Big Mistake

 Have I found an ancestor who made a big mistake?  No.  Have I made a big mistake in my research?  Yes, if you call skipping a generation.  I briefly hinted about this in Week 1 blog posting labeled “In the Beginning”. 

How did that happen?  It’s because the family loves using the same name!  In this case, it is Caroline Maynard.

Christopher “Kit” Maynard and Eva Shockey had 12 children.  The oldest was born in 1836 with the youngest being born in 1860.  The youngest was named Caroline Maynard. 

My ancestor was Caroline Evie Maynard and she was born in 1865.  At the time, I didn’t know who her parents were.  So, I used census records to make that determination.  I used the 1870 census records and searched for “Caroline Maynard”.  I found one but the birth date was off by a few years.  I was told that quite often census records had the wrong ages, so I wasn’t too concerned about the discrepancy.  So, I thought her parents were Christopher & Eva.  WRONG!  I later discovered that her parents were George Washington Maynard and Sarah Caines.

George & Sarah had a total of 9 children, with the oldest being born in 1857 and the youngest circa 1877.

Caroline had married Booker Keesee and the marriage documents did not indicate who her parents were.  Although, I should have realized that the G W Maynard listed on the document for where the marriage was to take place would be the father. 

When I pulled the 1870 census for George and Sarah, I discovered that Caroline was listed by her middle name “Eva”.  No wonder I made that mistake!