Sunday, June 4, 2017

Leverta, Is This You?? Maybe??

Copyright 2017, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

Last we chatted about Leverta, just yesterday, I bemoaned that I had after many years, never located her marriage to Harold A. Bates.  And, that, I would continue the search.

Yesterday, I slid down the shiny rabbit hole of research digging around at Ancestry and FamilySearch.  (Be sure to read my Disclaimer page, thanks.)

I still found very few hits, I found one.  One of my genie angels later disproved that hopeful hint.  Rats. 

I revisited hits from prior research ventures.  At Ancestry, I have been having good results using their "Suggested Records" list.  This is to the right of the screen once you have identified a record you are interested in and have clicked thru for further information.  I have found some great stuff with the "Suggested Records".  And, I have found stuff that does not apply.  So, use with caution, but, have a lookie see, you never know.

I also sometimes change from the search name to other names shown in the record.  So, for a census enumeration index I might click on the head of household instead of one of his/her children.  This has also proven to be fruitful.

I did that yesterday, and look what I found - - a marriage for a Harold A. Bates and Mrs. Leverta Wilmer.  I was at the 1930 census index for Leverta, clicked Harold's name and started looking at his "Suggested Records".  Bam!


Who is Mrs. Leverta Wilmer?  Well, I'm just not sure.  I have never found Leverta, with any surname, on the 1900 or 1910, YET!  Those census enumerations may provide me with some hints about her marriages.  I suspect her second hubby, Francis Templeton Shepherd may have died in 1896.  So, she would have been free to marry Mr. Wilmer (?) between that date and 1901.

And, the search carries on - - - because, NO, I am not certain nor fully convinced this is my Leverta.  I feel it is, logically, it can work.  But, it has too many holes and missing information.  Back to the rabbit holes I go.



*  Part of the difficulty is that Leverta and many of her kin lived in and/or around Norfolk Virginia and many of their vital records are difficult to locate.  Norfolk City, Norfolk County, the area and it's records are a hot mess.  I'll just leave it at that for now.  It's difficult.  Just really difficult.

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