Today I will provide my first general review of the data collected for Henry Isaac or Isaac Henry Kanistanaux. I need to assess what is known and what is missing for this family member. This will assist me in planning my next phase of research.
I have collected a reasonable amount of data for Henry. I have his exact death date and location from his obituary, so my priority will be to get the actual death record.
He was called Henry in the 1875 and 1880 Census, but once he was living on his own he used Isaac H. as his given and middle name. I will continue to call him Henry to differentiate him from Isaac J. Kiness/Kanistanaux in discussions.
Henry has at least two and possibly three wives but does not appear to have any children. I should locate his marriage records because each one may have the names of his parents and his birth date and location. I don’t have much information about the years of marriage, but I can make educated guesses.
He is with his presumed parents in the 1880 census and with spouse, Christina, in 1892. He is living in Ellicott this year. I will look in Stockton and then Ellicott for their marriage record. If that fails, I will expand to other nearby towns in the county then outward as time and money allow.
Henry is with Anna Belle in the 1905 & 1910 Census. Census information suggests they were married about 1903 and she is his 3rd wife. They are in Pomfret both years. I should look for their marriage record in Pomfret first and then in Ellicott.
Once I know the maiden names of these two wives, I can attempt to determine if they died or divorced. Armed with that information I might be able to figure out when the unknown marriage may have taken place.
The 1900 Census is the only one I could not find him in. It may help me to determine more about the possible 3rd marriage, but I don’t expect to learn much else, so finding this census will not be a priority for me at this time.
He shows up In Pomfret in 1905 after the elder Leonette was there in 1900 and about the time she disappears. I see no evidence either of them owned property there, so it may be just a co-incidence. Still, something to keep in mind. Did he go to Pomfret to live with or work for Leonette Dodge?
Census records are consistent about his birth place being Canada, with Quebec specified twice. In 1910 he says he immigrated to the US in 1860 which is the probable year of his birth. This is the exact same year sister Carrie provided to the census taker this census year. Neither of them are old enough to actually remember this first-hand, so perhaps they have recently had a conversation with an older family member about the subject (or perhaps they just made it up!).
This is interesting. In 1905 Henry is listed as being 1/4 Indian. This seems rather specific and makes me wonder if the census taker made this judgment or if Henry was that specific in his answer. If this comes from Henry, it suggests he had a non-Native father and a 1/2 Native mother. This seems to be a correct statement for Marleah (Eli Moulton was white and Catherine was Native), if Marleah is his mother. This may be a clue about the true identity of Henry’s father.
The above chart shows that Marleah and Isaac are the only candidates for parents of Henry in the existing family group. I can’t help but notice that Henry Isaac Kanistanaux could be named after Isaac! I should not speculate too much. With luck, Henry’s death and marriage records will provide useful information on the topic of parents and birth locations.
Top Priority To-Do List
Stockton, Chautauqua Co., NY
- Marriage Record to Christiana
Ellicott, Chautauqua Co., NY
- Marriage Record to Christiana
- Marriage Record to Anna Belle
Pomfret, Chautauqua Co., NY
Death Record 21-Apr-1920- Marriage Record to Anna Belle
Future To-Do List
Unknown Locations
- birth record
- Additional census
Chautauqua Co., NY
- Marriage records
See the Kanistanaux Home Page for more.
Do you have any information to add or questions?
Please leave a comment.
The Ne-Do-Ba Research Journal 