Two profiles, one guy, three wives? -- Daniel W. Boughner of Ontario, Canada in the late 1800s

Question

Since I registered on Wikitree, I've believed that my Daniel Boughner and this Daniel Boughner are the same person, but they are ineligible to be merged because they have two different wives and children. I've been trying to dig up records on this, but I can't find any records of marriage or divorce to help. Only birth records for a plethora of children.

What I've been able to discern is this:

• Daniel Walker Boughner was born in Norfolk, Ontario, in 1866. 
• In 1886, he had a son named Charles with a woman named Mildred Wilkinson. (birth certificate found)
• In 1888, he had a daughter named Myrtle, also with Mildred. (birth certificate found)
• 8 years pass.
• In 1895, he marries a woman named Hester Coxford in Michigan? (marriage certificate found)
• In 1898, he marries a woman named Annie Patterson in Hamilton, Ontario (marriage certificate found)
• In 1899, he has a son named Delbert with Annie. (birth certificate found)
• In 1901, he has a daughter named Emma with Annie. (birth certificate found)
• In 1906, he has a daughter named Beatrice with Annie. (birth certificate found)

I believe these are the same guy (with the possible exception of the 1895 marriage), but I can't find any records of Mildred's birth or death, marriage or divorce. It's possible they were never married and just had a couple illegitimate kids, but I need to prove it to be able to merge the profiles.

I don't have access to Ancestry.com records, so this is all stuff I found on FamilySearch. Anybody have any other ideas?

Answer 1

Look at the US and Canada census records that cover these years.

If you have access to an LDS Family History Center you can use Ancestry.com there; your local public library may have it as well.

Comments

There's a death certificate for a Daniel Boughner on Ancestry. It states that he died in Middlesex, Ontario, Canada, in 1924 at the age of 77 (which would put his birthdate in 1847, not 1866 as I had thought). It also lists his parents as Sidney Boughner and ?? Bolby, and I have his parents listed as William Boughner and Lois Walker, so this may not be the same person, but Middlesex is right around Elgin, where Roy was born in 1893.

Archives of Ontario. Registrations of Deaths, 1869-1938 (MS 935, reels 1-615), 1943-1945. Archives of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Archives of Ontario. Registrations of Ontario Overseas Deaths, 1939-1947. MS 944, reels 1-11. Archives of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Archives of Ontario. Division Registrar Vital Statistics Records, 1858-1930. MS 940, reels 5-10, 16, 21, 26-27. Archives of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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And the plot thickens!

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Both Elgin and Middlesex are neighbouring counties in South Western Ontario - Major related communites are London and St Thomas. Please note, there is a village of Elgin in Eastern Ontario but does not apply for the purpose of this discussion.

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I am running into similar circumstances looking at my family tree.  In the 1911 Census there are two names but in different locations.  Based on information that I had already on the family i.e. parents known - then I was able to make a determination even other tracking the same person may have mis-identified him for their trees.  In my circumstance, different birth dates and dates of death close which caused confusion.  The correct Census entry had matched my knowledge in my family.  He registered with one name but the census listed him with an anglicized name.

Another is with my Grandfather two marriages same day same place.  In my think probably cousins. I go with what I know especially when the source support that knowledge.  Just a thot.

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FYI: I like to go direct to the source, if possible. For Canadian census records that's [https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/Pages/census.aspx Library and Archives Canada].

And best of all it is free! It takes a little practice to use it but the most important tip is use the * wild card.

Answer 2

In those eight years, a Walker Boughner married Martha Harrington (Herrington) in 1892. FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMVK-2P1 : 11 March 2018). They had a child Roy Stanley Boughner in 1893 in Yarmouth, Elgin. On his birth certificate his father's name is Daniel Walker Boughner, a farmer. FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNGC-2LR : 10 August 2017). In 1895 another son, Ernest, was born. FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMXV-L7R : 8 August 2017).

Comments

The Michigan marriage to Hester Coxford shows the same parents and definitely appears to be him: "Michigan, County Marriages, 1820-1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCF7-LK3 : 4 November 2017), Daniel W. Boughner and Hester Coxford, 04 Apr 1895, Allegan, Allegan, Michigan, United States; citing reference ID CN 2559, various archives, Michigan; FHL microfilm 1,017,877.

Interesting to note the date of Daniel's marriage to Hester was April 4, 1895, but wife Martha Harrington gave birth to Ernest on August 15, 1895 back in Ontario!

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Man, sounds like Danny was a real piece of work!

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Until I read Dave's reply, I was going to point out that many women died in childbirth back then. But then doesn't it seem odd that there don't seem to be any death certificates for these women? Hester (Ester) was born in Ontario, so I suspect they slipped off over the border to get married. Of course, there may still be a perfectly logical explanation other than bigamy and missing bodies!

Answer 3

good question , i not sure whom this is , BOUGHNER is another spelling , Matthias BOUGHNER was born Theiss BUCHNER , he changed his name after war of 1776. i have seen a Daniel BOUGHNER before . i will check my records and see what i find

Comments

Alan, I sent you a separate email about this yesterday, but this is what I was asking you about:

Go to  this page: https://sites.google.com/site/niagarasettlers/ontario-pioneers/settlers-b/ontario-pioneers-brady-to-budd

If you scroll down, you'll find "Buchner/Boughner Genealogies", 500 pages, in 5 electronic volumes, of family genealogies from 17th century Germany to the 20th century over here. $15 per volume or $60 for all 5. Do you have any of these to help me with the profiles for those who were Rowand passengers for the project I'm working on?

Incidentally, my collaborator over in Germany, Danny Gutknecht, explains to me that "Theiß" is a German... sort of diminutive of Matthais. Legally he was Matthais, but colloquially he was Theiß. Of course, the latter didn't translate at all when he emigrated, so he went by Matthias over here.

Answer 4

Purely by coincidence, I'm researching Buchner/Boughner genealogy in connection with a Project I'm working on. I can't help you directly with Daniel Walker, but it looks like you're already getting some good specific stuff from other folks. However, assuming your guy descends from the Niagra settler Buchner/Boughner bunch, which I strongly suspect will be the case, then you'll eventually want to see this site: https://sites.google.com/site/niagarasettlers/pioneer-lives-2/buchner-Boughner-Familty-Origins

Four brothers and a sister (and her husband), plus some nephews, were British Loyalists and lost their property in New Jersey as a result. The British Crown offered Loyalists land in Canada in return for their loyalty and these families took them up on it. All are descended from [[Buchner-671|Johann Martin Buchner (1705-abt.1780)]] whose profile I have been working on and almost finished. I'm currently working on the sons' profiles. Martin and all of these children came to the New World in 1753 on the ship Rowand. A friend of mine in Germany is working on the profiles from the German ancestors. Incidentally, Martin's wife was the sister of another passenger, Johannes Zehrung, my ancestor, so I'm related.

Sorry, I tend to ramble. What I really wanted you to know about is on this page: https://sites.google.com/site/niagarasettlers/ontario-pioneers/settlers-b/ontario-pioneers-brady-to-budd

If you scroll down, you'll find "Buchner/Boughner Genealogies", 500 pages, in 5 electronic volumes, of family genealogies from 17th century Germany to the 20th century over here. $15 per volume or $60 for all 5. I suspect that you'll find your line in the Matthias volume given the Boughner spelling, but I'm just guessing.

As these aren't my direct ancestors, I'm not willing to start buying Buchner reference material, but should you choose to get any or all of them, I would appreciate it if you would share them with me so I can more completely finish up the profiles for those folks who were Rowand passengers for the Project.

And I only just this second realized your post was from YEARS ago. Never mind. You're probably way past any of what I just related.