[or-roots] missing Marks family

[MMDSchwartz at cs.com]

Kevin,

Thank-you so much for the WONDERFUL census information you found.  I 
appreciate it a lot.

You are correct, I guess I didn't do a very good search.  But, I like to 
think I'm an excellent speller!  Does that count for anything?  :)

Now, I'm apparently not as good at conveying my intent as I am at spelling.  
So, I lose points on that.

In my original post, I said I couldn't find the Marks family on a census.  My 
focus in that statement was supposed to be the nuclear family of James P. 
Marks and son George Alfred Marks, TOGETHER on a census list, in order to 
document parentage.  By my calculations, the only census existing where the two 
should be in the same household is the 1880 census.  That census is on-line. (Oh, 
no, or is it spelled "online"?  Or maybe "on line"?  I have a spelling crisis 
here.  I hope you all forgive me!)  Anyway, I did run their names through that 
census and didn't come up with anything.  So, my intent was to find out what 
other ways one might document parentage.  But, Walt seems to think the pioneer 
certificate people will believe me, so I'm in!

In your response, you commented that James P. Marks "liked his 
girlfriends/wives on the young side."  He was 27 when he married Charity Noble, and she was 
17.  He was 31 when he married Margaret Hedgpeth, and she was 19.  Wasn't it 
pretty typical of the time for girls to marry in their late teens?  It seems to 
me I've read that brides were pretty hard to find in Oregon, so in general 
girls were courted while very young.  I would be interested to know ages of 
other pioneer young people when they wed.  Would anyone else care to share 
observations? 

Again, thank-you, Kevin, for all the valuable census information.  You are a 
whiz!  You did provide information I didn't have, and it led to a question or 
two.  Notably a discrepancy arises in George's birth year.  This is important, 
because his parents were married in November of 1873, and we thought George 
was born in October of 1874.  Your info says he was born in 1875.  Charity died 
in childbirth in October of 1875 in a snowstorm at the top of Santiam Pass.  
She is buried there, and her grave marker says her infant is buried with her.  
Hmm.  A new puzzle.  Was George a twin?  Is there actually no baby buried 
there?  Or is George's actual birth year 1874?

Merry Christmas to all!

Marilyn
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