Deb's Adventures in Genealogy

Friday, May 9, 2025

Henry Wakefield ~ Elusive Ancestor

Henry Wakefield, 2nd great-grandfather, has proved our most elusive ancestor. I have been researching Henry for over twenty years. Trying to discover the when and why of his life. Birth? Marriage? Death? Immigration? None of these have revealed themselves as factual. Most information about Henry has been by word of mouth from various sources.

Researching census records for Henry's son, Charles F. Wakefield (great-grandfather) proved frustrating as well. On several, he lists his father's place of birth as England. On another he lists Wales. Even more confused.

Here are records I found where Henry appeared.

Maryland State Archives

Baltimore City Court of Common Pleas (Marriage Index, Male) 1851-1885 CM205

Possible marriage record for Henry and Elizabeth. This record agrees with Elizabeth's age, but her last name is different. She was from Germany, so did the person recording the record think she said Young instead of Judd?

Trinity German Lutheran Baptisms (record from Baltimore County Genealogical Society)

On line 237 we have the baptism record for my great-grandfather, Charles (Carl) Wakefield. Listed are Heinrich Wakefield as father and Elis. Jud as mother. We knew this family was of the German Lutheran faith, all the way down to my mother's line.

Family lore has always been that Henry died at sea. I tried to discover where this tale came about. Seems every family member was not sure of its origins. But, it became fact. When I researched other family trees, there it was, Henry dying July 01, 1871, at sea. Also, listing him as second mate on a ship called the Callaloo. Serving in the United States Navy.

Wakefield Memorial, Comprising an Historical, Genealogical and Biographical Register of the Name and Family of Wakefield by Homer Wakefield; published 1897; Bloomington, ILL. Privately Printed

Copy of book in personal collection

Several years ago, I stumbled upon the above publication on eBay. Also, I found the book on the Internet Archive website.

Listed above we find Henry Wakefield and his descendants. There is no indication where the information was obtained. No notation of sources. I can see where those tales came into being! Family reading this memorial have taken the information as fact.

I have Googled and researched other sources in the hope of verifying the memorial entry. No luck! Even using the name of the supposed ship, nothing. Nothing on Google, newspapers or military sites.

And then ... researching Ancestry, I came upon the following.

U.S., Civil War and Later Wars Index to Remarried Widow Pension Applications, 1848-1934 ~ Ancestry.com

The above record was as a hint to Henry's widow, Elizabeth Judd Wakefield Horn. Elizabeth married Henry Horn in 1872. Henry passed away on May 12, 1915. Is this a record for my Elizabeth? Is she filing for her first husband's pension on September 19, 1916? Did Henry Wakefield serve in the United States Civil War?

I believed enough lined up to acquire the pension record. During my various social media travels, someone recommended Gopher Records for retrieval of these files from the U.S. National Archives. I went on the site to look at the terms and fees. Very reasonable! Considering the time and expense of traveling to Washington, D.C., this was a great deal.

I put in my request, crossed my fingers and waited to hear back. Immediately, I got an email that the request was in process. Gopher Records said I should hear back with the results in the next several weeks.

My poor husband had to hear over the next few days ... "Do you think this is my Henry?" He was so patient. One week later, I received an email saying the file had been uploaded. I went on the website and downloaded the documents.

Above we find the first informational page in the file. My second great-grandmother, Elizabeth Horn, resided in Delaware, Pennsylvania in both the 1910 and 1920 United States Federal Census. YES, this pension was for my 2nd great-grandfather, Henry Wakefield!

So much information that proved and disproved previous facts. From birth and death date, place of birth and death, marriage and military service.

With that being the case, I decided to do a series on Henry and his pension. Piece by piece, putting the puzzle together.

Hope you come along for the many discoveries. At the end, we have a wonderful surprise.

Saturday, May 3, 2025

Uncovering George aka Bernard ~ When Records Disagree

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Today was a Gephardt/Gaphardt research day. The surname fluctuates back and forth with these spellings. So, it has been a bit tricky finding records.

I decided to review my research log, checking for missing birth and death certificates. Luckily, Marylanders can locate records on Internet Archive. No more traveling to Annapolis! Comfy clothes in front of the computer.

First up is my granduncle, Bernard John Gaphardt. Here is his Maryland State Department Of Health Certificate of Death.

Facts from record:

Father - Sylvester Gaphardt
Mother - Ann Jarousek
Date of Birth - 7/6/1920
Place of Birth - Baltimore, Md.
Date of Death - November 15, 1966
Place of Death - Rosedale

The only deviation on the record would be the spelling of his mother's maiden name. It should be Jerousek. The other facts are correct according to family knowledge.

Now we have the supposed Health Department - City of Baltimore - Certificate of Birth for Bernard John Gaphardt.

George? Do I have the wrong record?

Facts from the record:

Name - George Gebhardt
Father - Silvester Gebhardt
Mother - Anna Geronsick
Birth Date - 7/6/1920
Place of Birth - Balto. MD
Address - 2115 McEldry St
Parents age - both 40
Number of children born to this mother, including present birth - 10

Known facts:

Name - should be Bernard John Gaphardt
Father's name - correct with new spelling "Gebhardt" (adding to research list)
Mother's name - correct with new spelling Geronsick (adding to research list)
Date of birth - correct from certificate of death
Place of birth correct - Balto. MD from certificate of death and census records
Address correct - 2115 McEldry. The 1920 United States Census lists family residing at 2115 McElderry Street
Number of children including present birth - 10 is correct. Bernard John was 10th child
Parent's age correct according to their birth, death and census records

In conclusion, this IS the Certificate of Birth for Bernard John Gaphardt. At first, they named their son after Sylvester's father, George Gaphardt. Sometime after birth, they changed their minds. Not sure where Bernard comes from.

Other thoughts. Why didn't they do an amended certificate? I didn't find one as of yet. Also, wonder if this caused issues for Bernard when needing verification of birth. When I showed this to my husband he said "I don't know how you family researchers find things!". Too true!

This started me thinking about primary and secondary evidence when researching. From FamilySearch.org Wiki a primary source is "any record created during the time you are researching - an eyewitness account."

This should describe the birth certificate. Eyewitnesses present. When the record was recorded by the midwife, Mrs. H. Kron, the child's name was George. All other information was correct except for variations of parent names.

Secondary evidence according to the Wiki is "a record created later by someone who did not experience the time period or events you are studying". The person giving information on Bernard's Certificate of Death was his wife, Helen. She may have not known her husband was originally named George. In fact, not even sure Bernard knew!

What did I learn from this puzzle? You have to do your research! Don't take everything as hard facts. Nothing is 100% correct. This was an interesting family history challenge.

Say hello to my granduncle, Bernard John Gaphardt aka George Gebhardt.

Thursday, October 3, 2024

In the News! ~ Discovery with Cluster Research

https://pixabay.com/vectors/newspaper-article-journal-headlines-154444/

Newspapers! One of a family historian's best research tools. They are rich with information about our ancestor's lives. From birth to death, the details we find are pure gold. Every day, I'm digging into these sites, searching for hints.

Democratic advocate

Friday, Dec 29, 1911

Westminster, MD

vol:47, pg. 2

GenealogyBank

Often times, a small article can lead to interesting family stories. That is what happened when I discovered this tidbit from a Westminster, Maryland newspaper for Frederick Walther.

You may wonder how I found the clipping with Walther surname misspelled. Actually, I was researching James Fraley, husband of Cecelia Kreymborg.

How are Cecelia and James connected to Frederick N. Walther, Jr.? Here is the relationship:

Lillian G. Kreymborg - my son-in-law's great-grandmother
George W. Walther - husband of Lillian G. Kreymborg - son-in-law's great-grandfather
Frederick N. Walther, Jr. - brother of George W. Walther - son-in-law's 2nd great-uncle
Cecelia Kreymborg - sister of Lillian G. Kreymborg - son-in-law's 2nd great-aunt
Stuart S. Fraley - husband of Cecelia Kreymborg - son-in-law's 2nd great-uncle by marriage

James was the husband of Frederick's sister-in-law's sister. A little convoluted, but shows how doing cluster research is very important. Without James, I most likely would never have found this article.

I discovered the information using a method called cluster research. Many times, cluster research helps answer questions. Cluster research is defined as "a research technique employed by genealogists to learn more about an ancestor by examining records left by the ancestor's cluster. A person's cluster consists of the extended family, friends, neighbors, and other associates such as business partners"

The newspaper article gave us new family information to research. When did they purchase property in Westminster? As far as I knew, the family always resided in Baltimore City, Maryland.

Also, the amount of money that changed hands. Checking a conversion website, $1,250 dollars in 1911 is worth $36,933.16 today. Where did James acquire these funds? In the post "The Bride Wore Gray", we learn both of Cecelia's parents passed away by 1910. Did she and her sister, Lillian, receive an inheritance? Enough to purchase this property?

By searching this ancestor's in-law, we discovered an interesting family story. Additional research is needed to discover the Walther family's connection to the town of Westminster. Off to find records to answer these questions!

Several excellent resources for using cluster research in genealogy.

Free Genealogy Help: Cluster Research by the Occasional Genealogist

How to Use Cluster Research a.k.a. FAN Club Research from GenealogyTV

Thursday, January 11, 2024

My Bohemian Lineage ~ Origin

Son visiting Branice (homeland of ancestors)

When I was young my mother's family talked about our Bohemian line. The elders would speak of the "old country" and share various recipes.

Being a kid, I didn't pay much attention to this discussion. The cousins were more concerned about spare change for the corner store. I should have paid more attention and soaked up information from these family members. Most are no longer with us.

As a teenager in the 70s, the idea of being Bohemian had a very different meaning. I'd tell friends "Yes, I'm a hippie!" Wearing peasant blouses and funky jewelry. To me, this heritage suddenly meant I was cool. Mom would just shake her head and try to explain. But, you know, teenager.

Fast forward to my forties and I began this "family history" journey. The first line to research had to be the Bohemians.

Bohemia from Wikipedia:

"Bohemia is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohemian kings, including Moravia and Czech Silesia, which case the smaller region is referred to as Bohemia proper as a means of distinction."

Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70254

An 1892 map showing Bohemia proper outlined in pink, Moravia in yellow, and Austrian Silesia in orange

I began research with my great-grandmother, Anna Jerousek. Anna was born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 13, 1879. Her parents were (my 2nd great-grandparents) Frank Joseph Jerousek and Barbara Fuka. This was our Bohemian ancestral couple.

Finding records for Anna on Ancestry proved challenging. I couldn't locate her family on the census records. Spelling variations for Eastern European ancestry proved very tricky for a novice researcher. I found several online articles about the topic.

Lisa Alzo wrote several were extremely helpful:

Introduction To Researching Eastern European Ancestors

How to Overcome 5 Brick Walls in Eastern European Genealogy

A wonderful book that Lisa published is "The Family Tree Polish, Czech and Slovak Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Family Tree in Eastern Europe".

Also, from several websites, I learned an excellent research technique. You leave out those pesky surnames. Use first names of family members, birth dates, where born and where resided.

Using these methods, I located the family in the 1880 United States Federal Census. They were listed as "Gerushek". Without help from more seasoned researchers, I never would have located them!

1880 United States Federal Census for Frank Jerousek

Enumerated as Frank Gerushek

Looking at the record the surname is listed as "Yerushek". Sharing this with my mother proved interesting. As a child, she heard the surname was spelled with a "y" instead of "j." The moral of the story, talk to the older generation before hitting your head on brick walls!

We see Frank and Barbara declaring they were born in Bohemia.

Anna Jerousek baptism record; Maryland State Archives

St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church; Baltimore, Maryland

Knowing the Jerousek family were Catholics, I researched church records on the Maryland State Archives website. Pay dirt! So excited to see the town where Frank and Barbara were born in Bohemia! Branice.

When I researched this town on Wikipedia there was a small entry that stated:

"Branice is a municipality and village in Pisek District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants".

Wonder if I'm related to all of them.

On the page was a link to the town. Listed is the historical information about the town, photographs, virtual tours, societies and additional links.

This brings us to the photograph at the top of this post. Several years ago my son was trekking in Eastern Europe. On his list was Prague. Right away I started researching how close Branice was to his destination. It was a little out of the way, down a long and winding rural road. I asked him if he had time he could swing by and get a picture.

Imagine my surprise when I got a text message with the photograph attached! He fit in a few minutes for a picture under the town sign. Maybe someday he will get the genealogy bug and revisit his Bohemian roots.

Monday, January 1, 2024

Springer Fortune ~ Family Lore

Image by Annette from Pixabay

My favorite part of family history is discovering fantastic stories. All the rumors, secrets, scandals and scalawags hanging about the tree.

For years, my mother-in-law would entertain us with tales of the "Springer Fortune". A story of hidden treasure passed down through generations. My husband's paternal grandmother, Emma Springer, supposedly shared this "legend" with her children and grandchildren.

When I started researching the family line, my husband constantly asked "have you found the fortune yet?" To appease his curiosity, I did a cursory search. Imagine my surprise when this bit of lore was true! Well, sort of.

I discovered many newspaper articles about the fortune on the Chronicling America newspaper website. It was fun to read about various members of the Springer family coming forward for their piece of the pie.

First up is "The Spirit of Democracy" from Woodsfield, Ohio, dated January 20, 1880. Here were learn about "heirs of the celebrated Charles Christopher Springer estate" making their bid for the fortune. Fun to find the genealogies of claimants listed.

The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio), 20 Jan. 1880. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

So, maybe there is or at least was a vast fortune. Before linking my husband's line to Charles Christopher Springer, I did a little more newspaper research.

And then we find ...

The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 14 Feb. 1909. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.

So, the family fortune is a hoax. Hubby was so looking forward to a treasure hunt.

Interesting to discover others being "told about it by their fathers and grandfathers". Same fashion the tale was shared in our Springer family.

No great bounty was unearthed. Just an interesting bit of family lore. Do you have a tale of fortune and treasure?

Wikipedia has the following entry about the subject:

"The Springer Hoax was a scam starting in the mid 19th century, often using a phony genealogy in various ways to collect money based on the supposed estate of prominent colonialist Carl Christopher/Christoffersson Springer and debts said to be owed to him by various government agencies of Wilmington, Delaware and Stockholm, Sweden. The alleged estate was said to include 1,900 acres of land, 228 acres of which ran though the center of Wilmington, worth up to $150,000,000. Other claims included $100,000,000 deposited in a Stockholm bank."

Further reading about the hoax:

Rootsweb: Springer Hoax

"The fabulous Springer fortune" of Wilmington Delaware from Widener Law Blog, Delaware Library

"Springer Estate" Papers (aka Springer Heir Hoax) from the Springer, Miller & Allied Families Website

Thursday, December 8, 2022

Our Ancestor Was ~ a Missionary

Emma Naomi Ruth Shellabear, husband's aunt

b. 11/26/1886 - d. 05/14/1972

A favorite website for researching ancestors is the Library of Congress newspaper website, Chronicling America. I have been fortunate enough to find tons of interesting articles. Also, additional information was discovered on Newspaper.com.

While researching Rev. C.W. Ruth (husband's grandfather), I discovered this unknown family history story about my husband's aunt, Emma Naomi Ruth.

Naomi was Christian's oldest daughter. She was born November 26, 1886. She began missionary work at a very young age. Over her lifetime, she traveled to many out-of-the- way places. I discovered the above photograph on her passport from Ancestry.com, dated September 13, 1916.

Doing further research, I located the articles, which detailed a very anxious time for the entire Ruth family. For a while, they didn't know where Emma was during an earthquake that struck in the path of her travels.