Category Archives: Springer Family

Lydia Slaymaker: Will the Real Lydia Please Stand Up? (52 Ancestors #49)

Posted on by under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Family History, Genealogy, Research Process, Slaymaker Family, Springer Family

The name Slaymaker always makes me think of winter.  It conjures images in my head of a person building a sleigh, even though the spelling is different.  Of course, Schleiermacher, the original spelling, means “veil maker.”  Nevertheless, this auditory association has prompted me to write about Lydia Slaymaker.

In truth, I know almost nothing about her.  However, I hope that what little I do know is enough to straighten out some confusion that seems to be spreading across the internet.  There were two Lydia Slaymakers born in the same century and both lived in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Both also died young.  I have been trying to find Lydia Slaymaker who married Nicholas Springer, but often the wrong Lydia is attached to the family trees that I come across.

Lydia Slaymaker was born in 1782, the seventh child of John and Mary (Peck) Slaymaker.1,2,4  She married Nicholas Springer, the son of Nicholas and Elizabeth (McIlvaine) Springer.2,3  They had two children:  John Slaymaker Springer (born circa 1810) and Elizabeth Springer.2,5  Lydia died on December 22, 1818 and was buried in Old Leacock Presbyterian Church cemetery.1,4

There was another Lydia Slaymaker who was born in 1769 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.2,6  She died on September 20, 1794 and was also buried in Old Leacock Presbyterian Church cemetery.6  She is often listed as the wife of Nicholas Springer and the mother of John and Elizabeth on family trees.  This is not possible.

First, Lydia was the seventh child of John and Mary Slaymaker.  The third child, Mathias, was born in 1774, so there is no way Lydia could have been born before him.2

Second, Lydia married Nicholas Springer.  Why would she be buried under the name Lydia Slaymaker?  This a good indication that Lydia Slaymaker (1769-1794) is not the correct one, and Lydia Slaymaker Springer (1782-1818) is the correct one.

Third, and last, Lydia’s son, John, was born sometime between 1800 and 1810.  It just isn’t possible for Lydia to have died in 1794 and then given birth to two children.

We all make mistakes.  This research has been a reminder to me that I need to be very careful when I’m fitting pieces together.  I need to check and re-check my dates.  With winter upon us, I’m sure there will be a number of snow days.  I can’t think of a better use for them than verifying my data.

Sources

  1. Egle, William Henry. “Leacock Presbyterian Church.” Notes and Queries: Historical, Biographical and Genealogical, Relating Chiefly to Interior Pennsylvania. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Harrisburg, 1898. 79. Google Books. Pennsylvania State Library, 15 July 2006. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.
  2. Slaymaker, Henry Cochran. “Part III. Descendants of Mathias Slaymaker, Second.” History of the Descendants of Mathias Slaymaker Who Emigrated from Germany and Settled in the Eastern Part of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, about 1710. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: n.p., 1909. 115-21. Google Books. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 29 Nov. 2007. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.
  3. Daughters of the American Revolution. “Springer, Nicholas.” A Roster of Revolutionary Ancestors of the Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution: Commemoration of the United States of America Bicentennial, July 4, 1976. Vol. 1. Evansville, IN: Unigraphic, 1976. 601.HeritageQuest Online [ProQuest]. Web. 27 Mar. 2011.
  4. C&P LaPlante Files. “Lydia Springer (1782 – 1818).” Find A Grave. N.p., 26 July 2007. Web. 20 Nov. 2015. Find A Grave Memorial# 20647591.
  5. 1840 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 27 Dec. 2014. Orange, Indiana. p.95. Line 18.
  6. C&P LaPlante Files. “Lydia Slaymaker (1769 – 1794).” Find A Grave. N.p., 14 Mar. 2006. Web. 08 Dec. 2015. Find A Grave Memorial# 13617389.

 

John Alexander Springer: Farmer Extraordinaire (52 Ancestors #34)

Posted on by under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Documents, Family History, Genealogy, Photographs, Springer Family

I knew very little about my third great grandfather, initially.  I suppose that’s the case with most ancestors, really.  What I mean is that he is one for whom I only had a name and dates from my grandma’s pedigree chart, but even grandma wasn’t sure about the name.  She had written down that he was John Alexander Slaymaker Springer, but she told me that she wasn’t sure about the second middle name.

I started my search looking for John Alexander Slaymaker Springer who had been born circa 1836 and died circa 1919.2,3,5,6,7,9,10,14,15  I knew from the chart that he was married to Mary Lindley and had a son named Frank.4,5,6,7,9,10,15,16,17  I began where I usually do when I have a name and approximate dates.  Census records.  I found John A. Springer living with John S. and Lamira Springer in Paoli, Orange County, Indiana in 1850.3  The names I had for his parents on the pedigree chart were John Slaymaker Springer and Susan Lamira Nichols.1,2,3

I then found John A. with his wife, Mary on the 1860 and subsequent census.5,6,7,9,10  All of this was research I had done years ago, before FamilySearch.org was on my radar.  Ancestry.com didn’t have any vital records for John A., so I stopped my search and moved on to a new person.

Last year, I decided to look for John A. on FindAGrave.com.  To my delight, not only was there a photo of his tombstone, but there was also a photo of him!

John Alexander Springer, photo courtesy of Susan Huber, Findagrave.com

John Alexander Springer, photo courtesy of Susan Huber, Findagrave.com

By this time, my library had purchased a subscription to NewspaperArchive.com.  As I was researching Frank Springer, I widened my search to include his parents.  What I found was surprising.  There were several articles in The Paoli Republican about him, all dated near the time of his death.  The first reported that he was over 80, though he didn’t look it, and he had cataracts in both eyes that he was planning to have removed when the conditions were right.11  The second reported that he was looking to sell seven stands of bees.12  I knew he was a farmer.  I did not know he kept bees.

The third article reported that he was seriously ill.13  The fourth article was an obituary and an administrator’s sale notice.15

Obituary for John A. Springer, The Paoli Republican, Wednesday, 21 May 1919, p. 4, column 1. NewspaperArchive.com

Obituary for John A. Springer, The Paoli Republican, Wednesday, 21 May 1919, p. 4, column 1. NewspaperArchive.com

The last two articles were land sale notices, which gave the legal description of his land.  These articles also named four of his eight children:  Anna L., Frank, Charles B., and John A., Jr.16, 17

One of my ongoing projects has been to scan all of the photos and documents from the Rakestraw trunk at my grandparents’ house.  As I was doing this, I came across a letter, written by John A. Springer and addressed to Mrs. Rakestraw (Mary E. Rakestraw, whose daughter married John’s son, Frank).  This letter was dated in 1891 and was sent from Madisonville (now part of Cincinnati), Ohio.  In it, John talked about his regret in moving to Ohio and how homesick he was.8  This was an amazing find!  Since we have no 1890 Census, I would never have known he had moved.  By 1900, he was back in Paoli.9

I also came across a letter he had written to his granddaughter, which had a letterhead, and an envelope with a printed return address.

John A. Springer letterhead.

John A. Springer letterhead.

John A. Springer envelope.

John A. Springer envelope.

In addition to farmer and bee keeper, he was also a dealer in coal oil and fertilizer.  It was certainly nice to learn all of these new things about him, but I think my favorite thing about reading these letters was hearing his voice and getting a sense of his personality.

Sources

  1. “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images,FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZC4-PGD : accessed 22 August 2015), John S Springer and Susah L Nichols, 10 Feb 1831; citing , Orange, Indiana, county clerk offices, Indiana; FHL microfilm 1,316,696.
  2. 1840 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 27 Dec. 2014. Orange, Indiana. p.95. Line 18.
  3. 1850 United States Federal Census. HeritageQuestOnline.com. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. Paoli, Orange, Indiana. p.456. Family #698, lines 21-27.
  4. “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” database with images,FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZCH-GFZ : accessed 15 August 2015), John A Springer and Mary Lindley, 22 Dec 1859; citing , Orange, Indiana, county clerk offices, Indiana; FHL microfilm 1,316,697.
  5. 1860 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. Paoli, Orange, Indiana. p.120. Family #921, lines 15-16.
  6. 1870 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. Paoli, Orange, Indiana. p.24. Family #176, lines 23-28.
  7. 1880 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. Paoli, Orange, Indiana. p.6B. Family #53, lines 17-25.
  8. Springer, John A. Letter to Mary E. Rakestraw. 08 Feb. 1891. MS. New Albany, Indiana.
  9. 1900 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 27 Dec. 2014. Paoli, Orange, Indiana. pp.8A-8B. Family #165, lines 50-55.
  10. 1910 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. Paoli, Orange, Indiana. p.2A. Family #29, lines 24-27.
  11. “Local News” Paoli Republican 28 February 1916, Wednesday ed.: 5. Print. column 2.  Accessed 27 Dec. 2014, NewspaperArchive.com.
  12. “For Sale” Paoli Republican 09 April 1919, Wednesday ed.: 4. Print. column 2.  Accessed 27 Dec. 2014, NewspaperArchive.com.
  13. “Local News” Paoli Republican 16 April 1919, Wednesday ed.: 5. Print. column 1.  Accessed 27 Dec. 2014, NewspaperArchive.com.
  14. “John Alexander Springer (1836 – 1919) – Find A Grave Memorial.”FindAGrave.com. Glenda Barry, 12 May 2012. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSvcid=546002&GRid=90018053&). Find A Grave Memorial# 90018053.
  15. “Obituary” Paoli Republican 21 May 1919, Wednesday ed.: 4. Print. column 2.  Accessed 27 Dec. 2014, NewspaperArchive.com.
  16. “Land Sale” Paoli Republican 04 February 1920, Wednesday ed.: 1. Print. column 3.  Accessed 27 Dec. 2014, NewspaperArchive.com.
  17. “Land Sale” Paoli Republican 11 February 1920, Wednesday ed.: 1. Print. column 3.  Accessed 27 Dec. 2014, NewspaperArchive.com.

 

Nicholas Springer: I Pledge Allegiance (52 Ancestors #27)

Posted on by under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Family History, Genealogy, Military, Photographs, Springer Family

I haven’t done much research on my Revolutionary War ancestors.  Most of the ancestors I’ve been researching lived in the nineteenth century.  My grandparents had told me that Nicholas Springer fought in the Revolutionary War and that he was my sixth great-grandfather.

One day, as I was helping a patron research at the library, I happened upon Nicholas Springer in one of our DAR books.  It yielded the following information.  Nicholas Springer was born on August 5, 1743 in New Castle County, Delaware.  He married Elizabeth McIlvaine in January of 1772.  He was a recognized patriot, having signed the Oath of Allegiance on June 9, 1778.  His children were Mary (1772), Robert (1774), Samuel (1776), Hannah, George (1779), Nicholas (1782), Stephen (1785), and Elizabeth (1789).  He died on March 30, 1792 in New Castle County, Delaware.1,2,3,4,5,6

This all seemed right, according to what information I already had, but I wanted to know who his parents were and I wanted to know more about his military history.  So I began a search and turned up a few things, though for primary sources, I think a trip to Delaware is in my future.

In addition to the above information, I learned that Nicholas (or Niclas) was the son of James Springer and Mary Bishop.2,3,5  He was christened on August 8, 1743 at Holy Trinity or Old Swedes Church in Wilimington, Delaware, which is the church that his grandfather, Carl Springer, helped start.5  He was buried in White Clay Creek Church Cemetery in New Castle County, Delaware.2,6

Tombstone of Nicholas Springer, FindAGrave.com, courtesy of Richard Morrison, 16 November 2007.

Tombstone of Nicholas Springer, FindAGrave.com, courtesy of Richard Morrison, 16 November 2007.

Oath of Allegiance

I, Nicholas Springer, do solemnly declare and affirm that I do not hold myself bound to yield any allegiance or obedience to the King of Great Brittain, his heirs or successors and that I will be true and faithful to the Delaware State, and will support and maintain the freedom and independence and constitution thereof against all open and traitorous conspiracies, and will disclose and make known to the Commander-in-chief for the time being, or to some Judge or Justice of the Peace for this State all treasons or traitorous conspiracies, attempts or combinations against the same, or the government thereof, which shall come to my knowledge.

(Signed)  Nicholas Springer.

June 9, 17783

Sources

1.  Daughters of the American Revolution. “Springer, Nicholas.” A Roster of Revolutionary Ancestors of the Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution: Commemoration of the United States of America Bicentennial, July 4, 1976. Vol. 1. Evansville, IN: Unigraphic, 1976. 601.HeritageQuest Online [ProQuest]. Web. 27 Mar. 2011.

2.  Morrison, Richard. “Find A Grave – Millions of Cemetery Records.” Find A Grave – Millions of Cemetery Records. Jim Tipton, n.d. Web. 07 July 2015. (http://www.findagrave.com/). Find A Grave Memorial# 22945430.

3.  Ancestry.com. U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Accessed 07 July 2015.

4.  Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2004.  Accessed 07 July 2015.

5.  “Delaware Births and Christenings, 1710-1896,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7HD-V2Q : accessed 7 July 2015), Niclas Springer, 08 Aug 1743; citing ; FHL microfilm 908,217.

6.  “Delaware Vital Records, 1680-1971,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK9R-FTYM : accessed 7 July 2015), Nicholas Springer, 1792.

Mildred Springer: A Life of Loss (52 Ancestors #24)

Posted on by under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Family History, Genealogy, Springer Family, Wiseheart Family

My family and I are fortunate to have a number of family heirlooms.  We owe a debt for those heirlooms to my great grandmother, Mildred Gertrude (Springer) Wiseheart.  She wasn’t quite in the category of a hoarder, but she saved a lot of things.  I think this is because she suffered a lot of loss in her lifetime and holding onto mementos of her loved ones was the best way she knew to keep them with her.  I’m going to write her story as a timeline, to allow for better visualization.  I know how hard it can be to keep a bunch of dates straight in your head.

1892

Mildred Gertrude Springer, circa 1892.

Mildred Gertrude Springer, circa 1892.

Mildred was born on November 20th in New Albany, Indiana to parents Frank and Zerilda Eleanora “Ella” (Rakestraw) Springer.1  She and her mother were both very ill at the time of her birth.2

1893

Frank Springer left for the World’s Fair in Chicago and allegedly did not come back.3  (Mildred received almost monthly correspondence from him between 1904 and 1918, possibly even later, and he did come back for visits periodically).  Ella was extremely ill and was considered to be an invalid.2,4

1894

Mildred was adopted by her grandparents, Francis Marion and Mary Elizabeth (Gilliland) Rakestraw.4  Just two and a half weeks later, on June 13th, her mother died of consumption.5

1900

Mildred Gertrude Springer, circa 1900.

Mildred Gertrude Springer, circa 1900.

Mildred was living with her grandparents, her Uncle Willie, and her cousins, Charlie and William.6  This seems to have been the normal living arrangement for the family, as Willie was unmarried for most of the time between 1890 and 1910.

1910

Mildred was living with her grandparents and cousins.7  Willie had moved to Illinois.  At some point during the year, Charlie went to live with Willie.

1911

Francis Marion Rakestraw died, leaving Mary Elizabeth, his wife, Mildred Springer (age 18), and William Rakestraw (age 16).8

1918

Mary Elizabeth and Mildred moved to 811 West 8th Street in New Albany, Indiana.9  William moved to Louisville, Kentucky.  Mary Elizabeth and Mildred became friends with Sanford “Sandy” Wiseheart, who lived down the street at 922.  When Sandy went to France to fight, they corresponded.

1920

George William

George William “Willie” Rakestraw and Mildred Gertrude Springer, circa 1920.

Mildred was still living with Mary Elizabeth on West 8th Street until she and Sandy were married on May 5th.10,11

1921

Mildred gave birth to her first child, Mildred Lorena Wiseheart, on May 9th.12

1923

Mildred gave birth to her second child, Sanford William “Bud” Wiseheart, on May 30th.12

1925

Mildred gave birth to her third child.12

1928

Mildred gave birth to her fourth child.12

1930

Sandy, Mildred and family were living on County Line Road in Clark County, Indiana.12  Mildred gave birth to her fifth child, James Roscoe “Jimmy” Wiseheart, on November 13th.13

1932

Jimmy died of pneumonia on December 12th.13

1934

Mildred gave birth to her sixth child, Mary Katherine Wiseheart, on October 3rd.14

1936

Mary Katherine drowned in the neighbor’s fish pond on July 9th.14

1940

Sandy, Mildred and family were again living at 922 West 8th Street in New Albany, Indiana.15

1944

Mildred had no idea where her father was, or if he was even still living.16

1951

Mildred died on November 3rd of cancer of the gallbladder.1

I’d like to end with what my grandfather, Mildred’s son, said about her:

She had a, I don’t know what you call it, maybe call it a vivid imagination, but she, sometimes at night, she’d take a flashlight and be lookin’ around and she’d say, ‘There’s somebody out there,’ and once a while she’d say, ‘I smell a real strong gag, they’re smoking something.’ And my dad, he’d blow up. I was the only one left at home, the others had all gotten married young and so she was always, like she’d save the last bananer or something and say, ‘Buddy, I saved that for you, that’s the last one.’ And two or three different times she’d say, ‘Buddy, do you think your daddy’s plottin’ against me to have me put away,’ or something. I said, ‘Oh, Mom, he wouldn’t do nothing like that,’ and then I get out walking with him on a job and he’d say, ‘I don’t know what the hell I’m gonna do, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to put your mother away.’ I’d say, ‘Oh, Pap, she ain’t that bad,’ and it was like that for three or four years. Course he blamed it on her father, Frank Springer. I think his problem started when his wife Eleanora died. She was twenty-eight. My mother was two years old when her mother died, so Frank Springer became a wanderer. He’d just wander around and people said there was something wrong with him mentally. And she always had that kind of reflection since people find an excuse to say he was mentally unbalanced and they sort of thought that my mom inherited that. It wasn’t really that way.  My mother was an intelligent person and she could draw and was pretty good in artwork and stuff, she just didn’t go anywhere and associate with people.

Sources

1. Floyd County Health Department. Floyd County, Indiana Death Records. Vol. H-12. p. 10. Microfilm.  Accessed 4 Aug 2014, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room.

2. Springer, Frank. Letter to Ella Springer. 4 Dec. 1892. MS. New Albany, Indiana.

3. Paoli News 22 Nov. 1893: 3. NewspaperArchive.com. Web. 27 Dec. 2014.

4.  New Albany Daily Ledger 26 May 1894, Saturday Evening ed.: 5. Print.column 3.

5.  “Deaths (Obituary).” New Albany Evening Tribune 14 June 1894, Thursday ed.: 4. Print. column 2.

6.  1900 United States Federal Census (database-online). Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. New Albany, Floyd, Indiana. p. 9B.

7.  1910 United States Federal Census (database-online). Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. New Albany, Floyd, Indiana. p. 14A.

8.  Floyd County Health Department. Floyd County, Indiana Death Records. Vol. CH-22. p. 17. Microfilm.  Accessed 4 Aug 2014, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room.

9.  Caron, C.K. Caron’s Directory of the City of New Albany for 1919-20. New Albany, IN: C.K. Caron, 1919. 297. Print.

10.  1920 United States Federal Census (database-online). Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 24 Sep. 2014. New Albany, Floyd, Indiana. p. 11A.

11.  Floyd County Clerk. Floyd County, Indiana Marriages. Vol. 20. p. 375. Microfilm.  Accessed 12 Aug 2014, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room.

12.  1930 United States Federal Census (database-online). Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 07 Mar. 2011. Silver Creek, Clark, Indiana. p. 14B.

13.  Clark County Health Department.  Clark County, Indiana Death Records. Roll 20, Book 2, p.11.  Microfilm. Jeffersonville Township Public Library.

14.  Floyd County Health Department. Floyd County, Indiana Death Records. Vol. CH-37. p. 97. Microfilm.  Accessed 25 Jan 2015, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room.

15.  1940 United States Federal Census (database-online). Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 28 Jul. 2014. New Albany, Floyd, Indiana. p. 10B.

16.  Wiseheart, Mildred, Letter, 1944.  MS.  New Albany, Indiana.

Doppelganger

Posted on by under Family History, Genealogy, Military, Photographs, Research Process, Springer Family

I was killing time on Facebook one day, just clicking on links to 22 weirdest things kids ever said, etc., when I came across a post on old black and white photos that had been colorized.  As I looked through them, I came across this one.

The staff of Andrew Porter with George A. Custer reclining next to a dog, 1862.

The staff of Andrew Porter with George A. Custer reclining next to a dog, 1862.

The man lying down on the far left of the photo looks remarkably like my great great great grandfather, John Alexander Springer.

John Alexander Springer, photo courtesy of Susan Huber, Findagrave.com

John Alexander Springer, photo courtesy of Susan Huber, Findagrave.com

Side by side comparison.

Side by side comparison.

John (1836-1919) was certainly an adult when the colorized photo had been taken, though the man in that photo looks a little older than John would’ve been.  But, it wouldn’t have been outside of the realm of possibility, or it could have been his brother or father.  I had to know who these men were.  The photo wasn’t labeled and was credited simply as Reddit.

After some digging, I found it on Reddit and it was labeled “The staff of Andrew Porter with George A. Custer reclining next to a dog, 1862.”  I also found that the black and white original of the colorized version had been taken from the Library of Congress.  The Library of Congress photo was labeled “The Peninsula, Va. The staff of Gen. Fitz-John Porter; Lts. William G. Jones and George A. Custer reclining.”  So, the man in the photo is Lt. William G. Jones, who is no relation that I know of.  But this was fun, and at least I know.

Side note:  This is why it’s important to always credit your source.