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

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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! ~ An Emergency U.S. Passport Application from 1907

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.

In my previous "Thanks for Traveling Frederick!" post, I mentioned a passport application filled out by my great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist." So, here it is! Frederick's passport application dated April 17, 1907.¹ He actually filled this out while he was in Mexico. The source citation states that this was an Emergency Passport Application (Issued Abroad). Hmmm. Interesting.



So, what information is contained in this passport application?

1. Frederick E. Webster stated he was a native and loyal citizen of the United States.
2. Frederick applied to the Consul at Guaymas, Mexico for a passport for himself. (Guaymas is located in the southwestern part of the Mexican state of Sonora. Why was Frederick there?)
3. Frederick was born in Athens, Ohio. (His birthplace is Coolville, Athens, Ohio.)
4. Frederick was born on February 14, 1870. (That's weird. His actual birthdate is February 14, 1864. So, why did he say he was born in 1870?)
5. Frederick stated that his father was a native born citizen of the United States.
6. Frederick stated that his permanent residence in the United States was El Paso, Texas. (Hmm. Why was he living in El Paso, Texas?)
7. Frederick's occupation was listed as a dentist. (No surprise here.)
8. Frederick stated that he left the United States on January 19, 1907.
9. He also stated that he was temporarily living in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.
10. Frederick stated that he intended to return to the United States within eighteen months.
11. Frederick stated that he desired the passport for the purpose of traveling in South America. (This is an interesting tidbit of information. Frederick eventually ended up living in Brazil and passed away there in 1946. My grandfather Debs, who was Frederick's son, and my mother were born in Brazil.)
12. Hurray! Frederick's signature is on the document.
13. Hurray again! We get a description of the applicant (Frederick).
14. Description of Frederick E. Webster
1. Age: 37 years old
2. Stature: 5 feet 5 inches tall
3. Forehead: Very high (bald)
4. Eyes: Blue
5. Nose: Medium
6. Mouth: Large
7. Chin: Medium
8. Hair: Brown
9. Complexion: Light
10. Face: Full
15. Identifying Witness for Frederick Webster – R. M. Black from Little Rock, Arkansas (Hmm. I wonder how Frederick knew this man. Did Frederick ever travel or live in Little Rock, Arkansas? Actually, I know Frederick was in Clarendon, Arkansas in 1899. And that's not too far from Little Rock. Frederick was awarded a patent in 1899. In this patent it states that Frederick was from Clarendon, Arkansas. If you'd like to see this patent, I shared it in a blog post. You can read about it by clicking HERE. It's pretty cool. And yes, it has to do with dentistry. And there are sketches of his invention included too.)

As you can see, this emergency passport application contains a wealth of interesting information. I sure am glad my great-grandpa Frederick traveled as much as he did. Doing so has created a great paper trail for me to follow. Thanks for traveling Frederick!

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

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1 Source Citation: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Emergency Passport Applications (Issued Abroad), 1877-1907; Collection Number: ARC Identifier 1187503 / MLR Number A1 515; NARA Series: M1834; Roll #: 21; Volume #: 35. Source Information: Ancestry.com. U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.^↩

Thanks for Traveling Frederick! ~ Esther Travels Again

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.

Esther (Matus Villatoro) Webster

This is my maternal great-grandmother, Esther Matus Villatoro. She was married to my "Traveling Dentist" great-grandfather, Watson (Frederick) Emory Webster.

The last time I shared a travel-related document about Esther with you, she was traveling with her one-year-old daughter, Carlota. They were listed on a passenger list dated October 19, 1911.

The passenger list¹ I'm sharing with you today is dated late January - February of 1913. As of this date, Esther was the mother of two young daughters, Carlota and Edna. And these two daughters were Esther's traveling companions on the S.S. Voltaire sailing from Santos, Brazil to the Port of New York.



Here's a cropped portion of the passenger list.



What information can we glean from this passenger list?

1. Esther, Carlota, and Edna sailed on the S.S. Voltaire
2. Port of departure – Santos, Brazil
3. Date of departure – January 29, 1913
4. Port of arrival – New York, United States
5. Date of arrival – February, 1913
6. Esther's age – 19
7. Esther's sex – Female
8. Esther's marital status – Married
9. Esther's place and date of birth – El Paso, Texas in 1893 (This is incorrect. She was born in Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico. At the end of this line under the column heading "Address In United States" the correct place of birth is listed for Esther. Perhaps there was some miscommunication here. I also see another bit of incorrect information listed on this line. See the words "Husband born in Chicago, Ill." in parentheses? That is also incorrect. Frederick was born in Coolville, Athens, Ohio.)
10. Under the column heading "Address In United States," El Paso, Texas is listed in parentheses. I'm wondering if that's where they were headed to meet their husband and father, Frederick Webster, a.k.a. "The Traveling Dentist."
11. Carlota's age – 1
12. Carlota's sex – Female
13. Carlota's marital status – Single
14. Carlota's place and date of birth – It looks like US is crossed out and the correct place and date of birth are in the next column listed as Arriaga, Mexico in 1911. Also notice that in parentheses it says "Daughter of USC." I think it's safe to assume that USC stands for U.S. Citizen, not University of Southern California. Haha!
15. Edna's age – 3 months
16. Edna's sex – Female
17. Edna's marital status – Single
18. Edna's place and date of birth – Again, the correct information is listed in the next column over. She wasn't born in Mexico like her sister Carlota. Edna was born in Santos, Brazil in 1912.

As you can see from looking at the information in this document, it contained some errors. If I had only relied on this one document in my research, I would have recorded inaccurate information in my family tree. It's really important to find all the documents we can when researching our ancestors so that we can make sure the information we have for our ancestors is as accurate as possible.

It's interesting that El Paso, Texas is listed on this passenger list. I think it's quite possible that Frederick was, in fact, in El Paso, Texas and that Esther, Carlota, and Edna were meeting him there. In a passport application for Frederick dated April 17, 1907, he stated that his permanent residence at that time was El Paso, Texas. Perhaps he had ties there and returned in 1913.

I find it amazing that Esther, as a young mother, was traveling alone with two very young children. She must have had her hands full on that ship all by herself. And if she was continuing on to El Paso, Texas, she still had about 2,000 miles yet to travel with her two young daughters.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

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1 Source Citation: Year: 1913; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: 2016; Line: 1; Page Number: 142. Source Information: Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.^↩

Thanks for Traveling Frederick! – It's Esther's Turn to Travel

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.

The Webster Family
L to R - Frederick, Carlota, Edna, Esther

I wonder if Esther (Matus Villatoro) Webster, would have traveled as much as she did during her life if her husband, Frederick, a.k.a "The Traveling Dentist," hadn't traveled as much as he did. I've decided to include the travels of Frederick's wife and children as part of this series of posts called "Thanks for Traveling Frederick!"

Today I'm sharing a passenger list¹ from October 19, 1911 showing Esther and her daughter Carlota traveling alone. Where was Frederick? Was he already in the United States? Were Esther and Carlota traveling to meet him? I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. I wonder how Esther felt traveling by herself with a one year old child.



According to this passenger list, Esther and Carlota sailed on the S.S. Morro Castle. I found a picture of this ship. I think it's fascinating to see what this ship looked like.

S.S. Morro Castle ~ Wikimedia Commons
No Copyright

What can we glean from the passenger list (above)?

1. Esther and Carlota sailed on the S.S. Morro Castle
2. Port of Departure – Veracruz, Mexico
3. Date of Departure – October 19, 1911
4. On line 2 we see Carlota Webster listed.  She was Frederick and Esther's oldest child.
5. Carlota's Age was 1
6. Carlota's Nationality – United States citizen
7. On line 3 we see Esther Webster listed.
8. Esther's age was 20
9. Esther was married
10. Esther's Nationality – United States citizen
11. Esther's Race – Mexican

I think it's interesting that Esther's nationality (Country of which citizen or subject) was first listed as Mexico.  Then that was crossed out and U.S. was written over Mexico.  Also, in the column of Race for Esther, Mexican was crossed out and U.S. was written in.

Was Esther's nationality (Country of which citizen or subject) changed from Mexico to U.S. because she automatically became a U.S. citizen when she married Frederick Webster in 1910? I found the following information helpful regarding Esther and her citizenship status.

In the article Seven Keys to Understanding Naturalization Records at Ancestry.com,² the following is stated:

'"Derivative" citizenship was granted to wives and minor children of naturalized men. From 1790 to 1922, wives of naturalized men automatically became citizens. This also meant that an alien woman who married a U.S. citizen automatically became a citizen.'

In a separate article, I found the following regarding marriage and citizenship of alien women. Marian L. Smith stated in her article "Any woman who is now or may hereafter be married . . ." Women and Naturalization, ca. 1802-1940 at Archives.gov:³

"In other cases, the immigrant woman suddenly became a citizen when she and her U.S. citizen fiance were declared "man and wife." In this case her proof of citizenship was a combination of two documents: the marriage certificate and her husband's birth record or naturalization certificate. If such an alien woman also had minor alien children, they, too, derived U.S. citizenship from the marriage. As minors, they instantly derived citizenship from the "naturalization-by-marriage" of their mother. If the marriage took place abroad, the new wife and her children could enter the United States for the first time as citizens."

This wasn't the only time I found Esther on a passenger list. I'll be sharing more documents from Esther's travels in future posts.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

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1 Source Citation: Year: 1911; ; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: T715_1763; Line: 3; ; Page Number: 180. Source Information: Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. ^↩
2 "Seven Keys to Understanding Naturalization Records." Ancestry.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.^↩
3 Smith, Marian L. "Prologue: Selected Articles." Prologue: Selected Articles. National Archives, Summer 1998. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.^↩

Thanks for Traveling Frederick! – A September 1913 Passenger List

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.

S.S. Verdi Passenger List
for September, 1913
See Footnote

There he is on line 1…Frederick E. Webster, my "Traveling Dentist" great-grandfather. Where was he going this time? And why was he traveling again? In two previous posts I shared the U.S. Consular Registration Applications for the years 1917 and 1923. They were full of interesting information. They even provided the answer to why Frederick was traveling during those years.

Unfortunately, this passenger list¹ (above) doesn't give an answer to why Frederick was traveling in September of 1913. Perhaps the reason he was traveling again was to practice dentistry. That's what he stated as the purpose for his travels in both of the U.S. Consular Registration Applications.

So, what information can we glean from this passenger list?

• We already know his name, but there it is as Frederick E. Webster
• He left Santos, Brazil on September 8, 2013
• He sailed on the S.S. Verdi
• He arrived at the Port of New York on September 28, 1913
• Age – 43
• Married or Single – Married
• Date and place of birth – Athens, Ohio, February 14, 1870 (Actually his birth date was February 14, 1864. I don't know why this passenger list states his age as 43 and year of birth as 1870.)
• Address in the United States – Brooklyn, New York

I have some questions:

• Why was Frederick traveling alone?
• Where were his wife, Esther and children Carlota and Edna Lillie?
• Why was his address in the United States listed as Brooklyn, New York?
• Did he know someone there?
• Did he travel from Brooklyn to some other destination in the United States? If so, where?

Unfortunately, I may never know the answers to these questions. What I do know is that my great-grandfather, Frederick Webster, traveled a lot during his life.  And it turns out he wasn't the only member of his family who traveled.

In my next "Thanks for Traveling Frederick!" post I'll be sharing a passenger list which contains the names of two of Frederick's close family members.

Thanks for reading!

Jana

© 2013 Copyright by Jana Last

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1 National Archives, "New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957," digital image, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com: accessed April 15, 2013), National Archives Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls); Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36; National Archives, Washington, D.C.;Year: 1913; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715; Microfilm Roll: 2187; Frederick E. Webster, Line: 1; Page Number: 122.^↩

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

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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

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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.