52 Ancestors: Week 15 "How Do You Spell That?": James Mapplebeck

James Mapplebeck, the second husband of my great-great-grandmother Catherine Elizabeth Winters and the adoptive father of his stepchildren (my great-grandmother Kathleen Graham and her brother Garfield), had an uncommon surname. At times that has been advantageous. For example, it would have been much more difficult to find the newspaper articles about my great-grandmother and the father of her oldest child (whose name had been previously been unknown to me) if she had been using her birth surname instead of her adoptive surname. However, sometimes finding members of this family can be challenging, because the surname has been spelled many different ways in records. The first part of the name is pronounced "Maple." (I learned this from my family, and it explains why I have often found the name spelled with only one p in records.)

The Mapplebeck family came from Rawcliffe, Yorkshire, England. The name is usually spelled Mapplebeck in British records. Some examples from FamilySearch include the indexed baptismal record of James' father George Mapplebeck, the indexed marriage record of George Mapplebeck and his first wife Mary Stephenson, and the indexed baptismal record of George and Mary's son William Mapplebeck (James' half-brother). But in Canada and the United States, I have found many different spellings. In the 1851 Census of Canada, George, Mary, and William were enumerated in York County, Canada West (Ontario) with the surname Maplebeck. In the 1861 agricultural census of Canada, George was enumerated in Minto Township, Wellington, Canada West with the surname Mappelbeck. James may have been born in Minto Township. According to his death certificate, he was born on 29 December 1858. George purchased land in Minto Township in the mid-1850s.

In 1871, the Mapplebeck family lived in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada. The 1871 Census of Canada enumeration is the first one that I have located for James. The family surname is spelled Mapplebeck in the census record. When James' father George died on 15 May 1878, his surname was spelled Maplebeck.

In the early 1880s, James, his brother George, and his mother Jane moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. James and his brother worked as glassblowers. In the 1883 Lovell's Montreal Directory, all three family members appear in the alphabetical directory with the surname Mappleback, and in the street directory with the surname Mapplebeck. James married my great-great-grandmother Catherine Elizabeth Winters on 20 November 1885. His surname was spelled Mapplebeck in the record from St. Mary's Church in Hochelaga. He became a father to Elizabeth's two children Kathleen and Garfield, from her marriage to James Graham. They used his surname until they were adults. (Kathleen took the surname Walker after the birth of her first child, and used her married name, Boe, after her marriage to John Boe. Garfield returned to his birth surname, Graham, when he was in his mid-20s.)

In the 1891 Census of Canada, James' surname was written as MapleBack. In FamilySearch's and Ancestry.com's index to the 1891 Census of Canada, his name appears as Back James Mapleback. The Mapplebeck family moved to Alton, Madison County, Illinois, where James worked as a glassblower for the Illinois Glass Company. His mother Jane, sister Sarah, and brother George moved to Camden, New Jersey. His half-brother William Mapplebeck lived with his wife and children in Hamilton, Ontario.

By 1898, James had moved to San Francisco, California, where he worked as a glassblower for San Francisco & Pacific Glass Works. His surname was spelled Mappelbach in the 1898 and 1899 San Francisco city directories. His wife and her children remained in Alton, Illinois.

By 1900, James had moved to Martinez, Contra Costa County, California. His surname was spelled Mapplebeck in the 1900 United States Census. He lived in a household headed by a man named N. P. Ohaver. He and J. J. Barfield, age 15, were both listed as "Partner." He was listed as a glassblower.

In 1910, James lived in Alabama, Sacramento County, California. He worked as a teamster in a vineyard. In the 1910 United States Census, his surname was spelled Mapplibeck.

In 1914, James Mapplebeck was listed in the Index to Precinct Register, Yuba County, California. He was listed in the Far West District, He lived in Wheatland, was a farmer, and was a Republican.

I have not been able to locate James in the 1920 or 1930 United States censuses. His death certificate suggests (based on length of residence in California, 47 years) that he continuously lived in California after he arrived in the late 1890s. Perhaps his surname is badly misspelled in the census records.

In 1934, James Mapplebeck was on the list of registered voters in Sacramento County, California. He was a laborer in Sacramento, and was a Republican.

In 1936, James Mapplebeck was listed in the Sacramento city directory as a resident of Home for Aged. In the 1940 United States census, James was listed as a resident of Home for the Aged in San Joaquin, Sacramento County, California. He was enumerated with the surname Maplepeck.

James died of bronchial pneumonia in Sacramento County Hospital on 7 September 1946. He was buried in Sacramento County Cemetery.

So many spellings! 

Lovell's Montreal Directory, For 1883-1884, Containing an Alphabetical Directory of the Citizens, Street Directory, an Advertisers Classified Business Directory, and a Miscellaneous Directory, to which is added Directories of Coteau St. Louis, Coteau St. Pierre, Cote des Neiges, Cote St. Antoine, Cote St. Luc, Cote St. Paul, Cote Visitation, Hochelaga, Lachine, Laprairie, Long Point, Longueuil, Mount Royal Avenue, Mount Royal Vale, Notre Dame de Grace, Outremont, St. Jean Baptiste Village, St. Lambert, St. Louis of Mile End, Town of St, Cunegonde, Town of St. Henry, Verdun, and Village of St. Gabriel. Corrected to June 16th, 1883. Montreal: John Lovell & Son. Available from  Ancestry.com. Canada, City and Area Directories, 1819-1906 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

St. Mary's Church, Hochelaga, Quebec, Canada. Marriage of James Mapplebeck and Elizabeth Winters, 20 November 1885. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin. Available from Ancestry.com. Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

1891 Census of Canada, Ste Marie Ward, Montréal Centre, Quebec, district 172, page 1, family 5. Available from Ancestry.com. 1891 Census of Canada [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

J. P. Hodge and Sons' Directory of the City of Alton, North Alton and Upper Alton, 1895-1896. Alton, IL: J. P. Hodge & Sons. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

Crocker-Langley San Francisco Directory for Year Commencing May 1898. San Francisco: H. S. Crocker Company, 1898. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

1910 United States census, Alabama, Sacramento County, California, population schedule, enumeration district 87, supervisor's district 2, sheet no. 5A. Available from Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. 

Index to Precinct Register, Yuba County [California], 1914. General Election November 3. Page 16. Available from Ancestry.com. California, Voter Registrations, 1900-1968 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.

1940 United States census, San Joaquin, Sacramento County, California, population schedule, Home for the Aged, sheet no. 2B. Available from Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.