Should I Disconnect the Parents of Rufus Chadwick?

Question

There are two people named Rufus Chadwick in the Vermont Vital Records who were born between 1800 and 1830. The first is the son of Lot and Sarah Fish Chadwick (Rufus Chadwick) born July 13, 1800 in Randolph, Vermont and the second is the son of Peter and Hannah Chadwick born July 21, 1808 in Fletcher, Vermont who does not seem to be listed in Wikitree as yet. Neither of these men seem to be this Rufus Chadwick.

I have found no birth record for Rufus Chadwick born in Ohio in 1815 and, if Samuel and Elizabeth Pierce Chadwick were his parents, then he would have been born in Vermont, not Ohio, as they did not move to Ohio until later.

The 1850 US Census, however, does show a record for Rufus Chadwick, age 34, born in Ohio and living in Licking, Ohio with his wife, Experience, two children ages 9 and 7, a farmhand, and Elizabeth Chadwick, age 77, born in Vermont, who could well be Elizabeth Pierce Chadwick. It is odd that his wife and both children are shown born in New York.This is not a mistake by the census taker since the information appears the same in both the 1860 and 1870 US Censuses, as well

From the census records I deduce that Rufus Chadwick was probably born in Ohio about 1815, moved to New York before 1839 (the date of his marriage) and moved back to Ohio between 1843 (the birth of his youngest child) and 1850 (the date of the census). He was probably not the son of Samuel Chadwick and Elizabeth Pierce Chadwick.

My question is: Is this enough evidence to remove Samuel and Elizabeth as Rufus's parents?

Answer 1

The profile manager appears to be active, perhaps she can provide further source information for his parents? I'd be hesitant to disconnect the parents without a conversation with the PM. How good are the birth/baptismal records for that time frame in Ohio? Could it simply be that they are not extant? His date of birth is inscribed on his gravestone. You mention that Samuel & Elizabeth arrived in Ohio later, when did they arrive, and is the source accurate? And if there is an Elizabeth Chadwick of the right age in Rufus' household in 1850, and we are fairly sure Elizabeth (Pierce) Chadwick died in 1858, do you really doubt this is her? From my perspective, the only missing item is a birth or death record for Rufus that gives his parents' names. If there is no proof of the parents, but we do see Elizabeth in his household, I'd suggest giving the profile a == disputed parentage == section, but not disconnect him.

Comments

I note that Rufus and a son Lucius are mentioned as being members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Licking, OH, in a local history. In that same volume, Samuel Chadwick is mentioned as a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Granville, so at least there is a match on their religious affiliation. Perhaps further research can be conducted in M.E. records?

See: Centennial History of the City of Newark and Licking County, Ohio, Volume 1:326, 468 (available on Google Books).

I did find a death record for him, but unfortunately it does not give his parents' names, though it gives his place of birth as St. Albans. Interesting.

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I find five children born between 1780 and 1820 in Vermont with parents Samuel and Elizabeth Chadwick. The first was Samuel, b. 1789, and the last was Betsey, b. 1798. There are ten children listed in the profile, but the last five don't show up in a search on FamilySearch of Vermont births.A search in Ohio does not show up any.

Vermont seems to have kept accurate records at this time, but Ohio does not. It could be that the family moved to Ohio some time after 1798 and that all of the subsequent children, including Rufus, were born in Ohio, but I don't know how to verify this because I can't find any Ohio birth records from the time on-line.

Answer 2

There's a mention of a Rufus Chadwich in the 1909 Centennial History of the City of Newark and Licking County Ohio by M. P. Brister Volume 1 on page 326 in a section on the Methodist Episcopal Church of Alexandria the last two sentences read "The pioneer laity were also in evidence.  Among these we find such names as Rufus Chadwick, Lucius Chadwick, Abner Lyman, Samuel Carpenter, Mrs. Hetty Beaumont, Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Wright, and Mrs. Dorcas Myers."

There's also a Rufas Chadwick in the 1875 map of St Albans Twp., Licking County in the  1992 combined reprint. There he has 74 acres of land just SE of Alexandria.

Finally I notice a marriage between a Samuel Chadwick and Catharine Jackson on 8 Jan 1818 by Noah Fidler.  There were also two more Chadwick marriages performed by Noah Fidler also in 1818