Happy 174th Birthday, Uncle Columbus!

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Pat Shaul

174 years ago, 17 February 1846, in Lisbon, Ohio, Columbus Washington Smith was born to Louis and Emma Grange Smith.  As we covered yesterday, on 16 February 1879, he married my Great Grandaunt Hattie, Harriett Honora J. Koontz, in Ottawa County, Ohio.  This is a “Well Played, Aunt Hattie!”  If Uncle forgot your anniversary, then he really gets hosed on his birthday the day following!

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Happy 141st Anniversary, Great Grandaunt and Uncle Smith!

Posted on February 16, 2020 by Pat Shaul

141 years ago, 16 February 1879, in Ottawa, Ohio, Harriett Honora J. (Hattie) Koontz (my great grandaunt), the daughter of Ezra Peter and Mary Ann Allen Koontz married Columbus Washington Smith, the son of Lewis and Emma Grange Smith.  The couple lived in Uncle Columbus’ namesake city, Columbus, Ohio.  There they raised a family of five children:  Harry Cassemere (1880) [a variation on Aunt Hattie’s brother’s name Casmear], Herman DeForest (1881), Olive E. (1887), Alta (1888), and Chester Arthur (1889).  Apparently, they wanted to keep using the Presidential names.

Uncle Columbus died 22 August 1912, in Columbus, Ohio from Pernicious Anemia.  Aunt Hattie died almost 18 years later, on 27 April 1930, of pnemonia complicated by an accidental fall down stairs.

I am not sure how the following photograph was created — long before photoshop, but it is very strange…..  [I did run it through MyHeritage for colorization, but the basic placement and presentation of the individuals remains unchanged.]

EzraPeterKoontzAndFamily_116b-Colorized

Ezra Koontz Family — Casmear P, Mary Ann Allen, Ezra Peter, Orren DeForest on Ezra’ lap, and Harriett Honora J (Hattie)

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Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Großmutter und Großvater Weber

Posted on February 9, 2020 by Pat Shaul

9 February 1796, 224 years ago, in Schomberg, Württemberg, Johann Adam Weber married Anna Barbara Holtzäpfel, the daughter of Johann Jacob Holtzäpfel and Magdalina Seegerin.  Adam and Barbara were my 3 times great grandparents!   Their children were: Johann Georg (1798), Gottlieb (1806) [my great great grandfather who became known as Goodliff Weaver after he migrated to the United States), Christiana (1812), Anna Maria (1814), and Jacob (1813-1816).

Grandmother passed away in 1839.  Grandfather followed 10 years later on 6 November 1849 in Schwarzenberg, Württemberg.

Names are confusing since a great number of the males are named Johann or a variation and a great number of females are named Anna.  That is where the German tradition of Call Names, Namen rufen, come into play where the person is always referred to by their middle name.  Hence, Grandfather Adam, Grandmother Barbara.

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Two Family Birthdays – Two Years Apart

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Pat Shaul

212 years ago, 30 January 1808, in Caroline, New York, my great great grandaunt, Diadama Jenks was born to Laban and Prudence White Jenks, my 4 times great grandparents.  Aunt Diadama was the tenth in a line of 14 children for Grandparents Jenks.  When her parents migrated to Bloomfield, Oakland County, Michigan, in 1820, she was part of the entourage.  Aunt Diadama married Darius Thayer, son of  William and Eunice Farnham Thayer on 2 January 1832 in Oakland County, Michigan.  Darius and Diadama were the parents of only 5 (nine short of her parents 14) children: Seth Darius, Eli (1832), Emily (1840), Ellen (1842), and Franklin William (1847).  The Thayer famliy settled in Groveland Township and that is where Aunt Diadama passed away on 3 December 1893, almost 9 years to the day after Uncle Darius.

As a bit of trivia — even Google cannot come up with any meaning for the name Diadama.  It was quite common in New England in the 18th and 19th centuries, but there is no definitive source meaning.

The second birth I have recorded on 30 January was in 1810, in Salisbury, Connecticut, and it was my great great granduncle, Levi W. Botsford, son of Simeon and Esther Clark Botsford, also my 4 times great grandparents.  Uncle Levi also found himself positioned in the midst of the pack — child number 9 of 11.  Uncle Levi married Mary Amanda Park, daughter of Joseph and Lucy Jenks Park on 25 February 1835 in Oakland County, Michigan.   Long time readers will recognized the maiden name of Aunt Mary’s mother [Lucy Jenks Park was Aunt Diadama’s sister].  Well, Aunt Mary happens to also be my first cousin, 4 times removed.  Luckily, they have no genetic relation to each other.  Uncle Levi and Aunt Mary removed to Racine, Wisconsin and there raised their family of five children: Marion Iona (1838), Edwin (1842), Charles (1852), Oliver F (1855), and Fred Herbert (1858).  Uncle Levi kept in contact with his sister, my great great great grandmother, Almira Botsford Jenks.  A sample of his correspondence form 1874 is below:

 

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185th Anniversary of Great Great Grandparents Weaver.

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Pat Shaul
weaverbp

From the Weaver Family Bible — Anne Lane Weaver

185 years ago, 29 January 1835, my great great grandparents, Goodlif Weaver (nee Gottlieb Weber) and Anne Lane were wed in Washington County, Pennsylvania.  Grandfather changed his name (converted it into English)  — he could never decide if he was a 1-f or a 2-f Goodlif or Goodliff.  Apparently, Grandmother opted for the single f.

Goodlif was born Gottlieb Weber on 7 January 1806 in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg.  He migrated to America with his father, brother and sister.  All settled in Washington County, Pennsylvania, where he met and married Anne Lane, daughter of Richard and Mary Gayer Lane.   Anne was born 3 June 1817, in Washington County, Pennsylvania.

As recorded on the rest of the family pages of Grandmother’s Bible, there were twelve (12) children from this union:

Born in Washington Co, PA

Mary Ann (1836-1836), Roseanah (1837),

Born in Monroe Twp, Morgan Co., OH.

William Powell (1840),

Born in Perry Co. OH

Elizabeth Jane (1842), Margaret Anne (1844), Charles Louis (1847), Christiana (1849), David Shreider (1855), Jasper P (1855), Lemuel (1857) [my great grandfather], George Adam Hempleman (1861), and Eric (1864-1864).

The birth place of the children made it easy to track the migration of the family from where they started in Pennsylvania to their final settlement in Perry County, Ohio.  Interesting side note:  Anne’s parents and younger siblings followed the same migration path.

Grandmother passed away 14 October 1867 in Perry County, Ohio.  Grandfather passed one month later on 15 November 1864.

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136th Anniversary of Cousin Albert and Lizzie Jenks

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Pat Shaul

136 years ago, 26 January 1884, in Springwells, Wayne County, Michigan, Albert Arlington Jenks [my first cousin, 3 times removed] married Elizabeth Jane (Lizzie) Varnham, the daughter of William and Harriet Hollis Varnham.   Albert was the son of Leman Case and Lydia Sickner Jenks.

Albert and Lizzie were the parents of 7 children:  Lydia Mabel (1885), Albert Arlington, Jr. (1887), Russell Edgar (1889), Baby Girl (1891-1891), Euphie Gertrude (1896) [who I profiled earlier], Elmer Sicknor (1899), and Harriet Lucinda (1903).

Lizzie died of pnemonia on 4 April 1906.   Albert married for a second time to Katie Lorain Chapman on 30 December 1907.  She passed away on 10 March 1916.  Albert married for a third time to Nellie White on 9 August 1920.  As far as my records go, it appears she outlived Albert as he died in 1929 without taking a fourth bride.

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Happy 339th Grandfather Hall!

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Pat Shaul

In Taunton, Massachusetts, on 25 January 1681, my 7th great grandfather, George Hall, was born to Samuel and Elizabeth White Hall.  Today marks the 300th anniversary of his Jack Benny birthday (older readers will understand).  Grandfather married Lydia Dean and the two had at least one daughter, my 6th great grandmother, Lydia Hall.  Lydia married Thomas Morey and their daughter, Mehitable, married Nathaniel White, Jr.

Now, why did I take you on this pedigree journey?  Because, one year ago today, I wrote about Nathaniel and Mehitable’s daughter, Prudence White Jenks, my 4th great grandmother who shares this birthdate with her ancestor.  Prudence and her husband, Laban Jenks, brought the Jenks branch of my ancestors to Oakland County, Michigan in 1820 and settled in the Bloomfield area.

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Happy 310th Birthday, Cousin Abiah!

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Pat Shaul

24 January 1710, in Milford, Connecticut, my first cousin, 8 times removed, Abiah Botsford was born to Timothy and Mary Peck Botsford.  Abiah only lived less than one year, but his name is what caught my interest in the “Now that is an odd thing to name your child” category.  Of course, that is with 21st century bias.  It was probably quite common in the early 18th century.    I had to Google (yes, it officially a verb) the name to find out:

“Abiah is a Biblical name that appears for both female and male figures. It may be considered the same as the name Abijah in the Bible; one female Abijah was a queen and ancestor of Christ. Abiah may also be considered a relative of the Arabic name Abia. However you spell or pronounce it — a – BY -a or a – BEE – a — this name can be an original way to the nickname Abi.”

So, in the 18th century, when it was very common to assign Biblical names to children, Cousin Abiah would have been just one of the kids.

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Remembering Great Great Grandfather Koontz.

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Pat Shaul

113 years ago, 21 January 1907, my great great grandfather, Ezra Peter Koontz, passed away in Ligonier, Noble County, Indiana.  Grandfather Koontz was born 15 May 1832, in Navarre, Stark County, Ohio, and migrated westward to Indiana.  It was in Markle, Huntington County, Indiana, that he married my great great grandmother, Mary Ann Allen on 15 April 1855.  They were the parents of five children:  Huntington (1854-1856), Ephriam (1855), Casmear P. (1857) [my great grandfather], Harriett Honora J (1859), and Orrin DeForest (1862).  Grandmother Koontz died on 7 September 1864 in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana.   Grandfather remarried on 29 December 1867 to Mary Anna Sibert.   With his second wife, he had two more children:  Phineas H (1869) and Ezra B (1871).

From the Ligonier Leader on 31 January 1907:

Obituary — Ezra P. Koontz

“Ezra Peter Koontz was born at Navarre, Ohio, May 15, 1832. He came to Indiana in 1846, walking from Ft.Wayne to Ligonier where he was engaged in manufacturing of chairs for a year or more. He went to Markle, Ind., where he was married to Mary Ann Allen April 11, 1853. To this union was born four children: Ephraim R., who died in infancy; Casmear P. of Columbus, O., Harriet H. J. Smith of Port Clinton, O., Orrin D. of Glenville, Minn,

“In 1863 he moved to Huntington, Ind., remaining there a year. He then moved to Ft. Wayne, Ind. where on Sept 7, 1864, the wife and mother answered the devine summons from this life here to a life of the blessed, beyond this world of pain. After the death of his wife he removed to Navarre, O., leaving the motherless children with their grandmother. He soon returned to Indiana, settling in Ligonier in the spring of 1865, where he engaged in the manufacture of furniture for thirty years.

“He was married to Mary Anna Sibert in Ligonier, Ind., Dec 29, 1867. To this union there were three children born: Phineas H., who died at the age of six years; Ezra B. E. of Savage, Neb, Geo D. of Chicago, Ill.

“The children were all present the funeral except one, who arrived later.

“Mr. Koontz answered the roll call on Monday morning at 4 o’clock, Jan 21, 1907, aged 74 years, 8 months, and 6 days. The lamp of this temporal life went out, but to be relighted on the shores of God’s eternal bliss.

“Those present from a distance were: Mr. and Mrs. C. P. Koontz, Columbus, O.; Dr. Sirvenius [Sylvanis] Koontz, Roanoke, Ind.; Mr. Wm. Koontz, Roanoke, Ind.; Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Koontz, Milford, Ind.; Mr. and Mrs. Tuff and daughter, Gladys, Kendallville, Ind.; Messrs Harry and Herman Smith, Port Clinton, O.

Card of Thanks

“We desire to than the friends and neighbors who so kindly assisted us during the sickness and death of husband and father.

Mrs. E. P. Koontz and Children”

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Happy 205th Birthday, Uncle David!

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Pat Shaul

17 January 1815, 205 years ago, in Klein Ingersheim, Würtemburg, my great great granduncle, Johann David Gaertner was born to Alexander Gaertner and Christina Regina Bauer.  Uncle David only lived 2 years and passed away 14 April 1817.   He was the first born of Alexander and Regina’s 12 children.  My great great grandfather, Wilhelm Gotthardt Gaertner (aka William G. Gardner) was number 12 and the first to leave Würtemburg and come to the United States in 1853.

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