Citizenship papers - start with date and place that you have, they should cite earlier papers. Lots on web about how to trace citizenship papers, thankfully I've never had to do it. Get your great grandmother's death certificate from Vital Records in California. If not state records yet, contact county or city vital records. I don't know California's search procedures or fees; it might be most expeditious to send different requests for any different dates of death you have for your grandmother! Ditto for your grandfather. A death certifificate should have been filed, whatever happened. I'll see how far I get with teh census, don't know how far that will be. It sounds like he most likely would have been sent to Agnews or Stockton. Central California? Geez, I need a map for this! Anyone know which of those hospitals would be in central California? You might also try the California mailing lists. Yours, Dora Smith --- Debra Chapman <ddchapman@prodigy.net> wrote: > Hi all, > Thanks to everyone who has offered advice. > Here is the story. I'll try to keep it brief. > :) > My gr-grandmother, Mary Ruth John was born in > Chester Co in 1857 and raised a > Quaker. She became engaged to Thomas Harrison > in 1884. He was b in England > (supposedly was raised in Bradford, Yorkshire, > but I didn't find him in the IGI > with the birthdate I have) and came to the US > under contract with a Railroad Co > as a skilled laborer. Don't know which > Railroad. She then postponed the > wedding (I think there was family pressure > against it) and he moved to CA with > his work. A year later she traveled to CA to > marry him (I have their wedding > cert., looks more like she ran off, her maiden > surname is spelled wrong and she > gave her place of residence as Minnesota!) They > were married at Lower Lake ME > Church, Lower Lake, CA. Nov 28, 1885. > The story I was told (her daughter, my > grandmother died before I was born, my > mother told me the story and her 2 brothers had > never heard it, 1 believed it > and 1 didn't) was that he became a > successful business man in Stockton, San > Francisco or Sacramento and that his business > rivals, in order to bring him > down a few notches, spread the rumor that his > wife was having an affair. He > went home and found his wife and 2 daughters, > aged 12 and 10 in the parlor > having tea and shot and killed his wife in > front of the daughters. The > daughters were sent back to Chester Co to be > raised by their mother's sister. > That's the story. The facts that I have found > through family papers and > photographs is that they lived in or near > Sacramento, my grandmother attended > Brighton Junction School, near Sacramento, that > Thomas Harrison worked at the > Union Iron Works machine shop, that he received > his citizenship papers in 1894 > in the County of Sacramento, there is no > background info on the papers and I > don't know where he started the citizenship > process, I don't know how long he > was in the US before he went to CA or where he > was except near Chester Co for a > while. All the family photos were taken in > Sacramento studios. Mary Ruth John > Harrison (the wife) died Oct 7, 1898 and if a > photo label is correct was buried > in Sacramento, but the cemetary is not named. > Thomas Harrison supposedly died > Dec 19, 1911, though I have seen 2 other years > in family papers and my mother > claimed that he died when she was a young child > in the 1920's. > About 4 or 5 years ago I was introduced by a > very reputable person to a woman > in CA who did research for modest fees. I told > her the story and agreed to get > a check in the mail. She did find somethings > out (if she was telling th > truth), that the story was true, that she had > found a record of Thomas Harrison > in an insane asylum in central CA (I've since > lost the e-mails thru a computer > crash) she didn't give me any details, she was > awaiting my check and then I got > a message from her that she was off to a > convention in Salt Lake City, that was > the last I heard from her, she never responded > to any of my e-mails. I dropped > it there and didn't pursue it again. Now I > think that I'm ready to have a go at > it but don't know where to start from my > isolated corner of Kentucky. > > Debbie > > "Mary Helen E. Chrisman" wrote: > > > Hi Debbie, > > The only California asylum that I know of off > hand was Agnews State Asylum > > for the Insane near San Jose in Santa Clara > County. You might try tracking > > your gr-grandfather in the 1910 census. My > gr-gr-uncle turned up as an > > "inmate" at Agnews in the 1920 census (Agnews > was listed as its own > > district). I haven't followed up with the > info so I'm not any help on the > > next step yet. Good luck. - Mary Helen > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > I am interested in this topic also. I have a > gr-grandfather, who, > > according to family stories, died in an > insane asylum in California in > > 1911. I don't have a clue WHERE in > California, and he had a very common > > name. > > > > ==== PACHESTE Mailing List ==== > > Stop by our associated website for Chester > County Genealogy at > > http://www.rootsweb.com/~pacheste/chester.htm > > > ==== PACHESTE Mailing List ==== > Check out other counties in PA! > http://libertynet.org/~gencap/pacounties.html > > > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/