Finding William Small Howe (part 1)

For those that chase down the various lines of siblings of their direct line one of the challenges faced is when the brothers and sisters move away from the homestead. Sometimes the family members stay in the same area and you can find them in previous or subsequent pages in the census. Other times, it can become a challenge. This is the case of William Small Howe.

In the 1851 census of Upham Parish, Kings County, New Brunswick we find the household of Robert and Sarah Howe with their son Edwin, Robert's grandmother Esther, Robert's mother Hannah, and Robert's siblings including an absent William, age 23 years, native born (that is, born in New Brunswick), a blacksmith.

1851 census of Canada East, Canada West, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Kings County, sub-district 42, Upham, p. 37, Household of Robert; RG 31; digital images, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 6 Oct 2011); citing citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm C-995.

William Small Howe is known to be still alive in 1853 due to the deed between the Heirs and widow of Charles Howe and Robert Howe that was found in the New Brunswick Deed Registry Books for Kings County

New Brunswick, Kings County Registry Records 1785-1914, K2: 355, Heirs and widow of Charles Howe to Robert Howe, 1 Jul 1853; Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, Fredericton; RS 89 F6237, item 12200.

However, after 1853 he seems to disappear from the records in what later became Canada.

The question that always arises is did William Small Howe die between 1853 and the date of the 1861 census? If the answer was yes, is there any evidence such as a grave marker, a few lines in the newspaper, or a will? If the answer is no, where did he disappear to?

Once again, those often overlooked land records come to the rescue.

The 1885 there is a deed made between William S. Howe and William Franklin Howe.

Kings, New Brunswick, County Deed Registry Books, 1780-1941, K-4: 173, William S. Howe and wife Grace E. to William Franklin Howe, deed, 8 Jul 1885; digital images, FamilySearch.org, FamilySearch.org (https://familysearch.org/ : accessed 5 Feb 2012).

William Franklin Howe is my 2nd great-grandfather and the son of the Robert Howe from the previous deed. But is this William S. Howe the same person as the William Small Howe that I'm looking for? There are some clues that might be able to help me. In 1885 William S. Howe:

• is residing in Lewiston, Maine, USA
• is a Doctor of  Medicine
• is married to "Grace E."

Can I find a William S. Howe married to Grace E. in the 1880 census of the USA somewhere in the State of Maine (warning, rhetorical question)?

1880 U.S. census, Somerset County, Maine, population schedule, Pittsfield, enumeration district (ED) 170, p. 12, dwelling 106, family 120, household of William S Howe; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 5 Feb 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T9, roll 487.

So a William S. Howe, born in New Brunswick, father born in New Brunswick, mother born in Massachusetts, a homeophic [sic] physician, married to Grace E. was found in Pittsfield, Maine, USA. But is this my William Small Howe since I know his mother was born in New Brunswick? His age is out by a few years in this census based on what was recorded in the 1851 census. His son's name of "Charles" is the same name as William's father. That might be a clue or just a red-herring.

We need to keep working back in time in the hopes of finding a clue...

1870 U.S. census, Somerset County, Maine, population schedule, Pittsfield, p. 1, 322 [stamped], dwelling 2, family 2, household of William S. Howe; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 5 Feb 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M593, roll 559.

1860 U.S. census, Aroostook County, Maine, population schedule, Ashland, p. 10, dwelling 57, family 57, household of William S. Howe; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com/ : accessed 5 Feb 2012); citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M653, roll 434.

As a side note, the occupation of "C.B." in the 1860 census in Maine is curious. It isn't blacksmith or physician and all the other occupations on the page were written in full. Yet another mystery.


If this is my William Small Howe then finding him in the 1860 census of the USA would explain why I couldn't find him in the 1861 census of New Brunswick.

To be continued...