Calder Sisters in the 1870 Census

When we left off, I said that there were three important notations for the Calder family which had been made in the 1870 census. Two of these notations were obvious, and required very little interpretation, the other require much more investigation.

The first involve two sister Charlotte and Nina (pronounced Ni’nah) Robert Lake had said that two of his aunts had been domestics in households in Gouverneur NY, at one point in time. The census of 1870 identifies both Charlotte and Nina fulfilling that role in different residents, during this time period.

The oldest sister Elizabeth is the third sister found in the census she was identified by Robert Lake as having married James J. Smith also of Gouverneur, NY and beginning her family. Now you are probably thinking, wait just a minute didn’t I read earlier in this blog that Christie Calder Lake was living in a Smith residence 10 years before this? You would be right! You did, however until just recently I was unable to make any connection between the Smith Family that Joseph Lake’s sister married into and Christie Calder was living with and the Smith Family that Elizabeth Calder married into. I will demonstrate that connection later in the blog when we get to that area of the story.

Nina Calder entered service in the home of William and Polly Walling and was living in the home during the 1870 census as a domestic, between this point in time and the census of 1880 Nina married Charles Fry, had a Child Ella Mae, was divorces and married Henry Quackenbush. That marriage ended in 1883 upon the untimely death of Henry; there were two children that resulting of their brief marriage. Nina left New York State after Henry’s death and went to Grand Rapids, Michigan where she died in 1896 of a Kidney Infection following surgery.

Charlotte Calder entered service in the home of John and Elizabeth Pooler and was living in the home during the 1870 census and a domestic. Not much is known about Charlotte the next time she is scene is in the 1880 census in Antwerp, Jefferson Co., and New York she is identified as Lottie Calder, parents born in Scotland, she being born in Ontario Canada. She is working as a domestic in the home of George Dains, and his wife who is the principal of a school in Antwerp. Charlotte is not found in any research after that point; I am still attempting to track down what happened to her but nothing has come of it to date.

We will continue with the 1880 census and the introduction of other researchers working on the same problems next time.