This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: RBestrom7380 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.california.counties.stanislaus/6435.2/mb.ashx Message Board Post: When you post, it is helpful/important to provide basic information about the person you seek to distinguish them from others. Their date of birth, place of birth is ALWAYS helpful to volunteers. The names of their siblings, parents, can also help when the name is common (i.e. Brown). If you have a posted online family tree, post the link, that gives volunteers a larger picture of the person and you wouldn't have to type in as much information. I know you have this, but needed it for the research: The 1900 Census for Modesto, Stanislaus County, CA, enumerated 12 June. Ida Zabel, born Oct 1858 in Iowa to father born in Minnesota, mother in Wisconsin, Occupation field left blank. Divorced Dottie Arment, dau, born July 1884 in CA to father born in Pennsylvania, mother in IA. --Percentage wise, most women who married identified themselves as being a widow at enumeration. This often left a volunteer wondering which would be correct. In this case, someone told the enumerator Ida was divorced, or did the enumerator just suspect or write divorced? Mistakes on the Census are common. --Women's age is another area of concern, was she actually older than born in 1858? The 1880 Census has four Ida Arment, none appear to be correct based on criteria shown from the 1900 Census. So, "Dottie" born 4 years later may have been born to parents not married before the 1880 census. The CA Death Index 1905-1929 does not show Ida Zabel. So, she died before 1905, died after 1929, had remarried and was listed, had remarried and died after 1929, or was just not listed, or she had moved out of California. I looked in the 1910 census for ANY Ida, born plus/minus two years of 1858, born in Iowa/not born in Iowa, living in CA or living in Iowa. No one found matching criteria. As it stands now, we have very little information. The 1900 census may have false/incorrect information. The spelling of Zabel, age/name of Ida, where she and her parents were born might be incorrect, etc. There is not enough information to speculate she had married in Stanislaus County. She might not have even divorced there. I don't like spending time in fishing trips, I'm betting the volunteer wouldn't either. A volunteer in Stanislaus county "could" be asked to check the City Directories of Modesto for the name of Zabel. The directories should identify Ida and the address, looking backward in time it "might" show her being married to a Zabel. Looking forward it could identify when she disappears from the listing. The Census did not identify if the property was rented or owned. But, if it appears she lived there for a period of time, THEN, a marriage record could be sought. Her name under Arment may also be found, "IF" she had lived there under that name. BUT,! since we're starting at 1900, the city directories may not go back much further in time; or, they hadn't started being published at that time. Your postings include a William Arment, as is your user name. So you must have information on the Arment married to Ida, and more on her. Information on him could be useful to track Ida's movements, where he died and when may indicate that Ida had been in Stanislaus County long enough to have married there, or not. The length of time between Arment's death could identify how long Ida may have been married to Zabel, or if they also divorced. The names of her parents and siblings could help track her. Sometimes siblings live with siblings later in life. So more information would help in the search. Ron Bestrom Tacoma, WA Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.