Spring 2010 Ohio Genealogy News

Ohio Genealogy NewOhio Genealogy Newss Volume 41, Number 1 Volume 41, Number 1 Spring 2010Spring 2010

NEW BENEFIT FOR OGS MEMBERS - WORLD VITAL RECORDS

DATABASES ON OGS WEBSITE - BIRTHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES

6 Ohio Genealogy News Spring 2010

JAMES R. MILLER

Old envelopes and postcards in postal history collections are a source of genealogical information.1 This article presents thirteen old envelopes and postcards from Ohio with key genealogical data on the sender and/or recipient to introduce the Philatelic Genealogy website and database, http://philgen.org.

The website was launched in March 2009 to begin building a digital archive of envelope and postcard images with genealogical value and to promote an exchange between postal history collectors and genealogists. The site has grown to more than 1,100 envelopes and postcards. Every item includes a photo (used with the owner's permission) and U.S. census or similar details on the sender and/or addressee. The website at present has 81 letters and/or postcards sent to or from Ohio.

EUROPEAN BIRTHPLACES Finding a European immigrant's birthplace can be

difficult. A return address or a postmark can provide a clue.

Serafin Pavelka of 507 South Belmont [Avenue] in Springfield, Ohio received an envelope from Jan Barok of Svaty Jur, Bratislave [Bratislava], Czechoslovakia in 1922 (Figures 1A and 1B). A Sarah B. Pavelka, from Czechoslovakia, is in Springfield in the 1930 U.S. census.2 I posted the envelope on Philgen.org and contacted two genealogists with trees on

Ancestry.com containing Serafin Pavelka. One sent a copy of Sarah Pavelka's 1984 obituary showing Svaty Jur as Sarah's birthplace and Jan Barok as her father. This genealogist purchased the envelope for $10 from a postal history vendor and sent high quality photos to Philgen.org to replace the original photo. The envelope's postmark and return address by themselves could be a starting point to search for Seraphin (Barok) Pavelka's birth and parents in Svaty Jur (now part of Slovakia).3

Nikolaus Willing of 1722 Vine Street, Cincinnati,

Ohio received an envelope from Alexander Willing postmarked July 18, 1923 in Cesterek, Yugoslavia (Figures 2A and 2B). A Nicholas Willing is in Cincinnati

in the 1920 U.S. census, with a match on the street address shown on the envelope.4 His 1917 World War I draft registration, also with a match on street address, has Csozstelek (a variant spelling of Cesterek) , Hungary (now Cestereg, Serbia) as his birthplace.5,6 The envelope, especially with a sender and

recipient having the same family name, could lead a genealogist to Nicholas Willing's European home.

Sven L. Beck of Rocky River, Ohio received an envelope from Copenhagen, Denmark in 1924 (viewable on Philgen.org, search on Beck). A Svende L. Beck, from Denmark, is in Cleveland in the 1920 U.S. census.7 Sven Leonhard Beck registered with Selective Service in 1942 in Cuyahoga County, Ohio and gave Copenhagen, Denmark as his birthplace.8

Additional envelopes and postcards involving Ohio residents that were sent to/from the person's (or the person's parents') home country in Europe include:

• Robert Craven (from England) of Harlem Springs; • Katherine L. Geisenhofer (from Germany) of

Cincinnati; • Vaclav Honcik (from Austria) of Cleveland; • Alfred Izod (from England) of Bainbridge; • William L. Kast (from Germany) of North Canton; • Fred C. Kirchner (from Germany) of Youngstown (a

Prisoner of War envelope sent from Jamaica); • Frank Martul (from Poland) of Cleveland; • Warner Nevala (from Finland) of Conneaut; • Nettie F. Orkin (with German-speaking parents from

Russia) of Geneva; • Rubin A. Snead (from England) of Cleveland; • George Whitelaw (from Scotland) of Cleveland; • Louis Wollenberger (from Germany) of Bridgeport.

Each item can be seen on Philgen.org by searching on the person's last name or city. The item's description notes

Figure 1A. Svaty Jur, Bratislava to Springfield, Ohio, front, 1922.

Figure 2A. Ces te rek , Yugoslavia to Cincinnati, Ohio, front, 1923.

Figure 1B. Svaty Jur, Bratislava to Springfield, Ohio, back, 1922

Figure 2B. Cesterek, Yugoslavia to Cincinnati, Ohio, back, 1923.

Reprinted with permission of The Ohio Genealogical Society. Article originally appeared in Ohio Genealogy News. James R. Miller,Philatelic Genealogy in Ohio: An Introduction, Vol. 41 (Spring 2010): cover, 6-9. For more information on OGS, visit www.ogs.org.

Spring 2010 Ohio Genealogy News 7

whenever the street address on the envelope or postcard matches the address in the census or other source document.

Not all envelopes and postcards sent to/from the home country will involve family and/or the exact birthplace. As with any source of genealogical information, postal history must be used in combination with other sources before reaching any conclusion.

CONTEXT OF TIMES In addition to a European birthplace, envelopes and

postcards sent within the U.S. show our ancestors in the context of their times, such as the Civil War era.

Westley W. Clark of Montpelier, Williams County, Ohio received an envelope in circa 1860 from Nicholsville, Kentucky (Figure 3). A Westly Clark is in

West Jefferson in the 1860 U.S. census.9 West Jefferson is about two miles east of Montpelier. The envelope has a drawing and quotation of Henry Clay regarding secession and was sent near the time the Confederate States of

America (CSA) formed in the winter of 1860-1861.10 Charles Eben Wiswell of Cincinnati, Ohio received an

envelope from Boston, Massachusetts in circa 1860 (Figure 4). An Eben Wiswell, from Massachusetts, and Eben, Junior (apparently Eben's son, and presumably the addressee Charles Eben) are in Cincinnati in the 1860 U.S. census.11 The envelope has a cartoon illustration of Jefferson Davis, CSA President, being carried away by an eagle.

Elias Simon of Van Buren, Hancock County, Ohio received an envelope from Louisville, Kentucky postmarked December 19, 1861 (Figure 5). An Elias

Simon is in Woodberry, Bloom Township in the 1860 U.S. census.12 Van Buren is in a township adjacent to Bloom. The e n v e l o p e h a s a n illustration of a military campground and the text

“Our Brethren are in The Field.”

E.J. Schooler of De Graff, Ohio received an envelope from Kenyon, Kentucky in circa 1862 (Figure 6). An Evan J. Schooler is in De Graff in the 1870 U.S. census.13 The envelope has an illustration of the Civil War “Battle of

P i t t s b u r g h [P i t t s b u r g ] Landing” (also known as the Battle of Shiloh).

Another aspect of our ancestors' lives involved the westward expansion of the U.S. Mrs. Archibald Green of North Bloomfield, Trumbull County, Ohio received a letter from Fort Craig, New Mexico Territory in 1861 (Figure 7). A Nancy

( a p p a r e n t l y M r s . Archibald) Green is in Bloomfield in the 1860 U.S. census.14 The auction catalog listing for this envelope states that the letter (still present in the envelope) was sent by the wife of

a lieutenant in the 8th U.S. Infantry and speaks of Navajos and Apaches.15

J.D. Briggs of New Lisbon, Ohio received an envelope from Auraria, Kansas Territory, now Denver, Colorado (Figure 8). A J.D. Briggs is in New Lisbon in the 1860 U.S. census.16 Auraria began as a gold mining settlement in 1858 and later became p a r t o f D e n v e r , Colorado.17

FOLDED LETTERS AND ENVELOPES

Before postage stamps and envelopes were established in the 1850s, correspondence often involved a single sheet of paper, with a letter written on one side and the other side used for the address, that was folded and sealed to make an envelope. Unlike envelopes that may be empty, folded letters have their original contents (unless the sender was willing to pay twice the postage to include a second sheet inside the folded letter).18

Samuel Israel of Mount Vernon, Ohio received a folded letter from Jamaica postmarked July 5, 1853 (Figure 9). A Samuel Israel is in Mount Vernon in the 1850 U.S. census.19 The writing on the

opposite side of the sheet shows through. William Carter of Defiance, Ohio received a folded

letter (Figure 10) from Aaron Claflin of New York City

Figure 3. Nicholsville, Kentucky to Montpelier, Ohio, circa 1860.

Figure 4. Boston to Cincinnati, circa 1860.

Figure 6. Kenyon, Kentucky to De Graff, Ohio, circa 1862.

Figure 5. Louisville, Kentucky to Van Buren, Ohio, 1861.

Figure 7. Fort Craig, New Mexico to North Bloomfield, Ohio, 1861.

Figure 9. Jamaica to Mount Vernon, Ohio, 1853.

Figure 8. Auraria, Kansas Territory to New Lisbon, Ohio.

8 Ohio Genealogy News Spring 2010

in 1846.20 A William Carter, from New York, is in Defiance in the 1850 U.S. census,21 and an Aaron Claflin is in Brooklyn in the 1860 U.S. census.22 While not a folded letter, Stephen C. Dakin of New

York City received a stampless envelope apparently from Henry Dakin of Ellsworth, Ohio postmarked February 10, 1855 (Figure 11). A Henry Dakin is in Ellsworth in the 1850 U.S. census.23 A note written on the envelope states “Father sick at Poland.” Poland is approximately 10 miles east of Ellsworth. A Dakin family tree online at Ancestry.com shows Homer Dakin with sons Stephen Crane and Henry Martin, and Homer's death on February 14, 1855 in Broadman (Boardman?, one mile west of Poland), four days after the envelope was postmarked.24 Because of their age and contents, folded letters hold great genealogical potential.

Envelopes also provide a glimpse into the working lives of our ancestors. Henry Holcomb of West Andover, Ohio received an envelope from W.R. Reid, Dealer in Photographic Stock, of Cleveland in 1878 (Figure 12). A H e n r y H o l c o m b ,

photographer, is in Andover in the 1880 U.S. census.25 D.E. Nickles of Shanesville, Ohio received an

envelope from the E.I. Dupont Company of Pittsburg (now Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania in 1906 (Figure 13). A Daniel E. Nickles, a retail hardware merchant, is in Shanesville in the 1 9 1 0 U . S . c e n s u s . 2 6 Shanesville is located in a coal mining area.

OVER 4,000 OHIO ENVELOPES AND POSTCARDS

I hope this article has helped you see the range of information available from postal history. Many more envelope and postcard photos involving Ohio residents are available. Postal history vendors have given Philgen.org permission to use thousands of photos from their websites and archived philatelic auction catalogs

and most have not yet been placed on Philgen.org. More than 4,000 involve Ohio, and these sources are a fraction of available postal history items. Other potential sources are being contacted.

Anyone interested in helping add Ohio envelopes and postcards to the website is invited to contact the author. Photos and data posted for each item will be credited to the person and/or their genealogical association.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author thanks Schuyler Rumsey Philatelic Auctions (figures 3, 5 - 9, 12, 13), Cavendish Philatelic Auctions, Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries ( figures 4, 10), Jim Forte Postal History (figure 11), Jennifer Reusser and Richard Frajola for the use of photos, the many genealogists who responded to email and message board queries, and Lisa Birsinger for database and website support.

James R. (Jim) Miller is a genealogist and postal historian and is the founder of Philgen.org. He lives in Caroga Lake, New York and Haguenau, France, and can be contacted at jim@philgen.org.

NOTES 1 James R. Miller, “Philatelic Genealogy: Old Envelopes,

Postcards, and Immigrant Origins,” New England Ancestors 10:2 (2009): 37–38 [viewable at http://philgen.org, click on NEA article in Main Menu], and “Philatelic Genealogy Update: An Initial Assessment of the Genealogical Value of Old Envelopes and Postcards,” American Ancestors 11:1 (2010): 45.

2 1930 U.S. census, Springfield Ward 2, Clark County, Ohio, ED 12-28, p. 8A, NARA series T626, roll 1,757. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

3 Wikipedia, “Svätý Jur” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sv%C3%A4t%C3%BD_Jur, accessed January 1, 2010).

4 1920 U.S. census, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, ED 178, p. 8A, NARA series T625, roll 1,389. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

5 Wikipedia, “Čestereg” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%8Cestereg, accessed January 1, 2010).

6 World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Nickolas Willing, registration card number 17052, Hamilton County, Ohio, NARA series M1509, FHL 1,819,804. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

7 1920 U.S. census, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Cleveland Ward 3, ED 38, p. 4A, NARA series T625, roll 1,360. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

8 U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, Sven Leonhard Beck, serial number U1359, Local Board 46, Cleveland Cuyahoga County, Ohio, NARA, roll WWII_2371585. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

9 1860 U.S. census, West Jefferson, Jefferson Township, Williams County, Ohio, p. 112 (written), NARA series M653, roll 1,052. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

10 Wikipedia, “Confederate States of America” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America, accessed December 28, 2009).

11 1860 U.S. census, Cincinnati Ward 6, Hamilton County, Ohio, p. 33 (written), NARA series M653, roll 972. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

Figure 10. New York City to Defiance, Ohio, 1846.

Figure 11. Ellsworth, Ohio to New York City, 1855.

Figure 12. Cleveland, Ohio to Andover, Ohio, 1878.

Figure 13. “Pittsburg” to Shanesville, Ohio, 1906.

Spring 2010 Ohio Genealogy News 9

12 1860 U.S. census, Woodberry, Bloom Township, Wood County, Ohio, p. 158 (written), NARA series M653, roll 1,053. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

13 1870 U.S. census, De Graff, Miami, Logan County, Ohio, p. 4 (written), NARA series M593, roll 1,234. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

14 1860 U.S. census, Bloomfield, Trumbull County, Ohio, p. 42, NARA series M653, roll 1,041. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

15 Schuyler Rumsey Philatelic Auctions, Sale 26 auction catalog, Lot 552 (www.rumseyauctions.com/cgi-local/viewlot.pl?site=1&sale=26&lot=552, accessed January 1, 2010).

16 1860 U.S. census, New Lisbon, Columbiana County, Ohio, p. 72, NARA series M653, roll 949. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

17 Wikipedia, “Auraria, Denver” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auraria,_Denver, accessed December 26, 2009).

18 Vernon S. Stroupe, “What is Postal History?,” North Carolina Postal Historian (Spring 1995), excerpted at the National Postal Museum website (www.postalmuseum.si.edu/statepostalhistory/studyofpostalsystem.html, accessed December 22, 2009).

19 1850 U.S. census, Mount Vernon Ward 5, Knox County, Ohio, p. 220 (printed, recto), NARA series M432, roll 700. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

20 Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Sale 950 auction catalog, Lot 2072 (www.siegelauctions.com/lot_lkp.php?resetsessionvars=yes, enter Sale and Lot numbers to see item and its description, accessed December 30, 2009). The "Father Knickerbocker" circular handstamp, the "New-York Ship May 2(0?)" circular datestamp and matching "STEAM BOAT" straightline handstamp relate to an initial mishandling of the envelope before it went by land to Ohio.

21 1850 U.S. census, Defiance, Defiance County, Ohio, p. 4 (printed, recto), NARA series M432, roll 674. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

22 1860 U.S. census, Brooklyn Ward 3, District 1, Kings County, New York, p. 37 (written), NARA series M653, roll 764. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

23 1850 U.S. census, Ellsworth, Mahoning County, Ohio, p. 541 (printed, verso), NARA series M432, roll 707. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

24 Family tree, published online on Ancestry.com, owner's name Rose Bastin; primary source citation not shown for date and location of the death of Homer Dakin.

25 1880 U.S. census, Andover, Ashtabula County, Ohio, ED 1, p. 1 (written), NARA series T9, roll 991. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

26 1910 U.S. census, Shanesville, Sugarcreek, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, ED 147, p. 6B, NARA series T624, roll 1,236. Viewed on Ancestry.com.

JUDITH F. RUSSELL AND GREGORY L. CRANE

“I wish I had asked my grandmother about that before she was gone…” Haven’t we all said that? This program offers a way to capture those precious memories for future generations.

"Ask Granny" is an innovative genealogical outreach program designed to be presented by local genealogical society members at senior centers, retirement communities, assisted-living facilities or other places where older adults gather. The program can also be used as a workshop event at a family reunion or for a church or synagogue senior group.

The program provides free specially formatted materials and instructions to guide the seniors as they create a simple ancestral chart for themselves and for their spouses. There are also administrative aids for societies that adopt the program. The PDF files can be easily printed or made into slides, flyers, or posters.

Using only pencils and paper, the Grannies and Grandpas who attend the seminars record their memories of family names, dates, and places on a chart labeled “A Genealogical Gift to my Family.” When those pages are preserved in their special gift folder, later descendants will never have to wonder "why didn't we ask Granny

about that?" Whether the students can remember the details of one generation or six, they create an irreplaceable record of family history for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. At every session, even seniors who think they will remember nothing have been able to record several generations with the help of their instructors. The program has been successfully adopted in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and in 14 states.

Write to the "Ask Granny" authors with your questions or your request for a free set of materials by return email. Your email should include the name of your genealogical society or the name and date of your upcoming family reunion or church/synagogue group meeting. The only stipulation of the authors is that the students are never charged for their participation in an "Ask Granny" seminar or for the materials.

The creators of the “Ask Granny” program, Judith Russell and Gregory Crane, live in Bogart, Georgia and are long-term members of the Clarke-Oconee Genealogical Society. Contact them at ask.granny.us@gmail.com. Their website is www.askgranny.us.