Alexander Todd, birth, 1870
Transcribed from digital image by Alexander Conrad

1870. Births in the District of Govan Church in the County of Lanark.

No. 740
Name and Surname: Alexander Todd
When and where born: 1870 August Sixth, [time indecipherable], 9 Albert Street, Govan
Sex: M
Name, Surname and Rank or Profession of Father: James Todd, Joiner[?], Journeyman[?]
Name and Maiden Surname of Mother: Elizabeth Todd, M.S. Martin
Date and Place of Marriage: 1861 September 9th, Newry, Ireland
Signature and Qualification of Informant: James Todd, Father, Present
When and Where Registered and Signature of Registrar: 1870 August 27th at Govan, Thomas S. Steel, Registrar [this section all very faded and difficult to read]

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Original Source Citation:
Govan, Lanark, Scotland, Statutory Birth Registers, p. 247, Alexander Todd, 1870; digital images, ScotlandsPeople (http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ : accessed 5 December 2012).

Susan Todd Conrad SS-5

U.S. Social Security Act
Application for Account Number

Name: Susan Lippencott Todd Conrad
Address: 2069 E. Clarence St., Phila., PA.

Present Employer: Klearspun Hosiery Co., “I” + Ontario Sts. Phila. PA.
Age at Last Birthday: 31
Date of Birth: Dec 27, 1904
Place of Birth: Phila. PA.
Father’s Full Name: John Alexander Todd
Mother’s Full Maiden Name: Olivia Rush Moore
Sex: Female
Color: White
Date Signed: Dec 3, 1936
Signed By: Susan Conrad

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Original Source Citation:
Susan Todd Conrad, 165-05-8985, 3 December 1936, Application for Account Numbers (Form SS-5), Social Security Administration, Baltimore, Maryland.

Click to see full image

Frank A. Todd Social Security Application for Account Number (SS5)
Transcribed by Alex J. Conrad from photocopy of original

Employee’s Name: Frank Alexander Todd
Business: Baldwin-Southwark Corp., Paschall Station, Philadelphia, Pa.
Age at last birthday: 43
Date of Birth: April 16, 1893
Place of Birth: Philadelphia, Pa.
Father’s Full Name: John Alexander Todd
Mother’s Full Maiden Name: Olivia Rush Moore
Sex: Male
Color: White
Date signed: December 3, 1936

John A. Todd Death Certificate
Transcribed by Alex J. Conrad from photocopy of original

Place of Death: 2075 E Tioga St, Phila., Philadelphia
Name of Deceased: John A. Todd, Sr.
Date of Death: 11/13/1953
Sex: Male
Color or Race: White
Married
Date of Birth: 8/6/1870
Age: 83
Usual Occupation: Machinist
Kind of Business or Industry: Retired
Birthplace: Scotland
Father’s Name: John Todd
Mother’s Name: No Record
Informant: James Todd, 4248 Griscom St [likely his son]
Burial date: 11/17/1953
Burial place: North Cedar Hill, Phila., PA

Original Source Citation:

Pennsylvania Department of Health, death certificate 101214 (1953), John A. Todd, Sr.; Division of Vital Records, New Castle.

This is part 2. See part 1.

Todds on Tioga Street in 1940

With enumeration district 51-1884 in hand, I went searching the 1940 census for my Todds. They were easy to find, showing up on the fourth image. Living with John and Olivia Todd were their son, John A. Todd, Jr. and their daughter Elizabeth Campbell, as well as Elizabeth’s daughter, Honor. I still don’t know who Mr. Campbell was. I had guessed she had been married to a Campbell from her SS-5, but have yet to find him. Great Aunt Bessie later married a Mr. Tilsner.

Emboldened by my success, I sat down to figure out where my Conrads might be in 1940. At first I was not sure, but then I remembered I had two documents that could help: my grandfather’s SS-5 from 1937 and his father’s death certificate from 1942. I knew from my father, born in 1937, that he had lived with his grandfather as a young child. I was in luck. Both listed the address of 2069 Clarence Street.

Off to Google maps, where I found something interesting. The Conrads lived right around the corner from the Todds:


View 1940 Census in a larger map

Now this isn’t unusual by any means, but it was interesting that I had not stumbled across this fact until now.

Conrads around the corner on Clarence

Conrads around the corner on Clarence continued

Another family found and I did not even need to figure out the enumeration district. Three images beyond the Todds, were the Conrads: Edward and Susan Conrad (John A. Todd’s son-in-law and daughter), their children Doris and Charles, and Edward’s father, Nicholas.

There are two improvements in my mind in 1940 for the census. One is the legibility factor. While I have still come across some poor handwriting, for the most part the letters are crafted in ways that are decipherable to me. We have finally reached modern style handwriting in full. The second is the x with a circle around it to indicate who answered the questions. This is a big help in determining how much credence we should put in those answers. Neighbor Bob might not be as reliable a source on the Smiths as Mrs. Smith would be.

Still, misinformation appears. My great-grandfather was born in Scotland. This is a well-known fact in the family. I was told this as a young child. Every census prior to this one listed his birthplace as Scotland. Certainly his daughter, who answered the questions according to the notation beside her name, knew this. And yet, this is what was recorded by the census taker:

John A. Todd, born in Pennsylvania?

The census provides loads of information and clues, but is by no means a stopping point in research. Reliability is not its strong suit.