January 2012: Status of research on Joseph Andrew Huigens

New year, new try at blogging more. Last year's plan to post weekly about one of my grandparents or great-grandparents each month did not go so well. This year I'll try one post a month on them that shares the current status of my research. I've been organizing my research as a series of questions about each person. I then list all the various answers along with the sources and a to-do list of other possible sources. This helps me to identify what I know for sure and what I think I know but don't have a good source for. It also helps me organize research plans. I also plan to use it to add source citations to my TMG database where everything is sourced. This is currently a very small database, unfortunately.

I'll start with my paternal grandfather.

4. Joseph Andrew HUIGENS

What was his full name?

Joseph A HUIGENS: WWI draft registration, 1920 US Census, 1930 US Census, wife’s obituary, grave marker

Joe Andrew HUIGENS: NE state death record

Joseph Andrew HUIGENS: JAH2 birth certificate, SS-5, delayed birth record

To-do: St. Ludger baptism record, newspapers, children’s vital records

Who were his parents?

John HUIGENS and Mary FITZLER: marriage license, NE state death record, “100 years of progress, Creighton, Nebraska, 1874-1974.”, 1912 Nebraska history, SS-5

John HUIGENS and Mary F FITZLER: delayed birth record

John and Mary HUIGENS: 1900 US Census

John and Mary HIGGINS: 1910 US Census

To-do: St. Ludger baptism record, newspapers, parents’ obituaries
When was he born?

9-Mar-1891: Grave marker, obituary, WWI draft registration, marriage license, NE state death record, SS-5, delayed birth record

Mar-1891: 1900 (Age 9) US Census record

1891: 1910 (Age 19), 1920 (Age 28 before 1910 birthday), 1930 (Age 39) US Census records

To-do: St. Ludger baptism record, newspapers

Where was he born?

Creighton, NE: obituary, WWI draft registration, NE state death record, SS-5, delayed birth record

NE: 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 US census records

Section 3 in Logan Twp., Knox Co., NE (10 miles west of Creighton) on family farm if born at home: 1903 Knox County plat map

To-do: find exact location of family in 1891 in land records, newspapers

Where did he go to school?

1912 father’s bio says he is attending the Catholic parochial school

To-do: NE school census, St. Ludger school records

How long did he go to school?

1900 US Census shows he was in school for 8 month in the previous year

1910 US Census states he had attended school sometime since 1-Sept-1909, when he was 18

1912 father’s bio says he is attending the Catholic parochial school, but would have been about 21 years old (How long before publication was the interview done?)

        To-do: NE school census, St. Ludger school records
When did he marry?

18-Feb-1914: his obituary, hand-written note on wedding picture, marriage license

18-Feb-1910: Julia’s obituary (contradicted by 1910 US Census which shows them both single and with their families)

abt 1913 or 1915: Married at ages 22 and 19 according to 1930 US Census [matches  their ages on the 18 Feb 1914 wedding date]

        To-do: St. Ludger marriage record, newspapers
Where did he marry?
        St. Ludger Catholic Church, Creighton: obituary, marriage license
        To-do: St. Ludger marriage record, newspapers
Where did he farm in Knox Co.

His father left the farm in Nov-1904 according to bio, but he was only 13 then

        Section 9 of 1920 Logan Twp. map says “John Parkhurst, Jos Huigens (contract)”

“P. O. Walnut, R. 1. O. 160 ac., sec. 9; R. 160 ac., sec. 11; R. 320 ac., sec. 3.” : Farmer's Directory of Logan Precinct 1920 Atlas  (O= owns R = rents)

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/county/knox/1920atlas/logan.htm

To-do: Knox County land records, county directories

When did he move his family to Sheridan Co.?
      Before Jan. 1926: Obituary
Before 12-Feb-1927: My dad’s birth date

To-do: Knox Co. land records, Sheridan Co. land records, County directories, newspapers from both counties

Why did he move west?
        To-do: Knox Co. land records, newspapers from both counties
Where was the farm in Sheridan Co.? Who owned it?

        Rushville Precinct: 1930 US Census

Logan C. Musser owned it: notes of 7 Mar 2010 conversation with 

Mom

NW of Rushville, within walking distance: 2011 emails with Mom

Box 514, Rushville, NE in Oct. 1942: SS-5

        To-do: Sheridan Co. land records, county directories, ask Mom
When did he retire to Rushville?
To-do: ask Mom, Sheridan Co. directories and land records, 

newspapers
What did he do for a living?
Farmer: WWI draft registration card, 1920 US Census, 1930 US 

Census
Worked for Consumers Oil & Refining Co., Rawlins, WY in Oct. 

1942: SS-5
To-do: Directories
When did he die?
        8-Nov-1957: Obituary, grave marker, NE state death record
        To-do: Rushville Immaculate Conception church records, probate records; died before the  

SSDI started
Where did he die?

At home: Obituary

At his home in the city [Rushville]: NE state death record

To-do: Nothing

What was the cause of death?
        Lingering illness: Obituary
        Uremia due to Chronic Glomerulonephritis: NE state death record
To-do: Nothing

Where is he buried?
        St. Mary’s Cemetery: Obit, grave marker photo

To-do: Nothing

The purple marked questions are the extra, nice to have that's more family history than genealogy. I haven't decided yet which I want to be when I grow up--family historian or genealogist.

The yellow marked questions are where I have a doubt about the exact right answer to the common Birth/Marriage/Death where and when questions. In this case, I think I know where the family was living when my grandfather was born, but I don't have enough info to make an unquestionable claim.