When I do genealogical research I like to assemble the entire family. Who were all the siblings/children? Where were all the places a family lived? Where did they go to church? Did the family have an important role in their town? Did anyone serve in the military? Asking these questions not only helps to know and understand the family, but also may give research clues when trying to trace a particular family member. This especially is true if you come across two or more people with the same name.
Years ago, I added Huldah Wormwood, daughter of Amos and Lydia (Storer) Wormwood, into my family tree because she was the sister of my direct ancestor. From what I could find, she lived her whole life in the town of Alfred, Maine. However, another online researcher had a Huldah Wormwood in their tree. She was born in Vermont (or New York) and lived her adult life in New York State, but this researcher had her entered in their tree as the Huldah Wormwood born in Alfred, Maine. Trying to figure out which Huldah was actually the daughter of Amos and Lydia (Storer) Wormwood meant careful study of available records.
The other researcher theorized that Amos and Lydia (Storer) Wormwood moved briefly to Vermont in 1797, had Huldah, then returned to Alfred, Maine by the time of the 1800 census. Then, she believes Huldah moved to upstate New York by 1820 when she married Alfred Oliver. Although to me, this theory did not seem logical, to the other researcher it made sense. Theories are good. They give one a place to start. Once you have developed a theory, the next thing to do is to see (or to prove) if you are right or wrong. That is when you need to find all available records and to carefully consider each record as it pertains to your research question.
There are most definitely two Huldahs who were alive about the same time and were about the same age. Sometimes, I find it helpful to create a chart of available records. This makes it easier to compare and contrast information.
| Huldah Wormwood (wife of Jeremiah Witham) | Huldah Wormwood (wife of Alfred Oliver) | |
| born | 25 Dec 1806 (find a grave) | 1797/98 (1850 census/ find a grave) |
| married | 24 Aug 1829 (Maine Marriages) | 9 Nov 1820 (10,000 VR of eastern NY) |
| died | 22 Jul 1874 (find a grave) | 17 May 1854 (find a grave) |
| 1850 census | b. 1807 | b. 1797 |
| 1860 census | b. 1807 | X |
| 1870 census | b. 1807 | X |
From looking at this chart, one can see the two Huldahs are about ten years apart in age. It should also be noted Huldah (Wormwood) Oliver’s children, in various records, either record her place of birth as Vermont or New York, but most records appear to agree with Huldah in the 1850 census that Vermont was her place of birth. Unfortunately, there are not any other records to add to this chart. So considering records regarding Amos and Lydia (Storer) Wormwood may lead to an answer.
Amos and Lydia grew up in Wells, Maine and married there on August 30, 1781. Their first three children were born and baptized in Wells, before the family removed to Sanford, Maine (the part that is now Alfred). Unfortunately, the minister of the Alfred Congregational Church took the records with him when he left the church for another ministry. Amos had his daughter, Huldah baptized on June 18, 1807 by the new minister of the Alfred Church. Amos left a will naming all his children. The will establishes Amos and Lydia were the parents of nine children, their youngest is Huldah, as he wants the monies he left his children to be paid out when his “youngest daughter,” Huldah turns 18.
As for the notion of the other researcher that the family moved to Vermont and back to Maine over a very short time span, documents in York County, Maine illustrate a different story. Amos (then later Lydia) are enumerated in the 1790, 1800, 1810 and 1820 censuses. Amos is listed in the Massachusetts and Maine Direct Tax list in 1798. The town of Alfred records the deaths of three of Amos and Lydia’s children in 1797, 1800 and 1801. Also, land deeds show Amos bought land in 1797 Maine (York County deed book 88; page 256). All these records indicate Amos was living in Alfred, Maine in the late 1790s and early 1800s and did not move temporarily to Vermont. Plus, the Alfred Historical Society and Fred R. Boyle, author of Early Families of Alfred, Maine, believe Amos and Lydia (Storer) Wormwood are the parents of Huldah (Wormwood) Witham, wife of Jeremiah.
These documents seem to answer the research question that Huldah (Wormwood) Witham is the daughter of Amos and Lydia (Storer) Wormwood but they do not tell us who the parents of Huldah (Wormwood) Oliver were. She was most likely born in Vermont, she quite possibly is the daughter of Joseph Wormwood (brother of Amos) or one of their nephews Daniel Wormwood or Ezra Wormwood, all three men moved to Vermont in the late 1790s/early 1800s.
It should also be noted that 169 online trees erroneously show Huldah (Wormwood) Oliver as the daughter of Amos and Lydia! Next time you run across two people with the same name, study all the information you can find on them. Don’t just click and add the wrong person to your database. Accuracy is key!
Laurie L. Kearney 