Digging Through Name Changes: The Challenge of Dealing with Aliases in Genealogy Research

*shared with client permission

What's in a name? Plenty, when you're dealing with name changes in genealogy research! We share how to overcome the obstacle of aliases in your family history research!

A fascinating recent project for Legacy Tree Genealogists involved a search for the parents of William Thomas Rowe, born about 1855, probably in Baltimore, Maryland, who married Susan Cecelia O’Hagen and died in 1894 in Washington, DC. The client provided the information that William was a bricklayer, and she had found him in city directories of Washington, DC, living at 103 K Street NW (1879–1881), at 1124 N. Capital Street (1884, 1885, 1887), and at 1122 N. Capital Street (1887, 1888, 1891). William T. Rowe’s death certificate showed he died 10 September 1894 at 1122 N. Capital Street in Washington, DC.^[1] The client also referred to a possible match in the 1860 census of Washington, DC, for five-year-old William Rowe and three-year-old Mary Rowe in the household of John Schinners [sic], age 68, a fruit dealer, and Margaret Schinners, age 27, a dressmaker.^[2]

A quick review of the entries in the city directories for Washington, DC, showed that Frank W. Rowe, laborer; Margaret A. Rowe, dressmaker; and William T. Rowe, bricklayer, all lived at 1124 N. Capital in 1891.^[3] In 1893, Margaret Rowe, dressmaker, was the only Rowe inhabitant of the house at 1124 N. Capital.^[4] In 1898 and 1900, Margaret Rowe, widow of Frank, dressmaker, lived at 1122 N. Capital.^[5] The fact Margaret Shinners was a dressmaker in 1860 and Margaret Rowe, dressmaker, shared a home with the client’s ancestor, William T. Rowe, in 1891, pointed to the probability that Margaret was his mother. But how was Frank W. Rowe related? There were no entries for Frank Rowe in Washington, DC, death records between 1891 and 1898, when Margaret was listed as his widow.

Resolving Conflicting Information in Genealogy Research

Further research helped solve this discrepancy. Margaret A. Roue [sic] married Franklin VanValkenberg on 19 August 1863 in Washington, DC.^[6] On the 1870 census in Washington, DC, the Frank and Margaret VanValkenburg [sic] household included fifteen-year-old William R. [sic] Roe [sic] and thirteen-year-old Elizabeth Roe, both born in Maryland.^[7]

Elizabeth’s age corresponded to Mary Rowe’s age on the 1860 census, though Margaret VanValkenberg would have been about 37, based on her age in 1860. William Rowe’s middle initial should have been T rather than R, but VanValkenberg is an unusual surname, so both these documents appeared to support the theory that Margaret Shinners first married a Rowe, bore two children, and subsequently married Frank VanValkenberg, who for some reason was called Frank W. Rowe in the 1891 city directory for the District of Columbia. In 1890, Frank VanValkenberg, laborer, lived at 1122 N. Capital, adding more evidence that he was “Frank Rowe” from the 1891 directory.^[8]

Using Military Records to Solve a Family History Mystery

Frank VanValkenberg, alias Charles Duane, fought with Company K of the Eleventh Connecticut Infantry and Company K of the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry during the Civil War.^[9] Margaret A. VanValkenberg filed for her widow’s pension on 19 August 1893 in the District of Columbia. The file included a transcript of the death certificate for “Francis VanValkenburg,” age 59, who died 15 December 1892 at 1122 N. Capital Street in Washington, DC. He was born in New York; had lived in Washington, DC, for thirty years; and was buried in Arlington Cemetery.^[10]

As noted on the reference to Margaret’s application for her widow’s pension, Frank VanValkenberg was also known as Charles Duane. Frank Rowe was not the first alias for this man! In fact, two men who had known the deceased soldier in New York before the Civil War testified that Frank’s real name was Charles Duane McChesney. Rufus Hewes recalled that McChesney had been arrested for breaking into a store and for passing counterfeit money and was sentenced to prison in Auburn, New York. Before his fifteen-year sentence had elapsed, McChesney escaped and went to Pennsylvania, where he assumed the name Frank VanValkenberg. He enlisted in the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry and was reportedly wounded at Gettysburg in 1863. Frank VanValkenberg came to Washington, DC, and married Margaret (Shinners) Rowe in August 1863. In 1864, he told her that he was leaving town for work. He then joined the Eleventh Connecticut Infantry under the alias Charles Duane. Rufus Hewes stated in his deposition that he believed Margaret VanValkenberg had no knowledge of her second husband’s real name or his background.

Margaret VanValkenberg, age 58, died 10 June 1900 and was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, DC.^[11] She shares a monument engraved on the other three sides with the names John G. Shinners, who died 4 October 1864 at the age of 75; Mary Jane Shinners, who died 21 February 1859 at the age of 56; and Mary Jane Wells, who died 25 March 1916 at the age of 82.[12] They were almost certainly the parents and sister of Margaret (Shinners) Rowe VanValkenberg.

Overcoming Name Changes in Genealogy Research

Stripping away layers of alternate names was vital to researching William Thomas Rowe. His mother’s name was listed as Margaret Schinners in 1860 in her father’s household, when she should have gone by her married surname of Rowe. Her last name was spelled Roue in her marriage record to Frank VanValkenberg in 1863. William R. Roe—not William T. Rowe—was in the Frank and Margaret VanValkenburg household in 1870, and his sister Mary in 1860 was now called Elizabeth. Despite being married to a VanValkenberg, Margaret was Margaret Rowe in city directories of Washington, DC, between 1891 and 1900, and Frank VanValkenberg went by the name Frank W. Rowe in the 1891 city directory. Margaret VanValkenberg’s application for a widow’s pension based on her husband’s service in the Civil War uncovered the fact that he also went by the name Charles Duane, and that his real name was Charles Duane McChesney.

Completing this project and identifying the mother of William Thomas Rowe has brought immense satisfaction to both the client and the research team. Persistence pays off when it comes to uncovering aliases!

Do you have a family history mystery? Whether it involves the use of aliases or an entirely different type of genealogy “brick wall”, our team of expert genealogists can help you solve the mystery and accomplish your research goals! Contact us today to request a free estimate.

[1] District of Columbia Deaths, 1874–1961 (image and transcription), death certificate for William T. Rowe, 10 September 1894, http://familysearch.org, accessed January 2018.

[2] 1860 U.S. Census (population schedule), Washington, District of Columbia, p. 128, John Schinners household, http://familysearch.org, accessed January 2018.

[3] Washington, D.C. City Directory, 1891 (image), p. 808, http://familysearch.org, accessed January 2018.

[4] U.S. City Directories, 1822–1995, Washington, District of Columbia, 1893 (image), pp. 805–06, http://ancestry.com, subscription database, accessed January 2018.

[5] U.S. City Directories, 1822–1995, Washington, District of Columbia, 1898 (image), p. 830, http://ancestry.com, subscription database, accessed January 2018. And

U.S. City Directories, 1822–1995, Washington, District of Columbia, 1900 (image), p. 858, http://ancestry.com, subscription database, accessed January 2018.

[6] District of Columbia Marriages, 1811–1950 (image and transcription), marriage of Franklin VanValkenberg and Margaret A. Roue, 19 August 1863, http://familysearch.org, accessed January 2018.

[7] 1870 U.S. Census (population schedule), 4th Ward, District of Columbia, p. 120, Frank VanValkenburg household, http://ancestry.com, subscription database, accessed January 2018.

[8] Washington, D.C. City Directory, 1890 (image), p. 871, Frank VanValkenberg, 1122 N. Capitol, http://fold3.com, subscription database, accessed January 2018.

[9] United States General Index to Pension Files, 1861–1934 (image), card for Frank VanValkenberg, alias Charles Duane, widow’s pension application no. 581674, 19 August 1893, District of Columbia, http//familsyearch.org, accessed January 2018.

[10] Health Department, District of Columbia (transcript), death certificate for Francis VanValkenburg, 15 December 1892, certificate no. 87632, National Archives, Record Group 15 (Department of Veterans Affairs), widow’s pension, application no. 581674, item 27 in the file.

[11] Find a Grave (image and transcription), Mount Olivet Cemetery, Washington, District of Columbia, headstone and memorial for Margaret Van Valkenberg, died 10 June 1900, memorial no. 180200794, http://findagrave.com, accessed January 2018.

[12] Find a Grave (image and transcription), Mount Olivet Cemetery, Washington, District of Columbia, headstone and memorial for John G. Shinners, died 4 October 1864, memorial no. 180200722, http://findagrave.com, accessed January 2018.

Find a Grave (image and transcription), Mount Olivet Cemetery, Washington, District of Columbia, headstone and memorial for Mary Jane Shinners headstone, died 21 February 1859, memorial no. 180200624, http://findagrave.com, accessed January 2018.

Find a Grave (image and transcription), Mount Olivet Cemetery, Washington, District of Columbia, headstone and memorial for Mary Jane Wells headstone, died 25 March 1916, memorial no. 175664856, http://findagrave.com, accessed January 2018.