If you've been following along as I tracked down the life and times of Peter Troutman and his descendants down to my sweet and dear Grandma Kelly, you'll know how much fun I've been having. I've traced the line from Grandma Kelly back through her mother, Moretta (Workman) Zeller, and then her mother, Nancy Ann (Troutman) Workman, then her father Benjamin Franklin Troutman then to the patriot, Peter Troutman. The land records were plentiful and yielded much as did the court records and estate papers. I started to realize that vital records are nice and easy but all the other records just mentioned sometimes give a much fuller picture of what was going on in a family.
When I finally got back to Peter Troutman's generation I felt like I had arrived at my destination! He was the one who fought in the Revolutionary War, and moved from Berks County in Pennsylvania to Somerset County in the western part of the state taking advantage of his military land grant. He settled there and became a part of the community. He farmed, of course, but he was a weaver and carpenter. With other men from the Southampton community, they rebuilt the Comp Church after a fire destroyed it.
His son, Benjamin Franklin Troutman, remained in the area also farming and working as a gunsmith. He went down to Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland to work as an apprentice to a blacksmith and learn the trade. But then look! His father was a carpenter and he probably learned much of that craft from Peter. So he knew carpentry and metal working and used those skills to become a fine gunsmith. He's listed as such in a book about gunsmiths of the region. It is said that he was a "fine musician" and played the fiddle.
He apprenticed in 1807 and married in 1812 so I'm wondering if he met his young bride while sojourning in Cumberland because she was from Maryland. Oh, and I should mention that Cumberland and Southampton are about 15 miles apart.
His daughter Nancy Ann Troutman married Elisha Workman from a prosperous and landed family in Western Maryland. Their families resided just 12 miles away from each other. Until quite recently I had difficulty organizing some of the records for Nancy Ann. Growing up she was called Nancy, but once she married she became Anne or Anna, or even Angeline. Maybe I had three different people? But no. Once I made a list of which name she used and when I could see how it went. Her birth family called her Nancy, a diminutive of Anne. It was only in her marriage that she was also called Angeline. All the same person.
I don't really know why knowing such details of these ancestors lives makes me so happy, but it does. I guess it gives them some flesh and bones. Early on when I first started doing genealogy I read something that's stayed with me. The writer said that it's what the dash represents, the one between the birth and death years, that's the most fascinating part of this work. Yes it is!
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-troutman-wrap-up-and-what-i-found.html
Showing posts with label Moretta Workman Zeller 1859- 1946. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moretta Workman Zeller 1859- 1946. Show all posts
Monday, November 10, 2014
Monday, October 27, 2014
Fishing for Troutman and catching some links
The adventure continues as I amass documents and make links along my Troutman line. Dad's mother, Helen (Zeller) Kelly's mother's line climbs back up the family tree to two notable families of Western Maryland, the Troutman family and the Workman family. Both are listed on the DAR patriots list so I wanted to know more about their service and what else I could find out about their lives. Add to that the fact that these two families lived about 12 miles from each other in the mid to late 1700s and... how could I not investigate?!
The game was to crawl back in time and look at each generation as I go knowing full well that the terrain gets more challenging back past 1850 and that wonderfully delightful 1850 census. (After working in the "dark ages" before 1850 for a while and then moving up in time to the glorious 1850 census, it feels to me like someone opened a window!)
I started with my Grandma Kelly making sure all vital records that were available for her and husband Gustav Zeller were in the file and scanned as well. At this point, the name of my overall genealogy game is to double and triple check to make absolutely certain that I've requested every available vital record for each ancestor. As you've probably found out, the archives and state vital records folks too quickly run out of goodies for us and we face that ugly message, "the first death certificates were required in Maryland in 1898." So I want to make absolutely certain that I have grabbed all the low hanging fruit that I can. But I digress from fishing.
Grandma Kelly's mother was Moretta (Workman) Zeller (1859-1946) and her mother was Nancy Ann (Troutman) Workman (1826-1882) who married Elisha Workman (1816-1864), and I blogged about Elisha recently and you can read that here. Nancy Ann sported a number of names throughout her life and that was not a help when tracking her in records, I want to tell you! While with her birth family she was Nancy but once she got married she was either Anna or Anne, except for a little while when she was Angeline as she is listed in the 1860s census. Some legal documents and her will show her as Anna A. Go figure.
Anyway, that name thing was a bit of a problem because how do you prove that the Nancy in the estate papers of her father, Benjamin Franklin Troutman (1780-1856), is the same person as Anna A. in her will? How, indeed! Then I found Daniel.
Daniel Troutman was Nancy Anna's brother, and you can see that relationship in the way the names are listed in her father's estate papers. Did I tell you about her father's estate papers? No? OK, let me get back to that in another blog post because it's a heart-warming story about genealogical kindness. Here's a look at a the disbursal list from Benjamin's estate.
As you can see there, Nancy Anne is listed as "Nancy Workman". There, on the list above her name is Daniel, listed as "Danl". Presuming as we do that "heirs" is children unless otherwise stated, he's her brother. Having her listed as Nancy Workman is a lucky find because it narrow down the possible candidates who could be "Nancy Workman" and points directly to our girl. Oh, and did I mention that one Daniel Troutman is listed as the administrator of Nancy Anna's husband, Elisha Workman? There ya' go. The two generations are linked.
The game was to crawl back in time and look at each generation as I go knowing full well that the terrain gets more challenging back past 1850 and that wonderfully delightful 1850 census. (After working in the "dark ages" before 1850 for a while and then moving up in time to the glorious 1850 census, it feels to me like someone opened a window!)
I started with my Grandma Kelly making sure all vital records that were available for her and husband Gustav Zeller were in the file and scanned as well. At this point, the name of my overall genealogy game is to double and triple check to make absolutely certain that I've requested every available vital record for each ancestor. As you've probably found out, the archives and state vital records folks too quickly run out of goodies for us and we face that ugly message, "the first death certificates were required in Maryland in 1898." So I want to make absolutely certain that I have grabbed all the low hanging fruit that I can. But I digress from fishing.
Grandma Kelly's mother was Moretta (Workman) Zeller (1859-1946) and her mother was Nancy Ann (Troutman) Workman (1826-1882) who married Elisha Workman (1816-1864), and I blogged about Elisha recently and you can read that here. Nancy Ann sported a number of names throughout her life and that was not a help when tracking her in records, I want to tell you! While with her birth family she was Nancy but once she got married she was either Anna or Anne, except for a little while when she was Angeline as she is listed in the 1860s census. Some legal documents and her will show her as Anna A. Go figure.
Anyway, that name thing was a bit of a problem because how do you prove that the Nancy in the estate papers of her father, Benjamin Franklin Troutman (1780-1856), is the same person as Anna A. in her will? How, indeed! Then I found Daniel.
Daniel Troutman was Nancy Anna's brother, and you can see that relationship in the way the names are listed in her father's estate papers. Did I tell you about her father's estate papers? No? OK, let me get back to that in another blog post because it's a heart-warming story about genealogical kindness. Here's a look at a the disbursal list from Benjamin's estate.
In looking for and finding the vitals of an ancestor I sometimes get so excited when I find gold that I forget to look for records that link the generations. Gotta stop doing that. The links the thing.
Nancy Anna (Troutman) Workman (1826 - 1882).
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2014/10/fishing-for-troutman-and-catching-some.html
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Random Photo Saturday: kids at play
I check the stats for this blog regularly, not because I'm expecting the modest number of visitors to grow, but because I'm looking for patterns. Have noticed that posts that appear on the Friday - Saturday - Sunday schedule don't really get looked at until the next week. Guess everyone is busy playing "Saturday Night Genealogy Fun" with Randy Seaver:) Because of that and because maybe my weekend posts aren't usually very thrilling but your weekend activity is, today let's try something different. I'll go find a couple of random photos from the archive and post them with a bit of commentary. How's that? Shouldn't be too taxing for either you or I. Now for the photos!
Her brother was too much older - and a boy, yuck - so that he and I didn't have much in common and I didn't know him as well as his sister. She was fun and he was, well, a boy. Yuck.
Chrissy got married and lived in the house just opposite her parent's house and Grandma's house on Main Street.
That's my Gandma Kelly, Helen (Zeller) Kelly (1894 - 1985). She's what, maybe five years old? She's in her back yard of their home at 89 West Main Street, Frostburg, Allegany, Maryland. The yard was resplendent with fruits, vegetables, chickens, roses and other flowers, and as you can see, dogs. Her father, Gus Zeller (1858 - 1927) owned barber shops in Western Maryland and his shop on Main Street at the heart of the market district was a showplace of mercantile marketing. It sported a ten-foot barber pole and in the window passersby were entertained by a giant fish tank that held "fancy fish" or colorful goldfish that entertained men, women and children alike. There was a flair to most everything he did so if there were to be dogs they had to be special too. I'd heard about Grandma's dogs well before I saw this old photo so I wasn't too surprised to see this grouping of white pooches. Grandma is likely playing "baby" with them and the one in her carriage seems to look at us with the thought, "For gosh sakes, save me from this child!"
I'd be hard pressed to name a favorite cousin because I do really like them all. Here are the two children of my aunt Helen Lee (Kelly) Natolly (1914 - 1989), Chrissy and her brother Tom who we all called Tommy Lee. They lived in the house just one door west of where Grandma and Grand Pop Kelly lived at 89 West Main Street. When Grandma Kelly's father (Gustav Zeller 1858-1927) passed he left the house to Grandma. Her mother, who all called Ma (Moretta (Workman) Zeller 1859- 1946) lived with the family.
Chrissy was born in 1940 and was just enough older than I that she saved special outfits for me after she was done with them. I loved visiting and trying on her old dresses, especially when she started going to school dances. I remember a beautiful deep turquoise satin number with a bubble skirt. Wore it to one of my very first high school dances. Thank you Cousin Chrissy! Her brother was too much older - and a boy, yuck - so that he and I didn't have much in common and I didn't know him as well as his sister. She was fun and he was, well, a boy. Yuck.
Chrissy got married and lived in the house just opposite her parent's house and Grandma's house on Main Street.
That's me there. I'm about five years old and maybe about the same age as Grandma in that picture of her with the dogs. I'm riding my tricycle on East Main Street in front of the apartment Mom and Dad rented until 1952 when we moved from little Frostburg in the western mountains of Maryland to the big city of Cleveland. When we lived here Mom and I walked everywhere, from our place on East Main Street, uptown to the main business district, and then further up to Grandma Kelly's house on West Main Street. We'd also walk to Mom's parents house and visit with Grandmother Williams, and Grandfather if he was home. We walked and walked. I thought it was the best!
A word about the name of the street. It was named Union Street and the two ends were North Union and South Union. About 1938 it was renamed Main Street and the two ends became East Main and West Main. Whenever I think about that change I have to laugh. What the heck happened? The four compass points remain constant so how did the street change from north and south to east and west. East and west is correct on the compass, so the unfortunately mistaken naming was the earlier north and south. Anyway, a bunch of streets were renamed about the same time and Mom's beloved Loo Street was renamed to College Avenue. It really helps to know this when looking at older records! Loo Street? Where's Loo Street??
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2014/06/random-photo-saturday-kids-at-play.html
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Surname Saturday: Was her maiden name Stauler, or what?
Off we go into another Surname Saturday, the
blogging prompt from GeneaBloggers. We're climbing back up the branches of Mom's Big Tree, which you can see on Ancestry.com here. We're into the 4th great grandmothers so we're far enough back to have some problems finding records, and our subject of the day is a woman we know little about. We know where she's buried (and thank you Cousin Steve for the wonderful photos on Find A Grave), but we're not sure of her last name. Poor GGGG GM!
And you know that all of us who do Surname Saturday use it as "cousin bait" just in case a cousin or two decides to Google one of our ancestors! Therefore, I might be going overboard, but I'm including a lot of names;)
1. Diane Kelly Weintraub
2. Francis Patrick " Pat" Kelly (1916 - 2007)
3. Virginia Williams, living and loving it
4. John Lee "Lee" Kelly (1892 - 1969)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985)
10. Gustav William "Gus" Zeller (1858 - 1927)
11. Moretta Workman Zeller (1859 - 1946)
22. Elijah Workman (1816 - 1864)
23. Nancy Ann Troutman (1826 - 1882)
Elijah was born and died in Zihlman, Allegany County, MD, which is really hard to find on the map but located near Mt. Savage and Frostburg, Maryland. You can just about see Zihlman from where Mom now lives, especially when the leaves are off the trees.
Nancy Ann Troutman was born in Wellersburg, Somerset County, PA, and that's where the Troutman line settled and stayed, except for a short move and back again, or the ones who wandered off to Ohio. Elijah was a farmer.
Here are their children:
Amanda Workman (1848 - 1865)
Caspar Workman (1849 - 1949). He married Margaret Holtzman Merrill. They both died in Frostburg.
Benjamin Workman (1851 - 1869)
John Franklin Workman (1857 - 1930). He married Mary Anne Mealing. They both died in Frostburg.
11. Moretta Workman Zeller (1859 - 1946)
Mary Ann Workman (1861 - 1939). She married Peter Pressman. They both died in Frostburg.
Joseph Workman (1863 - 1894). He died in Frostburg.
46. Benjamin Franklin Troutman (1780 - 1856) (Find A Grave Memorial# 74544823)
47. Catherine Wolgerman (1765 - ????)
It is quite possible that Benjamin Franklin Troutman was born in Greenwich Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania and came to the Somerset area with his parents. If he did then his father, Peter Troutman, moved from his place of birth in Somerset to Berks County and then moved back to Somerset County again. Benjamin Franklin was said to have been a renowned gunsmith and well known for his craft. He could sing and dance and was in competitions for such talent. In the 1850 Census he is listed as a farmer, working the land with his son, Adam.
They has these children:
John Troutman (1782 - 1870). He married Elizabeth Horn. They both died in Ohio.
Mary Ann Troutman (1816 - 1899) She married Solomon John Leidig.
Joseph Troutman (possibly twins with Mary Ann. 1816 - 1898). He married Elizabeth surname unknown.
George Troutman (1820 - 1891)
Daniel Benjamin Troutman (1822 - 1891). He married Catherine Emerick. They both died in Kansas.
William Troutman (1825 - 1837) He married Louisa surname unknown.
23. Nancy Ann Troutman 1826 - 1882
Sarah Troutman (1829 - ????). Sarah married George Washington Sheirer.
Adam Agustus Troutman (1832 - 1858). He married Amanda Hildebrand.
Eleanora Troutman (about 1835 - before August 1856). She married M. Reiber.
Harriet Troutman (1843 - before 1920). She married John W. Hansel.
92. Peter Troutman (1754 - 1846) (Find A Grave Memorial# 26925953)
93. Mary Barbara Stauler (1757 - 1836) (Find A Grave Memorial# 74554972)
Peter Troutman served in the Revolutionary War. We have a lot of information about him:) But know next to nothing about her.
They had these children:
46. Benjamin Franklin Troutman (1780 - 1856)
Mary Ann Troutman (1781 - 1853). She married John Emmerick. They both died in Ohio.
Anna Marie Troutman (1783 - 1869). She married Abraham Miller.
Mary Magdelina Troutman (1785 - 1853)
Rachael Troutman (???? - 1862).She married Daniel Martz in 1836 and then David Albright in 1832.
Jacob M. Troutman (1788 - 1877). He married Rebecca Boyer.
Susanna Troutman (1789 - 1829). She married Peter Boyer.
John Troutman ( 1782 - 1870). He married first Elizabeth Horn and then Mary Thomas.
Annie Troutman (1802 - 1853)
Catherine Troutman (1808 - ????). She married John Mease.
Rebecca Troutman ( 1812 - ????)
Elizabeth Troutman (1789 - ????)
Peter lived ten years longer than Mary Barbara. He married again to Barbara Cassell on 11 Jan 1838, a younger woman (40 years old when they married) born in 1796 and died in 1870, and about whom we know absolutely nothing. If she was married before we don't know about it. They had no children together. Amazingly, Peter Troutman lived to be 92!
I feel so bad for the women who get lost in a sea of records about the men of the day. Mary Barbara live to be 79 years old and I'm thinking that was pretty good for the time and place. She's buried with her husband in Comps Cemetery, just over the Maryland / Pennsylvania border in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It's not too far north of where her granddaughter, Nancy Ann Troutman married and lived with her husband, Elijah Workman, and had my great grandmother Moretta Workman. It was a small world then and now.
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/11/surname-saturday-was-her-maiden-name.html
And you know that all of us who do Surname Saturday use it as "cousin bait" just in case a cousin or two decides to Google one of our ancestors! Therefore, I might be going overboard, but I'm including a lot of names;)
1. Diane Kelly Weintraub
2. Francis Patrick " Pat" Kelly (1916 - 2007)
3. Virginia Williams, living and loving it
4. John Lee "Lee" Kelly (1892 - 1969)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985)
10. Gustav William "Gus" Zeller (1858 - 1927)
11. Moretta Workman Zeller (1859 - 1946)
11. Moretta (Workman) Zeller (1859 - 1946)
23. Nancy Ann (Troutman) Workman (1826 - 1882)
22. Elijah Workman (1816 - 1864)
23. Nancy Ann Troutman (1826 - 1882)
Elijah was born and died in Zihlman, Allegany County, MD, which is really hard to find on the map but located near Mt. Savage and Frostburg, Maryland. You can just about see Zihlman from where Mom now lives, especially when the leaves are off the trees.
Nancy Ann Troutman was born in Wellersburg, Somerset County, PA, and that's where the Troutman line settled and stayed, except for a short move and back again, or the ones who wandered off to Ohio. Elijah was a farmer.
Here are their children:
Amanda Workman (1848 - 1865)
Caspar Workman (1849 - 1949). He married Margaret Holtzman Merrill. They both died in Frostburg.
Benjamin Workman (1851 - 1869)
John Franklin Workman (1857 - 1930). He married Mary Anne Mealing. They both died in Frostburg.
11. Moretta Workman Zeller (1859 - 1946)
Mary Ann Workman (1861 - 1939). She married Peter Pressman. They both died in Frostburg.
Joseph Workman (1863 - 1894). He died in Frostburg.
46. Benjamin Franklin Troutman (1780 - 1856) (Find A Grave Memorial# 74544823)
47. Catherine Wolgerman (1765 - ????)
It is quite possible that Benjamin Franklin Troutman was born in Greenwich Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania and came to the Somerset area with his parents. If he did then his father, Peter Troutman, moved from his place of birth in Somerset to Berks County and then moved back to Somerset County again. Benjamin Franklin was said to have been a renowned gunsmith and well known for his craft. He could sing and dance and was in competitions for such talent. In the 1850 Census he is listed as a farmer, working the land with his son, Adam.
They has these children:
John Troutman (1782 - 1870). He married Elizabeth Horn. They both died in Ohio.
Mary Ann Troutman (1816 - 1899) She married Solomon John Leidig.
Joseph Troutman (possibly twins with Mary Ann. 1816 - 1898). He married Elizabeth surname unknown.
George Troutman (1820 - 1891)
Daniel Benjamin Troutman (1822 - 1891). He married Catherine Emerick. They both died in Kansas.
William Troutman (1825 - 1837) He married Louisa surname unknown.
23. Nancy Ann Troutman 1826 - 1882
Sarah Troutman (1829 - ????). Sarah married George Washington Sheirer.
Adam Agustus Troutman (1832 - 1858). He married Amanda Hildebrand.
Eleanora Troutman (about 1835 - before August 1856). She married M. Reiber.
Harriet Troutman (1843 - before 1920). She married John W. Hansel.
92. Peter Troutman (1754 - 1846) (Find A Grave Memorial# 26925953)
93. Mary Barbara Stauler (1757 - 1836) (Find A Grave Memorial# 74554972)
Peter Troutman served in the Revolutionary War. We have a lot of information about him:) But know next to nothing about her.
They had these children:
46. Benjamin Franklin Troutman (1780 - 1856)
Mary Ann Troutman (1781 - 1853). She married John Emmerick. They both died in Ohio.
Anna Marie Troutman (1783 - 1869). She married Abraham Miller.
Mary Magdelina Troutman (1785 - 1853)
Rachael Troutman (???? - 1862).She married Daniel Martz in 1836 and then David Albright in 1832.
Jacob M. Troutman (1788 - 1877). He married Rebecca Boyer.
Susanna Troutman (1789 - 1829). She married Peter Boyer.
John Troutman ( 1782 - 1870). He married first Elizabeth Horn and then Mary Thomas.
Annie Troutman (1802 - 1853)
Catherine Troutman (1808 - ????). She married John Mease.
Rebecca Troutman ( 1812 - ????)
Elizabeth Troutman (1789 - ????)
Peter lived ten years longer than Mary Barbara. He married again to Barbara Cassell on 11 Jan 1838, a younger woman (40 years old when they married) born in 1796 and died in 1870, and about whom we know absolutely nothing. If she was married before we don't know about it. They had no children together. Amazingly, Peter Troutman lived to be 92!
I feel so bad for the women who get lost in a sea of records about the men of the day. Mary Barbara live to be 79 years old and I'm thinking that was pretty good for the time and place. She's buried with her husband in Comps Cemetery, just over the Maryland / Pennsylvania border in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It's not too far north of where her granddaughter, Nancy Ann Troutman married and lived with her husband, Elijah Workman, and had my great grandmother Moretta Workman. It was a small world then and now.
"In Memory of Mary B. Const. of Peter Troutman,
died Nov. 14th AD 1836,
Aged 79 y, 8m & 14d."
(Photo Courtesy of Steve Miller. Thanks Steve!)
Screen shot of the page for Mary Barbara Stauler?? Troutman
on Find A Grave, created and managed by Steve Miller.
When I saw it, it was obvious that he knew a lot about the Troutman line so I contacted him.
Nice!
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/11/surname-saturday-was-her-maiden-name.html
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Surname Saturday: Last Name Unknown (Possibly Breuning)
Oh, I'm not liking this Surname Saturday, the
blogging prompt from GeneaBloggers. I have next to nothing for you because here in the fifth generation, there's a big ugly brick wall. Mom has worked on it and another researcher has too. Now it will go on my To Do list and I'll take my best shot in rotation. I can almost feel the other genealogists who've tried this line before having a good laugh at this beginning intermediate who will undoubtedly stumble around a lot as I try to find Chicago and German records. I'll be looking for my 2nd GGM, Anna Mary (?) Zeller who married my 2nd GGF, Charles William Zeller. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
He's a short look at all that we've got.
1. Diane Kelly Weintraub
2. Francis Patrick " Pat" Kelly (1916 - 2007)
3. Virginia Williams, living and loving it
4. John Lee "Lee" Kelly (1892 - 1969)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985)
10. Gustav William "Gus" Zeller (1858 - 1927)
11. Moretta Workman Zeller (1859 - 1946), everyone called her "Ma"
They had these 5 children:
Charles Sample Zeller ( 1880- 1966)
Adelbert "Burt" Zeller ( 1883 - 1947)
Gustav William "Gus Jr." Zeller Jr. (1884 - 1964)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985), that's Grandma Kelly there:)
Anna M. Zeller ( 1882 - 1882)
20. Charles William Zeller ( 1829 - 1901)
21 Anna Mary (possibly Breuning/ Browning/ Bruning) Zeller (1834 - 1906)
See that "Bruning" I put in there? I sort of remember that name when I just got started doing genealogy but failed to take even a scrap of a note about the source! The name stuck in my head and so I entered it this week on Mom's Ancestry tree while preparing this post and some leaves started shaking at me. I checked out Ancestry member trees and a couple had Browning. I then changed it to the more German Breuning and got nothing. I then translated "brown" into german and saw that it was "braun" so I entered Brauning as her surname. Still nothing. I'm still confused.
This couple were both born in Werttemburg, Germany. They immigrated and settled in the little town of Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland. Mom believes there were relatives in the area and a search of local records turns up a number of other Zeller families, although their exact connection mystifies us.
After 1878 when the last of the children was born in Frostburg, and before 1886 when Henry died in Chicago, the family moved to Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. All the children except Gustav are buried in the Chicago area. The local Cumberland, MD newspaper mentions Anna Mary's death in the issue printed on 17 Sept 1906 and says she and her husband were residents of Frostburg 22 years ago, making their moving date about 1884. Good tip from a local newspaper! Too bad it didn't give a maiden name.
Charles was a confectioner and his wife, Anna Mary, was a diabetic. Go figgure! Charles ran a very popular sweets store in Frostburg until he moved to Chicago. I wonder if he realized the wider potential of his success in Frostburg and decided to move to the larger market Chicago would promise?
In checking the 1870 US Census Mary Ann is listed as being a milliner. Seems to me I remember Grandma Kelly telling a story about a milliner. Maybe Mom remembers better that I do.
In the 1900 census they are living in Chicago, he's 71 and working as a baker. It says that he was naturalized in 1851 and Anna Mary did the same in 1852. He owns his house free of mortgage.
They had these 11 children:
Charles Zeller (1855 - ?)
10. Gustav William Zeller (1858 - 1927)
Gotlieb Zeller (1861 - 1889)
George Zeller (1862 - 1931)
Delbert Zeller (1865 - after 1910)
Frederick Zeller (1869 - 1932), he and John are twins
John Zeller (1869 - 1945), he and Frederick are twins
Henry Zeller (1870 - 1886)
William Zeller (1872 - 1906)
Daniel Zeller (1875 - ?)
Annie Mary Zeller (1878 - ?)
That's all I have, sad to say. But wait, don't go. I have a photo, well not of Anna Mary. Bummer.
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/03/surname-saturday-last-name-unknown.html
He's a short look at all that we've got.
1. Diane Kelly Weintraub
2. Francis Patrick " Pat" Kelly (1916 - 2007)
3. Virginia Williams, living and loving it
4. John Lee "Lee" Kelly (1892 - 1969)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985)
10. Gustav William "Gus" Zeller (1858 - 1927)
11. Moretta Workman Zeller (1859 - 1946), everyone called her "Ma"
They had these 5 children:
Charles Sample Zeller ( 1880- 1966)
Adelbert "Burt" Zeller ( 1883 - 1947)
Gustav William "Gus Jr." Zeller Jr. (1884 - 1964)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985), that's Grandma Kelly there:)
Anna M. Zeller ( 1882 - 1882)
20. Charles William Zeller ( 1829 - 1901)
21 Anna Mary (possibly Breuning/ Browning/ Bruning) Zeller (1834 - 1906)
See that "Bruning" I put in there? I sort of remember that name when I just got started doing genealogy but failed to take even a scrap of a note about the source! The name stuck in my head and so I entered it this week on Mom's Ancestry tree while preparing this post and some leaves started shaking at me. I checked out Ancestry member trees and a couple had Browning. I then changed it to the more German Breuning and got nothing. I then translated "brown" into german and saw that it was "braun" so I entered Brauning as her surname. Still nothing. I'm still confused.
This couple were both born in Werttemburg, Germany. They immigrated and settled in the little town of Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland. Mom believes there were relatives in the area and a search of local records turns up a number of other Zeller families, although their exact connection mystifies us.
After 1878 when the last of the children was born in Frostburg, and before 1886 when Henry died in Chicago, the family moved to Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. All the children except Gustav are buried in the Chicago area. The local Cumberland, MD newspaper mentions Anna Mary's death in the issue printed on 17 Sept 1906 and says she and her husband were residents of Frostburg 22 years ago, making their moving date about 1884. Good tip from a local newspaper! Too bad it didn't give a maiden name.
Charles was a confectioner and his wife, Anna Mary, was a diabetic. Go figgure! Charles ran a very popular sweets store in Frostburg until he moved to Chicago. I wonder if he realized the wider potential of his success in Frostburg and decided to move to the larger market Chicago would promise?
In checking the 1870 US Census Mary Ann is listed as being a milliner. Seems to me I remember Grandma Kelly telling a story about a milliner. Maybe Mom remembers better that I do.
In the 1900 census they are living in Chicago, he's 71 and working as a baker. It says that he was naturalized in 1851 and Anna Mary did the same in 1852. He owns his house free of mortgage.
They had these 11 children:
Charles Zeller (1855 - ?)
10. Gustav William Zeller (1858 - 1927)
Gotlieb Zeller (1861 - 1889)
George Zeller (1862 - 1931)
Delbert Zeller (1865 - after 1910)
Frederick Zeller (1869 - 1932), he and John are twins
John Zeller (1869 - 1945), he and Frederick are twins
Henry Zeller (1870 - 1886)
William Zeller (1872 - 1906)
Daniel Zeller (1875 - ?)
Annie Mary Zeller (1878 - ?)
That's all I have, sad to say. But wait, don't go. I have a photo, well not of Anna Mary. Bummer.
20. Charles William Zeller ( 1829 - 1901)
Husband of Anna Mary.
10. Gustav William Zeller (1858 - 1927)
Just an observation, but you'd think that if there is this fine photo of Charles William Zeller that there'd be a fine photo of his wife, Anna Mary. He predeceased her so, well, wouldn't you think she'd had her picture made if her husband did? Sure would kike to find a cousin who has that!
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/03/surname-saturday-last-name-unknown.html
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Treasure Chest Thursday: What We Found In The Hall Closet
During the Great Depression my Kelly grandparents lived on Main Street in the little town of Frostburg in Western Maryland. They had six kids and times were hard. Everyone worked and did what they could to bring in money to support the family.
Great grandmother Moretta Workman Zeller, grandmother Kelly's mother who everyone called Ma, provided rents from the three houses her husband great grandfather Gustav Zeller owned and left to her. Grandpa Lee Kelly had worked as a miner when he was young but the mines were having financial difficulties and few jobs and too many ready workers meant painfully low wages. And he was developing the symptoms of black lung disease so physical labor was practically impossible for him. He learned to cut hair from his father-in-law, the impresario of tonsorial skills, Gustav Zeller, and made some money by cutting the miner's hair on Saturday in a tiny barbershop behind the house. By 1930 all nine of them - six kids, the Kelly couple and Ma - lived in the house on West Main Street, except for Gus who passed on in 1927.
Grandma Helen Zeller Kelly (1894-1985) was born and died in that house in the very same room. For me and all of us grand kids, she gave it life. After she passed we purchased the house from the estate. It was an emotional buy and I'd come to have second and third thoughts about the wisdom of it many times in the next couple of years. The thing was, the foundation was sinking, the walls were old cracked horse hair plaster, the floors were tilted, and the plumbing and electrical needed replacing. The worst day was when my brother who was acting as general contractor for it all called and said, "We need to gut it."
So we, or rather he and his team, did. The house lost some of its charm, but for safety alone, it had to be done. During the renovation the ancient linoleum in the hall closet was pulled up and revealed some old magazines. Dusty, water spotted, and dirty, they remained there from about 1931 until the mid 1980s. They were magazines for traveling salesmen.
Every page promised a scheme for great wealth and prosperity. Ideas, products, systems for making money fill the publications from front to back. "Opportunity" and "Modern Salesology" from 1931 are the two that were hidden under the linoleum and that I still have. They are a step back into a difficult time full of people, mostly men, who wanted and needed to earn, and plenty of offerings about how to do so, if the men had a few dollars for samples or a book telling them of some scheme. There is a palpable sense of desperation and promised greed that drifts off the pages.
How these magazines got under the linoleum in Grandma's front hall I really don't know. The placement seems to be such that one could easily think they were hidden, but who hid them and why? Dad seemed to remember that his family took in salesmen borders at some point during the Depression so possibly they were left behind. But why hide them? They remain a mystery.
Treasure Chest Thursday is a blogging prompt of GeneaBloggers.
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/03/treasure-chest-thursday-what-we-found.html
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Surname Saturday: The Workman Family
Off we go on another Surname Saturday, a dandy
blogging prompt from GeneaBloggers! This week we're looking back to follow the Workman family to when they spelled their name in the Dutch way, Woeterman. We'll see another of my four Revolutionary War ancestors and follow along as this line makes its way to Western Maryland and to Military lots, and plops down comfortably on the Workman Farm, as well as near and in the town of Frostburg, just as all my other ancestors did. So here we go!
1. Diane Kelly Weintraub
2. Francis Patrick " Pat" Kelly (1916 - 2007)
3. Virginia Williams, living and loving it
4. John Lee "Lee" Kelly (1892 - 1969)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985)
10. Gustav William "Gus" Zeller (1858 - 1927)
11. Moretta Workman Zeller (1859 - 1946)
22. Elijah Workman 1816 - 1864
23. Nancy Ann Troutman 1826 - 1882
Elijah was born and died in Zihlman, Allegany County, MD, which is really hard to find on the map. The Workman Farm, mentioned below, is located near here. Zihlman is located near Mt. Savage and Frostburg, Maryland. You can just about see Zihlman from where Mom now lives, especially when the leaves are off the trees.
Nancy Ann Troutman was born in Wellersburg, Somerset County, PA.
Here are their children:
Amanda Workman 1848 - 1865
Caspar Workman 1849 - 1949. He married Margaret Holtzman Merrill. They both died in Frostburg.
Benjamin Workman 1851 - 1869
John Franklin Workman 1857 - 1930. He married Mary Anne Mealing. They both died in Frostburg.
11. Moretta Workman Zeller 1859 - 1946
Mary Ann Workman 1861 - 1939. She married Peter Pressman. They both died in Frostburg.
Joseph Workman 1863 - 1894. He died in Frostburg.
44. John Workman 1779 - 1859
45. Amelia Combs about 1789 - ????
John was also born in Zihlman but died just up the hill in Frostburg. Presumable, Amelia Combs was born close by Zihlman and also died in Frostburg, but proof remains elusive. Very recently - like yesterday - a Combs family history has come into my possession, so this might get updated real soon:)
John was a farmer and in the 1840 US Census owned one slave. This was the first record of him owning slaves.
They had these children:
Rebecca Workman 1809 - before 1908. She married Solomon Hansel. They both died in Frostburg.
Kate Workman 1810 - ????. She married Noah Trimble from Wellersburg PA.
Joseph Workman 1812 - 1879. He married Louisa Knabenshue from Keyser, Mineral County, WVa.
Isaac Workman 1814 - 1897
22. Elijah Workman 1816 - 1864
Margaret Workman 1819 - 1908. She married James P. Hannah and then Harry Stevens.
John L. Workman 1821 - 11873. He married Druzilla Workman.
Stephen Workman 1823 - ????.
Cuthbert Workman 1825 - 1882. He married Nancy Conkle. He died in Danville, Knox, County, OH.
Nimrod Workman 1828 - 1870.
William Combs Workman 1831 - 1894. He married Clara Sophia Winebrenner and then Rebecca Sheffiff.
88. Isaac Workman (Jr.) 1742 - 1827
First wife unknown, mother of John, above
Second wife, Lydia Merrill 1743 - ????
Isaac was born in Somerset County, NJ and after his second wife, Lydia Merrill died, and he moved to Danville, Knox County, OH to be with his sons and daughter. He died there.
It is generally believed that it is this Isaac Workman who on 28 Aug 1776, joined the Revolutionary War in the state of Maryland, Washington County, serving under Andrew Bruce and also from Washington County. Much needs to be done by me to investigate his service further.
And notice how many started moving to Knox County, Ohio! Need to investigate what was so enticing to attract them. They settled well there and there's even a Workman Cemetery, screen shot below.
These are their known children:
Stephen Workman 1767 - 1865. Born in Zihlman and died in Union Township, Knox County, OH. He married Jane Graham who was born in Ireland.
William Workman 1769 - ????
Rebecca Workman 1773 - 1835. Born in Zihlman and died in Union Township, Knox County, OH. Married Solomon Robinson.
44. John Workman 1779 - 1859
Lydia Workman 1782 - ????
Joseph C. Workman 1782 - 1852. He was born in Frostburg and died in Danville, Knox County, OH. He married Sarah Conner.
176. Isaac Workman (Sr.) 1710 - 1827
177. Femmentie (Pheobe) Rangel 1712 - ????
Isaac (Sr.) was born in Brooklyn. The couple both moved together to Somerville, Somerset County, New Jersey. Isaac also might have served in the Revolutionary War because when Military Lots were apportioned he was given title to Lot # 3656. Later he transferred title to his son, Isaac (Jr.).
Their children were:
88. Isaac Workman (Jr.) 1742 - 1827
Fannie Workman ???? - ????
Sarah Workman 1734 - ????
Rebecca Workman ???? - ????
352. Peter Derick Woerterman christened 1688 - ????
Married: Unknown. ???? - sometime between 1727 to 1735.
It is thought that Peter was born in Brooklyn, as was his wife. It is believed that Peter's wife died before he moved to Allegany County, MD.
Their children, known, are:
176. Isaac Workman (Sr.) 1710 - 1827
Cornelius Workman (Woeterman) 1715 - ????. Most likely candidate for the the one who started the Workman Farm in Allegany County, MD.
Peter Workman 1720 - ????. Probably born in New Jersey.
Margaret Workman 1720 - ????. Also probably born in New Jersey.
705. Richard John (Dirk Jan) Woeterman about 1630 - after 1694
706. Marrietje Teunis Denyse ???? - before 1647
Richard was born in Holland and immigrated to America in 1647, unmarried at that time. The date is figured because in 1687 he took the oath of allegiance at Brooklyn stating he had been there for 40 years. On 10 April 1661 he and his wife Marrietje Teunis Denyse were admitted to the Brooklyn Dutch Church. At that time he owned property in Brooklyn and operated the Brooklyn Ferry. He was made town officer in 1673.
Their 17 children were:
Haramita Woeterman, Femmetje Woeterman, Jan Derick Woterman, Geertruy Woeterman, Teunis Derick Woeterman, Paulis Woeterman, Catrherine Woeterman, Dennis Woeterman, Lysbeth Woeterman, Annetje Woeterman, Marretje Woeterman, 352. Peter Derick Woerterman christened 1688 - ????, and Lorewyck Derick Woeterman.
1408. John William Workman (Jans William Woeterman) 1598 - before 1637
1409. Hanna (Harmetie) ???? - after 1685
It is generally believed that John William Workman came from England to Holland because of religious persecution at the time of the Putitan upheavals. In Holland he blended in to life and culture taking the Dutch version of his name: Jans William Woeterman.
They had these children and possibly more:
Elizabeth Jans Woeterman born by about 1630 - ????. She married Pieter Jansen Noorman, born in Norway. Pieter and Elizabeth were some of the first settlers of Bushwick and owned 130 acres there along the East River in what is now Brooklyn. When Pieter died she married Joost Jansen Cocquit.
705. Richard John (Dirk Jan) Woeterman about 1630 - after 1694
Annatje ????- ????
The line back beyond this point is unclear. Looking to my main resource for the Workman family, Workman Family History, by Thelma Chidister Workman, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Publishers Press, 1962) as well as the resources for the above line from Isaac Workman (Jr.) back, there is every indication that John William or his father came to Holland because of religious persecution. This theory has been part of the US Workman family lore, and is still spoken of even today. The natural conclusion, thought not proven in documentation as of my knowledge, is that they came from the Workman family in Gloucester, England.
WOW! This is a long one. Thanks for looking:)
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/02/surname-saturday-workman-family.html
1. Diane Kelly Weintraub
2. Francis Patrick " Pat" Kelly (1916 - 2007)
3. Virginia Williams, living and loving it
4. John Lee "Lee" Kelly (1892 - 1969)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985)
10. Gustav William "Gus" Zeller (1858 - 1927)
11. Moretta Workman Zeller (1859 - 1946)
22. Elijah Workman 1816 - 1864
23. Nancy Ann Troutman 1826 - 1882
Elijah was born and died in Zihlman, Allegany County, MD, which is really hard to find on the map. The Workman Farm, mentioned below, is located near here. Zihlman is located near Mt. Savage and Frostburg, Maryland. You can just about see Zihlman from where Mom now lives, especially when the leaves are off the trees.
Nancy Ann Troutman was born in Wellersburg, Somerset County, PA.
Here are their children:
Amanda Workman 1848 - 1865
Caspar Workman 1849 - 1949. He married Margaret Holtzman Merrill. They both died in Frostburg.
Benjamin Workman 1851 - 1869
John Franklin Workman 1857 - 1930. He married Mary Anne Mealing. They both died in Frostburg.
11. Moretta Workman Zeller 1859 - 1946
Mary Ann Workman 1861 - 1939. She married Peter Pressman. They both died in Frostburg.
Joseph Workman 1863 - 1894. He died in Frostburg.
44. John Workman 1779 - 1859
45. Amelia Combs about 1789 - ????
John was also born in Zihlman but died just up the hill in Frostburg. Presumable, Amelia Combs was born close by Zihlman and also died in Frostburg, but proof remains elusive. Very recently - like yesterday - a Combs family history has come into my possession, so this might get updated real soon:)
John was a farmer and in the 1840 US Census owned one slave. This was the first record of him owning slaves.
They had these children:
Rebecca Workman 1809 - before 1908. She married Solomon Hansel. They both died in Frostburg.
Kate Workman 1810 - ????. She married Noah Trimble from Wellersburg PA.
Joseph Workman 1812 - 1879. He married Louisa Knabenshue from Keyser, Mineral County, WVa.
Isaac Workman 1814 - 1897
22. Elijah Workman 1816 - 1864
Margaret Workman 1819 - 1908. She married James P. Hannah and then Harry Stevens.
John L. Workman 1821 - 11873. He married Druzilla Workman.
Stephen Workman 1823 - ????.
Cuthbert Workman 1825 - 1882. He married Nancy Conkle. He died in Danville, Knox, County, OH.
Nimrod Workman 1828 - 1870.
William Combs Workman 1831 - 1894. He married Clara Sophia Winebrenner and then Rebecca Sheffiff.
88. Isaac Workman (Jr.) 1742 - 1827
First wife unknown, mother of John, above
Second wife, Lydia Merrill 1743 - ????
Isaac was born in Somerset County, NJ and after his second wife, Lydia Merrill died, and he moved to Danville, Knox County, OH to be with his sons and daughter. He died there.
It is generally believed that it is this Isaac Workman who on 28 Aug 1776, joined the Revolutionary War in the state of Maryland, Washington County, serving under Andrew Bruce and also from Washington County. Much needs to be done by me to investigate his service further.
And notice how many started moving to Knox County, Ohio! Need to investigate what was so enticing to attract them. They settled well there and there's even a Workman Cemetery, screen shot below.
These are their known children:
Stephen Workman 1767 - 1865. Born in Zihlman and died in Union Township, Knox County, OH. He married Jane Graham who was born in Ireland.
William Workman 1769 - ????
Rebecca Workman 1773 - 1835. Born in Zihlman and died in Union Township, Knox County, OH. Married Solomon Robinson.
44. John Workman 1779 - 1859
Lydia Workman 1782 - ????
Joseph C. Workman 1782 - 1852. He was born in Frostburg and died in Danville, Knox County, OH. He married Sarah Conner.
Screen Shot of FindAGrave for the Workman Cemetery in Danville, Knox County, Ohio.
176. Isaac Workman (Sr.) 1710 - 1827
177. Femmentie (Pheobe) Rangel 1712 - ????
Isaac (Sr.) was born in Brooklyn. The couple both moved together to Somerville, Somerset County, New Jersey. Isaac also might have served in the Revolutionary War because when Military Lots were apportioned he was given title to Lot # 3656. Later he transferred title to his son, Isaac (Jr.).
Their children were:
88. Isaac Workman (Jr.) 1742 - 1827
Fannie Workman ???? - ????
Sarah Workman 1734 - ????
Rebecca Workman ???? - ????
Click to enlarge and see the Military Lot Map for Allegany County, Maryland and find the Workman Lot #3536.
Married: Unknown. ???? - sometime between 1727 to 1735.
It is thought that Peter was born in Brooklyn, as was his wife. It is believed that Peter's wife died before he moved to Allegany County, MD.
Their children, known, are:
176. Isaac Workman (Sr.) 1710 - 1827
Cornelius Workman (Woeterman) 1715 - ????. Most likely candidate for the the one who started the Workman Farm in Allegany County, MD.
Peter Workman 1720 - ????. Probably born in New Jersey.
Margaret Workman 1720 - ????. Also probably born in New Jersey.
705. Richard John (Dirk Jan) Woeterman about 1630 - after 1694
706. Marrietje Teunis Denyse ???? - before 1647
Richard was born in Holland and immigrated to America in 1647, unmarried at that time. The date is figured because in 1687 he took the oath of allegiance at Brooklyn stating he had been there for 40 years. On 10 April 1661 he and his wife Marrietje Teunis Denyse were admitted to the Brooklyn Dutch Church. At that time he owned property in Brooklyn and operated the Brooklyn Ferry. He was made town officer in 1673.
Their 17 children were:
Haramita Woeterman, Femmetje Woeterman, Jan Derick Woterman, Geertruy Woeterman, Teunis Derick Woeterman, Paulis Woeterman, Catrherine Woeterman, Dennis Woeterman, Lysbeth Woeterman, Annetje Woeterman, Marretje Woeterman, 352. Peter Derick Woerterman christened 1688 - ????, and Lorewyck Derick Woeterman.
1408. John William Workman (Jans William Woeterman) 1598 - before 1637
1409. Hanna (Harmetie) ???? - after 1685
It is generally believed that John William Workman came from England to Holland because of religious persecution at the time of the Putitan upheavals. In Holland he blended in to life and culture taking the Dutch version of his name: Jans William Woeterman.
They had these children and possibly more:
Elizabeth Jans Woeterman born by about 1630 - ????. She married Pieter Jansen Noorman, born in Norway. Pieter and Elizabeth were some of the first settlers of Bushwick and owned 130 acres there along the East River in what is now Brooklyn. When Pieter died she married Joost Jansen Cocquit.
705. Richard John (Dirk Jan) Woeterman about 1630 - after 1694
Annatje ????- ????
The line back beyond this point is unclear. Looking to my main resource for the Workman family, Workman Family History, by Thelma Chidister Workman, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Publishers Press, 1962) as well as the resources for the above line from Isaac Workman (Jr.) back, there is every indication that John William or his father came to Holland because of religious persecution. This theory has been part of the US Workman family lore, and is still spoken of even today. The natural conclusion, thought not proven in documentation as of my knowledge, is that they came from the Workman family in Gloucester, England.
WOW! This is a long one. Thanks for looking:)
Moretta Workman Zeller 1859 - 1964 my GGM.
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/02/surname-saturday-workman-family.html
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Tombstone Tuesday: The Great Grands
So here it is Tuesday again, and let's take a look at some tombstones, these from Mom's photo collection. Tombstone Tuesday is a weekly blogging prompt from GeneaBloggers. You can find the whole week's list of prompts
here.
This time we're looking at all of my great grands.
First are Dad's Father's parents and there's a Surname Saturday post about the Kelly line here.
Then on Dad's mother's side are the Zellers. You can read about these Zellers in a Surname Saturday post here.
Mom's father's side, Daniel and Jane Price Williams are explained in a Surname Saturday post here.
And Mom's mother's side are the Whetstones and you can read about thm here.
All of these grandparents are buried in the cemeteries of Frostburg, Maryland. The Kelly - Zeller side are at St Michaels' Cemetery (Catholic) and the Willimas - Whetstone are at the Frostburg Memorial Park. Makes it easy to decorate the graves:)
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/02/tombstone-tuesday-great-grands.html
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Surname Saturday: The Zellers from Germany
Off we go on another Surname Saturday, a dandy blogging prompt from GeneaBloggers! I blogged a bit this week on Treasure Chest Thursday about some of this family's members, Grandma Kelly's brother's family, and the Zeller Family Ensemble. That was fun! So here comes the line-up for Grandma Kelly and her ancestors, the Zellers from Germany.
It's sort of unusual that we have a lot of information about the known members in this line but it just doesn't go back too far as compared with other lines on Mom's Big Tree. And the other interesting thing, and a project for a day in the future, is that the other children of great great grandfather Charles William Zeller (1829 - 1901) and his wife, Anna Mary (1834 - 1906) are yet to be discovered by us. They disappear in the Chicago area. Mom has some skimpy information but more must be out there and sitting pretty, ready for us to get to.
So here we go: the Zeller family.
1. Diane Kelly Weintraub
2. Francis Patrick " Pat" Kelly (1916 - 2007)
3. Virginia Williams, living and loving it
4. John Lee "Lee" Kelly (1892 - 1969)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985)
10. Gustav William "Gus" Zeller (1858 - 1927)
11. Moretta Workman Zeller (1859 - 1946), everyone called her "Ma"
Gus and Ma, were both born and died in the Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland area. See below for the good stuff:)
They had these 5 children:
Charles Sample Zeller ( 1880- 1966)
Adelbert "Burt" Zeller ( 1883 - 1947)
Gustav William "Gus Jr." Zeller Jr. (1884 - 1964)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985), that's Grandma Kelly there:)
Anna M. Zeller ( 1882 - 1882)
20. Charles William Zeller ( 1829 - 1901)
21 Anna Mary (possibly Bruning) Zeller (1834 - 1906)
This couple were both born in Werttemburg, Germany. They immigrated and settled in the little town of Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland. Mom believes there were relatives in the area and a search of local records turns up a number of other Zeller families, although their exact connection mystifies us.
After 1878 when the last of the children was born in Frostburg, and before 1886 when Henry died in Chicago, the family moved to Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. All the children except Gustav are buried in the Chicago area. The local Cumberland, MD newspaper mentions Anna Mary's death in the issue printed on 17 Sept 1906 and says she and her husband were residents of Frostburg 22 years ago, making their moving date about 1884. Good tip from a local newspaper!
Charles was a confectioner and his wife, Anna Mary, was a diabetic. Go figgure! Charles ran a very popular sweets store in Frostburg until he moved to Chicago. I wonder if he realized the wider potential of his success in Frostburg and decided to move to the larger market Chicago would promise?
In checking the 1870 US Census Mary Ann is listed as being a milliner. Seems to me I remember Grandma Kelly telling a story about a milliner. Maybe Mom remembers better that I do.
They had these 11 children:
Charles Zeller (1855 - ?)
10. Gustav William Zeller (1858 - 1927)
Gotlieb Zeller (1861 - 1889)
George Zeller (1862 - 1931)
Delbert Zeller (1865 - after 1910)
Frederick Zeller (1869 - 1932), he and John are twins
John Zeller (1869 - 1945), he and Frederick are twins
Henry Zeller (1870 - 1886)
William Zeller (1872 - 1906)
Daniel Zeller (1875 - ?)
Annie Mary Zeller (1878 - ?)
Boom! Done. That was short, too short. Maybe after a while Mom and I will dig into those Chicago records and track down this family. Wouldn't it be fun if we could locate living Zeller people... and they had more family photos and stories? And, we'd like to get more knowledgeable about German records so that we might pursue the Zeller family there.
Something I've noticed because of this family is that if the ancestors were in retail, especially in a small town with a local newspaper with booster tendencies, it's possible to find them mentioned. In a previous post this week which you can see here on Treasure Chest Thursday, I talked about Uncle Delbert's researcher, Sharon. Well Sharon dug into the pages of the wonderful Frostburg Mining Journal, published from 1871 - 1913, and a treasure trove for anyone who has ancestors from the area, to find mentions of GGF Gus Zeller and his barber shop, or as it's often described, "tonsorial emporium". There was giant 6 foot barber pole out front, in case anyone had doubts about his business;) He also had a very large and colorful goldfish tank in the window. It was at 14 East Main Street, but burned in a building fire on 14 Dec 1917. He moved his business to 35 East Main Street after the fire. His new location was also a full-service affair with showers and baths.
Guss, my GGF, had a reputation as quite the drinking man. At the end of this paragraph I'll place links to some of the stories about him I've posted to this blog before. Family lore has it that whenever he'd get drinking such that it hampered family life, Ma would insist that they leave town on a "vacation" with the intention of "drying him out." One mention in the Frostburg Mining Journal of 7 Oct 1899 talks of Gus Wm. Zeller, wife, and little daughter (that's Grandma) having gone on an extended tour, eastward, northward and westward to Boston, Montreal, Chicago, and other cities. Getting GGF Gus to Chicago to visit the family there was a strategic mistake on Ma's part as his father Charles was also a drinking man. Poor Ma!
Here are some other stories about GGF Gus Zeller and his barber shop:
http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2011/07/more-drinking-stories.html
http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2012/10/he-died-in-outhouse.html
http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2011/09/those-who-labored.html
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/01/surname-saturday-zellers-from-germany.html
It's sort of unusual that we have a lot of information about the known members in this line but it just doesn't go back too far as compared with other lines on Mom's Big Tree. And the other interesting thing, and a project for a day in the future, is that the other children of great great grandfather Charles William Zeller (1829 - 1901) and his wife, Anna Mary (1834 - 1906) are yet to be discovered by us. They disappear in the Chicago area. Mom has some skimpy information but more must be out there and sitting pretty, ready for us to get to.
So here we go: the Zeller family.
1. Diane Kelly Weintraub
2. Francis Patrick " Pat" Kelly (1916 - 2007)
3. Virginia Williams, living and loving it
4. John Lee "Lee" Kelly (1892 - 1969)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985)
10. Gustav William "Gus" Zeller (1858 - 1927)
11. Moretta Workman Zeller (1859 - 1946), everyone called her "Ma"
Gus and Ma, were both born and died in the Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland area. See below for the good stuff:)
They had these 5 children:
Charles Sample Zeller ( 1880- 1966)
Adelbert "Burt" Zeller ( 1883 - 1947)
Gustav William "Gus Jr." Zeller Jr. (1884 - 1964)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985), that's Grandma Kelly there:)
Anna M. Zeller ( 1882 - 1882)
20. Charles William Zeller ( 1829 - 1901)
21 Anna Mary (possibly Bruning) Zeller (1834 - 1906)
This couple were both born in Werttemburg, Germany. They immigrated and settled in the little town of Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland. Mom believes there were relatives in the area and a search of local records turns up a number of other Zeller families, although their exact connection mystifies us.
After 1878 when the last of the children was born in Frostburg, and before 1886 when Henry died in Chicago, the family moved to Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. All the children except Gustav are buried in the Chicago area. The local Cumberland, MD newspaper mentions Anna Mary's death in the issue printed on 17 Sept 1906 and says she and her husband were residents of Frostburg 22 years ago, making their moving date about 1884. Good tip from a local newspaper!
Charles was a confectioner and his wife, Anna Mary, was a diabetic. Go figgure! Charles ran a very popular sweets store in Frostburg until he moved to Chicago. I wonder if he realized the wider potential of his success in Frostburg and decided to move to the larger market Chicago would promise?
In checking the 1870 US Census Mary Ann is listed as being a milliner. Seems to me I remember Grandma Kelly telling a story about a milliner. Maybe Mom remembers better that I do.
They had these 11 children:
Charles Zeller (1855 - ?)
10. Gustav William Zeller (1858 - 1927)
Gotlieb Zeller (1861 - 1889)
George Zeller (1862 - 1931)
Delbert Zeller (1865 - after 1910)
Frederick Zeller (1869 - 1932), he and John are twins
John Zeller (1869 - 1945), he and Frederick are twins
Henry Zeller (1870 - 1886)
William Zeller (1872 - 1906)
Daniel Zeller (1875 - ?)
Annie Mary Zeller (1878 - ?)
Boom! Done. That was short, too short. Maybe after a while Mom and I will dig into those Chicago records and track down this family. Wouldn't it be fun if we could locate living Zeller people... and they had more family photos and stories? And, we'd like to get more knowledgeable about German records so that we might pursue the Zeller family there.
Something I've noticed because of this family is that if the ancestors were in retail, especially in a small town with a local newspaper with booster tendencies, it's possible to find them mentioned. In a previous post this week which you can see here on Treasure Chest Thursday, I talked about Uncle Delbert's researcher, Sharon. Well Sharon dug into the pages of the wonderful Frostburg Mining Journal, published from 1871 - 1913, and a treasure trove for anyone who has ancestors from the area, to find mentions of GGF Gus Zeller and his barber shop, or as it's often described, "tonsorial emporium". There was giant 6 foot barber pole out front, in case anyone had doubts about his business;) He also had a very large and colorful goldfish tank in the window. It was at 14 East Main Street, but burned in a building fire on 14 Dec 1917. He moved his business to 35 East Main Street after the fire. His new location was also a full-service affair with showers and baths.
Guss, my GGF, had a reputation as quite the drinking man. At the end of this paragraph I'll place links to some of the stories about him I've posted to this blog before. Family lore has it that whenever he'd get drinking such that it hampered family life, Ma would insist that they leave town on a "vacation" with the intention of "drying him out." One mention in the Frostburg Mining Journal of 7 Oct 1899 talks of Gus Wm. Zeller, wife, and little daughter (that's Grandma) having gone on an extended tour, eastward, northward and westward to Boston, Montreal, Chicago, and other cities. Getting GGF Gus to Chicago to visit the family there was a strategic mistake on Ma's part as his father Charles was also a drinking man. Poor Ma!
Here are some other stories about GGF Gus Zeller and his barber shop:
http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2011/07/more-drinking-stories.html
http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2012/10/he-died-in-outhouse.html
http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2011/09/those-who-labored.html
Dad and Mom, Grandpop Kelly and Grandma Kelly:
2. Francis Patrick " Pat" Kelly (1916 - 2007)
3. Virginia Williams, living and loving it
4. John Lee "Lee" Kelly (1892 - 1969)
5. Helen Gertrude Zeller Kelly ( 1894 - 1985)
The next generation back,
10. Gustav William "Gus" Zeller (1858 - 1927), above
11. Moretta Workman Zeller (1859 - 1946), below
20. Charles William Zeller ( 1829 - 1901), father of Gustav and confectioner.
Sadly, we do not have a photo of his wife Anna Mary Zeller.
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/01/surname-saturday-zellers-from-germany.html
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Treasure Chest Thursday: The Zeller Ensemble
My Uncle Delbert is Dad's youngest brother. Dad and he weren't as close as Dad was to his other brother, Uncle Bernie. There is a two year difference between Dad and Uncle Bernie and a four year difference between Dad and Uncle Delbert, and just enough to likely make Delbert that pesky younger brother, but I'm only guessing about that.
Uncle Delbert is in his 90s now and has a bit of a memory impairment but can remember the good old days real well. I call him every once in a while and chat but always have to remind him who I am: Pat and Virginia's oldest kid. Last year I made up a big package of Mom's Big Tree on the Kelly side and all the family photos I could muster and thought he might like to see. Took it to the local copy center and had it all bound together. If I do say so, it came out quite impressively. Most important is that Uncle Delbert had a great time with it!
Back in 2006 a woman I only know as Sharon did some genealogy work on the Zeller line for Uncle Delbert. I have a copy of that packet and look at it every once in a while. Sharon did some nice work there and I appreciate having it very much and thank Cousin Cynthia, Uncle Bernie's daughter, for passing it along to me.
The packet included two photos that interest me - as if there's a family photo that doesn't interest me! Here they are below. I'm sad that the quality is what I'd call poor but they have been copied and faxed and emailed ... so I'm just happy to have them at all. Happy wins out.
Uncle Delbert is in his 90s now and has a bit of a memory impairment but can remember the good old days real well. I call him every once in a while and chat but always have to remind him who I am: Pat and Virginia's oldest kid. Last year I made up a big package of Mom's Big Tree on the Kelly side and all the family photos I could muster and thought he might like to see. Took it to the local copy center and had it all bound together. If I do say so, it came out quite impressively. Most important is that Uncle Delbert had a great time with it!
Back in 2006 a woman I only know as Sharon did some genealogy work on the Zeller line for Uncle Delbert. I have a copy of that packet and look at it every once in a while. Sharon did some nice work there and I appreciate having it very much and thank Cousin Cynthia, Uncle Bernie's daughter, for passing it along to me.
The packet included two photos that interest me - as if there's a family photo that doesn't interest me! Here they are below. I'm sad that the quality is what I'd call poor but they have been copied and faxed and emailed ... so I'm just happy to have them at all. Happy wins out.
Here is my GGF and GGM,
Gustav Zeller 1858 - 1927 and Moretta Workman Zeller 1859- 1946,
with three of their five children.
Left to right they are:
Adelbert "Bert" Zeller 1883 - 1947,
Gustav WM Zeller 1884 - 1964, Charles S Zeller 1880 - 1966.
Grandma is not there and she was born in 1894.
Might be a clue to dating this picture.
Here is a close up of just the family group.
Here's a fun find in the packet!
This is a photo of the family of Gus Jr.'s family band, the Zeller Ensemble:
Nellie, Gus Jr.'s wife Nellie Maud Broadwater Zeller 1896 - 1961, their children,
Darrell Zeller, William "Bud" Zeller, and Violet Zeller.
Darrell would be my first cousin once removed, or so Family Tree Maker tells me:)
The URL for this post is: http://nutsfromthefamilytree.blogspot.com/2013/01/treasure-chest-thursday-zeller-family.html
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
No He Didn't!
I love talking to Mom every morning except Fridays when she has her standing appointment to get her hair done. We chat about the news, food, what's for lunch, and then I usually ask her which ancestors she's researching today. It's often one I'm not familiar with so the I open FTM on my laptop and take a look. Sometimes I even get a good story from her.
Talking to Mom this morning she told me a story of GGM Zeller, or Ma as one and all called her. Seems that my father, who always had a wickedly Irish sense of humor, once played a joke on Ma, his maternal grandmother.
Dad and his parents lived in Ma's house and Ma would call over to the neighborhood store where you could get a smattering of most everything, and placed an order by phone. The store owner would send a kid over with her order or just walk it over himself.
So one day my dad told Ma that she could call on the radio and not have to go to the phone to place her order. Ma must have loved convenience because she fell for it and told the radio what she wanted. Dad then proceeded to call the store, let the owner in on the joke, and arranged to have the goods sent on over by delivery boy.
Grandma told her mother, Ma, that it just wasn't possible to call the store on the radio. But low and behold the delivery boy appeared in due time with the groceries thus proving that Ma was right!
Am guessing that Grandma must have found her mother near impossible to live with from then on;)
Dad as VP of Operations about 1950s.
Talking to Mom this morning she told me a story of GGM Zeller, or Ma as one and all called her. Seems that my father, who always had a wickedly Irish sense of humor, once played a joke on Ma, his maternal grandmother.
Dad and his parents lived in Ma's house and Ma would call over to the neighborhood store where you could get a smattering of most everything, and placed an order by phone. The store owner would send a kid over with her order or just walk it over himself.
So one day my dad told Ma that she could call on the radio and not have to go to the phone to place her order. Ma must have loved convenience because she fell for it and told the radio what she wanted. Dad then proceeded to call the store, let the owner in on the joke, and arranged to have the goods sent on over by delivery boy.
Grandma told her mother, Ma, that it just wasn't possible to call the store on the radio. But low and behold the delivery boy appeared in due time with the groceries thus proving that Ma was right!
Am guessing that Grandma must have found her mother near impossible to live with from then on;)
Dad the Jokester, 1924.
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