Edward Von Allmen: Dairy Farmer By Day, Accordion Player By Night (52 Ancestors #29)

Posted on July 21, 2015 by melissawiseheart under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Family History, Genealogy, Photographs, Stories, Von Allmen Family

I have attended Von Allmen family reunions almost every year for as long as I can remember. Growing up, these always included polka music. In the earlier years, my great uncle played the accordion. In later years, we listened to polka on tape or CD. A few more recent reunions did not include any polka at all. Grandma told me that her grandfather, Edward Von Allmen, had also played the accordion.

Edward was born on May 6, 1878 in Wilderswil, Switzerland.^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8} He was the eleventh of sixteen children born to Friedrich and Susannah (Stähli) Von Allmen.^1,2,10 He came to America with his parents and siblings in 1883 on the S.S. Canada.¹⁰ Ed lived and worked on his father’s dairy farm in Floyd County, Indiana, and then went to live with and work for his brother, Peter, in Louisville, Kentucky.²

Edward and Louise (Seewer) Von Allmen, 1902.

Ed married Louise Seewer on October 29, 1902 in Louisville, Kentucky.⁹ They continued to live in Jefferson County, Kentucky, where Ed had his own dairy farm.³ Ed and Lousie had eight children.^3,4,5,6 They eventually all moved to a farm in Lafayette Township, Floyd County, Indiana.^5,6

Edward Von Allmen was apparently a musical man. One of the family’s neighbors told me of their parties and music. I’ve told this story before, but I think it bears repeating here.

The Von Allmens… they used to live right here on the corner, you know. They were such wonderful singers. They used to have parties on the 4^th of July and they’d go all night. They really knew how to celebrate, I tell you. They’d sing and dance and Ed would play the… what’s that called you play and squeeze between your hands… the accordion. Ed used to play the accordion. He played so well, it was really beautiful. And they’d just go all night. One time, they had all the neighbors over for a dance. Can you imagine? They had a dance in their house and Ed played the accordion. You don’t see anyone play the accordion anymore.

Von Allmen Family Crest, courtesy of Shirley Wolf, Von Allmen Family File, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

Sources

1. Floyd County Health Department. Microfilm. Floyd County, Indiana Deaths (1951-1959): book h-12, p.51. Retrieved 15 Jul 2015 from Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room.

2. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Year: 1900; Census Place: Louisville Ward 12, Jefferson, Kentucky; Roll: 533; Page: 1A; Enumeration District:0141; FHL microfilm: 1240533.

3. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Year: 1910; Census Place: Albermarle, Jefferson, Kentucky; Roll: T624_483; Page: 16A; Enumeration District: 0026; FHL microfilm: 1374496.

4. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Year: 1920; Census Place: New Albany, Floyd, Indiana; Roll: T625_429; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 62; Image: 15.

5. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Year: 1930; Census Place: Lafayette, Floyd, Indiana; Roll: 587; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0006; Image:626.0; FHL microfilm: 2340322.

6. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Year: 1940; Census Place: Lafayette, Floyd, Indiana; Roll: T627_1043; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 22-6.

7. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Registration State: Indiana; Registration County: Floyd; Roll: 1503798.

8. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; State Headquarters: Indiana.

9. “Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F43W-8XC : accessed 15 July 2015), Edward Von Allmen and Louise Sewer, 29 Oct 1902; citing Louisville, Kentucky, reference ; FHL microfilm 826,072.

10. Wolf, Shirley. “S.S. Canada Passenger List, March 1, 1883, LaHavre to New York.” Rpt. in Von Allmen Family File. Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room. Print.

Mary Susan Henderson: Not Forgotten (52 Ancestors #26)

Posted on July 7, 2015 by melissawiseheart under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Death, Documents, Family History, Genealogy, Hand Family, Henderson Family, Rakestraw Family, Research Process

One of the things I find interesting about genealogy is how easy it is for me to develop tunnel vision. I find that I focus so much on one person or one line that I forget one of the basic rules: research your collaterals. What is more discouraging for me is that I often forget to research my matrilineal ancestors. A case in point is Mary Susan Henderson.

I don’t know why, but I’ve just never thought to myself, I need to research her. She’s always just been on the periphery. I have a tendency to think of her as Milton Rakestraw’s wife who remarried after he died, which is crazy. She is my fourth great-grandmother by blood. I have certainly researched more tenuous relations, why not her?

I had done a minimal amount of research on her that was required for the First Families project. Once I had moved on to her son, the rest didn’t matter to me. Until she came up again…

On May 25, 2015, my dad and I visited a few cemeteries for Memorial Day. While at Fairview, Dad said he would like to find Mary Susan Rakestraw’s grave. Knowing she had remarried to James Hand, I looked her up on the very handy (no pun intended) Find A Grave app on my phone. Dad had a vague memory of where she was and the app confirmed the location. Even so, we could not find her. Perhaps the stone is no longer there, or perhaps we couldn’t find it because the rows aren’t clearly marked. Either way, we left a little disappointed.

We next visited Mt. Tabor Cemetery. I checked the app and saw an open photo request for a Jacob Stites Hand, so I filled it. The requester contacted me, which sparked a conversation that caused me to finally realize that I had done almost no research on Susan after her first husband died. At this point, I really felt as though Susan was saying to me, “Don’t forget me.”

On the way home from the cemeteries, I looked at the entry on the Find A Grave app again. A partial transcription of her obituary was on her memorial page with the source citation NALS 28 Feb 1879 (Thanks, Sue!). That citation might not mean anything to most people, but I happen to work at the library in which the microfilmed newspapers are housed. The next time I had a break at work, I looked up the February 28, 1879 issue of the New Albany Ledger Standard and found her obituary. I saved a copy to my flash drive to look at later. I also saved a copy of the marriage record for James Hand and Mary Susan Rakestraw.

Then, as I prepared to write this post, I thought about what else I could possibly turn up on Susan. Working backwards, as I was taught to do, I considered death records. However, Susan died in 1879 and Indiana didn’t require death records until 1882. There were a handful of records before that date, but none were Susan Hand. I had her marriage records already, so I moved on to births. She was born circa 1830 in Kentucky, and the earliest recorded Kentucky birth (according to FamilySearch.org) was in 1852.

I thought about census records. The earliest I had for her was 1850. I am unlikely to find any earlier without knowing her father’s name, since 1850 was the first year that recorded everyone living in a household and she was married by that time. The latest I have is 1870 and she died in 1879. It then occurred to me that I had not checked the Fairview Cemetery indexes. I found her, though it yielded little new information.

As I read over all of my information to see how complete a story I had for her, I really focused on her obituary. It broke my heart a little.

Susan Hand, Obituary, New Albany Ledger Standard, Friday, 28 February 1879, p. 3, column 4, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

“A poor woman named Mrs. Hand.” Did nobody know her given name?

I looked at her Fairview record.

Fairview Cemetery, Volume 2, p. 41.

She was buried by the county in a grave owned by her former father-in-law and former brother-in-law. This all gave me the feeling that she was poor and friendless at the end of her life. Although, one would think that since she had so many children that somebody would have taken care of her. I’m sure there is much more to Susan’s story than I will ever know, but I’m glad I finally took the time to research her.

Mary Susan Henderson

Born circa 1830 in Kentucky.^3,5,6

Married Milton Rakestraw on March 8, 1845 in Floyd County, Indiana.^1,2

Children with Milton: Francis Marion (1847), Charles H. (c.1848), and George William (c.1849).³

Married James Hand on April 16, 1857 in Floyd County, Indiana.⁴

Children with James: Elza (c.1858), Alice (1860), Annie (c.1861), Julia (c.1864), and Mary (c.1869).^5,6

Died on February 27, 1879 in New Albany, Floyd, Indiana of consumption.⁷

Buried at Fairview Cemetery in New Albany, Floyd, Indiana on March 1, 1879.⁸

Sources

1. Floyd County Clerk. Microfilm. Floyd County, Indiana Marriages Volume B (1845): p.147. Accessed 23 Sep. 2014, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room.

2. “Matrimonial Matters” New Albany Public Press 01 March 1882, Wednesday ed.: 8. Print. column 3. Accessed 12 Aug. 2014, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room.

3. 1850 United States Federal Census (database-online). Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 12 Jun. 2011. Jeffersonville, Clark, Indiana. pp.313-314.

4. Floyd County Clerk. Microfilm. Floyd County, Indiana Marriages Volume 4 (1857): p.340. Accessed 09 Jun. 2015, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room.

5. 1860 United States Federal Census (database-online). Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 16 Aug. 2014. New Albany, Floyd, Indiana. p.134.

6. 1870 United States Federal Census (database-online). Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 15 Aug. 2014. New Albany, Floyd, Indiana. p.72.

7. “Deaths (Obituaries)” New Albany Ledger Standard 28 February 1879, Friday ed.: 3. Print. column 4. Accessed 09 Jun. 2015, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room.

8. Clipp, Mary Cuzzort, Richard Clipp, Jackie Murray Nance, Wanda Perkins Stepp, and Shirley Wolf, comps. Fairview Cemetery, January 7, 1866 to December 31, 1880, New Albany, Floyd County. Vol. 2. New Albany, Indiana: Southern Indiana Genealogical Society, 1991. Print. The Indiana Southern Counties Collection. p.41.

Frances Lydia Browning: An Unconventional Proposal (52 Ancestors #23)

Posted on June 10, 2015 by melissawiseheart under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Browning Family, Documents, Family History, Genealogy, Photographs, Wiseheart Family

This week, I’ve decided to focus on an ancestor who received an unconventional, though probably not uncommon in those days, marriage proposal. The two parties involved are my great great grandparents, Frances Lydia “Fannie” Browning and William Henry Wiseheart. Before I get into the proposal, I’ll briefly go over their backgrounds.

Fannie was born on June 14, 1853, in Kentucky, to Daniel and Ossiann (Salisbury) Browning.¹ Ossiann died when Fannie was about twelve.^2,3,4 Daniel remarried, to Nancy Catherine Ringold, in 1865.³

While a 16-year-old Fannie was still living at home with her father and stepmother, in Long Run, Kentucky, a 37-year-old WilliamWiseheart was living with his wife, Sarah (Myers), and six month old daughter, Kitty, in Washington, Indiana.^4,5 William’s wife died circa 1872, leaving William to care for a young daughter on his own. William also had a disability from a Civil War injury. He ended up in Kentucky.^5,6 Presumably, he moved back there to seek the assistance of family.

Shortly after moving back to Kentucky, he met Fannie Browning. I often wonder how they met. Maybe they were neighbors. Maybe they attended the same church. Maybe one of William’s family members knew Fannie somehow and set them up. Whatever happened, Fannie received a letter from William that I refer to as a proposal. In it, he describes his feelings for Fannie and talks about taking her “out of trouble.” He then closes with “I remain your intended companion until death.” It may not be an outright proposal, but it is certainly a letter of intent.

What is really interesting to me is that this letter dated April 20, 1876 indicates that William would not be able to marry Fannie until June of 1877, however, they did marry not quite one month later on May 10th in Long Run, Kentucky.⁶ Perhaps his circumstances improved. Perhaps her circumstances worsened.

Another thing I had wondered about over the years was the age difference between William and Fannie. He was 42 and she was 23 when they married. Knowing that William had a young child and Fannie had some sort of “trouble” explains that, I think, aside from a fairly large age difference being a somewhat common phenomenon in that day and age.

Fannie and William had ten children of their own, of which two were stillbirths, two died after three days, one died after eleven days, and the other five survived to adulthood. The surviving children were Daniel Signal (1877), Mary Elizabeth (ca 1878), Rosey or Rosa H. (1879), Joseph Martin (1886), and Sanford Wesley (1890).^7,8,9

Fannie died of chronic valvular heart disease on December 4, 1920, at the age of 67.¹

Frances Lydia Browning

Sources

1. Floyd County Health Department. “Frances Wiseheart.” Floyd County, Indiana Death Records. Vol. CH-33. 55. Microfilm. Accessed 5 January 2015 at the Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room.

2. 1860 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. 2nd District (Long Run), Jefferson, Kentucky. p.101. Family #706, lines 10-14.

3. “Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFZ5-1MZ : accessed 9 June 2015), Daniel Browning and Nancy C Ringo, 20 Sep 1865; citing , Scott, Indiana, county clerk offices, Indiana; FHL microfilm 549,440.

4. 1870 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 30 Dec. 2014. Boston Precinct (Long Run), Jefferson, Kentucky. p.11. Family #62, lines 2-9.

5. 1870 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 9 Jun. 2015. Washington, Owen, Indiana. p.6. Family #54, lines 32-34.

6. “Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4QC-G98 : accessed 9 June 2015). Wm. H. and Fannie Browning, 10 May 1876; citing Long Run, Jefferson, Kentucky, reference Bk11, P257, L10; FHL microfilm 482,712.

7. 1880 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 3 Jun. 2015. Boston Precinct, Jefferson, Kentucky. p.2B. Family #18, lines 45-50.

8. 1900 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. New Albany, Floyd, Indiana. p.5B. Family #108, lines 70-74.

9. 1910 United States Federal Census. Ancestry.com, 2009. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. New Albany, Floyd, Indiana. p.16B. Family #339, lines 85-88.

George William Rakestraw: The One with the Confusing Timeline (52 Ancestors #13)

Posted on April 1, 2015 by melissawiseheart under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Documents, Family History, Genealogy, Photographs, Rakestraw Family, Research Process, Tombstones

George William Rakestraw was the brother of my great great grandmother, Zerilda Rakestraw Springer. Unlike his sister, he is very well documented. Even so, I’ve had a difficult time researching him. He had an uncle who was also named George William, so he went by William or Willie, but he also had a son named William, who seemed to go by Willie as a child. Willie also had a son, Charles Marion and a cousin, Charles Marion. I understand wanting to honor family members, but at some point, it’s just too much. After hours upon hours of searching, deciphering, and some math, I have Willie mostly figured out.

George William Rakestraw, circa 1900.

George William “Willie” Rakestraw was born on August 20, 1873 in New Albany, Indiana, to parents Francis Marion and Mary Elizabeth (Gilliland) Rakestraw. He had dark hair and blue eyes. He was the baby of the family, as his sister was five years older.

An article appeared in the New Albany Evening Tribune, saying that Willie had married a Mamie Haine on February 2, 1891.

New Albany Evening Tribune, Tuesday, 3 February 1891, p. 4, column 3, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

I could not find a marriage record for them in Floyd county, surrounding counties, or Illinois, where I though Mamie might be from. Willie would’ve been seventeen at the time, so he also would’ve needed parental permission to marry.

I did find that Willie married Mamie Haney in Floyd County, Indiana on October 9, 1891. It also appeared in the paper the following day.

Floyd County, Indiana Marriages, Vol. 10, p. 55, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

New Albany Daily Ledger, Saturday, 10 October 1891, p. 4, column 3, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

It seems their honeymoon period was short-lived because the paper on October 24, 1891 reports that Mamie had filed suit against Willie for support.

New Albany Daily Ledger, Saturday, 24 October 1891, p. 8, columns 2-3, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

I couldn’t find what became of that suit, but I believe that Mamie went to Illinois without Willie and was pregnant at the time. I’ve looked at several family trees that say Mamie gave birth to Otto William Rakestraw in Mound City, Illinois on December 25, 1891. I have a copy of a photo of Otto Rakestraw that I got from my grandfather, but I have no proof of his relationship. I’ve sent letters out to try and obtain a copy of a birth record and I hope to hear from someone soon. Willie is listed as being in New Albany in both the 1890 and 1892 Caron’s City Directories, which is how I know he didn’t go with Mamie.

Here is where the timeline gets messy. That’s right, it wasn’t messy before. On October 8, 1893, William W. Rakestraw was born, the son of Willie by Lillian Margaret Bennett. At least, according to both of William W.’s marriage records (1917 and 1933). The 1900 Census and the transcription of the Rakestraw Family Bible both give October 8, 1894. I’m inclined to believe the marriage records, as Census are often wrong and I don’t have access to the original Rakestraw Family Bible to know if there were any transcription errors. There is no birth record on file for him, and his death record gives his birth date as October 8, 1898 (I’m thinking this was written by the informant as 1893 and misread by the clerk as 1898). I’m still holding out hope for a primary source to prove one or the other.

In those same family trees that mention Otto’s birth, it is written that Willie and Mamie were granted a divorce from Mound City on October 23, 1893. I have inquiries out on this as well, but it seems logical to me that infidelity would cause Mamie to file for divorce.

Willie married Lillie Bennett on April 14, 1894 in Floyd County, Indiana.

Floyd County, Indiana Marriages, Vol. 10, p. 363, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

There are articles (I’ll get to them in a bit) that give marriage dates of January and April 1893, but since Willie and Mamie were still married that wouldn’t be possible, or at least not legal. I also couldn’t find any marriage records for Willie and Lillie on those dates.

Charles Marion Rakestraw was born on January 22, 1896 in New Albany, Indiana. He is the second son of Willie and Lillie.

Things go downhill for Willie and Lillie the following year. On April 9, 1897, Lillie filed suit against Willie for maintenance. The suit was dismissed on June 11, 1897.

New Albany Weekly Tribune, Friday, 9 April 1897, p. 7, column 2, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

New Albany Weekly Tribune, Friday, 11 June 1897, p. 7, column 4, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

Lillie then filed for divorce on December 1, 1897. This must have been a long process. It was listed on the court docket on January 14, 1898 and then again on October 1, 1898 and still the divorce was not granted.

New Albany Daily Ledger, Wednesday, 1 December 1897, p. 4, column 4, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

New Albany Weekly Tribune, Friday, 3 December 1897, p. 5, column 2, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

New Albany Weekly Tribune, Friday, 14 January 1898, p. 7, column 4, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

New Albany Daily Ledger, Saturday, 1 October 1898, p. 4, column 5, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

On February 20, 1899, Louise Rakestraw was born. Three weeks later, Lillie petitioned to dismiss the divorce case.

New Albany Daily Ledger, Tuesday, 14 March 1899, p. 4, column 4, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

On May 24, 1899, Willie filed for divorce and it was granted by the court on June 17, 1899. He asked for and was granted custody of William and Charles.

New Albany Daily Ledger, Wednesday, 24 May 1899, p. 4, column 2, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

New Albany Public Press, Wednesday, 31 May 1899, p. 4, column 3, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

New Albany Daily Ledger, Saturday, 17 June 1899, p. 4, column 1, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

Lillie and baby Louise went to live with Lillie’s mother. Willie, William, and Charles moved in with Willie’s parents and his niece, Mildred Springer.

On June 5, 1902, Willie married Lorena Bender in Louisville, Kentucky. By 1910, Willie and Lorena were living in Madison County, Illinois, but William and Charles were still living with Willie’s parents. Charles did spend some time in Illinois with his dad, as this letter, dated December 15th, indicates.

Willie and Lorena moved to Louisville at some point after 1918 (Willie’s draft registration shows he was still in Illinois). Willie and William ran a music store in Louisville until Willie’s death in 1935.

Tombstone, Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, George William Rakestraw, 1874-1935, photo courtesy of Rob M, Findagrave.com

I still have to wonder about Otto and Louise. Why did Willie not seek custody for either of them? Why didn’t he even acknowledge them? With all of my grandfather’s stories that had been passed down through the Rakestraw family, I had never heard of either one until I started researching Willie. William’s obituary said that he was survived by a sister, Louise, so I suppose he must have had some contact with her. I guess these are questions to which I may never know the answers.

Ossian Salisbury: An Ocean of Possibilities (52 Ancestors #03)

Posted on January 15, 2015 by melissawiseheart under 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge, Browning Family, Family History, Genealogy

Ossian Salisbury has been a very tough woman to track down. Part of the reason she’s been so tough to research is because she didn’t live very long. She was born in 1835 and died sometime between 1860 and 1866. The other reason she’s been so difficult is because her name is different on almost every record on which she appears. I’ve come across Ossian Salisbury, Ocean Landsbury, Ocean Stansberry, Osia Ann Sausberry, Ocean Sauelsbury, and Oceanna Browning. My grandmother told me before that she had also seen OssiAnn as a variant given name and Saulsberry and Lounsbury as variant surnames. I have yet to find those.

I don’t know much about Ossian’s origins. She was born in Illinois. Her mother was Elizabeth Burns (or maybe Barnes). She had a stepfather named Bevis. I don’t know if Burns/Barnes was Elizabeth’s maiden name, or Bevis’ surname. Or, Bevis could’ve been his surname and then I don’t know his given name. I know nothing about Ossian’s birth father.

Here are the facts:

1. Ocean Landsbury married Daniel Browning on June 30, 1852 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. She was seventeen and he was twenty one. Ocean was born in Illinois.

Kentucky Marriages, 1852-1914, p.2, Ancestry

2. Ocean Stansberry married Daniel Browning on June 30, 1852 in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Her mother was Elizabeth Burns.

Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979, FamilySearch

3. Mary Francis Browning was born on December 29, 1856 in Jefferson County, Kentucky to parents Daniel Browning and Osia Ann Sausberry.

Kentucky Births and Christenings, 1839-1960, FamilySearch

4. In 1860, Daniel (28) and Oceanna (25) Browning are living in 2nd District, Jefferson County, Kentucky with their children: Harriet A. (7), Lydia F. (6), and Joseph (3). Oceanna was born in Illinois.

1860 U.S. Federal Census, 2nd District, Jefferson, Kentucky, p.101, Ancestry

5. In 1870, D. (39) and Nancy C. (30) Browning are living in Boston, Jefferson County, Kentucky with their children: George B. (3) and Mary C. (1), and his children from a previous marriage, Harriet A. (17), Lydia F. (16), Joseph (13), and Clara E. (9).

1870 U.S. Census, Boston, Jefferson, Kentucky, p.11, FamilySearch

6. Frances L. Wiseheart was born on June 14, 1853 to parents Daniel Browning and Ocean Sauelsbury.

Floyd, Indiana Deaths, CH-33, p.55, Stuart Barth Wrege Indiana History Room

7. In a postcard to Sanford Wiseheart (Ossian’s grandson), Marie de la Montange says that his grandmother’s record needs to be corrected. Her name is Ossian Salisbury.

Postcard from Marie de la Montange to Sanford Wesley Wiseheart, 12 Feb 1938

8. Clara Emma Browning was born on December 15, 1860 to parents Daniel Browning and __________ Salisbury.

Jefferson County, Kentucky Deaths, 1911-1961, Vol. 51, certificate 25121, Ancestry

Why did I choose Ossian Salisbury as the correct spelling of her name? I’ll start with Salisbury. I believe it is Salisbury because it appears that way in two documents, whereas every other spelling only occurs once. In addition, Sauelsbury and Sausberry would both sound similar to Salisbury when spoken. I can’t account for Stansberry without seeing the actual record, but I’d be wiling to bet this is a transcription error and that the name actually is Salisbury, Sauelsbury, or some similar sounding variant. Landsbury is very different, however, I’ve examined a lot of early handwriting firsthand, and I can tell you that cursive capital “S” and “L” do look very similar. I also believe that Marie de la Montange, who was a long time friend of the family, would be more likely to know the spelling of her name than any clerk would be able to guess from someone speaking it.

As for Ossian, Salisbury/Landsbury and Burns/Barnes are English or Scottish surnames. Ossian (or Oisin) was a popular legend in both Scotland and Ireland. Also, Ossian was born in Illinois. Ossian M. Ross settled in Illinois in 1821 and founded Lewistown. He was a Major in the War of 1812. This name would’ve been popular in Illinois around the time of her birth. I can’t account for why a female child was given a name that is traditionally male, but it isn’t unheard of for that to happen. And, again, I do believe Marie de la Montange would’ve known. The pronunciation of Ossian is similar enough to Ocean that it would be easily mistaken if it were only spoken and not written.

Of course, there are far too many variables in all of this for me to set anything in stone. I just had to have something to call her in my pedigree chart and something to work with. I continue, on a regular basis, to search for every variant of Ossian that I can think of with every combination of surnames sounding or looking similar to Salisbury or Landsbury that I can think of. My greatest hope is to find her in the 1850 Census with her mother and stepfather.

A Wise Heart's Journey

Finding ancestors one step at a time.

Tag Archives: Kentucky

Edward Von Allmen: Dairy Farmer By Day, Accordion Player By Night (52 Ancestors #29)

Mary Susan Henderson: Not Forgotten (52 Ancestors #26)

Mary Susan Henderson

Frances Lydia Browning: An Unconventional Proposal (52 Ancestors #23)

George William Rakestraw: The One with the Confusing Timeline (52 Ancestors #13)

Ossian Salisbury: An Ocean of Possibilities (52 Ancestors #03)