G2G: Documenting Robert Foote-35's son Francis as a son (and not a daughter.)

Question

The profile of Robert Foote-35  currently has two daughters named Francis, both married to Abraham Newell-118,  both mothers of the same children.  Their profiles are Foote-271  and Foot-78.  Both profiles show numerous failed attempts to sever Francis from the Foote family and disprove the Foote connection; this is one of those zombie errors, tough to kill, and all over the internet.

HOWEVER: Francis Foote is not Robert Foote's daughter.  He is his son. Robert Foote's will states "To son Daniel forty pounds at four and twenty. The same each to sons Nathaniel, Francis, and Joshua at like ages. To daughter Elizabeth Foote..."

I suggest merging Foote-271 and Foot-78 into an Unknown profile, because it's reasonably clear where "Francis Foote" came from: a gender error, and then the age and location were close enough.

And let's create a son Francis for Robert; I'll edit and link him in when he exists.  Here's hoping that profile, and the visibility of Wikitree can keep spurious daughters from recurring.

Robert's  will can be found in his profile, where it is quoted from the source 'The Brookes of London - Maternal Ancestors of Nathaniel and Joshua Foote'', by Janis Greene Valore, Myrtle Stevens Hyde and Glade Ian Nelson in "The American Genealogist" Vol. 55, pages 193-207, New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937 New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 http://www.americanancestors.org/PageDetail.aspx?recordId=143292865

Comments

In New Hampshire, a tombstone for "Francis Harris" stands near three other (identified) family stones.  Finally I discovered:  Lizzie's first husband had that name.  But for awhile the mystery had me stumped.

• *"New Hampshire Marriage Records, 1637-1947," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FL69-J1J : 12 December 2014), Francis W. Harris and Lizzie E. Gould, 10 Jan 1884; citing Warren, , New Hampshire, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Concord; FHL microfilm 1,001,267.

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Alternatively, you detach Foote-271 as wife of Abraham Newell, detach 271 as mother of Newell's children, change his gender to male and keep him as son of Robert. Unless we have the son Francis somewhere else already.

I'm all for recycling where possible.

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Minds think alike, while I had the question open and was researching, you suggested the same thing I did.

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I've prepped -271 to be changed to male.

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Well, OK then; I just figured it would be a lot more work to do all the detaching from the spouse and kids!  Thanks!

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Shouldn't be hard, all the children are attached to the other Frances. I'll leave Merilee a note in the interest of collaboration, but she never answers.

Answer 1

Francis is usually a male spelling while Frances is a female spelling, but that distinction is not universal.

Comments

I don't think they were up to these suble distinctions; reading the records, I think most people would just grab a bunch of vowels, shake 'em in a pot, fling them at the wall, and see which ones stuck.

Answer 2

Both of these profiles started out as Francis son of Robert. Instead of merging the two let's just change Francis Foote-271 back to male, remove the husband, and correct and source.

Then disconnect the parents from Francis Foote-78. Change her name to Unknown, if that's what it should be.

I've set them as unmerged match for the moment, since they were set to merge.