Running Them Through the Sluice Box: Continuing to Filter the Records for Anna & Robert

Hydraulic Placer Mining, ca 1935.
Image courtesy of the Denver Public
Library Digital Collections, Denver,
Colorado. 

Have you ever seen how a sluice box works?

The sediment is poured into the top, and water runs over it, like a stream. This allows for the larger, heavier pieces of earth to be retained in the different sections, and the smaller sediment to eventually be washed away. 

This seems to me the next logical step as I search for Anna & Robert Hamilton of Breckenridge, Colorado. They arrived here during a mining boom, and I've been “panning for genealogical gold” for several months.

In past posts, I've explored the 1900 and 1910 U.S. Federal Census records for the family; I've examined my original source, and created some initial questions I wanted to ask. I think it is time to pause, and reassess my timeline and research strategy on the Hamilton’s. We already know quite a bit about the first few years of their marriage, so let’s take a look at all of that, and outline what we don’t know.

Going back to that “original source.” Sandra F. Mather, PhD authored They Weren't All Prostitutes and Gamblers; The Women of Summit County from 1859 to the Turn of the Century. (Summit Historical Society, 2009). In the ending chapter, Dr. Mather introduces us to Anna (Sadler) Hamilton and her husband Robert. Anna kept a journal, and those were examined in order to compose this chapter. From this text, I began to create a timeline of Anna’s life.

• 2 Sep 1862, birth, Grundy County, Illinois
• 1870, census, Vienna Township, Grundy County, Illinois
• 1880, census, Vienna Township, Grundy County, Illinois
• 1884, teacher’s certificate issued, Grundy County, Illinois
• 11 Feb 1885, marriage, Grundy County, Illinois to Robert Hamilton
• 1885, Colorado state census, Summit County, Colorado
• 13 May 1885, property, purchased a horse in Summit County, Colorado
• Jul 1885, illness, Breckenridge, Summit County, Colorado
• 1888, property, owned mining claims in her name, Summit County, Colorado
• 1904, property, sold mining claims
• Probably before 1915, death

Although property records can be excellent to utilize, it is not necessary to reside on the land, or in the area, of the property in question. It is possible that Robert purchased this land on her behalf… and a million other “what if’s?” Because I do not have a solid chain of evidence, I am summarizing that I essentially lose Anna’s trail in 1885 when the Colorado State Census was conducted.

However, Robert’s timeline does provide more clues…

• Cal 1857, birth, Canada
• 1880, census, Breckenridge, Summit County, Colorado
• 11 Feb 1885, marriage, Grundy County, Illinois to Anna Sadler
• 1885, Colorado state census, Summit County, Colorado
• 1909, residence, Oxford, Nebraska (per newspaper article in Summit County Journal)
• 1910, property, Denver, Denver County, Colorado
• 7 Feb 1911, property, Summit County, Colorado (per newspaper article in Summit County Journal. Language of article implies that he resided on his ranch, as well.)
• 1912, property, Denver, Denver County, Colorado
• 8 Aug 1913, residence, Weld County, Colorado
• Abt 1915, residence, Denver, Denver County, Colorado
• 1916, property, Summit County, Colorado

A couple items to note:


The article dated 1909 indicates that Mr. Hamilton, his wife and children were visiting Summit County at the time from Oxford, Nebraska, where he operated a highly successful “large stock farm.” This is the only indication I have that the Hamilton’s ever had any children.

Also, the 1911 article indicates that his ranch was “down the blue,” a local term indicating the Blue River. This could have meant north of present day Silverthorne or south of the Town of Breckenridge. If he went north, he still would have been in Summit County for several miles, but going south means either Park or Lake Counties, depending on how far he went. If he went south, it would have made more sense for him to do business in growing Leadville, rather than coming back to Breckenridge. 

Here is what I do not know:

1. Robert’s actual birth date and location. I have an estimated year based on other record sources, and a country. His father, William, was born in Ormstown, Quebec, in 1830, and arrived in the U.S. in 1881, well after Robert’s birth.
2. Death dates and locations for both Anna and Robert. Anna’s father, John, was listed in The History of Grundy County, Illinois (Munsell Publishing, Chicago. 1914. Pages 896-897); and this text indicated that Anna had already passed at the time of printing. I have absolutely nothing to give me an idea of when Robert may have died.
3. Did Robert and Anna have any children? If so, where and when? 
4. How long were they in Nebraska? Did Robert stay in the cattle industry? He easily could have moved his operation to Colorado and had success.

There appears to be a good deal of information on other member’s of their families… The Sadlers' in Illinois are fairly well documented, as is one of Anna’s brothers that became a politician in Colorado. The Hamilton’s are also represented well. I have been able to track down descendants from both families and inquired if they knew anything of either Anna or Robert. All that has been confirmed was that they existed. Nothing more. 

Next steps.

• I am going to follow a bit of my own advice, and look into Livestock Brands for both Nebraska and Colorado. There is a chance that I can at least identify Robert’s residences.
• Vital records from family members in Illinois and Canada may provide clues, as well.
• Religious sources may be helpful here, also. My first goal will be to determine the Hamilton’s religious preferences while here in Breckenridge. The options in 1885 were fairly limited, and I happen to know that historic records have been preserved fairly well. Even if I cannot pinpoint a particular denomination, it will not take long to examine the available materials, and at the very least, exclude that as an option for more information.

Just a bit more on the parents…

Robert’s father was born in Ormstown. Anna’s father was born in Ormstown. Robert’s mother’s maiden name was SADLER. Anna’s maiden name was SADLER. Both families eventually had connections to Grundy County, Illinois.

Coincidence?

Oh, I don’t think so!

[Sandra F. Mather, PhD., is the author of at least ten books, all discussing the history and geology of Summit County, Colorado. She is a volunteer for both the Summit Historical Society and the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance.]

Robert & Anna Hamilton: 1900 Census Search, not quite done!

And, we're back.

Robert & Anna Hamilton just will not let my brain rest, so I am doing this post on my search for them sooner than I planned. You can read all about them in two previous posts; dated 29 July 2012 and 25 Nov 2012.  They create an intriguing mystery, and I am hoping to solve it.

A couple of suggestions were made after my most recent post regarding the search I conducted for the family in the 1900 U.S. Census. I thought before moving on to 1910, it would be wise to examine at least one of those.

Grundy County, IL.
Source: Wikipedia.

At one point, I theorized that Anna, and her family, may have gone back to Illinois either to live or for extended visits. We know from two of Anna's journals held with the Colorado State Archives, that she was generally unhappy living in Breckenridge, and "pined" for her family and friends back home. A reader, Deborah Andrew, thought perhaps that she may be listed in the census with her family, possibly even under her maiden name of Sadler.

Anna was born Anna Jane Sadler, on 2 Sep 1862 in Illinois, probably Grundy County. She and Robert married on 11 Feb 1885, also in Grundy County. Before this, we have no record of Robert ever living in Illinois, and because of research done on the families, it is probable that the families were already connected by marriage, or at the very least, friendly with each other, before the nuptials. Jane's parents were John Sadler and Matilda Hamilton. They had been in Illinois since at least 1862 when Anna was born, and I have been able to pinpoint that both John  and Matilda were born in Ormstown, Quebec.

Being the oldest of six, Anna was closest in age to her brother, George Walsh Sadler, and he also resided and died in Colorado. Two others I have at least an approximate death date for, but two are completely unaccounted for, so it would appear that I have some cluster genealogy to do.

In the meantime, here is what I could find on the Sadler's in the 1900 U.S. Census, focusing on Grundy County, Illinois:

• In the Vienna Township, John Sadler, aged 62 years, born Canada. He is listed with his wife Matilda, and just one child, Harry (the youngest). He is a farmer, and both he and Matilda reported their parents being born in Ireland. 
• Also in Grundy County is William Sadler, residing in Felix Township. He is 51 years, listed with wife Kate, and was also born in Canada, with Irish lineage. Although I do not have a familial connection to this man in the Sadler/Hamilton family I'm searching, he is one that I need to remember, because that could easily be the case. Per Google Maps, the two communities are less than 24 miles apart. Could be a coincidence, but it certainly could not be, also! 

Headstone of George W. Sadler and his wife, Lillian.
Source: www.findagrave.com

There are several other counties in the 1900 Illinois Census that list Sadler residents.

Although some of the results were interesting, including a listing from the insane asylum, none of them appeared to be Anna or her possible children. Or her siblings, for that matter.

I would be interested to see what other resources researcher's use for Illinois, or specifically Grundy County, as it appears the family was there for some time.

Looking for Robert & Anna Hamilton in the 1900 Census

My quest for the Hamilton family, and what happened to them after they left Breckenridge, Colorado around the turn of the century has certainly not ended: not even close. I have left them alone for a few weeks, and am now seeking the family in the 1900 United States Federal Census.


What Do I Already Know?

1885 Colorado State Census

Robert Hamilton married Anna Jane Sadler on 11 Feb 1885 in Grundy County, Illinois. By June of 1885 when the state census was taken in Colorado, they were residing in Breckenridge, Summit County. They lived in that town at least until 1888, as we can track them through business and newspaper mentions.

The family can be found again in 1910, now living in Denver, Colorado. They appear to have resided for a time in Oxford, Nebraska, which sits on the county line of Furnus and Harlan Counties. In 1911, Robert Hamilton again owns land in Summit County, a ranch along the Blue River. He travels back and forth in successful business ventures for at least the next couple of years.  Anna appears to have died by or in the year 1914, according to a biography written about her father, which was published in Illinois.

Robert was born in Canada about 1857, and Anna in Illinois on 2 September 1862. Their families appear to have been connected by marriage in previous generations.

They were reported by the local newspaper in Breckenridge to have had children, but the number, sex, and names of those children were left out.

Anna had at least one brother who also resided in Colorado, George W. Sadler resided in Divide, of El Paso County. He was elected to a local office in Nov of 1899, so he had to have been there for at least a few months, if not a year or more, to gain the friendship of enough voters. He married Lillian T. Unknown and together they had at least three children.

The Search

I am starting in the HeritageQuest Online database, accessible through my local library system, and searching a combination of the following parameters to locate the family in the 1900 Census.
Robert: would be about 43 years of age, born Canada.
Anna: 38 years old, born Illinois.
Assuming the children were born sometime in the first five years of marriage  and I know there were at least two, they would be at oldest 15 years, and born in Colorado or Nebraska.

Previous, more detailed searches have not been able to determine any matches, so I am leaving this process vague intentionally, hoping to find even a sliver of hope.

I was given 225 results to scroll through, using just "Hamilton" in the name fields, 1900 Census in Colorado. Nearly every county is listed.

• Summit County: three results, none match. 
• El Paso County: no matching results, out of 17 results.
• Arapahoe County (where Denver would be located at this time): 63 results, no matches.

Having eliminated the obvious options, I am left to simply go county by county down the list. The results were... nothing! Not a single even potential candidate for either Robert or Anna. 

Moving on to Nebraska... Neither Furnas nor Harlan Counties were able to produce the correct Hamilton's. Once again, I am left to search county by county.  

Only one possibility was found in Nebraska: Robert Hamilton, age 42, born Canada, found in Douglas County, in Omaha. He is of the right age and race. The image is difficult to read at best, so I was unable to determine from this source if he was listed with family. However, there were no Anna Hamilton's that came up for this area, and if she had been on the census page with him, then she would have been listed in the results. 

Once again relocating the search, this time to Illinois. I know from her diaries that Anna really never liked living in Colorado, and especially in Breckenridge, and she pined for her friends and family back home. It's certainly possible that they went back there, especially since Robert also had ties to Grundy County.  

My search, once again, comes up empty. Nothing.

Breckenridge, Colorado.
Copyright Jen Baldwin, Ancestral Journeys, 2012

Broadening my scope just one more time, I attempted a more detailed search for Robert Hamilton, born in Canada, between the ages of 41-50, all states, for the 1900 Census. Six states came up with a possible match: Nebraska (see above), Massachusetts, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, New York. None of them had a wife named Anna, or seemed to match any of the other information I currently have access to.  A similar search was conducted on Anna Hamilton, and three possibilities were found: two of which were already widowed, and we know that Robert outlived Anna. The third was listed as married, but her husband was not identified in the same census record. She was found in Campaign County, Illinois, with three daughters, all born in Illinois. However, those daughters list their parents place of birth as Illinois for both the mother and the father, so already, there is discrepancy. However, it is a valid candidate. 

A search on Ancestry.com for the Nebraska result of Robert Hamilton lists his spouse as Clara, and she is the wrong age (not even in the ball park).

What happened to the Hamilton family?  Obviously, there is more searching to do... I have records on Robert from another researcher that date from 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1916, all from Colorado. But, the 1910 and 1920 census records have yet to be identified. Nothing yet has been located on Anna's death or burial. And Robert's death? Also, in the "yet to be determined" category.

More to come, certainly, on this mysterious family.