Life in Lancaster County. Living in the Past

We had been vacationing in Pennsylvania for years. I had been bitten by that “Genealogy Bug” and we both loved the State and culture. Over ten years ago we made a decision to leave California and move to the Keystone State. Little did we know what life had in store for us because of that decision!

After living in Lebanon for two years, we migrated south to Lititz and lived there for four years.  Keeping with our migration pattern, we headed south again and after looking at a total of 38 different houses, found an 1880′s “City Home” in Lancaster.  The first time we walked through the front door we felt an immediate connection. As it turns out, there was a connection and I’ll explain that later . . .

Philip Kleiss’ name is familiar to anybody who reads the Lancaster newspapers or watches the evening news.  My 6th great grandfather was a Tavern keeper in the heart of the city in the 1700′s. Upon his death two of his sons inherited the Tavern and the building remained on the corner of Queen and Vine Streets.  Plans to build a Convention Center in Lancaster included demolishing the tavern . . . until they discovered an underground cistern between it and Thaddeus Steven’s home.

This is the cistern that saved both of the buildings from demolition. They were saved because an archeological dig discovered evidence that the cistern was probably used as a secret hiding place on the “Underground Railroad.”  The cistern, Stevens home and my ancestor’s tavern will now be incorporated into the Convention Center as learning center and museum.

Ludwig (Lewis) Leader, a sixth great grandfather, also, was one of the earliest settlers in Marietta, a river town about 15 miles from Lancaster.  We have gone to Marietta countless times for brunch, to cemeteries, and just to drive through the town, imagining what it must have been like when he settled in the area.  We have even gone through the home he built in the early 1800′s!  It was for sale, but had been a neglected rental and Jim said Absolutely No Way!!   

Look at it today. Whomever bought it did a wonderful job restoring it; so wonderful that it was on the Candlelight Tour as denoted by the bronze plate next to the door. 

Because Lewis’ son, Samuel married Susannah Bischoff, I am in Pennsylvania! After all, I have Susannah’s Bible.

John Niess was my third great grandfather.  I knew his name, his wife’s name and his childrens’ names.  I had no idea when or where he married.  We moved to Lititz because we had joined the Moravian Church.  I, naturally, became a member of the Archives Committee in this historic Church and looked thru old Church records in answer to genealogy requests.  Imagine my surprise to find John Niess’ marriage record while searching for somebody else!  Think he led me to this Church?  Not a doubt in my mind!

Michael Auxer(s), one was my fourth great grandfather, the other my fifth great grandfather. Both lived in Elizabethtown and both were weavers. I’ve been in the Church they worshipped in and walked on the streets they once did. I have found the graves of each of their wifes, but not either of theirs! My bucket list includes finding their graves and a coverlet that either of them wove.  Philip Kleiss Auxer, was Michael, Jr’s son and my third great-grandfather. In the 1860′s he owned a house west of Elizabethtown in Stackstown, a little elbow in the road.

Today this barn is at the elbow in that road, with maybe 15 other houses in the area.

Now the connection we felt to the house we purchased in Lancaster? While researching the deeds of previous owners, I discovered that my grandmother’s third cousin, Emma Grace Auxer,  and her husband Guy B. Eberly had owned the same property in 1923!  I was living in the past! I actually lived my life in the same home “shirt-tail” relative had!

The most important move was to Pennsylvania, not necessarily all the locations. It has allowed me to find the stories of my ancestors, walk into buildings they once had and see their lives in that third dimension. The move to Pennsylvania brought them to life, warts and all.  They were real people, not just names in my database. We go on with our lives in Lancaster, walking the streets my ancestors did, entering the same buildings they did and visiting the same graves they did. I love knowing that because of what these real people did in the past,

I can truly appreciate living in the present in Lancaster County!

 

Louise Kleiss, NYC; Louisa Kleiss Zecher, Lancaster, PA ~ 15 years apart

As many of you know, I am a Kleiss researcher.  My ancestor, Philip Kleiss was a Tavern keeper in Lancaster in the late 1700′s.  After his death his sons ran the Tavern located on the corner of Vine and Queen Streets in the heart of Lancaster.  Today the Tavern is incorporated in the Convention Center, but that is on another blog.  This blog is about the two women referenced above.

I periodically put my surnames in search engines and tonight I was playing around with Genealogy Bank, one of my favorite sites.  I’ve got a lot of information from the old newspapers on this site and an a big fan of it! When I found the following article, I thought it sounded familiar ~

New York Herald
26 December 1895

KILLED BY A MOTOR.
—–
Mrs. Louise Kleiss Struck While Walking
On the North Hudson County
Railway’s Tracks.
—–

Mrs. Louise Kleiss, forty-five years old, of No 27 King street, West New York, was struck by a motor of the North Hudson County Railway Company early yesterday morning and instantly killed.
Mrs. Kleiss came to Jersey City Tuesday evening to make some purchases and took the midnight boat back on the Forty-second street ferry. She had a number of bundles and started to walk home up the company’s tracks on the old Fort Lee road. When between Niles avenue and Twenty-third street, motor No. 191 came up behind her at a rapid rate and striking her hurled her to one side of the track. So rapidly was the car going that it ran three hundred feet before the motorman could stop it.
When the trolley men picked her up she was dead. The body, which was not cut, but badly bruised, was brought to Hoboken where it was identified yesterday morning by the woman’s husband. The woman left a daughter, besides her husband.

As I read this it rang a bell.  I knew I had a Louise Kleiss who had died the same way, and thought perhaps the information was wrong and this one really died in Lancaster.  So I went to the books, my Kleiss books that is, and found what I remembered.  Several differences though:

• My Kleiss was born as Louisa Kleiss, but married a Zecher
• My Louisa Kleiss Zecher died exactly 15 years and 10 days after Mrs. Louise Kleiss
• and of course, my Louisa Kleiss Zecher died in Pennsylvania, not New Jersey.

The similiarites are:

• Their names
• The month of the year they were killed
• The way they were killed
• and they both had been shopping!

Lancaster, Pennsylvania
15 December 1920

TRAIN KILLS WOMAN
RETURNING TO HOME
FROM MARKETHOUSE
—–
Mrs. David Zecher Meets Instant
Death When Hit by Express
at Crossing
—–
WALKED UNDER GATE
DIRECTLY INTO TRAIN
—–
Body Severed But Glasses Stay
on Nose When Searchers
Find Upper Portion
—–
IDENTIFICATION IS SLOW
—–
Eight Mistakes Cause Alarm in
Homes — Son Passed Soon
After Accident
—–—–

Killed by a west bound express train at Prince and Walnut streets last night while on her way home from the evening market at the Northern Market House the body of an aged woman cut in half under the wheels of the train at 5:33 o’clock was not identified as Mrs. David Zecher, aged 72, of 239 Elm street, until near 10 o’clock by her son. In the meantime eight false identifications were made and much anxiety was caused among relatives of per (sic) victim.
The train which struck the aged woman was No. 639, bound for Altoona, the accident occurring within a minute of the time the train had left the station.
Mrs. Zecher’s son, Charles J., 328 Pine street, passed the scene of the accident a few minutes after it had happened while on his way home from work, but did not stop to mingle with the curious crowd that had gathered round the crossing. Had he done so identification of the dead woman would have perhaps been immediate. As it happened the body laid for a time in the freight station near the crossing and later at Fisher’s undertaking establishment until 1o o’clock last night where the son finally was brought to identify his mother. In the meantime efforts on the part of the railroad officials to identify the woman resulted in eight false identifcations before the truth was known.
Witnesses to the accident stated that Mrs.

 

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way . . .

The word “WILL,” as defined by Dictionary.com
As a verb:

• to give or dispose of (property) by a will or testament, bequeath or devise.
• to influence by exerting power
• to wish, desire or like

and as a noun:

• the act or process of using or asserting one’s choice; volition
• a legal declaration of a person’s wishes as to the disposition of his or her property or estate after death, usually written and signed by the testator and attested by witnesses and
• the document containing such a declaration.

For centuries our ancestors have written their wills to make sure their families are cared for upon their demise.  Some have had specific instructions as to exactly who and who may not benefit from their personal estate and sometimes listed a reason.  In the following examples, the word WILL is both parts of speech, the verb being used as retaliation in several instances!

My ancestor, Philip Kleiss, for example, stated in his will dated 7 October 1797:

ITEM: I give unto my daughter Philippina the wife of George Brungart one shilling sterling money in full for her share of in to and out of my Estate real and personal, and this I do on account of her disobedience towards me.  BUT nevertheless if my said daughter Philippina should become a widow and not able to support herself, THEN it is my Will that my said first mentioned seven Childlren shall be subject to pay unto her yearly the sum of Eighteen pounds specie money aforesaid that is to say, each of them one equal seventh part  thereof during her Widowhood, out of the money & Estate herein to them given, but if my said daughter Philippina should marry again then the said yearly payent shall cease and no longer paid.

Philippina had married a man of a different faith against her father’s wishes.  This was Philip Kleiss, the tavern keeper who had a nine page inventory, not including the 2 full pages of items left to the family!  Philippina got one shilling from the estate.

In a will dated 21 March 1787 written by Maria Barbara Auxer, my 6th great grandmother, her specific wishes were to exclude all of her children except for one.

. . . I, Maria Barbara Auxer, of the Borough of Lancaster in the County of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, Spinster, for and in consideration of the good services and attendance done to me in my lifetime, by my son, Christopher Auxer . . . do by these presents give over and bequeath unto him, my said son, Christopher Auxer all my personal estate, monies, bonds, goods, clothes and bedding whatsover to him, his heirs and assigns forever.  . . . and I do hereby by these presents disinherit my other children, Anna Maria, and Elizabeth and Michael Auxer, from all land singular all rights and herediments to my estate herein forever and my said son, Christopher Auxer, shall receive all monies, bonds, clothese and bedding after my decease, and no sooner, to his own purposes, use and behoof.

Her son, Michael and her daughter, Elizabeth were both my ancestors.  What??  Yup!  Elizabeth was the wife of the aforementioned Philip Kleiss.  Her daughter, Catharine married Michael’s son, Michael, Jr.

In Jacob H. Redsecker’s will, he leaves his entire estate to his aunt, Martha J. Ross and his sister, Sarah A. Greenawalt, with the exception of $200 to the cemetery his father is buried in, and the grandfather clock to his brother, Abraham.  Yet, according to the Lebanon Daily News, Friday, April 23, 1909, page 1, column 1:

. . . Out of respect of the wish of the deceased there was no public viewing of the body and during the service the coffin was closed.  . . . It was the wish of the deceased that there should be no eulogy and that there should be no women at the burial.  Both wishes were respected.

Jacob and I are distantly related.  He died a life-long bachelor at the age of 70 and left everything to women and yet he didn’t want them at the burial??

Every once in awhile, as I look for an obituary I run across an interesting article.  Such was the case recently when I found the following on one of my favorite sites, Genealogy Bank. It was in the Pawtucket Times, 10 February 1921.

John Werner, who died at his home on Lowell st.,  Aug. 20, 1820, left three sons and four daughters.  His will, exectuted July 19, 1920, just filed in this city, is remarkable on account of the specific provisions for distribution of his estate.

One daughter is named “to receive $1 to purchase a rope to hang herself with.” The grievance against her alleged is “that she caused the arrest of her father for the sake of a worthless husband and is not worth any more.”

Another daughter named is to receive $1.  She is alleged to have caused him “lots of trouble by associating with married and single men; also that on the death of her mother, she went on a joy ride with a man; also that she refused to contribute any money toward payment of funeral expenses of her mother.”

A son named is to to receive a specified sum, provided he remain a Protestant.

And the last instance of  a strange request was found in the Lancaster County Intelligencer, 14 November 1903:

The will of Joseph Doutot, who died at New Orleans Thursday was filed Friday.  He leaves his property to the undertaker who is to bury him, and provides for a handsome funeral with an adequate number of carriages, but stipulates that no one shall be allowed to see his face after death or be present at his funderal.  The carriages are to accompany the body to the grave, but must be empty.

Don’t you wonder what frame of mind some of these people were in when they wrote their

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT?

 

I went back to the Cemetery today

and used the techniques suggested by fellow Genea-bloggers. I also used water, a soft brush and a rag, removing some of the years of grime and yuck from the stone. I only removed enough to read the pertinent information. No harsh cleaning agents were used, and no stiff brushes. I felt this stone had survived for over 100 years and I didn’t want to be the one who hastened it’s demise!

As soon as I uncovered enough to rub the dates, I stopped cleaning (thankfully ~ that was hard work!) and started in on my main mission. The death date was the cincher, and my “Elizabeth A.” died in 1826; the headstone’s “Elizabeth A.” died in 1888! Not my Elizabeth, nutz!

Elizabeth Somebody Else, not Elizabeth Auxer Kleiss

. . . but all was not in vain! First of all, when I was leaving the aisle that Elizabeth Somebody Else is buried in, I saw this beautiful hawk sitting on a headstone. . . .in the middle of the City! He sat there oblivious to my presence, in my car, and waited for me to take his picture! As I started moving again, he noticed me and flew off!

Cemetery Pet?

But back to the subject, I found headstones! Headstones belonging to George Kleiss, Jr., next to his sister, Anna Maria Weigand! I also found Walter F. Albright and his wife, Barbara’s headstones, in a nice border lined cemetery plot. Anna Maria’s must have been beautiful. . . before it was vandalized! Sad.

Vandalized headstone of Anna Maria Kleiss Weigand

Now for the gross part. I wore flip flops since it was a bit warm, never thinking my feet would get dirty. Now why wouldn’t they? I walked one quarter of the largest cemetery in Lancaster, and I expected my feet to remain lily white? (with pink toenails, of course) When I got home at looked down at my feet, I was shocked! I immediately found the darkest wash cloth in the house (black) and washed my feet! Yuck!

Yucky, Dirty Feet!

Thank you all for the suggestions! You helped me eliminate a wrong headstone and helped me find headstones in the future.

Now to hop in the shower. . . . . .

 

How on Earth can I read this Headstone??

Elizabeth Auxer Kleiss was the wife of Johan Philip Kleiss and was buried along with him at the First Reformed Church in their cemetery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  For eternity.  Really???

Well, only until they needed that ground for something else!  At that point they needed to find a final resting spot for the occupants of the cemetery and many of the stones were moved to the Stranger’s Burial Ground in Lancaster Cemetery. Some were put in the wall at the Church.

Records indicate that Elizabeth and Philip were moved to Lancaster Cemetery.  The stones in the Stranger’s ground are scattered, sunken, broken or missing.  I “think” I found Elizabeth’s stone; I have not found Philip’s.

I can read the “Elizabeth A” and I can read “September” but I can read nothing else.  So I went back to the cemetery and took some close ups thinking I could photo edit them and read them.

Elizabeth's stone?

Elizabeth's stone?

Elizabeth's stone?

Any suggestions on how to read this stone?  I don’t want to try to clean it and ruin the stone, but if there is a safe way to read it and/or clean it, I’m open to suggestions!  There is a strong possiblility that it is my ancestor Elizabeth’s stone, since the name matches and September is the month she was born in.

Help!

 

Do you think I’ve been stagnant in my Genealogy?

No posts this month equals no new discoveries?  Not The Case! The Opposite is True.  Too many discoveries to take time to post a blog!

Let’s start with my Kleiss family!  I’m so excited, I’m finally getting close to figuring out all the assorted John Ps, Georges and Philips!  Not there yet, but getting close!  Thanks to an Auditor’s report for one of Johan Philip’s daughters!  . . . . . .and I found Philippina’s entire family!  It was right there in front of my eyes.  Know why it had not been found before?  How about an entirely different spelling of her married surname???  Unbelievable!  I’ve spent a great deal of time organizing my information on this family, and you would not believe what a difference it has made in helping to tie people together!My volunteering has taken up a good portion of my time this month ~ and all related to Genealogy, of course!  I’ve also been busy indexing records for the Family Search website.  So far, I’ve indexed census records for Alabama, and Death records for Chicago and Seattle.  I think I’ve done census records for other states, too, but I can’t remember which ones!  It’s great knowing that I’m helping to get those records up there and running for others!  I’ve also had a slug of requests for obituaries from Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK.com) this month!  . . . . and not to be forgotten are my Fridays (and once a month Saturdays) at the Lancaster County Historical Society. I don’t get my research done, but I do whatever I can do to help in the Library!  It’s a win-win situation.  I get to help others and I get to learn what collections they have in the back.  It’s a wonderful day for Linda.

Last week I got to meet another “cousin” and his wife.  Bruce Carvell and his wife, Peggy, stopped by for a couple of hours on their way to her father’s in NJ from St. Louis, MO.  He went through my books of information on the Carvell clan and put stickies on the pages he wanted copies of and they were back on the road!  I’ve made most of the copies and hopefully, they’ll be there when they get home!  It’s nice putting a face with a name ~ and they were such a delightful couple!  What’s there not to like about Peggy?? . . . and they brought a lovely bouquet of flowers and shared some delicious plums with us!

I’ve also found the Carvell/Winkleman family.  I thought they died as soon as they got married!  Not so, they moved to Ohio!  Another family added to the database!

I’m still working on the John Axer mess!  The two MD soldiers?  I think we’re dealing with just one man with 3 different wifes!  The PA one and the NY one match, but there are two wifes alive at the same time with no divorce papers found for the PA one!  . . . . and the MD one?  He was the one getting the pension that belonged to the one in NY according to the pension file!  What gives here?

Now to get back at it!

 

Every so often you get a break and it happened last week

If you know what you are looking for, the information is there and readily available! My Kleiss line is finally yielding some information, and it doesn’t necessarily agree with the information that’s “out there!”

Maria, 6th child of Philip and Elizabeth Kleiss married and moved to Harrisburg where she died.  I’ve had that information for some time, thanks to a newspaper blurb announcing her marriage that I found about a year ago.  Recently, I found the notice of her estate settlement while scanning a Lancaster newspaper online, just looking for information of anybody in any line in my database!  It mentioned the fact that she had died in Harrisburg but the estate settlement was in Lancaster.  Two brother-in-laws were administrators of her estate.  Bingo! That was the right Anna Maria!

Last Friday, on my regular volunteer day, I got a copy of the Administrator’s account and VOILA! It mentioned her living sisters and their married names, her deceased brothers and sisters and their descendants!  It even listed married names for the female descendants!  It several cases, it listed the husband’s names!

This information has helped in sorting out the various Georges and Philips in a very confusing Kleiss line where George and Philip were very common names!  (and why couldn’t that Kleiss family be a little more original in their names, anyway??)

do have all the details on this, so if this is your line and information you are interested in, please contact me.  I am always willing to share and exchange information.  I do not put it all out there, however, since it often ends up on other’s web pages as other’s own work, and I’ve never had an opportunity to meet other family members!

Children of Johann Philip and Elizabeth Auxer Kleiss

(Birth order according to Auditor’s Report with the exception of Philip, Jr. who is not mentioned, of course)

• George
• Philippina
• John
• Elizabeth
• Catharine
• Anna Maria
• Susanna
• Philip, Jr.


Thank goodness for boredom and the inability to sleep and most of all thank goodness for all those societies and agencies who put those wonderful newspapers online for all of us Family History junkies!

It just goes to show you that it is persistence that brings the luck that befalls a researcher!




 

Let’s get started on a few updates

The primary purpose of this blog is to update my genealogy as new information jumps out at me! Since I am spending more and more time researching in Lancaster, more information on the Lancaster lines will appear here than others. The Axer/Auxer, Kleiss and Leader families are my lines with the primary ties to Lancaster.

This week I went thru (hastily, I might add!) some Church records previously overlooked, and found several entries that pertain to our Auxers and at least one that pertained to the Kleiss family ~ although sorting out those Kleiss’ with the same first name has become a real chore!

These are the corrections, with my comments in red.  As always, if you want the source and to document it, simply contact me and I will provide you with the information.  If you only collect names, at least reference me as your source . . . . .please.

• Charles Edward Albright, son of Frederic Albright and Sarah born Axer, born Oct. 17, 1846 – aged 8 yrs, 9 months and 8 days. Buried on Woodward Cemetery.

• Charles Edward Albright, son of Frederic A. Albright and wife Susan (sic) born Axer. Sponsors – Mary Ann Hentsch born Evans and Catherine McGinnis. Born: Oct. 17, 1846 Baptised: May 20, 1847

• December 18, 1836 marriage – John, Axer, son of Jacob and Sarah Axer to Anna Maria Ferree, dau. of Philip and Dorothea Ferre.

This differs drastically from the info rec’d elsewhere. I could never figure out why there were 2 John Axers’ in MD and both were married to somebody named Rosanna!! I do know that our John Axer was in Baltimore in 1846. He died in 1879 and his widow and daughter can be found in Philadelphia after that point.

• Aug. 3, 1845 marriage -Frederic Anthony Albright, son of Anthony Albright, deceased, and wife Susan born Seib, to Sarah Axer, dau. of Jacob Axer, deceased, and wife Susan born Ward, both of Lancaster.

• Walter Franklin Albright, son of Frederic A. Albright and wife Susan (sic) born Axer. Sponsors – Susan Albright and the parents. Born: Oct. 14, 1851 Baptised: Nov 14, 1852

• Sarah Catherine Albright, dau. of Frederic A. Albright and wife Susan (sic) born Axer. Sponsors – the parents, Br. Samuel Beam and the grandmother Albright. Baptised: Jul 8, 1855

• 1868, Died Jan 26, Buried Jan 29 – Clara Elizabeth Auxer, only daughter of the widow Sarah Auxer, born Milchsack, departed this life after a few days illness. Age 18 years and 10 months. The parents were not member of the church, but the child was a scholar in our Sunday School. Remains interred in Lancaster Cemetery.

• 1869 Died Dec 1, Buried Dec 5 – Andrew Clayton McGinnis, infant son of George W. McGinnis, and his wife Sophia born Chambers, died of scarlet fever at Carlisle, Pa. The remains were brought here and interred in the Lancaster Cemetery. Funeral services held at the home of the grandparents McGinnis, aged 1 yr and 7 mos. By D. Bigler, assisted by Rev. Wm. Nivin of the Reformed Church.

Information previously obtained said he died in Lancaster. Evidently, not so.

• May 30, 1847, Marriage -Henry Burkins (Buckius) son of William Burkins, and wife Augusta born Weiss, to Mary Vehrer, dau. of George Vehrer and wife Elisabeth born Kline, deceased of Lancaster.

This would be the brother of Susan Axer who married George, the son of Jacob Axer.

• Feb. 8, 1871, Marriage -John Myer, widower, was married to Sarah Axer, widow – both of Lancaster. Ceremony at parsonage.

Widow of Jacob Axer, mother of Sarah Elizabeth above? Time frame fits.

• Marriage, Sept. 23, 1847 -John Hanson, son of George Hanson, and wife Mary Magdalena born Devault, both deceased, to Susan Axer, dau. of George Axer and wife Mary born Doland, deceased, all of Millerstown, Lancaster Co.

??????? I think Millerstown (Millerstown is in Perry County!) really means Millersville, and I think this is the George who was the father of the “Poor Children,” since he lived in that area and had a daughter, Susan/Susanna who would be marriageable age in 1847. Mary Doland may very well be the Polly Dalin that has appeared in other Church records, since Polly is a nickname for Mary ~ Think about it!

• Marriage, May 24, 1827 -George Doebler, widower, from Conestoga Twp., and Susanna, Warrick.

Was this the George Doebler who married Anna Maria Auxer? Did she die before 1827??? More research to do on this one!

• Marriage, Sept. 14, 1836 – Ferdinand Gerber, son of John and Rachel Gerber, to Rebecca Kleiss, dau. of John and Margaret Kleiss, both of Lancaster.

Which John was married to Margaret? Love those Kleiss boys!

Back to the drawing board! Next week I’ll spend more time in this set of records. Doesn’t the database keep changing? So many things we’ve taken for Gospel truth has become fiction the more research we do! Lesson learned? Seek your own documentation or ask to see somebody else’s!