Military Monday : Clarence Harrison LeMaster, World War II Draft Registration, 1942

Working my way through the hints in the Ancestry database for World War II Draft Registrations, 1942 and located this registration in Darke County, Ohio for Clarence Harrison LeMaster, my paternal granduncle.

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data : United States, Selective Service System. Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration. Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group Number 147. National Archives and Records Administration., Clarence Harrison LeMaster, Darke County, Ohio.

This draft record adds to the information I've collected about Clarence, who was the son of Luman Cooper Lemasters and Barbara Isabel Wehrly.  Clarence's draft registration gives his exact date of birth as June 14, 1888 in Nebraska, the city looks like Millis or Miller.  This is another area to research, as the information previously I had showed the family in Ord, Valley County, Nebraska.

Clarence was 53 years old at the time of the registration, and his nearest living relative was his wife, Ferry Mae (Bickel) LeMaster, of Rural Route 3, Fort Recovery.  Fort Recovery is in Mercer County, Ohio - and this must have been the closest post office.  The LeMaster's were actually living in Mississinawa Township, Darke County, Ohio.

Clarence's employer was listed as Ora Livingstone of Darke County, Ohio, with a postal address of Rural Route Union City.  I'm assuming that Clarence was working as a farm laborer, as the 1940 census lists Ora Livingston as a farmer in Mississinawa Township, Darke County, Ohio.

Physically, Clarence was described as having a dark complexion, white male, 5' 8", with brown eyes and grey hair.  He weighed 175 lbs.

Military Monday – We all have ancestors who have served in the military. Military Monday is a place to post their images, stories and records of their service in various branches of the military. Military Monday is an ongoing series by Cindy at Everything’s Relative – Researching Your Family History.

Census Sunday : Charles Wilson Lambertson household, 1940, Howard County, Indiana

My maternal great-great grandfather, Charles Wilson Lambertson, was enumerated in the 1940 US census in Howard County, Indiana.  His address was in Union Township, where he lived on a farm he owned valued at $2000.

1940 U.S. census, Howard County, Indiana, population schedule, Union Township, enumeration district (ED) 34-40, SD 5, sheet 7B, household 147, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 January 2015); National Archives, Washington, D.C..

The family consisted of my great-great grandfather, Charles, aged 68, and my great-great grandmother, Pearl, aged 61.   According to the census, Charles was born in Ohio and Pearl was born in Indiana.  Neither was listed with an occupation.

Their residence as of 1935 was indicated as being in a different place.  The closest record I have for them was in 1936 when they were listed in a city directory as living in Greentown, Indiana.

Charles completed the 8th grade and Pearl completed two years of high school, according to the census.

Census Sunday is a daily blogging prompt used by many genealogy bloggers to help them post content on their sites.

State & Federal census sheets are filled with information for genealogists. Both the population & non-population schedules give us insights into the lives of our ancestors. What have you found that is Surprising? Reassuring? Bewildering? Census Sunday is a daily blogging prompt suggested by Colleen Pasquale of Leaves and Branches.

Surname Saturday : Brand

The BRAND surname is in my paternal line.  The origins of the surname appear to be Swiss, but I haven't done any research on this line yet.

Stories and history : 

Ahnentafel # 1347 : Anna Brand. Nothing is known at this time about Anna, other than the fact that she married Michael Grundbacher. Michael was born April 25, 1642.  They had at least one daughter.  Nothing further is known at this time about their families.

Surname Saturday – create a post in which you discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research. Surname Saturday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Military Monday : Chesley Franklin LeMaster, World War II Draft Registration, 1942

Working my way through the hints in the Ancestry database for World War II Draft Registrations, 1942 and located this registration in Jay County, Indiana for Chesley Franklin LeMaster, my paternal granduncle.

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data : United States, Selective Service System. Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration. Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group Number 147. National Archives and Records Administration., Chesley Franklin LeMaster, Jay County, Indiana.

This draft record adds to the information I've collected about Chesley, who was the son of Luman Cooper Lemasters and Barbara Isabel Wehrly.  Chesley's draft registration gives his exact date of birth as May 25, 1890 in Salamonia, Jay County, Indiana.

Chesley was 51 years old at the time of registration, and his nearest living relative was his wife, Clara (Burkey) LeMaster in Salamonia.

Chesley's occupation is listed as Union City Body Company in Union City, Randolph County, Indiana, just south of Salamonia.  In later records, I've located information that he was a carpenter.

Chesley was described as having a dark complexion, white male, 5' 7", with hazel eyes and gray hair.  He weight 160 lbs.

Military Monday – We all have ancestors who have served in the military. Military Monday is a place to post their images, stories and records of their service in various branches of the military. Military Monday is an ongoing series by Cindy at Everything’s Relative – Researching Your Family History.

Census Sunday : Virgil Lee Wright household, 1940, Madison County, Indiana

My maternal great-grandfather, Virgil Lee Wright, was enumerated in the 1940 US census in Madison County, Indiana.  His address was a farm in Monroe Township, which the census indicated was valued at $4000.

1940 U.S. census, Madison County, Indiana, population schedule, Monroe Township, enumeration district (ED) 48-59, sheet 7A, household 135, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 January 2015); National Archives, Washington, D.C..

The family consisted of my great-grandfather, Virgil, aged 46, my great-grandmother, Muriel, aged 43, and three children : Clara, William and Barbara.  My great-grandmother, Muriel, was the source of the information given to the enumerator, indicated by the "x" next to her name.  Clara was listed as 24 years old, William was 21 years old and Barbara was 8 years old.

According to the census, the family was living in the same location in 1935, and all were born in Indiana.  Virgil and son William were working the farm, while Clara Ellen was working as a bookkeeper for the Aladdin factory, which at the time had a big presence in Alexandria.

One error in the record is that Barbara is listed as a daughter, but then is noted as being male in the record.

Census Sunday is a daily blogging prompt used by many genealogy bloggers to help them post content on their sites.

State & Federal census sheets are filled with information for genealogists. Both the population & non-population schedules give us insights into the lives of our ancestors. What have you found that is Surprising? Reassuring? Bewildering? Census Sunday is a daily blogging prompt suggested by Colleen Pasquale of Leaves and Branches.

Surname Saturday : Burpbee

The BURPBEE surname is in my maternal line.  The origins of the surname are English, though I have much more to research about this line.

Stories and history :

Ahnentafel # 3341 : Sarah Burpbee (1660-1729).  Sarah was born May 21, 1660 in Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts.  She married Samuel Spofford (1653-1744) on December 4, 1676 in Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts.  Samuel was born January 31, 1653 in Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts.  They had at least one son.  Samuel died January 1, 1744 in Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts.  Sarah died November 18, 1729 in Bradford, Essex County, Massachusetts.

Ahnentafel # 6682 : Thomas Burpbee (1639-1701).  Thomas was born September 3, 1639 in England.  He married Sarah Kelley (1641-1713) on April 15, 1659 in Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts.  Sarah was born February 12, 1641 in Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts.  They had at least one daughter.  Sarah died December 25, 1713 in Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts.  Thomas died June 1, 1701 in Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts.


Surname Saturday – create a post in which you discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research. Surname Saturday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Tombstone Tuesday : Elizabeth (Wright) Jones

Elizabeth (Wright) Jones (1863-1882) is buried in the I.O.O.F. cemetery in Alexandria, Madison County, Indiana.  She was the wife of William Alpha Jones (c1858-1934) and the daughter of Joseph W. and Rebecca (Heaton) Wright.

Elizabeth was the mother of a daughter, Myrtle M. Jones.  Elizabeth died September 15, 1882, and may have died during childbirth.

Elizabeth was my maternal second great grandaunt. Elizabeth was born in 1863 in Brown County, Ohio.

Tombstone Tuesday – To participate in Tombstone Tuesday simply create a post which includes an image of a gravestone of one or more ancestors and it may also include a brief description of the image or the ancestor. This is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Military Monday : Tobias Otterbein Chew, World War II Draft Registration, 1942

Working my way through the hints in the Ancestry database for World War II Draft Registrations, 1942 and located this registration in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania for Tobias Otterbein Chew, my paternal first cousin three times removed.

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data : United States, Selective Service System. Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration. Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group Number 147. National Archives and Records Administration., Philadelphia, Pennsvylvania.

Before locating this record, I didn't have much in my database on Tobias.  I knew from the 1910 census that he was a public school teacher, at that time in Lenawee County, Michigan.  This record shows that he was employed at the Indiana State Teachers College in Indiana, Pennsylvania, possibly as a professor.  This opens up another avenue of research.

Tobias was the son of Nathaniel Durbin Chew and Margaret H. Heistand.  Tobias' draft registration indicates that his exact date of birth as May 28, 1885 in Montpelier, Ohio.  Montpelier is a village in Williams County, Ohio.

Tobias was 54 years old at the time of registration and listed his nearest relative as Muriel Brown Chew, presumably his wife, of Indiana, Pennsylvania.  He listed his address as 401 South 13th St., Indiana, Pennsylvania.

Tobias was described as having a dark brown complexion, negro male, brown eyes, and black hair.  Why was he listed as negro?  He definitely was listed as white in the census records.  Was this a mistake or something else?  He was 5' 5 1/2" tall, weighing 145 lbs.

This draft registration gave me some areas to search, and a quick Google search indicates that Tobias O. Chew wrote a book, Practical High School Speller , when he was the Superintendent of Public Schools in Washburn, Wisconsin.

Military Monday – We all have ancestors who have served in the military. Military Monday is a place to post their images, stories and records of their service in various branches of the military. Military Monday is an ongoing series by Cindy at Everything’s Relative – Researching Your Family History.

Census Sunday : Ord Wehrly LeMaster household, 1940, Jay County, Indiana

My paternal grandfather, Ord Wehrly LeMaster, was enumerated in the 1940 US census in Jay County, Indiana in Portland, Indiana.  His street address was 507 E. Walnut Street, Apartment 2, which matches his residence from the 1941 Portland city directory.

1940 U.S. census, Jay County, Indiana, population schedule, Ward 1, Portland, enumeration district (ED) 38-18, SD 5, sheet 13B, household 322, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 January 2015); National Archives, Washington, D.C..

The family consisted of my grandfather Ord, aged 33, grandmother Ruth, aged 29, and three children : Paul, Idola and Juanita.  My grandmother, Ruth, was the source of the information given to the enumerator, indicated by the "x" next to her name on the census.  The children were listed out of birth order in the census.  Paul was listed as 8 years old and Idola as 6 years old.

According to the census, the family was living in the same place in 1935, and all were born in Indiana.  Ord was working as a laborer for the Sheller Manufacturing Company and Ruth was a housewife.  Paul had completed the third grade and Idola had completed the first grade.

The age of Juanita is a bit hard to read, it appears as if they are saying she is 11 months old, but she should have only been around 6 months old at the time of the census.

Another anomaly to my research is that grandpa Ord's highest education listed is only stated as the 8th grade, when he did graduate from Madison Township High School in Salamonia in 1928.

The family was living next door to Mary Beal in Apartment 1. Mary was a 61 year old widow.

Census Sunday is a daily blogging prompt used by many genealogy bloggers to help them post content on their sites.

State & Federal census sheets are filled with information for genealogists. Both the population & non-population schedules give us insights into the lives of our ancestors. What have you found that is Surprising? Reassuring? Bewildering? Census Sunday is a daily blogging prompt suggested by Colleen Pasquale of Leaves and Branches.

Surname Saturday : Boye

The BOYE surname is in my paternal line.  The origins of the surname are French, although I know very little at this point about the family.

Ahnentafel # 2763 : Catherine Boye (c1635-aft1680). Catherine was born circa 1635 in Otterberg, Bayern.  She married Pierre Viellard (c1630-1680) about 1663 in Otterberg, Bayern.  Pierre was born circa 1630 in Sedan, Ardennes, Frances.  They were the parents of at least one child.  Pierre September 9, 1680 in Otterberg, Bayern.  Catherine died after 1680.

Ahnentafel # 5526 : Giles Boye Nothing further known.

Surname Saturday – create a post in which you discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research. Surname Saturday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Parents Deny Their Son Shot the Sheriff

Located some more information in newspaper clippings about my black sheep cousin, Harry Pierpont, and his family.  Seems the family felt like the police were harassing them because of their son's involvement with John Dillinger.  They also claimed that he didn't murder the sheriff.

His parents were Joseph Gilbert and Lena (Orcutt) Pierpont.  Lena was related to me on the Metzner side of the family.  Will have to see if I can find out anything else about their tavern plans, I believe at one point they had a restaurant near Lakeville as well.

Hammond Times, Hammond, Indiana
July 13, 1934, page 14

PIERPONTS SEEK COURT ORDER

Goshen, Ind. July 13 (U.P.) - A court order to restrain detectives from following them will be sought by Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Pierpont, parents of Harry Pierpont, Dillinger gang lieutenant.

Their intention was announced upon their arrival here to open a beer tavern two miles west of Goshen.

Both expressed bitterness over their inability to escape constant surveillance.

They denied that their son is guilty of slaying Sheriff Jesse Sarber, of Lima, O., in delivering John Dillinger from jail there last October, and claimed they neither was acquainted with the bandit leader.

They said Pierpont was at home the night Sarber was killed.  He is under death sentence in the Ohio state prison in connection with the murder.

Military Monday : Nathaniel Durbin Chew, World War II Draft Registration, 1942

Working my way through the hints in the Ancestry database for World War II Draft Registrations, 1942 and located this registration in Kent County, Michigan for Nathaniel Durbin Chew, my paternal first cousin three times removed.

Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.United States, Selective Service System. Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration. Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group Number 147. National Archives and Records Administration.

Before locating this record, I didn't have much information on Nathaniel, who was the son of Nathaniel Durbin Chew and Margaret H. Heistand.  Nathaniel's draft registration card indicates his exact date of birth as May 2, 1877 in Rossburg, Darke County, Ohio, where the Chew family lived before they moved by the 1880 census to Logansport, Cass County, Indiana.

Nathaniel was 64 years old at the time of the registration, and his nearest living relative was listed as Margaret Chew, of Evanston, Illinois, his daughter. 

Nathaniel's occupation in the 1910 census was given as missionary to Korea, and his employer listed on the draft registration card as Rev. Babbitt of the Courtland Circuit of the Methodist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.


Nathaniel was described as having a light complexion, white male, 5'10" with blue eyes and brown hair.

This draft registration provides a few more clues to add to my database.  Nathaniel was married to Nettie Trumbauer and was the father of three chidlren : Nathaniel, Margaret S. and Elizabeth.  

Military Monday – We all have ancestors who have served in the military. Military Monday is a place to post their images, stories and records of their service in various branches of the military. Military Monday is an ongoing series by Cindy at Everything’s Relative – Researching Your Family History.

Church Record Sunday : Beals Family, Westfield MM, Hamilton County, Indiana

Ancestry.com. U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data:Indiana Yearly Meeting Minutes. Earlham College Friends Collection & College Archives, Richmond, Indiana. 

My maternal 4th-great grandparents, John and Mary (Davis) Beals, were members of the Westfield Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends (Quakers) in Hamilton County, Indiana.  Quaker membership records and monthly meeting minutes are available at Ancestry.com.

The record card of the family states:

John Beals, born Ohio, 6th month, 26th day, 1827; son of Nathan and Elizabeth Beals; received upon request at Westfield Monthly Meeting, married Mary Davis.
Mary Beals, born Holly Springs, North Carolina, 9th month, 9th day, 1825; daughter of John and Mary Davis; birthright member of Holly North Carolina Monthly Meeting, married John Beals.
Mary A. Beals, born Westfield, Indiana, 3rd month, 27th day, 1859; daughter of John and Mary Beals; received upon request at Westfield Monthly Meeting, released by letter.
John F. Beals, born Westfield, Indiana, 9th month, 21st day, 1866; son of John and Mary Beals; received upon request at Westfield Monthly Meeting.
Nathan Thos. Beals, born Westfield, Indiana, 2nd month, 7th day, 1856; son of John and Mary Beals; received upon request of Westfield Monthly Meeting, married Elizabeth Powe.
Elizabeth Beals; born Whitelick, Indiana, 1856; daughter of Isaac and Hannah Powe, birthright member of Whitelick, Indiana Monthly Meeting, married Nathan T. Beals.
Pearley May Beals, born Westfield, Indiana, 1877;daughter of N.T. and E. Beals, birthright member of Westfield Monthly Meeting.
Maggie Beals, born Westfield,Indiana,  9th month, 1880; daughter of N.T. and E. Beals, birthright member of Westfield Monthly Meeting.
Ethel Beals, born Westfield, Indiana; daughter of N.T. and Elizabeth Beals.
Nellie Beals

Some slight differences discovered in this membership record.  John Beals birth date is recorded as the 26th day, while in the genealogy Chronology of the Beals Family, which he wrote, he gave his birth date as the 25th.  John was not a birthright member of the Friends church, although his father (Nathan C. Beals) had been one, but he had been disowned.  Mary (Davis) Beals birth date matches what I have in my database, her parents John and Mary (Barker) Davis had moved from North Carolina to Indiana.

Of the children of John and Mary (Davis) Beals listed in this membership, Mary, John F. and Nathan Thomas, I have just a couple of updates to my data.  The birth date for John F. is listed as the 21st, when I had it as the 9th in my database, without a source, so there is one correction to make.  Nathan Thomas was in my database being born on the 17th, without a source as well.  So there are two corrections/updates to make.

Elizabeth Poe who married Nathan Thomas Beals was a birthright member of the Society from Whitelick Monthly Meeting in Morgan County, Indiana.  Her parents were Isaac and Hannah (Mills) Poe.

The listings of the children of Nathan T. and Elizabeth (Poe) Beals is a bit confusing.  Pearley May Beals was my 2nd-great grandmother, Pearl May Beals, who married Charles Wilson Lambertson.  I only show three daughters in the family of Nathan T. and Elizabeth (Poe) Beals : Pearl May (1878), Nellie Myrtle (1880) and Ethel Mable (1885).  This record gives the birth date of Pearl as 1877, when I show it was May 11, 1878.  I show Nellie born August 30, 1880 and Ethel born November 27, 1885.  This church membership record gives no birth dates for either Nellie or Ethel, but adds a Maggie Beals, born September 1880.   Did they confuse Nellie's middle name as Maggie and have her birthdate off by a month, or could there have been another daughter, possibly a twin of Nellie?  Being born August 30th, it's not a stretch to think the date could be recorded as September, especially since the birth took place in Nebraska and the membership role was created after the fact.  More mysteries.

Not all of John and Mary (Davis) Beals' children are listed in this record.  Left out are Elizabeth (b. 1849), Emma (b. 1851) and Sarah (b. 1854).  I do not know if they were ever members of the Society of Friends.


Church Record Sunday is a daily blogging prompt used by many genealogy bloggers to help them post content on their sites.

To participate in Church Record Sunday, describe a specific church record or a set of church records held by a denomination and how they can assist genealogists.   This is an on-going series developed by Gena Philbert Ortega at Gena's Genealogy.

Surname Saturday : Bowater

The BOWATER surname is in my maternal line.  The origins of the surname are English, and the family was members of the Society of Friends (Quaker).

Stories and history :

Ahnentafel # 1857 : Sarah Bowater (1689-bef1787).  Sarah was born 6mo 17d  1689 in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  She married John Beals (1685-ca1745) on September 14, 1711 in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  John was born November 28, 1685 in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  John died circa 1745.  They raised 7 children.  Sarah died 10m 26d 1777 in Pennsylvania.

Ahnentafel # 3714 : Thomas Bowater (1655-aft1750).  Thomas was born February 10, 1655 in Bromsgrove, Worchester, England.  He married Sarah Edge (1657-1692) on 8mo 4d 1688 in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  Sarah was born in 1657.  She died 2mo 2d 1692 in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  They had at least 2 children.

Ahntentafel # 7248 : John Bowater (bef1630-1704).  John was baptised April 25, 1630 in Bromsgrove, Worcehster,England. He married circa 1649 to Ann _____ (c1628-1679).  Ann was born circa 1628 and died April 25, 1679 in Warwick England.  They were the parents of 2 children.  John married 9mo 12da 1685 Mary Maunder (unk-1704) at London & Middlesex Quarterly Meeting, England.  Mary died 12mo 10d 1704 at London & Middlesex Quarterly Meeting, England.  They were the parents of 2 children.  John died 11mo 16d 1704 at London & Middlesex Quarterly Meeting.

Surname Saturday – create a post in which you discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research. Surname Saturday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Fellow Blogging Cousin Lost

Lost a cousin and fellow researcher this week.  Paula Metzner, who wrote Linnea's Legacy, passed away from cancer.  Paula and I had corresponded off and on over the past few years on our mutual Metzner line. She had done some groundbreaking research that appears to have located the line back into Germany.  Her obituary was in the Kalamazoo Gazette.

I never had the chance to meet her in person, but will miss sharing information.  Now I wish I had shared more and made plans to meet her in person.  She was my fourth cousin once removed.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas !

He Left Town in A Hurry

Looks like I found more details on the alleged embezzler, James Orcutt (1865-1925), my paternal 2nd-great uncle via his marriage to Samantha E. Metzner (1857-1890) in the Farmland Enterprise.  Farmland is in Randolph County, Indiana, just south of Jay County.  Looks like after Samantha's death, James went into a bit of a tailspin.

James Orcutt, timber buyer, who disappeared suddenly from Portland, is said to be a defaulter for a large amount.  Several creditors are regretting his flight.  Among the reported losers are John Ebert, $200; Fred Bimel, $250; William Humphrey, $300, D.L. Adams & Co., $104; Leonard Franks, $100; Shannon Rhoades $950; and Orcutt's mother, $685.  The People's Bank holds $500 of his paper indorsed [sic] by other parties.  Mr. Orcutt is said to have borrowed money from his neighbors, and to have used his individual credit wherever it was good for a dollar.

Farmland Enterprise, Farmland, Indiana
March 24, 1893, page 4

I'll have some interesting court records to dig into in Jay County when I get a chance.  Even his own mother was left holding the bag.

James married in December of 1893 to Nancy Mayo in Delaware County.

Surname Saturday : Bloomfield

The BLOOMFIELD surname is in my paternal line.  The origins are  English, though I've very little information on this line at present.

Stories and history :

Ahnentafel # 2261 : Abigail Bloomfield (1630-bet1714-18). Abigail was born in 1630 in England.  She married Richard Stockton (1635-1707) in 1652 in England.  Richard was born 1635 in Malpas Parish, Cheshire, England.  Richard died September 25, 1707 in Burlington County, New Jersey.  Abigail died between 1714 and 1718 in Burlington County, New Jersey.

Surname Saturday – create a post in which you discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research. Surname Saturday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

A Resolution of Respect : John Preston Metzner (1872-1900)

More newspaper research led me to additional information regarding cousin John Preston Metzner (1872-1900), whom I've written about previously.  Seems that he was well regarded by those in his church, who published the following declaration:

Resolutions of Respect

Resolutions of respect adopted by Emanuel Union Sabbath school.

 We, your committee, appointed to prepare a tribute of respect to the memory of Preston Metzner, our dear beloved brother, who departed this life April 6, 1900, after an illness of nine months of unspeakable suffering, but which he bore with that humble submission of "God's will, not mine, be done"

Whereas, God in his infinite wisdom has seen fit to call from labor to reward, our brother, Preston Metzner, and,

 Whereas, from mutual and personal acquaintance, we mourn the loss of our brother and co-worker of the Emanuel Union Sunday school, in the great harvest of life; therefore be it, 

Resolved, That while we bow in humble submission to the decree of divine providence, we deeply and sincerely mourn our loss and shall endeavor to cherish him in our memory.

Resolved, That we extend to his family and friends our tenderest sympathy, and with them, mingle our tears of sorrow over this sad event which has deprived them of a son, brother and friend, and us of a faithful member.

Resolved that we sorrow not as those who are without hope, for the hand that has broken can bind.

Resolved, That these resolutions be placed in full upon the minutes of our Sunday school.  A copy be presented to the bereaved family, and also a copy be sent to the county papers for publication.

Peace to his ashes! Consolation to his friends and loved ones! And may sweet memories ever linger around the memories of Preston Metzner.

Respectfully submitted : Estella Prillaman, Nora Stoltz, Wm. Prillaman, Isaiah Weisel, committee.

Portland Semi-Weekly Sun,
Portland, Indiana,
May 4, 1900, page 3

Surname Saturday : Bonnell

The BONNELL surname is in my paternal line.  The origins are likely English, and this particular line was of the Quaker faith.

Stories and history :

Ahnentafel # 573 : Hannah Bonnell (   -1754).  Hannah's birth date is not known.  She married Jeremiah Haines (1713-1774) on September 6, 1736 in Burlington County, New Jersey. Jeremiah was born March 25, 1713 in Burlington County, New Jersey.  They raised 7 children in Burlington County.  Jeremiah died October 30, 1774 in Burlington County, New Jersey.  Hannah died August 15, 1754 in Burlington County, New Jersey.

Ahnentafel # 1146 : Robert Bonnell (1675-   ).  Robert was born in 1675.  He married Frances Goodwin (   -1750) on October 16, 1707 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Frances' birth date is unknown. They had at least 3 children.  Frances died 1750 in Burlington County, New Jersey.  

Surname Saturday – create a post in which you discuss a surname and mention its origins, its geographical location(s) and how it fits into your genealogy research. Surname Saturday is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.