The three Graces

While I was researching Grace M. Jahn née Ferguson, I saw some inconsistencies in the birth & death locations in various online Ancestry.com trees. The Fergusons lived in Brooklyn, Kings Co., NY, so I would expect her birth place to there, not in Queens Co.

The same kind of inconsistencies appeared in the death records for her in the Ancestry.com trees. The family was living just outside Flemington, Hunterdon County New Jersey, but the online trees gave her death place as North Carolina.

It took me a while dig into the various records and figure it all out, but it became obvious that two other individuals records were assigned to Grace. As you can imagine, the mistakes snowballed and I saw the same erroneous information on several other trees.

Someone apparently found a birth index for a Grace Fegurson born December 1, 1902 in Queens, NY but did not locate the actual birth certificate, which not only provided the address of her birth, but the names of her parents as you guess it would!

As for Grace’s death record, other researches had located the death record for Grace Jahn, who died died just a few days apart from the Grace I was researching. Without checking any further to see that this other Grace Jahn was born, married, had a child, and died North Carolina they just linked the record to Grace.

We’re all guilty of jumping to conclusions, including me, so I’m not out to point fingers. I’ve also found that no many how many times I might tell someone that the information in their ancestry.com tree is wrong, they don’t change it. I recently heard that Keenu Reeves had some good advice on how to avoid an argument with someone you know is wrong. If, for example, the person might say “2 plus 2 equals 5”. You just reply, “Yup, you are right.” And go peacefully on your way. Or, as the old Polish saying goes, “not my circus, not my monkey.”

Bottom line. Geography is a necessary part of the research process. Lack of proximity is often the first hint that someone is on the wrong path research wise.

So here’s what I found.

First, Grace M. Ferguson (Mrs. Leo Jahn) was born in Brooklyn, Kings Co. NY in 1901. She died in Plainfield, NJ in Oct. 1950

Second, Grace A. Pearson was born in Queens on Dec. 1, 1902. No marriage or death record has been found.

Third, Grace Pearson was born in North Carolina in 1873. She married and divorced Reverend LeRoy Jahn. She had one daughter also named Grace Jahn. Grace Pearson Jahn died in October 1950.

Details are below. This is a long one, so if you’re not interested in any of these three women you can stop right here.

Grace M. Ferguson (1901-October 19, 1950)

Grace M. Ferguson was born to Charles Grant Ferguson and his wife Caroline “Carrie” Flood Tillinghast in Brooklyn, Kings Co., New York in 1901. The New York City Vital Records Digital Online Collection seems to be missing her birth record. The 1901 birth date agrees with what is on her tombstone.

In 1900 Grace’s parents were renting 338 Leonard Street, Brooklyn, NY. Charles at 28, was a railroad car builder. Carrie his wife of about four years was 25. Their first two daughters, Alice (2) and Carrie (9) were living with them. Charles & Carrie were both born in New York (source: 1900 U. S. Census)

On April 23, 1910 when the next Federal census was taken, the Fergusons were renting at 264 49th Street, Brooklyn. Charles’ occupation is car builder for the Railroad. While the 1900 Census incorrectly noted Charles’ father being born in NYC, the record now shows (correctly) that his father was born in Massachusetts. The record states that his mother and both of her parents were born in New York. Charles & Carrie had been married 13 years. They were now proud parents of four children: Alice C. (12) Carrie F. (10) Grace (8) and Charlotte (3).

By January 17, 1920, date of that year’s census, the two oldest daughters are no longer living with their parents. The family, still renting, has moved to 158 57th Street, Brooklyn. Charles, now 48, is described as a carpenter in a ship yard. Caroline is 44. Daughter Grace is 18 is no longer in school. She is working as an envelope operator in an Envelope Factory. Also at home are Charlotte 12, Margaret 6, Charles 5, and Martin 3 years old. They have a boarder living with them, a Martin Wilson, 41, who is a roofer with a roofing company.

Their address in 1920, 158 57th Street, is probably a block or less apart from the residence of her future husband, Leo G. Jahn, 125 57 St.

Some time between January 17, 1920 and March 15, 1922 Grace M. Ferguson married Gabriel Leopold “Leo” Jahn. I have not been able to locate their marriage record. It’s not shown on any of the online NYC Vital Record Sites. If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say May or June of 1921. (Leo Jahn, Jr. was born in Brooklyn, on March 15, 1922. Kings County, 1922, birth certificate #11520.)

By 1945 Grace, Leo and the children were living outside Flemington, NJ.

On October 19, 1950 Grace passed away in Plainfield, Union Co., NJ. I’m assuming she was in the hospital there. Maybe Muhlenberg Hospital, which had a very good reputation. Flemington didn’t have a hospital then.

Grace M. Ferguson Jahn is buried at St. Magdalen’s Roman Catholic Cemetery in Flemington NJ with her husband Leo Jahn.

Grace A Ferguson (December 1, 1902-? after 1950)

Grace Amelia Ferguson was born December 1, 1902 on Kelly Avenue, Woodside, Queens, New York. Her birth certificate is #3004. Her parents were John Ferguson, age 36, a carpenter and his wife Amelia née Beck, age 31, both of whom were born in Canada. Their daughter Grace is their 3rd child. This is the person that gets mixed up with Grace M. Fegurson in terms of her birth date.

John (b. about 1866) and Amelia (born abt 1871) Ferguson had at least 5 children, Lillian, Grace, Gertrude, Clifford and Stanley between 1901 and 1912, all born in Queens. There may have been a few more children that I missed, but that’s not important to making this point.

In the 1910 census record, the family is at 374 Kelley Avenue, Woodside, Queens, NY. Grace is 7 and she is living with her father John J. Ferguson, a house carpenter (age 44, born in Canada, both his parents born in Scotland), mother Amelia (38, born in Canada as were her parents), and siblings (John 11, Lillian 9, Clifford 4, Mildred 2) and half-sister Ethel Ferguson, age 20). The couple have been married 13 years. They immigrated to the US in 1890.

In 1926, Grace’s father died at the age of 60.

Flash forward to 1940. The census shows Grace Amelia Ferguson, 37 years old, is single, working as a secretary/typist for a wholesale milliner. She is living with her widowed mother. Some other family are living in the the same building. Ten years later, Mother and daughter were living together at 3494 57th St., Queens. Grace has not married (1950 census record) . Her mother died in 1965 at the age of 92. No marriage or death record has been located for Grace but it would have been after the 1950 census was taken.

Grace Pearson Jahn (1893 – 1950)

The third Grace Jahn, née Grace Weston Pearson was born on January 22, 1893 in Morganton, Burke County, North Carolina to William Simpson Pearson and his wife Betty Michaux.

She was a registered nurse, working in private duty.

Grace married Rev. LeRoy August Jahn on July 7, 1927 in Mecklenburg, North Carolina. (Marriage record on Ancestry.com). She was 33 years old, he was 36. It’s hard to read so it may help to go to the original document on Ancestry.com if your are interested https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/8639405:60548

They had one daughter, Grace Pearson Jahn. She was born August 14, 1930 in Morganton, NC. The daughter, Grace Jahn, died May 11, 1974 in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina. She is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery.

The brief mention on Find-A-Grave follows:
“Daughter of the Rev. LeRoy August Jahn and Grace Weston Pearson. She was single and had worked for Burke Yarns. She died of central nervous system depression and cardiorespiratory arrest related to jaundice when she was 43 years old.”

Grace Pearson and LeRoy Jahn were divorced (date unknown).

Grace was enumerated in the 1950 census, but died a few months later.

Grace Jahn (Sr) died on October 15, 1950. Just four days before her namesake in New Jersey. She was 57 when she died at Grace Hospital, Morganton, North Carolina. She was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, Morganton, North Carolina. She left a will, which was probated, in which she names her daughter Grace Pearson Jahn mentioned above and two nephews.