Recently I was contacted by a DNA match on GEDMATCH. It was pretty exciting because once we figured out the relationship it solved a big hole that my sister had been working on for a couple of years. That is one of the great things about using the Internet in your genealogy research.  When you stop lurking and reach out, the connections can be awesome.

So what we were looking at was a possible fourth cousin match. As I went through D. Crooks family tree surname index I saw the name Cressey. Hummmm, sort of unusual, I have a possible Crissy on mine. So I looked at the Cressey and found on her tree that a Hannah Cressey was married to an Augustus Marsh. Whoa! Julia (Marsh) Clough Blossom’s death certificate has her father listed as “? Marsh” and her Mother as “? Crissy”. Madeleine had been working on this family line the last time we were in Salt Lake City, and had become quite frustrated with the Marsh line. One other descendant we know had the Marsh name coming from Maraschelleaux.  Madeleine had also been in contact with another research from the Three Rivers, California area where Julia had lived most of her later years. She had lots of information on Julia and Ira Blossom’s (Julia’s second Husband) children. We knew a lot about Julia and her husband Ira Blossom since their arrival in the Three Rivers area but could find no history for them prior, other than the 1850 US census for Hamburg, Erie County, New York, where Julia Marsh is in the Benjamin Clough household.

So what is the evidence that my Julia Marsh actually matches up with the Julia that was shown as a daughter to Hannah and Augustus Marsh on my Gedmatch contacts family tree?

• The informant for Julia death certificate was “xxxxxxxxxxC. Buttman”,  Mrs. C. Buttman was Emma Blossom one of Julia’s daughter and whom Julia was living with at 2447 Mission Street, San Francisco, California, at the time of her death .

• The 1850 US Census shows Julia’s place of birth as “VT” (Vermont)

 

• The 1880 US Census shows both parents  of Julia born in “VT” (Vermont)

So while some census’ list Julia’s place of birth as New York, others show it as Vermont. D. Crooks  indicated that Hannah (Cressey) moved to New York soon after the birth in Vermont of her daughter Julia.

Both Hannah Cressey and Augustus Marsh were born in Vermont.

Julia Marsh’s death certificate shows her date of birth simply as Sept 1835 and her place of birth New York City. But it also list the place of birth for both her parents as New York. It also says that Julia had lived in California for 60 years. Taking all this as a second hand account or even a possible third hand account. If Julia died in 1922 at the age of 87, that would mean that she arrived in California in 1862. Yet we have her marriage to Ira Blossom in California in 1860. so maybe she had been in the state since 1860 and not for 60 years or maybe it was an estimate.

In the 1880 Census Ira Blosson’s place of birth is Illinois while her parents are shown as both being from Vermont. And Julia’s place of birth is shown as New York and both her parents are listed as being born in Vermont. Both Ira and Julia are shown as 47 years of age in this census which was taken in June of 1880 is in keeping with Julia’s birth date in Sept  of 1832 so she would not be 48 until three months later. Three years different from the Death Certificate.

In the 1910 US Census Julia and Ira Blossom are still on their property in Three Rivers. Here Julia is 74 years of age and indicated she has been married for 50 years, She also indicates here that she was born in Vermont as well as both of her parents.

The 1900 US Census does not list Ira and Julia Blossom in Kaweah Township and on-line I could not find a enumeration for the area known as Three Rivers or Lemon Cove. But we know they are more than likely there because Ira Blosson is listed in the Voter registration for 1896 with a Three Rivers Post Office address. Going back to the 1870 US Census they are found in Farmersville with no new information.

In the 1860 Census the only thing we can glean from this is that they were in California by July of 1860 and appear married.

We have in the 1850 US Census Julia Marsh in the household with her soon to be first husband, Orson Clough, and his family, in Hamburg Erie Co. New York. Julia is listed as 18  in August of 1850. Again that places her birth in 1831 or 1832.

Now looking at the information on Hannah and Augustus March from D. Crooks. Hannah was born in 1782 and would have been about 49 to 53 when Julia was born. Kind of late in life for Hannah but she had 10 children according to D. Crooks records. The date on D. Crooks tree for Julia is 2 Sept. 1831. Sept also listed as the month that Julia was born on her death certificate.

So while the evidence is not conclusive neither my sister nor I have found any other possibilities and the biggest piece of evidence was that I found no other names in D. Crooks family tree that match names in my family tree, and we are shown as third to fourth cousin match on Gedmatch.