Lesson Learned. Always Check for Additional Pages

I've been working on a timeline in Excel about my maternal great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist" here on my blog.

While doing some research for this timeline, I took another look at a document I shared in a previous post back in 2013. It's a U.S. Consular Registration Application from 1917 for Frederick.¹ I was looking at it on Ancestry and clicked on the little arrow on the right side and there was a second page to this application! Not only that, it turns out that there was a third and fourth page too! I had only downloaded the first page to my computer years ago. Now these additional pages have been downloaded to my computer as well.

This second page contains some interesting information.

Information gleaned from this second page:

Name of witness: J. C. Terry

Address of witness: Curitiba, Parana

Date: 29 August 1917

Identifying documents: Previous registration

Name of person to notify in the event of death or disability: Rollin W. Webster

Address of person to notify in the event of death or disability: Chicago, Illinois

Additional data: I own land at Ironton, Missouri

Addresses supplied by Frederick for investigation:

Dr. F. S. Webster

Clinton, Missouri

Rollin W. Webster

525 E. 37th Street

Chicago, Illinois

Rollin W. Webster and Dr. F. S. Webster were Frederick's brothers. F. S. stands for Frank Summers. He was also a dentist. A very interesting bit of information on this page is that Frederick stated he owned land in Ironton, Missouri. Wow! I wonder if I can find some land records about his property.

Here's the third page of Frederick's application.

This is an affidavit in which the applicant had to explain the reason for their "protracted foreign residence" etc.

Information gleaned from this third page:

Date Frederick ceased to reside in the United States: On or about 20 October 1911

Places Frederick lived temporarily since that date: Various places in Brazil

When Frederick arrived in Curitiba, Brazil: About 1915

Reasons for such residence: Frederick said, "I have built up a profitable practice in dentistry which I cannot abandon to return to the United States to start in anew at this time and I expect to return at such time as I retire from practice."

Since establishing a residence abroad Frederick made how many visits to the USA: None

Frederick stated he never was naturalized, took an oath of allegiance, or voted as a foreign citizen or subject.

Frederick maintained the following ties to family, business, and property with the United States: "8 tracts of land near Ironton, Missouri on which I pay taxes. Also have two brothers and a sister living in the United States."

Did Frederick pay the American Income Tax?: Frederick said he did not and said, "My income is below legal minimum."

When did Frederick intend to return to the United States permanently?: Frederick answered within four years or when "I retire from practice."

Frederick last registered at the American Consular Office: At Santos, Brazil in about 1915.

There's so much information on this page. It's great to know the reason Frederick stayed abroad. It looks like he was doing pretty well with his dental practice. On the second page of this application he mentioned he owned land at Ironton, Missouri. On this third page he gave more specific information about that land. He said he owned eight tracts of land near Ironton. He also said he paid taxes on that land. These bits of information could lead to further research in land records and tax records, right? 

Frederick also mentioned he had two brothers and a sister living in the United States. His two brothers were those mentioned on the second page. Frederick had three sisters, but only one living at the time of this application. The surviving sister was Lura Elizabeth Webster. The two sisters who had already passed away were Mary Alice Webster and Lillian Dell Webster.

Frederick said he intended to return to the United States permanently within four years or when he retired. I don't know that that ever happened. He moved and traveled so much. I'd have to do more research to find out if he established a permanent residence in the USA at some point after this application. Frederick ultimately passed away in Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil on 21 July 1946 and is buried in the Araca Cemetery in Sao Paulo.

Frederick stated that he had registered at the American Consular Office at Santos, Brazil around 1915, which is true. He also registered at the American Consular Office in Mexico City, Mexico in 1923.

The fourth page of Frederick's application is titled "Opinion of Officer Taking Affidavit" and contains a paragraph written by the officer. I won't include that here in this blog post.

The information within this U.S. Consular Registration Application is fascinating. I'm so glad I clicked those little arrows to see if there were additional pages in Frederick's application!

Now I need to go back to the other U.S. Consular Registration Applications for Frederick to see if I missed any additional pages in those.

Lesson learned. Always check for additional pages.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2020 Copyright by Jana Iverson Last, All Rights Reserved

---

1 “U.S., Consular Registration Applications, 1916-1925,” database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 July 2020), Frederick Emory Webster.^↩

Thanks for Traveling Frederick!–Another U.S. Consular Registration Application ~ 1923

This is part of a series of posts in which I share the documents relating to the travels of Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster and his family.

U.S. Consular Registration Applications
1916-1925 from Ancestry.com (see Footnote)
Frederick Emory Webster 1923

In my last "Thanks for Traveling Frederick!" post, I shared a U.S. Consular Registration Application from 1917.  I also mentioned how beneficial it is to have an ancestor who liked to travel.  The paper trail left behind can be invaluable.

The travel-related document I'm sharing with you today is another U.S. Consular Registration Application,¹ only this one is from 1923.  Just like the 1917 application, this document is full of interesting and valuable genealogical information.

Here's a list of the information contained in this document:

• Frederick's full name
• Frederick's place and date of birth
• Frederick's father's name and place of birth
• Date Frederick left the United States – April 15, 1922 (new information)
• Frederick arrived at Irapuato, Mexico on August 15, 1922 and he and his children were residing there at the time this document was filled out (new information)
• Frederick's purpose for living in Irapuato, Mexico was to practice dentistry (new information)
• Timeline additions for Frederick – Mexico from 1902 to 1911, Brazil from 1911 to 1921, and Mexico from 1922 to date document was filled out in 1923 (new information)
• Frederick's legal residence was Brinkley, Arkansas (this would explain the photo of him and his children at a dental office in Brinkley, Arkansas) (new information)
• Frederick intended to return to the United States within one year or when business permitted (new information)
• Frederick did not pay American Income Tax because his total annual income was insufficient (new information)
• Frederick applied for registration at the Consulate in Santos, Brazil (I think that's the one I already have from 1917)
• Frederick's wife, Esther, was deceased at the time this application was filled out
• Esther's place of birth is listed
• Only three of Fred and Esther's five children are listed in this application (little Eugene Rollin is no longer listed.  I believe he and his younger sister Alice passed away before 1923.)
• Bonus again – Frederick's signature
• Frederick's age and physical description

As you can see, this document is full of amazing genealogical gold nuggets.  So, remember to check travel-related documents for your ancestors.  You never know what you may find.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

---

1 Ancestry.com. U.S., Consular Registration Applications, 1916-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: Department of State, Division of Passport Control Consular Registration Applications^↩

Thanks for Traveling Frederick! - U.S. Consular Registration Application ~ 1917

This is part of a series of posts in which I share the documents relating to the travels of Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster and his family.

My Great-grandfather, Frederick Emory Webster, traveled a great deal during his life.  He didn't stay in one place long enough to be listed in all of the U.S. Censuses.  In fact, I've only found him listed in three census records.

But, there can be benefits to having an ancestor who liked to travel.  Especially if they traveled in and out of the country, like Frederick did.

One of the benefits of ancestors who traveled is the possibility that they left a paper trail behind them.  I recently discovered this document on Ancestry.com.  It's a United States Consular Registration Application.¹  This application is for my "Traveling Dentist" Great-Grandpa, Frederick Emory Webster.  Because Frederick traveled so much in his life, I've been able to find other documents related to his many travels such as a passport application and passenger lists.  I plan on sharing these other documents in future posts.

After thoroughly looking at the details and information in this document, I was able to glean the following interesting and important genealogical information.

• Frederick's full name
• Frederick's date and place of birth
• Frederick's father's name and place of birth
• Date Frederick left United States – October 20, 1911 (new information)
• Arrived at Curitiba, Brazil around 1915 and he and his family were residing there at time this document was filled out (new information)
• The purpose for living in Curitiba was to practice dentistry (new information)
• Legal domicile was Ironton, Missouri and permanent residence was the same at time this document was filled out (new information)
• Frederick applied for registration at the Consulate in Santos, Brazil about 1915 (need to check for that document too) (new information)
• Wife's name, birthdate and birthplace are listed
• Timeline additions for Frederick's whereabouts from 1907 to 1917 (new information)
• Names, birthplaces, birthdates and present residence of his children
• Middle name and birthdate of oldest daughter, Carlota (new information)
• Middle name and birthdate of Eugene Rollin (new information)
• Physical description of Frederick
• Added bonus – Frederick's Signature

So, if you have an ancestor who traveled a lot (or even a little), make sure you search for any and all documents related to their travels.  Even if you don't know if one of your ancestors traveled, it's worth checking for travel-related documents, just in case.  You may be surprised at what you find.

I had no idea Frederick had registered at the US Consulate in Brazil.  What a find!  Thanks for traveling Great-Grandpa Frederick!  I love the paper trail you've left behind.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

---

1 "U.S., Consular Registration Applications, 1916-1925," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 December 2012), Frederick Emory Webster, 29 August 1917, no. 10239; citing Department of State, Division of Passport Control Consular Registration Applications, roll #32734_620305173_0258.