EFA1771Ervin Family Archive
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Research desk

Proof, conflicts, and the next record that matters.

The archive separates a record that exists, an identity match inferred from several records, and a family story that has not yet been proved.

Suggested research rotation

One focused pass, then another family member.

Rotate among relatives so one difficult record does not hold up the rest of the archive. These are proposed research priorities, not scheduled searches. Each pass should preserve its sources, record new family identifications, and leave one clear next question.

  1. John Elmer Ervin: Sakhalin assignment confirmed by family testimony; exact project records remain the next target.
  2. August and Helen Chingren: this pass found the Swedish parish citations, the Illinois license number, and the Nebraska farm location; the original license is next.
  3. Maria Lovisa Johansdotter Banks: resolve the competing birth dates and connect the Swedish household to the American family.
  4. Granville Courtwright / Courtright: establish his parents and middle initial before following the inherited ancestry stories.
  5. Samuel and Thomas Ervin: seek original Ohio tax, land and probate evidence for the parent link.

Published material from this family website is a finding aid, not independent corroboration of its own claims. Trace each conclusion back to its cited source.

Plausible parent link

Samuel Ervin / Irvin / Arvin

Samuel was in early Ohio by the opening years of the nineteenth century, and Thomas is strongly probable as his son. The record does not support the middle name “Fulton” or a proven connection to the County Down family currently found in online trees.

Evidence supporting it

  • An 1814 pioneer recollection names Thomas and his father Samuel together during the Meigs County flood
  • Washington County tax material uses Erven/Arvin spellings in the correct place and period
  • Reported Y-DNA results closely connect tested Arvin and Ervin descendants from the Samuel line
  • Thomas’s 1818 marriage bond and 1836 will establish the next generation independently

Conflicts and limits

  • Samuel’s birth year varies from about 1771 to 1777 and his exact birthplace is unsettled
  • The exact death year remains unresolved; 1861 is inherited from the GEDCOM
  • “Fulton” appears to be a merged-tree addition rather than a documented middle name
  • No record has been found connecting Samuel to Robert or James Ervin in County Down

Highest-value next records

  • Original Washington County tax images for every Samuel spelling
  • Meigs/Vinton deeds, court minutes, probate, and land records
  • Full citation and page image for the 1814 recollection
  • Documented tester pedigrees and underlying Y-DNA results
Plausible identity match

Maria Lovisa Johansdotter Banks

A Swedish household-examination transcription identifies Maria Lovisa as the daughter of soldier Johan Pettersson Ebb and Lisa Samuelsdotter at Boda Husartorp/Bomåla, born 25 March 1859. This conflicts with the working GEDCOM’s 28 April date and Östergötland location.

Evidence supporting it

  • The Swedish household has the expected full name and birth year
  • The named parents and military household create a specific, testable identity
  • American records place Maria Lovisa Johansdotter Banks in the expected Missouri/Nebraska family

Conflicts and limits

  • The American and Swedish identities have not yet been joined by an original emigration, passenger, marriage, or naturalization record
  • The 25 March date comes from a transcription until the parish image is reviewed
  • The place points to the Kristdala/Målilla area of Kalmar län, not generic Östergötland

Highest-value next records

  • Kristdala household-examination image and baptism entry
  • Moving-out register and Swedish departure record
  • Passenger arrival and U.S. naturalization file
  • Marriage record linking the Swedish name to Andrew Henry Banks
Documented couple; parent links partly compiled

Bror August Kindgren / August L. Chingren and Ellen / Helen Mohring

August’s Swedish birth, 1879 Mercer County marriage, and Nebraska farm trail now rest on named archival records. The Swedish church citations identify him as Bror August Kindgren; the Illinois index names his bride Ellen Mohring. Later American records use August L. Chingren and Helen. The spelling shifts are evidence to reconcile, not separate people by default.

Read the sourced August and Helen profile →

Evidence supporting it

  • Högstad birth and household books place Bror August Kindgren at Kummelby, born 2 April 1854, with Pehr Gustaf Kindgren and Johanna Pihlgren
  • The Illinois Statewide Marriage Index records August Chingren and Ellen Mohring on 6 February 1879 in Mercer County, license 4142, volume 1, page 15
  • An 1885 Rusco Township extraction and an 1890–91 farmer list continue August in Buffalo County
  • The 1907 atlas locates A. L. Chingren in Section 19, Cedar Precinct, with Pleasanton as his post office
  • Pleasanton Cemetery records August, Helen, and their son Benjamin together

Conflicts and limits

  • The marriage index may report the license date rather than the ceremony date; the original license has not yet been viewed
  • Helen’s stone transcription gives 24 May 1855, while a compiled profile uses 1856
  • George Mohring and Margaret Schwasinger are a strong parent match for Helen, but a direct original record naming her parents is still needed
  • The exact immigration, passenger-arrival, and naturalization records remain open

Highest-value next records

  • Order Mercer County license 4142, volume 1, page 15
  • Transcribe the two cited Högstad parish images and follow August through the moving-out register
  • Find Helen/Ellen in the 1860–1880 censuses and obtain her death record
  • Map Section 19, Cedar Precinct, and trace private deeds as well as federal patents
  • Search Kearney-area newspaper archives for the 1922 and 1946 obituaries
Plausible identity

Granville Courtwright / Courtright

Granville C. Courtwright in the GEDCOM is likely the Granville T. Courtright buried at Oak Knoll Cemetery with Lillian Eberly. The middle initial and surname should remain unresolved until the marriage, census, and death records are assembled.

Evidence supporting it

  • Birth year, death month/year, spouse, and Whiteside County geography align
  • The working file gives 23 July 1888 and 15 January 1962
  • Oak Knoll Cemetery identifies Granville T. Courtright and Lillian Eberly

Conflicts and limits

  • C. versus T. is still a real conflict
  • Courtwright, Courtright, and Cartwright variants recur
  • The exact parents have not been established with primary records

Highest-value next records

  • 1910 marriage record to Lillian Eberly
  • 1900–1950 census image chain
  • Illinois death certificate and original obituary
  • Birth record and proof of both parents
Family legend

Origin of the Blackfeet family story

The story is preserved because it is specific and persistent, but no tribal, agency, enrollment, or census record currently proves it. A surname-only search cannot resolve the question.

Evidence supporting it

  • The tradition is attached to Grandpa Courtwright rather than a vague distant ancestor
  • The identified Kentucky-to-Illinois family gives a starting point for documentary research

Conflicts and limits

  • No documented parent chain reaches a person in Blackfeet Agency or Indian Census records
  • Consumer DNA ethnicity estimates would not prove the claimed relationship or tribal citizenship
  • A negative index search is not proof that the story is false

Highest-value next records

  • Prove Granville’s parents and grandparents first
  • Interview the oldest living relatives and preserve the exact wording and source of the story
  • Search Blackfeet Agency and Indian Census rolls only after the parent chain identifies specific candidates
  • Compare locations, ages, spouses, and children rather than surnames alone
Unresolved identity candidate

Walter A. Nickels and University of Illinois aviation

University minutes prove that a Walter A. Nickels served as a flight instructor beginning 1 September 1950 and again from 1 May 1951. They do not yet prove that he was Janeille’s Walter Alan Nickels.

Evidence supporting it

  • Official board minutes list the instructor’s name, role, appointment dates, and compensation
  • The dates are compatible with the known Walter Alan Nickels timeline

Conflicts and limits

  • The minutes provide no birthplace, address, spouse, birth date, or personnel identifier
  • A similarly named wartime aviation cadet from Toledo may be a different man

Highest-value next records

  • University personnel or Institute of Aviation file
  • 1950 census household and address
  • FAA airman certificate file or pilot records
  • Obituary, military file, or directory tying him to both Davenport and Illinois