|
a.
|
Note: WFT #3213 has marriage date of June 04, 1877. McConeghy family records have that date for a previous marriage to Bart Sugram
In the Early Birth Records Transciption for his daughter's birth, his occupation is transcribed as "Bagesman?"
This was probably actually either Brakeman or maybe Baggageman. The penmanship and spelling in the Sergeant Township birth records of the period is extemely poor.
------------------------------------------------
1880 US Census, Swan Lake Township, Emmet County, Iowa, Ed 75, sheet 5-B, dwelling # 39, family #46, enumerated June 22, 1880, ancestry.com image # 2 of 4
Willard Decker, head age 33, born in NY, father born in PA, mother born in NY, occ: farmer
Mary, wife, age 45, born in NY, father born in MA, mother born in NY
Charles E., son, age 12, born in NY, parents born in NY, occ: herding, attended school
Marion, son, age 9, born in NY, parents born in NY, attended school
Freddie, son, age 5, born in IA, parents born in NY
Geo. E., son, age 3/12, born in IA, parents born in NY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1885 Iowa State Census in Center, Emmet Co, Iowa
family library film # 1021466 Vol 183, page 26
township #99, range #33, section #25, loc NE NE, dwelling #23, family # 24
transcription available on ancestry.com but not the original images
------------------------------------------
1900 US Census for Sergeant Township, McKean County (Clermont) , PA, page 6, dwelling #52,
enumerated June 4, 1900.
Fred Decker, head, age 25, born May 1875, married for 3 years, born in Iowa, parents born in New York,
occupation RR Conductor, unemployed for 1 month in the year,
owned his house free of mortgage.
Mary Decker, wife, age 44, born Apr 1856 in NY, both parents born in Ireland, had had one child
Elizabeth Decker, daughter, age 3 months, born Feb 1900 in PA, parents born in Iowa and New York,
Margaret Keating, sister-in-law, age 40, born May 1860 in Canada, both parents born in Ireland,
occupation: servant
also in household:
Laura (?) Mc?????, a 26 year old female servant, born in PA in Dec 1876, both parents born in Canada, out of work for 4 months in the year
Marvin (?) Reed (or Rud) a 24 year old male boarder, born in PA, father born in NY, mother born in Ireland, occupation, RR Brakeman
Burt Rice, a 22 year old male boarder, born in June 1877 in PA , father born in PA, mother born in NY,
occupation: baggagemaster
all the adults could read, write and speak English
(Note: Fred Decker was Mary Elizabeth (Mayme or Mame) Keating's second husband)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------
Possibly he died between 1900 and 1910 because he is not listed in the 1910 or the 1920 or the 1930 census. In 1910 his wife, Mary, is then listed as Head of the Household, and her sister Margaret was living with her and her daughter, Elizabeth, but Mary is still recorded as "married" not "widowed". In 1920, she is also still recorded as "married" and her sister and daughter were still living with her. In 1930 she is living alone, her daughter was living next door with her husband, but Mary is still recorded as "married" not as widowed or divorced.
Note that Fred was about 22 and Mary was 41 when they were married, so it would not seem too surprising if he had perhaps run off with another woman or at least just run off. But see below for other possibilities.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------
There is an Iowa cemetery record in the ancestry.com databases for a person named Fred Decker :
"Grave Records of Allamakee, Johnson, Howard and Lucas Counties, Adair, Gothrie, Madison, Marion
Johnson County, Iowa
Page: 88
Name: Fred Decker
Birth Date: 04 Jun 1875
Death Date: 24 Apr 1919 Cemetery: New Oregon
Comment: (stone marked Father)"
The birth year would seem to be correct but the month does not agree with the 1900 census.
Also from the year of his death, it would seem that if this is the correct Fred Decker, he did not die before 1910 as previously surmised. Fred and Mary Elizabeth may have been divorced or separated, or he may simply have been
working elsewhere at the time of the 1910 census.
The stone marking of "Father" is interesting. Possibly the whole family had moved to Iowa between 1910 and 1919 and then the family moved back to PA after his death ??? It would be useful to examine the records of that cemetery to see if any other family members are buried there, or to examine the census records for that area to see if the 1910 or 1920 census contained any further clues or to look further back to see if we can locate Fred as a child in Iowa. We need to identify the towns associated with that cemetery.
Note also that Fred and Mary's daughter, Elizabeth, was married in PA in 1920, so if they had been living in Iowa they would appear to have moved back immediately after Fred's death (if that is the same Fred).
Or possibly Fred had run off leaving Mary and his children in PA and had maybe even remarried or at least had another family in Iowa.
Another possibility is that this is not the correct Fred Decker although ours had been born in Iowa. It might have also been another relation also named Fred.
------------------------------------------
|
