James Dodge of Woodstock CT - cannot find a birth or death record

Question

I am currently working on an application to the GSMD and have TWO missing links that I need to find: 

First is the birth record of my Great Grandfather Edwin O. Dodge born in Eastford CT 13 Apr 1841 ( I have his death cert and his RC Church marriage cert but neither show his mother Nancy Pierce Dodge maiden name).

Second is the Birth or Death record of Edwin's father James O.Dodge born sometime around 1810 I think and his marriage record from the Barbour Collection shows his marriage to Nancy Pierce in Ashford, CT on Jan 3 1836. 

I have Nancy's birth and death record as well as her second marriage to Luke Hiscox in Eastford CT on 13 Aug 1854 (so I assume that James is dead by that time) 

The "Dodge Family Association" provided me with the name of James Dodge's parents as Ebenezer Dodge and Rachel Herideen but I cannot find any evidence of that. 

Any help is appreciated as I would love to have my application in and approved by the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower arrival. 

Comments

A suggestion based on a quick look at your descent from John Howland: Generate a genealogical descentant  report (also called a “register”) with your line of descent from John Howland. Footnote every date of birth, death, and marriage, that is important for your lineage, and then cite the source for each from either primary sources, or secondary sources of accepted reliability (such as the Silver Books, or Elizabeth White’s works on the Howland descendants). Get a copy of each of these sources (relevant pages) and identify which footnote(s) they support or verify.

WikiTree is not able to generate such a report, so you will need to use other genealogical software to do this.

This will do two things:

1. Tell you if you have proven the descent, or identify weak links.
2. Help ensure that your application is approved.

I believe the current Mayflower documentation requirements are rigorous.

The lineage as shown in WikiTree has gaps in the sources, so as is presented here, I suspect would not be approved without further work.

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You could try the Catholic Church in Ashford, St. Phillips, or Most Holy Trinity in Pomfret for Edwins baptismal record.

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Pretty sure that Edwin converted to Catholicism just prior to his marriage to Jane "Jennie " Palmer. Two reasons: his brother the Reverend James O. Dodge was an esteemed Methodist minister in Connecticut for most of his life. His obituary bio written by a colleague states that he came to religion a bit later in life.

Also there is a memoir written by a first cousin of my mother that states that he converted.

I am looking into the possibility of finding a baptismal certificate for his adult conversion. Unfortunately this would have occurred in the diocese of Brooklyn,NY with many many Catholic churches to inquire to.

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Bummer

Answer 1

If it helps:  Marriage record for Ebenezer Dodge and Rachel Harridon, in Woodstock, Connecticut:

“Ebenezer Dodge & Rachel Harridon Both of Woodstock were Joyned in Marriage December ye 22’d: 1796 by Nath’ll Marcy Jus’c Peace”

Woodstock Vital Records, [https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/woodstock-ct-vital-records-1686-1854/image?rId=234880092&volumeId=7180&pageName=372&filterQuery= p. 372] (accessed 13 Sep 2018 - subscription)

‘’Vital Records of Woodstock, Connecticut, 1686-1854’’. (Online database. NewEnglandAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.) Originally published as: Vital records of Woodstock, 1686-1854. Hartford: The Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co., 1914. (subscription required)

Also available for free:

’’Vital Records of Connecticut’’, Series I, Towns III, [https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE218732 ‘’Vital Records of Woodstock, 1686-1854’’], Hartford, CT: The Case, Lockwood, & Brainard Co., 1914, p. 372.