Seeking information on Edward Derringer

Dear Ms. Riggins,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

For an overview on how to begin your research, we suggest that you review NARA’s Resources for Genealogists, as well as the FamilySearch Research wiki for New York Genealogy.  In addition, the document Suggestions and Advice for Family History Researchers may be useful. 

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Population Schedules for the 1880 Census, the Population Schedules for the 1890 Census; the Population Schedules for the 1900 Census, and the Population Schedules for the 1910 Census in the Records of the Bureau of the Census (Record Group 29) that may contain information about Edward Derringer and his family prior to 1910.  For access to the non-digitized schedules, please contact the National Archives at Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RDT1) via email at archives1reference@nara.gov. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT1. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

For information about the U.S. Census, see the Census Bureau technical documentation and questionnaires.

You may wish to search Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org for the U.S. Census. There may be a fee for using Ancestry. Instead, check for access at your local library as many library systems subscribe to these sites, making them free for their patrons.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!

These are all unconfirmed, however, Ancestry.com suggests Mr. Derringer married around 1906 (Charlotte Akers), then fathered a son in our around 1908, Luke.

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/37726598:6061

ANother source confirms this direction, Luke was indeed born in 1907.

Here's the link to his Ancestry.com draft from 1917. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=2238&h=13302644&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=6061

and https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2238/images/44046_10_00027-00126?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&…

He was named after CHarlotte's father, who was also called Luke (Akers). https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7602/images/4123470_01170?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&usePUBJ…

You might need to create an account with Ancestry.com to view these links.

You're right that Mr. Derringer appears in the censuses of 1920 and 1930, however there's little or no information for the time before 1910. As a historian, I would advise you to seek him in the census for the years before 1910. Just "derringer" and "new york" or the place of his residence.

The LoC has a great chat option, where you can ask questions concerning the census. Also, there's great books and websites on how to utilise the census data for your research. https://www.familysearch.org/blog/en/1900-us-census-information/

>> https://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/census/online-resources

https://www.census.gov/history/www/genealogy/decennial_census_records/census_records_2.html

Best of luck with your search!

Barbara