I have a similar experience with a letter in a post office! I wish it would count as a residence proof. In my case, 2 censuses have my 2x great grandmother, Susan West, as born in Prince Edward Island, an outlier. All her siblings and parents were born in Nova Scotia, and all later censuses say she was born in Nova Scotia too.
So, I'm wondering about this odd fact, and I need proof of Susan's parentage to join the Mayflower Society. In Prince Edward Island, there is a master file of every person's name ever mentioned in any document. Susan's father, Levi West, is only mentioned in 1 document, an advertisement in the newspaper in August 1831 that he has 3 letters waiting for him! Susan was born in September 1832.
I would love to use this as proof of parentage, but, as you say, it is only proof that someone THOUGHT he was there at that time.
Wow - fascinating writing about your search and research! Do you have substantial proof of the rest of the siblings parentage, and definite proof that she is a sibling from later records? Sometimes if your case is strong enough, they will take that as inferred proof. Are you working with a Mayflower registrar? Have you found any of the rest of his family or anyone else that he associated with there in PEI at the time, to have a theory why he went there? What work was he in, was there a reason to be in PEI? I have NO experience researching in that area, sound like you really found an expert there to talk to though! Are you close enough to research often? So many questions! Thank you for sharing and good luck with your search!
Yes I have substantial proof of the rest of the siblings’ parentage, marriage and death records.
No, I do not have very good proof that she is a sibling. The only thing is an obituary which gives 2 siblings as Mrs. Brown living near Boston and Harding West of Oxford, NS. She does have those 2 siblings, and they do live in those places, and they have records with parents. But how definitive are obituaries?
I was working with a Mayflower registrar, but in Virginia since I live there, and I don’t feel that they really understand the lack of records that Nova Scotia has.
Yes, Levi’s 2 brothers lived in PEI at the time. But this is the backwards research - because George and Abner West lived in PEI, and because Susan West was born there, and because Levi West had a letter mailed there, I consequently think that Levi is the brother of George and Abner. George West’s descendants have Mayflower Society membership.
Levi was a farmer, just like everyone else who went to PEI.
I have a similar experience with a letter in a post office! I wish it would count as a residence proof. In my case, 2 censuses have my 2x great grandmother, Susan West, as born in Prince Edward Island, an outlier. All her siblings and parents were born in Nova Scotia, and all later censuses say she was born in Nova Scotia too.
So, I'm wondering about this odd fact, and I need proof of Susan's parentage to join the Mayflower Society. In Prince Edward Island, there is a master file of every person's name ever mentioned in any document. Susan's father, Levi West, is only mentioned in 1 document, an advertisement in the newspaper in August 1831 that he has 3 letters waiting for him! Susan was born in September 1832.
I would love to use this as proof of parentage, but, as you say, it is only proof that someone THOUGHT he was there at that time.
I wrote about it on my blog, https://grandmasgrannysfamilyalbum.blogspot.com/2022/07/mayflower-descendant-levi-search-in-pei.html
Wow - fascinating writing about your search and research! Do you have substantial proof of the rest of the siblings parentage, and definite proof that she is a sibling from later records? Sometimes if your case is strong enough, they will take that as inferred proof. Are you working with a Mayflower registrar? Have you found any of the rest of his family or anyone else that he associated with there in PEI at the time, to have a theory why he went there? What work was he in, was there a reason to be in PEI? I have NO experience researching in that area, sound like you really found an expert there to talk to though! Are you close enough to research often? So many questions! Thank you for sharing and good luck with your search!
Thanks for your interest!
Yes I have substantial proof of the rest of the siblings’ parentage, marriage and death records.
No, I do not have very good proof that she is a sibling. The only thing is an obituary which gives 2 siblings as Mrs. Brown living near Boston and Harding West of Oxford, NS. She does have those 2 siblings, and they do live in those places, and they have records with parents. But how definitive are obituaries?
I was working with a Mayflower registrar, but in Virginia since I live there, and I don’t feel that they really understand the lack of records that Nova Scotia has.
Yes, Levi’s 2 brothers lived in PEI at the time. But this is the backwards research - because George and Abner West lived in PEI, and because Susan West was born there, and because Levi West had a letter mailed there, I consequently think that Levi is the brother of George and Abner. George West’s descendants have Mayflower Society membership.
Levi was a farmer, just like everyone else who went to PEI.