Saturday, February 13, 2016

The Census Taker Wrote Down the Wrong Name of Great Grandpa Parker's Wife in 1910


















My great grandmother, Ada Steen, and her identical twin sister Alpha, were born to Charles and Sarah Steen on February 3, 1880.  Below is a picture of the Charles Steen family, in the late 1890s.













Grandma Ada marred Leroy Parker on March 7, 1901.















For an unknown reason, the census enumerator for the 1910 U.S. Census wrote down Alpha as the wife of Leroy Parker, instead of the name of her twin sister, Ada. Grandpa Roy was definitely married to Ada, and not Alpha! (By 1910, Alpha was married to Fred Martin, who ran a confectionery business in Sandusky.)



Even though the U.S. Census is considered a valid government record, be aware that sometimes mistake were made!



2 comments:

Miss Merry said...

OH my goodness - that photo of the two girls when tiny is adorable! My great grandmother's name has never been spelled the same on any document I have ever seen.

Dorene from Ohio said...

Thanks for stopping by Miss Merry!