Monthly Archives: October 2015

Heinrich Ludwig Wilhelm Schröder: A Question of Paternity (52 Ancestors #43)

Posted on by under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Family History, Genealogy, Photographs, Research Process, Schröder Family, Schroeder Family

As I’ve mentioned before, my grandma gave me a pedigree chart years ago.  I use this chart as a road map to finding out more about my ancestors.  On this chart, my grandma gave my great-great-grandfather’s, Frederick Ludwig Schroeder, birthday as December 12, 1850 and his parents as Heinrich Ludwig Wilhelm Schröder and Louise Reese.  I have yet to figure out where she found this information.

Years ago, I entered my family tree on MyHeritage.com and, in so doing, connected with a cousin I never knew I had.  This cousin provided me with a photograph of Heinrich and his parents, Friedrich Wilhelm Schröder and Auguste Wilhelmine Besser.

Frederick Wilhelm Schroeder, Auguste Wilhelmine (Besser) Schroeder, and Heinrich Ludwig Wilhelm Schroeder (ca. 1875)
Frederick Wilhelm Schroeder, Auguste Wilhelmine (Besser) Schroeder, and Heinrich Ludwig Wilhelm Schroeder (ca. 1875)

Earlier this year, I began to get curious about Heinrich.  I looked for him on FamilySearch and found an index to his baptismal record.  He was christened on January 5, 1851.  If that date is correct and Frederick’s birth date is correct, there is no way he could be Frederick’s father!

Unfortunately, there was no image attached to the index and it didn’t give much information.  Fortunately, I work in a place that is certified to receive film on loan from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.  I ordered the associated roll, Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898 (German Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898), and looked for Heinrich’s record.  My German is very basic, but I managed to find and decipher it.

Heinrich Ludwig Wilhelm Schröder, son of Friedrich Wilhelm Schröder and Auguste Wilhelmine Besser was born on December 13, 1850 in Prussia.1  Definitely not Frederick’s father.  I feel as though we must be related if we have a photograph, but I haven’t yet figured out how.  Could Heinrich and Frederick be cousins?

It’s disappointing to have to take two generations off of the tree, but I’d rather have it be right.  There is still much work to be done on Frederick to find out who his father was.  My biggest hurdle is that Frederick didn’t live very long.  Consequently, I’m a little stuck as to where to look next for evidence of his parents.

Edited to Add (7/30/2023):  My dad (James Wiseheart in the comments below) has been doing more research on the Schroeder/Schröder family and came across the following emigration record.  It would not. allow him to post a photo in the comments, so I’m including it here.

German (Prussian) Emigration Record, 27 August 1873, Schwachenwalde to Ohio.

His comment below (included for posterity in case something. happens to comments), states:

I wanted to document more recent findings on this. Based on many sources Frederick Ludwig Schroeder’s parents are Ludwig “Louis” Schroeder and Fredericka Ihlenfeldt. Frederick’s brothers’ marriage records provide the first clues. John’s marriage record lists parents as Louis Schroeder and Rica Elfeldt. Samuel’s lists parents as Louis Schroeder and Rickie Elenfeld. Herman’s lists parents as Louis Schroeder and Frieda Ilenfield. The best evidence is the emigration record of Ludwig and Fredericka from 1873. This lists her last name as Ihlenfeldt and also lists her birthday as Nov. 28, 1821 and Ludwig’s as Aug. 22, 1819. It also lists 5 of their children with their birthdates (Frederick and John had arrived in America almost 10 months prior). The children listed are August Ludwig (b. Jan. 23, 1854), Christian Ferdinand (b. Dec. 19, 1858), Hermann Ludwig (b. Oct. 18, 1862), Samuel Carl Julius (b. Mar. 19, 1965), and Auguste Louise Emilie (b. Dec. 20, 1867). I have also gotten a copy of Fredericka’s obituary which lists her death date as Feb. 9, 1910 at age 88. Unfortunately there are some bad dates floating around on the internet for both her birth and death dates. Likewise, there are dates ascribed to Frederick’s father Ludwig as having died in 1894 at age 75 based on a tombstone for a Ludwig Schroeder in Forest Cemetery. I’m not sure this is the same Ludwig, but this requires further research. Fredericka is buried in Elliston Cemetery which would seem odd for her to be buried away from her husband.

Sources

  1. “Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898,” , FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NZ5S-8XJ : accessed 12 August 2015), Friedrich Wilhelm Schroeder in entry for Heinrich Ludwig Schroeder, 05 Jan 1851; citing ; FHL microfilm 1,050,751.
  2. German (Prussian) Emigration Record, Ancestry.com : accessed 28 July 2023), Ludwig Schroeder and Friederika Ihlenfeldt, 27 August 1873, Schwachenwalde to Ohio. Posted to Ancestry.com by Pushthewind1116.

Harmon Wiseheart: Hard to Find (52 Ancestors #42)

Posted on by under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Family History, Genealogy, Jacobs Family, Photographs, Research Process, Wiseheart Family

Harmon Wiseheart is an ancestor for whom I’ve had to think outside the box to find records.  Some of them were easy, because Harmon/Harman and Wiseheart/Wisehart all come up in the soundex search.  After I had completed my initial run of hunting and gathering, I noticed that I was still missing Census records for him for 1830, 1840, and 1850.  Since he had married Jemima Jacobs in 1830, I could reasonably assume that he would have been head of household in those years.

I decided to look for his wife in 1850, since Jemima is a fairly uncommon name.  I didn’t turn up a Jemima Wiseheart, so I looked for Jemima Jacobs, on the off chance that her maiden name was listed.  What I found was a 17-year-old Jemima Jacobs living with an 80-year-old William Jacobs.  William is Jemima’s father, but my Jemima would have been about 40 and theoretically living with Harmon.  The 17-year-old may have been a niece.  I diligently glanced over the rest of the page and the next household was Armin and J. Wisehart.  No wonder I had such trouble!  And, I sure am lucky that they lived next door to her father.

Next, I looked for Harmon in 1840 and found him pretty quickly.  I must have just missed it in my original search.  I moved on to 1830.  After much searching, with a variety of name combinations, I finally found him.  He had been indexed on Ancestry as Harmon Jacobs.  The actual record clearly shows Harmon Wisehart, but William Jacobs is above him and William Jacobs Jr. is below him, so I can see how this might have happened.  I’m just glad I stuck with it and didn’t give up the search.  Harmon’s story is now more complete, and fairly interesting.

Harmon Wiseheart was born circa 1809 in Kentucky.2,3,4,5,6,7,8  He married Jemima Jacobs on March 14, 1830 in Jefferson County, Kentucky.1  He and Jemima had a farm next door to her brothers, Price Jacobs and William Jacobs Jr.2  In 1850, they were living near Jemima’s father, William.  Both Harmon and William were blacksmiths at this time.3  Their children are difficult to figure out, but I believe Harmon and Jemima had six chidlren:  William Henry, Sarah Katherine “Kitty”, George Allen, James Luminous, John S., Jacob E. Thomas.3,4,5,6,8  By 1860, Harmon was a farmer again.5  In 1870, Harmon was a chair maker, an occupation his sons William and John shared with him.6  Harmon died on April 28, 1876 in Jefferson County, Kentucky.  He was 67 years old.7,8

Price Jacobs and Harmon Wiseheart, circa 1850.

Price Jacobs and Harmon Wiseheart, circa 1850.

Sources

  1. “Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979,” database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F43W-XVD : accessed 19 March 2015), Harman Wisehart and Jemima Jacobs, 14 Mar 1830; citing Jefferson Co., Kentucky, reference ; FHL microfilm 817,868.
  2. Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.  1830; Census Place: Jefferson, Kentucky; Series: M19; Roll: 38; Page: 136; Family History Library Film:0007817.
  3. Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.  Year: 1840; Census Place: Jefferson, Kentucky; Roll: 115; Page: 154; Image: 312; Family History Library Film:0007828.
  4. Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.  Year: 1850; Census Place: District 1, Jefferson, Kentucky; Roll: M432_205; Page: 217B; Image: 439.
  5. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.  Year: 1860; Census Place: District 2, Jefferson, Kentucky; Roll: M653_377; Page: 1093; Image: 350; Family History Library Film: 803377.
  6. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.  Year: 1870; Census Place: Floydsburg, Oldham, Kentucky; Roll: M593_493; Page: 35A; Image: 73; Family History Library Film: 545992.
  7. Ancestry.com. Kentucky, Death Records, 1852-1963 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.  Kentucky. Kentucky Birth, Marriage and Death Records – Microfilm (1852-1910). Microfilm rolls #994027-994058. Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, Kentucky.
  8. “Harmon Wiseheart (1809 – 1876) – Find A Grave Memorial.” FindAGrave.com. Dorothy Gronefeld, 29 Oct. 2008. Web. 17 Oct. 2015. Find A Grave Memorial # 30962063.

Joseph Rakestraw: A Colorful Claim (52 Ancestors #41)

Posted on by under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Family History, Genealogy, Rakestraw Family, Research Process, Stories

Long have I heard stories about George Washington having commissioned a weathervane from Joseph Rakestraw, my seventh great-grandfather.  If true, this would be a pretty cool addition to the family history.  But how do I prove or disprove it?

I began by looking for information on George Washington’s weathervane and any mention of a Joseph Rakestraw.  As it happens, Washington wrote a letter to a Joseph Rakestraw of Philadelphia on July 20, 1787, requesting that a weathervane be crafted.  This weathervane was to have the shape of a bird with an olive branch in its mouth.1  A weathervane of that description can be found on the cupola at Mount Vernon today.

Cupola and weathervane at Mount Vernon. Courtesy of MountVernon.org.

Cupola and weathervane at Mount Vernon. Courtesy of MountVernon.org.

Now, I have been researching Rakestraws for a long time.  In 1787, there were about five or six Joseph Rakestraws in and around Philadelphia.  Most likely all related somehow, but still, how do I know which one fashioned the weathervane?

As I continued my research, I found that the Joseph Rakestraw to whom Washington had written was not a metalworker, he was a carpenter.2,3  This narrowed it down some.  I know at least two Josephs were carpenters and one was a printer.  I am unsure about the others.  Of the two I know to be carpenters, one had moved out of Philadelphia in 1786, leaving only one that I know for sure was a carpenter.4,5  This one is the one I believe was my seventh great-grandfather.

The Joseph Rakestraw who produced the weathervane was a member of the Carpenters’ Company.  Indeed, he was president of the Company, which is probably why Washington wrote to him.  Joseph was born circa 1735 and Carpenter’s Hall records state that he died of yellow fever in 1794.6,7  The man I believe to be my seventh great-grandfather was born circa 1735 and died in 1794 at the age of 62.  He was buried on the 10th day of the 5th month in 1794.8  He was a Quaker.  Quaker records show that he was married to Rachel Ogilby (or Ogilbey) and had children:  Justinian, Elizabeth, Hannah, and Joseph.9,10

Joseph Rakestraw, who was married to Rachel Ogilby and died in 1794, was the man whom Washington commissioned to create a weathervane for Mount Vernon.  I believe this to be the same Joseph Rakestraw who is my seventh great-grandfather, but I am still trying to prove that his son Joseph and my sixth great-grandfather Joseph, who married Rebecca Gilbert, are the same person.

Sources

  1. The Papers of George Washington Digital Edition, ed. Theodore J. Crackel. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, Rotunda, 2008.  Accessed 07 October 2015.
  2. Manca, Joseph. George Washington’s Eye: Landscape, Architecture, and Design at Mount Vernon. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins UP, 2012. Print.
  3. Greenberg, Allan C. George Washington, Architect. London: Andreas Papadakis, 1999. Print.
  4. Walton, William. A Narrative of the Captivity and Sufferings of Benjamin Gilbert and His Family, Who Were Taken by the Indians in the Spring of 1780. Third Edition. Philadelphia: Printed by John Richards, 1848. pp. 222-223.
  5. Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.  Haverford College; Haverford, Pennsylvania; Minutes, 1768-1789; Collection: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes.
  6. Moss, Roger W. “Rakestraw, Joseph (c. 1735 – D. 1794).” Philadelphia Architects and Buildings. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.
  7. Karsch, Carl G. “The Yellow Fever Connection.” Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, 4 July 1995. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
  8. Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.  Haverford College; Haverford, Pennsylvania; Births and Deaths, 1754-1806; Collection: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes.
  9. Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.  Swarthmore College; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; Women’s Minutes, 1744-1765; Collection: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes; Call Number: MR-Ph 561.
  10. Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.  Haverford College; Haverford, Pennsylvania; Minutes, 1768-1789; Collection: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Minutes.

John Wiseheart: Which John Are You? (52 Ancestors #40)

Posted on by under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Family History, Genealogy, Razor Family, Research Process, Wiseheart Family

I’ve been trying to source the Wiseheart line on the pedigree chart that my grandma gave me.  It’s been very difficult.  I can get it back to my third great grandfather, but proving his connection to the man that I believe is his father is, so far, impossible.  The pedigree chart says that my fourth great grandfather is John Wiseheart (1775-1837), who was married to Catharine Razor (1787-1850).  John was born in Pennsylvania.1

Here’s where my biggest problem comes in.  There were two John Wisehearts (or Wisehart) born in Pennsylvania in 1775, at least.  But of the the two I’ve come across, is he John, son of John, son of John, or John, son of Hans Nicholas, son of Henrich?  The only thing I’ve been able to find for John Wiseheart and Catherine Razor is a marriage record, which does not give his father’s name.

The only thing I have been able to find about John is that he married Catharine Razor in Jefferson County, Kentucky on October 9, 1798.1,2,3  According to the transcription on Ancestry.com, Catharine was born in 1787, which would have made her eleven years old.1  Now, this isn’t totally unheard of, but it seems highly unlikely to me, as the print index done by The Filson Historical Society does not list consent given.  That would have been a requirement for an eleven-year-old.  Having read some old handwriting myself, I think it’s far more likely that a 6 looked like an 8 or a 1 looked like a 7, or some combination thereof.  John Razor was the bondsman.3  Perhaps trying to find John Razor and Catharine Razor on a record together will yield some information.

In the end, all I really know about John Wiseheart is that his wedding anniversary is in two days.

Sources

  1. Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.  Source number: 4178.015; Source type: Family group sheet, FGSE, listed as parents; Number of Pages: 1.
  2. Dodd, Jordan. Kentucky Marriages, 1802-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997.
  3. Dawson, Nelson L., ed. Jefferson County, Virginia-Kentucky, Early Marriages, Book I, 1781-July, 1826. Owensboro, KY: Cook-McDowell Publications, 1980. Print. p. 32.