Is My Brickwall About to Tumble Down?

The latest discovery in my own family history is an obituary which ties my great grandmother, Mae Blanche Moss to a man named John Lauenstein in 1906.  The obituary states that "May" Moss is the step-daughter of Mr. Lauenstein.  My maternal great grandmother, Mae Moss, was the first wife of my maternal great grandfather, Ernest Coffman, and the mother of Elaine and Vivian Coffman.  Later she married Ernest "Doc" Forbes, a pharmacist for Owl Drug.

Mae Moss is my genealogical mystery woman.  She was placed in the Sacramento Protestant Orphan Asylum by her mother in 1892.  This institution was known to us in Sacramento as the Sacramento Children's Home.

!BIRTH: 1882 Sacramento Children's Home Register; copied by Jill Mayne, Oct 1989 May Moss born Feb 19 1882, American; came to California June 1890, Sacramento; Admitted: 6 Dec 1892 by Mrs. J. Moss; Discharged: 4 Aug 1897 to Mrs. Moss, Father: Nashville, Tenn.; Mother: Richmond, VA; Married: Galveston, Tex.; Parents Death: Waco, Texas; Parents Habits: Intemperate.  Mrs. Moss took May without permission from the Board.

I have never been able to find any records which substantiate any of the vital information provided by Mae's mother to the orphanage.  Between the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1900 Galveston storm, there has been considerable record loss which has affected my search.

Mae stated on her 1936 application for a Social Security account number:  Mae B. Moss Coffman; 885 Aileen Street, Oakland Calif.; Employer: Owl Drug Co. at 14 & Washington Sts., Oakland, Cal.;  age at last birthday: 51; DOB: 19 Feb 1885; POB: Brooklyn, New York; Father: John Moss; Mother: Annie Lanstein; signed Nov. 30, 1936 by Mae B. Coffman.

Lanstein vs. Lauenstein.  This raises the possibility that Lanstein was not the maiden name of Mae's mother, rather it was a married name.  Curiously, however, no wife is mentioned in Mr. Lauenstein's obituary:

The San Francisco Call, Saturday, January 13, 1906, page 13.

LAUENSTEIN---In this city, January 12, 1906, at his residence, 8 Miles court, John Lauenstein, stepfather of May Moss, a native of Hamburg, Germany, aged 46 years, 9 months and 4 days.

  Friends and acquaintances are respectfully invited to attend the funeral services Sunday, January 14, at 12 o'clock m., at his late residence, 8 Miles court, off California street near Powell. Interment Mount Olivet Cemetery.

  Funeral will take place under the auspices of San Francisco Aerie No. 5, F.O.E., Sunday, January 14, at 1 o'clock p.m., from Eagles Hall, 731 Market street. By order of 

  D. J. CREAMER, Acting President. 

 GUS POHLMAN, Secretary.

Publication Title: San Francisco Call; 13 January 1906, page 13; California Digital Newspaper Collection [cdnc.ucr.edu]

 

California Digital Newspaper Collection
www.cdnc.ucr.edu

The address "off California Street" does match with the stories that both Elaine and Vivian told me:

!BIOGRAPHY: 1906 Elaine Coffman Kelly, Interview by Nick Cimino 4 Nov 1989

     Mae and her mother lived in San Francisco on the street below the Fairmont Hotel.  Going up California Street it was the first street before you hit the top.  The rooming house was down there in the middle of the block.  Mae worked on California and Montgomery at a fancy fruit and vegetable market for Mr. Gedding and she apparently knew the family.  She was a cashier.  When the fire broke out after the earthquake in 1906 some of the people went to the Golden Gate Park.  Elaine remembers her mom telling about her father pulling this trunk down California Street one block below the Fairmont all the way down to the ferry boat which went over to Oakland.  They assume that Ernest took Mae and her mother to Aunt Viola Coffman Hughes house at 742 46th Street.

!BIOGRAPHY: 1906 Vivian McGrath, Interview by N. Cimino 10 Nov 1989;  Vivian told me many times that her mother and grandmother were in San Francisco during the 1906 earthquake.  Mae Moss was working as a cashier or a bookkeeper for Mr. Gedding who had a wholesale produce company at the foot of California Street.  Mae and her mother were living in a flat on a little narrow street right behind the Fairmont Hotel. They put their possessions in a big trunk, got the trunk down the stairs of the place and pushed it out to California Street but they could not get the trunk up the hill because it was too steep.  Mae smiled at two strong men coming up the hill and they pulled the trunk up the hill for her.  She and her mother then pushed it down the hill.  They got out to Golden Gate Park somehow. Everyone was camping in the park.  Ernest Coffman found them in the park and brought Mae and her mother back to Oakland to the house of Viola Coffman Hughes at 742 46th St.

          

To corroborate the above stories, I checked the 1920 Census for names that sound like "Gedding".  I found a Mr. Charles L. Goetting, age 52, born in Germany, immigrated 1868 and naturalized 1878.   He was a lodger at 568 California Street and his occupation was produce salesman.   He is also listed with his family at 675 Second Avenue. The story about Mr. Goetting checks out pretty well.  I have found advertisements for his produce business. 

Now I have John Lauenstein as the stepfather of Great Grandma Mae and residing near California Street. His gravestone in Mt. Olivet in Colma says that his wife was Virginia.  That threw me a curve ball.  I cannot find him or a wife named Virginia in the 1900 census of San Francisco.  What happened to Mae's mother, Annie?  Is Virginia the same as Annie?  Why doesn't the obituary mention Virginia?

FindaGrave Memorial #135257484
www.findagrave.com

Grandma Mae has been one step forward and two steps back at every turn in the research journey.  But at least I have a few more names to trace down and hopefully, it will lead to actual records of Mae and her parents.

YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ENCOURAGED!

Here is the complete chronology for John Lauenstein, 1859-1906:

1859- BIRTH • Hamburg, Germany

Per obituary; died January 12, 1906, aged 46 years, 9 months and 4 days. This yields a birthdate of 8 Apr 1859.

1890- NATURALIZATION • San Francisco, California, USA

Naturalized: SF Sup.[Superior Court?], July 31, 1890 per 1890 & 1896 Voter 

Registers  see below.

1890- VOTER REGISTER • San Francisco, California, USA

Name: Lauenstein John; age 30; Nativity: Germany; Occupation: Carpenter; Local Residence: 621 California, Floor 2, Room B; Naturalized: SF Sup. [Superior Court?], July 31, 1890; Date of Registration: Oct., 7, 1890; Publication Title: Voter Register, 10th Precinct, 31st Assembly District, San Francisco County, 1890 [Ancestry.com]

1896- VOTER REGISTER • San Francisco, California, USA

Name: Lauenstein John; age 36; Height: 5', 5"; Complexion: Light; Color of Eyes: Hazel; Color of Hair: Brown; Occupation: Carpenter; Nativity: Germany; Local Residence: 428 Broadway, Floor 3, Room 9; Naturalized: SF Sup. [Superior Court?], July 31, 1890; Date of Registration: June 3, 1896; Publication Title: Voter Register, 7th Precinct, 45th Assembly District, San Francisco County, 1896 [Ancestry.com]

1899 RESIDENCE • San Francisco, California, USA

Lauenstein John, porter [resides with?] James W. Boyce; Publication Title: San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1899 [Ancestry.com]

1900 CENSUS • Presumably San Francisco but have not yet found the census record for John Lauenstein despite a variety of clever search techniques.  If I could find this record it might reveal the mysterious Mrs. Virginia Lauenstein.

1903 RESIDENCE • San Francisco, California, USA

Lauenstein John, bartender, r. 423 Sutter; Publication Title: San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1903 [Ancestry.com]

Before 1906 he was married to a woman named Virginia [maiden name unknown] per the gravestone. Unfortunately, there do not appear to be marriage records for San Francisco County available prior to the 1906 earthquake.  The Western States Marriage Index  at Ancestry.com shows a divorce occurring in Boise, Idaho between a John Lowenstein and wife, Annie.  The index refers to a marriage occurring in San Francisco on 10 Jun 1890.  The date of the divorce is not given.  It seems odd that Annie or John would have gone all the way to Boise to get a divorce.  The original divorce record in Ada County, Idaho may reveal more but the transcript in the Western States Marriage Index has several blanks in the form.

1906- OBITUARY • San Francisco, California, USA

The San Francisco Call, Saturday, January 13, 1906, page 13.

See transcript above in italics.

!BURIAL: January 14, 1906 per obituary.

Name: John Lauenstein

Cemetery: Olivet Memorial Park

Burial or Cremation Place: Colma, San Mateo County, California, USA

Website: http://www.findagrave.com/  

Find A Grave Memorial# 135257484

Marker Transcription: JOHN, BELOVED HUSBAND OF VIRGINIA LAUENSTEIN, AGE 46 YEARS, S.F. AERIE, No. 5 F.O.E.

!PROBATE: A reasonably exhaustive search has not revealed a probate record for John Lauenstein.

Dawes Commission Deprived Margaret Garvin of Her Choctaw Heritage

Left to right Margaret Garvin 1866-1927, Sally Welch b. 2 Dec 1891, Emiline Jefferson b. Dec 1886, Lydia Moss Garvin b. Mar 1820, Phoebe Jefferson b. Aug 1887. Estimated date of photograph is 1894.  This photo would have been taken in Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory. SOURCE: Marsha Lynn Sharp, Eufala, Oklahoma, 2003

Many families have an oral tradition about Native American heritage.  Proving that heritage can often be very challenging.  My father-in-law told me many stories about his Choctaw grandmother.  Her birth name was Margaret Garvin.  When she was born on July 27, 1866, in Conway County, Arkansas, her father, James Wiley Garvin, was 54 and her mother, Lydia Moss, was 46. She was married three times and had two sons and six daughters between 1886 and 1911. She died on January 30, 1927, in Krebs, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, at the age of 60, and was buried in Red Oak Cemetery, Bache, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma.

Margaret Garvin witnessed tremendous changes that occurred in the Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory and fortunately I have been able to find many documents and images of her life.  I have transcribed many of those documents into a chronological record as follows:


BIRTH-DEATH: 1866-1927; Red Oak Cemetery Transcriptions; Pittsburg Co. Gen/Hist Soc, 1992 

 SOURCE: Mike and Patty Lantz, 2007

MARRIAGE: 1886; Marriage certificate of Gillium Jefferson; This is to certify that I did on this 8th day of February 1886, unite in marriage Mr. Gillium Jefferson and Miss Margaret Garvin in accordance with law and custom; W. H. James, Minister of the Gospel; I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of the original as handed me for Record and Recorded this 5th day of April 1886, E.R. Cheadle, Clerk; Source: Pittsburg County Genealogical and Historical Society, site visit August 2004; The Dawes Case File for Margaret Phebus has a letter which states that Margaret and Gillum Jefferson were married on 13 Feb 1886 but I am still using the 8 Feb 1886 date for their marriage as the Marriage Certificate is a better source. 

MARRIAGE: 1891; Groom: Wm. W. Welch, age 25 to Bride: Mrs. Margaret Jefferson age 23 15 Jul 1891 Both resided at Krebs recorded at South McAlester on 31 July 1891, Book 1 Page 363 Source: USC 49 U.S. District Court, South McAlester, I.T. Marriage Records, Vol. A-C. at Oklahoma Historical Society (OKHS); Marriage was performed by J.Y. Campbell, Minister of the Gospel. 

DIVORCE: Before 1898; Case #1772 from Index in Pittsburg Co. Courthouse; Margaret Welch vs. James Welch recorded 1897; Pittsburg Co. Court Clerk could not find it on their microfilm when we checked on August 3, 2004. This may not be the right case anyway since the names don't exactly match. ===== In the Dawes case file for Margaret Phebus, page 10 states that when William Welch deserted her, she "procured a divorce from him in the United States Court at South McAlester in the Central District of the Indian Territory. 

CENSUS: 1896 Tobucksy County, I. T. Census. Indian and Intermarried White Residents of Tobucksy County, part of which is now Pittsburg County, lists heads of household, those living in the household, ages, and sex. 882 Indians and 126 Intermarried Whites. 14 Pages. Neither William Welch nor Margaret Welch are listed. Margaret's daughters: Emeline Jefferson age 9 and Phoebe Jefferson age 8 are listed. 

RESIDENCE: 1896 in the Dawes case for Sally Welch on page 7, the affidavit of Margaret Phebus states that William Welch deserted her in the year 1896. 

MARRIAGE: 1898; Groom: Mr. W.M. Phebus age 29 and Miss Margaret Welch age 28 both of Krebs were married on 28 Aug 1898 by W. Perry, Pastor of the M.E. Church; Recorded 9 Sep 1898 by E.J. Farmer, Clerk of the United States Court; Indian Territory U.S. Court- Central District; Marriages;Vol. 6; Book 8; Dec.9,1897- March 7, 1900, p. 197; Source: USC 51 U.S. District Court, South McAlester, I.T. , Marriage Records, Vol.7-8 (OKHS) 

SOURCE: Ancestry.com

CENSUS: 1900 with her husband William Phebus in Indian Territory; Choctaw Nation; ED 84, SH 44; Township 5 North, Range 16 East; see his notes for full transcript of record. 

CITIZENSHIP: 1904 Choctaw Nation Citizenship Rejected; Margaret Phebus Dawes Case File, Page 14 on Footnote.com The applicants, Laura E. Phebus and Sallie Welsh (sic) claim their right to enrollment as citizens by blood of the Choctaw Nation through their mother Margaret Phebus. The right of the applicants' mother, Margaret Phebus, to citizenship in the Choctaw Nation having been adversely determined by a decree of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Citizenship Court, April 26, 1904, in case No. 60, upon the South McAlester docket of said court, it is hereby ordered that the application of Laura E. Phebus and Sallie Welsh (sic) for enrollment as citizens by blood of the Choctaw Nation be dismissed. 

LAND: 1904-1907; Margaret Phebus was granted Homestead Patent No. 23386 Choctaw by intermarriage Roll No. 1268; Date of Certificate: December 30, 1904. The Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations grant and convey the following described land:  The North Half of the South West Quarter and the North half of the South East Quarter of the South West Quarter of Section Nine (9), Township Five (5) North and Range Sixteen (16) East, (Choctaw Nation), of the Indian Base and Meridian in Indian Territory, containing One Hundred (100) acres. Signed Sep 25 1907 by Green McCurtain, Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation and signed Oct 1, 1907 By Douglas H. Johnston, Governor of the Chickasaw Nation. Index to Choctaw-Chickasaw Deeds and Allotments (Hastain, 1908); Supplement to Index of Choctaw-Chickasaw Deeds and Allotments (Hastain, 1910); The significance of these early plat maps and indexes to land grants in eastern Oklahoma is still apparent today. These cartographic products provided a quick and factual reference to the original owners of these lands in Indian Territory. The documents were used by abstract and title firms, the legal profession, county clerks, the various administrative offices of the Creek, Seminole, Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes, land investors and speculators, and even the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The Indian tribal rolls and censuses, land grants. various other Indian records, and the USGS base maps upon which the original allotments had been annotated, were all available in the office of the Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes in Muskogee. The compilations and maps by the Indian Territory Map company, Eddie Hastain and J. Reed Moore were apparently based upon these original source materials. The landownership atlases by Hastain and Moore were reasonably priced and small enough in size to be easily carried in one's pocket for general reference purposes. those interested in land investment opportunities whether for farming, industrial purposes or potential areas for coal, oil and gas fields, were the major purchasers of these publications. These cartographic representations continue to be the best and easiest use for locating the original landownership titles and for historical research in eastern Oklahoma. 

CENSUS: 1910 with her husband William Phebus in Dow Twp., Pittsburg Co., Oklahoma; see his notes for full transcript of record. 

William Phebus Family about 1913 Pittsburg County Oklahoma: left to right: Lydia, Bill, Obie (aka Bud), Margaret, Bill Jr., Elizabeth & Ava; SOURCE: Original photograph in the collection of Nick and Robin Cimino, League City, Texas,  2015

NEWSPAPER: 1920; Oklahoma Miner, Krebs, OK; 26 Aug 1920, p. 3; Local News: Mrs. Wm Phebus is on the sick list. 

William and Margaret Phebus, date unknown.  SOURCE: Pat Dodd, 2011

BIOGRAPHY: The following information was received from the National Archives, Ft. Worth branch based on the Dawes Roll No. I.W. (Intermarried White) 1268: Choctaw Nation. Choctaw Roll. Field No. 5870, Residence: Tobucksy County. Post Office: Carbon, I.T. Age: 35. Blood: I.W. Father: Wiley Garvin, Deceased Non-Citizen. Mother: Liddy Garvin, Enrollment in Gaines County. Margaret Phebus was denied by C.C.C.C. Case #60M 26 Apr 1904 but on further consideration this judgement was reformed 22 Nov 1904. She was admitted as an Intermarried Citizen as "Margaret Phebus or Margaret Welch" by C.C.C.C. Case #60M by judgement 22 Nov 1904. Margaret was admitted on the 1896 citizenship roll in Case #988. She was also admitted by the U.S. Court at South McAlester on 25 Aug 1897 in Case #187 as Margaret Welch. See her testimony as to her residence and the birth of her child as to her parents see her testimony and that of Wiley Garvin. She is now the wife of W.M. Phebus a non citizen as of 24 Dec 1902. Sallie Welch, daughter of Margaret is on Choctaw Roll #426. Margaret was transferred from Choctaw card #4650 on 5 Dec 1904. Enrollment of Margaret approved by the Secretary of the Interior on 30 Dec 1904. Date of application for enrollment was 6 Sep 1899. Date of transfer to this card was 5 Dec 1904. 

BIOGRAPHY: Choctaw 4650 Muskogee, Indian Territory, January 16, 1904 Harley & Lewis Attorneys at Law South McAlester, Indian Territory Gentlemen: Receipt is hereby acknowledged of your letter of January 11, asking if the names of Margaret Phoebus (sic) and Emeline and Phoebe Jefferson have been finally approved so that they can now take their allotments. In reply to your letter you are advised that it appears from our records that Margaret Phebus was admitted to citizenship in the Choctaw Nation by a judgement of the United States Court for the Central District of the Indian Territory, rendered at South McAlester, August 27, 1897, in court case, citizenship docket, Number 187. Under the provisions of the act of Congress of July 1, 1902, the Commission is prohibited from enrolling or making any allotment to any persons whose citizenship is dependent upon judgments of the United States Courts in Indian Territory, until their final right to Choctaw and Chickasaw citizenship has been determined. You are further advised that Phoebe and Emeline Jefferson have been listed for enrollment as citizens by blood of the Choctaw Nation, having been identified from the 1896 census roll of the Choctaw Nation, Tobucksy County but their names have not yet been place upon the schedules of citizens by blood of said nation prepared for forwarding to the Secretary of the Interior. They would not therefore, be permitted to make selection of allotment at this time. Respectfully, Chairman 

BIOGRAPHY: Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, South McAlester, Indian Ter. In the enrollment of Margaret Febus (sic) and children as Choctaws; being sworn and examined by Com'r McKennon she states: 
Q What is your name? A Margaret Febus. 
Q How old are you? A Thirty-five. 
Q Where have you been living? A Down here the other side of Cherryville. 
Q How long? A Ever since I have married, thirteen years ago. 
Q All the while? A Yes sir. 
Q When were you married to Mr. Febus? A One year ago; my first man was Jefferson. 
Q What was your name when you made application to the Dawes Commission? A Welch 
Q What was the date of your marriage to Mr. Febus? A August 28th of last year. 
Q You have one child born since that time? A Yes sir. 
Q What is its name? A Laura E. Febus, who born January 8th 1899. I have got three more children; one named Emiline Jefferson, thirteen years old, and Phoebe Jefferson, eleven years old. 
Q They are not included in this judgement? A No sir, but these two children of Jefferson's was enrolled and drawed money when they paid the last time. 
Q Was he a Choctaw citizen? A Yes sir. 
Q Welch wasn't a citizen? A No sir. 
Q The Welch child wasn't included in this judgement? A No sir. Com'r McKennon: Enrollment of Sallie Welch is refused, because it is not in the judgement. (Estimated date of this document is 1899 by Nick Cimino) 

BIOGRAPHY: Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes, South McAlester, Indian Ter. In the enrollment of Phoebe and Emeline Jefferson, children of Margaret Febus as Choctaws; being sworn and examined by Com'r McKennon she testifies as follows: 
Q What is your name? A Margaret Febus. 
Q How old are you? A Thirty-five. 
Q What was Phoebe's and Emeline's father's name? A Martin Gillum Jefferson. 
Q Were you married to him? A Yes sir, under the Choctaw law, the other side of Krebs, in the Choctaw Nation. 
Q Who married you? A Holston James, a Chickasaw Indian preacher. I lived with him until he died, and I put him away. 
--- Wiley A. Garvin being sworn and examined states: 
Q What is your name? A Wiley A. Garvin. 
Q How old are you? A Forty-four. 
Q Are you a brother of Margaret Febus? A Yes sir. 
Q Were you present when she was married to Mr. Martin Gillum Jefferson? A  Yes sir, I saw them married in the Choctaw Nation. 
Q By whom? A Holston James, a Minister of the Gospel. (Estimated date of this document is 1899 by Nick Cimino) 

BIOGRAPHY: Department of the Interior. Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes. South McAlester, Ind. Ter., December 24th, 1902. --- Original Choctaw Intermarried. --- In the matter of the original application of Margaret Phebus for enrollment as an intermarried citizen of the Choctaw Nation. Margaret Phebus, having been first duly sworn, upon her oath testifies as follows: Examination by the Commission: 
Q What is your name? A Margaret Phebus 
Q Spell your surname please? A P h e b u s. 
Q How old are you? A Thirty seven. 
Q What is your post office address? A Carbon, Indian Territory. 
Q Is that in the Choctaw Nation? A Yes sir. 
Q What is the name of your father? A Wiley Garvin. 
Q Is he living or dead? A He is dead. 
Q What was the name of your mother? A Liddy Garvin. 
Q Living or dead? A She is dead. 
Q Did you claim to have any Indian blood? A Yes sir, by my mother. 
Q Did you ever make application for enrollment as a citizen by blood? A I was enrolled as a citizen by blood of the Choctaw Nation. The name of this applicant as Margaret Febus (sic) appear on the records of the Commission on Choctaw roll card, Field No. 4650, having been admitted to citizenship by blood in the Choctaw Nation by the United States Court, Central District, Indian Territory in Court Case No. 187. 
Q Do you now wish to make application for enrollment as an intermarried citizen of the Choctaw Nation? A Yes sir. 
Q Have you ever applied as an intermarried citizen prior to this time? A No sir. 
Q What is the name of the Choctaw man through whom you claim this right? A Gillum Jefferson. 
Q Was he a recognized and enrolled citizen of the Choctaw Nation? A Yes sir he was. 
Q Were his rights as such ever disputed? A No sir, because his daddy was a full blood. 
Q When were you married to this man? A Seventeen years ago last February. (Estimated date of marriage=1885 Actual date=1886) 
Q Where was the marriage ceremony performed? A At Carbon. 
Q In the Choctaw Nation? A Yes sir. 
Q At that time were both you and your husband bona fide residents of the Choctaw Nation? A Yes sir. 
Q Who performed the marriage ceremony? A Holston James. 
Q A minister of the gospel? A Yes sir. 
Q Were you married under a license? A No sir. 
Q Have you any evidence of that marriage with you? A There is a man in town here somewhere that saw me married. 
Q Who is that man?   A Dave Vincent (brother-in-law) and John Simpson. 
Q Did you get a marriage certificate? A Yes sir. 
Q What became of that certificate? A It is at home. 
Q Were you ever married before your marriage to Gillum Jefferson? A No sir. 
Q Was he ever married before his marriage to you? A No sir. 
Q After that marriage how long did you live together as husband and wife? A Four years and three months before he died. ( About 1889) 
Q What was the date of his death? A 27th day of April;  I couldn't tell what year, but it was eleven years ago last April. (About 1890 or 1891) 
Q After his death did you remarry? A Yes sir. 
Q What was the name of your second husband? A Welch. 
Q Was he a white man? A Cherokee. 
Q Was he enrolled in the Cherokee nation? A No sir, never was. 
Q When were you married to him? A About seven years ago. (About 1895) 
Q How long did you live with him? A Three years. (Until about 1898) 
Q Did he die or did you separate? A We separated. 
Q Were you divorced from him? A Yes sir. 
Q What was the name of your next husband? A William Phebus. 
Q Is he a white man? A Yes sir. 
Q He makes no claim to enrollment as an Indian? A No sir. 
Q When were you married to him? A Four years ago last August. (1898) 
Q Are you still living with him? A Yes sir. 
Q Are you at present an actual and bona fide resident of the Choctaw Nation? A Yes sir. --- 

BIOGRAPHY: Harold Harrington, telecom, 19 Feb 1994 Margaret was going to go to California. She had a relative out there who was sending her money and then the money stopped when she was in Carbon, IT. She was splitting rails to earn money. Bill Phebus happened along and helped her split rails. He was working in the mines at the time. 

OBITUARY: McAlester News-Capital, Thursday, February 3, 1927; MRS. PHOEBUS (sic) IS BURIED Funeral services for Mrs. W.M. Phoebus who died at her home in Krebs Sunday morning were held from the home Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock, interment in the Red Oak cemetery. Mrs. Phoebus had been a resident of Krebs for more than 20 years. She is survived by the husband and eight children, namely Mrs. Troy Woods of Wayne, Okla., Mrs. Jacob James of Hartshorne, Mrs. Eli Wade of Carbon, Mrs. A.F. Grisley of Holiday Cove, West Virginia, Miss Lydia Phoebus and Bill Phoebus both of Krebs, Mrs. Truman Harrington of Cambria and Bud Phoebus of Krebs.

Margaret Garvin was married to three men, Martin Gillium Jefferson, William W. Welch and William Morris Phebus.  The testimony in the court cases for the Dawes Commission and its predecessors are a fascinating record of the life of Margaret Garvin.  It appears that the predecessors to the Dawes Commission had granted Margaret membership in the Choctaw tribe but then she was deprived of that membership in the later trials.  She was admitted to the Choctaw rolls as an Intermarried White.  This helped her to obtain her land claim but has prevented her descendants from claiming membership in the Choctaw tribe.

It was clear that she continued to think of herself as a Choctaw as can be seen from the records below from the 1910 census.  She appears with her family on line 22 in the first image.  The Special Inquiry related to Indians shows that she claimed to be 1/8 Choctaw.  We plan to get Margaret's descendants DNA tested to see if there is any detectable presence of Native American ancestry.  We will keep you posted on the DNA results.

Memorial to William R. Hill 1834-1863, A Casualty of War

My wife, Robin and I have been searching our family history to find a direct ancestor that died in the service of our country.  Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America.  This blog will illustrate a technique for analysis of a Civil War Pension file and serve as a tribute to an ancestor who died at the age of 29 while in service to the USA.

Soldiers and sailors who die while serving in the military are usually young and single and often do not have any descendants.  My wife does have a direct ancestor that died while serving the Union in the Civil War.  His name is William Roland Hill and he died on the 23rd of May 1863 while on furlough from his service with Company A, 103rd Illinois Infantry regiment. He was married to Mary Hedge on 22 October 1857 in Fulton County, Illinois.  They had two daughters: Flora Ann Hill born 3 Dec 1860 and Laura Hill born 20 July 1863.

One of my goals is to digitize all of the documents that I have accumulated about our ancestors and attach them to our family trees at Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org.  In December of 1992, I submitted the "Order for Copies of Veterans Records" to the National Archives for William Roland Hill.  I was able to glean several facts from those records 23 years ago.  I found it especially revealing to give those documents another review so let me tell you about my technique for analysis.

First, I used my Fujitsu Scan Snap s1500 Sheet Feed Scanner to make a PDF file of the copies received from the National Archives.  The sheet feed feature is very handy as it speeds the process of scanning.  Using my Adobe PDF software I was able to save the entire file of 17 pages as individual JPG image files.  I find that JPG files are much easier to use when analyzing and transcribing original records.  The JPGs are easier to zoom in and out and move around than the PDFs.  A technique that I recommend is to look at each page of a pension file and give each page a file name that describes the date and the content of the document page.  For example here is a chronological list of all of the documents that were contained in the Pension File:

1857-10-19 Hill-Wm Marriage Cert 1
1857-10-19 Hill-Wm Marriage Cert 2
1860-12-03 Hill-Flora Birth Cert
1862-08-12 Hill-Wm Enrollment Co A 103 IL Inf
1863-05-15 Hill-Wm Officer's Cert to Disability
1863-05-23 Hill-Wm Army Death Report
1863-05-23 Hill-Wm Death Cert by Doctor
1863-05-23 Hill-Wm Medical Record
1863-08-13 Hedge-Mary Widow's Declaration
1864-12-01 Hedge-Mary Marriage to Henry Woods
1865-07-01 Hedge-Mary Letter of Guardianship 1
1865-07-01 Hedge-Mary Letter of Guardianship 2
1865-11-17 Hedge-Mary Guardian's Declaration for Pension
1910-03-19 Hedge-Mary Neighbor Declaration
1917-01-27 Hedge-Mary Increase of Pension

There is something magical about putting genealogical information in chronological order.  I find that chronological order helps to show the sequence of events as a process with a purpose.  You can see that I used the four digit year, two digit month and two digit day as the first elements of my file name.  This puts the JPGs in chronological order so that I can browse them in succession.  I used the surname followed by the given name as the next elements of the file name.  I used the maiden name Mary Hedge rather than Mary Hill or Mary Woods to keep the name consistent.  I then created a description of the document title.  Sometimes that was easy because the document already had a title.  In the other cases, I created a document description based on the event being described.

Now let's take a look at the actual documents to see why they were needed for Mary Hedge Hill Woods to receive a Widow's Pension.

Mary Hedge needed to prove  her relationship to William Hill by providing evidence of their marriage.  The County Clerk of Fulton County, Illinois provided a transcript of his Registry of Marriages which attested as follows:

• Date of License: 19 October 1857
• Registry Number: 258
• Names of Parties: William Hill to Mary Hedge
• By Whom Married: O.L. Lillie, J.P.
• Date of marriage: 22 October 1857
• Certification date: 13 August 1865

1857-10-19 Hill-Wm Marriage Certificate 1

1857-10-19 Hill-Wm Marriage Certificate 2

 Mary also obtained a certification from Dr. Thaddeus Nott for the birth of her daughter, Flora on 3 December 1860 in Fulton County, Illinois.

1860-12-03 Hill-Flora Birth Certificate

 The Adjutant General's Office provided a proof of the enrollment of William Hill in Company A, 103rd Illinois Infantry.  The key facts in this document are:
Enrollment Date: 12 August 1862
Enrollment Place: Lewistown, Illinois
Unit: Company A, 103rd Regiment of Illinois Infantry Volunteers
Length of Enlistment: 3 years
Mustered into service as a Private on the 2nd day of October 1862 at Peoria, Ill.
On the Muster Rolls of Co. A of that Regiment for the months of May and June 1863, he is reported "Died of disease, while at home on furlough on the 23rd of May 1863, a private.

1862-08-12 Hill-Wm Enrollment Company A 103 Illinois Infantry

 The Officer's Certificate to Disability of Soldier was written by Howard Willison, 2nd Lieutenant of Company A, 103rd Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry from Scottsboro, Alabama on April 11, 1864.  Lieutenant Willison certified that he was acquainted with William Hill who was a member of his company.  When he enlisted in the service of the United States he was in good health.  "To my knowledge he was disabled while in the service of the United States and in the line of duty at LaGrange, Tennessee on or about the 15th day  of May 1863 by General Debility caused by cold and exposure.

1863-05-15 Hill-Wm Officer's Certificate to Disability of Soldier

 A second copy of the Adjutant General's Report of Service was included which was a virtual duplicate of the first copy except for the this additional phrase: "Cause of death not stated."

1863-05-23 Hill-Wm Army Death Report

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT: State of New York, Oswego County

George D. McManus being duly sworn says that he is a practicing physician now in the City of Oswego, Oswego Co., State of New York, but for several years and during the last sickness of William Hill, Private of Co. A. 103d Reg. Illinois Volunteers, I was a resident of Lewistown, Fulton County, Illinois and further that I attended the aforesaid William Hill in his last sickness at his residence in the town of Liverpool, Co. of Fulton, state of Illinois, and that he William Hill, died on the 23d day of May A.D. 1863- of Phthisis Pulmonalis } George D. McManus.

Subscribed and sworn before me this 16th day of May in the year 1864 and I hereby certify that the said George D. Mc Manus is a physician in good standing in his profession of good credit and entitled to full credit as a witness and that I have no interest whatsoever in the prosecution of this claim. } Robt. H. Martin, Notary Public

NOTE: Phthisis Pulmonalis is an old name for Tuberculosis.

1863-05-23 Hill-Wm Death Certificate by Doctor

1863-05-23 Hill-Wm Medical Record

1863-08-13 Hedge-Mary Widow's Declaration- Army Pension

1864-12-01 Hedge-Mary Marriage to Henry Woods

1865-07-01 Hedge-Mary Letter of Guardianship 1

1865-07-01 Hedge-Mary Letter of Guardianship 2

1865-11-17 Hedge-Mary Guardian's Declaration for Pension

1910-03-19 Hedge-Mary Neighbor Declaration

1917-01-27 Hedge-Mary Increase of Pension

ACHTUNG!- 1. Finding the Hometown of your German Immigrant Ancestors

The Bay Area Genealogical Society is sponsoring a series of lectures and workshops on researching your German ancestors in both U.S. and German records.  The next session will be on Saturday, April 18 at 2:00 pm: An Overview of German Immigration to the U.S. and Finding and Researching German Church & Civil Records. The session will be held at the Friendswood Activity Building, 416 Morningside Drive, Friendswood, TX.  There is no charge or registration required for this session. For more information, contact Kim Zrubek at the Friendswood Library, 281-482-7135

The village church of Zemmin dates to the 15th century. It is located in Zemmin Bentzin in Vorpommern-Greifswald, Germany.  Source: www.de.wikipedia.org /wiki /Dorfkirche_Zemmin

Here is a summary of what we covered in the first session:

Strategy 1:  Use American sources to find German hometowns

American genealogical sources must be thoroughly researched before attempting to delve into the German records.  Here are some statistics on the success rates of American resources that reveal German hometowns based on research by Dr. Roger Minert.

65-76%:  Local church vital records

20-30%:  Military muster, pension lists

20-25%:  County genealogies, state death certificates

15-25%:  Passenger arrival lists

15-20%:  Newspaper obituaries, county histories,

15%:  State census

10%:  Naturalization/citizenship, cemetery monuments/stones

5%:  County marriage licenses

<1%:  Federal census

In addition we recommended the following steps for finding the hometown of your German immigrant ancestors.

1.  Church Records - The FIRST PRIORITY is to find baptisms, christenings, confirmations, marriages and burials for your immigrants, their children and siblings in U.S. church records.  The churches attended by German immigrants were usually very thorough in their descriptions of persons involved in the sacraments.
2. Passports - If your ancestor traveled outside the U.S. their passport record may include their birthplace.
3. Military records - Military records can be very revealing of German origins.  Pay special attention to draft registrations especially World War I, pension files from the Revolution to the present and muster lists.
4. Obituaries - Look in newspapers for your immigrants, their children and grandchildren.  Newspapers especially in smaller towns include very detailed obits.  The German language newspapers in the larger American cities will include many more details than the English language papers.
5. Biographies - County, regional and state histories, Who's Who, professional journals and many other sources include biographies of early pioneers and prominent people.  This is where descendants genealogy can be especially helpful.  Look for biographies featuring your German immigrant ancestors and their descendants.  These biographies often provide some details about the place of origin of the original immigrant.
6. Death Certificates - Look for records for your immigrants, their children and siblings. Check the name of the informant to determine reliability of source.
7. Gravestones - Look for all family, friends, associates & neighbors born in Germany.
8.  Naturalization Records - Helps to narrow search (i.e. Prussia, Bavaria, Brandenburg, etc.).
9. Print resources by Dr. Roger P. Minert, professor of German family history at Brigham Young University (Available at ClaytonLibrary)

·         Consolidated Index to German Immigrants in American Church Records, volumes 1-14 (Clayton Library call# 973.0431 G373 USA  )

·         Researching in Germany: a handbook for your visit to the homeland of your ancestors (Clayton Library call# M664 GERMAN)

·         Deciphering Handwriting in German Documents (Clayton Library call# M664 GERMAN)

·         Place Name Indexes – A series for each German State e.g. Rhineland, Posen, West Prussia, Bavaria, etc. (Clayton Library call# M664 GERMAN)

·         Spelling Variations in German Names: solving family history problems through applications of German and English phonetics (Clayton Library call# M664 GERMAN)

·         Germans to America and the Hamburg Passenger Lists (Clayton Library call# 325.243 M664 USA)

Strategy 2:      Familiarize yourself with the geography of your locality

  FamilySearch www.FamilySearch.org

·         Catalog:  Click on Search then click on Catalog to locate microfilm, microfiche, and online materials available through the Family History Library.  On the Catalog search page, enter a place name to discover what records available for a specific US or German locale.  

·         Research Wiki:  Click on Search then click on Wiki to find research advice for specific World or US state, county, city, or town.

Houston Public Library Catalog catalog.houstonlibrary.org  Use this catalog or the catalog of your favorite genealogy library to see what books they have. 

Google Use search engine www.Google.com to identify additional church record resources. 

Google Translate  Use www.translate.Google.com to past in German text and get an English translation. 

Use Google Chrome browser to translate entire webpage of text from German to English.  The browser provides a translate button.  To download Google Chrome browser, access the page www.google.com/chrome/browser

Strategy 3:      Use gazetteers and maps to locate the hometown, nearest parish, and administrative towns

1.  Germany as a country did not exist until 1871.
2. Prior to that time it consisted of many large and small independent entities, including states, kingdoms, duchies, principalities, and others.
3. Each entity was a separate “country” with a unique government, laws, money, measures, and so on.
4. These various geographic areas are called jurisdictions.
5. Record-keeping jurisdictions are places where a government or church has authority.
6.  Jurisdictions are used to identify a given locality and find records.
7. Place names in Germany are often used more than once.
8. Finding the right place is critical to finding the right records.

ü  Historic Gazetteer:  Meyers Gazetteer of the German Empire

       ·         Compiled 1912 prior to redistribution of territory

       ·         Includes over 210,000 places

       ·         Available free at Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org  Go to website  https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Germany_Gazetteers to get access.

ü  Historic German Genealogical Gazetteer online database http://gov.genealogy.net Use to determine place locations, former names, past affiliations, and related churches, church districts, places, districts, and regions. 

ü  Kartenmeister www.kartenmeister.com Use to identify former Prussian towns and current location information.   Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the search box.

The following marriage record is being used as a case study for the upcoming church record lecture and workshop.  The birthplace of the husband is shown as Zemmin, Germany.  The 1870 census for Siegfried Wegner reveals he was from Pomerania.  This marriage record also states the name of the pastor.  Come to the session on April 18 to find out more about what this record has revealed.

Source: "Wisconsin, Marriages, 1836-1930," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org /pal: 1MM9.1.1IXR6B -YJ5 : accessed 05 Nov 2012), Siegfried Wegner and Louise Eikoff, 02 Mar 1896. source film number: 1013994; reference number:  
page 457 marriage 391