Asa Dillon household, 1940, Black Hawk County, Iowa

Located the 1940 census record of the Asa Dillon household in Black Hawk County, Iowa. Asa's wife Alletta was my maternal 3rd cousin 4 times removed.  Our common ancestors were Francis Smalley & Sarah Hutchinson.  Alletta was the daughter of Oliver Amburn and Ella Annette Smalley.

1940 U.S. census, Black Hawk County, Iowa, population schedule, Cedar Falls, enumeration district (ED) 7-11, SD 3, sheet 5A, 1021 Fremont Street, household 103, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 December 2016); National Archives, Washington, D.C..

At the time of the enumeration, Asa and his wife were living in Cedar Falls.  Asa owned the home and it was valued at $500.  Asa was 67 years old and born in Iowa.  His wife, Alletta, was 57 years old and also born in Iowa.  In 1935, they were living in the same place.

The record shows that Asa and Alletta had both completed the 8th grade in education.  Asa's occupation was listed as a retired farmer, and no occupation was listed for Alletta.

According to my database, Asa and Alletta had at least three children: Byron, Loren and Emma, though they were not living with them at the time of the 1940 census.

If you have any additional information or are connected to this family, I'd love to hear from you.

Exploratory Data Analysis : Catharine (Young) Metzner (1819-1910)

Catharine (Young) Metzner (1819-1910) was my paternal 3rd-great grandmother.  What follows is an exploratory analysis of the biographical data I have discovered about her.

1. Vital Records

      Catharine was born July 18, 1819 in France^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7}, likely in the Elsass region.

     1.1. Birth Certificate

           I have not yet located a birth record for Catharine.  Will continue to search sources such as FamilySearch in hopes of locating.

          1.1.1. Birth Notice in Newspaper

                If Catharine's birth was mentioned in a newspaper, I'm not aware of it.  Once I have the location, will continue to search to see if it was mentioned.

          1.1.2. Bible Record

               I am not aware of any surviving Young family Bible that mentions Catharine.  Will continue to reach out to extended family in hopes that one can be located.

          1.1.3. Baptismal Record

                I am not aware of any baptismal record for Catharine.  Later in life, she was affiliated with the Evangelical Association.

          1.1.4. Adoption Record

                There is no indication that Catharine was adopted.

     1.2. Marriage License

           Catharine married John Metzner on November 16, 1839⁸ in Newark, Licking County, Ohio.  Her husband's obituary mentions this date as November 4, 1839⁹.

          1.2.1 Marriage Notice in Newspaper

               I have not yet searched available newspapers of the time period to see if mention was made of Catharine and John's nuptials.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

          1.2.2. Anniversary Notice

               I have not yet searched available newspapers of the time period for mention of any anniversary celebrations.  Their 25th anniversary would have been November 16, 1864.  John passed away before their 50th.

          1.2.3. Divorce Decree

               Although there is no indication they ever divorced, a complete search of local court records will need to be made to be sure.

     1.3. Death Certificate

          Catharine died June 22, 1910 in Rome City, Noble County, Indiana^1,2.  The cause of death was listed as an ulcer of the stomach.

          1.3.1. Obituary in Newspaper

               Catharine's obituary appeared in the July 6, 1910 edition of the Evangelical Messenger¹. Her obituary stated that she immigrated to America in 1834 and she was the mother of 11 children, 4 still living at her death.  In addition, there were 21 grandchildren and 35 great-grandchildren.

          1.3.2. Funeral Home Records

              Catharine's funeral was handled by the Baird Funeral Home of Portland, Jay County, Indiana.  I've written a previous post about her funeral which includes the records from the funeral home.  At the time of her death, she was living with her daughter, Mary (Metzner) Huey.

          1.3.3. Tombstone Photograph

                Catharine's tombstone in the Mt. Zion Cemetery in Jay County, Indiana has been photographed¹⁰.  A link to her memorial page at FindAGrave is located here.

2. Census Records

     2.1. Federal Census Records

          2.1.1. 1910 Federal Census

               On May 3, 1910, Catharine was enumerated in the Harvey A. Huey household in Orange Township, Noble County, Indiana⁴, as Catherine Metzner, mother in law, female, age 90.  She was born in France, as were here mother and father.  She was the mother of 11 children, 4 of whom were living.  She could read and write.

          2.1.2. 1900 Federal Census

               I have not located Catharine in the 1900 census yet.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items.  She should likely be still living in Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana.

          2.1.3. 1880 Federal Census

               On June 7, 1880, Catharine was enumerated in the John Metzner household in Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana¹¹, as Katherine Metzner, wife, age 60, keeping house.  She was born in Elsace, as were her mother and father.

          2.1.4. 1870 Federal Census

               On June 15, 1870, Catharine was enumerated in the John Metzner household in Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana⁶, as Catherine Metzner, age 50, keeping house.  She was born in France, and both of her parents were listed as foreign born.

          2.1.5. 1860 Federal Census

               On June 22, 1860, Catharine was enumerated in the John Metzner household in Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana⁵, as Catharine Metzner, age 40, female, housekeeper, born in France.

          2.1.6  1850 Federal Census

                On September 21, 1850, Catharine was enumerated in the John Metzner household in Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana⁷, as Catharine Metzner, age 30, female, born in France.

     2.2. State Census Records

          No state census records for Ohio are known to exist.

          The State of Indiana conducted state census in 1853, 1857, 1871, 1877, 1883, 1889, 1901, 1913, 1919 and 1931.  These, however, were merely for the purposes of legislative apportionment.

     2.3. Agricultural Census Records

          I have not yet examined these types of records to see what light they might shed on the Metzner family.

3. Military Records

     3.1. Draft Registration

          Not applicable, as Catharine was female.

     3.2. Pension Records

          I am not aware of any military service by her father or husband that would have made Catharine eligible for pension benefits.

     3.3. Service Records

          Not applicalbe, as Catharine was female.

4. Land Records

     4.1. Deed Records

               Deed records need to be thoroughly searched in Licking County, Ohio and Jay County, Indiana to see what records might mention Catharine.  Will add this to my "to-do" list for my next research trip.

     4.2. Plat map / county map

          Plat maps of Licking County, Ohio and Jay County, Indiana will need to be searched to see what information can be gleaned that might be relevant to my search.

5. Supplemental Records

     Supplemental records to research for Catharine include city/county directories, court records, and will and probate records.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

Source :

1. Catharine Young Metzner obituary, Evangelical Messenger, New Berlin, Pennsylvania, USA, July 6, 1910, page 27.
2. Ancestry.com. Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Indiana State Board of Health. Death Certificates, 1900–2011. Microfilm. Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana.
3. "Biographical and Historical Record of Jay County, Indiana", Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1887, page 347.
4. Harvey A. Huey household, 1910 U.S. census, Noble County, Indiana, population schedule, Orange Twp., ED 114, SD 12, sheet 10, dwelling 168, family 168, National Archives micropublication T624, roll 372.
5. John Metzner household, 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Noble Twp., Jay Co., IN, Hector P.O., dwelling 346, family 349; National Archives micropublication M653, roll 269., page 188.
6. John Metzner household, 1870 U.S. census, population schedule, Noble Twp., Jay Co., IN, Hector P.O., page 30, dwelling 220, family 215; National Archives micropublication M593, roll 327., page 104.
7. John Metzner household, 1850 U.S. census, population schedule, Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana, USA, page 314, dwelling 113, family 113; National Archives micropubliction M432, roll 153.
8. "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XZHL-F6J : 8 December 2014), John Metzner and Catherine Young, 16 Nov 1839; citing Licking, Ohio, United States, reference v.1,p.331,L.271; county courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 384,300.
9. Evangelical Messenger, New Berlin, Pennsylvania, 24 January 1888, page 59.
10. FindAGrave, Inc., FindAGrave.com (www.findagrave.com: accessed 24 December 2016), Catharine Young Metzner memorial.
11. 1880 U.S. Census, Jay County, Indiana, population schedule, Noble Township, enumeration district (ED) 154, SD 6, page 10B, dwelling 90, familyl 92, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 December 2016); National Archives, Washington, D.C..


This post was developed as part of the series relating to Building My 2011 Research Template, an attempt to systematically document and source the details of my ancestors' lives. Comments regarding this template and the conclusions drawn in this article are welcomed.

George Washington Alderman household, 1940, St. Louis, Missouri

Located the 1940 census record of the George Washington Alderman household in St. Louis, Missouri.  George was my maternal 2nd cousin 4 times removed, our common ancestors are James Alderman (1774-bet1850-4) and Martha Cantell.  George was the son of James William Alderman and Mary Emeline Kimbro.

1940 U.S. Census, St. Louis City, Missouri, population schedule, Ward 26, enumeration district (ED) 96-679, SD 11, sheet 5B, household 102, 1236 Kings Highway, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 December 2016); National Archives, Washington, D.C..

At the time of the enumeration, George and his wife were renting a home in Ward 26 of St. Louis City.  The monthly rent for the home was $45.  George was 53 years old and born in Illinois.  His wife, Mae, was age 47 and born in Missouri.  In 1935, they were both listed as living in St. Louis.

The record shows that George had completed the 8th grade in education and Mae had completed 2 years of high school.  George's occupation was listed as a Maintenance Man for a Catholic College.  The record doesn't indicate which college this would be, and my other research notes do not indicate which one.

According to my database, George and Mae had at least two children: Wilma and Mark, though they were not living with them at the time of the 1940 census.

If you have any additional information or are connected to this family, I'd love to hear from you.