Matrilineal Monday: New Information about Agnes Anderson

In my previous post about Agnes Anderson, I shared what I knew about her. Primarily:

• born around 1884 
• born potentially in Evansville, Missouri
• potential parents: Wm Anderson and Amanda Sparks
• stenographer for B&O Railroad at the time of her death
• died May 22, 1920

With this information, it was time to do some searching. My first stop was the 1920 US Census. I didn't know if she could be found because she died in May of 1920. Thankfully, the census worker came by her home in January.

 Year: 1920; Census Place: Newark Ward 2, Licking, Ohio; Roll: T625_1404; Page: 3A;
Enumeration District: 151

This entry for Agnes provides evidence that she was born about 1883/1884 in Missouri. It verifies the believe that she was a Stenographer for the B&O Railroad. Her father is mentioned as from Sweden and spoke Swedish. and her mother's birthplace is Ohio. She's also living on Hudson Avenue. What to do with this? Go back 10 years. She would be around 26/27. She could be in Ohio and independent of her parents.

Year: 1910; Census Place: Newark Ward 2, Licking, Ohio; Roll: T624_1204; Page: 2B;
Enumeration District: 0081

I found her. She's living on Hudson Avenue and working as a bookkeeper for a grocery store. She indicated that her father was from Sweden and her mother from Ohio. But she was born in Ohio. So perhaps the Evansville, Missouri birthplace for her parents is invalid. (Side note: I've tried to figure out where Evansville, Missouri is. I can't find an Evansville, Missouri. I can find an Evansville, Illinois. So where is Evansville? Or did the hospital informant have inaccurate information?)

Before the 1910, I can't really find Agnes with any certainty. I did find a potential record for Agnes in the 1900 US Census. This Agnes mentions being born in 1881 and both parents being from Sweden. There are only two other entries for an Agnes Anderson born in Missouri during the 1880-1890 time frame. One Agnes has parents names Mr & Mrs Walter Anderson. The father was born in Virginia and the mother Germany. The other Agnes has parents James and Agnes Anderson. The father was born in Ohio and the mother in Kansas. So, I'm really stumped. I've included the 1900 US Census index record for the potential Agnes Anderson with parents from Sweden.

Year: 1900; Census Place: St Louis Ward 25, St Louis (Independent City), 
Missouri; Roll: 899; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 376

Recently, I had the idea of searching through the U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta) on Ancestry.com. I had previously used this resource for numerous family members in Columbus, Ohio. (I wish there were City Directories for the smaller parts of Franklin County, Ohio that is not Columbus. I have a lot of 'county' residents on my family tree.) I wondered if Newark was a large enough town to warrant a City Directory. If it did, is the town large enough that Ancestry.com would have it available and indexed. To my pleasant surprise, Newark was available.

Entry from the 1919 Newark, Ohio City Directory
Agnes is a sten. (Stenopgraher0 living at 58 Hudson Ave

I was able to find several entries for Agnes in the Newark City Directories. Instead of detailing each one, I'll show the timeline of my findings for Agnes in Newark, Licking, Ohio. I've added the Census information in burgandy and her life events in blue.

• abt 1883 - born in Missouri
• 1905 - 213 Hudson Ave, domestic
• 1907 - 294 N 4th, cashier, C L Conrad 
• 1909 - 56 Clinton, cashier C L Conrad 
• 1910 - Hudson, bookkeeper, Grocery
• 1911 - 58 Hudson, Bkp, C L Conrad (I'm assuming Bkp is bookkeeper)
• 1913 - 58 Hudson Ave, Steno for Licking Creamery Co.
• 1915 - 56 Clinton, Steno
• 1917 - 335 N 4th, Stenographer
• 1919 - 58 Hudson Ave, Stenographer
• Jan 1920 - Hudson Ave, Stenographer, B & O Railroad
• 22 May 1920 - died in Newark, Ohio

Having only the census records, I would have assumed that Agnes stayed in the same home from 1910 to 1920. However, the city directories showed that she moved around. Or did she? She's a young single woman. Would she give her residence to the city directory or where she worked?

I also see a pattern of improvement in employment. She's a domestic servant in 1905 at about age of 22. She becomes a cashier two years later. As it turns out C L Conrad is in reference to Charles L Conrad, a Wholesale & Retail Grocer at 35 Hudson Ave. Seems to me, Agnes tried to live around where she worked.

I kept wondering if there was a relative that she was living with at various times as well. However, there are no other Andersons in the Newark City Directory with common address. If I was to find other household members in the City Directory, I would need the capacity to search by address. I haven't a way to do that on Ancestry.com. So that mystery will have to wait until I have a) more time or b) technology makes it possible.

I still have many questions that remain unsolved. First, is the domestic I found in 1900 in Missouri the same Agnes as the one I'm searching for? Second, who are Agnes' parents? Third, Does Agnes have any additional family members? Fourth, where was Agnes buried?


Though Agnes is still elusive in many regards, thanks to the US Census records and the Newark City Directory, Agnes is coming out of the shadows into the light.

Update: I found the undertakers for Agnes, O'Shaughnessy Company. I'm going to see where their old records might be.