Finding Red House Farm in Steubenville Township, Jefferson County, Ohio + What You May Find on a Historic County Map

Being curious about the location of the property Robert Nelson sold the coal under in 1869 and first purchased in 1858, I contacted the Genealogy Department of the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio, to ask for help.  Specifically I wanted to know about the location of the Red House Farm tract and whether it is currently a subdivision in Jefferson County.  I also mentioned Robert Nelson had purchased property on the tract in 1859.

The helpful librarian found references in several sources, including a map.   Below is a section of the Steubenville map from Atlas of Jefferson Co Ohio by F. W. Beers, 1871.  You can find this map and the full map below at FamilySearch.

You can see Red House Farm on the map and, in the upper left below the horizontal line, you can see R. Nelson.  It really is an R, not an H as it appears at first glance.  Robert originally purchased his property from Matthew Nicholson in 1858, and he was till the owner of much of the land on the Red House Farm tract in 1871.

Red House Farm is really a tract of land, though at one time there may have been a farm with a red house on it on the property.  Below are a few things I learned about Red House Farm.   

• "The [coperas] works were on top of the hill, at the Red House farm, back of the town."  The coperas works were established by Bazaleel Wells in about 1820.  (Historical Collections of Ohio, In Two Volumes, by Henry Howe, 1900; Volume I, p. 973)
• Using FamilySearch's Full-Text Search, I found another reference to Red House Farm.  The following is from a deed dated January 12th 1830.  A "...parcel of land heretofore known as part of the Red house farm, formerly the property of Alexander Wells [son of Bazaleel Wells, founder of Steubenville, Ohio], lying immediately below the Town of Steubenville.... containing [more than] 44 acres."  Boundaries are given in metes and bounds which agree with "the survey heretofore to wit on the thirtiest day of July A.D. 1814...."
• There are more deeds at FamilySearch which mention Red House Farm but this was the earliest. 

Below is the full map of Steubenville and Jefferson County.  For best viewing click on the map so it will open in a new window where you can again enlarge it to look closely.  Or visit FamilySearch where you can also enlarge it

Most of my mother's side of the family comes from Jefferson County, Ohio, so maps like these are a bounty for searching and possibly finding some of my other ancestors and where they lived.

But I was really taken with the lists on the side of this map.  They are almost like a miniature city directory.  These are some of the ways I might use these lists.

• If I had an ancestor who needed an attorney, would one on this list on this map be one he would have consulted, or would he have gone out of town?
• The list of companies suggest possible places for employment opportunities.  One of my ancestors was a carpenter.  He may have worked for one of the companies on this list.
• If I find a marriage record that names the minister but not the church, I might find the minister's name and, thereby, the church where they were married.  Could they and their families have also attended this church?  If so, it's another possible source for more information.
• If I had a photograph with the photographer's name at the bottom, I might find him on a list like this. 

In general, I think it's interesting to see these brief directories to get a lay of the land where my ancestors lived.  What might they have needed to purchase to live?  What shops were available?  What industries, small businesses, and social opportunities were available at the time?  How many doctors were in town?  With a good map and addresses, I could see how far they would have had to travel to buy bricks or a piece of furniture, fabric or paper, or ready-made clothes.

These kinds of maps interest me for the family history aspect of genealogy.  It's possible that not many county maps have lists like these but it's always worth checking.

In your searches of maps, have you found old ones with information like this one?  Was it helpful or of interest to you?

—Nancy.

Copyright © 2025 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.

Seeing Steubenville, c. 1880, through City Council Proceedings

Have I mentioned how much I love reading/searching through the Steubenville City Council Proceedings on FamilySearch?  I perused the Council Proceedings, Jan. 4, 1876 to March 31, 1882, beginning around 1879 through March 21, 1882.  It was like stepping back 135 years into a Steubenville that I can only imagine.  These records gave me a flavor of what it might have been like to live in the city at that time.


Below are a select few excerpts of interest that may have impacted the lives of my Steubenville and Jefferson County ancestors during the late 1870s and early 1880s:  petitions read, ordinances adopted, improvements, etc.  Dates are council meeting dates; numbers in parentheses are image numbers of the record at FamilySearch.

1879
February 11

• A petition was read regarding the appointing of a board of health and a city physician to furnish medicines and medical attendance to the worthy poor of the City.  (229)
• The establishment and building of a workhouse was proposed.  The Finance Committee was instructed to "consider and report the best measures to be adopted to secure the speedy erection and use of such work house in the City, and also to ascertain and report where and at what price suitable land can be purchased for and the probable cost of erecting such work house." (229-230)

February 25

• The city engineer was to be instructed to make a plat of all water drains belonging to the city.  (233)

 February 27

• The city engineer was directed to remove the Market House.

May 13 

• Pay for the person who lit public lamps was to be $25.00/month.  (250)
• Removal of the hay scales in Market Square was a topic of discussion.  (250)
• Regulating the price of gas and rent of meters was discussed.  (250)
• The janitor was to provide ice water for members of city council.  (256)

1880
May 2

• Oil lamps were to be replaced with gas lamps at the cost of $15.00/post.

August 3

• The street commissioner was charged with notifying residents to "pluck up and remove all grass and weeds that may be growing upon the sidewalks or in the gutters in front of their respective properties."  Refusal was to result in the city doing it and charging the cost of it to the property owner on his tax bill.  (348-349)

September14

• The Market Committee was to make arrangements to have coal weighed at the upper end of town.  (357)
• It was proposed that "stone crossings be laid on Logan Street across the alleys between 5th and 6th Streets both sides of the street, and two on Ross Street, one between 4th and 5th Sts. and one between 5th and 6th Sts."  (357)

November 9

• "An ordinance to prevent smoking and other disorderly conduct in public halls passed a first reading."  (367)
• A Telephone Exchange was about to be established in the City and it was moved that the line be run to the Mayor's office.  Poles for the line were referred to the Street Committee and Engineer.  (368)
• The cost of slagging Market street 18" deep and 20' wide was discussed.  (369)
• An example of "patent asphalt pavement" was presented to city council.  (371)

1881
March 1

• Telegraph poles were to be erected.  (386)
• A telephone line was to go into City Council Member Brashear's to be used for fire alarm purposes (387)

April 12

• These are the city offices mentioned in this entry:  Weighmaster, Wharfmaster, Fire Wardens (for the wards of the city), Water Works Trustees, Police, Building Commission, Board of Measures, Civil Engineers.  (393)  (Steubenville's location on the Ohio River necessitated the Wharfmaster.  In other entries there were references to ferry licenses, wharf fees , and the waiving of wharf fees.)

April 26

• Committees included Finance, Claims, Markets, Ordinances, Lights, Police, Fire Department, and Street.  (397)
• The "filthy conditions" of the city prison were brought up with the note that it was not a fit place to confine human beings.  (393)

May 10

• More about the city jail:  Iron gratings were to be installed in cells for better ventilation.  The City Marshall was to have it white-washed every 15 days and disinfected with sulfur twice a week.  (400)
• An ordinance was suggested to prevent people taking flowers and vines from public areas and from dogs running loose without collars, names, and owners' names on them.  (401)
• There was discussion about bonds in the amount of $50,000 to build a market house and city hall.  This discussion recurred several times over the next meetings.  (402)

November 25

• The salary of the telephone operator was discussed.  (446)

December 18

• At a special meeting a communication from the mayor announced:  "Smallpox is now in our midst."  A "fresh house" was suggested.  All cases were to be reported to the mayor.  A card with "small pox" and a yellow flag was to be placed on houses where smallpox was known to exist.  The City Physician was to vaccinate all who requested it at the expense of the city and report their names to the City Council.  That was changed to include vaccinations for all persons in the city.  (450-451)

1882
January 31

• Frank Markle asked that the small-pox wagon be removed to some other place.  It was to be removed to the river side park; motion that it be fastened to one of the posts to prevent it from being thrown into the river.  (458)

February 28

• A sewer pipe was to be run from the Court House through jail alley, along Washington Street, to the river.  (461)
• The City Clerk was to advertise in the daily newspapers of the city for the sale of bonds to the amount of $50,000, the proceeds to the cred of the fund for a building for a "Market House City Hall and such other purposes as City Council determine."  City Solicitor was to have printed bonds to the amount of $50,000 by the day of the sale.  (462)

March 14

• The City Clerk was to advertise for 10 days in one of the daily newspapers for the sale of $50,000 bonds, proceeds to credit of the fund for the "Market House City Hall."  (464)

March 28

• An ordinance passed to provide for letting a contract for the city building.  (466)
• The bid of Spitzer Wiedman & Co. of Toledo for $50,000 for City hall and Market was read and passed.  Details about the transaction of papers and was recorded.  (467)

Notes and Comments

The late 1870s and early 1880s were a time of growth for the City of Steubenville.  I omitted many entries on the ongoing improvements to streets included slagging, grading, and/or curbing various streets; the cost of brick for streets, culverts, curbs, and gutters is recorded; laying stone crossings at intersections;  "improved boulder pavement;" and at one point, the investigation of "improved macadamized pavement 20' wide" is mentioned.  Boardwalks and sidewalks were built.   Public lamps and installing sewer drains were discussed, as well as their specific locations.  Sidewalk improvement was also a consideration.  Clearly, a city map would add to the benefit of this research.

I also omitted references to the cases brought against the city as the result of people falling into open holes, pits, and trenches.  In addition to my g-g-grandfather Abel Armitage's claim there were at least four or five others during the years 1879-1882. 

I've written about these records before:  twice to report the results of my great-great-grandfather's suit against the city and once to introduce city council proceedings as a resource for family historians.  I know much of the information in these records was published in the local newspapers but one practically has to read the newspapers to find it.  In these council proceedings everything the city leaders were discussing and doing to improve the city is contained on the pages of these journals.

If you want to discover more about the environment in which an ancestor lived, I highly recommend a search for similar records in the city where your ancestors lived.

--Nancy.

Copyright ©2017 Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.
. 

Searching for Abel Armitage in City Council Proceedings

Did Abel Armitage win his suit against the City of Steubenville or not?  He filed a case against the city because one night he fell into a trench that had been dug for water pipes.  The suit went to the Court of Common Pleas in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio.  Joyce Jonard Humphrey, another Armitage descendant, found several entries in the Court of Common Pleas journals but they left uncertainty in my mind as to the outcome of the results in court.

When I discovered that FamilySearch has published Council Proceedings of the City of Steubenville, I wondered if Abel's case might be mentioned in those records.  I decided to search these unindexed records one page at a time, beginning with the journal that covers the dates January, 1876 through March, 1882.  In them I finally found Abel and discovered the outcome of his hearing.

From the entry for March 16, 1880, journal page 314

     The solicitor presented a communication in regard to
the case of Able [sic] Armitage asgainst [sic] the city
asking for instructions as to taking the case to
the district court and recommending that the bill
of W. F. Campbell for reporting and transcribing
the testimony in the case be paid.  Mr. Garrett
moved the report be received and the recomend-
ations [sic] be adopted.  Carried.
     A petition from four witnesses in the Armit-
age case asking council to pay their fees was
read.  Mr. Garrett moved the amount be placed
on the appropriation ordinance.  Carried.

Notes and Comments

• Where might W. F. Campbell's transcriptions be found?  They do not appear in images of the City Council proceedings.  Might they have been kept elsewhere and, if so, where might that be?  I'm sure they would be enlightening to read.
• Wm. F. Campbell was listed in the next appropriation ordinance with the amount of $15.00.
• Who were the four witnesses who petitioned the Council pay their fees?  In the next appropriation ordnance there are three individuals who were paid $ .75 each but it does not tell what the payment was for.  They are J. S. Smith, Lewis A. Veite, and James McKay.  What fees did the witnesses want paid?

From the entry for April 26, 1881, journal page 399

     The case of Able [sic] Armitage against
the City for $207.84 was on motion referred to
the committee on Claims.

From the journal entry for May 10, 1881, journal page 403 and 404

     An ordinance making appropriation passed
a first ready [reading] as follows  Be it ordained
by the counsel of the City of Steubenville That
there be and hereby is appropriate [sic] out of the monies
in the Treasury not otherwise approrpiate [sic] the
following Sums of money to the following [?]
herein after named namely . . .
               Abel Armitage        207.84
     [Not on image above.] It was moved and seconded that the ruls [sic] be
Suspended and the ordinance placed on its
final passage.  Ayes.... 12  nays none.
The rules being declared Suspend[ed] the ordinance
was placed on its final passage and adopted
as follows  Ayes .... 12  Nays none. 

Notes and Comments 

• In the newspaper's first note about Abel's court case it reported that he requested $2,500.00 for damages.  If that's accurate, receiving less than 10% of that amount must have been disappointing.  The Inflation Calculator tells me the $207.84 that he received in 1881 would have equaled $5,243.72 in 2016.  Not a tiny sum, and yet $2,500.00 would have been equal to $63,073.93 in 2016.
• From the time Abel filed the case in February, 1879, until its resolution in May, 1881, more than two years had passed.  Even with the settlement by the City Council on record there's no telling exactly when he received his money.
• It's interesting to note that in the 1880 U.S. Census Abel was recorded as disabled. 
• These records have not yet helped me learn Abel's death date but at least now I know he was still alive in May, 1881.

I will continue reading these records:  it seems that Abel's wife, Ann, may have also filed against the city, also for a fall, in November, 1881 with the case continuing until 1883.

--Nancy.

Copyright ©2017 Nancy Messier. All Rights Reserved.
.

A Young Barber

My barber grandfather, William Carl Robert "Bob" Meinzen, of an earlier post, is in the above left photo and is the man on the left in the above right photo. He was born in 1892 and by 1911 he was working as a barber.

I believe both these photos were taken outside 383 Sixth Avenue, Steubenville, Ohio. The 1913 Steubenville city directory lists that address as his place of employment.

Notice the cords on either side of the doorway. My guess is they're for awnings. Also, in the photo on the right, a decorative screen door has been screwed into place.

In the first photo, if you can enlarge it enough to see details, notice...
...that Grampa's sleeves are rolled under instead of up on the outside.
...his boots with the buttons on the sides.
...that he's holding scissors and a comb.

In the second photo, I don't know who the other people are but I suspect that the man holding the child is Grampa's brother-in-law, John Hendricks, husband of Hannah Meinzen. Hannah died in September, 1910, leaving her husband with 3 small girls: Edna, 2 1/2; Zerelda, 15 months; and newborn Anna. If it is John, the child is probably Edna. The photo is undated.

In the group photo, notice...
...the eye contact with the lens of the camera.
...the fob on Grampa's right pocket. It looks like a little dog.
...that his boots lace up instead of buttoning on the side.
...the brick sidewalk.

What interesting details do you notice in these photos that I missed?


This post is being shared at the Sepia Saturday blog, where you can find links to others' old photos and stories.

Interments in the Union Cemetery Lot of Henry C. and Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen

When searching for Henry and Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen's unknown infants and children a few years ago, I contacted Union Cemetery in Steubenville, Ohio, where I knew Henry and Elizabeth were buried. I hoped to find the rest of her 15 children there.

I corresponded with cemetery employees several times and each request was returned with information. I finally asked it they would please send the names and information of all individuals buried in Section Q, Lot 203, the Meinzen lot.

These are the names of family members from their records:

Meinzen, William, age 16, interred 1888/11/27
Meinzen, Infant, stillborn, interred 1891/01/25
Meinzen, Infant, stillborn, interred 1904/08/20
Hendricks, Hannah E., 35 years, 6 months, 3 days, interred 1910/09/06
Meinzen, Edward C., 32 years, 9 months, 10 days, interred 1911/11/17
Meinzen, Elizabeth, 68 years, interred 1920/06/29
Meinzen, Henry, 88 years, 5 months, 5 days, interred 1926/01/02

Was the infant born and buried in 1904 Elizabeth's and Henry's. Elizabeth would have been 52. Her previous child was born in 1898 or 1899 when she was either 46 or 47. Or was the infant the child of their son and daughter-in-law, Henry and Helen/Ella (Dray) Meinzen?

These are the names of the additional individuals they sent:
Brison, Infant, stillborn, interred 1893/08/23
Easman, M. A., 5 months, interred 1894/06/15
Potts, David, 4 years, interred 1905/11/26

I have not yet identified these as family/not family, though research so far would suggest they are not family: I've found no connection between individuals with these last names and Henry and Elizabeth. Of course that's not to say there isn't a connection - just that I haven't found one. If they are not related, I assume one of two things: either Henry sold sections of his lot to them or he was very generous at a grievous time for their parents.

Perhaps I will never know if the infant who was stillborn in 1904 is Elizabeth's. I'd like to know, though, because it means the whole family would have been found!

Copyright © 2010 by Nancy Messier.

What You Find in Those City Directories!

Oh, yes! I love city directories. Names, street addresses, occupations. Sometimes they tell the wife's name - and always the wife's name if she is a widow. Later ones include the names of other family members if they are above a certain age. There are the names of churches and their pastors along with the churches' addresses. Organizations in the community are named, along with times and locations of meetings

Of course not every directory is the same, or includes the same information, though I believe every directory includes the names of residents and their addresses - of course, because it's their primary purpose. Other information seems to vary from year to year and by publisher.

Palmer's Steubenville Directory, for 1871, for instance, tells U.S. government information including the names of the president, the cabinet, the supreme court justices, ambassadors to and from the U.S. - and their salaries. I learned the postal rates (3 cents per 1/2 ounce); the population of 50 U.S. cities in 1860 and 1870; pension statistics; and public and private buildings erected in the city including the builder, owner, location, building material, purpose of the building, and the cost. There are several pages devoted to the U.S. debt including sections on bonds and interest rates.

There is a wonderful brief section called "Statistics of Life."

STATISTICS OF LIFE.--The yearly mortality of the globe is 33,333,333 persons. This is at the rate of 91,554 per day, 3,730 per hour, 62 per minute. Each pulsation of the heart marks the decease of some human creature.
The average of human life is 33 years.
One-fourth of the population die at or before the age of seven years.
Among 10,000 persons, one arrives at the age of 100 years, one in 500 attains the age of 90, and one in 100 lives to the age of 60.
Married men live longer than single men.
In 1,000 persons, 95 marry, and more marriages occur in June and December than any other months in the year.
One-eighth of the whole population is military.
Professions exercise a great influence on longevity.

My great-grandfather was 33 when that was written. I imagine he felt pleased to have already outlived the average human lifespan. He lived to be 87.


One page is devoted to the history of Steubenville. To me it reads like a cross between a travel brochure, a textbook, and an encouraging invitation for people to become residents. I enjoyed this quote: "Nature has done all the most ambitious could require to constitute a great manufacturing centre. Enterprise and capital alone are wanted. The first must be sought for in the sound judgment and energy of the inhabitants; the last must be wrought out by the industrious conversion of the raw materials, so abundantly provided, into articles adapted to supply the wants and the luxuries, and to gratify the tastes of a great and prosperous people."

Other pages include information about the industry of the community, and advertisements tell me what businesses there were in the city. I was surprised to see a veterinary surgeon listed in 1871. I was not surprised to see plasterers, house & sign painters, paper hangers, gunsmiths, and coopers, among others. I wondered if my grandfather worked as a wagon maker in one of the shops or as a carpenter in another business or industry.

I enjoyed looking at the full-page ads with their ornate lettering and 140-year-old language that sounds so unusal to my ears in 2010. Perhaps you will, too.
















If your ancestor lived in a town or city and if you're trying to fill in information between census records, city directories may be helpful to you. They really are fun to peruse and if you find your ancestor, not only can you fill in a location for him on his timeline, you can also learn more about the situation in which he lived. I know the information in directories is not primary source material, but it can help put a little meat on the bare bones of names and dates. I know that the Family History Library has microfilmed many which are available for loan at family history centers throughout the world. Maybe you'll be as amazed by what you find as I sometimes am!

Copyright © 2010 by Nancy Messier.

I Meant It When I Said It

It's been barely 2 weeks since I said I was laying Henry Meinzen to rest and I wasn't going to search for him for at least several months. I said it and I meant it when I said it. I really did. But here's what happened.

An email from a rootsweb county list arrived yesterday telling me that a new database had been put online for one of my counties. I perked up thinking I might find more information about my relatives in that county, but when I read further I realized that the information didn’t apply to my family.

And then this little light began blinking in my head and a thought popped up: “You haven’t searched for Henry at digitalshoebox.org for a while.” I eagerly embraced the thought instead of putting it out of my mind. "Oh, I haven’t!” And I opened a new tab in my browser and rushed right over to the site.

I found DigitalShoebox.org a year or so ago. It has virtual images of books and city directories for eastern Ohio counties. Then it seemed difficult to use. This time it was easier. I typed “Meinzen” into the search box in the corner and in seconds - maybe only 2 seconds - up popped 15 sources for Meinzen. Voila. The same sources I’d searched before. But no! Wait! Those DigitalShoebox people just keep working hard and there were two new (new to me, at least) Steubenville city directories that weren’t there before: 1871 and 1904-05.

The excitement was not that Henry was in them - because I knew he would be. I was excited because 1871 was earlier than any other sources I have except the 1870 census and his 1868 naturalization documents. Finding 1871 gives me hope that I might find an 1870, and then an 1868, and then an 1867 directory, which may - may!- help lead me back to Henry’s first years in the U.S. and eventually to his hometown and his parents. (Isn't that where we all want to go - back to the next parents?) I was also excited to see that his trade was listed as carpenter. (We have no family lore about him being a carpenter, so this was another source for this information.)

Am I crazy? Does anyone else do these spur of the moment searches? Please tell me I’m not crazy!

Here's Henry in Palmer’s Steubenville Directory, for 1871, p. 95

This is Henry and his family in the Steubenville Official City Directory 1904-1905, p. 208

I have information from the 1906-07 directory, but it's fun to see who's moved away, or who's grown old enough to be listed in each subsequent volume.

And now, I really am going to put Henry to rest for a while. (Unless, of course, . . . .)

Copyright © 2010 by Nancy Messier.

Elizabeth

Daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, grandmother, heroine.

Elizabeth is the little lady wearing the sunbonnet in the photo above. She had cancer of the face and I suspect she's wearing the bonnet to protect it from the sun. She fills the role of great-grandmother and heroine in my life. I've not yet met her but I hold her in high esteem. I'll share with you what I know about her.

Elizabeth was born on August 24, 1852, in England, probably in Bradford, Yorkshire. Her father was Abel Armitage, her mother is not yet certainly known (at least to me). She had one sister, Ann, who was two years older than her. Abel worked as a coal miner before they left England and after they settled in Jefferson County, Ohio.

Elizabeth came to the U.S. in 1864 when she was 12 years old. Wherever their destination may have been, the family ended their journey in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio. I know nothing about Elizabeth’s childhood and youth. I believe she lived with a stepmother, which may have been a difficult experience - or not. She did not learn to read or write during that time, so she probably did not attend school. Perhaps her help was needed at home.

At the age of 17, on April 24, 1870, Elizabeth married Henry C. Meinzen. Henry was 32 at the time of their marriage. With such a wide difference in their ages, I can’t help but wonder how they met and chose to marry. Did they live near each other? Did Henry do some carpentry work for Elizabeth’s father? However they met, Elizabeth began bearing children soon after her marriage. Henry, her first son, was born later in 1870.

In October 1871, Elizabeth became a naturalized citizen when her husband completed the naturalization process. I wonder if there was great joy and jubilation at this event. Did they have a huge celebration or was it a smaller event with just family and friends? Or did it pass so quietly that it was just another day? Did newspapers of the time period list newly naturalized citizens? I’ve never seen them in the papers I’ve searched.

Elizabeth’s second son, William, was born in 1872. On April 29, 1873, Henry bought property on Eighth Street in Steubenville. They must have moved into their new home soon afterward. It would have been there that 11 of Elizabeth’s 15 children were born, including one stillborn infant as well as my grandfather, William Carl Robert, who was born on February 8, 1892. It was also there that she lost her second son, William, to typhoid fever.

I often wonder what those year were like for Elizabeth. I can’t imagine bearing 11 children, one approximately every two years. With a 9-month pregnancy and about 9 months nursing, she was either pregnant or nursing more time than not! How did she manage with little ones at every turn, filling every corner of the house; with continual diapers to wash by hand; with feeding many little mouths? Did she have morning sickness? And what about the cooking? Probably at least some of those years she cooked at a fireplace. I know all of this was common practice for women of that time period but I still think it must have required great fortitude.

I wonder if Elizabeth was a patient mother. Did she have a sense of humor? Wouldn’t you have to have a sense of humor to keep your sanity with so many little ones in your home?! And how did she manage the teenage years with her sons and daughters?! I have so many questions to ask her....

On February 20, 1892, the year that Elizabeth turned 40, she and Henry sold the property on Eighth Street less than two weeks after Elizabeth gave birth to my grandfather. I hope she had help with the packing and moving. I believe they moved south to the New Alexandria area and rented a farm in or near New Alexandria. Elizabeth birthed 4 more children while living on the farm, lost one of them, and saw her oldest son married. Then, on August 8, 1902, Elizabeth bought property at 306 and 308 South Third Street at the corner of South Street, in Steubenville. I think perhaps this was a duplex. City directories of the time indicate that they lived at 306 and had Henry’s confectionery shop at 308 (though sometimes the confectionery is listed at 306 and their home at 308).

By 1906, six of Elizabeth’s children, ranging in age from 6 to 26, were still living at home. Children had started to marry, but by 1911, there were still 5 at home.

What I think of as the sad and troubling years began in 1907. During an 11-year period, accident and illness claimed all but six of Elizabeth’s adult children. She lost Walter, 24, in 1907; Hannah, 35, in 1910; Edward, 31, in 1911; Jacob, 23, in 1917; and Bertha, 29, in 1918. Two sons were killed in grizzly accidents in a mill; one son was lost to suicide; and two daughters were claimed by disease. If all of that wasn't enough, in 1917, the year that she turned 65, Elizabeth learned that she had cancer of the face.

What challenging years those must have been. To mourn the loss of one child would be beyond my understanding, but to lose 5 would seem almost impossible to bear. After losing her second adult child, did she begin to look over her shoulder wondering if death would return and claim more of her family? To know that cancer would eventually claim her appearance and then her life would be a sad reality.

Some of my impressions about Elizabeth based on what I’ve learned are that she was a strong woman, both emotionally and physically. To bear 15 children, raise 12 of them, and lose 9 of them would require both physical strength and emotional fortitude. I think perhaps she was a humble woman, without vanity: she allowed herself to be photographed after the cancer had begun to disfigure her face. I know she was illiterate, but I believe she was intelligent and savvy. She (probably with Henry) managed money well enough to be able to purchase property, one of the purchases in her name. She made a will. She sent her children to school and they all learned to read and write. I think she was much loved. Henry used the endearment Lizzie on one birth record, and at least 3 grandchildren were named Elizabeth (I assume after her).

Maybe I’ve put my great-grandmother Elizabeth on a pedestal - birthing and raising so many children, living with what we consider “primitive” living conditions, and enduring the deaths of 9 of her children. If so, so be it. I’m amazed by her!

There are many things I’d like to learn about my great-grandmother. Here are just a few. I want to know--
--what her favorite color and flower were.
--what she considered the biggest challenge in her life.
--whether she spun, wove, knit, and/or sewed her own and her family’s clothes, and whether she quilted.
--about the voyage from England --packing, land travel, water travel, all of it!
--how she met Henry and how they came to marry.
--whether she liked to sing and if so, whether she had a favorite song.
--what she thinks is the most important thing she learned in life.

I look forward to a time in the future when I’ll be able to sit and visit with my grandmother Elizabeth and ask her some of these questions. I believe I will learn a lot from her.

The year Elizabeth died, she and Henry lived at 1540 Oregon Avenue. Her 11-year-old granddaughter, Edna Hendricks, Hannah’s daughter, was living with them. On the day Elizabeth died, she was living at 1829 Market Street.

Elizabeth passed away on June 26, 1920, in Steubenville, Ohio, at the age of 67 years. She is buried in Union Cemetery, Section Q, Lot 203.

I'm looking forward to meeting the lady I call heroine. I want to thank her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

In the photo above, Henry is the older man holding the pipe. I don't know who the tall lady on the left is. On the other side of Elizabeth is her daughter Isabelle. The three children may be Isabelle's, and the man on the right may be her husband, Benjamin Hashman. In the back from left to right are Lula and Charlie Sticker and George Harris, Mina's husband. Perhaps Mina is taking the photograph.

Elizabeth's obituary was published in "The Steubenville Herald-Star," Monday, June 28, 1920, p. 10.

Sources
Jefferson County marriage record for Henry and Elizabeth Armitage Meinzen
1851, 1861 England Census
1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 U.S. Census
Belmont and Jefferson County Probate Court naturalization records of Henry C. Meinzen
Jefferson County, Ohio, property records
Jefferson County, Ohio, birth records
Steubenville city directories, 1906, 1911, 1913
Ohio death certificate for Elizabeth Armitage Meinzen
Union Cemetery interment records
Last will and testament of Elizabeth Meinzen
Obituary of Elizabeth Meinzen

If you want specific sources for any of this information, please ask.

Copyright © 2010 by Nancy Messier.

Every Scrap of Evidence

I'm searching for Henry Carl Meinzen's city of birth and his parents' names. Family "sources" indicate that his father's name was Carl and that at the time of Henry's death, he had a brother named Fred living in Germany.

When approaching a brick wall, the genealogy books I've read suggest reviewing every document and piece of paper, just on the chance some bit of evidence has been overlooked. So that's what I've done. And here's what I've found.


Henry's Timeline

1837 Jul 25
Henry Carl Meinzen born in Hannover (1880 census), Prussia (1870 census), Germany (1910 census) (Birth date from certificate of death and Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church records)

1852 Aug 24
Elizabeth Armitage (future wife) born in England (her mother dies after August 1852 & possibly before 1859)

1864
Elizabeth immigrates to U.S. (1900 census)

1866 Jun
Henry, native of Prussia, age 28, immigrates to U.S. (Probate Court record from Belmont County, Ohio. Name as “Heinrich” Meinzen.)

1867 Oct 7 & 8
Henry files Declaration of Intention to become a naturalized citizen in Belmont County, Ohio. "Heinrich" was a native of Prussia, aged 28, immigrated in June 1866. (Probate Court record, Belmont County, Ohio)

1870 Apr 24
Henry & Elizabeth marry (Jefferson County, Ohio, marriage record)

1870 Jul 11
Henry, age 32, works at the railroad; lives in Ward 4, Steubenville (1870 census)

1870 Sep 25
Henry (son) born in Jefferson County, Ohio (age 10 in 1880 census)

1871
Henry lives at 116 South Water Street, is a carpenter (Palmer’s 1871 Steubenville City Directory)

1871 Oct 9
Henry (not Heinrich) becomes naturalized citizen (Received from Probate Court of Jefferson County, Ohio, though the county’s name is not on the paper)

1872
William born (age 8 in 1880 census)

1873 Apr 28
Purchased Lot 32 Morris Second Addition (on N. 8th Street), Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio, from Justin G. and Henrietta S. Morris for $600.00. (He sold the lot in Feb. 1892.)

1875 Feb 13
Hannah born (age 5 in 1880 census; 25, born Feb 1875 in 1900 census)

1875-76
Henry is carpenter, lives North Eighth above Franklin (Steubenville City Directory, 1875-76)

1879 Mar 5
Edward born (age 1 in 1880 census; 21, born Mar 1879, in 1900 census; 28 in 1910 census)

1880 Jun 9
Henry, 41 years, lives on N. Eight Street, dwelling #251, Steubenville. He is a laborer, born in Hanover. With him are wife Elizabeth, 28 years, Henry, 10; William, 8; Hannah, 5; and Edward, 1 (1880 census)

1880 Aug 28
Isabella Marie (or Marie Isabella) (age 19, born Aug 1880 in 1900 census)

1882 Nov 13
Walter born (age 17, born Nov 1882 on 1900 census)

1885 Jan 26
Wilhelmina born (Minnie, age 15, born Jan 1885 on 1900 census; 25 in 1910 census)

1887 Jan 10
Lula born (Luella, age 13, born Jan 1887 on 1900 census; 23 on 1910 census)

1888 Oct 7
Bertha born (age 11, born Oct 1888 on 1900 census)

1888 Nov 24
William (16 yrs) dies

1891 Jan
Stillborn infant, interred on 23 Jan 1891 (Union Cemetery records)

1892 Feb 8
William Carl Robert born (age 9, born Feb 1891 in 1900 census; 18 years in 1910 census) (Other records give either 1891 or 1892 birth year.)

1892 Feb 20
Sold Lot #32, Morris Second Addition, Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio to John McClave for $850.00. (Henry purchased this property in April 1893 for $600.00.)

1893 Dec 15
Jacob born (age 6, born Dec 1893 in 1900 census; 16 in 1910 census)

1896 Sep 3
Karl (or Carl) Nelson is born (dies on 14 Sep 1896) (Zion E. L. Church records)

1896 Dec 27
Henry (son) & Ella Dray marry

1898 May 22
Naomi born (age 2 years, born May 1898 in 1900 census; 11 in 1910 census)

1898 Oct 15
Henry displays radish (Steubenville Herald-Star, 15 Oct 1898)

1898 Oct 20
Henry’s name appears in news article about Zion Lodge I.O.O.F (Steubenville Herald-Star, 20 Oct 1898)

1900 Jun 12
Henry, 62 years, born Jul 1837, married 30 years, born Germany; immigrated in 1866; is a naturalized citizen; works as gardener; rents a farm; lives in Cross Creek Township (New Alexandria); also in the home are Elizabeth, 47; Hannah, 25; Edward, 21; Isabella, 19; Walter, 17; Minnie, 15; Luella, 13; Bertha, 11; Robert, 9; Jacob, 6; and Naomi, 2 (1900 census)

1901 Nov 20
Isabelle (21 yrs) and Ben Hashman marry

1902 Aug 8
Purchased Lot #2 Stokely’s 1st Addition (306 S. Third Street (previously S. High Street) in Elizabeth’s name from Hanson and Mary Hebron for $3,000.00. (Elizabeth turned 50 and Henry turned 65 in 1902.)

1904-05
Henry C. and Elizabeth live at 306 S. Third. Henry has a confectionery store at 308 S. Third. Living with them are Bertha; Edward, who works at LaBelle Co; Hannah; Lulu; Mina, and Walter, who also works at Labelle Co. Henry & Elizabeth's son Henry and his wife Ella live at 939 Sixth ave and Henry works at LaBelle I Co. (Steubenville City Directory, 1904-05)

1906
Henry C. & Elizabeth live at 306 S. Third (confectionery at same address); living with them are Bertha, dressmaker; Edward working at LaBelle Iron Works; Hannah; Lulu; Mina; Walter working at LaBelle Iron Works (Steubenville City Directory, 1906)

1906 Jun 28
Walter (23 yrs) and Nellie Leonhart marry

1906 Jul 11
Bertha (17 yrs) and William Henderson marry

1907 Mar 27
Hannah (32 yrs) & John Hendricks marry

1907 May 31
Walter dies (24 yrs) in accident at LaBelle Iron Works

1908 Jan 29
Edna Hendricks (Hannah's daughter) born (age 11 & living with Henry & Elizabeth on 1920 census)

1909 May 27
Zerelda Hendricks (Hannah's daughter) born

1909 or 1910
William O. Henderson (Bertha's son) born

1910 Apr 18
Henry, age 72, born Germany, grocer, married 40 years, lives at House 306 South High Street, Ward 1, Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio. Also living there are Elizabeth, 57; Edward, 28; Wilhelmina, 25; Lula, 23; Robert, 18; Jacob, 16; and Naoma, 11.

1910 Aug 21
Anna Hendricks (Hannah's last daughter) born

1910 Sep 4
Hannah Meinzen Hendricks dies (age 35) (The care of her daughters falls to Henry and Elizabeth and Hannah's sisters.)

1910
Wilhelmina (24-25 yrs) & George Harris marry

1911
Henry C. and Elizabeth live at 308 S. Third (confectionery at same address). Living at 306 are Jacob, works Pope T. P. Co.; Lulu; Mina; Robert, barber (Steubenville City Directory, 1911)

1911 Mar 11
Anna Hendricks (Hannah's youngest daughter) dies at age 6½ months

1911 Nov 11
Edward (31 1/2 yrs) dies

1911 Dec 26
Lula (23 yrs) and Charles Sticker marry

1913
Henry & Elizabeth live at 306 S. Third Street (confectionery shop at 308 S. Third Street). Living with them are Jacob, driver for Loomer & Son; W. C. Robert, barber at 838 Sixth Avenue; and Naomi F. (Steubenville City Directory, 1913)

1914 Sep 8
Robert (22 1/2 yrs) & Emma Bickerstaff marry

1915-1916
Henry and Elizabeth live at 306 S. Third Street (grocery at 308 S. Third). Living with them are Jacob, laborer; Naomi

1916 Sep 2
Naomi (~18 yrs) and Russell Rhome marry

1916 Sep 4
Jacob (22 3/4 yrs) and Sudie Coss marry

1917
Elizabeth (65 yrs) diagnosed with cancer of the face (death certificate)

1917 Sep 12
Jacob (23 3/4 yrs) dies in accident at LaBelle Iron Works

1918
Henry and Elizabeth live at 308 S. Third (confectionery at same address)

1918 May 14
Bertha (29 1/2 yrs) dies

1918 Aug 27 Elizabeth et al. sold Lot #2 Stokely’s 1st Addition (306 S. Third Street) for $3,500.00 to Abel A. Dutz (County Deed Book)

1920 Jan 24
Henry & Elizabeth live at 1540 Oregon Avenue, Steubenville Twp., Steubenville 4th Ward. Henry is 82, no trade/profession [probably retired], owns his property without a mortgage; immigrated in 1866, naturalized in 1871; born Hanover, Germany. Lives with Elizabeth, age 67; and Edna Hendricks, granddaughter, age 11 (1920 census)

1920 Jun 26
Elizabeth (68 yrs) dies at age 67 years, 10 months, 21 days, of cancer of the face; born in England, father is Abel Armitage. (Certificate of death)

1920 Jun 29
Elizabeth buried in Union Cemetery, Section Q, Lot 203 (Union Cemetery records)

1925 Dec 30
Henry (88 yrs) dies (date of death from death certificate; Zion E. L. Church record says date of death was 31 December 1935) Henry’s obituary indicates that he was a carpenter and wagon maker; his father’s name is Carl.

1926 Jan 2
Henry is buried in Union Cemetery, Section Q, Lot 203 (Union Cemetery records)

This timeline was updated on January 29, 2010.

Susan Holmes Bickerstaff

I'd rather remember family on their birthdays, but since I don't know the date of birth of my great-great-great-grandmother, Susan (sometimes known as Susanna) Holmes Bickerstaff, and I know she died on January 10, 1894, I thought I'd commemorate her life today.

The connection between us goes like this: me -> my mom -> Emma Bickerstaff Meinzen -> Edward Jesse Bickerstaff -> Ellis Bickerstaff -> Susan Holmes (& William) Bickerstaff.

I found Susan through research and the help of Danice Ryan, another Bickerstaff descendant, rather than through any family records or genealogy. I know so very little about her.

She was the mother of 14 known children. Susan's husband, William, passed away in March, 1893, about 10 months before her.

This obituary was published in "The Steubenville Weekly Gazette" on Friday, January 12, 1894.

It reads: "Mrs. Susan Bickerstaff, widow of the later William Bickerstaff, died Wednesday morning at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Mary Kidd, on South Sixth street, aged eighty-five years. She was born in Carroll county, her maiden name being Holmes, and was married to Mr. Bickerstaff in Tuscarawas county in 1829. Nine children survive her: Augustine, Enos, William N., John and Lewis of this city, Ellis of McKeesport, Elizabeth, wife of John Nelson; Mrs. Mary Kidd and Mrs. John Curfman of this city. Her death removes a highly respected Christian woman. Funeral at 2 p.m."

Gramma Susan, if I knew your birthday, I would remember you then. Perhaps one day I'll find it.

What I Know about Hannah

Note: There are two previous posts about Hannah if you'd like to read them: Searching for Hannah and Finding Hannah.

Hannah Elizabeth Meinzen was born 13 February 1875, a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen, in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio. She must have attended school because she learned to read and write.

At the age of 25, on June 12, 1900, she was working as a servant, probably a domestic servant, in the home of Edward and Mame Forbes, a merchant with three children (Hazel, 7; Raymond, 2; and Clarence, 8 months).

When Hannah was about 31, she married John H. Hendricks. By April 26, 1910, at the time of the 1910 census, Hannah and John had been married four years, lived in Island Creek Township, and had two daughters: Edna, 2 years, and another whose name I can't read (though it must have been Zerelda, who was born May 27, 1909), age 1 year. Hannah was pregnant with a third child at the time of the census. She was a member of the Third Presbyterian Church.

Hannah died at home at midnight on Saturday, September 4, 1910, at the age of 35. She had been ill for two weeks following the birth of her third child. The doctor attending her identified the cause of death as "peritonitis due to frequent child bearing" with a contributory cause of "embolism." The infant, Anna Bell, survived birth but died six months later, on March 11, 1911. Hannah Elizabeth Meinzen Hendricks was buried at Union Cemetery, Steubenville, on 6 September 1910, in her parents' plot, between her brothers Edward and Walter.

-–Nancy.

Copyright © 2010-2021 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.

Finding Hannah

Note: The previous post, Searching for Hannah, will explain the first part of my efforts to find Hannah.

Then came the Union Cemetery records. Hannah Hendricks was buried on Henry's plot. Her dates were 1875-1910. This meant I should be able to find "Hannah Hendricks" in the Ohio Death Certificate Index. Yes, there was a Hannah Hendricks, 1910 #40481. (Alan said she died in 1907: maybe it wasn't her.) I located and printed the certificate. There was "my" Hannah, born 13 February 1875, died 4 September 1910, whose parents were Henry Meinzen and Elizabeth Armitage. The informant was Harrison Hendricks. Something more to go on. Was Harrison her husband?

Next, I searched the newspapers at the Ohio Historical Society. Since I knew Hannah died in Jefferson County and now knew her name was Hannah Hendricks, and knew her death date, I located "The Steubenville Herald-Star" for her date of death and began looking, page by page, for an obituary or death notice. And there I found it, on page 4 of the September 6, 1910 issue: "Mrs. John Hendricks."

The final step was to look in the 1910 census for John and Hannah Hendricks. There they were, in Island Creek Township with two children, both daughters.

The sequel to this post is What I Know about Hannah.

-–Nancy.

Copyright © 2010-2021 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.

Searching for Hannah

When I started I knew nothing about Hannah Meinzen except her name and that she was a child of Henry and Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen and a brother to my grandfather, William Carl Robert Meinzen.

From the 1880 census I learned that she was born about 1875. From the 1900 census (where she was living at home) I learned that she was born in February 1875. From another listing in another place on the 1900 census, I learned that she was working as a servant at the age of 25 and was still single.

How to learn more about Hannah? Alan H. said Hannah died in 1907 and that Aunt Lula raised Hannah's daughters, Zerelda and Edna Pugh, after Hannah died. In the "busy" conversation with Alan H. he said that "she" married Leonard Fair. I took "she" to mean Hannah. So I searched for Hannah Fair -- and found nothing.

I talked with a Meinzen aunt, the "oldest living Meinzen" I know. She said Aunt Lula raised Zerelda and Aunt Naomi raised Edna, and was positive that Zerelda, not Hannah, married Leonard Fair. Further, she said that Zerelda's first name was Elizabeth, her middle name Zerelda, and that she died in 1997. It was something to go on.

I looked at the SSDI for Elizabeth Fair, thinking that if what my aunt said were true, I might find her there. Sure enough I found Elizabeth Fair in Jefferson County, Ohio, died 15 Aug 1997, born 27 May 1909.

At about this same time I wrote to Union Cemetery and requested a listing of everyone buried on the plot where Henry Meinzen was buried -- hoping for some bit of information about Hannah and other brothers and sisters, including Elizabeth Armitage Meinzen's lost babies.

My next step was to see if I could find Leonard Fair somewhere. I remembered that when I was a child, Zerelda always visited my grandparents with Aunt Lula and Uncle Charlie Sticker but her husband never came along. In fact, I thought Zerelda was single. Because of that I guessed that Leonard must have passed away sometime before the mid-1950s. I looked in the Death Certificate Index at the Ohio Historical Society and--yes!--found Leonard Fair: 1942 #50581. Maybe it was him, or maybe not.

On the next trip to the OHS I found and printed the death certificate. There they were, Leonard Fair, born 1908, and his widow, Elizabeth Hendricks. (Unusual that it gave her maiden name on a spouse's death certificate.) Maybe this would help me find Hannah. Or maybe not. Elizabeth is a very common name. Perhaps Hendricks was Hannah's married name, or perhaps not....

You can read the rest of the story about Hannah at Finding Hannah and What I Know about Hannah.

-–Nancy.

Copyright © 2010-2021 Nancy Messier.  All Rights Reserved. 
Do not copy or use any content from this blog without written permission from the owner. 
.

My Great-Uncle Jacob Meinzen's Birthday

Since we're celebrating Jacob Increase Meinzen's birth today, I thought it would be good to show you his birth record from Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Steubenville, Ohio. Looking at it again, though, perhaps it's as much a baptismal record as a birth record, since it records both.

The record indicates that Uncle Jacob was born on December 15, 1893, and baptized on September 15, 1896.


Can you read old German? The historian at the church, which is now Zion United Church of Christ, sent a page with a translation, for which I was very grateful. Since other records were also sent, some without translations, I did search out some German handwriting helps and some genealogical words translated from German to English.

Jacob's application for a marriage license confirms the birth date and indicates that he was born in Island Creek Township, Jefferson County, Ohio.

I have not been able to obtain a copy of his county birth record. It differs slightly from other information. His name is listed as "Jake Carl Mincine" and the date of birth is listed as December 21, 1893. I always wonder about the early county records. From what I understand, there was no time limit for filing the information, so parents could go the next day, or a year and two days later, or whenever they were in town, and complete the information. Accuracy in that circumstance depends solely on the memory of the giver of the information.

So, I'm going with 2 records out of 3: December 15 is Jacob Increase Meinzen's birthday.

You can read most of the rest of Uncle Jacob's life story here.

Happy birthday, Uncle Jacob! I'm remembering you today.

Uncle Jacob Meinzen

The young man on the left is Jacob Increase Meinzen, son of Henry C. and Elizabeth (Armitage) Meinzen. He was born in December, 1893. The man on the right is my grandfather, William Carl Robert "Bob" Meinzen. He was born in February, 1892. They are brothers. I wonder if they were good friends. Did they play together as little boys?

There were no family stories about Uncle Jacob, no memories passed along. I know nothing of his childhood and early life, but I know a little about his adult years.

In early September, 1916, when he was 22, he married a young lady named Sudie Coss. At the time they married, they were living in Steubenville, Ohio. Jacob worked as a pipe fitter and Sudie was a pottery worker.

Their wedding photograph is at left. I think it's an interesting photo. Not like wedding photos these days, is it? Sudie looks, perhaps, a little nervous, maybe uncertain. Jacob, on the other hand, looks pleased, I think. Perhaps Sudie was the woman of his dreams?

The following year, at the end of May, 1917, a daughter, Elizabeth, was born to them.

And then, on September 15, 1917, tragedy struck. A local newspaper, "The Steubenville Weekly Gazette," reported on September 20 that Jacob was "engaged in pipe fitting on the top of one of the giant furnaces" at La Belle Iron Works when "he was seen suddenly to fall from his position on a ladder and descend to the ground with terrific speed." "He dropped . . . over 100 feet and was horribly crushed."

When I first saw this article, I imagined the responses of his parents and his wife upon hearing about the accident. His parents had already lost four adult children. Seeing it in print almost felt like a sock in the chest - as though I was reading about a living uncle that I personally knew. How sad I felt when I first learned - and how sad I continue to feel when I think of Uncle Jacob's life cut short at such a young age, when I think about his young wife suddenly a widow with an infant.

Looking at the postcard of La Belle Iron Works, I try to imagine where Uncle Jacob was. Can we see the giant furnaces in this photograph? And how far is 100 feet? It's easy to measure it on the ground but it's another matter - for me, at least - to move the distance from horizontal to perpendicular. Doing a little research, it seems that a building 13 stories high is about 100 feet from the ground. Ohhhhhh.

Sudie later remarried a widower with children, Tom Park, and together they had children. With the help of Aunt Dot's memory and some diligent searching and deduction, I was able to locate Sudie and her daughter Elizabeth and their new family on census records, then in city directories and the SSDI, until I was finally able to find Elizabeth, with her married name, and get in touch with her. Elizabeth was more than generous in giving me two photographs of her father and the wedding photograph of her parents. They are treasures.

I know that Uncle Jacob is not one of my direct ancestors. Part of my interest in genealogy and family history is gathering families together again. They start out together then grow to adulthood and leave home, often starting their own families. Finding the adult children of my ancestors feels like going full circle to me - to put them back with their parents - and at the same time, of course, bringing their spouses and children into the family circle.

My grandfather must have been devastated when his brother Jacob died in such a horrible accident. Jacob's whole family must have grieved for a very long time. While I still feel sorry for his death, I'm grateful to have found him. I'm grateful to be able to bring him alive, if only in my own memory....

Celebrating 95!

At left are William Carl Robert Meinzen (also known as Robert or Bob) and Emma Virginia Bickerstaff, my maternal grandparents. They would be celebrating their 95th year of marriage on Tuesday, September 8, 2009, if they were still alive. They were married in 1914 in the parsonage of the First Methodist Church in Mineral Ridge, Trumbull County, Ohio, by Rev. John Moore (so says a 50th anniversary newspaper article).

They both grew up in and around Steubenville, Ohio. I wish I knew how they met! I can't find any indication that they were neighbors, though I haven't searched census records too diligently to see. And as far as I know, they didn't attend the same church. Perhaps they attended the same school.... I don't know when they moved to Trumbull County. I suspect that Emma moved there with her parents, then Robert followed so they could marry. That's speculation, of course, based on the fact that Emma's parents moved to Mineral Ridge between 1910 and 1920. Robert's brother, Henry (junior) lived in Youngstown in 1916, but Robert's parents and the rest of his family stayed in Steubenville.

I have not yet found a wedding photo nor a newspaper article announcing their marriage. I think Emma was probably a beautiful bride.

At right is a copy of their marriage license and certificate. Even though it's only a photocopy, I'm pleased to have a copy of their signatures.

Happy Anniversary, Gramma and Grampa!
I love you.

Gramma Elizabeth Armitage Meinzen and her sister, Ann Armitage Hardy

I wouldn't want to mess with the lady on the left but maybe I could give the lady on the right a hug. The lady on the left with her hand on her hip is Ann (or Annie) Armitage Hardy. On the right, with the glass of water (or some other liquid) in her hand, is Elizabeth Armitage Meinzen. I don't know who the boy in the middle is.

This image came from Aunt Polly's box and is a black and white photocopy of an original photograph. The original photograph was not in the box so this is the best we're going to get unless I can track down who has the original.

Based on the clothing styles, this photograph may have been taken between 1898 and 1908. The hats could be from as early as 1893, up to or a little after 1908. More research may narrow the date.

Annie was born in 1850, the daughter of Abel Armitage and (as far as I can learn to date) his wife, Eliza. Elizabeth was born in 1852 to the same parents, in Yorkshire, England. According to census records, they came to the U.S. in 1864.

I want to know more about this photograph. It was probably taken in or around Steubenville, Ohio, because that's where they lived. But I want to know what year it was taken and who took the it. I want to know why Gramma Elizabeth is so primly holding a glass of water. Why are she and Annie dressed up for a photograph in the country? And why were they there? Were they at a picnic and if so, did people normally get dressed up for picnics? Who is the little boy? Is he one of their sons or a grandson? Grampa Meinzen (William Carl Robert) was born in 1892 and his brother Jacob was born in 1893. If this photo was taken after 1900, either would have been 8 or older. How old does this boy look?

Aunt Annie looks so very serious, almost grumpy. Gramma Elizabeth looks serious but perhaps there's a hint of gentleness about her mouth. She must have been a well-loved lady: three granddaughters were named after her.

Gramma Elizabeth was diagnosed with cancer of the face in 1917 at the age of 65. She died 3 years later in June, 1920.