Tangled Tree Thoughts: The Important of Being Earnest

  It's been forever ago since I've read the Importance of Being Earnest, but from what I do remember it was about mistaken identities. I figured for those who are trying to research their family histories, I would walk you through some past and present struggles with names that have and are perplexing me.
Grandma Margaret Emma Talady is a problem for me.  For one thing, in the census records I have for her, she goes by either Margaret or Emma, or Emily.  So, the obituary I found the other day helped confirm that she was indeed the Emma Taladay that was married to Civil War soldier Frederick Kariger.  It also confirmed that she was born in Connecticut, Hartford to be exact.  Now, that has always been a question for me.  How she jumped from CT to Will County, IL (Chicago area) was a problem - not unheard of, but a stretch.  So after I found that I started searching anew on the internet for fresh ideas.  I found a site for Tolliday/Talady researchers that had census records for people by that surname (and all variations) for all time periods and states.  I found a Henry Toloday living in Licking County, Ohio with a daughter "M.E." right age for my Margaret Emma.  Hmmmm....  Ok, so I do some further searching.  There is a Hartford township in Licking County.  Now, I've run across this before.  According to family lore, ggg-grandpa Lafayette Mauzey was supposed to have been born in Richmond, Virginia.  Turns out, his family was FROM Virginia and he was born in Richmond, MO.  Pretty easy explanation - the town that is reported is assumed to be the state capital of the state the family was originally from.  Since then I've learned to broaden my searching.  After searching all evening I finally find that Henry Toloday ended up in Blackford County, Indiana where his known son Laban lived in the town of Hartford.  More interesting is that Laban's first son was named William Henry, which is what Grandma Margaret Emma's first son was named.  To add another level of intrigue, Henry's known daughter Nancy's first son was named William H.  Ok, that's just downright weird now.  Circumstantial.  Without a will in hand, I'm stuck.  It all fits - kind of.  Sometimes that's what we genealogists have to go on and sometimes be content with until we find that final nail in the coffin so to speak:)
  Another mystery that has re-emerged is also on Hubby's family.  His ggg-grandma Mary Ida Lopossa (pronounced Low-possee) Patrick.  Now she was born about 1865 in Indiana (census info).  The problem was and is that brothers Jacob and Joseph Lopossa both had daughters named Mary born about that time.  According to all info I've found Hubby's Mary was the daughter of Jacob.  I'd been tracking down a lead and contacted a gal whose George also was the son of Jacob.  She told me that our Mary was not the daughter of Jacob.   Ok... I go back to the drawing board.... It all brings me back to this picture...

Joseph Lopossa family, Mary is front row 2nd from the left

  Although this picture is not in my possession and I have not seen an exact date for it, I doubt that the Mary in it is ours.  Ours died pre-1901 in the flu epidemic along with her husband - this is according to family lore as well as some guardianship papers dated 1901.  The woman in this picture looks too old to be about 35 which either of the Marys would have been ca. 1900.  So,  I think I'm secure in believing that Jacob is our Mary's dad.  Do I know definitively?  No.  But, I'll be content for now anyway:)