THESE STEPS SHOW AN EXPANSION OF RESEARCH from the focus on the 1860 immigrant nuclear family in Berks.
Step 6 : Considering the formation of Counties (Philadelphia).
Philadephia County History from the Pennsylvania Historical Society
Looking for other families with the same surname in the larger, historical county and general area (Eastern Pennsylvania).
As the population grew and settlements grew, more cities were established and counties that were large were divided into smaller ones. Historical and map research - along with another check at census and in databases such as Ancestry TM and FamilySearch TM were in order.
For instance, someone might say that the ancestors lived in Philadelphia and you might think of the city as it is now, but they might have meant the county named Philadelphia that was cut into three: Philadelphia, Chester, and Bucks. So though my client's immigrant ancestors appear on the 1860 in Bucks, some family members might have been in Chester or Philadelphia Counties.
NOTE THAT DATABASES ARE NOT USING PRESENT TERMS BUT PAST TERMS. So when they lived there is important. What if a child's parents were living in Philadelphia County but when the child was born, that same area was Bucks?
Step 7: Looking at Plat maps of those counties that are available.
When it comes to map that show early land owners (usually farmers) sometimes the surname will relate to other documents held in an archive, sometimes not, such as land sales and purchases or transfers or wills. It would depend on when exactly that particular county kept these records and if they still exist. We are used to, in modern times, a certain exactitude and knowledge and obedience to the law that did not always exist back in the day when a handshake could be a contractual agreement. So though I might use a database first, what's on a Plat map might not link to what's in the database.
The term for this type of map is a Plat Map. It shows how land is divided into lots. Some maps will show early roads and other geographical features such as lakes and rivers which may bear the names of these early residents or pioneers. Some are housed in the National Archives of the United States.
Step 8 : Looking at the census for surrounding counties.
However on the census of 1850 in the county one over I did find the surname and it appeared that it might have been a school or some sort of skill based workshop. Why? Because the 1840 only records the head of household (assumed owner or renter of a building) and the statistical count - a group of males who are teenagers. I think a master and his apprentices were at that location!
Will there be any way to associate this particular man with the same surname with the family that settles in Berks? It shows the German surname in Eastern Pennsylvania at a time when it's possible that a family member was there but went uncounted. What if the boys are his sons? Well the ages are so close. What if one is a nephew or a son? A tantalizing possibility.
(Sadly, this went unproven but it is in the report given to the client.)
Posts in this series will be brought up using the label PA-GERM research path
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