Who are Emmet Nedry’s Parents?

Let me give you a little history of my research process (rabbit trail) and how I got here. I was working a Thru Line for my 4^th Great Grandmother  Elizabeth Sponable.  I was researching the descendants of her daughter Electa Nedry Brown and thus her daughter Minerva Ellen Brown who married her 1^st cousin once removed, Henry Monroe Nedry.  While researching this branch, I came across a link to the Minnesota Official Marriage system (moms.mn.gov).

I decided to type in the last name of Nedry. I printed out the two sided document and quickly saw Minnie and Henry marriage listed in the index on the bottom of the first side. So I thought I see who else I already had in my database (this is the rabbit I started chasing). I turned the page over and there is only one listed and thus I thought I would start there. William Nedry married Lillian Muscovitz on 3 Aug 1936 in Hennepin. However, I don’t have this William in my tree.

I search William and Lillian and quickly find their Find a Grave listing that states that William was born in 1913. I also see that in 1920, this William is living with his parents, Emmett and Elizabeth.  I scan the marriage index and find an Emmet Nedry who married Elizabeth D Fagan on 28 Oct 1909. However, William's Minnesota Death Index states that his mother’s maiden name is Prior. I go to the 1910 Census for Emmet and Elizabeth and see two step-daughters, Margaret and Grace Fagen. Bingo, Fagen is a married name.  To confirm, I did a little more digging and find Elizabeth Prior who married John Joseph Fagan on 23 Sept 1902. I also find Margaret’s death record index, stating her parents are Elizabeth Prior and John Fagan.

So I turn my attention to Emmet since I don’t have him in my database either.  I do a search on Emmet with his wife and find a US social Security Applications and Claims Index for Emmet, born 13 Nov 1875 in Indiana and father is William Nedry and Julia Frantz.  The only William Nedry in my database is a man born in 1821 who died 1870 and wife is Julianna Grant. Close but no cigar because William died five years before my William. It must be another William.

In 1856, I find the Iowa State Census with William (born abt 1821 in Pennsylvania) with wife Julia Ann and children Mary Louiza, Harriet Anne, Larry Lonella. Then in 1860 I have a William Ledry (probably miss transcribed) and a Julia Ledry with children Harriet and Lartuelly living in Oregon.  William was born abt 1822 in Pennsylvania. In 1870 W C Nedry (born abut 1821 in Pennsylvania) and wife Julianna are living in Oregon.  I find a Washington Death Certificate for Harriet Ann Barr with father Wm Nedry and mother Julia Ann Grant. I find William’s Find A Grave which states he is born 2 Apr 1821 and died 9 Jul 1870 in Oregon. Children tied to his memorial are Harriet Ann Bar, Laura Luella Slocum and Mary Louisa Slocum. This just takes me back to my William and not Emmet’s father, because my William died in 1870 and my Julia who later married John Killingsworth, her Find a Grave record shows she was born 14 Oct 1824 and would be quite old to be Emmet’s mother. However, these hints are coming up because people’s trees have this William and Julia tied to Emmet. ARGH!

I turned to FamilySearch and find the hint that Julia Franz might have been born 1853 in Ohio. After researching her for a while, it appears this Julia is being confused with Julia Nedry daughter of Augustus Nedry and Mary Nedry who married George Goff on 21 Apr 1887. 

George died 25 Jan 1901. Julia Died 11 Jan 1914. 

Some people even have Julia also married to a Gallant, I did find a marriage record between Julia Goff and Eugene M Gallant on 30 Dec 1903. 

However as previously mentioned, I have Julia Goff dying in 1914 and found Julia Gallant died 15 Aug 1936.  Thus, this could be yet another Julia.

After two days of searching this mess, I have decided to record it here in my blog and set this aside for now. 

Lesson learned: you can’t always figure out relationships by online sources only. There isn’t enough fields for me to determine what is going on. The actual marriage records may have parent’s listed and might state if they were married previously.  The actual death records may have parent’s listed too, which can help to sort out the mess. Since this is a collateral line for me, I have spent enough time, trying to figure out this mess.  

What I can do, is add an orphan branch (one that is floating in my tree, not attached to anyone already in my tree.) I can add William and Lillian, I feel comfortable adding Emmet and Elizabeth as Williams’ parents. I can add their descendants and perhaps at a later time, I will figure out who Emmet’s parents really are and see if he ties to my tree.