Henry Wakefield ~ Elusive Ancestor

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

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.

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.