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| Margaret Jane Vann and Henry Benjamin Giddens[1] |
David and Mitchell Giddens were brothers, and Sophia and Letisha Britt were sisters.[3] Both couples named a son named Henry. And both families lived in close proximity to one another.[4]
David and Sophia's son was Henry Benjamin Giddens, born in 1833. Mitchell and Letisha's son was Henry Clay Giddens, born about 1844.[5]
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| The families of the two Henry Giddens as seen in my online family tree.[6] |
I knew that Henry Benjamin must be the son of David and probably Sophia, but I wanted to show documentation in my online trees. Wanting to understand why this error occurred, I decided to concentrate on Ancestry's trees as Ancestry is my go-to site and had the largest number of online trees for this family.
When looking at an ancestor at Ancestry, I check the other trees and look at the hints. You never know what you might find. I have discovered new photos, documents, and cousins. In this case, most trees did not have documentation, and the hints were not at all helpful - eleven of Ancestry's shaky leaf hints for Henry Benjamin Giddens were facts about Henry Clay Giddens. I ignored these hints, gave feedback, and moved on.[7]
It did not take long to find a document that may have contributed to the problems in the Ancestry trees. Henry Benjamin Giddens' father was named as David Giddens on his death certificate, but his mother was recorded as Loretitia Briette. I'm sure this caused much confusion and led to some family researchers naming Henry Benjamin's parents as Mitchell and Letisha.[8]
We must remember that informants named on death certificates may not have been knowledgeable about the deceased's family. Oscar H. Giddens, son of Henry, was the informant on his father's death certificate. He was born after his grandparents died, so he had no first-hand knowledge of David and Sophia Giddens.[9]
Unfortunately, this mistake may have also led someone to have come to the erroneous conclusion that Mitchell and David were one person. That someone may have created the name "Mitchell David Giddens," which is currently seen in 68 Ancestry public trees.[10]
And, to add to the confusion, these first cousins died only one day apart in Sampson County, North Carolina. Henry Clay Giddens died on 11 October 1922, and Henry Benjamin Giddens died on 12 October 1922.[11]
Don't Blame Ancestry
Don't blame Ancestry for this debacle. The death certificate and other coincidences occurred long before Ancestry.com. Ancestry gives hints based on details in my tree and compares those details to other trees and records.[12] With two named Henry Giddens in the same geographical area, similarities on the death records, and conflicting information about parents on Ancestry trees, there are bound to be erroneous hints.
Be a conscientious family researcher. Before adding facts to a profile, review those hints and related documents carefully. If there is a question, look for other records that may shed light on the answer.
The Parents of Henry Benjamin Giddens
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| Found in The News Dispatch, 31 October 1916 at Newspapers.com |
Henry Benjamin is most likely the son of David Giddens and Sophia Britt. In 1850, Henry appeared with known siblings in the household of David and Sophia Giddens.[13] Newspaper articles were found naming Henry as the brother of Lewis D. Giddens and Pennie Thornton (Penelope Giddens).[14] Death certificates for all three siblings named David Giddens as their father. We know that Henry's death certificate named his mother as Letisha. The mother on Penelope's certificate was unknown, but Lewis D. Giddens' death certificate names his parents as David Giddens and Sophia Britt.[15] Note that Lewis was the family genealogist.16]
Your Response
If you can add to any of the information in my post or disprove my theory about the parents of Henry Benjamin Giddens, I would love to hear from you. Find my email on the "About Me" tab at the top of this page. Please don't hesitate to contact me with questions as well.
Next Steps
I will add this post as a story to my tree at Ancestry.com and additional sites in hopes of convincing others to look carefully at the facts they add to Henry Benjamin Giddens' profile.
Posts in this Series
Gathering Giddens: John Giddens, a Planter in North Carolina
Diana
© 2022 1. "Family at Farm House in Newton Grove, NC," photo of Margaret Vann and Henry B. Giddens, cropped from group photo, n.d.; scanned image, from the privately-held collection of Gus Grubba, NC, 2022.
2. Public Member Trees, database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1030/ : accessed 15 July 2022. A search for Henry Benjamin Giddens, along with variations, resulted in 71 trees.
3. Letter from Charles Giddens (Sedalia, Missouri) to Lina Giddens (address unknown), 7 January 1952; digital copy held in 2022 by D. Quinn (Virginia Beach, VA). The current location of the original is unknown.
4. 1850 U.S. census, Sampson County, NC, population schedule, p. 417b, dwelling 877, family 877, David Giddens household; digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/13000005:8054?ssrc=pt&tid=45260559&pid=6887144802: accessed 11 July 2022); citing National Archives microfilm publication M432, roll 644.
5. Ibid.
6. Diana Quinn, "My Family - Bryan, Regan, Albritton, Hairston, Davis, Giddens, Glynn, Bradshaw, Britt, Quinn, Murray, Driscoll," public tree, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/45260559/family/familyview?cfpid=410088574056: accessed 9 August 2022).
7. Diana Quinn, "My Family - Bryan, Regan, Albritton, Hairston, Davis, Giddens, Glynn, Bradshaw, Britt, Quinn, Murray, Driscoll," Hints for Henry Benjamin Giddens [Hints can only be seen by tree owner.], public tree, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/45260559/family/familyview?cfpid=410088574056: accessed 9 August 2022).
8. "North Carolina Deaths, 1906-1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F38D-K2R : 20 February 2021), Henry B. Giddens, 12 October 1922; citing Clinton, Sampson, North Carolina, reference Vol 4 File 723 cn382, State Department of Archives and History, Raleigh; FHL microfilm 1,893,089.
9. Ibid.
10. Public Member Trees, database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1030/ : accessed 12 August 2022. A search for Mitchell David Giddens resulted in 68 trees.
11. "North Carolina Deaths, 1906-1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DTW9-CQF?cc=1609799&wc=MJWT-4WL%3A1042603101 : 3 May 2019), 004216192 > image 2538 of 2950; State Department of Archives and History, Raleigh. Also, "North Carolina Deaths, 1906-1930," FamilySearch, Henry B. Giddens, 12 October 1922.
12. "How hints work," Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/cs/us/hints: accessed 3 July 2022).
13. 1850 U.S. census, Sampson County, NC, population schedule, p. 417b, dwelling 877, family 877, David Giddens household; digital image,
14. "Mr. L. D. Giddens Dead," Goldsboro Daily Argus (Goldsboro, North Carolina), 9 November 1909, p.2; database with images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1795351/death-of-l-d-giddens-son-of-david/: accessed 5 February 2015). Also, "Local News," The News Dispatch (Clinton, North Carolina), 31 August 1916, p.3; database with images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106219449/names-david-giddens-as-parents-of-h-b/: accessed 24 July 2022).
15. "North Carolina Deaths, 1906-1930," FamilySearch, Henry B. Giddens, 12 October 1922. Also, "North Carolina Deaths, 1906-1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F3HZ-8YF : 20 February 2021), Penny Thornton, 14 November 1922; citing Halls, Sampson, North Carolina, reference fn 730 cn 423, State Department of Archives and History, Raleigh; FHL microfilm 1,893,090. Also, "North Carolina Deaths, 1906-1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F3XK-VVK: 20 February 2021), Louis D. Giddens, 1 November 1909; citing Goldsboro, North Carolina, reference p 171, State Department of Archives and History, Raleigh; FHL microfilm 1,877,579.
16. Letter from Charles Giddens (Sedalia, Missouri) to Lina Giddens (address unknown), 7 January 1952; digital copy held in 2022 by D. Quinn (Virginia Beach, VA). The current location of the original is unknown.
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