; Boston, Massachusetts; Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840???1911

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SIDE NOTE; Susan had 3 marriages

Susan M Brigdon

 in the Massachusetts, Marriage Records, 1840-1915

View

Name:	Susan M Brigdon
Age:	43
Birth Year:	abt 1816
Birth Place:	Charlton
Marriage Date:	12 Oct 1859
Marriage Place:	Petersham, Massachusetts, USA
Father:	David M Mckinstry
Spouse:	Calvin Lyon

Source Citation

New England Historic Genealogical Society; Boston, Massachusetts; Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911–1915

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Ebenezer married Eunice Putney

Transcript

A purpose of marriage betwen Eben'r Clemons and Eunice Pu Both of Charlton, January 28, 1778 test. Nehemiah Stone, Town Clerk.

Detail

Page 118

Source Information

Title

Database: U.S., Massachusetts Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988

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Thank you! Could you find a birth record for Mary Clemons, wife of David McKinstry?

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If you go to David's FamilySearch profile, you will see that he is attached to a Polly Clemons (the daughter of Ebenezer) as well as a Mary D. Clemence who is the daughter of Asa and Mary Warren. I also wanted to know whether he was married to both of these women. If so, which woman is the mother of Susan.

This is a situation where there may be two women named Mary who have similar last names.

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my apologies

the only other records on Ancestry for Ebenezer and Eunice is the death of their son Henry and Ebenezer's records in the American Revolution

I tried all the spelling variations

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Ebenezer Clemence

 in the U.S., The Pension Roll of 1835

View

Name:	Ebenezer Clemence
Rank:	Private
Age:	83
Birth Year:	abt 1748
Pension Enrollment Date:	4 Mar 1831
Residence Place:	Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Service Description:	Mass. militia

Source Information

Ancestry.com. U.S., The Pension Roll of 1835 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

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finally found good marriage record

Eunice Putney

 in the Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850

Name:	Eunice Putney
Gender:	Female
Spouse:	Ebenezer Clemons
Marriage Date:	28 Jan 1778
City:	Charlton
County:	Worchester
Source:	Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, Film # 0860661.

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.

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Thanks for those records. Just to be clear, David had only one wife, correct? FamilySearch has him linked to two women with similar characteristics.

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there are DAR & SAR apps that have Eunice as the daughter of Elisha P and Martha Foskett

AND

Ebenezer as the son of Philip

I don't have DAR/SAR membership to them. Maybe you could ask a wikitreer with SAR/DAR privileges ?

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ONE wife, Mary, nickname Polly, on some documents but only one wife

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Yes, absolutely. I will ask someone with SAR/DAR privileges

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familysearch tree screwed up

records indicate

Mary Warren, daughter of John Warren married Asa Clemence, Ebenezer's brother

Asa Clemons

 in the Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850

Name:	Asa Clemons
Gender:	Male
Spouse:	Mary Warren
Marriage Date:	5 Jun 1789
City:	Charlton
County:	Worchester
Source:	Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT, Film # 0860661.

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA

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Asa's will

his daughter Mary/Polly married a HILL

Asa Cleman

 in the Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991

View

Name:	Asa Cleman
Probate Date:	29 Mar 1820
Probate Place:	Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Inferred Death Year:	Abt 1820
Inferred Death Place:	Massachusetts, USA
Item Description:	Probate Records, Vol 52-53, 1819-1821

Source Citation

Probate Records (Worcester County, Massachusetts); Index 1731-1881; Author: Massachusetts. Probate Court (Worcester County); Probate Place: Worcester, Massachusetts

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I have severe BRAIN DRAIN now. I must leave you, my brutha Edward and go construct an enormous Italian sub with salami, pepperoni, prosciutto, asiago and ricotta cheeses, olives and maybe anchovies. I can return after this nutrition has refurbished my gray cells 

Answer 2

Polly was what they called people whose name was Mary.  The Greeks had a word for it - hypocoristic.

Sometimes with girls you get these names appearing in the birth or baptism record.  But their status was still understood.  So you get a girl baptized as Betty but married as Elizabeth.

In this case, she's baptized as Polly, but she's Mary in the marriage and death records.

So somebody found that David married a Mary Clemens and went looking for a birth and found the wrong one.  And posted it on FamilySearch.  Ignore it.