Online family trees identify the wife of my ancestor Stephen Romain/Romayne (1819-1893) as Mary Eleanor Hillborn (1828-1910). Records, however, reveal the identity of another woman.

Beware of Online Family Trees

I often caution other genealogists against believing what they find in online family trees that do not cite reliable sources. Online researchers often incorrectly assume a person’s identity, add that wrong person to their family tree, and this mistake is picked up by other users who share that ancestor. My 4th great-grandmother, the wife of Stephen Romain, is such an example.

About Stephen Romain/Romayne

Stephen Romain/Romayne was born on 6 June 1821 in Catskill, Greene County, New York. He was the son of Isaac F. Romayne and Diantha Wilson.

In 1850, Stephen lived in Lawrenceville, Tioga County, Pennsylvania with his presumed wife Mary and their 4 children. The birthplace of both Stephen and Mary is listed as New York. In 1860, Stephen was still living in Lawrenceville. His family had grown to 7 children. Stephen and Mary’s birthplace is again identified as New York. The record is difficult to read, but there appears to be an additional household member, a 75 year-old shoemaker named Abel Hilborn.

I have not been able to locate Stephen in the 1870 census, but he can be found in the 1875 New York state census, the 1880 census and the 1892 New York state census as a resident of Lindley, Steuben County, New York. The 1875 and 1880 censuses identify him as a widower.

Stephen died in 1893 and was buried in Fairview Cemetery in Lindley, New York.

About Mary Eleanor Hillborn

There are few sources listed in Mary Eleanor Hillborn’s profile on Ancestry. These few records provide no definitive link to her and Stephen Romain. This is a red flag! A Pennsylvania death certificate for Mary E. Hilborn reveals the following details:

• She was born in Pennsylvania on 17 October 1828
• She died on 22 November 1910 in Wayne Township, Clinton County, Pennsylvania
• Her marital status was single
• Her parents were Abel Hilborn and Elenor Vail

Why Mary Eleanor Hillborn is Not Stephen Romain’s Wife

There are at least three inconsistencies between the records of Mary Eleanor Hillborn and those of Stephen Romain’s wife that suggest they are not the same person:

1. Birthplace. Mary Romain’s birthplace is identified as New York in the 1850 and 1860 censuses. Mary Eleanor Hillborn’s birthplace is identified as Pennsylvania on her death certificate. Census information such as this can be unreliable. However, these two census records are consistent, and they do not match that of Mary Eleanor Hillborn.
2. Marital Status. Stephen Romain is identified as a widower in the 1875 New York and 1880 federal censuses, indicating that his wife died sometime before 1875. Mary Eleanor Hillborn is identified as single on her death certificate, not a widow, which she would have been if her husband had died in 1893 as Stephen had. Her maiden name is also on her death certificate. This indicates that she never married. The possibility should be considered that the couple divorced, or one of them abandoned the other. Both parties could have been too embarrassed to admit this, and misrepresented themselves as single or widowed. However, this does not explain the final and most convincing inconsistency.
3. Mary Eleanor Hillborn and Mary Romain can separately be accounted for in 1850 and 1860. While Stephen Romain was living with his wife in Lawrenceville, Tioga County, Pennsylvania in 1850, the Mary Eleanor Hillborn identified as his wife in so many family trees is possibly the 21-year-old Mary Hilburn living in Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. She may also be the 31-year-old Mary Ellen Hilborn living in Nippenose, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in 1860 while Stephen Romain and his wife were still in Lawrenceville.

The only possible explanation for Mary Eleanor Hillborn’s identification as Stephen Romain’s wife is the appearance of her father Abel in the Romain household in 1860. An elderly father-in-law living with his daughter and son-in-law would not be an unusual situation. However, the 1860 census did not list relationships between members of a household, so this connection is only an assumption. Available records point to a different conclusion.

Who is Stephen Romain’s wife?

I have discovered four separate records that all reveal a very similar maiden name for Stephen’s wife.

1. Marriage Record. Searching for Stephen Romain on FamilySearch I found a transcribed marriage record dated 13 October 1843. The marriage took place in Catskill, Greene County, New York, Stephen’s birthplace. The bride is identified as Mary A. Runyon of Catskill.
2. Son’s Marriage Record. Another transcribed marriage record was found on FamilySearch for Frederick Romayn. He was married in Manhattan, but was born in Greene County, New York about 1848. His parents are identified as Stephen L. Romayn and Mary D. Runyon. Frederick is likely Stephen and Mary’s son who is listed as Eugene in the 1850 and 1860 censuses. Both records indicate he was born in New York about 1848.
3. Daughter’s Obituary. An obituary appeared in the Elmira Star Gazette on 15 April 1916 for Mrs. Harrison Morse. Her maiden name was given as Mary D. Romayne and her parents were identified as Stephen and Mary Ronyon Romayne.
4. Daughter’s Death Certificate. Stephen and Mary Romain’s eldest child, Alice, died in 1911 in Lindley, Steuben County, New York. I obtained her death certificate from the Lindley town clerk. The writing on her death certificate is faint, but her mother’s name appears to be Mary Runyan.

Furthermore, when I searched the 1840 census, I found 4 Runyan families living in Greene County, New York, where Stephen and Mary’s were married in 1843. This includes William Runyan who lived in Catskill, where Mary was living at the time of her marriage. William Runyan had a female in his household who was the same age that Mary would have been at the time. No Hillborn families lived in Greene County or surrounding counties at that time.

Conclusion

The wife of Stephen Romain/Romayne was Mary Runyan/Runyon. She was born in New York state, possibly Greene County, sometime between 1827-1829. Mary likely died sometime after she was enumerated in the 1860 census and before the 1870 census when her youngest children were living with older siblings.

There is no evidence that Mary Eleanor Hillborn was ever married, let alone the wife of my ancestor. The only link between her and my ancestors is her father’s presence in Stephen Romain’s household in 1860.

Finding the true identity of Stephen Romain’s wife was not difficult. However, it required looking for records on different websites and offline repositories. Online family trees should only be used as guides for our research. This example illustrates how they can be built on faulty assumptions and not real evidence.

Have you found mistakes like this in an online family tree? Let me know in the comments.