|
Research Provided by Kent Roberts Click here to view Photos William and at least one of the children moved to California by 1882/1883, and other children appear there in later censuses. Julia came to California in approximately 1886, and lived there with William until their deaths. Julia died in 1905 and William died in 1908.
Joseph Thatcher - Joseph Thatcher was born in 1800 in Pennsylvania and married Rachel Marshall (b. 1804 in PA) in 1826. By 1827 they had moved to New York state where they had a daughter Caroline (b. 1827) and a son William (b. Jan 15, 1829). The family moved back to Pennsylvania between 1829 and 1833 where a daughter Emma was born in 1833. Sometime between 1833 and 1838 they moved to Indiana where they had a son Isaac born in 1838, a son Charles in 1843, and a son Joseph in 1845. William Thatcher's father, Joseph, appears with his family in the 1850 Indiana Federal census for Wayne County, Franklin Township, where he is listed as a farmer. By 1860, Joseph is in Indiana Wayne County, Wayne Township, without his wife Rachel, but with his sons Charles and Joseph, and a 40-year old housekeeper named Julia A. Babcock, who was born in Massachusetts. The son William Thatcher has married Julia Roberts, and in 1860 is found in Indiana, Huntington County, Warren Township.
Josiah Roberts - Josiah Roberts was born on September 8, 1808 in New York and married Elizabeth Smith, who was born on June 18, 1811 in New Hampshire, around the year 1828 (see later discussion). Josiah appears in Ohio at least as early as April 16, 1831, when daughter Julia is born. While records show Josiah in Huron County, Ohio for many years, it is not known where in Ohio Julia was born. Another female found in the 1840 Ohio, Huron County, Norwalk Township Federal Census appears with the family, and is older than Julia (see later discussion). Various records show Josiah in the Norwalk area between 1835 and 1846, but by November of 1846 the family had purchased land in Indiana. Eight children were born to the family while they were in Ohio. The birthplace of the Unknown Female is not known. Elizabeth and Josiah have three additional sons during the period of 1850 to 1852, at their farm in Springfield Township, Allen County, Indiana. The primary census records for Josiah are the aforementioned 1840 Ohio Federal Census, and the 1850-1880 Indiana, Allen County, Springfield Township Federal Censuses. Tax rolls and bankruptcy records exist during the 1835-1846 period in Norwalk, Ohio, and a land sale deed can be found for the farm property in Indiana.
The Unknown Female appearing in the 1840 Ohio Census, who is of age 10-15, is somewhat problematic in that she does not appear in later censuses. The various explanations offered as to why she isn't found in later censuses, or why she should not be included with the Josiah Roberts family are, pending any facts, just conjecture. The known fact is that there is a female of this age living with the family in 1840, and good genealogy demands that this individual be given the same consideration as the other persons in that census. By plotting the data for the children's birthdates it can be seen that this Unknown Female fits in very nicely with the other family members, and in all probability is the first child born to Elizabeth and Josiah. The data shows that Elizabeth had children, on an average, every 27 months. This natural birth cycle is the result of hormone balance for women who nurse their children. Her's is such a text book case that almost all of the children fall on this linear relationship, within the accuracy to which we know their birth dates (the yellow boxes indicate the upper and lower accuracy of their known birth dates). Based on these data, we can predict that the Unknown Female was born sometime during 1829, which fits nicely within the high end of the 1840 Census data that says she would have been born between 1825 and 1830. Making the assumption that Josiah and Elizabeth were married the year before, we can estimate that their marriage was around the year 1828. That would be when Josiah was 20, and Elizabeth was 17/18. This is NOT proof that those are the actual dates, but it is a self consistent prediction that fits the available facts, until we have reliable proof. Indiana - The first census record of this Thatcher family is on July 5, 1860 in Warren Indiana, Huntington County, where we find William and Julia, their children Mary E., Rachel E, Henrietta, and an infant son who is two months old and is yet to be named. This is the only census where William is reported as being born in Pennsylvania. All previous and subsequent censuses, including his death certificate, show his birthplace as New York. Julia's birthplace is shown as Ohio, and the same is reported for all of the documents that I have found for her over her life. William's occupation is as a Wagon Maker, and they have a very respectable real estate value of $1,300 and a personal estate of $600. After their marriage in 1853 the Thatcher's remain in Indiana for at least eight years and have another daughter, named Leonora. Iowa - By September of 1868 they have moved to Iowa, and can be found in the 1870 Federal Census in Buchanan County, Jefferson Township. The unnamed infant in the 1860 census becomes George in the 1870 census, and informal names are used for several of the children: Rachel is shown as Elizabeth (Rachel Elizabeth Thatcher), Henrietta is shown as Nettie, and a new daughter appears who is listed as Katie, who we now know is Katherine Cornelia Thatcher. William Thatcher's profession is again shown as a Wagon Maker and the value of their real estate is $1,700 with personal property at $700. By June of 1880 the family has moved to the town of Humboldt, in Humboldt County Iowa, Springvale Township, where we find a new child, William age 7, the last of their seven children, along with his older sister Cornelia (Katherine Cornelia) and his brother George who is now 20 and listed as a clerk in a store. William, the father, continues as a Wagon Maker. The family appears for the last time in Iowa in the 1885 State Census, still in Humboldt County, Springvale Township. In this census, taken between January and May of 1885, we find Julia at age 53, listed as married, Kate (Katherine Cornelia) age 16 and single, and William (William Selden) the son, at age 12. The father, William Thatcher, is not in this census and has probably moved ahead of the family to California. We can infer this from the instructions given by the State of Iowa to the census takers which read "….write the full name of every person in each family whose home on the first day of January, 1885 was properly with said family, whether present or temporarily absent, either on business or in recreation, or in the service of the county, state, or nation". William was not listed in this census because he was not "temporarily absent", he was establishing a home elsewhere; i.e. California. California - The public records I have at this time give a good indication of when William and Julia Thatcher moved to California. The 1885 Iowa State Census, if enumerated correctly, lists only Julia, daughter Katherine, and son William. The father, William Thatcher, should have been listed with the family in that census, even if he was away from home temporarily. One possible interpretation is that he was permanently in California by June of 1885. William Thatcher's death certificate shows that he had been in California for 25 years when he died in 1908, yielding an immigration year of 1883. Julia Thatcher's 1905 death certificate records that she resided in California for 19 years before she died. If this is correct, then 1886 would be the year when she came to California. So it appears that William arrived around 1883, followed by Julia in 1886. The 1942 death certificate for their son George Thatcher shows that he had been in California for 60 years, yielding his arrival date as 1882. So it is likely that William and son George came to California around 1882/1883, with Julia, daughter Katherine, and son William arriving in 1886. The 1890 and 1892 transcribed California voter registration lists (California Great Register) are the next public records listing Thatcher family members, although confirmation is needed for some of the persons.
The George Thatchers listed in the 1890 and 1892 registers are probably the same person, and likely the son of our William Thatcher, although George should have been 28 on the date he registered in 1888. The Isaac M. Thatcher who is living in Los Angeles is almost certainly the younger brother of William Thatcher, even though his middle initial is shown as "N" in the 1880 Ohio census. Our William Thatcher is not a good fit to reference (1) since he would have been 55 on this 1884 registration date, and we might have expected that he would have been in Arroyo Grande with his son George. Reference (2) would be a better fit, except the age should be 59 on this 1888 date. Reference (3) is the best fit to our William Thatcher, although the age should have been 63 and the birthplace should have been New York. It might be beneficial to look at the original registration records for these William Thatcher candidates to see if they were transcribed correctly. The final census record that I have to this date for William and Julia Thatcher is the 1900 Federal Census for California, where their name is listed as Tcher. Their address is 203 Elmire Street in the city of Los Angeles. This street does not exist in Los Angeles today, nor does Elmira Street, which is probably the correct spelling. Julia's name is shown as Jully or Jolly, and it can be seen from other entries on this census page, that the enumerator had a spelling problem. William's name is correct, and the other census data confirms that this is the correct Thatcher family. William is listed as being born in New York in January of 1829, and that his parents were born in Pennsylvania. This information is correct. Data for Julia shows that she was born in April of 1831 in Ohio, which is accurate, but the birthplace for her father and mother is listed as Ohio, which is not correct. Julia states that she had 7 children and all 7 children are living, which is also correct. William, who was shown in the 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses to be a Wagon Maker, is listed in this 1900 census at age 71 as a Drayman. A dray is a low, strongly built wagon that is designed to carry very heavy loads, so William could either be the operator of the dray, or the builder of the dray. The 1900 census tells us that William and Julia owned their own home, and that they had boarders living at this address. Coincidently, a family of four with the surname Roberts is boarding there, although they are from Maryland and probably not related to Julia. Julia died at age 74 on November 30, 1905. The certificate shows the death address as 644 West 35th St. in Los Angeles. Since this is now the campus of the University of Southern California, that is probably the hospital, not her residence. William died at age 79 on October 15, 1908 in Pacific Hospital. No address is given, but his son William S. Thatcher, who was the informant for the death certificate, is living at 2320 Toberman St. in Los Angeles. Julia and William are interred in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. For details of the cemetery and death certificates, Click Here. In 1880 George is living with his parents in Humboldt, Iowa and working as a clerk in a store. Around 1882/1883 George and his father William move to California and we find George in Arroyo Grande around the years 1888-1892. By 1900 George has married a Harriet J. Unknown and has moved north to San Jose, California. They have been married 18 years, which puts their marriage date around 1882, and they have a daughter Clarice and three sons, one named Melville and the other two names are illegible in this census. He is working as a plumber. There is no evidence of George and his family in the 1910 census, but by 1920 he is back in Southern California, living on Azusa Road in El Monte, Los Angeles County. His children are raised and gone from home, and he and Hattie work as cooks at the Arden Dairy. The 1930 Federal Census has George and Hattie at 11870 Eldridge St. in the city of Los Angeles. He reports his age as 22 when he first married and Harriet as age 20. This agrees with the information in the 1900 census. They both work as cooks at a restaurant. He is 70 and she is 68 years old. The final document that I have for George Thatcher is his death certificate, which shows August 18, 1942 as his death date. He was living at 510 S. Fremont Ave. in Los Angeles. He is listed as widowed, and his wife's name as Hattie J. Thatcher. The date of her death is not known. The informant for this death certificate was Hugh H. Thatcher of Arroyo Grande, California; relationship unknown. Perhaps this is one of his sons who could not be identified in the 1900 census. His usual occupation is listed as plumber, which is corroborated by the 1900 census, although late in life he reports as a cook in the censuses. George is buried in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery with his parents. The grave of his wife Hattie is unknown. Details of the cemetery burial and death record are in the report titled "Thatcher Graves". Rachel is with the Thatcher family in Buchanan, Iowa in 1870, but by the 1880 census she has married Robert Avery Tracy, a farmer, and they have two sons, Ralph Gilbert Tracy b. Sept 27, 1874 and William Emery Tracy b. Dec 4, 1878. This suggests that she married around 1873. Robert Avery Tracy was born in Wisconsin on August 2, 1850, and is found with his parents in Green County, Jefferson Township, Wisconsin at the age of 7 in the 1850 census. Rachel and Robert have two more children, a son Fred Elton Tracy b. Jan 21, 1883, and a daughter Susan Frances Tracy b. June 18, 1888. Robert Tracy dies on January 3, 1890, leaving Rachel, who is 33 years old, with children ranging from a son who is 15 to a baby daughter who is not yet 2. By June 17, 1900 Rachel has moved to Cedar Falls, Iowa where she is listed as head of the family in Black Hawk County, Cedar Falls Township. She is 43 years old now, and is running a boarding house where she has two female boarders, ages 15 and 19, who are enumerated as students. Her son Gilbert who is now 25 and works as a farm hand lives with her, as does her 17 year old son Fred, who is a clerk in a store. Daughter Susan, age 11, is shown as being "at school". This census shows that Rachel had 5 children, of whom only 4 are living. The name of this fifth child is unknown, as is its birth date. Between 1900 and 1910 Rachel moves to California where she is found in the 1910 California Federal Census at the age of 53 in the town of Compton in Los Angeles County. She has married a Hiram M. Smades, who was born in Canada in 1840, and precedes her in age by 17 years. She again is listed as having had 5 children, 4 of which are still living, implying that she and Hiram have not had any children. His occupation is as a Stationery Engineer. Note: a Stationery Engineer is normally responsible for the grounds, maintenance, electricity, power and steam distribution at a facility. None of Rachel's children appear with them in this census. The youngest, daughter Susan Tracy, married James Andrew Gillespie around 1907, but is not found until the 1920 census in Los Angeles. By 1920 Rachel and Hiram are living in the city of Watts at 306 W. Tajauta Street in Los Angeles County, San Antonio Township. Hiram is 80 years old and Rachel is shown as 60 (she should have been 64). Also living with them is a daughter of Hiram's, Bernie Babcock, who was born in Michigan and is 50 years old. She is involved in real estate sales. Hiram is no longer working. I have no further records at this time for Rachel Thatcher, but there is extensive information for her daughter Susan Frances Tracy who marries James Andrew Gillespie. I will not cover that generation in this report, since my intent was to outline only William and Julia Thatcher and their immediate children. The Gillespie lineage is included in the Family Tree file for the William Thatcher family, which accompanies this report. There are two individuals who should be mentioned here, Frances Louise Gillespie, the daughter of Susan Tracy and James Gillespie, because she died as an infant and was interred in the Thatcher family plot in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery. The other person is Rachel's son Fred Elton Tracy who dies in 1918 at the age of 35, and is buried next to his niece Frances Louise Gillespie. Details are covered in the "Thatcher Graves" report. Katherine is in Iowa in the 1885 State Census at age 16, it is then assumed she moved with her mother and brother William to California in 1886. The Thatcher family is assumed to be in the Arroyo Grande area, based on entries in the California Great Register of voters, for at least the period 1888-1892. By 1910 Katherine has married (about 1892/1893) George William Dryden and is living in the 183rd Precinct of Los Angeles. They have a son, William G. Dryden b. 1895, a daughter, Leonora C. Dryden b. 1898 and another son, Selden T. Dryden b. November 22, 1903. They have a servant living with them whose name is illegible in this 1910 census. George has a gourd farm. Katherine's husband George was born in California on November 17, 1865. He appears in the 1880 Federal Census for La Ballona in Los Angeles County with his father William Dryden who was born in New York, his mother Mary who was born in Scotland, four sisters, Josephine, Ada, May, and Emma, and a brother Charles. All of the children were born in California. In 1920 George who is 55 and Katherine who is 52 are living apart. George, who appears alone, is farming in the Willow Grove Precinct of Ventura County and Katherine lives in the city of Venice, California. Her daughters Leonora, now 22 and single, and Marie, who is 8, are living with her. Katherine lists her status as "married". No occupation is listed for Katherine. In the 1930 Federal Census for Ventura County, California we find George Dryden enumerated in the household of his son William G. Dryden, who is 35 years old. William's wife Gladys is 27 years old, and they have a daughter named Jane who is 3 years old. George, who is 65, shows his status as married, and the age when he was married as 28. This would place the marriage date around 1893. Both William and George are shown as farmers. Kate Dryden at age 61 is found at 1813 Ocean Front Drive in the city of Los Angeles in the 1930 Federal Census. She shows a status of "married" and lists 24 as the age when she was first married. This would give a marriage date of 1892, which approximately agrees with the data for George that is shown above. Also with her are daughter Marie, now 18, and daughter Leonora C. (Dryden) Phillips who is 32 and is listed as married with age at first marriage of 25. The husband for Leonora is not listed. Katherine's older sister Leonora (Thatcher) Ward who is 68 and widowed is also living with them, as is their brother William Selden Thatcher who is 57 and shown as married and lists the age when he was married as 23. No spouse is shown for William. Katherine's and William's occupations are as real estate brokers and daughter Leonora is a public school teacher. Despite the separation between Katherine and George for this time period, we find them buried together in the Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in the Thatcher grave site. William is in the 1885 Iowa State Census with mother Julia and sister Katherine, and presumably moves to California around 1886. Little is known about him after this time. There is a William S. Thatcher in Cochise County, Arizona in the 1900 Federal Census of the right age, but it isn't known if this is our William. We do not find him until the 1930 census that is described in the previous paragraph. We know he had a wife named Wanda, but no information on children or his later marital status. We do know that he is buried with the Thatcher family in Los Angeles; see "Thatcher Graves". This concludes the summary of data that I have to this date for the William and Julia Thatcher family. Click here to view a transcribed letter from Julia Roberts Thatcher to her family in Indiana.There is much more information available and I have leads on living families who may be connected to these Thatcher ancestors, so these data will be expanded in the future. The death certificates from Iowa and California for the other family members can yield a great deal of information. |