Howard Foster Glover name research

In going back over my family records, as part of the Genealogy Do Over, I discovered that I had many missing documents.  One of the first documents I ordered was Howie’s father’s birth certificate.  I really didn’t expect to learn anything as we pretty much knew when and where he was born and his parent’s names, but just to complete the research I ordered the birth certificate from the Monroe County Office of Vital Records in Rochester, New York.  I was slightly disappointed to learn that they only sent me a transcript of the birth record and not a copy of the original record, for my $22.00  *sigh*

The record confirmed what was already known: Howard’s full name, date and city of birth, as well as his parent’s names,  birthplace (New York), and ages. There were, however;  a few new pieces of information. The doctor was listed as, “Medical Attendant: C.A. Vanderbeek, M.D.”  Checking the Rochester City Directory for 1904 revealed the doctor’s full name and address: Charles A. VanderBeek, living at 44 Gibbs, Rochester. 

Howard’s place of birth was listed as 122 Emerson Street, Rochester, New York.  His parents were living at 172 Emerson Street, Rochester. A quick check using Google Maps revealed that the 2 addresses were located within the same block (neither house exists today).  Further research in the Rochester City Directory showed that 122 Emerson Street was a residence and not a medical facility.  So, it appears that Dr. Vanderbeek made a house delivery, not uncommon in the early 1900s.

At first thought it seemed that an error might have been made on the birth record.  122 Emerson and 172 Emerson are only different in the middle digit.  Either the error was made on the original document or on the transcript provide by the Monroe County Office of Vital Records.

172 Emerson Street  (left side of street) is no doubt correct as the family address.  The Rochester City Directories for each year starting in 1898 and ending in 1904 and the 1900 Federal  Population Census places the Frank J. Glover family at 172 Emerson St. The 1905 Rochester City Directory states that Frank J. Glover “remd to Nunda”. The family is not found on the 1905 New York State census in Rochester, or anywhere else.  However the 1905 NY state census records for Livingston County New York, where Nunda is located, are not available.

The 1905 New York State census reveals that Herman N. Howard age 32, his wife Josephine and 2 year old son Herman Jr. were living at 122 Emerson Street, (right side of street) Rochester New York address, on 1 June 1905. Since we do not know when the data for the 1905 issue was obtained it is possible and even probable that the Herman N. Howard family was living at 122 Emerson at the time of Howard F. Glover's birth on 4 October 1904.   The  city directories have the family living at 44 Emerson in 1903 and 1904, and at 122 Emerson St in 1905   Interestingly, 122 Emerson St. doesn't appear on either the 1901-1902 or the 1903-1904 street directories.

The connection between the Herman N. Howard family at 122 Emerson St and Howard F. Glover's birth at that same address is a tantalizing clue only because Howard F. Glover's first name matches the Herman N. Howard family surname.  To date, no other Howard names have been discovered in the ancestry of Howard F. Glover. His parents did tend to name their son's after family members, except for Howard.  His other brothers Frank (named for his father) and George (named for his grandfather George Stockman), and 2 of the sons' middle names Foster and Peer were both family surnames.

Much more research needs to be done to see if there is indeed a family link between the Frank J. Glover and Herman N. Howard families before any conclusion can been drawn.