Zerilda Rakestraw: Almost a Ghost (52 Ancestors #11)

Posted on March 17, 2015 by melissawiseheart under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Documents, Family History, Genealogy, Photographs, Rakestraw Family, Springer Family

If I had only official documents to go on, I’d know next to nothing about my great great grandmother. Using the usual vitals, census, and obituary, her life could be summed up as follows. Zerilda Eleanora Rakestraw was born circa 1869, the daughter of Francis Marion and Mary Elizabeth (Gilliland) Rakestraw. She married Frank Springer on February 28, 1892. She gave birth to Mildred Gertrude Springer on November 20, 1892. She died of consumption on June 13, 1894 and was buried at Fairview Cemetery.

The biggest hurdles I had in my research were the lack of official documents. The state of Indiana didn’t require birth records until 1882. There was no birth record. The 1890 Census would’ve been the first census to list her occupation. There is no surviving copy of the 1890 Census for Indiana. For reasons I can’t fathom, her death was never reported to the city or the county Health Department. No death record. Another hurdle was that Zerilda changed her name, and not legally.

Fortunately, I had some good information from my grandfather, who had heard it from Zerilda’s mother. There are also a handful of more unconventional records for her. Additionally, the Rakestraws saved a lot of things, for which I am eternally grateful. And now, I present the life of Zerilda Rakestraw, as complete as I believe it will ever be.

1868

Serralda Ella Nora Rakestraw was born on June 5, 1868 in New Albany, Indiana to parents Francis Marion and Mary Elizabeth (Gilliland) Rakestraw. (This is according to a transcription of the Rakestraw Family Bible. I don’t know where the Bible is currently located. I have been spelling it Zerilda Eleanora based on the official documents that bear her name. I’ve been thinking about whether or not I should change how I write it).

1870

She appears on the Census, with her parents, as Zerilda, age 1.

1880

On the Census, she is living with her parents and her younger brother. She is listed as Elnora, age 11.

1890 (ish)

Here, I have no documentation. My grandfather said that she taught school in Louisville for a year or so before she married. I could not find any mention of her in New Albany or Louisville City Directories. He also said that she hated her first name and, as an adult, decided to go by Ella Nora Rakestraw. This may have started before adulthood, since she seems to have gone by her middle name(s) on the 1880 Census. I have a couple of photos to share here.

Zerilda Eleanora Rakestraw (ca. 1890)

Grandpa said this is the photo she had taken for the school. Presumably for a yearbook or similar type of thing.

Zerilda Rakestraw’s desk bell. Purchased circa 1890.

1891

By December of 1891, Ella had met Frank Springer. It would seem that they were long-distance courting by this letter from Frank, dated December 17, 1891.

1892

Frank and Ella were married on February 28, 1892.

Frank Springer and Ella Rakestraw Marriage License

Floyd County, Indiana Marriages, Volume 10, p.114, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

New Albany Daily Ledger, Monday, 29 February 1892, p.4, column 6, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

Within a week, Frank and Ella had moved to his brother’s farm, outside of Paoli, Indiana.

Paoli Republican, Wednesday, 9 March 1892, p.3, column 5, NewspaperArchive.com

Ella’s mother, Mary, wrote to her on March 23, 1892. After receiving this letter, Ella wrote back, saying that she was very sick. She had weak spells and was often sick to her stomach.

In April, Ella received a letter from her cousin Othela, congratulating her on her marriage to Frank and expressing concern for her illness.

Sometime in May, Ella had gone back to New Albany to stay with her parents, probably having realized that she was pregnant and would need her mother’s help. Frank wrote to her shortly after her arrival.

It seems that Frank visited from time to time, but didn’t stay long. From a letter written circa June 1892 and a letter dated July 3, 1892, it is evident that Ella’s mother did not want Frank around.

On November 20, 1892, Ella gave birth to a daughter, Mildred Gertrude Springer. Frank was present for the birth of his daughter, as this letter dated November 27, 1892, suggests.

In December, both Ella and baby Mildred were sick.

Zerilda Springer, circa 1892.

Unfortunately, I’ve only been able to find this photocopy and not the original. Since the quality is so bad, I cannot tell if this is just Ella, or if Mildred is perhaps in a bassinet to the left.

1893

In a letter dated January 22, 1893, Frank writes that he is sorry to hear that Ella and the baby are both still sick. He also writes that he will come for them when the weather is better.

New Albany Evening Tribune, Thursday, 23 March 1893, p.4, column 2, NewspaperArchive.com

Here the letters have stopped and it would seem that Ella was home with Frank from here on, however, she must have gone back to stay with her parents before the end of May in 1894. And, in researching Frank’s story, I learned that he did leave home sometime in 1893 for the World’s Fair in Chicago, so it makes sense that Ella would not stay alone on the farm with the baby.

1894

New Albany Evening Tribune, Friday, 25 May 1894, p.3, column 2, NewspaperArchive.com

New Albany Daily Ledger, Friday, 26 May 1894, p.5, column 3, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

This one should read “adoption of Mildred G. Springer,” but as we all know, the papers sometimes get things wrong.

On June 13, 1894, just two and a half weeks after her parents adopted Mildred, Ella died of consumption. She was buried at Fairview Cemetery in New Albany, Indiana.

New Albany Evening Tribune, Thursday, 14 June 1894, p.4, column 2, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

Receipt from The Northern Cemetery (Fairview Cemetery) for payment on grave preparations.

Fairview Cemetery Index, Volume 4, p.71, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

It took me quite some time to find her in Fairview, as her tombstone reads “Ellen N. Springer” and Frank is not buried there.

Tombstone of Ella Springer, Fairview Cemetery, photo courtesy of Douser, Findagrave.com

So ends the short life of Zerilda Eleanora (Rakestraw) Springer.

Carl Springer: The Power of Perseverance and Prayer (52 Ancestors #10)

Posted on March 9, 2015 by melissawiseheart under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Family History, Genealogy, Springer Family

Carl Springer (also Karl or Charles) was born in 1658 in Stockholm Sweden to parents Christopher and Beata (Salina) Springer.^1,2,3 Beata was the daughter of the court physician to King Karl X of Sweden and Christopher was a court musician and member of the treasurer’s secretariat. Carl, therefore, had a comfortable upbringing. He had been sent to study in Riga and was well educated. After he turned eighteen, Carl went to London to study English and mathematics. He stayed with Johan Leyonberg, the Swedish Ambassador. After he had received his education, before going back home to Sweden, he was kidnapped in 1678.^1,2,3,4 The story of his captivity is best told in his own words. The following is from a letter to his mother dated June 1, 1693, from “Pennsellvania on the Delaware River.”

When I was in London, and was of a mind to journey home to Sweden… having learned the English speech and writing and reading….. I was kidnapped and against my will taken on board an English ship, carried to Virginia, and sold off like a farm animal…. and held in very slavery for five years together.

My work was unspeakable. In the summer it was extra ordinary hot during the day, and my work was mostly in the winter, clearing land and cutting down the forest and making it ready for planting Tobacco and the Indian grain in the summer. I had a very hard master. But now – to God be praise, honor, and glory! – I have overcome it all.

When I had faithfully served out my time I heard, accidentally, that there were Swedes at Delaware River, in Pennsellvania…. and…. I made that difficult journey of about four hundred miles. And when I got there I beheld the Old Swedes, and they received me very kindly.^1,2

About a year and a half after his arrival, Carl married Maria Hindrichsdotter (Hendricksdotter/Hendrickson) on December 27, 1685.^2,3 He bought two plantations and had crops and livestock. Carl served his community by writing out wills, deeds and other legal documents in English. He served his church congregation as a reader, churchwarden and record keeper. Carl was naturalized in Philadelphia in 1701 and was appointed one of the justices of New Castle County Courts in 1703.^2,3

Carl and Maria had eleven children: Anna Elisabeth, born circa 1687; Rebecca, born circa 1689; Maria, born circa 1691; Charles, born 1693; Christopher, born 1696; John, born circa 1698; Anders, born circa 1700; Jacob, born 1703; Israel, born circa 1705; Magdalena, born circa 1707; and Joseph, born 1709. Maria died in March of 1727 and was buried in Holy Trinity churchyard.^1,2

Carl married Annika Walraven in June of 1727. Carl and Annika had no children together.^1,2 Carl died on May 26, 1738 of a stroke while crossing the Delaware River in a boat. He was on his way home from testifying the validity of a deed in court.^1,2,3 Carl Springer was buried near the South wall of Holy Trinity. In 1762, a portico was added and was built over Carl’s resting place.^1,3 “He was buried in the church that he loved.”²

Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church, Wilmington, Delaware

Historical Plaque, Holy Trinity Church, Wilmington, Delaware, The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Delaware

Photographs from smilla4blogs.

Sources

1. Springer, Jessie Evelyn. Charles Springer of Cranehook-on-the-Delaware His Descendants and Allied Families. Edwardsville, IL: Publisher Not Identified, 1959. Print.

2. Craig, Dr. Peter S. “Forefathers: Charles Springer and His Family.” Swedish Colonial News 1, No. 19 (Spring 1999): 2. Print.

3. Montgomery, Elizabeth. Reminiscences of Wilmington: In Familiar Village Tales, Ancient and New. Philadelphia: T.K. Collins, Jr., 1851. Print.

4. Vandervelde, Kate Annelia Cross. Cross-Howell, Glover-Stoddert and Related Families Records. Emporia, Kan.: K. Vandervelde, 1959. Print.

Frank Springer: The Search Continues

Posted on February 26, 2015 by melissawiseheart under Documents, Family History, Genealogy, Springer Family

I’ve posted a few times before about my great great grandfather, Frank Springer. He disappeared from public records in 1893 and didn’t resurface until 1920. Family letters (which I will post as soon as I have them scanned and in chronological order) place him in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Indiana during these years.

The mystery still remains as to what happened to him after 1920. He does not appear on the 1930 or 1940 Census. My grandpa remembered having met him in about 1931, so I’m operating under the assumption that he died after 1931. A recently found letter reveals that Mildred Wiseheart, his daughter, did not know where he was or whether he was dead or alive in 1944.

Letter, Mildred Springer to Arthur Dillard, 25 Jun 1944, p.1

Now my questions are: When did he die? Where did he die? What happened to him between 1920 and the time of his death? These are questions to which I may never have an answer, but that won’t deter me from searching.

More Clues for Frank Springer

Posted on February 1, 2015 by melissawiseheart under Documents, Family History, Genealogy, Land, Research Process, Springer Family

As my uncle was going through things at the house yesterday, he came across a ledger belonging to Mildred Springer. It mostly contains dates and amounts received. I’m not sure what they are exactly, but I think they could be child support payments from her father, Frank Springer.

Frank left his home in Paoli, Indiana in 1893 for the World’s Fair in Chicago and I have lost track of him from then until 1920 when he appears in Paoli again. On one page of this ledger, Mildred wrote about her father’s land holdings.

A page from Mildred Springer’s ledger, 1908-1917.

In 1910, Mildred writes that Frank has a lot in Oklahoma and two lots in French Lick. A newspaper article regarding land in Oklahoma was tucked between this page and the next.

Newspaper article from Mildred Springer’s ledger, 1908-1917.

On the ledger page from the previous image, Mildred also writes that by 1912, Frank had sold his lot out west and purchased a third lot in French Lick. There is also one page of the ledger that lists two payments coming from Madison, Illinois in 1913.

My theory is that he left Chicago after the World’s Fair and travelled West. He settled in Oklahoma circa 1904 for a time, but was on the move again before the 1910 Census. I’ve searched for Frank Springer in the 1900 and 1910 Census for Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas with no luck. With some fairly strong evidence to suggest he was in at least two of those states, a transient lifestyle seems a logical explanation as to why I can’t find him.

Here’s my theory with a visual…

1. Living in Paoli, Indiana (1892).

2. Goes to World’s Fair, Chicago, Illinois (1893).

3. Possible trip to Iowa. (Part of family legend is that he spent some time in Iowa).

4. Back to Paoli to check in with family.

5. Purchases land in French Lick, Indiana (circa 1900).

6. Claims land near Woodward, Oklahoma (1904).

7. Possible trip to California. (Part of family legend is that he spent some time in California).

8. Sells land in Oklahoma (circa 1912).

9. Buys another lot in French Lick (circa 1912).

10. Goes to Madison, Illinois (1913).

11. It is possible that the California trip fit in here instead of after Oklahoma.

12. Back in Paoli (1920).

This is the guide I’ll be working with to try to locate Deed and City Directory records for Frank. It’s confusing, and kind of a long shot, but it’s definitely more than what I had to go on before. As my co-worker said just a few days ago, most genealogists don’t do it because it’s easy, they do it for the thrill of following the clues and solving the mystery.

Beata Salina: Lady in Waiting (52 Ancestors #02)

Posted on January 8, 2015 by melissawiseheart under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Family History, Genealogy, Springer Family

Beata Jacobine Salina was born in 1636 in Stockholm, Sweden to parents Dr. Baltzar Salinus and Elizabeth Carlsdotter. Dr. Salinus was the court physician to King Charles X Gustaf (Karl X Gustav) of Sweden. It was at court that she met Christopher Springer, who had been a member of the treasurer’s secretariat since 1633, and a court musician before that.¹ Beata and Christopher were married on October 15, 1654.^1,2 Shortly thereafter, Beata became fourth lady in waiting to Queen Hedvig Eleonora.^2,4,5

Christopher, having been born in 1592, was considerably older than Beata.^1,2 The couple started a family right away. They had five children: Elizabeth, born in 1655; Charles, born in 1658; Christopher, born in 1661; Baltzar, born in 1664; and Jacob, born in 1668.¹

In 1669, just one year after Jacob’s birth, Christopher Springer died at the age of seventy seven.^1,2,3 At the time of his death, he was Archives Inspector of the Royal Exchequer.¹ Queen Dowager Hedvig hired Lady Beata as her royal housekeeper at Gripsholm Castle, across Lake Malar from Stockholm.^1,3 It was here that Beata died in December of 1693. She was buried near the castle, at the church at Mariefred.¹

Gripsholm Castle by Carl Abraham Rothstein (1826-1877)

Lady Beata is sometimes listed as Beata Jacobine Hendrickson instead of Salina.^2,4,5 I have yet to determine why. It’s possible that she was married before she married Christopher, however, she would have been very young and that marriage would’ve had to have been very brief. I have read that the family is well documented in the Stockholm municipal records and the Royal Archives, so perhaps I will be able to find out.

Sources

1. Springer, Jessie Evelyn. Charles Springer of Cranehook-on-the-Delaware: His Descendants and Allied Families. Edwardsville, Ill.: 1959. HeritageQuest Online.

2. Genealogical and Personal History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1912. HeritageQuest Online.

3. Swedish Colonial News, Vol. 1, No. 19, Spring 1999. Philadelphia, Penn.: The Swedish Colonial Society, 1999. The Swedish Colonial Society.

4. Badger, Matilda Phillips Jones. Genealogy of the Linthicum and Allied Families. Baltimore, Md.: 1936. Internet Archive.

5. Fairchild, Timothy Marsh. The Name and Family of Fairchild. Iowa City, Iowa: Mercer Print Co., 1944. HeritageQuest Online.

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