Metzner Family Blog

Cousin Paula Metzner has created a new blog for her genealogy/family history.    The blog is entitled Linnea's Legacy and will focus on her Metzner and allied lines.


Paula's Metzner line diverges from mine a few generations back, and after leaving Ohio and Jay County, Indiana ended up in Ft. Wayne, Indiana and Michigan.


Paula's research into the Metzner line has discovered the possible clues to the family in Germany, as mentioned in a previous post.


Please stop by and start following her blog.

On This Day : July 27

1676 - Hannah FESSENDEN born in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Hannah was the daughter of Nicholas FESSENDEN and Margaret CHENEY.

1739 - Prudence BROWN born.  Prudence was the daughter of William BROWN and Elizabeth HAINES.

1794 - Isaiah HUNT born in Guilford County, North Carolina.  Isiah was the son of Isaiah HUNT and Elizabeth FLOYD.

1807 - Rebecca GAMBLE born.  Rebecca was the daughter of John GAMBLE and Rebecca McPHEETERS.

1811 - Isaac MILLS married Rachel BEALS.  Isaac was the son of Aaron MILLS and Charity MENDENHALL.

1813 - John DAVIS born.  John was the son of Ananais DAVIS and Rebecca CLAYTON.

1824 - Achsak MAXON born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.  Achsak was the daughter of Joel MAXON and Hannah FIELDS.

1826 - Mary ELLIS died in Brown County, Ohio.  Mary was the daughter of James HODGKINS and Hannah ALFORD.

1826 - John DAVIS born.  John was the son of Nathan J. DAVIS and Keziah DAVIS.

1833 - Elizabeth FLANAGAN born in Dallas, Alabama.  Elizabeth was the daughter of William Jackson FLANAGAN and Elizabeth JACKSON.

1839 - Joshua G. DAVIS died.  Joshua was the son of Nathan DAVIS and Ann GIFFORD.

1890 - Dora Ann CUMMINGS married Paul TILLEY in Dyer County, Tennessee.  Dora was the daughter of Wyatt CUMMINGS and Margaret HENSON.

1893 - Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm KAHRE died in Vanderburgh County, Indiana.  Heinrich was the son of Heinrich Wilhelm KAHRE and Marie Caroline Wilhelmina KORFF.

1949 - Edith Mabel MEINHOLTZ died in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Edith was the daughter of Luman Walker LeMASTERS and Mary Keziah CHEW.

Exploratory Data Analysis: John Adam Metzner (1840-1895)

John Adam Metzner (1840-1895) was my paternal 2nd-great grandfather.  What follows is an exploratory analysis of the biographical data I have discovered about him.


1. Vital Records


     1.1. Birth Certificate


          John was born August 23, 1840 in Licking County, Ohio.  I do not have a source for this exact date, though two sources state 1840 in Licking County, Ohio^1,2.


          The State of Ohio did not require birth certificates until 1867.


          1.1.1. Birth Notice in Newspaper


                I have not been able to locate any contemporary news reports of John's birth.


          1.1.2. Bible Record


               I am not aware of the survival of a Metzner family Bible.  I will continue to reach out to extended family in hopes that one does exist.


          1.1.3. Baptismal Record


               I have not located a baptismal record for John.  The Metzner's were members of the Evangelical Association in adulthood, but I do not know what faith the family was at the time of John's birth.


          1.1.4. Adoption Record


               There is no indication that John was adopted.


     1.2. Marriage license


          John married Clara Moulton on November 13, 1864 in Jay County, Indiana³.  Their marriage license was the subject of a previous post.


          1.2.1. Marriage notice in newspaper


               I am not aware of any surviving contemporary newspapers from Jay County, Indiana that might have mentioned John and Clara's nuptials.


          1.2.2. Anniversary notice


               I need to search newspapers in Jay County, Indiana for mention of their wedding anniversary.  Their 25th would have been on November 13, 1889.


          1.2.3. Divorce decree


               There is no indication that they were ever divorced, and a recent search of court records did not turn up any mention.


     1.3. Death Certificate


          John died December 4, 1895 in Westchester, Jay County, Indiana^{2, 4}.  I need to obtain a copy of his death certificate from the Jay County Health Department.  Have added this to my "to do" list for my next research trip.


          1.3.1. Obituary in newspaper


               John's obituary appeared in the December 5, 1895 edition of the Portland Daily Commercial².  The obituary was the subject of a previous post.


          1.3.2. Funeral home records


               The Jay County Library has funeral home records from the various funeral homes in the county.  Will add these to my "to do" list for my next research trip there.


          1.3.3. Tombstone photograph


               John's tombstone in the Mt. Zion Cemetery, Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana has been photographed.  Will make this the subject of a future "Tombstone Tuesday" post.


2. Census Records


     2.1. Federal Census Records


          2.1.1. 1880 Federal Census


               On June 23, 1880, John was enumerated in Wayne Township, Jay County, Indiana⁵, as John A. Metzner, age 40, farmer, born in Ohio.  His father was born in Germany and his mother born in France.  Living in the household were wife Lena A., age 36, born Ohio; daughter Cora B., age 11, born Indiana; son Wesley F., age 8, born Indiana and a lodger, H. Shaudleman, age 29, born in Ohio.


          2.1.2. 1870 Federal Census


               On July 4, 1870, John was enumerated in Wayne Township, Jay County, Indiana⁶, as John A. Metzner, age 28, farmer, born in Ohio.  The value of his real estate was $ 900 and his personal estate was valued at $ 450.  Both his father and mother were of foreign birth, and he was a U.S. citizen.  Living in the household were wife Clara A., age 26, born Ohio; son William, age 3, born Indiana, and daughter Cora, age 1, born in Indiana.


          2.1.3. 1860 Federal Census


               I have not yet located John in the 1860 census.  He was not living with his parents, John and Catharine Metzner, who were living in Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana at the time.


          2.1.4. 1850 Federal Census


               On September 21, 1850, John was enumerated in the John Metzner household in Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana⁷, as John A. Metzner, age 10, born in Ohio.  He had attended school within the year.


     2.2. State Census Records


          The State of Indiana conducted state census in 1853, 1857, 1871, 1877, 1883, 1889, 1901, 1913, 1919 and 1931.  These however, were merely for the purposes of legislative apportionment.


     2.3. Agricultural Census Records


          I have not yet investigated these types of census records to see what information they might shed on the Metzner farm.


3. Military Records


     3.1. Draft Registration


          John appears on the July 1863 draft registration for congressional district 11, sub district 67 Jay County, Indiana^{8.  He is listed as being "in the service".}

     3.2. Pension Records


          John received a disability pension for his service in the Civil War and later his wife Clara received a widow's pension.  I need to make these records the subject of a future post.


     3.3. Service Records


          John enlisted as a private in Co. G., 40th Ohio Volunteer Infantry in August 1861^1,2.  He veteranized in 1863 and served as a corporal in the 51st Ohio Volunteer Infantry^1,2.


          He was wounded at Altona, Georgia on May 30, 1864 by a shell fragment in his right arm at the elbow joint, which destroyed the use of his right arm.


4. Land Records


     4.1. Deed Records


          Deed records need to be thoroughly searched in Jay County, Indiana for records of the Metzner family.


     4.2. Plat map / county map


          Jay County published a plat map in 1874, 1881, 1887, 1901, 1910, and 1920 that might be relevant to my search for the Metzner homestead.


5. Supplement Records


     Supplemental records available to search for John include city/county directories, court records and will and probate records.  Will add these to my "to do" list for my next research trip to Jay County.


     One particular record previous found in Jay County Circuit Book 2 needs researched :




Metzner, John A et al, James Orcutt et al, To Show Suretyship, March 25, 1893, Box 306, Record No. 7841


Sources :


1. Biographical and Historical Record of Jay County, Indiana, Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1887, page 347
2. J.A. Metzner dead obituary, The Daily Commercial, Portland, Indiana, December 5, 1895, page 1.
3. Jay County Indiana Marriage Records, Book C-B, page 536.
4. Jay County Indiana Death Records, Book H-3, page 2.
5. John A. Metzner household, 1880 U.S. census, population schedule, Wayne Township, Jay County, Indiana, ED 208, SD 6, page 5, dwelling 5, family 5; National Archives micropublication T9, roll 287.
6. John A. Metzner household, 1870 U.S. census, population schedule, Wayne Township, Jay County, Indiana, dwelling 71, family 71, page 9; National Archives micropublication M593, roll 327.
7. John Metzner household, 1850 U.S. census, population schedule, Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana, page 314, dwelling 113, family 113; National Archives micropublication M432, roll 153.
8. Ancestry.com. U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
Original data:
Consolidated Lists of Civil War Draft Registrations, 1863-1865. NM-65, entry 172, 620 volumes. Records of the Provost Marshal General’s Bureau (Civil War), Record Group 110. National Archives, Washington D.C.






This post was developed as part of the series relating to Building My 2011 Research Template, an attempt to systematically document and source the details of my ancestors' lives. Comments regarding this template and the conclusions drawn in this article are welcomed.