All stories

Buffalo households · 1855–1950

The Shepard–Van Dusen Buffalo chain

A sequence of censuses, a city directory, an official marriage index, and military records connects Frank Raymond Shepard and Dolores A. Van Dusen to several generations of Buffalo families without borrowing unsupported branches from copied trees.

Buffalo, New York Tonawanda, New York Amherst, New York Freedom, New York Olean, New York

01 · Claims

What the evidence supports

The wording is deliberately precise. A confidence label applies to each claim—not to the person as a whole.

1.ToString("00")
Confirmed

Frank Raymond Shepard and Dolores A. Van Dusen married in Buffalo on 27 April 1918.

The official Buffalo marriage index supersedes derivative or AI-generated marriage hints.

2.ToString("00")
Strong

Frank Raymond Shepard was the son of Frank D. Shepard and Delia C. Shepard.

The 1900, 1910, and 1915 Buffalo households align; one 1910 index renders the father's middle initial as B.

3.ToString("00")
Confirmed

Dolores was the daughter of Jacob F. Van Dusen and Agnes B. Mark.

Multiple Buffalo households repeat the same family despite significant first-name indexing errors for Jacob.

4.ToString("00")
Strong

Abram Van Dusen and Samantha were Jacob's parents.

The 1855 Freedom household and 1880 Olean household support the connection, but the 1875 Horton Van Dusen identity remains unresolved.

02 · Sources

Follow the record trail

Links may lead to an archive, index, or subscription catalog. Citations remain useful even when an image requires repository access.

  1. New York State marriage index, Frank R. Shepard and Dolores A. Van Dusen, Buffalo, 27 April 1918.

    Official index reviewed and attached to the research tree.

  2. United States and New York censuses, Shepard and Van Dusen households, Buffalo area, 1900–1950.

    Original household records reviewed across multiple census years.

  3. Buffalo city directory, 1934, Frank R. and Dolores Shepard.

    Exact-name household entry reviewed.