Alfred Bird Drake or Bird Alfred Drake?

You've got to have patience when you are gleaning information from a census.  One little piece of wrong information can send you so far down the wrong path that you think you've lost your mind.

It started with the 1860 United States Census.  There I have John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon Drake, married and living under one roof in Amboy, Hillsdale, Michigan.  John is 35 and Lucia is 34 and they have 7 children:

             James A.            13 years old
           Eugene E              12
              Anna R              10
            Sidney S                8
             Mary C                 6
            Alfred B                 4
           Allison C                 1

Sweet little Alfred B.  If he was 4 years old in 1860, then he would've been born around 1856...give or take.  But, you see, I'm a skeptic.  I see this perfectly fine record, but Allison's middle name was Royce.  At least that is what I've always been told.  Allison Royce Drake would eventually have a son named Royce Allison.  But I"m getting side tracked.

The mystery arises from the 1870 United States Census.  In the 10 years that's passed, Lucia has died, John Stout Drake has remarried a gal named Elinor.  James A and Eugene have left home, which was probably about right because they would have been 23 and 22 respectfully.  But Allison is gone as well, and he would have only been 11.  That whole mystery with Allison is for another day.  Today we are dealing with Alfred.  The 1870 United States Census has six kids still living at home:

                           Bird A                  13 years old
                           Alfred                   11
                              Ann                   20
                         Mary S                   16
                             Jane                      9
                            Lucy                      6

Bird?  Who the heck is Bird? And where was he in the 1860 Census?  Then I thought that maybe he was Elinor's boy and by 1870 John Stout Drake had decided to adopt him.

Back in 1979, at a Drake/Converse Reunion, I copied a family tree chart that was taped to the wall, the whole wall.  I was 8 months pregnant, it was hot and I was miserable.  I had a notation that a Jennie Drake married a George Priestly.  And I had a note that Bird Drake married a Eugenia Priestly.  I thought it was kinda sweet, and not uncommon among farm families.

The 1880 US Census finds Alfred Drake living in the home of George and Jane Priestly.

"United States Census, 1880," Alfred Drake in household of Geo. Priestly, Cambria, Hillsdale, Michigan

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Name:

Alfred Drake

Residence:

Cambria, Hillsdale, Michigan

Birthdate:

1857

Birthplace:

Michigan, United States

Relationship to Head:

Son-in-law

Spouse's Name:

Spouse's Birthplace:

Father's Name:

Father's Birthplace:

New York, United States

Mother's Name:

Mother's Birthplace:

New York, United States

Race or Color (Expanded):

White

Ethnicity (Standardized):

American

Gender:

Male

Martial Status:

Married

Age (Expanded):

23 years

Occupation:

NARA Film Number:

T9-0580

Page:

57

Page Character:

B

Entry Number:

682

Film number:

1254580

Household

Gender

Age

Birthplace

SELF

Geo. Priestly

M

59

England

WIFE

Jane Priestly

F

56

England

SON

Edwin Priestly

M

30

Michigan, United States

DAU

Mattie Drake

F

24

Michigan, United States

DAU

Katie Priestly

F

18

Michigan, United States

Alfred Drake

M

23

Michigan, United States

Alfred Drake is listed as the Son-in-law.  But where is Eugenia?  I pulled her birth date off of her death certificate -- 09 May 1855.  In 1880 she would have been around 25 years old.  There is a Mattie Drake, daughter of George who was 24.  Could Mattie be Eugenia?  I haven't been able to find anything with the initial M as a middle name.

In the 1900 Federal Census, Bird Drake shows up again.  Born in June of 1857.  Bird was born in Michigan and it says that both his parents were born in New York.  His daddy, John Stout Drake was born in New York, but his mama, Lucia Cahoon Drake was born in Michigan.  Again, I don't know who was the one answering the census taker's question.  Lucia would have been for almost 20 years by this time.  Also, in the "Number of Years Married Column" it says 1.  According to my records they were married in 1879.  So they would have been married 21 years.  Also, poor Eugenia had born a child, but it had not lived.

1905:  In the Hillsdale phone book, A. Bird is married to Eugenia.  He is working in a saloon at 47 N. Broad, in Hillsdale, Michigan.  He is living at 86 E. Sharp.

I have a copy of Eugenia Priestly Drake's Death Certificate.  Born 09 May 1855.  Married 02 Nov 1879.  Died 09 Apr 1908.  I know it's the right one because there are a few more clues.  Father was George Priestly, born in England.  Mother is Jane Hardy, born in England.  Eugenia died of La Grippa terminating in heart failure.  Spouse: A.B. Drake.  She is buried in North Adams, Cemetery.

In 1909 Alfred B Drake marries Ella Conway Ryan.  She is a nurse and both of them have been married one time before.

I found a copy of Alfred's death certificate.  Albert B. Drake died 13 Feb 1912.  Whoever provided the information said he was born 13 Jan 1861 -- which is several years off.  The also spell his mother's name -- Lucia Calhoon -- which sounds like it but is wrong.  But that I will prove another day.  

Are Alfred B Drake and Bird A Drake One and the Same?

While under the family group sheets that I've checked out of John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon, there are 11 children listed.  There is an Alfred B Drake born 1859 and a Bird A Drake, born 1857.  But lately I've found references to an Alfred Bird Drake and a Bird Alfred Drake.  Another conundrum.  I have found Alfred B Drake married to an  Ella Conway Ryan.  And I have a Bird A Drake married to Eugenia Priestly.

The 1860 and 1870 Federal Census adds to the confusion.  In the 1860 Federal Census, Alfred B Drake was listed as 4 years old.  Bird A Drake isn't on that census at all.  In the 1870 Federal Census Alfred is listed as 11 years old.  If he was 4 in 1860, then he should be 14 in 1870.  Also in the 1870 Federal Census Bird is also listed, and it says that he is 13 years old, which is closer to14 years that Alfred is supposed to be.  However, 1970 is where "Elinor" shows up as the wife.  Maybe she didn't know.

Another thought is "Was Bird a child of Elinor's who John Stout Drake adopted?"

The Children of John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon

As I continue to work the family group sheet for John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon, I find myself in a rush to get down every thing I'm working on as well as all the questions.

So I was researching Jane Drake.  Not a lot of information out there.  But I know, that her ancestors think that she was THE most important of all the John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon's children.  Personally, I thought she died young. According to what I could find out about her -- and remember that this isn't documented yet so I can't officially insert it into my family tree -- she was born in Hillsdale, Michigan on 23 Apr 1861.  I also found information that says her name was Jane Carel Drake and she went by Jennie.  Well hot diggity dog.

One of the questions I've been carrying around was this:  In the 1880 United States Federal Census, I have found Allison Royse Drake listed under John Sprawls in Hillsdale, Michigan.  In regards to his relationship with the head of the house, John Sprawls, it is said "servant."  Also listed in that household is Jennie C. Drake who is also listed as servant.  Up until now, I had no idea what their relationship with each other was. And now I believe that they are brother and sister.

On some of the public family trees on Ancestry.com, it is said that she married George Priestly and had three (all unnamed) children.  And I've found one tree that says there is a daughter named Kate.  There is a good chance that this could be true, as Jen's brother, Bird A Drake, married Eugenia Priestly.  Now I have to dig around and see if they were brother and sister as well.

There is also an individual on Ancestry involved with the Hoag family line that feels like a kindred spirit.  It's a hunch, but I thing it is a cousin that comes down John Stout Drake and Lucia Cahoon, to Allison Royse Drake to Hattie Gavena Drake who was my grandfather Don Dee Drake's sister.