Where’s Henry M.?

We have a problem. Arline’s great-grandfather, Henry M. Winsor was orphaned in 1827. After 1850 I know that he joined the Union Army, mustered out, and relocated his family to Kansas. Where was he living between 1827 and 1850?

I found 29 year old Henry and his growing family in the 1850 census living in Rutland County, Vermont. At that time, his oldest child was 6-year old Martin. Henry and wife Fanny were probably married at least one-year prior to Martin’s birth; they were likely still single in 1840. I was unable to find an indexed census record for Henry in 1840.

According to Rutland County probate extracts, however, on 7 Sept 1831 Edward Dyer was appointed as the legal guardian of Henry Windsor, age 10. The 1840 census lists two Edward Dyer households: Edward S. Dyer and Edward Dyer in Rutland, Rutland County. Both were possibilities. Edward S., probably a son of Edward Dyer, and a female, probably his wife, were listed as age 20-29 with one male in their home age 15-19 and another male age 20-29. This 19 year old could be Henry. Nearby, the elder Edward Dyer, age 60-69, lived with a female, probably his wife, age 50-59 and 2 males 15-19. The household also included 1 male age 10-14, 1 male 20-29, 1 female 15-19, and 1 female 20-29. The 19 year old male in this house could also be Henry.

I then looked at data from the 1830 and 1820 censuses to discover if a male in the correct age range was living in the Dyer household in those years. Instead of a 9-year-old male in 1830, I found extra children in other age brackets. These children did not appear in 1820; they seemed to come out of nowhere, and I was having a hard time keeping the data straight with the traditional census extract forms.

The internet to the rescue. On Tech Tuesday this week, I will share the census tools I found that helped me unscramble my data and develop a game plan for a new line of research. I don’t know if I found Henry, but I have a few more ideas of where to look. See you then!