Jun 11

Tombstone Tuesday–Bertha M. Allmandinger

Bertha Allmandinger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

Bertha M. Allmandinger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Bertha M. Allmandinger, located in row 11 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Bertha M. Allmandinger
1903-1930

It is interesting that the vital details of Bertha’s life were documented in the church records of both Zion Lutheran Chattanooga and Zion Lutheran Schumm.

According to the birth/baptism records of Zion Chatt, Bertha Margaretha Allmandinger was born 9 November 1903 to Wilhelm and Barbara (Hoehamer) Allmandinger. She was baptized 29 November 1903 and her parents were her sponsors.

The Allmandinger family moved from Mercer County to Van Wert County about a year after Bertha’s birth in 1903. In 1904 Bertha’s younger brother Hugo was baptized at Zion Schumm. Bertha was confirmed at Zion Schumm on Palm Sunday, 1 April 1917.

Census enumerations also confirm the family’s move to Van Wert County. They were living in Black Creek Township in 1900 [1] and in Willshire Township in 1910. [2]

According to her burial record at Zion Schumm, Bertha Margaret Allmandinger, was born 9 November 1903 in Black Creek Township, Mercer County, Ohio, to William C. and Barbara S. Allmandinger. Bertha died 6 November 1930 at the State Hospital in Gallipolis, at the age of 26 years, 11 months and 25 days. She was buried 10 November 1930 at Zion Cemetery, Schumm.

According to her Ohio death certificate Bertha was a patient of the Ohio Hospital for Epileptics in Gallipolis, Gallia County, Ohio, but her residence was given as Schumm, Ohio. She died 4 November 1930 of bronchial pneumonia that started on 30 October of that year. Chronic spinal meningitis following an oophorectomy in 1927 and epilepsy that started in 1920 were contributing causes. She was 26 years old and her birth date was given as 1904 in Ohio. The names of her parents were written as “unknown” but her father’s birthplace was given as Ohio and her mother’s as Indiana. Burial was to be in Willshire, Ohio, on 5 November. A hospital recorder was the informant. [3]  

Bertha Allmandinger Ohio death certificate, 1930.

Bertha Allmandinger Ohio death certificate, 1930.

The Ohio Hospital for Epileptics opened 30 November 1893 in Gallipolis, Ohio. It was the first of its kind in the United States and the largest institution dedicated to the care of epileptics and the “epileptic insane.” Before it was established epileptics resided in poorhouses, insane hospitals, infirmaries or jails if family members were unable to care for them. All epileptics in Ohio were eligible for care at the hospital, where patients received medical care, adequate food and clothing, and an education. At the turn of the century there were 42 buildings on the hospital grounds, divided into several groups. In April 1912 there were 1475 patients and 236 employees at the hospital. The hospital closed in 1976 and the only structures that exist today are the two sandstone water towers, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [4]

 

[1] 1900 U.S. census, Black Creek, Mercer, Ohio, ED 74, p. 10A, dwelling 200, family 200, line 5, William C. Almandinger; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 June 2013); from FHL microfilm 1241303, citing National Archives microfilm T623, roll 1303.

[2] 1910 U.S. census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 114, p. 4B, dwelling 79, family 80, line 60, Wm. Allmandinger;. digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 June 2013); from FHL microfilm 1375251, citing National Archives microfilm T624, roll 1238.

[3] “Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:MM9.1.1/X8TL-K87 : accessed 0 June 2013), Bertha Allmandinger, 4 November 1930.

[4] “Gallipolis Epileptic Hospital,” Asylum Projects, (http://www.asylumprojects.org/index.php?title=Gallipolis_Epileptic_Hospital : accessed 9 June 2013).

 

Jun 07

Conferences and Research

2013 FGS Conference Ambassador

2013 FGS Conference Ambassador

The 2013 FGS Conference is less than three months away now. This is one of two national genealogy conferences that I try to attend if relatively close. This year’s FGS conference is in Fort Wayne, close enough for me to drive every day.

The May/June blog post prompt for conference ambassadors is “How will you use your time at FGS 2013 to help your genealogical research?”

With the early-bird deadline looming a few weeks away, I have been looking at the registration booklet, trying to select sessions of interest to me. What do I plan to focus on at this conference that will help me with my research?

For one, I finally plan to learn about DNA testing and how the results can be used for genealogy. There are several sessions on this topic at the conference. In fact, there is a whole track about genetics on Thursday.

I guess I have avoided learning about the whole DNA/genealogy connection but I think it is time for me to learn what DNA test information might tell me about my ancestral families and how it might help with my research. Plus, now that our DNA test results are pending I am eager to see how the Brewster branch of my family compares to other Brewsters who have submitted DNA samples.

After my intense DNA studies I plan to attend sessions on technology and Internet genealogy research. New records are being added to websites all the time and I hope to learn about new content on familiar websites. I also want to learn about new websites and those that I am not familiar with. I should be able to get some of the latest technical information while going through the exhibit hall and by networking with other attendees.

Although the above two items will be my main focus at the conference I also want to learn some new research techniques and strategies as well as some historical information about the areas in which my ancestors lived.

This year’s FGS conference, “Journey Through Generations,” will be held 21-24 August at the Grand Wayne Center, across the street from the Allen County Public Library, one of the best genealogy libraries in the country. I will do my Allen County Library research another time since I live so close. But it is well worth a research visit for conference attendees from farther away.

The conference is hosted by the Allen County Public Library and the Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana. The registration deadline for the early bird discount, a $50 savings, is July 1st. Conference registration is open and I need to register soon…

 

Jun 04

Tombstone Tuesday–Franklin H. & Sarah S. Beach

Franklin & Sarah Beach, Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

Franklin & Sarah Beach, Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2013 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Franklin H. & Sarah S. Beach, located in Woodlawn Cemetery, Ohio City, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

BEACH
Franklin H.
1857-1922
Sarah S.
1869-1926

I enjoy looking for and photographing unusual insignia on tombstones. The two images on the Beach tombstone are ones that  I show in my “Rocks of Ages,” tombstone art and cemetery research presentation.

The emblem on the left is not unusual on tombstones in this area and is the insignia of the secret fraternal society Knights of Pythias, which was formed in 1864. The letters on the shield are an acronym for the society’s motto, Friendship, Charity and Benevolence.

The emblem on the right is much less familiar and took some research to discover that it is the insignia of the Benefit Association of Railroad Employees.

 

Knights of Pythias

Knights of Pythias

Benefit Association of Railroad Employees

Benefit Association of Railroad Employees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to his death certificate, Franklin Huriah Beach was born 7 June 1857 in Connecticut to Oscar and Louisa (Scofield) Beach. His mother was born in England. Franklin was married to Sarah S. Beach and was employed by the Erie Rail Road. He died 14 November 1922 at 8:30 a.m. near Ohio City, Van Wert County, Ohio, when he was accidently struck by a freight train which crushed his skull. His wife Sarah was the informant for the information on his death certificate. [1]

Franklin H. Beach, Ohio death certificate, 1922.

Franklin H. Beach, Ohio death certificate, 1922.

Below is Frank’s graphic obituary:

Frank Beach Was Instantly Killed
The remains, mangled beyond recognition, with quivering flesh and crushed bones scattered along the track, of Frank Beach, were picked up along the right of way of the Erie Railroad, Tuesday morning about the hour of ten o’clock, after he was struck by a freight train just east of Ohio City. Mr. Beach had been in the employ of the railroads for the past thirty-five years and had been with the Erie for a number of years where he served as section foreman and in filling other vocations for the company. Tuesday he was painting angle bars on the track and failed to hear or observe a freight train that was bearing down upon him, carrying the massage of death under a full head of steam. Mr. Beach was working on the fireman’s side, hence the engineer did not notice the accident and the crew was not appraised that they had left a corpse in their wake until arriving at a station farther east. The crew with which Mr. Beach was working saw that the fatality could not be averted by them and just as the pilot was about to strike the unfortunate man, all turned their backs and closed their eyes to a scene where a man was hurled into eternity in a most horrifying manner. It was then they observed that Frank Beach had passed the great divide and was in the hands of One more powerful than earthly care. The top of his head had been torn off in the terrific impact, the brains splached [sic] over the body and bones crushed. The Cowan & Acker ambulance was called and the lifeless body was taken to the undertaker’s parlors. Mr. Beach is survived by his widow, a daughter, Mrs. Lawrence Black, of Convoy, and one son, Lieutenant Perry Beach, Ohio City. One son, Lawrence Beach, was gassed while in service across sea and died in a hospital at Washington, D.C. while en route to his home in Ohio City. The funeral services will be held at the Lutheran church this afternoon at 1:00 o’clock conducted by Rev. Stuckenberg. Interment will be made in Woodlawn cemetery, Ohio City. Frank Beach was a man who worked hard, lived according to the Golden Rule and courted the friendship of everyone. He will be missed among a wide circle of friends. Unexpected and sudden, the accident was appalling, shocking. His familiarity with the work at hand, an intuition born of long service, failed Tuesday to warn Frank Beach of impending danger, death and the lingering sadness that will mark the trail so oft traveled with lightdess [sic] of heart and a keen sense of the duty he owed those for whom he worked. [2]

Frank’s wife Sarah Sophia died 6 April 1926 in Ohio City, Ohio, of cancer of the stomach and spine. She was 57 years and 24 months old. Sarah was born 12 March 1869 in Ohio to John A. and Martha (Hackett) Roberts.  [3]

 

Sarah Beach, Ohio death certificate, 1926.

Sarah Beach, Ohio death certificate, 1926.

 

[1] “Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953, Index and images,” database, Family Search (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X8RZ-7HT : accessed 2 June 2013), for Franklin Huriah Beach, Registration District No 1293, (1922).

[2] The Ohio City Progress, Ohio City, Ohio, Nov 17 1922 p. 1.

[3] “Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953, Index and images,” database, Family Search (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X6C6-NFF : accessed 2 June 2013), for Sarah Sophia Beach, Registration District No 1293, (1926).

 

May 31

Johann Christian Pflueger

J. Christian Pflueger family on passenger list of Ship France, July 1832.

J. Christian Pflueger family on passenger list of Ship France, July 1832.

All in all, I was fairly successful in researching the Pflueger branch of my family, thanks in part to the records of Zion Lutheran Schumm. Those records told me the most important thing I needed to know in order to research an ancestor back in Germany—his town of origin. Those church records told me that Johann Christian Pflueger came from “Schrotzberg” [Schrozberg], Württemberg.

Once I knew that information, the Pfluegers were fairly easy to trace. Fortunately for me, the Family History Library had microfilmed the Evangelical Church records at Schrozberg and my good luck continued because the Pfluegers stayed in Schrozberg and attended that same church for years. They did not move around like the Müllers did. With those two FHL microfilms I was able to document J. Christian Pflueger’s marriage to Anna Barbara Sekel as well as the births and baptisms of nine of their children. Interestingly, Schrozberg is not too far from Ruppertshofen, the home town of the Schumms.

The Schrozberg marriage record of J. Christian and Anna Barbara contained a lot of family information. It told that J. Christian was the son of Johann Georg and Magdalena (Dumler) Pflueger of Schrozberg and that Anna Barbara was the daughter of Johann Michael and Elisabetha Maria Friederika (Hilgert) Sekel, from Rechenhausen. Both were farm families. J. Christian was born 12 May 1781 and Anna Barbara was born 23 June 1791. They were married 20 April 1814. All this from their marriage record! [1]

The Schumm church records mentioned that Christian immigrated in the 1830s. With that information I went on to find that J. Christian Pflueger applied for emigration in February 1832. This emigration record gives his place of birth as Schrozberg, OA Gerabronn, with his destination as North America. [2]

The Pflueger family sailed from Havre, France on the ship France and arrived at the Port of New York on 9 July 1832. Their name was listed as Pfleger on the passenger list and all family members were from Württemberg. Their names and ages agree with the information I found in the Schrozberg church records.

The Pflueger family in the 1832 passenger list of the Ship France:

Johann, age 50 [b. 1781]
Anna, age 41 [Anna Barbara Sekel, 1791-1846, wife]
Maria, age 18 [Maria Rosina, 1814-?]
Anna, age 12 [Anna Maria “Mary”, 1820-1903, m. Georg Martin Schumm]
Maria, age 10 [Maria Barbara, 1822-1908, m. Johann Ludwig Schumm]
Georg, age 8 [George “Michael”, 1824-1903, m. Catherine Brandt]
Eva, age 4 [Eva Margaretha “Margaret”, 1828-?, m.  George Reidenbach]
John, age 2 [unknown; died in Holmes county?] [3]

Soon after the Pfluegers arrived in America they settled in Holmes County, Ohio. Most immigrants traveled to where relatives, friends or neighbors had already settled and the Pfluegers probably did the same. New settlers wrote letters back to the home country, telling family and friends of the opportunities in the new land. Holmes County was established in 1824 and the little village of Winesburg in Holmes County was laid out in 1832. Winesburg was settled by German Lutheran immigrants who had hoped to establish a Lutheran college there. Many immigrants were from the Württemberg area. It appears the Pfluegers went to Holmes County to live soon after their immigration. Less than a year later, in 1833, the Johann Georg Schumm family arrived in Holmes County.

A congregation for the German Lutherans and Swiss Reformed was established in Winesburg in 1832. It was named Evangelical United Zion and is still called Zion today. While in Holmes County some of the Pflueger children married. Mary Pflueger married George Schumm, Barbara Pflueger married Lewis Schumm and Margaret Pflueger married George Reidenbach.  A daughter Elizabeth was born to J. Christian and Anna Barbara there in 1835. [4] These families eventually moved to Van Wert County within a few years.

Zion Church, Winesburg, Holmes County, Ohio. (2005 photo by Karen)

Zion Church, Winesburg, Holmes County, Ohio. (2005 photo by Karen)

Other families with familiar names also attended church in Winesburg in those early years: Brandt, Scar/Scaer and Reidenbach. I also have Scar/Scaer ancestors.

In 1840 the J. Christian Pflueger family was living in Holmes County. There were 7 children listed in the 1840 census. [5]

J. Christian Pflueger and his family moved to Van Wert County by 1846, where his wife died 26 September of that year. They very likely followed the Schumms to the area, who had settled in the area east of Willshire in 1838.

J. Christian Pflueger lived with relatives and/or friends in Willshire Township after the death of his wife. The 1850 census indicates that “Christian Filger” was living with the Jacob and Hannah Schumm family. [6] I’m sure Christian knew Jacob but to my knowledge there was no family relationship. On that census page, directly above the Jacob Schumm family was the Louis and Barbara (Pflueger) Schumm family. Barbara was J. Christian’s daughter and I wonder if the enumerator put J. Christian in the wrong household. I wonder if he was actually living with his daughter Barbara. Either way, Christian would have been living very close to his daughter.

In 1860 Christian was living with his daughter “Barbary” (Pflueger) Schumm and her family. [7] Barbara was the widow of Ludwig Schumm (1817-1855) and they were my great-great-grandparents.

In 1870 Christian was living with his youngest daughter Elizabeth and her husband Jacob Bienz. Christian was 89 years old. [8]

About the Sekel/Seckel family: I wonder if there might be a connection between J. Christian’s wife Anna Barbara Sekel/Seckel and Louis Breuninger’s wife, Maria Seckel. Louis and Maria were my great-great-grandparents and both were born in Württemberg. Shortly after the Civil War Louis Breuninger, also originally from the Schrozberg area, moved from Wisconsin to Atlanta, where he resided for a couple years. By 1870 Louis had moved to the Schumm area, near the Pfluegers. Why did he move to the Schumm area? No Breuningers were living there. Who did he know there? Was Maria Seckel related to Anna Barbara (Sekel) Pflueger? So far I have not been able to link the two Seckel families but I keep searching for that connection.

 

[1] Evangelische Kirche (Schrozberg, OA Gerabronn, Württemberg), Kirchenbuch 1634-1961, year 1814, unpaginated, record no. 2, Johann Christian Pflüger and Anna Barbara Sekel marriage, FHL microfilm #1528614.

[2] The Wuerttemberg Emigration Index, Volume Five, Trudy Schenk and Ruth Froelke, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Ancestry Publishing, 1988) p. 158.

[3] Passengers Arriving at the Port of New York, June 13-Sept. 29, 1832, microfilm publication M237 (Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Service), Roll 17.

[4] Marguerite S. Dickinson, compiler, Winesburg, Ohio, Birth Records, 1833-1897, (Millersburg, Ohio: Holmes County Chatper, Ohio Genealogical Society, 1993); originally published in 1955.

[5] 1840 U.S. Census, Millerburg, Holmes County, Ohio, p. 292, line, 3, Chris Filuger; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 May 2013); FHL film 0020168, from National Archives microfilm M704, roll 404.

[6] 1850 U.S. Census, Willshire Township, Van Wert County, Ohio, page 170A, dwelling 334, family 353, line 28, Jacob Schumm; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 May 2013); from National Archives microfilm M432, roll 736.

[7] 1860 U.S. Census, Willshire Township, Van Wert County, Ohio, p. 150 (penned) p. 425 (stamped), dwelling 1069, family 1063, line 15, Barbary Schumm; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 May 2013); FHL film 805045, from National Archives microfilm M653, roll 1045.

[8] 1870 U.S. Census, Willshire Township, Van Wert County, Ohio,  p. 437A, dwelling 107, family 108, line 10, Jacob “Bence”;  digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 May 2013); FHL film 552774, from National Archives microfilm M593, roll 1275.

 

 

May 28

Tombstone Tuesday–J. Christian Pflueger

J. Christian Pflueger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

J. Christian Pflueger, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of J. Christian Pflueger, located in row 9 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

Hier ruht in Gott
J. Christian Pflueger
geb. den 12 Mai 1781
gest. den 28 Mar 1877
Alter
95 Jahre, 10 Mo, 16 Ta

“Here rests in God, J. Christian Pflueger, born 12 May 1781, died 28 March 1877, age 95 years, 10 months and 16 days.”

Johann Christian Pflueger was born 12 May 1781 in Schrozberg, Oberamt Gerebronn, Württemberg, the son of Johann Georg and Anna Magdalena (Dumler) Pflueger. His father was a kobler [farmer of a small farm] in Crailshausen. Johann Christian Pflueger married Anna Barbara Sekel on 20 April 1814 in Schrozberg. Anna Barbara was born 20 June 1791 in Rechenhausen, Württemberg, to Johann and Elisabetha (Hilgert) Sekel. [1] Christian and Anna Barbara were my great-great-great-grandparents.

Johann Christian died 28 March 1877 at the home of his daughter Maria Barbara (Pflueger) Schumm Buechner near Schumm. He was nearly 96 years old.

Obituary:
Grandfather Pflueger died at the residence of Adam Buechner in Willshire Township Wednesday morning and was buried yesterday at the Schumm Cemetery. [2]

Obituary:
Willshire township has again lost one of its oldest citizens, Christian “Pflengar”, who died on the 28th of last month.  He would have been 96 years old next May. [3]    

According to the oldest records of Zion Lutheran Schumm Christian’s wife Anna Barbara (Sekel) Pflueger died 26 September 1846 in Willshire Township. She is buried in Zion’s cemetery but her tombstone no longer exists.

According to the Schrozberg church records the Pfluegers had at least ten children who were born in Württemberg before the family immigrated in 1832. At least four of their children died in infancy in Württemberg. One child was later born in Ohio. Their children:

Maria Rosina (1814-?)

Maria Margaretha (1815-1816)

Maria Barbara (1816-1816)

Anna Barbara (1817-1817)

Eva Maria (1819-1822)

Anna Maria “Mary” (1820-1903) married Georg Martin Schumm

Maria Barbara (1822-1908) married Ludwig Schumm; 2nd marriage to Adam Buechner

George “Michael” (1824-1903) married Catherine Brandt

George Leonhard (1825-1825)

Eva Margaretha “Margaret” (1828-?) married George Reidenbach [4]

Elizabeth (1835-1913) born in Holmes County, Ohio; married Jacob Bienz [5]

The Pfluegers may have had at least one other son, Johann (c1830-?), who was listed on the passenger list with the family when they immigrated. It is not known what happened to Johann.

More about the Pfluegers in this Friday’s blog post.

 

[1] Evangelische Kirche (Schrozberg, OA Gerabronn, Württemberg), Kirchenbuch 1634-1961, year 1814, unpaginated, record no. 2, Johann Christian Pflüger and Anna Barbara Sekel marriage, FHL microfilm #1528614.

[2] Christian Pflueger death notice, Van Wert Times, Van Wert, Ohio, 30 March 1877.

[3] Christian Pflueger death notice, Van Wert Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio, 6 April 1877.

[4] Evangelische Kirche (Schrozberg, OA Gerabronn, Württemberg), Kirchenbuch 1634-1961, taufen 1814-1828, unpaginated, FHL microfilm #1528613.

[5] Marguerite S. Dickinson, compiler, Winesburg, Ohio, Birth Records, 1833-1897, (Millersburg, Ohio : Holmes County Chatper, Ohio Genealogical Society, 1993), 4; originally published in 1955.