Jane Coltrain Williams?

A follow-up to my previous post on Finding Heman Williams: I still can't trace Heman's father, John, due to the preponderance of John Williamses in early 19th century America. However, I connected with another researcher, Linda Coltrin, who makes a good case for his mother's maiden name being "Coltrin" or "Coltrain", and that she was a daughter of Elisha Coltrain of New York. If so, that ties Heman's maternal line into a well-documented New England family that goes back to the Great Puritan Migration, including descent from the Mayflower's William Brewster. (I, too, am descended from William Brewster. If this information is correct, then my husband and I are 13th cousins once removed).

The evidence for Jane Williams, mother of Heman, being Jane Coltrain, daughter of Elisha Coltrain:

1. Her daughter Mary Jane's death certificate lists her mother's maiden name as "Coulton" (names were frequently spelled in a variety of phonetic ways at the time) (1)
2. In census records where she is listed, Jane Williams gives her birth state as New York and her birth year as around 1803. Her children also list their mothers' birth state as New York in later census records (2)
3. In The History of Lorain County, published in 1879, the author states that John D. and Jane Williams came to Ohio from the Cuyoga Lake region of New York (3). Elisha Coltrain, who was born in Massachusetts, was living in Milton, Cuyoga County, New York, by 1799 (4) and lived there until 1840 (5). There is at least one John Williams family in Cuyoga County, New York, in the 1830 census that fits the ages of John and James Williams (6), but this is not conclusive since they may have moved to Ohio by then. Census records from 1800-1840 show numberous Williams families living in Cuyoga County, including at least two separate "William Williams" families in Genoa, New York, in 1820, which is around the time and place when John and Jane Williams would have married (7).
4. John and Jane Williams moved to Ohio by at least 1836 (the date given in The History of Lorain County), but more likely by 1828 (when their son Albert may have been born in Ohio). Elisha Coltrain Jr., the son of Elisha Coltrain of New York, also moved to Ohio.  Extended families often moved together at that time. He was in Lorain County, the same county as John and Jane, in 1850 (8). Unfortunately, it's unclear where either family was in 1840.
5. John and Jane Williams named their eldest son Elisha C. Williams. John D. Williams applied for a marriage license for his son, Elisha C., in Lorain County, Ohio, in 1848 (9)

It's not a slam-dunk case, but the circumstantial evidence is quite strong. Some day, perhaps, someone will find a will or family bible or marriage certificate that pulls the whole thing together, but for now I'm considering this a probable but uncertain connection.

_____

References:

1)  "Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6SJ-JB8 : 8 December 2014), Mary Jane Williams, 31 May 1925; citing Camden Twp., Lorain Co., Ohio, reference fn 29901; FHL microfilm 1,992,672.

2) "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXQ2-364 : 9 November 2014), Jane Williams in household of John Williams, Camden, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing family 567, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

3) From History of Lorain County, Ohio, published in Philadelphia by the Williams Brothers, 1879https://archive.org/stream/historyoflorainc00phil#page/n5/mode/2up/search/Williams

4) New York, Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, 1799-1804. On Ancestry.com 2014 

5) "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHY4-46N : 24 August 2015), Elisha Colston, Genoa, Cayuga, New York, United States; citing p. 110, NARA microfilm publication M704, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 269; FHL microfilm 17,181.

6) "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHP3-WYX : 18 August 2015), John Williams, Sterling, Cayuga, New York, United States; citing 418, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 88; FHL microfilm 17,148.

7) https://familysearch.org/search/collection/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3AWililams~%20%2Bresidence_place%3A%22Genoa%2C%20Cayuga%2C%20New%20York%22~&collection_id=1803955

8) Year: 1850; Census Place: Pittsfield, Lorain, Ohio; Roll: M432_705; Page: 280B; Image: 83

9) "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8PS-QBM : 8 December 2014), Elisha Williams and Harriett Holcomb, 01 Nov 1848; citing Lorain, Ohio, United States, reference p 282; county courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 447,523.

Finding Heman Williams

Sometimes this blog helps me genealogy by laying out my thought processes, putting the data in a logical order, and creating a coherent narrative from chaos. Sometimes, like in this post, it just serves to document the muddle. Still, there's some hope that the documentation laid out here will make things clearer for someone else, so here goes.

I'm working on Beaver genealogy. I was able to trace my father-in-law's maternal line back a few generations. His great-grandmother was a woman named Minerva J. (Williams) Bradley. According to her death certificate, Minerva's parents were Heman Williams and Emma Jane Hale (1). The certificate also states that she was born in 1872 in Chester, Michigan, but her parents were born in New York. To confuse matters, however, in both the 1900 and 1910 census records, Minerva gave her father's birthplace as Ohio, not New York (2,3). The Ohio birthplace seems correct, at least according to the 1880 U.S. Census for Camden, Lorain County, Ohio, which documented the Williams family consisting of Heman, age 40, born in Ohio; wife Emma J., age 33, born in New York; three children between the ages of 9 and 15 born in Michigan, "Menervia", age 8, born in Ohio; and a younger son (4). The family members who must have provided the information for Minerva's death certificate were probably confused by the fact that her mother was born in New York, and that Heman's family came from New York. In the 1900 census, Heman himself gives his parents birthplaces as New York, but his own birthplace as Ohio (6).

Heman Williams, then, was born around 1840 in Ohio. Tracing him back through the census records, the 1870 Census finds the family in Chester Township, Eaton County, Michigan, next door to a Nelson Williams and his family (5). Heman's wife's name is given as Jane instead of Emma Jane, but it is clearly the same family. Two of the sons from the 1880 census are listed (although the oldest, 5, is shown as born in Ohio, not Michigan), along with an older daughter, Mary, who does not appear in the 1880 census. Again, Heman lists his birthplace as Ohio.

I cannot find him in the 1860 census, but in the 1850 census he was living in Camden, Lorain, Ohio as a 13-year old child in the household of John Williams, 55, born in Massachusetts, and Jane Williams, 49, born in New York (7). Also in the household are six children between the ages of 8 and 22, including Nelson (who we saw later moved to Michigan) and a 10 year old sister, Minerva, clearly the source of Heman's daughter's unusual name. (The source of Heman's unusual name will be discussed below).

Unfortunately, moving back past 1850, we enter a time when census records only recorded the name of the head of household, and did not note ages (except in general categories) or location of birth. However, all of the children listed in the 1850 census were born in Ohio, so the family must have been in the state since 1828. We should be able to find John Williams, Heman's father, in the 1830 and 1840 censuses.

In fact, there are no fewer than 133 possible John Williams households in Ohio in 1830. Looking at Lorain County alone knocks that down to three. The only one whose household fits the known demographics of the family, John H. Williams, is living in Lagrange Township, with one free white male 20-30 (John would have been 25), one free white female 20-30 (Jane would have been around 19), 2 males under 5 and one female 5-10. This seems like a lot of kids for such a young mother, but they wouldn't have to all be theirs. In fact, Jane may have been a second wife. In 1840, there are five John Williamses. John H. Williams is listed as living in "Carmdon" in Lorain County. Such a place doesn't appear to exist, so I would guess this is the same John H. Williams as above, now relocated to Camden, where we know our John Williams was living in 1850. The ages of the family, however, don't perfectly match those known for our Williams family. Besides, as becomes clear below, John's middle initial should be D, not H.

This leads us to some contradictory information from the local histories:

The "History of Lorain County, Ohio", published in 1879 (8), describes Heman's family under the heading "The Township of Camden":

"John D. Williams and his wife, Jane, from the vicinity of Cuyoga Lake, New York, settled upon lots twenty-five and twenty-six, tract eleven, in 1836. Elisha C. now lives upon lot twenty-three, same tract. S.B. is in Kipton village. John W. and Wilson are also residents of the township. Mary Jane lives upon the old place. The only other living member of the family of brothers and sisters is Heman. Albert R. died in 1878. Clarissa and Minerva are also dead."

 The same book, though, describes another Heman Williams who is clearly not our Heman Williams:

"Larkin Williams and family, of a wife and eight children, came from Berkshire county, Massachusetts, in the fall of 1817. He settled on the ridge east of the center...The first doctor to locate in Avon township was Heman, son of Larkin Williams. Dr. Williams is spoken of as a gentleman of fine ability and superior professional attainments....The first death was Lydia M., daughter of Larkin Williams, January 11, 1818. Her remains were the first interred in the cemetery at the center. It is believed that the first post office was established in 1825, and that Dr. Williams was the first post-master." 

The same source mentions that Larkin A. Williams was active in the Baptist church, as were Milo Williams and John Williams, his sons. Larkin also built a school building in 1818.

This is complicated. John D. and his wife, Jane, were the parents of our Heman Williams. But what is their ancestry? Were they related to Larkin Williams and his son, Dr. Heman Williams? The book suggests not, but the primary documentation is hard to pin down.

Several arguments can be made against assuming a relationship with the Larkin Williams family:

• John and Jane Williams are buried in Kipton, rather than the cemetery in Avon where the other Williamses, the known descendants of Larkin Williams, are located.
• A surprising number of people were named "Heman" in Lorain County, Ohio. The 1850 Census, where we first see our Heman, has six other men named Heman.
• The book about Lorain County implies they are not related, or at least doesn't mention such a relationship, despite many other mentions of the Larkin Williams family

Several arguments, however, can be made for assuming a relationship to the Larkin Williams family:

• Although the book says John D. came from New York, in the census says he was born in Massachusetts, like Larkin. His wife was born in New York, so they may have lived there for a while before coming to Ohio.
• The book clearly has some inaccuracies. For example, it claims John D. moved to Camden in 1836, but his oldest son, Albert, was born in Ohio in 1828. Furthermore, not all of the children listed in the census are in the book, and at least one child who is in the book isn't listed on the census (although they may have been too old in 1850). In other words, the book itself shouldn't be considered more accurate than other types of documentation.
• Sure, there were a number of men named Heman, but honestly, how common can this name be? It is more parsimonious to believe that our Heman Williams was named for a relative, either the Dr. Heman Williams who was the son of Larkin Williams, or some previous progenitor for whom they were both named.

The reason I'd like to know if our Williamses were related to the family of Larkin Williams is that Larkin's ancestry is fairly well documented going back to the Great Puritan Migration (9).

One detail that might help clarify the situation: in the 1850 census, Heman, his parents, and his siblings are living with an 86-year old woman, born in Massachusetts, named Mary Hemingway. She was later buried in the Williams plot in Camden, where her tombstone shows she died March 22, 1855, at the age of 92 years, 9 months, 17 days (that would give her a birth date of  June 5, 1762) (10) Could she be Jane's mother? John D.'s re-married mother or an aunt? Regardless, she's the next line to follow.

[Update]:  I was able to connect with another researcher, Linda Coltrin, who is interested in Heman's maternal line (see post on Jane Coltrain Williams). Linda has a death certificate that shows John and Jane's oldest son, Elisha C. Williams, was born in Geauga County, Ohio, in 1818. In the 1820 census, there's a John Williams in Perry, Geauga County, Ohio, with one boy under the age of 10, a man 16-26 (our John would have been 25), and a woman 16-26 (our Jane would have been 17). This seems likely to be our family. What really caught my eye, though, were four Williams families in Painesville, Geauga County, Ohio, in the same census. The names of the heads of those households: Rev. Ebenezer, Ebenezer, John, and...Heman. Heman! It may be hard to determine the exact relationship between these Painesville Williamses and our John Williams, but it seems likely.

________
References:

1) "Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X637-WCV : 8 December 2014), Emma Jane Hale in entry for Minerva Jane Bradley, 13 Oct 1925; citing Camdem Twp, Lorain, Ohio, reference fn 58285; FHL microfilm 1,992,681.

2) "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMDF-CGF : accessed 10 December 2016), Lizzie Bradley in household of George Bradley, Camden & Henrietta Townships, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 83, sheet 7A, family 164, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,295.

3) "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ML84-P99 : accessed 10 December 2016), Elizabeth Bradley in household of George Bradley, Camden, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 101, sheet 2B, family 47, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1206; FHL microfilm 1,375,219.

4) "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M89K-DLJ : 14 July 2016), Herman Williams, Camden, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district ED 166, sheet 389D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1042; FHL microfilm 1,255,042

5) "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHHN-PVV : 17 October 2014), Herman Williams, Michigan, United States; citing p. 8, family 56, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,169

6) "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMDF-3ZH : accessed 10 December 2016), Emma J Williams in household of Heman Williams, Camden & Henrietta Townships, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 83, sheet 8B, family 211, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,295.

7) "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXQ2-364 : 9 November 2014), Jane Williams in household of John Williams, Camden, Lorain, Ohio, United States; citing family 567, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

8) From ''History of Lorain County, Ohio'', published in Philadelphia by the Williams Brothers, 1879https://archive.org/stream/historyoflorainc00phil#page/n5/mode/2up/search/Williams

9) https://books.google.com/books?id=L5GPjobXdWoC&pg=PA1619&lpg=PA1619&dq=larkin+williams+massachusetts&source=bl&ots=ywkeqh9cXd&sig=V0G5AnfPZG7OecwwiQStRWWLoNM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi57-7qp-vQAhXIjFQKHZ0KCzoQ6AEIQzAI#v=onepage&q=larkin%20williams%20massachusetts&f=false

10) http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=28102480&PIpi=49541381

Finding my great-grandmother-in-law

Ancestry.com.uk made their UK records free this weekend, so I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to do more research on my husband's family. His grandfather was born in London, and since UK records are, quite frankly, rubbish - at least for the slums of Victorian London - it's been hard to track down more information about them.

Here are the facts we know about my great-grandmother-in-law:

• Her name was Annie Dyer Beaver, and her full name may have been Jane Ann or Ann Jane. This is common knowledge among her descendants.
• She was born in England (as all her U.S. census documents attest)
• There is a marriage registration for Ann Jane Dyer and Thomas Alfred Beaver, second quarter of 1899, in St. Giles, London.[1]
• In the 1901 UK Census, she was head of household, living with three of her husband's siblings (Albert J, 23, printer (I think - it's hard to read); William H., 18, copper plate printer; and Victoria H., 14). Her age is given as 31 (for a birth year of 1870), and her birth place as Clerkenwell (a region of central London).[2]
• She arrived, with her children, in the United States on Oct. 16, 1913, to join her husband, who was already working in Ohio. We have the passenger manifest from the ship Haverford, which docked in Philadelphia. She gives her age as 39 (which would mean a birth year of 1874), her husband's address as South Euclid, Ohio, and her nearest relative in England as "Mrs. Puleston" of 47 Arlington Rd., London. (Deciphering that name was, um, difficult. See below).[3]

OK, those are the basic facts. Several ancestry.com users have her in their family trees, and most put her birth year as 1877 in Lancashire, and her parents as George Dyer and Margaret Smith. I believe this is incorrect, and the result of the poor British records. There is a "Jane Ann Dyer" who shows up in a record search as the daughter of George and Margaret in Lancashire, born 1877. But the facts of this Ann's life don't fit those of "our" Annie.

First, Annie's 1901 census record clearly gives her birthplace as London (granted, it could be wrong), and her birth year as 1870 (making her 4 years older than her husband). Although she self-reported a later birth date in the passenger manifest (making herself 39 instead of 43, because no woman ever lies about being over 40!), in the 1920 census documents she gives her age as 50 [4]. She didn't record her age in the 1930 census, but she gave her age at first marriage (in 1899) as 29. Both of these records correspond to a birth year of 1870, not 1877.[5]

So is there another Annie Dyer, one born in 1870 in Clerkwell? The short answer is "no". However, there's a record for an Ann Jane Dyer, born Oct-Nov-Dec, 1869, in Holborn.[6] Holborn is very close to Clerkenwell, less than an mile away in central London. 

The next logical place to look, of course, is the UK Census for 1871. There is more than one Dyer family in London in 1871, but here is my best bet for the correct family: John Robert Dyer, 35, an electroplating worker born in Holborn, living in St. James Clerkenwell, with his wife Mary Ann, 35, who was born in Birmingham. Living in their household are son George, 13, born in St. Pancras; daughter Mary Ann, 11, born in Holborn; son John, 6, born in Holborn; daughter Clara, 4, born in Holborn; and daughter Ann, 1, born in St. Pancras.[7]

Clerkenwell Green and St. James's Church
Nothing proves that England and the U.S. are two nations divided by
a common language quite like the realization that anyone could call
this a "green"

First, a note about the locations. St. James parish in Clerkenwell, which is where the family was living in 1871, is the area around St. James Church of England, which is located in central London, NE of King's Cross Road (A201) and Clerkenwell Rd. The census was taken in the summer, so if Ann was born in the last quarter of 1869, she would still be one at the time of the census. Although the 1871 census says she was born in St. Pancras, and the birth record says she was born in Holborn, it is easy to see how, as an adult, she would have given her birth place as Clerkenwell, since apparently the family was living there when she was very young, and, as we will see, she lost her parents soon after. It's hard to know the exact location of St. Pancras (listed as Annie's place of birth in the 1871 census) relative to Holborn (where her birth was registered), because St. Pancras is no longer a separate political entity. It is, in fact, put together with Holborn in the UK Parliament, as the borough of Holborn-St. Pancras. I can only guess that, even at the time, a birth that took place in the parish of St. Pancras was registered in the civil registry of Holborn. 

47 Arlington Rd, London
Google Map Street View

I have a number of reasons to believe that John Robert and Mary Ann Dyer were the parents of Annie Dyer Beaver. Remember that on the passenger manifest of her immigration ship, Annie gave the name of her closest relative in England. The name was Mrs. Puleston of 47 Arlington Rd., London. Actually, the name was almost illegible. I read it as Pulcolow. However, the address was much more useful. According to the 1914 London City Directory, the resident of 47 Arlington Rd, London, was William Edwin Puleston.[8] The 1911 UK Census shows William Puleston, age 49, French Polisher, lived at 47 Arlington Road, St. Pancras, NW, with his wife, Clara, aged 44. Remember, the second daughter of John Robert and Mary Ann Dyer, in the 1871 census record above, was named Clara. She was 4 in 1871, which means she should be 44 in 1911, just like Clara Puleston. The Mrs. Puleston listed as Annie's closest relative, then, was probably her sister. Further corroboration of this comes from the marriage record for William Edwin Puleston and Clara Dyer, in Oct-Nov-Dec of 1886, in Lambeth, London.[9]

Further evidence that our Annie Dyer was the daughter of John Robert and Mary Ann Dyer comes from the 1891 Census, in which Ann J. Dyer, born in Clerkenwell, is listed as "sister" in the household of Henry R. Louch, 34, and his wife Mary Ann Louch, 31. Mary Ann was the name of the oldest daughter of John Robert and Mary Ann Dyer, and since she was 11 in 1871, she would have been 31 in 1891. Confirmation that this woman is indeed Ann J Dyer's sister (and that the census taker's handwriting was horrific) can be found in the marriage record for Mary Ann Dyer and Henry Robert Leach, in the winter of 1882.[10]

The most obvious next step would be to trace the Dyer family from the 1871 census to the 1881 census, but here we run into a common problem among the poverty-stricken families of London's Victorian slums: the family had split apart and the children were scattered. Where the parents were remains mystery. My best guess is that one or more of them died, and the children were divided out among relatives. There was a John Dyer, 44, electroplator, living at 43 Gloucester St., Holborn, in 1881. He was living with a wife named Fanny, their one-year old child Jessie, and two step-daughters aged 8 and 11.[11] This may be John Robert, Annie's father, and his new family. But where were the children of the previous marriage?

The oldest son, George, was out on his own, following his father's professional footsteps. George E. Dyer, 23, Electroplate Maker, was living in 1881 in St. Pancras, with his wife, Mary Anne Dyer, age 20.[12] The eldest daughter of John Robert was named Mary Anne Dyer, and she would have been around 20 in 1881. Since I can find no other Mary Anne Dyers in the 1881 census, I wonder if this census document erred in listing Mary Anne as George's wife, and if in fact she was his sister.

The second son, John, would have been 16 in 1881. There are two possible census records for him. One is a John Dyer, age 16, who's a patient in the Royal Naval Hospital, and gives his birth location as St. Pancras. Alternatively, there is a John A. Dyer, age 17, living and born in Shoreditch, with his younger sister, Emily, age 8.[13] I'm not sure which, if any, of these are our John Dyer. 

The second daughter, Clara, would have been 14 in 1881. The only plausible census entry is for a Clara Dyer, 14, born in Mile End, who lived in West Ham, 20 Leyton Rd., Albert Cot, with her grandparents Samuel Hersom, 53, and Elizabeth Hersom, 63, as well as another of the couple's granddaughters, Annie Hersom, aged 1. Samuel was born in Horsleydonn, Surrey, and Elizabeth was born in Clifton, Somerset. None of these birth places fit with Annie's mother, Mary Ann Dyer, who gave Birmingham as her birth place. Furthermore, I can't find any record of a Mary Ann Hersom married to a John Robert Dyer. Attempts to follow Samuel and Elizabeth Hersom into the past show no daughters of the correct age or name. This remains a possible lead to follow later. It would be exciting if we had some insight into Annie's mother's family! Unfortunately, it's entirely plausible that one or more of the Dyer children were just left out of the 1881 census, having dropped through the cracks, so to speak.

What about Annie herself? Where was she in 1881? I am fairly confident I have found her. There is an Annie Dyer, age 12, listed as "niece" to the head of the household, Sophia Ward, widow, age 38, living in 1 Huntley Place, Shoreditch. Sophia Ward gives her birthplace as Shoreditch, as well. A nephew, Thomas Dyer, aged 10, presumably a brother of Annie's, is also living in the household.[14] 

Huntley Street, London (Google street view)
This is the closest to the likely address I could find.
Number 1 is on the left in this picture.

I determined the name of Sophia Ward's deceased husband by looking at the 1871 census, which lists her as wife in the household of William Ward, 31, born St. Andrew's Middlesex, England, and living in Shoreditch.[15] There is a Sophia Dyer who married a William Thomas Ward in Shoreditch in 1862, which is about right for the birth year of their first child.[16] I'm guessing, therefore, that Sophia was Annie's paternal aunt.

But how do I know that the Sophia Dyer who married William Ward was the sister of John Robert Dyer? Unfortunately, I can't find that smoking gun document to prove the connection. However, I have a strong circumstantial case based on the names that John Robert and Sophia gave to their children. First, Sophia Ward's children, as listed in the 1881 census, are Edwin, Charles, Albert, and Eliza.[14] John Robert and Mary Ann Dyer's first son was named George, but he was christened George Edwin Dyer, born March 8, 1858, and christened May 2, 1858 in St. Anne, Soho, Westminster.[17] Their eldest daughter was named for her mother, Mary Ann, but their second daughter, Clara, was christened Clara Sophia Dyer.[18] And, of course, the two families both named a daughter Annie. 

I searched for John Robert and Sophia Dyer as young siblings in the 1851 census, but I was not successful. I did find a census record for a family living in St. Giles-in-the-fields, Middlesex (which, believe it or not, is in the middle of London). The family consists of Edwin (or Edward) Dyer, a bookmaker, his wife Sophia, and their children Anne, John, and Edwin. Edwin/Edward was born in Devonshire, and his wife was born in Suffolk. All of their children had been born in Middlesex. Each of the family names were also used by John Robert Dyer and Sophia Dyer Ward for their children. But young Sophia, who would have been around seven at the time of the census, is not listed as a member of the family. Could she have been living with another relative? Or do I have the wrong census record?[19]

To summarize, at this point I'd say with 99% certainty that Annie Dyer Beaver was the daughter of John Robert and Mary Anne Dyer. I have about 85% certainty that John Robert Dyer and Sophia Dyer Ward were the children of Edwin and Sophia Dyer. Someday, I hope, I'll be able to find some trace of Annie's mother's family.


Sources:
1. "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:269F-SYR : accessed 17 September 2015), Ann Jane Dyer, 1899; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Marriage, St. Giles, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.

2. "England and Wales Census, 1901," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9D4-WGW : accessed 19 September 2015), Ann J Beaver, Islington, London, Middlesex, England; from "1901 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing Islington South East subdistrict, PRO RG 13, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.

3. "Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Passenger Lists, 1883-1945," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2379-QBL : accessed 17 September 2015), Annie Beaver, 1913; citing Immigration, NARA microfilm publication T840 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,402,621.

4. "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDBX-VXH : accessed 17 September 2015), Ann Jane D Beaver in household of Thomas A Beaver, Euclid, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States; citing sheet 4A, family 92, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,821,374.

5. "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4QF-KKW : accessed 17 September 2015), Ann Jane Beaver in household of Harley Brown, South Euclid, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 0710, sheet 5A, family 115, line 27, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1788; FHL microfilm 2,341,522.

6. "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2X7S-M46 : accessed 20 September 2015), Ann Jane Dyer, 1869; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Holborn, London, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.

7. 1871 UK Census, Ancestry.com Class: RG10; Piece: 387; Folio: 4; Page: 2; GSU roll: 824620

8. http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p16445coll4/id/112417/rec/13

9. "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2DD4-GDS : accessed 20 February 2016), William Edwin Puleston, 1886; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Marriage, Lambeth, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.

10. "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2DTH-LL9 : accessed 20 February 2016), Mary Ann Dyer, 1882; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast(http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Marriage, St. Giles, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.

11. Class: RG11; Piece: 337; Folio: 68; Page: 32; GSU roll: 1341073. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1881 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

12. Class: RG11; Piece: 321; Folio: 132; Page: 32; GSU roll: 1341069. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1881 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

13. Class: RG11; Piece: 390; Folio: 15; Page: 23; GSU roll: 1341084. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1881 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

14. England and Wales Census, 1881," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK6T-HFD5 : accessed 22 February 2016), Sophia Ward, Shoreditch, London,Middlesex, England; from "1881 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing p. 29, Piece/Folio 399/109, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 101,774,255.

 15. "England and Wales Census, 1871", database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRJX-296 : accessed 20 February 2016), Sophia Ward in entry for William Ward, 1871.

16. "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2DVS-JTQ : accessed 20 February 2016), William Thomas Ward, 1862; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,” database, findmypast(http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Marriage, Shoreditch, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.

17. "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JWXR-HRS : accessed 22 February 2016), John Robert Dyer in entry for George Edwin Dyer, 02 May 1858; citing , reference ; FHL microfilm 918,608.

18. England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915, FreeBMD, Ancestry.com Operations Inc

19. Class: HO107; Piece: 1508; Folio: 103; Page: 68; GSU roll: 87842 Ancestry.com. 1851 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.