Who are Alice Margaret Beck's parents?

Question

I  could use a helping hand.  My great- grandmother is Alice Margaret Beck (born in Iowa) and her parents have me stumped.  In 1905 Minnesota census she states her mother, born in England. I think her father is Joseph J. Beck by marriage  records in familysearch.org. it also says her Mother is Margaret McElderry. That would mean she married her cousin Horace G. McElderry?  Or perhaps Margaret is a step-mother.

Comments

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDKS-LB7 Joseph at the McEldey (McElderry) house marked on census 1 for father and 1 for mother of foreign births. but no names of children listed. Alice is born about 1866-67. I also found records on familysearch.org Margaret & Joseph were married 1870. A Biography of Thomas Beck in books in a Google search says Joseph emigrated abt 1870 from Durham, England a few years after Thomas.  it also doesn't mention any children of Joseph.. I haven't found any birth records for Alice. I'm still leaning towards Margaret McElderry was a step mother and Alices mother died before Joesph came to America.  Most of the Beck Family in Iowa were in the Coal buisness. Including Alice husband Horace McElderry who was the general manager of Star Coal and Alderman of Des Moines, Iowa. At The Minnesota historical society there is a photograph of Roscoe McElderry, Alice's & Horace's McElderrys son, and Henry Beck brother of Alice at the R.C. McElderry coal distribution company my grandfather ran in Minneapolis. Also Alice's death certificate, I came to the conclusion I should purchase a copy. Although I'm not confident it will be extremely helpful, if Margaret McElderry was the only mother she knew.

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http://www.immigrantships.net/v4/1800v4/juventa18550507_01.html Here is the link for Thomas Beck family passenger list from England. It may be helpful linking some Beck family.

Answer 1

The handwritten copy of their marriage return shows that Horace was the son of Henry H. McElderry and Rachel Williams.  He was 25 years old, born in Jefferson County, Iowa. Alice was the daughter of J.J. Beck and Margaret McElderry.  She was 19, born in Polk County, Iowa. (Iowa Department of Public Health. Iowa Marriage Records, 1880–1922. Textual Records. State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa. Iowa Department of Public Health. Iowa Marriage Records, 1923–37. Microfilm. Record Group 048. State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa.[Ancestry.com.database on-line]. Vol. 330, 77-944)

Comments

Any idea if J. J.Beck is Joseph Johh? Any confirmation on Alice's year?  Margaret And John married in 1870.

Answer 2

Well, the marriage of Horace and Alice took place on 12 Mar 1885, Polk County, IA, and Alice was 19, so it appears that she was born about 1866ish, that is according to the record mentioned in my answer above.

Henry "W." McElderry and Rachel Williams were married on 26 October 1856 in Tuscarawas County, Ohio.("Ohio Marriages, 1800-1958," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDVY-Q65 : accessed 27 May 2016), Henry W. Mc Elderry and Rachel Williams, 26 Oct 1856; citing Tuscarawas,Ohio, reference ; FHL microfilm 317,307.) Both apparently died in Harrison Co., Iowa, in 1898.

In 1870, Greenfield, Warren, Iowa, a Joseph Beck, a 30 year old farmer b. England, was living with the "McEldey" family: Albert McEldey, 22 b. OH; Margaret McEldey, 63 b. OH; Margaret McEldey, 30 b. OH; and James McEldey, 27 b. OH.  The Thomas Beck family, Thomas 29 b. ENG, was enumerated immediately above the McEldeys.("United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDKS-LB7 : accessed 27 May 2016), Margart Mceldey in household of Albert Mceldey, Iowa, United States; citing p. 8, family 45, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 545,922.)  Note that there are no Beck children with this family, and Joseph is a farmer. This would seem to show that this Joseph Beck and Margaret were not married in 1870.

An 1880 US Census in Sevastopol Twp., Polk, Iowa, shows a Joseph Beck, a 35 year old coal miner, living with wife Margaret, 35 b. OH, and 4 Beck children born in OH, including Alice, 13, and Albert, 8.  So this couple was married by 1867.  This appears to the the correct family.

In the 1885 Iowa State Census for Des Moines, Polk, Iowa, Joseph J. (indexed as G.) Beck, 45 b. ENG, was a Supt of Mine.  Living with him were wife Margaret, 44 b. OH; Horace G. McEldery, a 24 year old bookkeeper b. OH; Alice McEldery, 18 b. OH; Albert E. Beck, 13 b. OH; and two younger Becks.  So here, Alice and Horace are living with her parents.("Iowa State Census, 1885," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HWFG-G6Z : accessed 27 May 2016), Joseph G Beck, Des Moines, Polk, Iowa; citing p. 13, 1885, State Historical Society, Des Moines; FHL microfilm 1,020,173.)

In 1900, Joseph Beck, 58 b. ENG Nov 1841, a coal mine operator, was living in Des Moines, Polk, Iowa, with his wife Margaret, 61 b. Ohio Aug 1838.  They have been married for 35 years, and Margaret has had 8 children, 4 of whom are living.  Son Albert, 29 b. Iowa Aug 1870, is living with them.("United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9LH-Y8Y : accessed 27 May 2016), Joseph J Beck, Des Moines Township, Precinct 1 Des Moines city Ward 4, Polk, Iowa, United States; citing sheet 14B, family 319, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,240,454.)  So this would mean that this Joseph and Margaret were married about 1865. But son Albert is shown as too young to be the same Albert as in the 1880 and 1885 censuses?

So, based on the differences between the 1870 census in  WARREN County, Iowa, and the 1880, 1885 and 1900 censuses in POLK County, Iowa, it is possible that there were two different Joseph Becks married to two different Margarets, but I haven't found any time when the two families appear on the same census. I think you need to build this out one record at a time and examine it critically to see if it supports the conclusion that Alice and Horace were cousins.

Comments

Thank you for your help. I will examine each record carefully before coming to the conclusion they were cousins.