Surname Saturday: Wildt

The WILDT surname is Corinne's maternal line. It is of Germanic origin, was originally spelled WILD, and has origins in Hesse-Darmstadt.

Stories and History:

Ahnentafel # 56: Johannes Heinrich (Henry) WILD (1851-1896) - the immigrant. Born September 15, 1861 in Hesse-Darmstadt, he married February 26, 1874 in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana to Emilie DEUTSCH. He died August 18, 1896 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky. Had 8 children.

Ahnentafel # 28: Arthur WILDT (1885-1966). Born January 3, 1885 in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, he married Anna Magdalena DAMM on October 14, 1908 in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. He died October 26, 1966 in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana and was buried in Locust Hill Cemetery in Evansville. Had 5 children.

Ahnentafel # 14: Edward Ferdinand WILDT (1918-1985). Born April 30, 1918 in Dawson County, Nebraska, he married on October 30, 1943 in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana to Miriam Ruth MIGUET. He died September 9, 1985 in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana and was buried in Locust Hill Cemetery in Evansville. Had 9 children.

Related blog posts:

• Find A Grave Success: Edward Wildt

• Arthur Wildt (b. January 3, 1885)

• Wildt Family Lineage

Weekly Genealogy Blogging Prompt # 43: Go Directly To Jail

Amy Coffin at We Tree has another genealogy blog prompt: # 43 : Go directly to jail and talk about your ancestors in the slammer.

The first thing I did when I heard about this prompt was search my database's Notes field to see who might have a note that mentioned 'jail' or 'prison'. I was not disappointed.

My paternal 7th-great grandfather, Ulrich SCHURCH, spent some time in jail before coming to America in 1728. Ulrich was born March 9, 1663 in Sumiswald, Canton Basel, Switzerland and died circa 1739 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Ulrich was married to Barbara GRUNDBACHER. Before Ulrich came to America, on July 10, 1710 he was among the Mennonite Brethren being held in the Bern jail. In 1711 he was deported from Switzerland, and was sent to Holland via the Rhine River in the ship Emmenthaler.

Searching Google books, I found mention of my ancestor, Ulli Schurch, on page 170 of "Historic background and annals of the Swiss and German pioneers of Southeastern Pennsylvania..." by H. Frank Eshleman, 1917. The struggle for religious freedom that these Anabaptists overcame makes me proud and want to learn more about these family lines.

Another member of my family was in jail for charge of murder! Henry ALDERMAN, my 4th-great granduncle, and his wife, Hannah, were arrested and charged with murder in Kansas Territory. My note in the family file came from "The History of Anderson County, Kansas, From Its First Settlement to the Fourth of July, 1876" by W.A. Johnson.

        In the years 1859 and 1860 there lived a family on the
     North Pottowatomie named Alderman, consisting of Alderman
     and his wife. In the winter of 1859 and 1860 a young woman
     named Sarah Potter came to live with Alderman's family.
     She was a large, healthy, fine-looking lady. There lived,
     also, in the neighborhood a young man, by the name of
     Leon Phillips. He was an industrious young man, of good
     character, and had considerable property. During the
     winter, through the influence of Alderman and wife, a
     marriage was effected between Phillips and Sarah Potter.

     Phillips and his young wife lived within a half mile of
     Alderman's, after their marriage, the families visiting
     back and forth, and to all appearances the newly married
     couple were enjoying a high degree of marital happiness.
     Scarcely six weeks had elapsed until Phillips was taken
     severely sick, and some days afterward doctors were
     called, but Phillips lingered only a few days and died,
     but before his death the conduct of his wife was such as
     to create suspicion against her. A few hours before his
     death she insisted that he should make a will, which he
     did, willing one-half of his property to his brother in
     Europe and the other half to his wife. The morning after
     the death of Phillips, and before he had been deposited in
     his grave, his wife sent Alderman to consult with counsel
     to know whether or not the will could be set aside. In
     about three days after his burial her conduct had been so
     suspicious that the entire neighborhood believed that
     Phillips had come to his death by foul means; and a
     complaint was made before M.G. Carr, J.P., who thereupon
     empaneled a coroner's jury, and had the body taken up and
     examined by Drs. Blunt and Lindsay, who gave it as their
     opinion that Phillips came to his death by arsenic poison.

     The coroner's jury returned a verdict in
     accordance with the opinion of the physicians, and that
     Sarah Phillips, Henry Alderman and Hannah Alderman were
     guilty of the murder of Phillips. They were arrested and
     brought before Justice Hidden for examination on the
     charge. The State was represented by W.A. Johnson, county
     attorney, assisted by W. Spriggs and D.W. Houston, and the
     defense by J.B. Stitt, S.J. Crawford, T.A. Shinn, R.B.
     Mitchell and Byron P. Ayres. On the preliminary
     examination Aldeman and wife were discharged, but Sarah
     Phillips was committed to answer the charge of murder in
     the first degree. There being no jail in the county, and
     none in this part of the Territory, she was kept in charge
     of the sheriff, under orders of the county commissioners,
     at the Garnett House. For two or three months she was
     allowed to receive and entertain her friends at the hotel;
     but one evening after supper, when all was quiet, a buggy
     was driven into town, and about 11 o'clock at night it was
     discovered that the prisoner had made her escape, and no
     trace of her could be found. the grand jury that met the
     next term of court found an indictment against her for the
     murder of Phillips.

     In 1862 she returned to Kansas, but in the meantime she
     had been in Cincinnati, Ohio, and had married again. She
     was again arrested, and made a second escape, but was
     retaken before she got out of the county. At the September
     term of the court she had employed Wilson Shannon and G.W.
     Smith to defend her; and at their instance the case
     removed to Douglas county for trial. She was tried in
     Lawrence in the fall of 1862. The jury failed to agree,
     there being nine for conviction and three for acquittal.
     She was never again brought to trial; being admitted to
     bail, she fled the country.

     The cost of this trial to the county was over three
     thousand dollars. There was no doubt of the guilt of the
     prisoner, but owing to many of the witnesses being absent,
     in the army, she escaped the deserved punishment of the
     law.



  

Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright (1897-1968)

Edna Muriel "Peach" (PIERCE) WRIGHT was my maternal great-grandmother, the wife of Virgil Lee WRIGHT. So far, I have not been able to uncover exactly why she was known as "Peach".

The following facts about Edna's life are known:

• Birth: She was born February 16, 1897 in Madison County, Indiana, the daughter of William Francis and Clara (PENNISTEN) PIERCE.
• Census: 1900 - she is living in the household of William Pierce in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana
• Census: 1910 - she is living in the household of W.F. Pierce in Lafayette Township, Madison County, Indiana
• Graduation: she graduated June 22, 1913 from Lafayette Township Schools in Madison County, Indiana
• Marriage: She married Virgil Lee WRIGHT on June 19, 1915 in Madison County, Indiana. Will post a copy of her marriage license in a later post.
  
• Census: 1920 - she is living in the household of Virgil Wright in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana
• Census: 1930 - she is living in the household of Virgil Wright in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana
• Death: Edna died March 3, 1968 of a pulmonary edema and congestive heart failure at Community Hospital in Anderson, Madison County, Indiana.
  

The following facts need further research and/or documentation to complete my research:

• Birth: Although I have her birthdate from other sources, I've never managed to obtain an official birth certificate from the Madison County Health Department. There also is some confusion as to whether she was born on the 7th or the 16th of February, as I have seen both dates given.
  
• Obituary: I have her obituary from the Alexandria Times-Tribune in my database notes, but didn't extract the date! Also, need to search out mentions in other papers such as Anderson and Elwood.
• Newspaper Research: Cursory research in local newspapers in Anderson and Alexandria show that my great-grandmother was quite active in social and civic affairs, and I need to add these details to my research.

Ancestry of Edna Muriel (PIERCE) WRIGHT, Ahnentafel # 13 in my ancestry:

Ahnentafel # 26: William Francis PIERCE (1865-1950); Madison Co., IN

Ahnentafel # 52: Edmund G. PIERCE (1837-1875); Wayne Co., IN>Madison Co., IN

Ahnentafel # 104: Francis S. PIERCE (1806-1881); Vermont>Wayne Co., IN

Ahnentafel # 208: Gordon PIERCE (1773-1875); Worcester Co., MA>Chenango Co., NY

Ahnentafel # 416: Seth PIERCE (1744-1835); Middlesex Co., MA>Cortland Co., NY

Ahnentafel # 832: Seth PIERCE (1716-1794); Middlesex Co., MA>Windham Co., CT

Ahnentafel # 1664: Samuel PIERCE (1681-1774); Middlesex Co., MA>Windham Co., CT

Ahnentafel # 3328: Samuel PIERCE (1656-1721); Middlesex Co., MA

Ahnentafel # 6656: Thomas PIERCE (1608-1683); the immigrant; England>Middlesex Co., MA

Related blog posts:

• Tombstone Tuesday: Virgil Lee & Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright

• Virgil Lee & Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright: Death certificates

• Edna Muriel Pierce (February 7, 1897)

• Virgil Lee & Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright - 1960

• Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright (1897-1968) - Funeral photos

• Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright - Kitchen

• Edna Muriel "Peach" (Pierce) Wright

• Virgil & Edna Wright with Barbara

• Virgil Lee & Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright - 1962

• 50th Wedding Anniversary - Virgil & Edna Wright - 1965

• Virgil Lee & Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright - 1960