Hi Dennis, Have you really thought about those three names, Sarah Fisher McLaughlin. My first thought is that her maiden name was Sarah Fisher who married a McLaughlin, then widowed, married Samuel Carpenter. If true, I would label her as Sarah Fisher McLaughlin Carpenter. Just like I label my grandmother Nettie Fischer Reiley Paquette. It is also not uncommon for women who are very proud of their heritage to retain their maiden name as a middle name. It was not unusual for widowed women to still be referred to by a previous marriage if they had children by that marriage, it identified those previous children as being born in wedlock instead of out of wedlock. A major sin back then. Using a double name was also a sign that the woman was well known in the community by her old marriage. A marriage without children or one ended by divorce tends to have the previous married name dropped. Because of that I suspect Sarah was a widow with at least one child when she married Samuel Carpenter. Although she could have been a double widow with Fisher and McLaughlin children. Men suffering accidental deaths was not unusual back then, hazardous occupations were very common and safety equipment was rare. The bad news is that a possible McLaughlin marriage was in the early 1800s and the census did not list the names of children. By the time the census did, any McLaughlin children would probably have left the Carpenter home. But a key might be in the census if children are listed that are older than the Carpenter marriage. Children older than a marriage back then almost always reveal a previous marriage, not an out of wedlock birth. Sorry about increasing your possibilities, but it is always best to have the wide view. Best wishes, Dennis Reiley reiley@usol.com ----- Original Message ----- From: <dcarpenter@snappydsl.net> To: <FISHER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 11:25 PM Subject: [FISHER] Sarah Fisher McLaughlin > This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. > > Classification: Query > > Message Board URL: > > http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/YVW.2ACEB/3957 > > Message Board Post: > > This is probably the longest of long shots, but here goes. Do any of the Fisher researchers know of a connection between the Fisher's and the McLaughlin's. They would have probably been in Ohio, possibly Pennsylvania in the early to mid 1800's. Sarah Fisher McLaughlin was the maiden name of my GGGrandmother before she married my GGGrandfather Samuel W. Carpenter. I know I'm grabbing at straws but... > > Dennis L. Carpenter > > > ==== FISHER Mailing List ==== > ----------------- > Need to post long-term query? > http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec?htx=board&r=rw&p=surnames.fisher > or choose from many other options at > http://resources.rootsweb.com/surnames/f/i/FISHER/ > ----------------- > >

Hello Dennis, Thanks for the suggested broader possibilities. The information in the 1860 Census would suggest that Sarah was just at or before her age of majority when she wed. This is what has led me to believe that her use of Fisher is possibly a maternal name. -----Original Message----- From: Dennis Reiley [mailto:reiley@usol.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 9:41 AM To: FISHER-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [FISHER] Sarah Fisher McLaughlin Hi Dennis, Have you really thought about those three names, Sarah Fisher McLaughlin. My first thought is that her maiden name was Sarah Fisher who married a McLaughlin, then widowed, married Samuel Carpenter. If true, I would label her as Sarah Fisher McLaughlin Carpenter. Just like I label my grandmother Nettie Fischer Reiley Paquette. It is also not uncommon for women who are very proud of their heritage to retain their maiden name as a middle name. It was not unusual for widowed women to still be referred to by a previous marriage if they had children by that marriage, it identified those previous children as being born in wedlock instead of out of wedlock. A major sin back then. Using a double name was also a sign that the woman was well known in the community by her old marriage. A marriage without children or one ended by divorce tends to have the previous married name dropped. Because of that I suspect Sarah was a widow with at least one child when she married Samuel Carpenter. Although she could have been a double widow with Fisher and McLaughlin children. Men suffering accidental deaths was not unusual back then, hazardous occupations were very common and safety equipment was rare. The bad news is that a possible McLaughlin marriage was in the early 1800s and the census did not list the names of children. By the time the census did, any McLaughlin children would probably have left the Carpenter home. But a key might be in the census if children are listed that are older than the Carpenter marriage. Children older than a marriage back then almost always reveal a previous marriage, not an out of wedlock birth. Sorry about increasing your possibilities, but it is always best to have the wide view. Best wishes, Dennis Reiley reiley@usol.com ----- Original Message ----- From: <dcarpenter@snappydsl.net> To: <FISHER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 11:25 PM Subject: [FISHER] Sarah Fisher McLaughlin > This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. > > Classification: Query > > Message Board URL: > > http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/YVW.2ACEB/3957 > > Message Board Post: > > This is probably the longest of long shots, but here goes. Do any of the Fisher researchers know of a connection between the Fisher's and the McLaughlin's. They would have probably been in Ohio, possibly Pennsylvania in the early to mid 1800's. Sarah Fisher McLaughlin was the maiden name of my GGGrandmother before she married my GGGrandfather Samuel W. Carpenter. I know I'm grabbing at straws but... > > Dennis L. Carpenter > > > ==== FISHER Mailing List ==== > ----------------- > Need to post long-term query? > http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec?htx=board&r=rw&p=surnames.fisher > or choose from many other options at > http://resources.rootsweb.com/surnames/f/i/FISHER/ > ----------------- > > ==== FISHER Mailing List ==== ----------------- Need to post long-term query? http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec?htx=board&r=rw&p=surnames.fisher or choose from many other options at http://resources.rootsweb.com/surnames/f/i/FISHER/ -----------------