John Metzner seriously sick, 1887

Portland, Indiana Commercial
December 22, 1887, page 1

Mr. John Metzner, who lives northeast from this place is seriously sick.

This newspaper notice from 1887 captures the mention of my paternal 2nd-great grandfather, John Metzner (1805-1888), being on the sick list at the end of 1887.  Unfortunately, he didn't survive too long into 1888, passing away on January 10th in Jay County, Indiana.

John was a farmer in Noble Township and a native of Saxony.  He emigrated to Licking County, Ohio where he married Catharine Young in 1839.  By the time of the 1850 census, he was living in Noble Township, Jay County, Indiana.

Research Notes : May 25, 2015

Research has been limited lately due to work commitments and working on the getting our house ready for market.  On this Memorial Day weekend, I spent more time outside on yard work and painting than doing much in the way of genealogical research.

• Explored how RootsMagic and FamilySearch work together by matching up those in my database with individuals already in FamilySearch.  Concentrating on those ancestors within four generations, have been adding to the information at FamilySearch from my RootsMagic database.  It will be interesting to see if by doing this, it generates more contacts and "cousin bait".

• Over the weekend, I updated how my Dropbox files, primarily family photographs and census images, are named.  My plan is to make sure that I have everything named in a sensible format, and then to make sure that I have taken the time to add these images to my RootsMagic database as well as to the tree I have at Ancestry.

• While cleaning out my garage and burning some old files (from 2006!), I came across some genealogical correspondence that I had misplaced regarding the Groenendyke and the Lambertson families.  Will be sorting through this hopefully in the next few weeks and adding the information to my database.

Somedays I find I spend more time organizing or cleaning up my database than I do in actually researching.

Exploratory Data Analysis : Nathan Thomas Beals (1856-1915)

Nathan Thomas Beals (1856-1915) was my maternal 3rd-great grandfather. What follows is an exploratory analysis of the biographical data I have discovered about him.

1. Vital Records

     1.1. Birth Certificate

          Nathan's birth occurred on the 2nd day of the 7th month in 1856¹.  The Beals genealogy states that his birth occurred at Westfield, Hamilton County, Indiana¹. Indiana did not require birth certificates until 1907.

          1.1.1. Birth Notice in Newspaper

               If Nathan's birth was recorded in the newspaper, I've not located it yet.  Will need to check with local archives and state archives to see if they have any newspapers of the time period.

          1.1.2. Bible Record

               I am not aware of any surviving Beals family Bible that might record his birth.  Will continue to reach out to extended family in hopes that one might be found.

          1.1.3. Baptismal Record

               I am not aware of any baptismal record for Nathan.  The family was members of the Society of Friends (Quaker) church.

          1.1.4. Adoption Record

               There is no indication that Nathan was adopted.

     1.2. Marriage License

          Nathan married Elizabeth Caroline Poe on September 26, 1876 in Hamilton County, Indiana².  Elizabeth was born September 26, 1856 in Morgan County, Indiana.  They raised three daughters in Hamilton County, Indiana and Richardson County, Nebraska.  Elizabeth died September 27, 1935 near Greentown, Howard County, Indiana.

          1.2.1 Marriage Notice in Newspaper

               Will need to search contemporary newspaper accounts to see if mention was made of Nathan and Elizabeth's nuptials.

          1.2.2. Anniversary Notice

               Nathan and Elizabeth's 25th wedding anniversary would have been September 26, 1901.  Will need to search contemporary newspaper accounts to see if there was any mention of any anniversary celebration.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

          1.2.3. Divorce Decree

               Though there is no indication of divorce, will need to search court records in Hamilton County, Indiana to be sure there aren't records I've missed.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

     1.3. Death Certificate

          Nathan died February 16, 1915 in Leola, Grant County, Arkansas, according to his obituary³.  I've been unable to find a copy of his death certificate in online searches in Arkansas.  Letters to the local historical society have not provided information either.

          1.3.1. Obituary in Newspaper

               Nathan's obituary appeared in the February 19, 1915 edition of the Sheridan News³.  I've previously blogged about his obituary here.

          1.3.2. Funeral Home Records

               I need to check with the local historical society to see what funeral home handled Nathan's arrangements.  The funeral was held in Cicero at the M.E. church.  Will add this to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

          1.3.3. Tombstone Photograph

               Nathan's tombstone in the Cicero Cemetery in Cicero, Indiana has been photographed⁴.  The link to his memorial at FindAGrave is here.

2. Census Records

     2.1. Federal Census Records

          2.1.1. 1910 Federal Census

               On April 16, 1910, Nathan was enumerated as head of household in Jackson Township, Hamilton County, Indiana⁵, as Nathan T. Beals, age 53.  He had been married for 33 years, and his occupation was listed as a lumber yard superintendent.  He was born in Indiana, his father was born in Indiana and his mother born in North Carolina.

          2.1.2. 1900 Federal Census

               On June 1, 1900, Nathan was enumerated as head of household in Jackson Township, Hamilton County, Indiana⁶, as Nathan T. Beals, age 44, married for 24 years, and his occupation was listed as a dealer in hardware.  He was born in Indiana, his father was born in Ohio and his mother born in North Carolina.

          2.1.3. 1880 Federal Census

               On June 12, 1880, Nathan was enumerated as head of household in Humboldt, Richardson County, Nebraska⁷, as Nathan Beales, age 24, married, and his occupation was listed as farmer.  He was born in Indiana, his father was born in Ohio, and his mother born in North Carolina.

          2.1.4. 1870 Federal Census

               On August 19, 1870, Nathan was enumerated in the John Beals household in Washington Township, Hamilton County, Indiana⁸, as Nathan T. Beals, age 14, working on the farm.  He was born in Indiana.

          2.1.5. 1860 Federal Census

               On June 19, 1860, Nathan was enumerated in the John Bales household in Washington Township, Hamilton County, Indiana⁹, as Nathan T. Bales, age 4, born in Indiana.

     2.2. State Census Records

          On June 4, 1885, Nathan was enumerated as head of household in Humboldt, Richardson County, Nebraska¹⁰, as N.T. Beals, age 29, school teacher, born in Indiana.

          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 might be shed on the Beals farm.

3. Military Records

     3.1. Draft Registration

          Not applicable.

     3.2. Pension Records

          I have not found any evidence that Nathan was to receive pension benefits.

     3.3. Service Records

          I have not found any evidence of military service by Nathan.

4. Land Records

     4.1. Deed Records

          Deed records need to be thoroughly searched in Hamilton County, Indiana and Richardson County, Nebraska.

     4.2. Plat map / county map

           Plat maps in Hamilton County, Indiana and Richardson County, Nebraska need to be thoroughly searched to see what information they might contain about the Beals family.

5. Supplemental Records

     Supplemental records available for research on Nathan include city/county directories, court records and will and probate records.  Will add these to my list of "to-do" items for my next research trip.

Sources:

1. Beals, John, "Chronology of the Beals Family", Butler Printing House, Noblesville, Indiana, 1912, page 43.
2. "Indiana Marriages, 1811-1959," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VXPP-TJB : accessed 15 Oct 2013), Nathan T Beal and Elizabeth E Poe, 1876.
3. Died in Arkansas, Sheridan News, Sheridan, Indiana, 19 February 1915, page 4. FindAGrave, Inc., FindAGrave (www.findagrave.com : accessed 30 Mar 2015), Nathan T. Beals tombstone
5. Nathan T. Beals household, 1910 U.S. census, Hamilton County, Indiana, population schedule, town of Cicero, ED 104, SD 9, sheet 2, dwelling 33, family 34, National Archives micropublication T624, roll 353.
6. Nathan T. Beals household, 1900 U.S. census, Hamilton County, Indiana, population schedule, Jackson Township, ED 85, SD 9, sheet 1, dwelling 15, family 18, National Archives micropublication T623, roll 375.
7. Nathan Beales household, 1880 U.S. census, Richardson County, Nebraska, population schedule, city of Humboldt, ED 320, SD 1, page 27, dwelling 61, family 63; National Archives micropublication T9, roll 754.
8. John Beals household, 1870 U.S. census, Hamilton County, Indiana, population schedule, Washington township, page 82, dwelling 633, family 621; National Archives micropublication M593, roll 319.
9. John Bales household, 1860 U.S. census, Hamilton County, Indiana, population schedule, Washington township, page 87, dwelling 112, family 112; National Archives micropublication M653, roll 263.
10. "Nebraska State Census, 1885," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X3F4-G2K : accessed 22 January 2015), N T Beals, 1885; citing NARA microfilm publication M532 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 499,573.



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.