One mystery I can't solve

Question

I've had good luck researching my genealogy over the past few years - with one exception...my paternal great grandmother. The best clue I have is the marriage license for my grandfather on which it states his mother was "Catherine Merryman" who was born in Maryland. His father (my great grandfather), who is also on the license, was apparently never married to this woman. In fact I see where he was married for the first time some 8 years after the birth of my grandfather. There are a few Catherine Merrymans in Maryland in the time period of my grandfather's birth (1895) but nothing clearcut. To add to the mystery, I just got my 23andMe ancestry results back and wouldn't you know it, a George Merryman shows up as a potential 3rd cousin. He and I have communicated but have been unable to find the link in our trees that would shed more light on who exactly Catherine Merryman was.

Comments

Don't assume the couple was not married.  I've come across many families where there were a marriage, child/children, and death all between censuses.  Also, since the 1890 census is lost events  and relationships in the 1890's can be murky.

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Points well taken. The missing 1890 census has complicated a number of my searches. There are couple of reason why the unmarried scenario makes sense however - the main one being that based on everything I could find, my grandfather never lived with either his father or Catherine. In fact I can't him anywhere in the 1900 census. In the 1910 census he's living with his aunt and grandmother.

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Gene, I went to look at your family profiles, but found you haven’t entered anyone. If you would enter whoever and whatever sources you have, it would help others to help you, thanks.

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Marian - I’m afraid that I know very little about wikitree. I uploaded my family tree file from Ancestry.com and thought that would populate my tree here - at least I hoped so because there is a substantial amount of information there.

Here’s a link to my tree within Ancestry.com: 

https://ancstry.me/2KkqlHn

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That link is only accessible to members of Ancestry.

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Guest accounts, necessary to see family trees that are shared, are free to set up. But...I don't expect anyone to do that just to help me with this question. I guess I assumed that many folks who share this interest already have ancestry.com accounts.

How do you set up this information within wikitree? Doesn't importing a GEDCOM file do that? If not, must you enter all the information manually?

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There is a process called Gedcompare where you match your Gedcom to the records already in Wikitree.  After you identify any duplicates there is a process to upload information for individuals.  Many here find that it can be easier to just enter the information manually since the Gedcom info usually needs significant editing.  Sources from Ancestry often don’t translate well to Wikitree and good sourcing is an essential part of Wikitree.  You might want to start by entering your parents and/or grandparents (if they aren’t already here) to get a feel for profile creation.

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What is your great grandfather's name? What is your grandfather's name?

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I wish there were an easier way to share info (like attaching a file) but I can't seem to find it within wikitree. Here is some paternal information that may help:

Father: Albert N. Shue Sr (1918-1988)

Grandfather: Odel Oliver Shue (1895-1958)

Great Grandfather: Oliver S. Shue (1864-1937)

- Oliver's wife was Amanda Watts (1867-??) married in 1903

Great Grandmother : Catherine Merryman (???)

- Per Oden's marriage certificate (2/16/16). Nativity: Maryland

- BTW, all of the Shue family activity centered around MD (Baltimore and Hampstead) and PA (York county).

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Thank you Kathie. I understand...I assumed the compare process also set up the tree within wikitree.

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Is his first name Robert?

Robert O Shue

 in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

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Name:	Robert O Shue
Gender:	Male
Birth Date:	15 May 1895
Claim Date:	22 Apr 1958
SSN:	218013597
Notes:	12 Nov 1976: Name listed as ROBERT O SHUE

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Here's a longshot for ya. This woman lives two doors down from a Schuppel family.

Catherine Merryman

 in the 1900 United States Federal Census

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Name:	Catherine Merryman
Age:	34
Birth Date:	Apr 1866
Birthplace:	Maryland
Home in 1900:	Baltimore Ward 6, Baltimore City (Independent City), Maryland
Ward of City:	6
Street:	Maderia Street
House Number:	417
Sheet Number:	13
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:	227 228
Family Number:	283
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Wife
Marital status:	Married
Spouse's name:	John W Merryman
Marriage Year:	1883
Father's Birthplace:	Germany
Mother's Birthplace:	Germany
Mother: Number of Living Children:	8
Mother: How Many Children:	9
Can Read:	Yes
Can Write:	Yes
Can Speak English:	Yes
Neighbors:
Household Members:	Name Age John W Merryman 39 Catherine Merryman 34 Anna E Merryman 16 Mary E Merryman 15 John A Merryman 13 George H Merryman 11 Arthur P Merryman 9 Walter Mc C Merryman 6 Estelle L Merryman 4 J Wilson Merryman 2

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Benjamin Schuppel b. August 1867 born in Maryland.

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Hi Betty. I saw that in my research. His death records (California death index) list him as Robert Odenoliver Shue. But he actual name was Oden Oliver Shue. So yes, we are talking about the same person but no Robert was not his real name.

One reason that I've spent so much time on this puzzle is because Oden Shue was an enigma. My father had literally no contact with him during his life. He knew little if anything about him until out of the blue he received a western union telegram from Alameda CA in 1958 saying that his father had died and requesting direction for what to do with the body - my dad didn't even respond because to him he never existed anyhow.

My research uncovered a number of things that surprised and amazed me...like:

- Oden was a petty criminal (larceny, fencing stolen goods, etc.), culminating in a 2 year stay at Eastern State Penitentiary. I saw that in the 1930 census. His name, and various aliases , appeared in the Delaware and Pennsylvania newspapers often in the 1920's.

- He had a child with another woman in 1928. Robert Ronald Shue was my dad's half brother that never knew about.

- Sometime after getting out of prison he presumably went straight and eventually moved to California for fresh start - and maybe assumed the name Robert.

- All this (and more) is why I was so curious about his childhood. Did he come from a broken home? Were his parents ever married, or even together? Was he put in an orphanage or passed around to other relatives to take care of? The fact that I can't find him...his father Oliver S. Shue, or his mother Catherine Merryman anywhere in 1900 census makes me wonder what was going on. I'm hoping that learning more about Catherine sheds light on all these other mysteries.

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Good work Betty. That Catherine Merryman is the best guess I came up with as well. If she in fact was Oden's mother than it was likely the result of an affair - and maybe that would explain why no one wanted the child. I tried testing that theory by attempting to tie any of the Merrymans listed in that census with the relatives that my 23andMe connection (George Merryman) provided. I couldn't find a link. But maybe this fellow didn't have his facts straight - as we both know things can get a little hazy when you go back 100+ years. But...absent any better options I've kind of settled in on this Catherine for now.

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Have you tried searching Catherine's maiden name for a birth record of Odel?

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If I have the right Catherine (for now I've assumed its the same one that you noted), then her maiden name was apparently Steinmetz. By the time Oden was born she had been married to John W. Merryman for 12 years. At any rate I've searched for Catherine Steinmetz and a lot of info comes up...but nothing linking her to the 1895 birth of Oden.

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On the ancestry records I've seen she used the name Ann Steinmetz before she married John W. Have you looked for that variation?

I'm thinking there has to be a birth record in Maryland in 1895 for Odel/Oden. Perhaps she used her maiden name for him?

I always try to think outside the census box and that's what my brain came up with. It isn't often that a child is born without a birth certificate unless you live in the hills and hollers. (Lots of my kin are like that). But I would think a civilized town like Baltimore would have a record. The birth record is the key methinks.

This is a tough one.

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If Odel was really born in May, 1895, the Catherine above can’t be his mother since daughter Estelle was born in January, 1896.

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One step forward and two steps back. That's good that you can eliminate her. Look at the husband? Maybe one of his sisters?

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I think you are right. Tough indeed...it's been quite a challenge.

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Looks like another bump in the road. You know, Oden was a bit of a con man. I see different names (Robert) and years of birth referenced in later years. I think May 1895 is solid...but I'm going verify again to be sure. Given the scarcity of Catherine Merrymans, I was getting use to the idea of her being the one we identified. I'm also pinning all of this on the marriage certificate - which is really my only good clue that this is really his mother's name. The 23andMe DNA data gives me some comfort that this info is accurate.

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I'm gonna try ancestry.com with a full open query. Only last name and birth year. See if that works.

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That didn't work.

Ok if Shipley is his Uncle then Oden/Odel is the son of his sister?

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So Delilah is the aunty. So Delilah is sister to Odel/Oden's daddy.

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Ruth Ann Merryman

 in the 1870 United States Federal Census

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Name:	Ruth Ann Merryman
Age in 1870:	9
Birth Year:	abt 1861
Birthplace:	Maryland
Dwelling Number:	270
Home in 1870:	District 5, Baltimore, Maryland
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Inferred Father:	E Merryman
Inferred Mother:	S E Merryman
Household Members:	Name Age E Merryman 40 S E Merryman 39 Thos W Merryman 15 Ruth Ann Merryman 9 Robt E Merryman 7

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Yes, Delilah is Oden aunt - Oliver's sister. Oden lived with Delilah and her family (the Shipleys) at the time of the 1910 census. Years later in 1942 when Oden registered for the WWII draft (in Oakland CA) he listed as a his closest contact a "Mrs. Walker". That had me thinking that maybe it was his mother who may have remarried. But...I learned that Delilah remarried a George Walker in 1939 years after Alonzo Shipley died. So...Oden was very close to his aunt.

Still a mystery to me why I've been unable to find Oden (or Oliver) anywhere within the 1900 census. I've tried searching with every possible combination. BTW, back in those days they were pronouncing Shue as "Shuey" so I could see census takers writing anything from Shue to Shewy to Shuey etc. etc. I even found an address for Oliver Shue in the 1900 Baltimore directory (216 Carroll n w) so he was apparently still in Baltimore - but why not in the census? Perhaps Oden was with him and Catherine? I'm afraid I searching for the unknowable at this point.

BTW...I appreciate the thought that you (and Kathie) have put into my mystery!

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In the 1899 directory of Baltimore, Maryland there is listed a Cath Merryman whose job is listed as packer. She lives at 417 S. Madeira.

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2469/12823905?pid=753342354&backurl=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid%3D2469%26h%3D753342354%26indiv%3Dtry%26o_vc%3DRecord:OtherRecord%26rhSource%3D7163&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.81967126.1439990109.1565013062-1764408534.1556635126#?imageId=12823740

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Looks like John W is listed at that address as well. So probably the wrong Catherine.

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In 1897 there is a Kate N. Merryman listed at 853 west Fayette.

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2469/13348122?pid=803276511&backurl=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid%3D2469%26h%3D803276511%26indiv%3Dtry%26o_vc%3DRecord:OtherRecord%26rhSource%3D2469&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.139596211.1439990109.1565013062-1764408534.1556635126#?imageId=13347941

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I don't see a husband listed at the same address but you can look as well.

Answer 1

First, look at the census records for where your great-grandfather was living at the time of the birth.  There is probably a Merryman family nearby.  Remember that the name may be misspelled, so be flexible in your thinking.

Comments

Thanks, that is good advice. Unfortunately that is what I've spent many hours doing. I've tried different spellings (first and last name) and even considered that perhaps Catherine was a middle name so women who had a C. as a middle initial were not ruled - flexible thinking is indeed needed. I was even considering the possibility that she was married to someone else when she gave birth - but the 23andMe results would indicate that her maiden name was Merryman.