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Eva Miller Bauer – A Tragic Mental Illness – 52 Ancestors #38

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on September 30, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Biermann

Entry #38

Eva Miller was the ninth child of Andrew Miller and Kate Wippel Miller and my great grand aunt. She was born 31 October 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. By the time Eva was 16, she was married to Nicholas Bauer and a year later they had a son, Philipp Edward “Eddie” Bauer.

Eva and Nicholas appear in the Dayton, Ohio, 1900 census together in a household that makes no sense to me.

1900 Dayton Census for Eva Miller Bauer

1900 Dayton Federal Census for Eva Miller Bauer

The census lists the head of household as Philip Miller, b. 1828, and a widow. Next is a daughter, Lottie Case, age 40, born in New York, and married for 13 years. After that is a son-in-law, Nicholas Bowers, born September 1880, age 20, and born in Ohio. He is married to Eva Bowers, born October 1881 and age 18. Of course, Eva wasn’t really 18 in 1900, she was only 16. How do I know that this is Eva Miller? Eva’s husband, Nicholas Bauer was, indeed, born in September 1880. Andrew and Kate Miller were living in Dayton at the time, so it is not surprising to find Eva there; but who is this Philip Miller? It cannot possibly be Eva’s father despite how the census identifies him. Eva did have a brother named Philip, but he was born in 1872. Eva’s father, Andrew was born in 1845 not 1828. There would have been an uncle named Philipp Miller, but he had died in the Civil War. Eva’s grandfather was also Philipp Miller (Müller), but he was also deceased by 1900, having died before Eva was born. Further, Eva had no sister named Lottie; her parents were too young to have had children in 1860.

Unfortunately, Eva’s life took a sad turn. By 1910, Eva Miller Bauer was an inmate of the Dayton State Hospital, formerly the Dayton Asylum for the Insane. We do not know what year she was admitted or how long her marriage lasted, but the 1910 census also tells us that she was divorced. She was only 26 years old. In 1920, Eva was still a patient in the same hospital. The enumerators were given very little information about her. She is listed as married and her birth year had moved forward to 1885. Eva died in the Dayton State Hospital on 17 December 1921. Her death certificate states the cause of death as chronic interstitial nephritis, which could have been caused by an overdose of medication. A contributing factor was dementia praecox. Today that would probably be schizophrenia.

The death certificate also said that Eva was born in Augusta, Maine (impossible). Could she have been asking for her sister, my great-grandmother, Augusta, and that was confused with a place? We will never know. Eva Miller Bauer was just 38 when she died. I also wonder if Eva provided the information to the 1900 census taker.  Since her mental illness may have had an early onset, she might have been delusional even in her late teens.

For a while Andrew and Kate cared for Eva’s son, Eddie, as he was called, and he lived with them. Nicholas Bauer moved to California and remarried. Eddie eventually followed.  Eva is buried with her mother in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Her cause of death on the burial certificate is listed as “brain fever.”

Eva Bauer Burial Certificate

Eva Bauer Burial Certificate

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John Elliott – Burned to a Crisp – 52 Ancestors #37

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on September 22, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Hartley

Entry #37

John Elliot, my husband’s 3rd great grandfather, was the eldest child of Robert Elliott and his wife, Lillian (last name unknown). They were Irish immigrants who made the journey to relocate in Philadelphia from their native land in 1816. John was born sometime in the following year. On 24 April 1838, he married Mary A. Smith. I have yet been able to connect her to a Smith family, but we do know that she was a native of Philadelphia. Together the couple produced the following 7 children:

Washington Elliott 1839 – 1868

Mary Elizabeth Elliott 1843 – 1865

Robert Elliott 1844 – 1901

Letitia Elliott 1846 –

Catherine Elliott 1848 –

Jane Elliott 1851 –

Sarah Elliott 1854 –

Sadly, this is a family that was struck by tragedy on 24 May 1853. According to newspaper reports, a fire was discovered on the second floor of the three-story brick building at Broad and Buttonwood about 1:45 in the afternoon. The building housed several manufacturing businesses. The first floor was the location of a rivet manufacturer and the second and third floors held a sash, door and blind maker. In the rear of the building was a wood molding factory and a vat manufactory.

John Elliott was employed as a sash maker and was at his bench on that fateful afternoon. The fire began on the third floor, but spread so quickly that John Elliot was unable to escape from the room in which he was employed. Despite the best efforts of firefighters, the building could not be saved. It burned to the ground in just two hours. The fire was calamitous enough that it was reported in the New York Times. The Springfield Republican stated that John Elliott was “not only dead, but burned to a crisp.” Assistant Engineer James Lewis also lost his life. He was crushed when a wall of the burning building collapsed on him.

Fire and Loss of Life at Philadelphia

Fire and Loss of Life at Philadelphia

The newspapers speculated that the fire was the work of an incendiary. Supposedly, there was nothing  where the fire started that could have accidentally caused it.

Origin of the Fire

Philadelphia Inquirer – Date: May 24, 1854

John Elliott was just 38 at the time of his death. His wife was left behind to care for seven children; the youngest, Sarah was just three months old at the time of her father’s death. One news article said that the family, which had be fairly comfortable prior to John’s death, was left destitute. Evidence of this was seen in a report of a collection taken up for the two families left with no means of support. The paper claimed that both widows were good industrious women deserving of alms.

Philadelphia Inquirer - May 25, 1854

Philadelphia Inquirer – May 25, 1854

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Thomas Hartley – Too Many of You – 52 Ancestors #36

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on September 14, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Hartley

Entry #36

The farthest back I have been able to go with my husband’s Hartley line is Thomas Hartley. He was the father of the black sheep of the family, William Hartley, who was convicted of passing forged banknotes and transported to Van Damien’s Land (Tasmania) in 1832. This was a lucky break for my genealogical research, though, because it was in the convict records that I found that the surname of William’s mother, Hannah, was Charnock. Thomas Hartley and Hnnah Charnock had the following children:

• William Hartley  1794 – 1874
• Grace Hartley  1797 –
• Mary Hartley  1799 –
• John Hartley  1805 –
• James Hartley  1808 –
• Joseph Hartley  1811 –

Thomas Hartley probably was born sometime in the 1760’s near Bradford, West Yorkshire. The marriage bans say that both the bride and groom were from Bradford Parish. Thomas was a weaver. Unfortunately, I am now at a dead end. There are several Thomas Hartley’s who were born in the vicinity in the timeframe outlined. These are the possible Thomas Hartleys that I have identified as the most likely candidates for my husband’s ancestor:

Baptised 3 Dec 1762 at Sowerby Near Halifax; Father: William Hartley
Baptised Jan 1764 at Halifax, St John the Baptist; Father: John Heartley
Baptised 15 Nov 1767 at Bradford, St Peter (Bradford Cathedral); Father: Richd Hartley

There must be a dozen more. When I have time I will have to make a matrix of Thomas Hartleys, their spouses and their death dates. Unfortunately, most of these records to not list a mother, which makes it more difficult to tie records together. I should also look for some guidance from experts in Yorkshire genealogy. My genealogical to-do list keeps growing.

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Heinrich August Gustave Lindner – The Will of Uncle Gus – 52 Ancestors #35

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on September 5, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Lindner

Entry #35

Uncle Gus was one of the few members of my Linder family to settle in the United States. My mom and aunt both mentioned him from time to time. This is not surprising as Uncle Gus lived with their family for a while when they were growing up. He was actually their grand uncle (uncle to their father, Otto) and the younger brother of their grandfather. His full name was Heinrich August Gustave Lindner and he was born in Dresden on 28 May 1862 to Emil Max Heinrich Lindner and Christiane Charlotte Pueschel. The 1900 and 1930 censuses both document that he arrived in the United States in 1885, but I cannot confirm that through immigration records. Gus married Amelia “Mollie” Detzel in Cincinnati in 1891, but she died after a short illness in 1905. Gus and Mollie had no children. My impression of Uncle Gus from family stories was that the was somewhat stern. Nothing that I had heard led me to believe that there was anything warm and fuzzy or avuncular about Gustave.

Otto and Uncle Gus

Otto and Uncle Gus

Despite an impression that Uncle Gus was a bit of an old codger, I did not have an ill opinion of him…at least, not until I found his last will and testament. Uncle Gus died 23 December 1946 in Cincinnati. I was a little shocked to learn that he didn’t leave one penny to my grandfather, his closest living relative in United States. Instead, Gus Lindner’s beneficiaries were his two nieces in Dresden, Elizabeth Groeschel and Elsa Heufner. In fact, Gus didn’t even know if his nieces had survived World War II. These were the daughters of Gus’ sister Minna and my grandfather’s only first cousins. In all fairness, one might have thought that the estate would have been divided three ways, but that was not the case. Maybe Uncle Gus anticipated that his nieces would have the greater need. My grandfather wasn’t rich, but he held a good job as a machinist around that time. That seemed like a logical explanation, but their was an alternate heir if Elizabeth and Elsa did not survive the war, or if they could not inherit because of legal restrictions in post-war East Germany. Suffice it to say, nephew Otto Lindner was not even mentioned in the will.

Gus and Minna Lindner

Gus and Minna Lindner

Uncle Gus named a “friend,” Elise Sommer as his alternate beneficiary. and if she preceded him in death, then, her sister, Mrs. Mina Sherz was to inherit. This is what I found shocking. There was to be nothing for the Gus’ own family in Cincinnati with whom he had lived and shared holidays. I had never heard about any falling out, so I asked my aunt about it. She only said that she wasn’t surprised and that Uncle Gus “really wasn’t a very nice man.”

I doubt I will ever know the real reason that Otto was cut out of the will. It is no secret that families do not always get along.

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Emil Max Heinrich Lindner – A Traveler Who Settled Down – 52 Ancestors #34

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on August 28, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Lindner

Entry #34

My maternal great-grandfather was Emil Max Heinrich Lindner, who was the son of Emil Heinrich Max Lindner and Charlotte Püschel. He was born in Dresden on 8 February 1858.

I have always been fascinated that Max Lindner left his home in Dresden, Germany, and WALKED through Central Europe in 1884. His journey included Southern Germany, Austria, Italy, and Croatia. I believe that this photo was taken of Max during his travels, since Regensburg was one of the places visited during this time period.

Emil Max Heinrich Lindner, ca. 1884.

Emil Max Heinrich Lindner, ca. 1884.

At the completion of his long trek, he made his way to Bremerhaven, where he embarked on the Steamship Fulda, headed for New York. I located the ship’s passenger list and Max was identified as a “tourist.”

Max later returned to Germany and married his sweetheart, Anna Marie Kessler, who I mentioned in an earlier post. In the 1890s, Max wanted to join his parents in the United States, but Marie was afraid to sail, so they stayed in Dresden for the remainder of their lives. My grandfather, Richard Otto Lindner, was born in Dresden, but emigrated to the U.S. in April 1912 to join his grandmother shortly after his grandfather died.  Otto and his wife, Effie, visited Dresden in 1937 to celebrate Max and Marie’s 50th wedding anniversary.

Handed down through the family is a map that Max Lindner drew to memorialize his travels. I wish I knew more about his adventures, but the map is still a precious heirloom in our family.

Linder, Emil Max Heinrich Travels 1884

Supposedly, Max Lindner built the building where the family lived on Glashütter Strasse.

db_Dresden_Aerial_View1

An aerial detail of Dresden with notes from my Grandfather about the location of the Glashütter Grotto.

I am not sure exactly what that means. Did he hire someone to build it, or was he more actively involved in its construction? Later he operated a small restaurant (rathskeller) and bar from the basement. Known as the Glasshütter Grotto, the back wall was decorated with a mural depicting gnomes.  I am including a wonderful photo that shows Max (standing) and some patrons taken in the rathskeller.

db_Glasshutter_interior_enhanced1

Taken in the Glashütter Grotto – a classic German rathskeller.

db_Max_Lindner1The building on Glashütter Strasse was leveled during the Allied firebombing of Dresden during World War II.  Max was already deceased by this time. He died on 1 Jul 1944, but his wife, Marie, perished in the attack.

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Evelyn Mulloy – Tragically Burned – #52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #33

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on August 21, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Sigmund

Entry #33

Last week I had occasion to finally meet Nancy Schanes, who is a Sigmund cousin of my mother-in-law, Evelyn Hartley. Nancy and I have communicated off and on for at least 20 years about the Sigmund family. I have been staying in Southeastern Pennsylvania for about a week and decided it was time that I should look Nancy up, since she lives nearby in Delaware. Nancy was surprised to learn that her cousin Evelyn has lived so near to her for such a long time.

Nancy did her research in B.C., as she says – before computers. Indeed, Nancy’s meticulous family group sheets showed me early on the importance of documenting your sources for your family tree. She and I had a lovely afternoon talking about genealogy. I found her to be a true kindred spirit.

One of the interesting pieces of information that I gleaned from Nancy during our discussion was about the name Evelyn in the Sigmund family. There were several and at times it has been confusing. Nancy said, “It is quite possible that your mother-in-law doesn’t even know why she was named Evelyn.”

It seems that Ida Sigmund, a daughter of William Robert Sigmund and Martha Margaret Wilson, married Harry Pierce Mulloy in 1899. This is the passport photo of Harry:

The first child born to the couple was a daughter named Evelyn, who was born on 15 December 1900. A son, Harry Merle Mulloy, followed in 1903.

Unfortunately, Evelyn met a sad fate. I located the newspaper article that described her death before she reached the age of nine. On 1 November 1909, little Evelyn was sent outside with some waste paper to give to the boys to burn. As she handed it over, her dress caught fire. She was engulfed in flames and died the following day from her burns.

Here is the newspaper account:

Evelyn Mulloy

Subsequently, there were several Evelyns in the family in the next two decades. There is just one problem with the theory that these Evelyns were named for Evelyn Mulloy. Evelyn M. Sigmund, daughter of Walter Morris Sigmund and Mary Ella Evans, was born 21 August 1908, one year before Evelyn Mulloy died in the bonfire. I am not sure about the original origin of the name Evelyn in the Sigmund family, so my research will be ongoing.

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Katherine “Kate” Wippel Miller – For a While, I Thought You Fell off a Turnip Cart – #52 Ancestors #32

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on August 19, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Biermann

Entry #32

I have been postponing blogging about some of my most complicated research endeavors. For week #32, I have to tackle one. After all, we only have 20 ancestors more about whom to write.

For years, no single ancestor preoccupied me more than my second great-grandmother, Katherine Wippel. Katherine Wippel was my paternal grandmother’s grandmother. If my Nanny Biermann (Katherine Schatz) ever spoke of her own grandmother, I have no recollection, although my grandmother was clearly named for her. My first knowledge of Katherine Wippel came from a single sheet of paper documenting my Miller (Mueller) family. It listed Andrew Mueller, his wife Katherine and most of their adult children with dates of birth for all. At the bottom it said:

Kate Miller, Maiden Wippel

Reverent L. Theiss

Marriage Slifficat

Ser Slificate

The document gives  “Katharin” Mueller’s date of birth as November 25th, 1847.   I am not sure who wrote this document, which was written on the back of a paper from the G.A.R. Post #5.

I suspect it may have been authored by Katherine Miller Patterson, the second to oldest of the Miller children. It makes sense, because she is not listed. She probably would not list herself, since she already knew her own vital statistics. Everything about the spelling gives the sense that this individual spoke German, although in an uneducated way.

In the mid-1990’s when I began my research into Katherine Wippel, I had no idea where to begin. I could not find her in the 1850 or 1860 censuses in Cincinnati, Ohio, or any other document prior to her marriage. My first break came when I obtained the death record for my great-grandmother, Augusta Miller Schatz. I mistakenly believed that she had been born in Cincinnati, but her place of birth was given as Pomeroy, Ohio. I retrieved my road atlas and located Pomeroy. (Yes, this was back in the day when you used a road atlas for such information rather than a computer!) Knowing that my great-grandmother was born in Pomeroy helped me locate my Miller (Mueller, Müller) family. One of the first records I found was the marriage record for Katherine Wippel and Andrew Miller on 21 October 1866.

I was still unable to find Katherine Wippel, before she married. I found a number of other Wippels in Pomeroy and even a couple of “Catherine” Wippels. They were all the wrong age, though. I contacted several Wippel family researchers. No one knew of my Katherine. The Wippel family of Pomeroy was from Roxheim, Bavaria, and at the head of the family was Johann Wippel and Catharina Dietrich Wippel (the subject of week #27).  Johann died prior to passage to America, so they could not have been her parents. One, researcher informed me that my Katherine could not be part of his wife’s Wippel family. He suggested my Wippel family was an altogether unrelated family of the same name. I investigated. The only other Whipples in southeastern Ohio were from New England and of British heritage. I knew in my heart that my Katherine Wippel came from a German background.

I contacted Monsignor John Wippel, who I was told was THE expert on Wippel genealogy. He corresponded that there were a number of Catherine Wippels in Pomeroy contemporaneous with mine. He was very thoughtful and kind, but indicated that sorting them could be a real problem.  He did not know where my Katherine fit in. I combed the 1850 and 1860 censuses for Meigs County on microfilm, name by name, looking at every Catherine born from 1845 to 1852. I had no success finding her and, to add insult to injury, I still could not find her death record. Eventually, I stumbled across her death notice in Cincinnati. She was indexed under KATE MILLER, not Katherine or even Catherine.  I, then, wrote to Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati (before their records were online). I received her death and burial information and that led to finding her death certificate. I now knew, that my great, great grandmother was known to all as “Kate.”

I put out feelers on the Meigs County genealogy mailing list. There were lots of suggestions, but no one had a definitive answer. I began to feel discouraged. “Kate Wippel,” I shouted to the heavens, “you didn’t just fall off a turnip cart in 1866!”

Many researchers were helpful, but it was Merry Anne Pierson who noticed Catherine (age 11) and Barby Efler (age 9) in the 1860 census in the household of Peter Efler (Effler, Oeffler) (age 25) and his wife Catherine (age 22). Merry Anne wrote to me to point out that these two girls were too old to be the children of Peter and Catherine. There was also a baby in the household who was probably theirs. I began to dissect the Effler household. Peter Effler was really 27 and Catherine was 32, not 22. Most importantly, Peter Effler had married Catherine Wippel on 1 June 1857. Eureka! Catharine Wippel was the mother of my Kate, and Kate had a sister named Barbara! I located an earlier marriage of Catherine Wippl to Charles Wippl on 7 May 1848. Later, I found their divorce record from May 1857.

I have had to make a few assumptions. As I wrote in week #1, Catherine and Charles Wippel were first cousins. I think that Kate, my second great-grandmother, was born in 1848, not 1847. If she had been born in 1847, she would have been conceived in Germany or on the ship to America. It isn’t impossible, but it seems unlikely. I think the 1860 census was right about the ages of the children, even if the enumerator got the adults wrong. Kate Wippel was probably only 17 when she married my great, great grandfather. Kate was brought up as a Roman Catholic and her chosen partner was Lutheran. Kate would have needed parental consent to marry at 17, but not at 18. The confusion over her age may have started with her wedding day.

Kate and Andrew Miller went on the have 10 children. Kate died on Christmas Eve, 1918. She was just one of thousands stricken down by the Great Influenza.

Kate_Wippel_Miller1

Kate Wippel Miller

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William Sigmund or William Wilson? – Three Civil War Photographs – #52 Ancestors #31

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on August 5, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Sigmund

Entry #31

A few weeks ago I mentioned having found a photo in my mother-in-law’s possession that was pretty exciting. It was a Civil War vintage photo of a young soldier in uniform, and, of course, as my luck always goes, it was unidentified. My mother-in-law could not tell me anything about it.  She did not know who it was or even if it was a member of her family.

Family soldier full view_edited-1

Unidentified Soldier Recently Found

The photo is in a small case (3-3/4″ by 4-3/4″) and under glass. The case is similar to many cases that held daguerreotypes of the era, but it is not a daguerreotype. It does not have the reflective quality of one. I presume it is either a tintype or an ambrotype.   I have not tried to remove it from the glass. The bright gold buttons on the uniform are probably hand-tinted. I wish the photo were sharper, but it seems to have a film under the glass.

I began a quest to identify our unknown soldier. The provenance of the photo indicated that he would be a member of either the Hartley or the Sigmund family. I checked for possible matches on the Hartley side, but found no one of the right age who served in the military. Frederick Hartley was too old to be the soldier in the photo and his sons were all too young. Likewise, Moses McGaughey, Jr. could be ruled out for the same reason.

My inclination was that this might be William Robert Sigmund, the subject of my Week #29 entry. William fought for the 2nd Delaware and was wounded at Gettysburg. I have the photocopy of a photo of William Sigmund that I included in my post, but it is not very sharp, since the reproduction was made in the 1990s. I had in mind that I must share the photo with Nancy Schanes who provided me with her original Sigmund research. Ironically, before I could contact her, she was in touch with me. I sent her a copy of the photo and she sent me a different one in return.

The photo Nancy Schanes sent me and the one I have are the same soldier! The bad news is that Nancy said she is not sure of the man’s identity, either. Nancy also provided me with a clearer photo of William Robert Sigmund. She suggested that the unknown soldier could be William Wilson, William Sigmund’s brother-in-law. It makes sense.  He had no children living when he died in 1898, so his possessions may have been divided among his close relatives.

Family soldier

Close-up of Unidentified Soldier Recently Found

Civil War Soldier 2 -Maybe Wm Wilson

Unidentified Soldier from Collection of Nancy Schanes

William Robert Sigmund copy from NES_edited-1

William Robert Sigmund

So, here are the three portraits. I vacillate; could they all be the same person? I wonder if the photograph that is positively William Robert Sigmund could have been taken later, possibly even after the war. It was not unusual for veterans to wear their uniforms for patriotic holidays or to meetings of military fraternal orders, like the GAR. I see many similarities, but I detect minor differences, too. I hope the time will come when we can make a positive identification.

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Martha Blumenstengel Luther – Much Younger Than Her Husband – 52 Ancestors #30

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on July 29, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Lindner

Entry #30

Martha Blumenstengel married into my Luther family, which I covered in entry #13 – Martin Luther – Yes, THAT Martin Luther. She was born in in Zeitz, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany, on 14 April 1587. Her parents were Jeremias Blumenstengel, alderman and mayor of Zeitz, and his wife. Martha Hellborn.

Martha Blumenstengel was first married to George Grähl on 5 February 1605 at the age of 17. George Grahl died in August 1607 making Martha a very young widow. Martha was married again on 18 September 1610 at the age of 23 to Johann Ernst Luther, who was more than double her age; Johann Ernst Luther was 50 at the time of this marriage. He was a contemporary of Martha’s father and held the position as Senior das Domkapitel – the individual who is the leader in administrative and liturgical questions of the church. It does not sound like a love match to me, but who knows? This is how Martha Blumenstengel became my 9th great-grandmother. She and Johann Ernst proceeded to have eight children over the next 14 years.  Johann Ernst Luther died in 1637 and Martha Blumenstengel in 1653.  Together they founded the Zeitz line of Luther descendants.

Why did I chose Martha Blumenstengel as my subject this week? I feel very fortunate to have some portraits of my Luther ancestors. In this entry, I include Martha’s image from a copper engraving. I believe the inscription on the tablecloth indicates that she was 35 years old at the time this likeness was made.

Martha Blumenstengel 2

From “Die Nachkommenschaft D. Martin Luthers in vier Jahrhunderten. Nebst Anhang über Nachkommen seiner Seitenverwandten und vieler anderer Luther” by Otto Sartorius

I love seeing Martha’s clothes and the expression on her face. By contrast, Johann Ernst Luther has always filled me with feelings of foreboding. Here is his likeness from a companion engraving:

Johann Ernst Luther

My Luther family is the only one where I have visual images of my ancestors that date into the 1500’s and 1600’s. That, to me, is worth blogging about!

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William Robert Sigmund – Wounded at Gettysburg – #52 Ancestors #29

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on July 21, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Sigmund

Entry #29

July marked the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. I do not purport to be an expert on this battle or the Civil War in general. In fact, I find it a little intimidating to write about events that are so historically significant; however, I do feel that it is noteworthy to document the involvement of my husband’s ancestor, William Robert Sigmund, in this momentous battle. William Robert Sigmund is Gary’s two-times great-grandfather on his mother’s paternal side of the family.

William Robert Sigmund was born on 4 January 1843 to John Letherman Sigmund and Isabella Morris Heritage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By 1850 the Philadelphia federal census shows that Isabella was not living with her husband, but, rather, she and her two children were housed under the roof of her brother-in-law, Houston Sigmund. John L. Sigmund, in turn, was living with his parents. I see no indication that William’s parents ever lived together again.

At the age of 18, William R. Sigmund joined the Union forces of the 2nd Volunteer Delaware Infantry in Wilmington on 12 August 1861. As far as I can determine, he was residing in Philadelphia at the time. I am not sure what took him the short distance south to Wilmington to enlist, but he signed up for a three-year tour of duty. William was assigned to the Company H of the 2nd Delaware. We are able to track some of his movements through his military records. In January and February of 1862, William Sigmund’s record lists him as detached to service on Hunting Creek. From what I can ascertain, this seems to have been a strategic position on the Potomac River for the defense of Washington.

William was back with his unit by March, although he is marked as “sick at Harper’s Ferry” for September and October 1862. The dates are not specific, but it seems that William may have been present with the 2nd Delaware at Antietam on September 16-17, since the 2nd Delaware did not arrive at Harper’s Ferry until five days later. William may also have seen action at the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 12-15 and at the Battle of Chancellorsville on May 1-5, 1863.

It is clear that William found himself part of the early fighting at Gettysburg, where on July 2 the 2nd Delaware struggled to take the Rose Farm wheat field.

2nd Delaware Monument GettysburgMonument at Gettysburg to the 2nd Delaware

I have not found a record of precisely what happened to William Sigmund during that battle, but he was wounded to a degree that he was withdrawn to the Army hospital in Wilmington. His service record says that he was “wounded slightly,” but it seems to have been serious enough to keep him from active duty for the remainder of the war.

  William Robert Sigmund Casualty Sheet

The story of William Robert Sigmund now turns to romance. Nancy Schanes, a Sigmund cousin who spent years researching the Sigmund family, documented that William met another William while in the hospital in Wilmington. William H. Wilson was William Sigmund’s age and was serving in the 1st Delaware, Company B.  William Wilson hailed from Chester County, Pennsylvania. Although he was confined to the hospital for sickness, William Wilson was no malingerer. On several of the entries in his record, it states, “sick – a fine soldier.” William Wilson and William Sigmund became fast friends, and it was only a matter of time before William Sigmund met his friend’s sister, Martha Margaret Wilson.

Martha Margaret WilsonWilliam Robert Sigmund

(Provided from the collection of Nancy Schanes)

They fell in love and married on 8 November 1864 within weeks of William’s discharge at the completion of his three years’ service.  The rest, as they say, is history…

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