Sep 09

My Great-Great-Grandparents

Frederick, Elizabeth (Schumm) and Clara Schinnerer

I got this idea from another blogger and I thought it would be an interesting list to make. Below is a list of my sixteen great-great-grandparents with their birth, death, and marriage dates and where those events occurred.

  1.  Johann Müller, b. 19 Jan 1816, Gerhardsbrunn, Pfalz, Bayern; d. 14 Oct 1870, Bierbach, Bavaria; m. 2 Oct 1838, Walsheim, Bavaria.
  2. Marie Kessler, b. 8 Dec 1811, Germany; d. 26 May 1886, Mercer County, Ohio; m. 2 Oct 1838, Walsheim, Bavaria.
  3. Jacob Rueck, b. 24 Dec 1828, Appensee, Oberamt Crailsheim, Württemberg; d. 23 Jan 1918, Oregon; m. 19 Jun 1855, Germany.
  4. Maria Regina Gross, b. 22 Jul 1833, Germany; d. 8 Feb 1889, Oregon; m. 19 Jun 1855, Germany.
  5. Daniel M. Brewster, b. 13 Sep 1845, Fayette County, Pennsylvania; d. 2 May 1917, Adams County, Indiana; m. 19 Mar 1867, Mercer County, Ohio.
  6. Sarah Ann Fetters, b. 12 Oct 1849, Indiana; d. 4 Nov 1877, Adams County, Indiana; m. 19 Mar 1867, Mercer County, Ohio.
  7. William W. Reid, b. 2 Feb 1855, Indiana; d. 9 Feb 1905, Jay County, Indiana; m. 30 Jun 1878, Jay County, Indiana.
  8. Emily Bryan, b. 8 May 1856, Jay County, Indiana; d. 24 Jun 1940, Jay County, Indiana; m. 30 Jun 1878, Jay County, Indiana.
  9. Johann Ludwig Schumm, b. 4 Mar 1817, Ruppertshofen, Württemberg; d. 22 Aug 1855, Van Wert County, Ohio; m. 1 Nov 1840, Holmes County, Ohio.
  10. Maria Barbara Pflüger, b. 28 Dec 1822, Schrozberg, Oberamt Gerebronn, Württemberg; d. 13 Nov 1908, Van Wert County, Ohio; m. 1 Nov 1840, Holmes County, Ohio.
  11. Louis Frederick Peter Breuninger, b. 15 Dec 1819, Bachlngen, Württemberg; d. 5 Nov 1890, Van Wert County, Ohio; m. 6 Feb 1851, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
  12. Maria A. Seckel, b. 13 Apr 1827, Württemberg; d. 19 Jun 1910, Van Wert County, Ohio; m. 6 Feb 1851, Green Bay, Wisconsin.
  13. Johann Scarr, b. 20 Apr 1829, Hesse-Darmstadt or Bavaria; d. 16 Nov 1894, Allen County, Indiana; m. 1 Mar 1860, Stark County, Ohio.
  14. Katherine Emrick, b. 11 Sep 1825, Hesse-Darmstadt or Bavaria; d. 17 Dec 1886, Allen County, Indiana; m.  1 Mar 1860, Stark County, Ohio.
  15. Frederick Schinnerer, b. 8 May 1824, Windsheim, Bavaria; d. 5 Feb 1905, Van Wert County, Ohio; m. 12 Jun 1862, Van Wert County, Ohio.
  16. Elizabeth Schumm, b. 17 Nov 1841, Van Wert County, Ohio; d. 11 Jul 1917, Van Wert County, Ohio; m. 12 Jun 1862, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Twelve of my sixteen great-great-grandparents are definitely of German heritage. I’m not sure of the heritage of the other four, although it appears they are probably Scotch/Irish with possibly some English thrown in. So, it looks like I am 75% German. No surprise there with names like Müller, Schumm, Pflüger, Breuninger, and Schinnerer in my family tree.

It is also interesting to note that eleven of my great-great-grandparents were born somewhere in what is now Germany, three were born in Indiana, one was born in Pennsylvania, and one in Ohio.

This makes an interesting list of my ancestors. I’ll do this sometime with Joe’s great-great-grandparents, too.

 

 

 

Sep 06

Tombstone Tuesday–Winfield Scott Brewster

BREWSTER, Winfield Scott, Effie Jane, Charles Augustus; Kessler/Liberty Cemetery, Mercer County, Ohio

This is the tombstone of Winfield Scott Brewster, his wife Effie Jane (Searight) Brewster, and their son Charles Augustus Brewster.  The tombstone is located in row 7 of Kessler Cemetery (aka Liberty Cemetery) in Liberty Township, Mercer County, Ohio. The flat marker is inscribed BREWSTER, Winfield Scott, 1847-1926, Effie Jane, 1856-1928, and Charles Agustus, 1884-1951.

Winfield Scott Brewster was born 17 November 1847 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, the fifth child of Jackson and Mary Ann (Martin) Brewster. He was the brother of my great-great-grandfather, Daniel Brewster. Winfield died 3 November 1926 in Adams County, Indiana. He married Effie Jane Searight on 16 December 1877 in Hardin County, Ohio. Effie was born on 21 October 1856 in Ohio and died 24 March 1928. Their son, Charles Augustus Brewster, was born 1 February 1884 in Adams County, Indiana, and died in May 1951. Charles never married.

Winfield and Effie Brewster had the following children: Charles Augustus (1884-1851), John William, (1885-1968), Isaac, (1888-1907), Jacob Edward (1890-1976), Emma Virena (1897-1963), and Andrew Theodore (1901-1940). John William Brewster is also buried in Kessler Cemetery.

Winfield Scott Brewster (1847-1926)

According to the 1900 US census, Jefferson Township, Adams County, Indiana, Effie had given birth to eleven children but only five were living. Winfield was a day laborer according to the same census.

Sep 02

FGS Conference 2011

Next week I’m off to Springfield, Illinois, for the 2011 Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) national conference. The conference runs from September 7-10 and the theme is Pathways to the Heartland. The local host is The Illinois State Genealogical Society. You might want to check out their informative FGS Conference News Blog.

I haven’t attended a national conference in a few years and I am very much looking forward to this conference. The last national conference I attended was the 2007 FGS Conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  This coming week promises be fun and busy, networking with other genealogists, attending sessions, shopping and learning in the exhibit hall, and taking in the Lincoln sights in the area. In addition, I will have a week off work.

My friend (and editor) Miriam and I have been attending state and national conferences for over ten years now. Our rule is that we will attend a national conference if it is less than an eight hour drive. It should take us about six hours to get to Springfield. We always drive to a conference and I guess eight hours is our driving limit. Flying to a conference is out of the question because neither one of us can travel light. We have tried to pack minimally but have never succeeded. Add to that the items that we purchase at the conference (mostly books, and lots of them) and our car is always loaded down, going and coming.

The first national genealogical conference that we attended was the 2001 FGS conference in Davenport, Iowa. We were driving to Davenport on 11 September 2001. I know that everyone remembers the tragic events that occurred that morning. We did not have the car radio on and we did not know what was happening until we stopped mid-morning at an Arby’s for a break. After much deliberation we decided to continue on to the conference, not knowing if they were still going to have it or not. The conference was not canceled but some of the speakers could not get to Davenport because all planes were grounded. However, other speakers stepped up and filled in for those that could not get there. The FGS conference committee did a great job to make the conference a success. Genealogists are a great group of people!

I have other memories of Davenport. How could I forget waiting in downtown Davenport on Saturday night for AAA to arrive and fix our flat tire. I remember Robert, our tire professional, who put a refurbished tire on the rim about 9:00 that evening. He cautioned us to not drive much over 45 mph and to drive close to the berm on our way home, making us wonder about the quality of the tire. We stashed the blown-out tire in the back seat of our already packed car (to prove damage for the warranty). We finally made it home safely the next day after driving at a snail’s pace. All in all it was a very good conference and I knew that I wanted to attend others whenever I could.

Since FGS in 2001 Miriam and I have attended NGS conferences in Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, and Nashville, and the 2007 FGS Conference in Fort Wayne.

We have a busy week ahead of us.  Miriam and I want to visit some of the Lincoln attractions while we are in Springfield. I plan to attend An Old Fashioned Prairie Social, the ISFHWE Luncheon, the FGS 35th Anniversary Celebration, and help at the BCG booth. There are many, many sessions to chose from. Wednesday’s sessions focus on societies. Some of the sessions I plan to attend: Researching WWII, Search and Research on FarmilySearch, Court Records, Reasons for Not Serving in the Civil War, and of course some of the tech sessions. The final session I plan to attend is titled “Where Do I Go From Here?” and is scheduled for late Saturday afternoon. That topic seems very appropriate for the end of a conference.

I also plan to attend a couple get-togethers with the GeneaBloggers. As of this week, I am now on the GeneaBloggers’ roll. Maybe you noticed the GeneaBloggers’ logo off to the right on my home page. It will be fun meeting up with other bloggers.

I think I am just about ready to go. I have downloaded and printed my syllabus materials and I have also loaded the material onto my Kindle. I have my family genealogy on my Droid and in DropBox. Our route is mapped out. I have started my packing list. A packing list is probably a bad sign. That means that I will undoubtedly be taking too much stuff. Oh well. After all, that’s why we are driving instead of flying.

I’ll see some of you soon in Springfield.

Aug 30

Tombstone Tuesday–James Henry Brewster

James Henry Brewster (1841-1916), Mt. Hope Cemetery, Montgomery County, Kansas

This is the tombstone of James Henry Brewster. The tombstone is located in the Brewster plot of Mt. Hope Cemetery, Independence, Montgomery County, Kansas. The tombstone is inscribed BREWSTER, James H., Penn. 1841-1916, Co. E 80th O.V.V.I.– Jane, his wife 1840-1940.

James Henry Brewster was born 9 August 1841 in Pennsylvania. He was the son of Jackson and Mary Ann (Martin) Brewster and was the older brother of my great-great-grandfather, Daniel Brewster. James Henry Brewster married Jane Newton 8 March 1866 in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Jane Newton was born in 1840 in Ohio and died in 1940 in Montgomery County, Kansas.

James Henry and Jane Brewster had eleven children: Henderson Angelo (1867-c1946), Franklin Delano (1868-1933), Caroline “Callie” (1870-1947), Margaret “Maggie” (1871-1942), Jesse B. (1873-1944), Flora Belle (1875-1965), Niles Orland (1876-1902), Millie Nell (1878-bef 1970), Daisy (1880-bef 1900), Emerson Walter (1883-bef 1970), and Jennie (1884-1969).

James Henry Brewster was enumerated with his family in Goshen Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, in the 1880 US census. His occupation was stone mason. The family moved to Kansas a few years later.

The 1903 Montgomery County, Kansas, History gives quite a bit of information about James Henry Brewster:  (James Henry Brewster) has lived four miles east of Independence for the past twenty years, and is himself one of the leading contractors of the county. (He) is a native of Pennsylvania. He learned the stone-cutters’ trade and followed it for some years in the east. He married Jane Newton in 1865 or ’66, and lived in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, until his coming to Kansas in 1884. He has since cultivated the farm on which he now resides, and, in addition, has carried on an extensive business as a general contractor in the county. Many of the larger public buildings are of his construction, notably the last two school buildings built in Independence. His citizenship during his residence in Montgomery County has been of the highest quality and the large family which he has reared reflects credit upon the different communities of which they are members. (James and Jane) are both life-long members of the M. E. Church, and are held in high esteem by a large circle of friends. Their children are: Henderson A., a contractor at Coffeyville; F. D. [Franklin Delano], [a contractor at Independence]; Caroline, Mrs. Harvey Wilson of Burlingame, Kansas; Maggie, wife of John Dreher of Montreal, Canada; Jesse B,  a contractor at Bartlesville, I.T.; Flora B, Mrs. Frank Stovall of Guthrie, Ok. Ty.; Minnie N., wife of F. G. Wilson, of Independence; Miles [Niles] O., deceased in 1902, at twenty-three years; Emerson W., a bricklayer of Oklahoma City; Jennie, single; and Daisy, who died in infancy. (source: History of Montgomery County, Kansas, Duncan, 1903:734-5)

Montgomery County, Kansas, Courthouse at Independence

The above photo shows the current Montgomery County, Kansas, Courthouse in Independence. James Henry Brewster built a courthouse for Montgomery County in 1886 at a cost of $34,900. Several of his sons continued the construction business as the Brewster Bros. Franklin D. Brewster was the contractor for a new city hall in 1915. The Brewster Bros. built other buildings that included a Junior High School in 1922, a large ice storage building in 1924, and various remodeling jobs of city buildings and churches.

James Henry Brewster stipulated in his Last Will and Testament: I desire that my Executor shall erect at my grave a plain, simple, granite stone, two feet square and three feet high with a polished tablet (set permanently) which shall show my name, age and nativity with the name of the company and Regiment in which I fought under my country’s flag for Liberty—Co. E. 80th O.V.V.I. (Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry); and it is my wish that my late comrades in arms—the G.A.R.—shall be in charge of the services at my funeral. (source: Last Will and Testament of J.H. Brewster, on microfilm at the Montgomery County Courthouse, Independence, Kansas, Item VIII)

Thanks to my fourth cousins, Jean M. & Deb B., for sharing these photos and information about James Henry Brewster and his family with me several years ago. They are direct descendants of James Henry Brewster and descend from his daughter Caroline “Callie”.

Aug 26

James Henry Brewster Meets the Dalton Gang

James Henry Brewster (1841-1916) 1913 photo

Occasionally I am asked if there are any famous ancestors in my family tree. I always have to think about that question. I have searched for an ancestor that did something remarkably noteworthy, but I haven’t come up with much. Most of my ancestors were just common folk, doing ordinary jobs and the necessary chores from day to day.

I can’t trace my ancestry back to Charlemagne. I have not discovered that I descend from any US presidents or any famous war generals. There are no great inventors, famous authors or actors in past generations of my family.

Sometimes I get so desperate for information about some of my ancestors that I think I would welcome a notorious ancestor into the family tree. At least there would be a paper trail if an ancestor was an outlaw or a fugitive. No such luck there, either.  My ancestors were all God-fearing, law-abiding citizens. However, sometimes the good guys meet up with the bad guys.

I have one collateral ancestor that was in the wrong place at the wrong time and he did meet up with some very bad guys. He is the one person I usually think about when asked about a famous ancestor in my family tree.

James Henry Brewster is not in my direct ancestry line. He was my great-great-granduncle, the older brother of my great-great-grandfather, Daniel Brewster.

The Brewsters were originally from Pennsylvania. James Henry lived in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, from about 1850-1884, when he and his family moved to Cherryvale, Kansas. He was a very successful stone mason and contractor there. He built the Montgomery County, Kansas, courthouse in about 1886, as well as several other city buildings. Some of his sons continued the family construction business as the Brewster Brothers. James Henry and his brother Daniel both served in the Civil War, both in Company E, 80th OVI.

James Henry Brewster has gone down in history as one of the men standing in line in the First National Bank in Coffeyville, Kansas, when the Dalton Gang robbed the bank and afterward had their last shoot-out.

The Dalton Gang had a good start on a life of crime. They stole a herd of cattle and robbed several trains between 1890 and 1892. A couple members of the gang had escaped from jail and a reward was offered for their capture.

On Wednesday morning, 5 October 1892, five members of the Dalton Gang rode into Coffeyville, Kansas. They wore disguises and planned to rob two banks at the same time. Once in town the Daltons were recognized by several townspeople. The word was spread and many citizens armed themselves with their own guns and with weapons from nearby hardware stores. The citizens were ready and waiting for the gang members as they came out of the banks.

Gang members Gratton Dalton, Bill Powers, and Dick Broadwell robbed the C.M. Condon & Co. Bank. Bob and Emmett Dalton robbed the First National Bank across the street. Bob Dalton was the leader of the Dalton Gang and that morning they took nearly $25,000 from the two banks.

As they emerged from the banks the robbers were fired upon by the citizens and law officers.  In the end, eight men died and four men were wounded. Gratton and Bob Dalton, Bill Power and Dick Broadwell were killed. Emmett Dalton was severely wounded. Four of Coffeyville’s defenders were also killed: Marshall C.T. Connelly, Lucious Baldwin, George Cubine, and Charles Brown. Three other citizens were wounded.

Here is how the Montgomery County History describes the event:…the First National across the street. Bob Dalton and Emmet entered here about the same time the other three men went into Condon’s. They covered the cashier, Thomas G. Ayers, and the teller, W. H. Shepard, with their guns and ordered everyone present to hold up his hands. The men in the bank in front of the counter at the time were J. H. Brewster, the well known contractor, who built the county court house, A. W. Knotts, who was afterward deputy sheriff, and C. L. Hollingsworth….  This account goes on to give a detailed description of the shootout that occurred that day. (source: History of Montgomery County, Kansas, Duncan, 1903:35)

That is the story of my semi-famous collateral ancestor. James Henry Brewster was a very successful contractor who constructed buildings that are still used today and was a man who survived the last shootout of the Dalton Gang.

For more information about the Dalton Gang you can view the Dalton Defenders Museum website and The Dalton Gang’s Last Raid, 1892.