Hello...my name is Jackie Smith and I have been doing genealogy for close to 30 yrs. However, it has come in bits and pieces the past few year. Now that I am an advanced Senior, I want to focus on more research including a couple of brick walls. I was born in Detroit, Michigan and have lived in Flint, MI, Washington, D.C., and now in Sonoma, CA for the longest time. I have had reasonable success with my father's Robinson line but the link to my Ggm. Elizabeth Robinson is murky. Although she was long associated with the family of Peter Mitchell, her marriage certificate has her maiden name as Milne and birthplace as Cayuga, New York. I first thought this was a possible error by the recorder until I came across the 1861 Canada West Census from Haldimand County, Ontario that lists "Elizabeth Milne- age 4 yrs. and birthplace as Upper Canada" with the family of Peter Mitchell but checked in the census as "not a family member". Elizabeth Robinson died 13 Nov 1923 in Detroit and her Death cert lists birth date as 30 June 1859 and her parents as "William Mitchell and Elizabeth Midleton" both born in Scotland, so more confusion. My 'inner' genealogist tells me that the Elizabeth Milne in 1861 census is the same as the Elizabeth Milne on her marriage cert to my Ggf. O.George Robinson. I would love to write Elizabeth's story as there are many twists and turn to her life and my father remembers her as a vibrant woman. However, in past weeks I have tried to find Milne's in both Cayuga County, New York and Haldimand, Ontario in 1850s-60's without much luck. How did Elizabeth, born in Cayuga, N.Y., in 1959 come to live with the Peter Mitchell family in 1961 in Upper Canada? Obviously lost her parents somewhere along the way. Any helpful suggestions? Thank you.
