My Search for the Past | Sharing my genealogical research into my family and my husband's family including Biermann, Schatz, Lindner, Maier, Hartley, Sigmund, Brown and allied surnames.

Joseph Köhler – It’s Nice to Know You Better – #52 Ancestors #28

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

Entry #28

I am visiting family in Pennsylvania this week and staying with my mother-in-law. She has been telling my husband and I for a few months that she found boxes of “really old photos.” At my request, she dragged out the five boxes in her keeping. Mostly, I was disappointed. There are only a few really old photos. One will be exciting, if I can figure out who he is. I will save that for another time, since I have a hunch. There was another nice find, too, in a less dramatic way.

Luckily, the photo of a young man was marked in pencil, “grandfather.” Later someone added in pen, “Roy’s.” This i.d. – combined with the photographer’s city of Nurnberg -made it pretty it pretty clear that I was looking at a photo of Joseph Köhler as a young man. I was lucky to “meet” one of my husband’s Köhler cousins online and she shared some of her family photos. This gave me an image of an older Joseph, but it is always refreshing to the see the ones taken in the prime of life.

This photo was probably taken between 1880 and 1883 since it was shot before Joseph’s immigration to the U.S.

Joseph Köhler was born in Schweinfurt, Bavaria, on 31 December 1861. He came to the United States in either 1883 or 1886 and settle in Philadelphia, where married Anna Marie Lang of Beerfelden on 21 March 1889. Joseph was a machinist by trade. I have written about Anna Marie previously in the story of how my husband and my friend are cousins. Just two weeks ago, I found their shared ancestors, aided by the Pennsylvania Death Certificates online at Ancestry.com.

Once again, the Pennsylvania Death Certificates have yielded a goldmine of information. Here I learned that Joseph’s parents were Peter Köhler and Christine Hoffmann –new information for me. Joseph and Anna Marie named their only daughter Christine and now we can surmise the origin of her name. Sadly, I realized that Joseph died in the Philadelphia Hospital for Mental Disease on 16 October 1928. It listed arteriosclerosis as the cause of death with dementia as a secondary cause.

I nearly overlooked a crumbling baptismal certificate for Christine Köhler in the boxes of photos that my mother-in-law showed me. It listed Sophie Lang and Leonhard Köhler as her godparents. I guess this was a pretty good haul after all. Maybe Joseph Köhler had a brother named Leonard – more clues for our Köhler research!

Tags: Koehler, Kohler, Lang, Philadelphia, Schweinfurt Permalink

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Johann Wippel – Emigrated When He Was Dead? 52 Ancestors #27

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on July 8, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Biermann

Entry #27

My four times great-grandfather, Johann Wippel, was born to Jacob Wippel and Anna Maria Eisenhauer in Roxheim, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, on 10 May 1796. He appears to have been the second child named Johann from this union. The first Johann was born around 1791 and died 25 Jan 1796; so, when a baby was born later that year in May, the parents succumbed to the odd custom of naming the child after the deceased one. The second Johann grew to adulthood and married Katharina Dietrich on 12 February 1816. They produced ten children together between 1816 and 1838, including my 3 times great-grandmother, Katharina Wippel, who married her first cousin, Charles Wippel.

The records were unremarkable until I began to research the family’s passage to the United States. They were found on the ship’s passenger list for the Carolina which arrived in New York from Antwerp, Belgium, on 8 June 1847. Most of the family is easily identifiable. Matching well with my family are: Barbara, age 24; Cath. Wippel, age 19; Maria, age 14; Elias, age 11; Franz, age 9; and Georg, age 28. Mary Becker, present under Georg, must be his wife (Magdalena Becker) and the child, Loren Becker, age 1/2, is their son. There is also a Chris Wippel and family, who I cannot identify at this time. The eldest daughter, Helena is listed with her husband, Phil Graef. Seemingly, at the head of the family of unmarried children is WJ Wippel, male, age 54.

1847 Passenger list from the Ship Carolina (page 1 excerpt)

On the surface, this would appear to be a very informative record, perhaps with a few minor inaccuracies. There are two significant problems. The first is, where is Katharina Dietrich Wippel, who should be about age 50? The second is that I have been informed by a family member that Johann Wippel died in Roxheim in late March 1847. I tracked down the record and he did indeed die on 28 Mar 1847.

Death Record for Johann Wippel

Who, then, is WJ Wippel? I have sometimes seen Johann referred to Johann Wendelinus Wippel, Wendelinus having been the name of his grandfather. The WJ seemed like a good fit, even if the age of 54 was a few years too old.

There is no doubt that Johann Wippel was dead prior to this voyage. So, who traveled on the Carolina in the spring of 1847 under the name of WJ Wippel? This is what may happen to our ancestors who are missing from the records. Either the record was in error, or it was falsified in some way.

I like to imagine that Johann’s wife, Katharina, decided to travel as a man. Perhaps she felt this was the best way to protect her family. Katharina became the matriarch of the Wippel family in Meigs County, Ohio, and later died in Mason County, West Virginia, in 1884. She bears a reputation, well over a century later, as having been a very strong woman.

The record of WJ Wippel’s passage to America on the Carolina is a cautionary tale for genealogists. A record may not always be what it seems on face value.

Resources:

“Deutschland Heiraten, 1558-1929,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J414-H8G : 11 February 2018), Joannes Wippel, death 28 Mar 1847; citing Roemisch-Katholische, Roxheim, Pfalz, Bavaria; FHL microfilm 367,595.)

Tags: Graef, Johann Wippel, Katharina Dietrich, Roxheim, Wippel Permalink

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Barbara Ackermann – A Clue from a Postcard – 52 Ancestors #26 (or #10 continued!)

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on July 1, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Hartley

Entry #26

Last week was full of genealogical finds, mostly because I had some new films to view at my Family History Center. This is going to be one of the biggest pleasures of my new retirement. It has been very difficult for me to travel an hour and twenty minutes each way to view films, while I was still working.

This week’s blog entry is really the continuation of week #10. That was the story of how my husband, Gary, and my good friend, Allen, discovered they must be cousins through the Langs of Beerfelden:
Anna Marie and Elisabeth Lang – When in Doubt, Test the DNA

Last week I was able to locate the Beerfelden christening records for both of these women. What a disappointment! They were very difficult to read, but with translation help from members of the Hesse Genealogy group on Facebook they were read. It seemed that Anna Marie and Elisabeth had different parents. My husband’s great-grandmother, Anna Marie Lang, was the daughter of Jacob Lang and Barbara Ackerman. Elisabeth was the daughter of Adam Lang and wife, Friederike Johanna Soj…?

Christening of Anna Maria Lang

Christening of Elisabetha Dorothea Lang

This was not what I had hoped to hear, but the name Barbara Ackermann was a happy surprise. I had nearly forgotten a postcard that came from my father-in-law’s side of the family. It was from the town of Weidenthal. I worked on this clue about seven or eight years ago, but it led nowhere.

Front of postcard

Here is the transcription of the handwriting on the back:

The right side reads, “Geburtsort Eurer lieben Mutter.” I understand enough German to know that this means “birthplace of your dear mother.” Unfortunately, I was not sure whose dear mother it referred to. The card is not addressed to anyone. It is undated and not postmarked; it may have arrived in a letter. The inscription on the left side of the postcard required some help. It reads, “Das gezeigte Schulhaus war das alte Ackermannsche? Elternhaus. Er wurde abgerissen unds Schulhaus daraufgestellt.” The rough traslation I was given is “The shown school house was the old Ackermann’s house. It was demolished and the schoolhouse placed on it.”

When I tried to interpret this years ago, I was told Ackermann could be the name of the parents or mean “farmers.” Learning that Anna Marie’s mother was Barbara Ackermann means that the Weidenthal postcard was written to her about the family home. What a wonderful clue to another line of my husband’s family!

As for the connection between Gary and Allen, I figured I would have to work my way back another generation. Maybe they were 4th not 3rd cousins and Jacob and Adam Lang were brothers. Sigh, more films were going to be required.

BUT, WAIT, there’s more! I woke up the next morning to conversation on the Facebook Hesse Genealogy group insisting that Elisabeth Lang, daughter of Adam could not have emigrated to the United States. My correspondents insist she died in Beerfelden on 26 May 1871 as an infant. If this were true and I have the wrong record, Anna Maria and Elizabeth could still be sisters. I was browsing Beerfelden films in the catalog on FamilySarch.org when I decided I should take another look at Elizabeth. I knew that I did not have death or burial records for her. In fact, I did not have a precise birth date, only May 1871 from the 1900 US census.

So, in the wee hours last night, I tried another search on Ancestry.com for Elisabeth Lang Grather and, to my amazement, I finally found her death certificate! Not to long ago, Ancestry added the collection of Pennsylvania death certificates. I found one for Anna Marie Lang Köhler, also. Both of the death certificates listed Jacob Lang and Barbara Ackermann as their parents.

Death Certificate for Elizabeth Lang Grather

I was ecstatic over this discovery, but I have to admit there is one nagging fact that could still disprove Elisabeth Lang Grather’s parentage. Elisabeth’s death certificate gives 26 May 1871 as her birth date. The christening record for Elisabetha Dorothea Lang has the same date in the margin. This is supposed to be the child’s death date. (Maybe it is really her birth date, not death date.) If so, these would be the same two Elizabeths. I am not sure how to explain the difference in the parents names. Nevertheless, the informant for Elizabeth’s parents on her death certificate was Joseph Grather, her husband of over 40 years. One would think he would know the names of this wife’s parents, and so I will treat this as a fairly reliable source.

At any rate, the DNA speaks to the strength of the connection between Gary and Allen. My head is spinning from the rapidity with which my research is moving!

Tags: Ackermann, Beerfelden, Lang, Weidenthal Permalink

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Henry O’Donnell – Died on the 4th of July (Heat Exhaustion) – 52 Ancestors #25

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

Entry #25

Henry O’Donnell was the husband of Sarah J. McGaughey, who was my husband’s 2nd great grandaunt and sister of Moses McGaughey Jr. Both Henry O’Donnell and Moses McGaughey Jr. were members of the Philadelphia police force, but at separate times. The two brother-in-laws were stone polishers prior to becoming police officers; perhaps they worked together. Moses died 24 October 1871 of phthisis pulmonalis (more familiarly tuberculosis) at the age of 33. He lived at 103 N. Albion Street in Philadelphia, and this was the O’Donnell family address, as well.

Based on the data in the Philadelphia City Directories, Henry O’Donnell must have joined the police force in late 1875 or early 1876, since 1876 is the first year he appears with the occupation of police.

1876 was the year of the Centennial Celebration of Independence for the United States of America, and Philadelphia was to be the scene of the greatest observance of the occasion. It was the home of the Centennial International Exhibition and, notably, was the first official World’s Fair to be held in the U.S.

Centennial Hall

The Centennial Exhibition opened in Fairmont Park on May 10, 1876. It was a sweltering summer, though, and visitation did not meet the initial expectations. Although I could not find information that indicated that any record temperatures were set that summer, it seems that the prolonged duration of the heat spell, which began in mid-June and ran into July, is what caused problems for the Cradle of Liberty. Indeed, ten times during the heat wave, the temperatures reached 100 °F (37.8 °C). According to the Free Library of Philadelphia, 80 deaths were attributed to heat by week ending July 15 and 30 more during week ending July 22.

I grew up outside of Philadelphia and my husband was a National Park Ranger at Independence Hall. We have been gone from there for a long time, but it is easy to remember some of the huge special events that my husband worked as a law enforcement ranger at Independence. One of those was the celebration of the Philadelphia Tricentennial. These crowded events can be full of surprises and, at times, even deadly. It really hit home when I learned that Henry O’Donnell was afflicted with heat exhaustion while on special assignment in Fairmont Park on July 4, 1876. He was taken to his home where he died at 9 o’clock that evening. The newspapers reported a few other heat-related deaths for that day and there are references to the heat prostration suffered by participants in the Parade of Military Organizations and Special Ceremonies, but there are no other details on the circumstances surrounding Henry’s death.

Henry O’Donnell Death Certificate

Henry O’Donnell Death Notice

Although he would have been considered a rookie a the time of his death, Henry O’Donnell’s demise while in service of the Philadelphia Police earned him a commemoration in the online Officer Down Memorial.

Tags: Centennial Exhibition, Henry O'Donnell, McGaughey, Officer Down Memorial, Philadelphia Permalink

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John Joseph Biermann – Born on the 4th of July (almost) – 52 Ancestors #24

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on June 24, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Biermann

Entry #24

I have now been retired a week. Boy, does it feel good to say that, but also a little strange. I have fallen behind on my posts because of moving my office and a few other distractions that came with retiring.

July has several notable family events. Even though this is a June blog entry, I will start with my dad’s dad, Grandpa Biermann. John Joseph Biermann was born on the 5th of July, 1899. I know, in my title I said the 4th, but that Grandpa just liked to say that. He would readily admit he was really born the next day, but he celebrated on the 4th of July his entire life. I suppose it was an adopted birthday. I can see how that would happen. July 4th was a big event for families back in the day. I suspect that, when everyone was gathered together, they would celebrate baby John’s birthday.

That is another thing that I know about my grandfather. He was the youngest of John F. Biermann and Anna Schulte Biermann’s five children; everyone says he was spoiled. One of my favorite childhood photos of my grandfather has a handwritten quip on it, “current pie Mamma’s boy.” I think the white lettering over little John says, “Cutie” and the word over the dog reads “dog.”

John’s oldest brother, Clifford John Biermann, was born in 1884, so there was a difference of 15 years between them. In between were three sisters: Mae (b. 1886), Anna (b. 1892), and Hilda (b. 1895). Is it any wonder that John Jr., as he was always called, ended up being a little spoiled?

John at a tea party with Anna and Hilda along with cousin Norma Schulte.

The only awareness I have about Grandpa being spoiled is that he was a “picky eater.” He had a pretty narrow repertoire of foods that he would tolerate on his plate. And, darned if I didn’t inherit his finicky ways, although I am a bit more adventurous than he ever was. Grandpa hated tomatoes, and so do I. I don’t remember what else he didn’t like, but he usually had apple sauce instead of a salad.

John Jr. grew up to be a banker. I am not really sure how he got into banking, but he was a clerk at the Federal Reserve Bank. My mother was his secretary and that is how she met my father.

My grandpa met my grandmother, Katherine Schatz, at a picnic. They married in 1922. I knew there were some issues about religion. The Biermann family was staunchly Roman Catholic and the Schatzes were Protestant. I remember asking if my grandmother was the reason that my grandfather converted. The answer I received was, no, John Jr., converted when he was 19, before he met Katherine. Oddly, John Biermann Jr. became vehemently anti-Catholic, something that I found difficult to understand. I discussed this matter with my mom and dad. They said that grandpa thought the Catholic Church took too much money from its members during Great Depression. He thought it was wrong that his family gave so much at a time when they had so little.

My grandparents were married for 46 years until Katherine’s death in 1968. Shortly after becoming a widower, John Biermann Jr. married Julia Duebber Crozier, a long-time widow and close friend of the family. John Joseph Biermann Jr. died on 10 February 1995 at he age of 95.

Finally, it seems like there is always at least one thing you learn when you research a family member – something unexpected that takes you by surprise. John Biermann Jr. is no exception. Tonight I stumbled across the newspaper record for the marriage license issued to John and Katherine. John’s occupation is listed as “aeronaut.”

What? I have never heard anything about my grandfather being an aeronaut. The Cincinnati city directories for this time period list John Jr. as a clerk. He was a banker and a part-time farmer, but an aeronaut? What did being an aeronaut mean in 1922? Just when I think I know someone, it looks like I have more sleuthing to do!

Update! I figured out the reference to John Jr. being an aeronaut. When I rechecked my grandparents’ marriage certificate, I discovered that John was an ACCOUNTANT! Apparently, the typesetter for the newspaper mistook accountant for aeronaut. Someone must have had some really bad handwriting! Aeronaut sounded a lot more daring, but accountant was more in line with the grandfather I knew.

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Friederica Catharina Diederica Ruwolt – Poor Friederica! – 52 Ancestors #23

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on June 10, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Biermann

Entry #23

With the help Fritz Kruse and Dolly Jackemeyer Kikuchi from the Mecklenburg Germany Region Genealogy Facebook group, I am feeling fairly comfortable that Friederica Catharina Diederica Ruwoldt and Friedrich David Schatz are the parents of Johann “John” Schatz. As mentioned in week #8 of my blog, Johann Schatz was my two times great-grandfather, who immigrated to Cincinnati, Ohio, from the grand duchy of Mecklenburg. There seem to have been two possibilities for my forebear in the Mecklenburg 1819 census (1) Johann Schatz of Satow with a 1 February 1817 birth date or (2) Friedrich Schatz of Bützow with a 20 June 1818 birth date. I have always felt that Johann from Satow was the one for whom I was looking. The actual birth record from the church confirms that the real birth date for Johann was 17 January 1818. This is very close to the estimated date of birth calculated from the burial record for my John Schatz.

This, of course, leads us to Friederica Ruwolt, my three times great-grandmother. She would have been born 8 May 1798 to Jochen Hinrich Ruwolt and Maria Schoof.

Schatz Ruwolt marriage in Satow 1817

Friederica was 19 when Johann was born. She and little Johann are domiciled with her family in the 1819 census; her husband, Friedrich David Schatz is not present. With help from Fritz to access the Satow church records, I learned that Friedrich David Schatz and Friederica Ruwolt married on 5 December 1817 – very close to Johann’s entry into the world. As Fritz observed, this seems to have been a “shotgun wedding.” It also appears that the marriage didn’t last very long; otherwise, how else would you explain Friederica Ruwolt’s husband-less appearance in the 1819 census? Did Frederica’s husband desert her, or was there another reason for his absence?

Sadly, Friederica Catharina Diederica Ruwolt Schatz died on 10 November 1819.

Fried Ruwolt death 1819

She was a mere 21-1/2 years old. Her cause of death was listed as “ruhr.” That was puzzling, but the interpretation is that it is some kind of strong movement in the lower body, diarrhea, dysentery, etc. More details were offered by Klaus Cook:

“Ruhr” in English is “Shigellosis.” Shigella can be transmitted through food, including salads (potato, tuna, shrimp, macaroni, and chicken), raw vegetables, milk and dairy products, and meat. Contamination of these foods is usually through the fecal-oral route. Fecally contaminated water and unsanitary handling by food handlers are the most common causes of contamination. Apart from hand-to-mouth infection, Shigellosis is transmitted through fomites, water and mechanical vectors like houseflies.

Johann Schatz was left motherless before he was two years old. In the meantime, there is a long gap between his mother’s death and his emigration to the United States in 1854. Poor Friederica! Such a sad, short life!

Tags: Mecklenberg, Ruwolt, Schatz, Schoof Permalink

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William Heritage, Senior – Heritage Unknown – 52 Ancestors #22

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on June 3, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Sigmund

William Heritage is another one of those tricky ancestors who just bugs the heck out of me. This time I have chosen someone from my mother-in-law’s family, and William Heritage is my husband’s 5th great-grandfather. I keep going over and over my evidence for him. I have been doing this for years. It ought to be simple. There is a well-documented Heritage family from Gloucester, New Jersey, but I cannot make William fit in anywhere.

I have a fair amount of information from Ancestry.com, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985. My husband’s William Heritage is the one that married Catharina Knaus (Knauss, Knows, Knoes) sometime prior to 1790. They proceeded to have four children together: Catharine Heritage, b. 1790; Maria Heritage, 1793 – 1800; William Heritage, Jr., 1795 – 1825; Samuel Heritage, 1797 – 1861; and Margaretha Heritage, b. 1800. In 1790, William is counted in the Federal Census not too far from his father-in-law, Joseph Knows.

What I really want to know, though, is where did William Heritage come from and who were his parents? He should belong to the Richard Heritage line of New Jersey – formerly of Warwickshire, England.

I have never found a William Heritage who is the right age for a match. Judah L. Heritage, son of Richard, had a son who was born in 13 November 1769, but that does not match the tombstone inscription. Some family trees show Judah’s son William as having died young. There is a record for a William Heritage, who married Susannah DeNyce, on 13 Aug 1771 in Salem County, NJ. Susannah died on 27 Aug 1774 and was buried at Old Pennepack Baptist church Lower Dublin Twp, Philadelphia, PA. They had one son, John. I would speculate that this could be our William, but the son John is clearly not in William Heritage’s household in 1790. The household is all female with the exception of William. Further, if the tombstone date of death is correct, my husband’s William would have been too young to marry in 1771.

The most intriguing part of all of this for me is that my mother-in-law’s autosomal DNA shows clear connections to other test subjects who have the New Jersey and Warwickshire Heritages in their lines. The identity of my husband’s William Heritage, with his unknown heritage, may just be few chromosome SNPs away from a breakthrough!

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Philipp Müller (Miller, Mueller) – First West Virginia Cavalry – 52 Ancestors #21

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on May 26, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Biermann

Entry #21

Philipp Müller (Miller)was the brother of my two times great-grandfather, Andrew Miller. As with many who are blogging this weekend for the 52 Ancestors Challenge, I have chosen a Civil War soldier to honor. Both brothers served, but Philipp paid the ultimate price.

Philipp was the son of Philipp Müller and Catharine Reich. Born in 1838, he immigrated with his parents, brothers, and sisters, from Kleinniedesheim, a hamlet of Frankenthal in Bavaria in 1852. (As a side note, Philipp’s service record indicates that he was from Didisheim, Germany, but this is wrong.) The family came in through the port of New York, but hastily made their way to the river town of Pomeroy, Ohio. From their speedy journey (about eight days), I assume that they were joining family there.

The elder Philipp became a carpenter in the town of Pomeroy. The younger Philipp went into the trade of cooper – a skill that was in great demand because of the barrels needed for the shipment of salt from the local mines. By 1859, Philipp had made a match with Sophia Louisa Karoline Haag, the daughter of Christian Haag, a gunsmith from Württemberg. Together Philip and Sophia began to have a family almost immediately with daughters Eva Augusta born in June 1860 and Sophia born in June 1861.

I am no expert on the Civil War, but I tried to find what the catalyst was for over 80 men from the Meigs County area to enlist en masse in the First Virginia (loyalist) Cavalry in Mason City, Virginia, on September 8, 1861. I looked at the events of late August and early September. I think I found the reason. On August 26, Confederate General John B. Floyd surprised Colonel Erastus Tyler’s 7th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry and captured about 200 of his men where they were encamped at Kessler’s Cross Lanes, Virginia. (This is known either as the Battle of Kessler’s Cross Lanes or the Battle of Summersville).

This territory would later become West Virginia and the regiment’s name would be changed from the First Virginia to the First West Virginia Cavalry. Young Philipp Müller must have been among the men who felt the action was threatening their home which was just across the Ohio River from Virginia.

At any rate, 23-year-old Philipp went off to war with his peers. He enlisted for a period of three years and served in Company M of his regiment. I recognize many Meigs County names among the members of Company M. Philipp Müller’s brother-in-law, Louis Haag, enlisted at the same time, as well, and was made a Second Lieutenant. I was able to locate a research paper from the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War at Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WV, that contains interesting details and statistics on the First West Virginia Cavalry, including some specifics on Company M. The database used for the research showed that:

…about 10% of the men were born in states that eventually comprised Germany. Our database tells us that most of the German-born troopers were in one 1st Cavalry company – Company M, a German-speaking company. We know Company M was German-speaking because of a curious letter in the records – a letter of resignation written in February 1862 by First Lieutenant Robert W. Playford. Playford had been elected temporary first lieutenant of Company M, pending appointment of a German-speaking officer. None was appointed. The clearly frustrated lieutenant resigned because he “could not issue commands in the company’s native tongue.” (Retrieved May 26, 2014 from http://www.shepherd.edu/gtmcweb/research_papers.html)

Philipp Müller was fairly typical too in his trade of cooper. While about half of the regiment were farmer’s, he fill into the next largest category, those of skilled laborers. such as blacksmiths, carpenters, and shoemakers. This group constituted the next most frequent occupational category (29%). From Philipp’s service record we have a physical description of him. Although there were errors in the transcription of it, Philipp was six feet tall, with a light complexion, hazel eyes and black hair.

We know that Philipp was engaged in the action to secure Bloomery Gap on February 14, 1862, because his service record indicates that he “lost in action one carbine, one rifle, one picket rope and pin.”

There is no other information about the specifics of his service until August 21, 1862 when Philipp Müller was killed in action at Kelly’s Ford, Virginia. (This was not the Battle of Kelly’s Ford which took place March 17, 1863, but there was a documented skirmish on this date.) Tragically, he was shot through the neck. Sophia had just given birth to their third child, Philipp, on May 23, 1862. I am not sure how long baby Philipp lived, but he is not present with his mother in the 1870 census. Sophia eventually married Phillip Huber. After his death, she filed for and collected a widow’s pension for her first husband’s service until her death in 1910.

Growing up, I knew nothing about Philipp Müller. I never knew that my great, great-grandfather had a brother, much less one that had been killed in the Civil War. All we children ever heard was that Andrew Miller was a Civil War veteran. Andrew was about 16 at the time his brother died. He served at the very end of the war, not enlisting until February of 1865. He entered the war late enough that he never saw significant action. He served on provost duty in Macon, Georgia. I have to wonder if this was his parent’s doing. Did Philipp, senior, and his wife discourage Andrew from going off to war? Were they relieved that their youngest child did not have to fight?

In 1866, the state of West Virginia authorized the minting of over 26,000 medals to honor its Union Civil War soldiers. Philipp Müller was posthumously awarded this medal. Although nearly 4,000 medals are unclaimed, his name is not on that list, so I presume it was given to his widow or daughter.

For more resources on the First West Virginia Cavalry see the following:

West Virginia Civil War Medals

First West Virginia Cavalry by Linda Cunningham Fluharty with David L. Aeberli

Tags: 1st West Virginia Cavalry Company M, First West Virginia Cavalry Company M, Haag, Meigs County Ohio, Miller, Mueller, Müller, Philipp Müller, Pomeroy Ohio Permalink

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Kate Daniel: One Arm Annie? – 52 Ancestors #20

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on May 20, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Biermann

Entry #20

I have long been fascinated by this photo of Kate Daniel. Kate, born 28 October 1890 was the youngest daughter of Gerhardt and Mary Daniel. As you can see, the photo has the inscription, “1 arm Annie” on the left. On the right, it appears to say, “Please be 2 to me your Sister Anna.” That doesn’t make any sense, even if I add punctuation that isn’t there. The handwriting on the back confirms that Kate Daniel is the cousin of JJB (or John Joseph Biermann, my grandfather). The reference to Anna must mean Anna Biermann, one of John’s older sisters. Anna, born in 1892, would have been closest to Kate’s age.

I am pretty sure that Kate’s mother was Mary Catharine Maune Daniel and the sister of my great, great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Maune Biermann. At any rate, I know it was a close family relationship because my father remembers visiting back and forth from Cincinnati to the Daniel farm near Saint Leon, Indiana. He was never able to explain how the Daniels were related, though.

What I have not been able to decide is whether or not Kate Daniel really had just one arm. My Biermann family was notorious for writing tongue-in-cheek comments on the family photos; however, tonight when I scanned the photo for the first time, I enlarged it to about eight times its regular size. It truly looks as though Kate has just one arm. Further, the gloved hand that she is holding in front of her has an odd appearance to me. Is it my imagination or is Kate’s thumb disproportionately large? Kate was still unmarried and living with her parents up through the 1920 census, which was taken in January. Her father died in February and the 1920 census is the last hint I have of Kate Daniel. I have no clue what became of her, but her mother is living with another daughter in the next census.

If Kate Daniel really was one-armed, the inscription seems cruel. On the other hand, it is possible that the comment was written by Kate herself.

Tags: Biermann, Kate Daniel, Maune, St. Leon Permalink

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Charles Solger – Did He Leave One Family to Start Another? – 52 Ancestors #19

Posted by Cheryl Biermann Hartley on May 18, 2014 in 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Lindner

Entry #19

I am a week behind with my post. I have just returned from vacation in Costa Rica. Pura vida!

My great-grandmother, Julia Magdalena Stephan, was married before she wed my great-grandfather, Gottlob Maier. It is her first husband, Charles P. Solger, who is the subject of my week 19 post. Julia (sometimes Lena and sometimes Maggie) can be found living in a large boardinghouse on Sycamore Street in Cincinnati in the 1880 census. She was working somewhere as a servant. Partway up the page is “Chrest” Solger, a cigar packer from Maryland (hard to read). Is “Chrest” really Charles, or is he a relation of Charles? His marital status is designated as married and he is 35 years old, meaning he was born in about 1845. At any rate, Julia Stephan married Charles Solger on 9 November 1880. They had two sons together, Charles (born 7 August 1881) and Philip (born 4 May 1884). Charles died of Bright’s disease (chronic nephritis) on 29 December 1889. His burial record says that he was 51 years 11 months old at the time of his death; so if correct, he was born closer to February 1838 and nearly 17 years older than Julia.

To this point, Charles Solger did not seem particularly interesting until I happened across the equivalent of a personal ad in the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune from 3 May 1884. It read:

Girl Searching for Her Father – To the Editor of the Commercial Gazette Indianapolis, IND., May 2 — Will you please insert the following as a reading item and oblige? Miss Lucille Solger, daughter of Charles Solger, would like to hear of her father’s whereabouts. Mr. Solger is a cigar packer, and came to Cincinnati about four years since from Chicago. If this item reaches his eye, or anyone knowing his whereabouts, they will greatly oblige his youthful daughter by letting her know. Miss Lucille Solger 32 S. Mississippi Street, Indianapolis.

I searched for Lucille and found her in the 1880 census as Luci Solger. Carl Solger, her father is 47, from Bremen, and a cigar packer; her mother is Eliza. It is not a stretch to imagine that a wife whose husband recently disappeared might say that her husband was living in the household. Carl Solger apparently had 6 children. There are listings for Carl Solger in the Chicago city directories as a cigar packer from 1877-1880. In 1881, the listing says “laborer” and by 1882 there is no listing for him at all.

Hmm…I have Charles Solger as a cigar packer in the Cincinnati city directories for most years beginning in 1880 and running through 1888. In 1888, Lena (Julia) is listed as selling candies, and in 1889, Charles is listed as a confectioner. Charles, of course, passed away at the end of 1889. In 1890, both Lena and Eliza Solger are listed as widow of Charles in the Cincinnati city directory. (Reinhold is the son of Carl by Eliza)

In 1891 both women are listed by their names with no mention of Charles and in 1892 neither are listed. By this time Julia/Lena had remarried. It also appears that Eliza filed for a Civil War pension. I have more research to do on Carl/Charles Solger. He appears to have lived in New York and possibly Michigan as well. One more important note is that there was never a name like Christ, Chrest, or Christian Solger in the Cincinnati directories.

I have pretty much convinced myself that Carl and Charles are the same person. Readers, what do you think?

Tags: Chicago, Cincinnati, Maier, Solger, Stephan Permalink

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