Notable Women: Elizabeth Sunliter Young

From time to time, I write about the more notable women in my family tree, and recently I stumbled (quite literally) upon Elizabeth Sunliter.  She is one of my earliest known American ancestress, and she lived a neat life.  So I wanted to tell her story.

Elizabeth Sunliter was born 12 September 1782 to Peter Sunliter and his wife Elizabeth (also spelled Elisabeth).  She most likely was born in Passyunk, but could have also been born in Northern Liberties.  What is certain is she was born in Philadelphia County, and was the second born daughter of the couple.  Their first was also named Elisabeth, and while a death or burial record has not yet been located, it is very likely the first daughter named Elizabeth died in the year preceding this second one's birth.  Elizabeth was one of only two of the five children of Peter and Elizabeth Sunliter to survive childhood.  Her younger brother, Peter, also lived, but besides the first Elisabeth, son Georg and daughter Catharina also passed away in their youth.

I should note that the name Sunliter is spelled a number of different ways, all phonetically correct.  I have seen Sunlider, Sonliter, Sonleider, Sunlighter, Sohnleiter and any other combination..... All of which would be "correct" as there seems to be no standardized version of this name.

On 2 October 1804, Elizabeth married Johann "John" Young junior at St. Michael's and Zion Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, one of the oldest German Lutheran Churches in the area (it is still in existence!).  He was born about 1784 and the two met because it appears they were neighbors.

In twenty years, the couple had eleven children; Eliza, Mary, Philip, Sarah, John S., Peter Sunliter, Ann, Margaret, Catherine, Adam S. and Henry S. All eleven were likely born in East Southwark or Passyunk, as those were the areas John Young was enumerated on the 1810 and 1820 , and were all definitely born in Philadelphia County.  While it appears that the couple spoke German natively, as they were part of the huge German population in Philadelphia in the early part of the 19th century, they also spoke English.  They seemed to be founding members of the new English-Speaking Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran Church (their second daughter was one of the first to be baptized there) that was founded by some members of St. Michael and Zion churches and built on Race Street in Philadelphia.  It was here at St. John's that most of their children were baptized (and also where daughter Sarah later married Peter Vautier.... they were the parents of William John Vautier).

Like the Vautiers, the Youngs were truck farmers that operated a farm on the Neck, and their last name is mentioned in the same The Times article from 1891 in Philadelphia as the Vautiers that labels them "the Neck Barons."  John took over ownership of land Elizabeth's father left her when he died intestate in 1806.  The property was a parcel of land that was split with Elizabeth's brother Peter that had been bought by their father from Christian and Rachel Young (who may be related to John,  but I don't know for sure).  Deed records from Philadelphia are being attempted to be located to see if there was any other property.

John was a supporter of politics, and in particular was a member of the Democratic Republican Party, but he also appeared to have a drinking problem.  On 27 March 1828, he died at the age of forty four from "mania a potu", what would today be considered heavy habitual alcohol use.  He was buried at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery the day after he died, next to son Philip, who had died from bilious fever in 1823.

Elizabeth was named administratrix of the estate, and took over her husband's properties and her own, while raising her family in antebellum Philadelphia.  After all, her youngest children were only four and six when their father died.  She never remarried, but amassed a small fortune in the decades after her husband died.  She sold off some property as well per newspaper advertisements, though it is not known if it was property she acquired after John's death or not.

Some of the pitfalls into finding information on Elizabeth (especially now during the COVID-19 shutdown) is that while the Philadelphia Deed indices are online for the time period, not all of the deeds themselves were microfilmed and then digitally uploaded, so some of the deeds for an Elizabeth Young cannot be ascertained to be hers without examination.  There is also the fact that Passyunk, where the Youngs lived, did not become a part of the City of Philadelphia until 1854, so many of them were simply not listed in the Philadelphia area directories available online because they were not residing in the city (though for some years some of Passyunk was listed... just not everyone...)

Elizabeth Young died from a disease of the lungs on 24 April 1846 at the age of 63 on Girard's farm in Passyunk, Philadelphia.  She had outlived her husband by nearly twenty years.  She was buried two days later at Philanthropic Cemetery (another now defunct cemetery).

In her will, she left farm implements and the crop that had been planted to son John, instructed her executors to purchase furniture for not-yet-married Catherine, and then split the remainder of her estate between her ten children, with the caveat that those  heirs who owed her money would have it taken from their share of the inheritance.

Sources Used:
"140th Regiment Militia: Philadelphia County - Moyamensing Township," Aurora General Advertiser (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 2 June 1807, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 14 April 2020).

"1790 United States Federal Census," database online with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 April 2020), Entry for Peter Sunlighter, Year: 1790, Census Place: Mojamensing and Passyunk Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Series: M637, Roll: 9, Page: 255, Image: 547, and Family History Library Film: 0568149; citing First Census of the United States, 1790 (NARA microfilm publication M637, 12 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1810 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2019), Entry for Jno Young, Year: 1810, Census Place: East Southwark Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll: 56, Page: 135, Image: 00194, and Family History Library Film: 0193682; citing Third Census of the United States, 1810. (NARA microfilm publication M252, 71 rolls). Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1820 United States Federal Census," online database, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 April 2020), Entry for John Young and household, 1820 U S Census, Census Place: Passyunk Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Page: 142, NARA Roll: M33_110, and Image: 407; citing Fourth Census of the United States, 1820. (NARA microfilm publication M33, 142 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1830 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 April 2020), Entry for Elizabeth Young and faily, 1830, Census Place: Passyunk Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Series: M19, Roll: 157, Page: 314, and Family History Library Film: 0020631; citing Fifth Census of the United States, 1830. (NARA microfilm publication M19, 201 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1840 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 April 2020), Entry for Elizabeth Young and family, Year: 1840, Census Place: Passyunk Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll: 491, Page: 179, and Family History Library Film: 0020556; citing Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"At Private Sale," advertisement, Public Ledger (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 22 July 1841, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 April 2020).

"Democratic Republican Meeting," legislative acts or legal proceedings, Franklin Gazette (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 19 September 1820, page 2; online images, Genealogy Bank (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 20 February 2020).

"Died," death notice, Public Ledger (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 25 April 1846, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 April 2020).

Ellet Jr., Charles. A Map of the County of Philadelphia from Actual Survey (Philadelphia: Charles Ellet, 1843); digital image, Greater Philadelphia Digital History Network (https://www.philageohistory.org/tiles/viewer/ : accessed 20 April 2020), viewed Passyunk township.

"Historical Society Of Pennsylvania, Births & Baptisms," database online with images, FindMyPast (www.findmypast.com : accessed 17 April 2020), Entry for Elisab Sohnleitner, baptized 26 Sep 1782 at St. Michael and Zion Lutheran Church, Philadelphia, Baptisms 1771-1784, page 182, line 122; citing Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

"Historical Society Of Pennsylvania, Births & Baptisms," database online with images, FindMyPast (www.findmypast.com : accessed 12 February 2019), Entry for Ann Young, baptized 21 Jan 1816 at St. John's Lutheran Church 5th & Race Streets.

Ibid.  Entry for Margaret Young, baptized 27 Sept 1818 at St. John's Lutheran Church 5th & Race Streets.

Ibid.  Entry for Mary Young, baptized 10 May 1807 at St. John's Lutheran Church 5th & Race Streets

Ibid.  Entry for Peter Young, baptized 31 Jan 1813 at St. John's Lutheran Church 5th & Race Streets.

Ibid. Entry for Philip Young, baptized 17 June 1808 at St. John's Lutheran Church 5th & Race Streets.

Ibid. Entry for Sarah Young, baptized 11 Feb 1810 at St. John's Lutheran Church 5th & Race Streets.

"Historical Society Of Pennsylvania, Marriages," database online with images, FindMyPast (www.findmypast.com : accessed 12 February 2019), Entry for Johann Jung or Young and Elisabeth Sonleiter, married 02 Oct 1804, St. Micheal's & Zion Lutheran Church; citing Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

"The Neck Barons," The Times (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 25 April 1891, page 8; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 23 January 2019).

"Notice," legal notice, Sun (Philadelphia, Pennsyvania), 1 May 1846, page 2; online images, Genealogy Bank (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 20 April 2020).

Osborn, Matthew Warner. "A Detestable Shrine: Alcohol Abuse in Antebellum Philadelphia," Journal of the Early Republic, Volume 29, no. 1 (Spring 2009), online archive, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/stable/40208240 : accessed 20 April 2020), pages 101-132.

"Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-1999," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2019), Entry for the marriage of Johann Jung and Elisabeth Sonleiter (indexed as Sanleitam), 2 Oct 1804 at Saint Michael’s and Zion Church; citing Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-1999," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2019), Entry for John Young Jr. burial date 28 March 1828, referencing St John's Church Evangelical Lutheran (Philadlephia) burial records for 1828.

"Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-1999," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2019), Entry for John Young Jr. burial date 28 March 1828, referencing St John's Church Evangelical Lutheran burial record, Removals to Laurel Hill (son Philip too).

"Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-1999," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2019), Entry for Philip Young. burial date 26 Sep 1823, referencing St John's Church Evangelical Lutheran burial records for 1823.

"Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 13 April 2020), digital folder number 004009791 >image number 454 of 582 > Entry for John Young; referencing Registration of deaths, 1803-1903; arranged by year and cemetery, year 1828: Mar-July, July-Sept, Sept-Oct, Oct-Dec, page 70, entry for Evangelical Lutheran Burial Ground of St. John's Church burials 22-29 March 1828; citing Philadelphia City Archives and Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

"Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 12 April 2020), Entry for Elizabeth Young, died 24 Apr 1846; referencing Philantrophic Burial Ground records 1846:11 April-27 June; FHL microfilm 1,906,484.

"Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 April 2020), Entry for Elizabeth Young, probate date 23 April 1846, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; will number 82, 1846; citing Pennsylvania County District and Probate Courts.

"Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2019), Entry for John Young, probate date 1828, Pennsylvania, City of Philadelphia, administration files; Author: Philadelphia (Pennsylvania). Register of Wills; Probate Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Administration Files, No 21-86, 1828; Book N, Page 188, number 4.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Deed Book TH 40: 371-373, John and Elizabeth Young to Peter Sunliter, recorded 9 March 1813; FHL microfilm 21971.

Chasing the Elusive: John Fielding Sr.

Occasionally I write about some of my more elusive family members, in hopes that one day I can break.  I call them "Chasing the Elusive" and John Fielding is one such member, being a maternal great-grandfather of my grandpap.  He was the grandfather to another Chasing the Elusive subject, Mark Fielding.

John Fielding was born sometime in 1801, and was likely baptized 16 August 1801 in Anglican church in the parish of St Mary, St Denys and St George in Manchester, England as the son of one Mathew Fielding.  His mother's name may have been Mary, although records don't give a name for his mother.  Later children's baptisms in the same parish (for Cooper, William and Martha) link Mathew to a Mary, surname unknown.

It is not known when John immigrated to the United States, but it had to have been sometime before 1833 when his eldest son was born in Pennsylvania.  Sometime before that point, he married Martha Gibson (some sources state her surname was Cooper), who was born in Pennsylvania, though her age fluctuates on census records, putting her birth sometimes between 1809 and 1814.

The couple had nine children.  Cooper was their eldest, born March 1833.  Son Joseph was born in 1835, and son James was born 14 September 1837 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania.  At some point as well came a daughter who remains nameless at this point, who was born sometime between 1835 and 1840 (she likely died very young).  The 1840 census enumeration lists four children in the household of John Fielding of Allegheny City, as well as John and wife Martha.  The remaining five children were born after that enumeration. Martha was born 16 September 1841. Amos was born 9 February 1844. John was born 10 December 1846.  William was born 28 July 1850.  The youngest, Mathew, was born sometime in 1853 or 1854.

John was a shoemaker by trade, at least from 1850, when he was listed as such in the federal census enumeration.  He was listed as a shoemaker in several Pittsburgh area directories, living on Ohio Street in the Fourth Ward of Allegheny City.

In 1863, son John was injured in an accident involving a steam fire engine, eventually losing a leg from the accident.  John Fielding Sr. sued the company (Oakland Railway Company) that was tasked with maintaining the street on which the accident occurred for medical bills and his son's lost wages.  He won his suit on 22 December 1863, and recouped $1800.  The suit was brought by the company to the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, who in October of the following year ruled there was no error in the original judgement.

It is not clear however if John Fielding Sr. was able to enjoy his winnings, however.  On 23 July 1864, a petition of guardianship was filed four his four youngest sons in the Allegheny County Orphan's Court, listing them as the minor children of John Fielding, deceased.  The petition was granted and lawyer J. D. Hancock was awarded guardianship of Amos, John, William and Mathew.  Another lawyer, Thomas J. Keenan was awarded letters of administration in the probate of John's estate, as he died intestate. Both of these lawyers handled his suit against the railway company, so it is not altogether surprising that they were involved in handling his affairs after his death.

This is where I am chasing the elusive: I have not found either the date he died or how he died.  Since death records were not a thing in Allegheny City (nor where they a county or state thing either yet), I have not been able to find any mention of a death for either him or his wife in the 1860s.  I have checked available cemetery records available online, online newspapers (though I may not be searching with the correct parameters, as the searches are all OCR readers, so it's likely a death notice does exist somewhere), probate records, even land records available for that time period.  I know he was alive in December of 1863 when he won his suit, and had passed before July of 1864 when his sons became the wards of J. D. Hancock, but the date remains elusive. Given that the four boys show up living with elder brother Cooper on the 1870 census, it is likely that Martha also died in this time period.  Again, no record can be located for her as well.

I may never find the record, or I may crack the case.  Who knows.  One thing is for certain, though.  I will have fun doing the research either way.

Sources Used:
"1840 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 July 2016), Entry for Jno Fealding and household, Year: 1840, Census Place: Allegheny Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: 440, Page: 290, Image: 592, and Family History Library Film: 0020536; citing Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1850 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 28 July 2016), Entry for John Feilding and household, Year: 1850, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 4 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M432_744, Page: 217B, and Image: 440; citing Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1860 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 July 2016), Entry for J. Fielden and family, Year: 1860, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 4 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M653_1068, Page: 676, Image: 63, and Family History Library Film: 805068 (enumerated as J. Fielden and family); citing 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

"1870 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 March 2020), Entry for Cooper Fielding and family, Year: 1870, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 4 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M593_1291, Page: 367B, and Family History Library Film: 552790; citing 1870 U.S. census, population schedules. NARA microfilm publication M593, 1,761 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

"Coroner's Inquest," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 13 April 1863, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

"The Death of Young Reams," The Pittsburgh Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 13 April 1863, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

Directory of Pittsburgh & vicinity for, 1857-1858 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: George H. Thurston, 1857), 62, "Fielding John, shoe maker, h Ohio n West"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://digital.library.pitt.edu : accessed 30 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh & vicinity for, 1858/1859 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: George H. Thurston, 1858), 78, "Fielding John, shoemaker, h Ohio n Middle, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1861-1862 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1861), 93, "Fielding John, shoemaker, 140 Ohio, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1862-1863 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G.H. Thurston, 1862), 90, "Fielding John, shoemaker, 140 Ohio, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1863-1864 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1863), 100, "Fielding John, shoemaker, 40 Ohio, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 30 July 2016), I believe the 40 should be 140, that it was a typo.

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1864-1865 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1864), 95, "Fielding John, shoemaker, 140 Ohio, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digitial Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 7 April 2020).

"Distressing Accident: A Man Killed and a Boy Maimed by Steam Fire Engine," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 11 April 1863, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

Fahnestock's Pittsburgh directory for 1850: containing the names of the inhabitants of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, & vicinity : their occupation, places of business and dwelling houses : also, a list of the public offices, banks, &c, 1850 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Geo. Parkin & Co, 1850), 30, "Fielding John, shoemr, Ohio, Al"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://digital.library.pitt.edu : accessed 30 July 2016).

"Heavy Verdict," The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 8 April 1864, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

"Heavy Verdicts," The Daily Evening Express (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), 15 December 1864, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 March 2020).

"Important Trial in the District Court," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 24 December 1863, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

"Lease for Sale," advertisement, Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 6 July 1866, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

"Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994," database online with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 24 March 2020), Allegheny County Orphans' Court docket 19, June term 1864, page 199, no. 109, entry for petition of Amos, John, Matthew and William Fielding for guardianship, filed 23 July 1864, image 127 of 650; FHL microfilm number 866215; citing county courthouses in Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994," database online with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 24 March 2020), Allegheny County Orphans' court docket, v. 21, page 226, No. 75, petition of Martha Caskey in estate of John Fielding, deceased, filed 9 June 1866; image 141 of 679; FHL microfilm number 872591; citing county courthouses in Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994," database online with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 24 March 2020), Allegheny County Orphans' court docket, v. 21, page 456, no. 18, Account of Thomas J. Keenan administrator of John Fielding Sr., deceased, filed 3 Dec 1866, image 262 of 679; FHL microfilm number 872591; citing county courthouses in Pennsylvania.

"Sad Accident - Man Killed and Boy Seriously Injured," The Pittsburgh Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 11 April 1863, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 March 2020).

Woodward & Rowlands' Pittsburgh directory for 1852: containing the names of the inhabitants of Pittsburgh and Allegheny, 1852 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: W.S. Haven, 1852), 107 (page 7 of Allegheny Directory), "Fielding John, shoemr, 7 Ohio st."; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://digital.library.pitt.edu : accessed 30 July 2016).

Wright, Robert E. State Reporter, Pennsylvania State Report, Volume 48 (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Kay and Brother, 1865), 320-328; online images, Google Books (https://books.google.com/books : accessed 24 March 2020).

The Tragic Story of Jonas Hager

I once joked to my mother that her great grandfathers didn't fare so well.  After all, Florian Waldspurger was decapitated in the Hatfield Train Wreck in 1900.  William James Cox died as the result of a hunting accident years after leaving his first wife, Anna Sperry Cox.  William John Vautier lost the use of one arm after taking a bullet in the Civil War.  And then, there is Jonas Hager, who died tragically.  But let's start at the beginning.

Jonas Hager was born 20 January 1866 in Finland Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania as the eldest son of Jonas Hager and Elizabeth Heffentrager.  His parents had both been married before they wed in September of 1865, just four months before Jonas' birth, and both had been left as widowers with children.  The marriage could have been one of convenience, with a pastor's blessing later (as pastors were hard to come by in the then rural area in which they lived).  Whatever the case, there is a great deal of history on both of his parents, but since they are not the focus of this piece, I will save it for some other time.

When Jonas was just fifteen years of age, his father died.  There is some evidence that Jonas Hager Senior was also maimed or crippled, so one can imagine the kind of strain that put on the young lad, as he likely had to work from an early age to help support the family.

At the age of eighteen, Jonas married Christianna Huber, who was three months his senior, in Bucks County.  The couple was wed 8 March 1884 at the Ridge Valley Reformed Church in West Rockhill Township by the Reverend Simon Gross.  Christianna was the sixth child born to German immigrants Johann Georg "George" Huber and Christina Barbara Esser.  Christianna also had to work from a young age, as she worked as a servant for more prominent families in Bucks County.

The couple's first child, Bertha, was born 1June 1884 in Finland Township.  Jonas worked as a blue collar laborer and a moulder, and the family seemed to move around a bit, living in a series of rented homes.  By 1893 when they were living on Green Street in Lansdale, they had three more children, George Alfred (born 7 September 1886), Elizabeth (born sometime in August 1888) and Robert Franklin Hager (born 14 April 1891).  Son Elmer H. was born in the home on Green Street on 26 August 1893.

On the 1900 census, the family was living in a rented home in Hatfield Township, where daughter Jennie Elnora was born just three days before the family was enumerated on the 1900 Census.  An interesting clue from this census enumeration indicates that the couple had a child born between Elmer's birth in 1893 and Jennie's birth in 1900, but that the child had passed away.  Research done so far has not uncovered this unknown child, but I continue to look.

The couple went on to have two more sons.  Webster Linwood was born 5 October 1902 in Lansdale, as was the couple's last son, Jonas Leon Hager, who was born on 12 May 1905, just one year before the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania made birth certificates a mandatory state level registration.

Jonas was an avid outdoorsman, and loved to fish.  He likely supplemented the family's meals with his smaller catches, though he probably kept some trophies as well.  1908 seemed to be no different a year.

On the 15th of June, Jonas Hager skipped work at the plant of Norristown Plumbing Supply Company to go fishing with his three buddies, Paul Henning, Alfred Bateman, and John Jerschen.  It was a slow day, and they wanted to catch some fish, as bass season had just opened up.  After some time of the fish not biting, Jonas got bored.

While his friends made for the shore, Jonas apparently decided to go for a swim, despite his friends' protest that the water was too cold.  He rowed the boat he was using to Barbados Island, just south of Norristown on the Schuylkill River.  He disrobed and jumped into the river for a swim.  However, he only swam for a bit before struggling in the water and going under, drowning in the process.

His three friends panicked when he went under, and instead of helping their friend (one account says they looked for him and could not find him), they fled the scene, reporting his drowning to the police at Norristown City Hall.  The three were arrested, but were later released when it was discovered that the drowning was accidental and not intentional.

Jonas' body was recovered several hours after the incident, and the death certificate was signed by the coroner, Joseph King.  Several newspapers reported on his death, though his age and even his name vary in the accounts.

The Lansdale Reporter summed up best the family's shock:

"The drowned man was 42 years of age and leaves a widow and eight children, three of who are married. The wife and five younger children are heart-broken over the loss of their main support at their humble St. Elmo Street home. The family were preparing to move to Norristown next week, where Mr. Hager had recently secured steady work." (18 June 1908, Page 3)

Jonas was buried five days after his death in Division A, Section D, Lot 16, Grave 1 of Lansdale Cemetery in Lansdale, Pennsylvania.  The undertaker in charge of the services was D. Y. Monday of Norristown, Pennsylvania.

Jonas Hager's headstone at Lansdale Cemetery.  Photograph taken August 2017 by the blogger.

Christianna, devastated by the loss of her husband, had to work a series of jobs to make ends meet.  She worked as a housekeeper, a laundress , and cleaned houses to support her children, as Jonas Leon was only three when his father died.  The family moved around, renting rooms and houses as they were able.  By 1930, Christianna did own a home in Lansdale at 623 Cannon Street, which had a radio set according to the 1930 census enumeration.  It was at this home that she died on 2 November 1936 at the age of seventy-one from complications of diabetes.  She was buried five days later next to her husband at Lansdale Cemetery.

Christianna Huber Hager's hedstone at Lansdale Cemetery.  Photograph taken August 2017 by the blogger.

Sources Used:

"1870 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 April 2017), Entry for Jonas Hager and family, Year: 1870, Census Place: Marlborough Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll: M593_1377, Page: 597B, Image: 422119, and Family History Library Film: 552876; citing 1870 U.S. census, population schedules. NARA microfilm publication M593, 1,761 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

"1900 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 January 2017), Entry for Jonas Hager and family, Year: 1900, Census Place: Hatfield Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll: 1442, Page: 2B, Enumeration District: 0204, and FHL microfilm: 1241442; citing United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.

"1910 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 January 2017), Entry for Christiana Hager and family, Year: 1910, Census Place: Hatfield Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll: T624_1377, Page: 17A, Enumeration District: 0082, and FHL microfilm: 1375390; citing Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1920 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 April 2017), Entry for Christiana Hager and household, Year: 1920, Census Place: Lansdale East Ward Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll: T625_1605, Page: 14A, Enumeration District: 102, and Image: 236; citing Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1930 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 April 2017), Entry for Jonas Hager and family, Year: 1930, Census Place: Lansdale Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll: 2082, Page: 30B, Enumeration District: 0053, Image: 87.0, and FHL microfilm: 2341816; citing United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.

Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "1880 United States Federal Census," database online with images, Ancestry.com Operation, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 April 2017), Entry for Jonas Hager and family, Year: 1880, Census Place: Marlborough Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll: 1158, Family History Film: 1255158, Pages: 316 C and 316D, Enumeration District: 016, and Image:s 0258 and 0259; citing Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"Bass Fisherman Drowns," The Allentown Democrat (Allentown, Pennsylvania), 18 June 1908, Page 3; online archives, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 April 2017).

"Directory of Montgomery County, Penna. 1900-1902," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 May 2017), page 313. "Hager Jonas, Lab, Lansdale"; citing Directory of Montgomery County, Penna. 1900-1902 : containing residence and business directories of all the boroughs, also a list of residents with post office addresses in each township, as shown by the latest assessors' returns. Philadelphia: Journal of Commerce Pub. Co., 1900.

"Drowned While In Swimming," Harrisburg Daily Independent (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania), 16 June 1908, page 4; online archives, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 April 2017).

Elmer H Hager and Lillie B Grebe, (29 August 1914), Application for Marriage License and Certificate of Marriage: page 269, cn 25117; Montgomery County Archival Records Department, Norristown, Pennsylvania. listed as father, deceased, occupation moulder, born in Finland Township.

Find A Grave, online database (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 23 April 2017), memorial page for Christianna Huber Hager, Find A Grave Memorial # 38455107, citing Lansdale Cemetery (Lansdale, Pennsylvania), memorial created by LWD, maintained by Marti Drumheller, photograph by Anonymous.

Find A Grave, online database (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 20 April 2017), memorial page for Jonas Hager, Find A Grave Memorial # 38455113, citing Lansdale Cemetery (Lansdale, Pennsylvania), memorial created by LWD, maintained by Marti Drumheller, photograph by Anonymous.

Jesse Meyer Cox and Jennie Elnora Hager, (23 March 1918), Application for Marriage License and Certificate of Marriage: file number 30133; Montgomery County Archival Records Department, Norristown, Pennsylvania.

"Lansdale Man Drowned," The Lansdale Reporter (Lansdale, Pennsylvania), 18 June 1908, page 3. 

"Lansdale Woman Dies," death notice, The Lansdale Reporter (Lansdale, Pennsylvania), 3 November 1936, page number not recorded. Transcription found on the Find A Grave memorial for Christianna Huber Hager (memorial number 38455107).

"Lansdaler Drowned," The Ambler Gazette (Ambler, Pennsylvania), 18 June 1908, page 4; online images, POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents (http://digitalcollections.powerlibrary.org/cdm/ : accessed 20 April 2017), Wissahickon Valley Public Library's Ambler Gazette Collection. incorrectly listed as James rather than Jonas.

"Oral interview with Dorothy (Cox) Ritter," 1999-2000 by great-niece Kelley Wood (Fullerton, California), owned by Kelley Wood-Davis, Norwalk, Iowa, no notes taken; oral information on family history.

Orphan's Court, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Register of Births 1893-1900, Book 1893-1997, page 198; Entry for Elmer Hager; FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9TN-K96Z-Q?mode=g&i=115&cat=321969: accessed 4 January 2017); image 116; FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah; FHL microfilm 925501.

Orphan's Court, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Register of Births 1893-1900, Book 1897-1900, page 120; Entry for Jennie Elnora Hager; FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9TN-K9D4-D?mode=g: accessed 26 Dec 2016); image 446; FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah; FHL microfilm 925501.

"Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985," online database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 April 2017), Entry for Jonas Hager and Christianna Heuber, marriage 8 Mar 1884, Ridge Valley Reformed Church, West Rockhill, Bucks, Pennsylvania; referencing the Private Records of Simon K. Gross, Christ Reformed Church at Indian Creek, Ridge Valley, Bucks County. Rearranged and typed by Raymond Hollenbach of Royersford, June 1972. Page 38; Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Collection Name: Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records; Reel: 797; citing Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985," online database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 April 2017), Entry for Jonas Hager and Christianna Huber, marriage 8 Mar 1884, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, The Reverend Simon K Gross Pastoral Records; Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Collection Name: Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records; Reel: 797; citing Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1966," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 April 2017), Entry for Christiana Huber Hager, died 2 Nov 1936, cn 104909; Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Pennsylvania, USA; Certificate Number Range: 102501-105500; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1966," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 20 April 2017), Entry for Jonas Hager, died 15 June 1908, cn 54955, Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Pennsylvania, USA; Certificate Number Range: 052001-055800; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Roy Krupp and Bertha A Hager, (10 August 1901), Application for Marriage License and Certificate of Marriage: Page 360, ln 11419; Montgomery County Archival Records Department, Norristown, Pennsylvania. listed as father (also had to give consent, as Bertha was only 17)

Chasing the Elusive: The Mysterious Disappearance of Burris Doudney Wood I

This is a "Chasing the Elusive" in that I don't know what happened to my third-great-grandfather, but it is also a story that has been passed down through the family.

This blog post is on the first Burris Doudney Wood in the family.  He named a son Burris Doudney, and he also had a nephew named for him.... the nephew became the famous steamboat captain Burris D. Wood who died in 1902.  Burris' son, Burris Doudney Jr. also disappeared mysteriously and is a "Chasing the Elusive" in his own right.

Anyway, I should start at the beginning.

Burris Doudney Wood was the ninth child and second son born to Abinah Belford Wood and Susannah Humphreys, and their last child to be born in New Jersey.  He was born 9 November 1815, probably in Cumberland County, as Abinah did own land in Greenwich Township there, but it is not known for sure.  What is known is Burris made his way to Franklin, Fayette County, Pennsylvania with the family, and was enumerated on a federal census there in 1820 as the free white son under the age of ten in the household of "Biney Woods."

By 1830, the family was living in Saint Clair Township, just south of Pittsburgh, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.  Burris was again enumerated in the household of Abinah Wood (Ancestry has him listed as Anich) as one of two males aged 10-14 in the household.  (Burris' brother David was listed as the other one).

*Side note here - until 1850, the only people listed on the Census Enumerations were the heads of the households.... everyone else was tallied as a person living in the household, so it makes for interesting research sometimes.*

Burris married Miss Julia Blackford (or Blachford) on 1 May 1838 likely in Allegheny County, as he was living there, but the couple could have been in the neighboring Washington County, where Julia was supposedly born.  No records exist to prove this date as the marriage except for what I like to call "the Wood Book" in my research - it's actual title is History and Genealogy of the Descendants of Abinah wood and Susannah Humphreys.  The family is listed as "Wood Family III" for those interested. Julia was born sometime between 1815 and 1817 in the aforementioned Washington County according to family stories,though not much is known about her parentage.  She may have been the daughter of a John Blackford but that is just hypothetical at this point, so I don't have parentage listed for her.

At any rate, the couple lived in Mifflin Township, Allegheny County, according to the household enumeration done in 1840 for the federal census.  Mifflin Township was south and slightly east of what is now present day Pittsburgh.  It was east of Saint Clair Township at the time Burris lived there and most of the people who lived in the area were shipbuilders (Family stories suggest Burris got his start as a shipbuilder).  Burris was enumerated directly after his brother-in-law John Arehart (who married Emma Wood), which suggests that they were neighbors.  Enumerated in his household was himself, Julia, and their infant daughter, Eliza (or Elizabeth).

In 1842, the couple moved their small family, which by this time also had a son, John Devender (born 23 April 1841) to Lower Saint Clair Township, as Burris had bought property on Brownsville Plank Road.  The land he purchased was bought from Alfred Verner for $150 on 2 Jul 1842, and it is assumed the family lived here for a time.  Brother David ought land that bordered it.  However, Burris (and David) apparently went into debt with Verner in 1846, as the land was seized and sold in a sheriff's sale.  Burris was able to buy the land back in 1847, but had also bought two other properties that year, a parcel of land at the corner of  Carson Street and Joseph Street as well as a parcel of land at Clifton and Joseph Street, both in East Birmingham, Allegheny County.  It is not known exactly which property the family lived at.

By 1850, when the family was enumerated again on the federal census living in East Birmingham and where Burris was listed in the local directory as a Justice of the Peace on Joseph Street, the couple had nearly completed their family with the births of their next four children.  Reumah Anne was born 14 Jan 1843.  Margaret M. was born 18 June 1844. William W. was born sometime in 1847 and the aforementioned son Burris Doudney was born 27 May 1849.  All six children (including Eliza and John) were enumerated along with Burris and Julia on the census.

Also in 1850 Burris purchased one more property, having sold off the rest of his properties.  This parcel of land was situated on Wharton Street and Joseph Street in East Birmingham.  He only owned this land for a little over a year, selling it in June 1851.  It is not know where the family moved, though it is likely the remained in East Birmingham and rented.

In 1852, just after the birth of the couple's final son, George W Wood (born 1 April 1852),  Burris had to deal with a legal issue.  He and one Francis Sellers were plaintiffs in a case  against William C. Aughinbaugh and James Moore.   There was an action of trespass on the case for the recovery of $200 for work and labor done by Burris and Sellers.  The case went to the jury on 6 May 1852 and Wood and Sellers received $101.06.

For one reason or another, Burris decided that life in Allegheny County no longer suited his family.  Because this was the heyday of the steamships, and he had connections to shipbuilding, he decided he was going to pack up his family and moved to Saint Louis, Missouri, which was a hub of activity.  Sometime in the spring of 1854, he traveled via boat to Saint Louis, intent on finding a place for his family to live.  On 10 May 1854 he sent a telegram back to East Birmingham instructing his wife and children, who were packing for the move, to stay in East Birmingham until he sent for them.

It was the last message the family ever received.

Theories as to what happened to him abound.  Family members who were interviewed after the fact were adamant that he did not abandon his family and that he had to have been murdered.  He did have the family's fortune on him, and apparently was involved somehow in another lawsuit, though nothing has come to light in regards to any other legal matters.  Nothing has ever been proven as to what happened to him after 10 May 1854, which has been listed as his death date ever since.

I have been searching fruitlessly ever since discovering this story early in my research.  So far, while certain clues have emerged, nothing can cement any theory.  I did search the Deed record index in St. Louis, Missouri to see if there was any record of property bought there, but nothing was recorded.  Burris' name was used in connection with an advertisement for Genuine Holland Bitters, which ran in local area newspapers as late as 1858 and beyond.  These refer to him as "Mr. B. D. Wood late Justice of the Peace, East Birmingham, P[ennsylvani]a."  Perhaps something was amiss?

Julia, back in East Birmingham, was left with seven children under the age of 15.  Family stories gathered through the years suggest that after Burris mysteriously disappeared in 1854, Julia was penniless.  She was also left to raise her family by herself and ended up making ends meet by working small odd jobs, such as cleaning and laundry, until her children were old enough to support her.  She resided in a boarding house on Washington near Main in Birmingham in 1857 listed as a widow, but had moved to Temperanceville by 1860, likely to be closer to Burris' sisters Susannah Wood Ainsworth and Elizabeth Wood Shaffer, as both of them were living there already.

As was contemporary for the time, Julia relied on her sons to survive, residing with John, William, Burris and George at one point or another throughout the rest of her life. What is fascinating is that she was listed as "Mrs. Woods", a widow living by herself on the 1880 census enumeration.

For the final three weeks of her life, she did live with daughter Reumah at 40 South Diamond Street in Allegheny City.  She died there on 25 October 1885 from bronchial pneumonia.  One of her obituaries lists that she died at son John's home, but the death registration itself gives Reumah's address as where she died.  After a funeral at son John's home four days later, she was buried in section B, lot number 73, grave number 3 at Highwood Cemetery in what is now Pittsburgh.

Sources Used:
 "1820 United States Federal Census," online database, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 July 2016), Entry for Biney Woods and household, 1820 U S Census, Census Place: Franklin Fayette, Pennsylvania, Page: 147, NARA Roll: M33_103, and Image: 155; citing Fourth Census of the United States, 1820. (NARA microfilm publication M33, 142 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1830 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 July 2016), Entry for Abinah Wood (indexed as Anich), Year: 1830, Census Place: St Clair Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Series: M19, Roll: 144, Page: 208, and Family History Library Film: 0020618; citing Fifth Census of the United States, 1830. (NARA microfilm publication M19, 201 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1840 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 July 2016), Entry for Burris Woods and family, Year: 1840, Census Place: Mifflin Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: 439, Page: 150, Image: 309, and Family History Library Film: 0020536; citing Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1850 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 July 2016), Entry for Burris D. Wood and family, Year: 1850, Census Place: East Birmingham Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M432_748, Page: 37B, and Image: 80; citing Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1860 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 July 2016), Entry for Julia Wood and family, Year: 1860, Census Place: Temperanceville Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M653_1062, Page: 535, Image: 542, and Family History Library Film: 805062; citing 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

"1870 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 July 2016), Entry for Julian Woods and Household, Year: 1870, Census Place: McClure Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M593_1294, Page: 111A, Image: 335422, and Family History Library Film: 552793; citing 1870 U.S. census, population schedules. NARA microfilm publication M593, 1,761 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "1880 United States Federal Census," database online with images, Ancestry.com Operation, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 July 2016), Entry for Mrs. Woods, Year: 1880, Census Place: Allegheny Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: 1088, Family History Film: 1255088, Page: 102A, Enumeration District: 028, and Image: 0202 (enumerated as Mrs. Woods); citing Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 70: 490, Alfred Verner and wife to Burris D. Wood, recorded 10 June 1845; FHL microfilm 8091683.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 77: 384-385, Oliver Ormsby and wife to Burris D. Wood, recorded 11 August 1847; FHL microfilm 1497890.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 79: 79-80, William Phillips to Burris D. Wood, recorded 1 Nov 1847; FHL microfilm 1497891.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 81: 653-655, Elijah Trovillo, sheriff, to William Phillips on behalf of Burris D. Wood, recorder 23 August 1848; FHL microfilm 8091688.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 83: 200-201, Burris and Julianne Wood to John Gilbraith, recorded 20 Nov 1848; FHL microfilm 1497892.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 86: 281-282, George Duncan and Wife to Burris D. Wood, recorded 30 May 1849; FHL microfilm 8091679.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 88: 150-151, Burris D and Juliana Wood to George Hoezel, recorded 12 October 1849; FHL microfilm 1497894.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 88: 607-608, Burris D. (B.D.) and Julian Wood to Thomas Elmore, recorded 12 Feb 1850; FHL microfilm 1497943.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 93: 337-338, Thomas Elmore and wife to Burris D. Wood, recorded 16 Nov 1850; FHL microfilm 1497944.

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 96: 400-401, Burris D. and Julian Wood to Theodore Steinike, recorded 20 July 1851; FHL microfilm 1497946.

Atlas of the cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs (Philadlephia, Pennsylvania: G.M. Hopkins, 1876); digital images, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 6 April 2018), Plate 110, Temperanceville and part of Chartiers, viewed Elliot Street and the Rolling Mill.

Atlas of the vicinity of the cities Pittsburgh and Allegheny, Penna. : from official records, private plans and actual surveys. (Philadelphia: G.M. Hopkins Company, 1886); digital image, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 3 April 2018), Plate 29, viewed the area of McClure and Ashton.

"A Wonderful Remedy - Mr. B. D. Woods," advertisement, Pittsburgh Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 28 June 1855, Page 2, "Mr. B.D. Woods, late Justice of the Peace, East Birmingham, Pa."; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 July 2016); advertisement for Genuine Holland Bitters.

"A Wonderful Remedy - Mr. B. D. Woods," advertisement, Wheeling Daily Intelligencer (Wheeling, Virginia [West Virginia]), 5 April 1858, page 2; online images, Virginia Chronicle : Library of Virginia (https://virginiachronicle.com/ : accessed 15 March 2020), The Virginia Newspaper Project.

"Died," death notices, Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennylvania), 27 October 1888, Page 7 "Julia Wood"; online images, Google News Archives (https://news.google.com/newspapers : accessed 20 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh & vicinity for, 1857-1858 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: George H. Thurston, 1857), 229, "Woods Julia A, widow of Horace, BH Washington N. Main"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://digital.library.pitt.edu : accessed 3 April 2018).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1861-1862 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1861), 338, "Wood Julia Ann, widow Burrows, above Steubenville pike n Wood, T(emperanceville)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 6 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1862-1863 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G.H. Thurston, 1862), 334, "Woods Julia A., wid Burris D., Elliott, T(emperanceville)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 6 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1863-1864 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1863), 367, "Woods, Julia Ann, wid Burris, Elliott n Wood, T(emperanceville)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 6 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1864-1865 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1864), 348, "Woods Julia Ann, wid Barris, Elliott n Wood's mill, T(emperance)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digitial Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 6 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1866/1867 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G.H. Thurston, 1866), 410, "Woods Julia A, wid Burris, Elliott n Rolling Mill, T(emperanceville)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 6 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1867/1868 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G.H. Thurston, 1868), 455, "Wood Julia Ann, wid Barris, Elliot n rolling mill T(emperanceville)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 6 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1868/1869 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1868), 432, "Wood Julia, wid Burns, Virgin ay, T(emperanceville)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 6 July 2016).

Fahnestock's Pittsburgh directory for 1850: containing the names of the inhabitants of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, & vicinity : their occupation, places of business and dwelling houses : also, a list of the public offices, banks, &c, 1850 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Geo. Parkin & Co, 1850), 105, "Woods B.D. justice peace, Joseph, E Bir"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://digital.library.pitt.edu : accessed 6 July 2016).

Find A Grave, database with images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 13 August 2016), memorial page for Julia Ann Blanchford sp? Wood, Find A Grave Memorial # 19490418, citing Highwood Cemetery (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), memorial created by William Bozic, photograph by William Bozic.

"The Grim Messenger," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 1 January 1889, page 8; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 31 March 2018).

"History Overview," Mifflin Township History, 2012 (www.mifflintownshiphistory.wordpress.com : accessed 28 March 2018).

"Home Matters," The Pittsburgh Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 5 May 1852, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 3 April 2018).

"Home Matters," The Pittsburgh Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 6 May 1852, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 3 May 2018).

J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1882/1883 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher and Thurston, 1882), 804, "Woods Julia, wid ________, 8 Howards Row, Beaver av, Allegheny"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 19 July 2016).

J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1883/1884 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher and Thurston, 1883), 844, "Woods Julia A, wid Veris B, 203 Cass av, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digitall Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 19 July 2016).

J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1885/1886 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher and Thurston, 1885), 953, "Woods Julia A, wid Berris, Ashland av, n McClure av, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 19 July 2016).

J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1886/1887 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1886), 991, "Woods Julia A, wid Burris, Ashland av, n McClure av, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 19 July 2016).

J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1887/1888 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Diffenbacher and Thurston, 1887), 1008, "Woods Julia A, wid Burris, r Shady av, n Eckert, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 20 July 2016).

Jordan, Sarah Strickler. niece of Burris D. Wood, written statement by P.A. Wood, no date recorded; transcribed copy of written statement, privately held by Kelley Wood-Davis, Norwalk, Iowa, 2016. Transcribed by Florence Wood Wolcott and copied by Martha Wood Scudder, who mailed a photocopy to Kelley Wood-Davis in 2001.

Julia Wood entry, Registration of deaths in the city of Allegheny, 1876-1907, volume 3: page 333, Allegheny County City County Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

McIlvain, Josephine. "Twelve Blocks: A Study of One Segment of Pittsburgh’s South Side, 1880-1915." The Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine, Volume 60, No. 4 (October 1977): 351-370.

"Sheriff's Sales," notice of sale of debtor's property, Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 22 May 1846, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 22 March 2018).

Sidney, J.; J. Neff; S. McRea, Map of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, with the names of property-holders : from actual surveys (Philadelphia and Allegheny City: S. Moody, 1851); digital image, Library of Congress (http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3823a.la000699 : accessed 26 March 2018), viewed Lower Saint Clair Township and the area in which the land was located.

St. Louis (City and County), Missouri, Inverted index, W 1804-1891: Year 1854, Negative search; FHL microfilm 8193896.

"Work of the Grim reaper," The Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 27 October 1888, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 31 March 2018).

Wood, B.D. (St. Louis, Missouri) to Julia Ann Wood, telegram, 10 May 1854; privately held by Kelley Wood-Davis. Norwalk, Iowa, 2016. transcribed copy of a telegram. Telegram sent to Percy A. Wood in 1903 by Harry W. Wood, grandson of B.D. Wood. Transcription date and creator unknown. Photocopy of transcription was mailed by Martha Wood Scudder to Kelley Wood-Davis in 2001.

Wood, J. H.; T. R. Wood; P. A. Wood; and G. E. Wood. History and Genealogy of the Descendants of Abinah Wood and Susannah Humphreys. Andover, Ohio: Press of the Citizen, 1903.

Wood, William Walker. grandfather of Percy A. Wood, not recorded, statement by Percy A. Wood, no date recorded; transcribed copy of statement made by W. W. Wood regarding the disappearance of his brother, Burris D. Wood, privately held by Kelley Wood-Davis, Norwalk, Iowa, 2016. Transcribed by Florence Wood Wolcott and copied by Martha Wood Scudder, who mailed a photocopy of transcription to Kelley Wood-Davis in 2001.

The Story of William John Vautier

My maternal grandfather's maternal grandfather was a wonderful character, and one of my few great-great-grandparents of whom I have several photographs, thanks to different cousins. He also has one of the most detailed reports of anyone in my family, due in part to persistence and multiple sources (like Philadelphia city directories and a very complete Civil War Pension file!)  This is his story.

The story of William John Vautier starts in Passyunk Township, where his father, Peter Vautier of the truck farming Vautiers had a farm.  Passyunk Township became a part of Philadelphia in 1854, but William's story begins before that.  Though documents claiming his birth took place in Philadelphia aren't entirely inaccurate (given the consolidation of 1854), he wasn't actually born in the city.

William was born 28 March 1840, as the fourth of Peter Vautier and Sarah Young's six children, on the farm the family had in Passyunk Township. He spent his childhood attending the local school and also the Baptist church, for though his parents had married in an Evangelical Lutheran church in Philadelphia (and had baptized his two elder siblings there), there were none in the area they settled.

On 28 November 1860, William's father passed away and the family had to support themselves without him.  Sarah became a huskster, a traveling saleswoman of groceries to support her family (and appeared to do very well indeed), and William was a gardener, most likely on one of his uncles' farms.  However, this was also the time of the growing hostilities between the Northern and Southern states, and as a young man, William felt the call to enlist in the Civil War.

On 20 August 1862, William enlisted in the Union Army, and was sworn into Company E of the 29th Pennsylvania Volunteers by Lt. Setford.  His older brother, Charles, also enlisted three days after him and was put into the same company. The captain of their company was Captain Syke Buemont.  (Younger brother John D. Vautier also enlisted at the age of 17 and wrote a few works about his time in the Civil War.)

William J. Vautier in his Civil War uniform.  Photo in the personal collection of the blogger

Though it cannot be proven with documents yet, William likely saw some sort of action in the battles of Chancellorsburg, Gettysburg, Wauhatchie, Ringgold, Lookout Mountain, and was probably part of the siege in Atlanta, and was likely held in provost for Antietam.  He was with the regiment when they were granted a furlough in late December 1863 until early February 1864 and did come home to Philadelphia for that furlough.  This furlough was granted after three-fourths of the regiment reenlisted (including William) on 10 December 1863.

On 8 December 1864, he was on detached duty as a drug clerk at Hospital 16 in Nashville, Tennessee.  While William was watching a procession of colored soldiers walking down the street who were shooting wild salutes, a pistol was fired from an unknown person in the procession and the bullet lodged in William's left arm.   The ball was never removed and as a result of the injury, William was unable to fully open or close his middle, ring and pinky finger on his left hand.  He was honorably discharged from duty as a soldier in the Union Army on 11 May 1865 in Nashville, Tennessee and came back to his life in Philadelphia.

On 30 December 1868, he was a witness in the trial of George S. Twitchell Jr., who was charged with murdering his mother-in-law, Mrs. M. E. Hill.  William had been asked to help search the property after the fact and testified to his negative search of the privy of Hill house. At the time, he was employed by George Shisler, the son-in-law of his maternal uncle John Young.  William was still living with them in 1870 when the family was enumerated on Rope Ferry Road in the 26th ward of Philadelphia, though he was erroneously listed as being 35 years of age, when in reality he was only 30. The family lived on what was known as the Girard homestead.

William J. Vautier as a middle-aged man, date of photo unknown.  Photo in personal collection of the blogger.

On 7 September 1871, William married Catherine Elizabeth Miller at Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Trinity.  The church is still located on the corner of Wolf and Eighteenth Streets in Philadelphia, and was just up the street from the Girard Homestead.  The couple was joined in marriage by Rev. S.A.K. Francis.

Catherine, or Kate as she was known, was the eldest child of Jacob Miller and Helen DeForest Maurice Sheets.  She was born 7 September 1851  in Philadelphia.  Kate's father was also a prominent farmer, but it is not known how the couple met.

The couple spent the first few years of their marriage living in the southern end of Philadelphia, as their first few children were all born in what is now the South Philadelphia neighborhood of Philly.  William worked a series of jobs while living here. He worked as a chandelier maker for a year, went back to work as a gardener, was a general laborer and a teamster at times and then was employed as a grocer.

The couple's eldest daughter, Helen Mary, was born on 19 July 1872 at 1111 Mifflin Street and was baptized at the same church her parents were married at nearly six months later.  Daughter Sarah Miller was born June 1874.  Her place of birth was listed as the Women's Hospital, but that hospital did do births as outpatients as well, so it is not certain if she was born at home or the hospital.  Son Jacob Miller was born 15 October 1875 at 1810 South Twelfth Street.  (Sarah and Jacob were also baptized at Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Trinity.) Son William John was born 3 October 1877 on League Island (he died a little over a year later at 1119 Moore Street).  It is not known where in the city daughter Miriam Crosby was born on 1 December 1878 because she mysteriously is the only one of the eleven children whose birth registration cannot be found.  Son Ellerslie Wallace was the last child to be born in south Philadelphia, as he was born 4 January 1881 at 1728 Passyunk Road. 

The family moved to the Harrowgate neighborhood shortly after Ellerlie's birth.  The family moved to a home on Harrowgate Lane near Emerald Street.  It was here that daughter Julia Ann was born 10 October 1884, son Ellerslie died on 31 August 1883 and son Daniel Miller was born 14 December 1884.  During this time, William was listed in the city directories as a butcher and dealer, liking dealing in groceries and the wares left over from the butchering process.

The house they lived in became officially 3546 Emerald Street, and this residence was listed as the place of birth for the final three children born to William and Catherine.  Ann Grubb was born here 17 September 1877, Laura Elizabeth was born 13 September 1890 and James Wilson, the youngest child, was born here 18 February 1893.  The family lived here for thirteen years.  However, for about a year (1888-1889), William's address on certain documents from his pension file was listed as 526 Stephen Street in Camden, New Jersey.   Evidence suggests that William lived in Camden while the family continued to reside in the Harrowgate neighborhood at the Emerald Street address.  Perhaps he moved to Camden to get a better doctor to examine him for a pension increase.

As a result of the wound he received during his stint in the Civil War, William was put on a disability pension for the rest of his life, since even though he could hold down a job, he wasn't able to work the more manual jobs for too long due to his injured hand and arm.  His original pension was $4 per month, which he started receiving in April of 1873.  However, in 1879 he was awarded an arrears of pension in the amount of $381.87 from 1865 until 1873.  Over the course of the rest of his lifetime, he made several requests for an increase in pension.  He applied for increase in 1885 and was denied.  He again applied in 1888 and was approved for a increase to $6 per month commencing 24 July 1889 (this coincided with his move to Camden, which suggests he may have made the move because the doctors on the examining board in Camden may have been more favorable to increasing his pension than the doctors in Philadelphia). In May of 1891 he applied for another increase to his pension and was approved for an increase to $8 per month commencing 9 March 1891.  In 1907, he applied for another increase in pension, and was granted $12 per month 25 March 1907.  He again applied in 1910 for an increase and on 31 March 1910 his rate was raised to $15 per month.  It was ultimately raised to $24 per month starting 22 May 1912 and ending upon his death.  After his death, his wife applied for a widow's pension and received it.

Also because of his service in the Civil War, he joined the Grand Army of the Republic and was a member of Post 71, General John F. Reynolds in Philadelphia. 

Anyway, back to Philadelphia in 1894.... this was the year that William and family made the move from Harrowgate to a rented home at 3169 Belgrade Street in the Port Richmond neighborhood.  This neighborhood was the final move for William J. Vautier, though he lived in two different houses on this street. For four years they lived at 3169 Belgrade before moving down the street to 3183 Belgrade Street.  The lot the home was on was owned for at least part of the time by one William Allen, and the family rented the home.  It was a row house, as were many houses in the neighborhood (and still are, though the current homes on the street were built in 1920).

Two photographs of the William J. and Catherine E. Vautier family, both taken in the yard of the Belgrade addresses.  Photos in the personal collection of the blogger (I can identify most everyone in both photos if you would like me  to... drop me a line)

The family lived in the same block as did the Elizabeth Hans Waldspurger family at this time, and it is assumed that this was how William's daughter Julia met Elizabeth's son Edward, or how the Waldspurger family came to live on the same block (as son Edward may have let his mother know a home was for rent or purchase on the street after having met the Vautiers).  In any case, the two families joined as one in my genealogy in the marriage of Julia Ann Vautier to Edward Charles Waldspurger in 1901.

William worked as a janitor while living in the Port Richmond neighborhood, and according to family stories, at least part of that time was spent as a janitor at the local school. 

William J. Vautier, circa 1910, in the backyard of his Belgrade home in Philadelphia.  Photo in the personal collection of the blogger.

On 18 February 1913, William John Vautier died at the rented home on 3183 Belgrade Street.  The cause of death on his certificate was listed as apoplexy.  Apoplexy was the term used at that time for a stroke, which is what William very likely died from.  The physician attending to his death was W.R. Knight.  He was buried two days later at North Cedar Hill Cemetery after a funeral at home.  He was buried in section W-6.  His grave was unmarked until 1938, when his daughter in law, Flora Bardsley Vautier, applied for a headstone from the Veteran's Administration. 

William J. Vautier's headstone.  Photo taken August 2017 at North Cedar Hill Cemetery by the blogger.

In October of 1913, the lot upon which the family lived was sold to Theresa Crosson for $1400, and Catherine moved out.  It is not known where she moved to, but it is likely her sons helped to support her and their sisters, as social convention dictated.  The family moved to various addresses on Almond Street in the Port Richmond neighborhood, if following Daniel and James Wilson in the city directories, and by 1919, Catherine was living at 3192 Almond Street. 

Belgrade Street as it looked in August 2017.  While the houses were built in 1920, they are of similar style to the ones that were there.  I took a walk in the neighborhood in 2017 to see where my family lived, and shot this photo among others.

It was here at 3192 Almond Street that Catherine passed away 4 February 1919 from sarcoma of the stomach.  The cancer that took Catherine's life was detected first on 1 July 1918, and from 5 July 1918 until her death, she was attended to by Doctor Rolla L. Smith of 2987 Richmond Street in Philadelphia. Her daughter Ann was her primary caretaker and nurse.  Her youngest child, James Wilson Vautier, was overseas fighting in World War One when his mother passed, and the rest of his siblings chose to not tell him she had died until he returned home two months later.

After a funeral at her home, Catherine was buried next to her husband in North Cedar Hill Cemetery, although to this day, no headstone marks her final resting place.

Son Daniel died in 1937 as a civilian worker aboard the U.S.S. Cassin when a steam explosion caused him and several others to be boiled alive.

Sources Used:
 "1850 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 October 2016), Entry for Peter Voutier and family, Year: 1850, Census Place: Passyunk Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll: M432_820, Page: 63A, and Image: 134; citing Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1860 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 October 2016), Entry for Peter Vautier and family, Year: 1860, Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 1 Division 1 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll: M653_1151, Page: 52, Image: 56, and Family History Library Film: 805151; citing 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

"1870 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 February 2019), Entry for John L. Young and household, Year: 1870, Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 26 District 88 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll: M593_1414, Page: 595B, and Family History Library Film: 552913; citing 1870 U.S. census, population schedules. NARA microfilm publication M593, 1,761 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.

"1890 Veterans Schedules," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 October 2016), Entry for William Vautier, Year: 1890, Census Place: Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll: 80, Pages: 1-2, and Enumeration District: 569; citing Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M123, 118 rolls); Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1900 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 October 2016), Entry for William Gauitier and family (as indexed in database), Year: 1900, Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 25 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll: 1467, Page: 8B, Enumeration District: 0587, and FHL microfilm: 1241467; citing United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.

"1910 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 October 2016), Entry for William J Vautier and family, Year: 1910, Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 25 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll: T624_1398, Page: 15A, Enumeration District: 0539, and FHL microfilm: 1375411; citing  Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "1880 United States Federal Census," database online with images, Ancestry.com Operation, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 October 2016), Entry for Wm. J. Vautier and family, Year: 1880, Census Place: Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll: 1185, Family History Film: 1255185, Page: 430A, Enumeration District: 545, and Image: 0129; citing Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Anna C. Wueteun entry, Birth Registers 1860-1903, "Births Registered during 1887 Jan-Dec." reel 41: page 108, Philadelphia City Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Bates, Samuel P. History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865: prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, 5 Volumes (Harrisburg: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1869), Volume One; Page 520; "Vautier, Wm. J., Private, Mustered in Aug. 20, '62, 3 years, discharged by General Order, May 23, 1865".

"City Directories for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania," online database with images, Fold3 (www.fold3.com : accessed 30 September 2016).  Various years and entries for William J. Vautier and family  (for complete listing of entries, contact the blogger)

Daniel Vautier entry, Return of Births in the City of Philadelphia 1860-1903, fn 6432: Month of December, 1884 returns for J. Howard Evans, M.D., Philadelphia City Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

"Died," death notices, The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 19 February 1913, page 7, entry for William J. Vautier; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 8 October 2016).

"Died," death notice, The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 6 February 1919, page 18, entry for Catherine M. Vautier; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 13 October 2016).

E. Wallace Vautine entry, Birth Registers 1860-1903, book 1877, reel 35: page 54, Philadelphia City Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Hellen Vautier entry, Return of Births in the City of Philadelphia 1860-1903, Doctors' Returns: Birth Returns for 1 June 1872 to 1 July 1872 for Wm Patterson M.D., Philadelphia City Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Historical Data Systems, comp., "U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865," database online, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 October 2016), Entry for William J Vautier; Enlisted 20 Aug 1862 as a Private in Company E, Pennsylvania 29th Infantry Regiment on 20 Aug 1862; Mustered out on 03 Jun 1865; citing data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston, MA; Source: History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865.

Jacob Votere entry, Birth Registers 1860-1903, book 1875: page 16, Philadelphia City Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Jas W. Vautier entry, Birth Registers 1860-1903, book 1893: page 76, Philadelphia City Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Julia A. Vautier entry, Birth Registers 1860-1903, book 1882-1883: page 216, Philadelphia City Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Julia Ann Waldspurger wife of Edward Charles Waldspurger SSN 715-14-8640 application of wife for spouse's annuity, 1952; Railroad Retirement Board Inactive Claim Folders, RG 184; National Archives and Records Administration - Atlanta, Morrow, GA.  Father's full name William John Vautier.

Kropp, Sonny. A White Star On My Cap by William J. Vautier (N.p.: Sonny Kropp, 1983).

Laura Elizabeth (Vautier) entry, Return of Births in the City of Philadelphia 1860-1903, Doctor's Returns: Return of Births September 1890 for Mary Leichsenring, midwife, Philadelphia City Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

"Local Intelligence: The Hill Murder," The Evening Telegraph (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 30 December 1868, page 1. "William J. Vautier sworn - I am employed by Mr. Shissler; the privy at Mrs. Hill's house was searched by me, and nothing was found."; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 11 June 2017).

"Mother, Awaiting Son, Dies: Young Philadelphia, Anticipating Reunion, Not Told of Death," Eveninig Public Ledger (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 8 April 1919, page 6; online images, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov : accessed 13 October 2016), Historic American Newspapers.

National Archives and Records Administration, "U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 October 2016), Entry for William Vautier and widow Catherine Vautier; Roll number T288_488; Invalid application number 183354, certificate number 124364; Widow's application number 1006154, certificate number 761815; filed in Pennsylvania; citing "General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934". Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. T288, 546 rolls.

"Obituary notes," obituary, Harrisburg Daily Independent (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania), 19 February 1913, page 10; online archives, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 8 October 2016).

"Oral interviews with various Waldspurger family members," 1999-2020 by Patricia Waldspurger Mahoney, information and notes collected by Patricia Waldspurger Mahoney and passed along to Kelley Wood-Davis; owned by Patricia Waldspurger Mahoney, Lansdale, Pennsylvania; no notes taken; oral information on family history.

"Pennsylvania, Civil War Muster Rolls, 1860-1869," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 October 2016), Entry for William J. Vautier; Enlistment date 20 Aug 1862; Private Co. E, 29th Pennsylvania; citing Pennsylvania (State). Civil War Muster Rolls and Related Records, 1861–1866. Records of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, Record Group 19, Series 19.11 (153 cartons). Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1966," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 October 2016), Entry for Catherine Voutier, died 4 Feb 1919, cn 16521; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1966," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 October 2016), Entry for William J Vautier; date of death 18 Feb 1913; certificate number 22400; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 8 October 2016), William Vautier, 25 Mar 1879; FHL microfilm 2,031,099; (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JDVB-KYP); citing Philadelphia City Archives and Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

"Pension Certificates Issued," The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 6 March 1892, page 8; "Washington, March 4. - Pension certificates have been issued as follows: Issue of February 19, 1892.....Pennsylvania - Originial...... William Vautier"; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 8 October 2016).

Pension File Claim for William Vautier Private Co E 29 Pa. Vols, pension number 183354; Photocopies provided by NARA in the pension file for William Vautier; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); Records Relating to Pension and Bounty-Land Claims 1773-1942, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, RG 15; 2,807 rolls, National Archives, Washington, D.C., Filed with the Adjunant General's Offie 9 August 1865. (For complete listing of documents, contact the blogger)

Sarah Vautier entry, Birth Registers 1860-1903, book 1874, reel 30: page 71, Philadelphia City Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Schanes, Nancy. Family Group Sheet of Peter Vautier and Sarah Young, Vautier Collection; supplied by Schanes, [address for private use], Wilmington, Delaware, September 1988; Information obtained via Civil War Pension Records, Pennsylvania Census Records (1850 and 1880), the diary of John Vautier, Notes from Jill Vautier Miller, and records from St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. Photocopy sent by Schanes to Kelley Wood-Davis in 2002.

"U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963," online database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 October 2016), Entry for William Vautier, died 18 Feb 1913; citing Applications for Headstones for U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941. Microfilm publication M1916, 134 rolls. ARC ID: 596118. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, Record Group 92. National Archives at Washington, D.C; Applications for Headstones, compiled 01/01/1925 - 06/30/1970, documenting the period ca. 1776 - 1970, ARC: 596118. Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985, Record Group 92. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.

Vautier, John D. The Personal Diary of John D. Vautier, transcribed copy (n.p., n.d.), ; online transcription, Robert Weaver and Phyllis Weaver Bickley, WikiTree (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Vautier-28 : accessed 12 February 2019.

Widow Pension for Catherine M Vautier, widow of William Vautier, private, Co. E, 29th Pennsylvania Inf. Certificate number 761815, approved 21 June 1913; Photocopies provided by NARA in the pension file for William Vautier; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); Records Relating to Pension and Bounty-Land Claims 1773-1942, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, RG 15; 2,807 rolls, National Archives, Washington, D.C. (for complete listing of documents, contact the blogger)

William Vautier entry, Return of Births in the City of Philadelphia 1860-1903, Doctors' Returns: Birth Returns for November 1877 for W.J. Patterson, M.D., Philadelphia City Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.