There are two men named Alden Alonzo Adams in my family tree. They were first cousins, once removed. Could Alden have been named after this man?

Alden Alonzo Adams

Born: 6 DEC 1848 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA

Father: Lovel L Adams (1809 to 1868)
Mother: Lusanna P Curtis (1813 to 1893)

Spouse: Lodemia Elivy Rackham (1850 to 1933)

Married: 27 MAR 1870 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA

Children:

Alta Belle Adams (24 MAR 1872 to 8 JUN 1958)
Lovell Anson Adams (17 FEB 1874 to 17 JAN 1943)
Lura Bernice Adams (9 OCT 1883 to 31 JUL 1959)

Died: 13 JUL 1928 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA

Burial: Rose Ridge Cemetery

Timeline:

1850 Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA
1860 Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA
1868 Death of father, Lovel
1870 Marriage to Lodemia
1870 Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA
1872 Birth of daughter, Alta
1874 Birth of son, Lovell
1880 Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA
1883 Birth of daughter, Lura
1893 Death of mother, Lusanna
1900 Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA
1910 Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA
1920 Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA
1928 Death and Burial

Occupation: farmer

Records:

1850 to 1880, 1900 to 1920 US Federal Census Records
Yates County, New York, U.S., Swann Vital Records Collection, 1723-2009
U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971
The U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current

Variations of Surname: none

Alden’s Wife:

Lodemia Elivy Rackham:

Lodemia was born in 1850 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA. She died on 3 SEP 1933 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA.

Lodemia’s father was Robert Rackham. He was born on 11 DEC 1807 in England. He died on 6 MAR 1885 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA.

Lodemia’s mother was Mary Ball. She was born on 25 APR 1811 in England. She died on 6 AUG 1892 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA.

Lodemia had six brothers and sisters. The oldest child was born in England. The other children were born in New York, USA.

M Elizabeth Rackham (1835)
Sarah A Rackham (1838)
Jane Rackham (1840)
George Rackham (1842)
James Rackham (1844)
Martha Rackham (1847)

Alden and Lodemia’s Daughters:

Alta Belle Adams:

Alta was born on 24 MAR 1872 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA. She died on 8 JUN 1958 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA.

Alta married Allen Lawrence Hobart on 15 JUL 1896 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA. Two known children were born during their marriage:

Norma E Hobart (1898)
Alden A Hobart (1909)

Allen Lawrence Hobart was born in 1872 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA. He died on 25 OCT 1924 in Canandaigua, Ontario County, New York, USA.

Lura Bernice Adams:

Lura was born on 9 OCT 1883 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA. She died on 31 JUL 1959 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA.

Lura married Scott Stratton Bennett on 27 MAR 1919 in Auburn, Cayuga County, New York, USA. One known child was born during their marriage:

Lodema Bennett (1825 to 1825)

Scott Stratton Bennett was born on 19 SEP 1881 in Morris Run, Tioga County, Pennsylvania, USA. He died in 1964 in Middlesex, Yates County, New York, USA.

Notes:

John Adams (1595 to 1633) was the first person with that English surname to immigrate to North America from England. In 1621, John boarded the Fortune. This was the second ship, after the Mayflower, to bring Puritans to North America. In late November of that year, the Fortune arrived at Plymouth Colony. John was the progenitor of all the Adams descendants listed in these posts.

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for births, marriages, and deaths.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on.  There are also family trees that go “forward into time.”  Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty, and move forward into the present time.  The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline with that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!