Charles Richard Chittick c1976-1917

[MaryA]

husband's laptop and credit card it is then

Make sure you cancel before the two weeks are up.

[alcavtay]

husband's laptop and credit card it is then

Make sure you cancel before the two weeks are up.

It's in my diary!

[alcavtay]

So to recap everything you've found for me, it would seem that Jane was born in Scotland c1832, James in Wisconsin,

I just realised St Martin is an island in the West Indies, not a town in Wisconsin, I guess it was W.I. again!

What a great incentive to head off to the Caribbean for a genealogy journey to St Martin and Antigua. Don't forget to pack the pad and pencil!

If I do go I can promise to take you all with me 'cos I'll have to have won the lottery!

[alcavtay]

In answer to Mary's request, i.e. 1920, 1930, Richard married to Ethel, its not the same family, Richard was born in England and has English parents.

I think this is Jane's son after all, in the 1930 census he gives his place of birth as British West Indies, father British West Indies and mother Scotland. In the 1920 census they were all British!

[MaryA]

Aah well go back to the incorrect entry in the 1900 census and find the email for the person who entered the amendment and send them a message, fingers crossed it was a relative.

[Bertieone]

In answer to Mary's request, i.e. 1920, 1930, Richard married to Ethel, its not the same family, Richard was born in England and has English parents.

I think this is Jane's son after all, in the 1930 census he gives his place of birth as British West Indies, father British West Indies and mother Scotland. In the 1920 census they were all British!

In the 1920 census, they were all English.
On saying that, if you track Richard O Chittick and if they are all the same person he's been born in Antigua, England, Ireland, with English parents, Scottish mother, West Indian Father, he's travelled as a Reporter, Editor, Broker, in Real Estate. More problematic he was still alive after 1917 which rules out our Richard Chittick 1901 census/Baptism

Richard O Chittick
His Naturalisation record, Oct 17, 1901,
DOB, Aug15 1871
Occupation, Reporter,
Former Nationality, English
Whitness, Henry R Chittick, Lawyer.
Jane B's son Harry in the 1892 census was a Lawyer.

[Bertieone]

In answer to Mary's request, i.e. 1920, 1930, Richard married to Ethel, its not the same family, Richard was born in England and has English parents.

I think this is Jane's son after all, in the 1930 census he gives his place of birth as British West Indies, father British West Indies and mother Scotland. In the 1920 census they were all British!

In the 1920 census, they were all English.
On saying that, if you track Richard O Chittick and if they are all the same person he's been born in Antigua, England, Ireland, with English parents, Scottish mother, West Indian Father, he's travelled as a Reporter, Editor, Broker, in Real Estate. More problematic he was still alive after 1917 which rules out our Richard Chittick 1901 census/Baptism

Richard O Chittick
His Naturalisation record, Oct 17, 1901,
DOB, Aug15 1871
Occupation, Reporter,
Former Nationality, English
Whitness, Henry R Chittick, Lawyer.
Jane B's son Harry in the 1892 census was a Lawyer.

[alcavtay]

Richard Osborne Chittick, b 15th May 1871, Antigua

he gave these details on his 1918 passport application. The passport application was endorsed by the Ministry of Defence with a letter saying that he had been appointed "Secretary of the national war work council of the YMCA of the United States for service with the troops of the American Expeditionary Force in France."

I would think that these more official sources would be the correct information.

He's still around in the 1940 census but he couldn't have been the Richard Chittick I'm looking for as his name was Charles Richard Chittick, Charles' name was given as Ricardus on the (Catholic) baptisms of his children but the family seem to know him as Charles. I was working on the possibility of him being a brother. Jane claimed to have 6 living children out of 11 on the census return, 5 of them are identifiable from census returns and arrival forms, the 6th could be the elusive Charles Richard.

I'm going to send a letter of inquiry to the archives at Antigua, apparently they'll do searches for free.

Was there any stigma to being from the West Indies? As they were the British West Indies, would that account for them sometimes saying they were English??? I have no idea.

Amanda

(edited to remove some incorrect information)

[Bertieone]

Will the real Mr Richard Chittick please stand up.

Good luck with the letter, James Chittick is equally elusive.

[dickiesam]

Was there any stigma to being from the West Indies? As they were the British West Indies, would that account for them sometimes saying they were English??? I have no idea.

It would depend on 'colour' and the degree of 'colour'. In the USA at that time anyone who was not 100% white Caucasian could be looked upon with suspicion.

Terms such as mulatto [one white parent and one black], quadroon [1/4 African blood], quintroon [1/5th] and octoroon [1/8th] abounded and were used by governments to define race and therefore entitlements. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadroon

Someone could look 'white' but still be of part-African descent. If you were West Indian and it was possible to call oneself English or British all the better.

Good luck with the enquiry to Antigua archives.

[Blue70]

If you look at US passenger lists and other records they want to know people's race and origins. People of British origin who had lived in the colonies would be familiar with gross and subtle forms of discrimination. They would be keen to show that they are British and white in origin.

It would be important for people from British colonies to distinguish themselves from people of other races living in those places. Giving a place of birth as Great Britain would perhaps prevent any scrutiny of the person's racial origins. This could be the case for both people of white ancestry and people of mixed ancestry.

Anyone watching "Finding Your Roots" the US TV series on PBS Sky channel 166 on Sunday nights will have heard of "Jim Crow":-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Crow_laws


Blue