Genealogists remember the people they can’t find instead of the ones they can. It’s that way with three of my direct line ancestors who remain elusive in the 1870 census:
- Ira William (or William Ira) Sargent
- John/Johann Henry/Hinrich Ufkes
- Sophia Elizabeth (Derle) Trautvetter
It’s not for lack of trying to find them.
Sargent
Ira (Ira William, William Ira, etc.) was born in Ontario in the early 1840s, most likely in the general area of Darlington. His parents, Clark and Mary (Dingman) Sargent came to Winnebago County, Illinois, sometime shortly after his birth and were both deceased by the early 1850s. Ira likely spent the remainder of his youth before the age of majority with his step-father, Asa Landon, a Canadian native his mother married in Winnebago County, Illinois, before the 1850 census enumeration. Landon (and the Sargent children) spent time in Union County, Iowa, and Christian County, Missouri, where they are living at the time of the 1860 census enumeration. The Sargent children returned to Union County, Iowa, during the Civil War era while their step-father and half-siblings returned to his native Ontario. Ira Sargent married Florence Butler in Union County in October of 1870 and it is believed he was living in that general area at the time of the 1870 enumeration. He is not contained in any of the households in 1870 where he siblings have been located. Most likely Ira was working as a laborer or a farm hand and simply missed the enumerator.
Ufkes
Johann Hinrich Ufkes was born in Ostfriesland, Germany, in 1838. He immigrated to the United States in 1869, settling near Golden, Adams County, Illinois, where he worked as a farm hand and initially lived with a sister and her husband. He very likely was living in either Adams or neighboring Hancock County and working as a farm hand and could have been missed by the census taker just as Ira Sargent was. Compounding the issue with Ufkes is that his actual name was Johann Friederichs Hinrichs Ufkes and he could easily have been enumerated with any of those middle names as his last name. It is also possible that Ufkes’ probable difficulty with the English language is also making him difficult to locate in 1870.
Trautvetter
Sophia Elizabeth (Derle) Trautvetter was born in 1808 in Thuringen, Germany. Along with her husband, George Trautvetter, she immigrated to the United States in 1853. The family has been located in 1860 living in Rocky Run Township, Hancock County, Illinois. George, Sophia, and their son Theodore have not been located in 1870. In the late 1860s, George and Sophia sold their real estate in Hancock County, Illinois, to their son George. It is known that George returned to Germany where he died in 1871 “separated” from his wife. Sophia died in 1877 in Hancock County, Illinois, where she is buried. It is not precisely known when George returned to Germany, but it was believed that his trip was made shortly after the land transactions and before the 1870 census enumeration.
But….
In reviewing the material I have, I realize that I can’t find Sophia or her son Theodore in 1870. They are not living with Sophia’s two other sons who have been located. Explaining the absence of both Sophia and Theodore is a little more problematic than it is Ira Sargent or John Ufkes.
I need to do a little more followup on the Trautvetters. At this point, I’m not certain if it’s worth any more time to search for Sargent or Ufkes as I really doubt their enumerations will tell me anything I don’t know. Sophia and Theodore are possibly another story.
And here I thought this was going to be a simple post.
