The mistake that wasn't - Ancestors in 52 Weeks

This year's challenge is 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks and is run by Amy Johnson Crow.

Topic Info:
Mistakes. We all make them. (We are human, after all.) What's a mistake that an ancestor made? What's a mistake that you've had to correct in your research? What was something that you were sure was a mistake in the records, but turned out to be right?

Background
My mother would never talk about her family. In fact, growing up when I asked, which wasn't often, I was told they were all dead and to leave it at that. It was the look sad look on her face which caused me not to push. Eventually, I left to get married and my mother opened up to me about her cousin Jimmy, which led me to my grandfather, Louis Paul. Then I kept looking, and with help, I found my great grandfather, Jules and eventually his father Aloysius Hyppolitus Gauquie. I was able to go back generations. 

Due to finding Jules' birth information, I knew Aloysius was drafted into the Belgium military and his parents weren't married until after his birth - once his father returned from serving. 

The military document showing Aloysius being drafted. Credit

Where I can, I try and put the "flesh" on the ancestors bones. I try and understand what made them do what they did, what could have been their thought processes, by finding out as much as I can about them. This was my next step to find out about Aloysius. 

I thought Aloysius had stayed in Belgium. This was my assumption. Imagine by shock when I was trying to get a picture of Jules by asking for his passport application and found Jules', Annie (his wife) and Aloysius, all had naturalization paperwork with the registrar in a nearby town where they lived called Newburgh. 

The registrar asked me if I knew of Aloysius as Jules mentions him and he seemed like a relative. I told her he was actually Jules' father and I would like a copy of anything they could give me. I found Aloysius had filed for naturalization and Jules thought he obtained it after his father became a citizen. However, he was wrong because he was termed an adult when his father became a citizen which is why he didn't become one for years afterward. 

The email I received regarding documents on Jules, Aloysius and Annie Gauquie. Credit: J. Fitzgerald

Who is/was Aloysius Hyppolitus Gauquie?
This is the question which kept going around in my mind. According to the documents I found, I had him being born in Eessen, Belgium and as he was 51 years old, it put him being born about 1847. He worked in a Creamery, and lives in Chester, NY. He's been in the US for 14 years, which put him in the US about 1884. He had at least one son, but there was no mention of his wife, Florentina, which was in Jules' birth entry documents. 

Aloyse Gauquie's Intention to become a citizen paperwork. This shows his birth and other details. Credit: Orange County NY registrar.

I went looking for census and couldn't find him. I could find Jules and could but more of his life story together but Aloysius, who was now going by the name Aloyse, was a ghost. 

Once again I went looking for other Gauquie names in the Orange County area. It's a very unique name for the area as you can imagine. In fact, I was even told my family couldn't have come from Belgium because the name isn't a Belgium one - its French. I was shocked as I had documents, but whatever. 

Where did he go?
Anyhow, I could find others and I found a Charles Gauquie. Upon looking at all the information I had on him, I found one census, in 1910, which had 3 Charles' living in the same family home. One was the head of household, aged 35, one labelled son, aged 6 months, and finally one labelled father, aged 64. The father's age put him about the same age as Aloyse, but his names Charles? 

The 1910 US Census showing the Gauquie Families living next to each other Jules' family is the first 3 lines then Charles Gauquie is the next grouping including last line of Charles Gauquie, father, aged 64. Credit

I didn't know what was going on, but started a file on this new Charles Gauquie and collected information. one of the bits of information was a will. Charles Gauquie passed away December 5, 1917 at St. Luke's Hospital, Newburgh, NY. Within these pages was a list of children. The children listed are: Charles, Fharille Holloway, and Jules. 

Charles Gauquie's will listing children about 1/2 down and Jules mentioned last sentence. Credit 

So not only is this person Jules' father, but Jules now has 2 siblings and I can start to connect the family up. 

What's also shocking is Aloyse/Charles makes it known he wants Jules, my great grandfather, to get nothing. 

Written within the will, his son Jules purposely omitted from getting anything. Credit

A Mistake? Or a Mixup?
After I found this out I then started to go through all the information I had on the Charles' in the family and separate it out. I was thinking this was a mistake and was another relative. I thought I had them all mixed and really messed up. 

I found there was a Charles who was registered in the poorhouse in 1916. Once again all the information matches what I had - age, Chester area, Belgium, amount of time in US, occupation, and parents name. This locks in this Charles WAS Aloyse. 

I asked my cousins who know a bit about the family's history about it. No one knew anything about him. I kept looking here and there because there was something I was missing, but I had huge chunks of time missing from him. 

New information comes to light - highlights my mistake that wasn't
One day I was checking my email and I had an email from a person looking for information on Gauquie's in Chester, NY. When I asked the person for more information, I got a shock. 

He said he has information of a Charles Gauquie was his 2x great grandfather. He was married to a Margaret and and a few children one of which was George Charles Gauquie, but he grew up knowing the name of Joseph, and with the last name of Wittman/Whittman. He asked if I knew anything of this and I didn't. I told him I believed him, due to gaps in my research, but we needed to see if we could join the information in paperwork. 

He said his father actually had to legally change his name to what he wanted it to be because according to the Social Security Administration he was still George Charles and couldn't get his pension until his name was changed legally. I asked for paperwork and he didn't have any. It took me awhile, but I eventually found it listed in the newspapers. 

Newspaper notice of change of name. Credit

The final notice of change of name becoming legal. Credit

This is how close Goshen and Chester NY are to one another. Credit: Google Earth

I finally found the 1910 census which linked a Charles, same year of birth, in the Goshen, NY area, which is close to Chester, NY.

He was married with a Margaret and lists children which just happened to match up with some of the ones I had found information for. There was a Charles, Margaret, Joseph, Caroline (suspect she was known as Carrie) and the other kids were known as S child or step child.

Cropped 1910 US Census showing the Gauquie family with step family. Credit

I was finally able to find Aloyse's son Charles' Obituary when he died in February 1952. He lists his father as Charles and born in Belgium. This puts even more weight with him being the same person.

Son Charles' obituary listing a Charles Gauquie as his father. Credit

Caroline(Carrie) and Ella's headstone. Credit

Filling in the Timeline
I sat down and made up a timeline using both of his names. George Charles, it was known he was called Joseph though, was born in 1899, which was right around the time my timeline stops. My new cousin gave me George's brother's name Frank John Gauquie born in 1905 which was still in the time where I had nothing. 

Then there's Ella.

In my earlier research I had come across a headstone for an Ella Gauquie who was born in 1902 and died 1907. The interesting part? Ella was buried with another girl called Carrie Wittman which would put them step sisters. This is on your right.

First I put everything I had down for Aloyius, or Aloyse. Then I started to add everything I had about the Charles person I suspected. Finally adding the census and my new cousin (the person had contacted me) information in. 

The evidence was stacking up with the connections. It's really uncanny on how the information fit like a key into its lock. The results are outstanding. Everything fits. See below.

Finally, what is really interesting is when Charles made out his will, he still did not mention Margaret, nor any of their children, in it. We do not know why he he had done this. I don't think it's a question anyone will ever be able to answer.

The Final Part
Sometimes things just fall into your lap and this is what happened next. My husband and I had done our DNA tests mainly to see what they'd come back with and where it would be tracked back to.

Imagine my shock when I checked my DNA matches, and the person who emailed me - my new cousin - comes up as a relation in the DNA list. It puts him down as a 3rd cousin which is about right but so many times removed.

Cousin Thomas' DNA against my DNA. Taken from my Family Tree DNA account.

I still cannot find why or where he changed his name officially. I'm now of the belief he changed it to make it sound more American. I'm not sure why he decided to do this when he did. I think he may have left Margaret, and all of their children and step children, because he might have fallen into bad times and couldn't support them. I think he left them, in hope people would be more likely to help her and the kids than with him being with her.

If you put all the information above together, I believe there is no doubt Aloysius Hyppolitus Gauquie is also Charles Gauquie there is just no paperwork to confirm it.