Genealogy can be an exciting past time for those who like puzzles. One would think it is the monotonous review and regurgitation of records kept over the centuries but you must consider that the goal of many of these records was to settle legal matters for those communities at that time. The idea that these records would be used this way hundreds of years later was a novel or unheard of concept.

However it is not always what you see but what you don’t see that leads you to discovery. In the case of Karen Anderson, this led us to an unknown child. It was known that she lived in Minnesota with her two sons, Christ and Andrew. However in her 1900 census response, she indicated that she had been the mother of 7 children. She listed 3 as living. Simple math leads us to the conclusion that as of 1901, Christ and Andrew had another sibling.

Little was known about this sibling until we found the family on the 1880 US Federal Census. There we find Christopher, Caren, Christian and a 6 year old daughter by the name of Clara.

To date little has been discovered about Clara. She would have been married likely by the 1900 census and using another name but the search continues. You have to know someone is there to search for them and sometimes your only clue is that someone should be there.