Karen,
I'm impressed with your organization skills! I tend to work feverishly on
one thing, then jump to another. You've put things into an easy to follow
sequence.
I have also been considering the possibility that James (of Michigan) was a
son of Charles and brother to Henry and Deborah (age and birthplace suggest
that this is so). That would have been reason enough for Charles to move to
Michigan when Henry headed to Missouri. Your reconstruction of the sibling
relationships is the same as mine. I had never seen the Brookfield book and
think it is a marvelous find! If only Charles had lived until 1900 we might have
seen if his birthday was in July!
Maybe there is something we could find with a birthdate? What would be a
likely document? Do you think Charles left a will? That might mention Henry?
I also agree on the impossibility of our Charles being the Donner Party
Charles Cady. (Whew!) Everything I have read suggests a much younger man than our
fellow. Knowing that the census only happens every 10 years, and he might
have had the opportunity to hop over to California and back in between censuses
had me a little nervous. Where did you find the infamous Charles' birthdate?
Again, I just don't see this preponderance of evidence as "PROOF", but it
certainly takes us a good deal closer. Thanks for all your hard work and for
putting it together in such a well-organized way. We still can't say for
certain either that Charles L. Cady (Mass, 1791) is Henry's father OR Stoddard's
son, though I'm sure both are true.
I guess I need to start looking into New York records, beginning with
Florence, Oneida Co. I'm off in hot pursuit!
Brenda Humphrey
brendah99(a)aol.com