Wednesday, November 2, 2011

The Watters are Gathering

The Watters line of my tree continues to grow.  Today, I found Margaret Louisa Watters in Lowell Massachusetts.  While doing some generic searching for any Watters records with a mother of Dingle, I am came across Maggie L Waters getting married in 1894, January 17th to be exact in the town of Stoneham MA.  So, upon looking closer at the record I found a young woman at the age of 20, born in Nova Scotia and her parents are James Watters and Sarah J Dingle.  So, that was enough for me to believe this young woman was my great aunt Margaret.  Now, If know this story, you know that Maggie's sister; Elizabeth Anna Watters Reynolds was living in Woburn MA at this same time.  By the 1910 US Census, Maggie and Elizabeth are both living in Lowell and only a mile away from each other.

OK, I hear you asking. And if you are not asking, you should be!!  Who did Margaret marry?  Well, that would be a John F Osborn of Rockland Maine and he be an Irish lad.  John and Maggie had a number of child and like many families, a few don't make it past birth.  In the 1910 US Census, the family includes; John and Maggie, Anna Jane, George Raymond, Norman Goldsworth, John J Osborn.  Looking at the names of Maggie's child there are a few repeating names here.  For example; Anna Jane Osborn, I would be willing to bet, she was named after her aunt Elizabeth Anna Watters and her grandmother Sarah Jane Dingle. Just a guess mind ya!  Also, Norman Goldsworth has an uncle that carries the Goldsworth middle name.  Where Goldsworth stem, I do not know.  I'll have too look into it sometime.

Now, we have our family in 1894 and 1910, where are they in 1900.  Nothing is popping up, so back to the generic search of using just last names of Watter and Osborn and place Massachusetts.  Bang! A hit on a record with the surname recorded as Orsborn. Yes, another error!   Looking into this record, the given names were all correct with what I have and the place is of Stoneham, also Maggie was of Nova Scotia.  OK, this is them.. Oh wait look what else I find, but a brother of Maggie's staying in the house as a boarder.  This would be John Watters, which was a mystery to me, other than a birth date.  I wasn't sure he lived past his childhood, but here he is living in Stoneham and working as a steam shovel operator. 

By the time Maggie's family reach 1910, two more children were born, but didn't make it passed age one; Margaret and Howard C Osborn.  I mention them here to bring the family back together again and in one place.  Instead of the bits and piece of data that are just waiting for a family to belong to once again.  Chuid eile i síocháin


1 comment:

  1. A lovely post, Bill, and very apropos that you ended it as you did!

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