One thing I can say with confidence is that most genealogists at some point, have to correct mistakes from when they first started researching. Eventually we all learn to make sure everything is sourced and you don’t just copy anything from the internet. Unfortunately, that time is now for me. There is no more just avoiding the problem and hoping it solves itself later.
Newsflash: It is never going to solve itself. 😂
No Really. Where Did I Get Catherine From?
As I systematically make my way up the family tree again, I’ve not had to question much. It’s all very straight forward. I’ve redone my family file one time already, so most of the inaccuracies on my Dad’s side of the tree were gone. It meant not “officially” being as far back as I thought, but that’s okay. I’d rather be accurate. This time though, one thing stood out to me on the redo.
In the image above, you see my 4th great-grandmother Sarah Catherine Bush in my old Ancestry tree, my old family file, and the FamilySearch family tree. No problem, right? Right? Right… about that. I can’t seem to find where the Catherine part of her name came from. There is definitely a C, which I will outline for you with my sources, but yeah… No Catherine. 🤣
Sarah’s Official Records
There is no official record of Sarah’s birth. New Jersey birth returns started in May of 1848 and individual certificates started in June of 1878. It’s safe to say that is well after Sarah’s birth. Her next official record would be her marriage to John Doremus sometime between 1850 and 1854. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to find their marriage record yet. Her next official records are the birth of her children with her first husband. They had three children, Josephine, Adeline and Mary Ida. I have found the birth return for Josephine and Mary Ida. On both of them Sarah is either referred to as Sarah or Sarah C. On her marriage return to John Ward in 1867 she is called Sarah Doremus.
The final official record I’ve found for Sarah is her death record. The informant on the record is her husband John. The middle initial is so prominent all through her life. Her daughter Josephine never used a middle initial, so any reference to a middle name for Josephine has been rejected in my mind and research. Sarah is much different though. She uses her middle initial regularly. I wonder if that is to distinguish herself from others of the same name. Josephine wouldn’t have needed the middle name as her name was fairly unique in her area at the time.
Variations of Sarah’s recorded name on records
| Sarah Bush | Sarah Doremus | Sarah Ward |
| Sarah C. Ward | Sarah C. Doremus | Mrs. Sarah C. Ward |
| Mrs. John Ward |
Unofficial Records
There are very few family records that survive in my family. We do have a picture of Sarah and her second husband from Llewellyn’s archive. She even wrote names on the back. In her obituary and tombstone, she is also listed as Mrs. Sarah C. Ward.
So where did I ever get Catherine from?
This doesn’t mean Catherine isn’t her middle name but I definitely have zero evidence of it. This is why we all have to be careful and even question things we thought were rock solid. When you line things all up and actually see what they say, where did we even get Catherine from?