Finding the Family of Libby Sharp
Part 1
This is a series of blog posts based on a presentation I did for my local genealogy group in 2018. After 20 years of searching for this family (and many years by others before me), I ran across a podcast on Ancestral Findings discussing the use of negative evidence in genealogy. You can read/listen to it here: https://ancestralfindings.com/using-negative-evidence-prove-relationships/
That podcast gave me some ideas for looking at information in a new way. I followed up with some videos on YouTube from Crista Cowen – Ancestry’s Barefoot Genealogist – discussing indirect evidence and the Genealogical Proof Standard. (Great videos BTW).
The first step – and I cannot stress this enough – is to go BACK through everything you ALREADY have on whoever it is you are searching. I have found that I look at records now in a completely different way than I did in my beginning days of researching. I was more concerned with entering data and just growing the tree with names and dates and I didn’t really pay attention to the small details in some of the records. So this is what I started with:
My husband’s grandmother Gertrude knew her grandmother Harriet (called Libby). Gertrude’s father, CF Ehle, passed down a family tree and some photographs to Gertrude. The Ehle family history is well documented and goes back to Colonial NY.
Harriet died when Gertrude was 5 years old.
When I inherited the family history from Gertrude, the only information that was given regarding Harriet was her name as “Libby Sharp” and a few photographs of her with the family. I knew the name of my husband’s great grandfather CF Ehle, and the names of his 5 brothers and sisters: Henry Elton, George Burton, Myrtle Eliza and Mabel Helen (twins), and Elmer David.
I had already collected census records on this family in Minnesota from 1895 up until the deaths of both CS Ehle and Libby so I went over each one in reverse chronological order and made notes of my findings. In other words – I read ALL the information in each record. I didn’t stop with just names and ages. Don’t overlook state census records!
Census records working backward in time list the following CS Ehle family in MN:
1905 MN Territorial and State Census: Hennepin part 6, City of Minneapolis ward 6-7
Ehle Chas S M/53yrs old/born WI/father York State/mother York State MN resident 28yrs
Harriet E F/54yrs old/born York State/father York State/mother York State MN resident 28yrs
Henry Elton M/24yrs old/born MN/father York State/mother York State MN resident 24ys
Geo B M/14yrs old/born MN/father York State/mother York State MN resident 14yrs
1900 US Census: Minneapolis Ward 12, Hennepin, Minnesota
Charles S Ehle HEAD W/M/JUN/1852 47yrs old / Married 24 years/born WI/father NY/mother NY
Harriet E wife W/F/ Aug/1850 49yrs old/Married 24 years/born NY/father NY/mother NY Mother of 10 children/6 living
Elmer D son W/M/Sept/1876 23yrs old/Single/born MI/father WI/mother NY
C Fred son W/M/March/1879 21yrs old/Single/born MI/father WI/mother NY
H Elton son W/M/Feb/1881 19yrs old/Single/born MN/father WI/mother NY
Myrtle E dau W/F/ Sept/1883 16yrs old/Single/born MN/father WI/mother NY
Mable H dau W/F/ Sept/1883 16yrs old/Single/born MN/father WI/mother NY
George B son W/M/Aug 1890 9yrs old/Single/born MN/father WI/mother NY
1895 MN Territorial and State Census: Hennepin Part 5, Minneapolis Wards 6-7
Ehle Charles S 43yrs old/M/W/born WI 18yr resident of MN
Ehle Harriet E 44yrs old/F/W/born NY
Ehle D Elmer 18yrs old/M/W/born MI
Ehle C Fred 16yrs old/M/W/born MI
Ehle H Elton 14yrs old/M/W/born MN
Ehle Mable H 11yrs old/F/W/born MN
Ehle Myrtle E 11yrs old/F/W/born MN
Ehle G Burt 4yrs old/M/W/born MN
Ehle Homer F 24yrs old/M/W/born WI 13yr resident of MN
Wick Mary 25yrs old/F/W/born Norway
*Homer Ehle is a brother of CF Ehle
As it turns out, I had a lot of clues to start looking for Libby’s family in the information I had sitting on my computer for years. I just never REALLY looked at it before. The Minnesota and US Census information is consistent in stating her name as” Harriet E.”, her place of birth as NY, her year of birth as 1850/51, and her parents birth place as NY. The census also shows she has been married to CS Ehle since about 1876 and that her oldest 2 living children were born in MI. (I have been unable to locate this family on the 1885 MN state census but they should be there – son Elton born MN 1881)
If the oldest children were born in Michigan before 1880, then it makes sense to look for the family there next.
1880 US Census: Saranac, Ionia, Michigan
Ehle, Charles S W/M/ 27yrs old/ Married/ born WI/father NY/mother NY
Elizabeth wife W/F/29yrs old/Married/born NY/father NY/mother NY
Elmer son W/M/3yrs old/Single/born MI/father WI/mother NY
Frederick son W/M/1yr old/Single/born MI/father WI/mother NY
The census consistently shows that Harriet had her oldest 2 children in Michigan, the oldest (Elmer) born around 1877. Her marriage year has been consistently reported to be about 1876.
Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952 lists the following marriage in Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan:
Date of Marriage: November 23 1875
Full Name of Bridegroom and Bride, Maiden Name of Bride if Widow: Charles Smith Ehle
Harriet Elizabeth Sharp
Residence of each at time of Marriage: Saranac
Saranac
Age of each in years: 23
25
Birth Place of Each: Racine Wis
Rutland NY
Occupation of Bridegroom: Moulder
Name and Official Station of Person by Whom Married: Sidney Beckwith Rector at St Paul’s Church
Witness to Marriage: G A McDonell Residence: Grand Rapids
A A Stephens Grand Rapids
Date of Record: Mar 23 ‘76
This would appear to be the correct marriage record for CS Ehle and Harriet Sharp. The age and place of birth match for each couple and the date of the marriage is consistent with the later census documents.
With the new information of a complete middle name and a more specific birth location, it is possible to search in the census for earlier records. However, not having the names of any other members of Harriet’s family would make it impossible to know if the correct family had been identified. Before searching other census records (for a needle in a haystack), I looked through the birth records of the Ehle children to see if any additional information about Harriet could be found.
Minnesota, Births and Christenings Index, 1840-1980 records the following:
Name: Harriet Elizabeth Sharpe
Gender: Female
Age: 33
Birth Place: Watertown, New York
Spouse: Charles S Ehle
Child: Myrtle Eliza Ehle
Name: Harriet Elizabeth Sharpe
Gender: Female
Age: 33
Birth Place: Watertown, New York
Spouse: Charles S Ehle
Child: Mabel Helen Ehle
Name: Harriet Elizabeth Sharpe
Gender: Female
Age: 40
Birth Place: Watertown, New York
Spouse: Charles S Ehle
Child: George Burton Ehle
I was unable to locate any other birth records for Harriet’s children online. The new information of her birth place as Watertown, New York and the alternate spelling of her surname should be included in any further searches for her parents.
*Watertown and Rutland are less than 10 miles apart in Jefferson County, NY
It is not known when Harriet moved from New York to Michigan, so both states should be included in an 1870 US Census search.
Death record for Harriet Elizabeth Ehle was ordered from Minnesota Vital Records office. Her death occurred 10 June 1916 (CS Ehle died 22 March 1910 in MN). Her oldest son Elmer was the informant on the death record. He stated that Harriet was born 15 August 1850 in NY. Her father’s name is listed as Henry Sharp born NY and her mother’s name is listed as unknown born NY.
Since I don’t yet know when or how Harriet got from New York to Michigan, I need to look in both places. I will start in Michigan because it has a smaller population and it is the last known residence for Harriet. Next up is the 1870 US Census in Michigan…
WitzEnd Family History 