My Ancestry.com tree allows me to mark someone as an adopted child to someone, so what do you do when you may have found that person's parents? I'll admit it's a big maybe.
My 2nd great grandmother, Nancy "Annie" Brown nee McCoy lost her husband, Neil McCoy Sr in 1884. He was only about 37 years old when he died and Nancy was left with six children: Charles, Thomas, Bridget, Alice, Patrick, Neil Jr...and a young man listed in the 1900 census as her adopted son, Michael Brown. In that census Patrick Timmoney was also listed as another adopted son, but he disappeared from everything after that. I'm still trying to figure him out as well.
By 1900 Charles was out of the house. Alice, well her name was given to me by a cousin who has since passed and she may or may not have actually existed. Below though you can see Michael Brown listed as her adopted son.
In 1910 Nancy "Annie" Brown and Michael were living with one of her daughters and Michael is listed as a brother-in-law to Owen and Bridget McElwee nee Brown.
In 1920 Nancy/Annie and Michael are still with Owen and Bridget (although you won't see them on this page since they span two pages of the census), but Michael is listed as a cousin now.
Now we get a bit sketchy with what happened to him. There is a Pennsylvania Death Certificate that the date also matches up with this obituary...
"Michael Brown
Michael Brown of 408 South Poplar street, died at the State Hospital last night, after being ill for some time. He entered the institution on Monday last.
Among his surviving relatives are Thomas Brown of this city and Patrick Brown of Montrose.
He was a member of the Hazleton Aerie No. 193 F.O.E.
The funeral will be held at 10:15 tomorrow morning from the Boyle Funeral home on West Walnut street. Requiem high mass will be celebrated at 10:30 in St. Gabriel's church. Interment will be in the parish cemetery."
As I look at my family tree for Neil and Nancy Brown nee McCoy's kids the only ones alive (minus the mystery of Alice) at the time of Michael's death are Thomas (my great grandfather) and Patrick. Neither Patrick nor Thomas were the ones who acted as informant for the death certificate. It was a woman named Anna Sutula (although that last name might be wrong). In addition to Thomas and Patrick being right so is Michael's age. On the death certificate there are parents: Charles Brown (born in Ireland) and Bridget Craig (also born in Ireland). He died on January 10, 1043.
So I'm still looking for more concrete proof that this Michael is my adopted Michael. I should look for a connection between Charles and Bridget Brown nee Craig. That might help ascertain if this might be him. I'd guess there is a relation more than just adopted son for Nancy to take him in so that assumption leads to a relationship to Charles Brown. Unfortunately brick walls don't have me going past Neil Brown Sr right now and the information on death certificates is suspect without other sources of information. I suppose that if I find that relationship I can remove the "adopted" portion and attach him to Charles and Bridget. For right now he's a floater in my family tree.
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