My First Brick Wall

 Anyone who researches family history knows about "Brick Walls". They are the person with a dead end. You don't know a lot about them and because of that you generally don't know their parentage, when they immigrated or where they originated from. I have a lot of brick walls, but maybe that's because I know a lot about both Jim and my families. I have traced many lines back to the 1600's (and unproven lines back to several centuries earlier) and I am even working on a supposed Mayflower Ancestor, but I still have brick walls. (As a mathematician, I find it fascinating to think that every generation creates a factor of 2 lines so by the time you go back just 6 generations, you are talking about 2 to the 6th (or 64 lines!) so everyone WILL have brick walls, somewhere.)

The first brick wall I hope to make progress on this year is my maternal great-great grandfather, Henry Edward Leach. I actually know quite a bit about Henry and I even have a photograph of him, taken presumably around the time of his wedding, 16 May 1882 to Flora Elizabeth Croft (b. 1854). 

Henry Edward Leach (c. 1834-1892)

Henry and Flora were married just over a year, when Flora died (1 Sep 1883) presumably after complications from the birth of their first child, Edward James Leach (b. 26 Aug 1883).

Flora Elizabeth Croft (1854-1888)

This son, Edward, is my great-grandfather. He also died young (in his 30's), but that is a story for another blog.

According to the:  1) 1880 Census (Year: 1880; Census Place: Schoolcraft, Houghton, Michigan; Roll: 581; Family History Film: 1254581; Page: 572A; Enumeration District: 008; Image: 0820), and 2) Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952, Ancestry.com, 2015, Henry was 47 years old on the 1st of June 1880 and 48 years old on the 16th of May 1882, which suggests that his birthday was between May 16th and June 1st 1834. 

In the Portage Lake Mining Gazette, Houghton, Michigan, the following was transcribed: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/houghton/multiple/newspaper/mg1882.txt

1882 May 18-PORTAGE LAKE MINING GAZETTE, HOUGHTON, MICHIGAN

MARRIED- 1882 May 16, Thursday, at the residence of bride's mother in Hancock;

Mr. H. E. LEACH of Lake Linden and Miss Flora F. CROFT.

Uploaded Sept. 2001 by Dick & June Ross

Henry was a bookkeeper/clerk in Lake Linden, Houghton County, Michigan (Upper Peninsula) and listed as a boarder in 1880. I can't locate him in the 1870 Census in the U.S. and I also can't find any immigration or ship manifests that can confirm his arrival. He and his parents are reported to have been born in England. His wife, Flora, and her family moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from Canada and earlier Scotland. Maybe he came from England to Canada? Or maybe he came directly from England to the U.S.? 

My hope is that when I go to the Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, IN next month that they can help me find something, although I certainly welcome suggestions. In the meanwhile, I am applying what I learned last summer from the  Genealogy Principles Course through Boston University to develop my research plan. I am also using one of my recent Christmas presents (thanks, Kim!) to learn how to use Evernote to do a better job of keeping track and taking notes.

May you have as much fun on your brick walls as I do!