Bernard Leugers (1845-1935) "52 Ancestors"

Hi there, can you believe this is week 17 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge? I guess I can believe that but I can't believe that I am still on schedule with my posts. Actually, I am falling behind and will continue to fall behind until we get this move finished. I will have to keep finding times between the packing, cleaning and getting ready where I can get a story in.

This week I decided to try what I thought would be an easy story. That means I am back on my relatives and will be writing about another farmer from Ohio. I decided to work on my great-great-grand uncle, Bernard Leugers. Bernard was born on 15 July 1845 in St. Rose, Mercer County, Ohio. His parents were George Bernard Leugers (1809-1880) and Maria Katherina Herkenhoff (1809-1881).

The 1850 census for Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio lists George (age 41) and his wife Catherine (age 41) with their children Henry (age 11), George (age 9), Catherine (age 7), Bernard (age 5), and Sophia (age 3).  George is a farmer. He and his wife were both born in Germany and George had immigrated to the United States, arriving in Baltimore in 1835. He was granted his citizenship on 15 May 1854.

The 1870 census lists Bernard (age 23) as living at and working on his father's farm. His father George (age 60) has a property value of $3,000 and personal value of $500. His mother Catherine (age 60) is also living at the home.

Bernard was married three times. His first wife was Caroline Ording (1849-1880). He had five children by this marriage; Catherina (1872-1880), George Henry (1873-1965), John Henry (1876-1966), Mary Agnes (1878-1973), and August (1880-1880). The years 1880-1881 were not good years for the Leugers family. The 1880 census has Bernard (age 35), a widower, living with his parents George (age 71) and Catherina (age 71), with his children Catharina (age 7), George (age 6), Henry (age 5), Mary (age 2) and August (age 6 months). They are living on a farm in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio. August Leugers was born 2 January 1880 and died on 27 May 1880. Caroline, the mother died on 4 January 1880, just two days after August's birth. Bernard's father George died on 14 August 1880. Catherina, a daughter, died on 29 December 1880. His mother died the next year on 28 November 1881.

Soon afterward Bernard married his second wife, Catherine Laux. They had six children by this marriage; Catherine (1881-1949), Bernard Joseph (1883-1958), John B (1885-1974), Gerhard Edward (1886-1932), Gerhard Henry (1887-1932), and Herman H (1889-1983). Actually, there may only be five children. I am pretty sure, based on census records that Gerhard Edward and Gerhard Henry are the same person but I have not been able to determine if he should be Gerhard Edward or Gerhard Henry. I have a birth record for Gerhard Henry that has a birth date of 22 August 1887. Gerhard Edward lists his birth date as 22 August 1886 on his WW I Draft Registration. Gerhard Edward's death date is either 3 September 1932 (based on death certificate) or 1 September 1932 (based on his obituary). His burial date was listed as 3 September 1932. I guess more work needs to be done on this set of children. Bernard's wife Catherine died on 21 July 1890, leaving Bernard to care for the children.

By the 1900 census Bernard had again remarried. This wife was Elizabeth Sturwold (1853-1925) and they had been married for one year. Elizabeth emmigrated from Germany around 1870. It appears that this was also Elizabeth's third marriage. She had previously been married to John Clemens Heckman (1831-1885), a German immigrant and farmer in Auglaize County, Ohio. Elizabeth and John had at least one child, Elizabeth (1882-1959), before John died. There is another child, Anton Eyink (1887-??), who is listed as a step-son for Bernard and Elizabeth in the 1900 census. This leads me to believe that Elizabeth may have been married to an Eyink between her marriages to John Heckman and Bernard Leugers but that would require me to look in the 1890 census. Oh yeah, that one doesn't exist anymore. Elizabeth is listed as having four children with three living in the 1900 census. So, I am missing two children for her at this point.

The 1900 census lists the family as Bernard (age 54) and Elizabeth (age 43), John H (age 24), John B (age 17), Gerhard (age 13), Herman (age 10), and Anton Eyink (age 13). The family is living on a farm in Marion Township, Mercer County, Ohio.

I have not yet found the 1910 or 1920 census for Bernard's family.

During the 1930 census Bernard (age 84) is living with his son John's family at 521 West Wayne, Celina, Mercer, Ohio. The family consisted of John (age 45), his wife Mary (age 48), children Hilda (age 16), Ludwina (age 15), Agatha (age 14), Othmar (age 11), and Marcella (age 9). Additionally, Mary's sister Eleanor Uhlenhake (age 37) is living in the house. John and Eleanor both are working at the furniture factory. John is a packer while Eleanor is a finisher.

Bernard died in Celina, Ohio on 20 May 1935 from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 89 years, 10 months, and 5 days. He was buried in St. Rose on 23 May 1935. He had lived most of his life in St. Rose, Mercer County, Ohio except for the last few years when he was living with his son, John in Celina.

Willis Barnum Coker (1867-1956) "52 Ancestors"

My son and I spent the four days last week walking around Jacksonville, Florida taking part in the One Spark celebration. This celebration is a crowd source funded celebration for Creators. These creators are from a variety of fields including science, technology, arts, music and social good. So, after seeing all these great ideas being presented around the city, I decided to write about my wife's great-great-grandfather Willis Barnum Coker. He was a local businessman, carpenter, printer and entrepreneur.

Willis Barnum Coker

Willis Barnum Coker was born on 9 January 1867 in Americus, Plains, Georgia. His parents were James Franklin Coker (1836-1899) and Saran Ann Jane Walters (1836-1883). James Franklin Coker was married three times. He had one child, James Anderson Coker (1859-1860) by his first wife Martha A Butler (died 1859, two weeks after giving birth). His second wife was Sarah Ann Jane Walters. Willis was the oldest of seven children born to this marriage. His siblings included William Bartow (1868-1889), Dora Joline (1870-??), James Thaddeus Beta (1871-1956), Belle Boyd (1874-1938), Maggie Louise (1876-1956), and Effie Dessolee (1878-1905). After Sarah's death, James married Mary Emma Bellew and they had four children, Ethel Velona (1889-1916), Janie Mabel (1891-1919), James Bradford (1894-1961), and Mary Ida (1897-1898).

Jessie Clara and Willis Barnum Coker

Willis moved to Jacksonville, Florida from his home in Georgia in 1886. The 1888 Jacksonville Florida City Directory lists Barnum Coker as a carpenter. Willis Coker married Jessie Clara LeBoeuf (1857-1929), daughter of James LeBoeuf and Mary Ann Vickery, on 25 December 1887. If you have read the story I wrote about James LeBoeuf, you may remember that Jessie Clara was born on board his ship off the coast of Australia. He continued working as a carpenter until 1895, when he went to work for the James Douglas Book and Picture Framing business where he did picture framing and other general work. The 1900 census indicates that Willis B Coker was living with his wife Jessie (age 43) and children Frank V (age 9), Lula B (age 5), and Nellie M (age 1), and his mother-in-law Mary A LeBoeuf (age 75) at 1016 Church Street in Jacksonville. Willis' occupation is listed as clerk. In 1907, after the company added a printing office, Willis became half owner of the company which was then known as the James Douglas Company.

The 1910 census lists Willis Coker (age 43) as a frame maker. His family consisted of his wife, Jessie (age 50), and children Frank (age 19), Lura (age 15), Nellie (age 10), and Willis Jr. (age 6). Frank is employed as a printer and Lura is a dry goods saleslady. The other two children are attending school.

During the 1920 census the family is living at 912 Ashley Street in Jacksonville. is wife Jessie C (age 55), and children Nellie (age 28) and Willie Jr. (age 12) are living in the house. Willis is listed as a cabinet maker. Nellie is listed as being employed as a cashier at a department store and Willis Jr. is listed as a bell clerk at a department store.

In 1922, Mr. Douglas died and Willis became the sole owner of the James Douglas Company which he eventually sold to E. A. Koester and P. M. Ulsch who changed the name of the company to the Douglas Printing Company.

Sometime before 1935 he moved in with his daughter Nellie and her husband Harvey P McCarty at 1026 East Church Street. The 1940 census states that Willis was working 60 hour weeks as a picture framer in the printing office. He was 73 years old at the time. The 1945 Florida census also states that he was working as a picture framer. Willis continued his picture framing until 1946 when he retired.

Willis was a life member of the Knights of Pythias and Dramatic Order Knights of Khorassan and was the oldest member in Jacksonville at the time of his death. He was also a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Arlington. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage on 31 May 1956, at the age of 89 and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Jacksonville.

John Heinrich Vagedes-Tervort (1832-1876) "52 Ancestors"

Hi again everyone. This is week 15 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. I almost didn't get to this one. I have been travelling a lot with work and closing on a new house but here it is. I decided to go for a real story of intrigue this time and went a little off the main branch of the tree. This story is about my grandmother's sister's husband's uncle, John Heinrich Vagedes-Tervort.

John Heinrich Vagedes-Tervort went by Henry Vagedes in his early years and then changed his name to John Tervort a little later in life in order to hide from the officials. But that is later in the story and we do have to start at the beginning.

Henry was born on 18 September 1832 in Westphalia, Prussia. He was the first child of Franz Anton Vagedes (1805-1863) and Anna Maria Gertrude Tervort (1803-1849). He was christened on 20 September 1832 with Anne Marie Weisman Leufle and Heinrich Vagedes as his god parents. His siblings were Anna Elisabeth (1834-1837), Johan Anton (1837-1837), Franz (1838-1838), Anton Bernard (1839-1881), and Frank Anton (1842-1908). Johan and Franz died at birth or 1 day of age. The family, consisting of his parents and two brothers, Anton and Frank, immigrated to the United States in 1845. They initially settled in Cincinnati, Ohio where Franz found work as a laborer and eventually as a shoemaker to support his family. Their first home was located at the northeast corner of Clinton and Linn Streets (currently the 400 block of Clinton). His mother died on 17 May 1849, just four years after they immigrated.

Soon afterward, on 28 July 1849, Franz remarried to Elizabeth Catherina Sager (1827-1879) at St. Joseph's church. The 1849-1850 Cincinnati City Directory lists the family as living on the south side of Hopkins Street between John and Cutter Streets. This area is near St. Joseph's church and Union Station. The family then moved a little further north to Chickasaw in Mercer County, Ohio. There were four more children born to this marriage. They were Bernard (1850-1879), Maria Elizabeth (1852-1885), John George (1858-1927), and Onna or Anna (1863-1881).

Family stories state that Henry and his step-mother did not get along. Henry was 17 years old when his father remarried and was only 5 years younger than his new step-mother. Henry moved to Indianapolis to attend school but was not enthusiastic about school so on 8 May 1855 he enlisted in the US Army. He served with the 10th Indiana Infantry for five years. During this time President Buchanan sent the unit west to the Utah Territory in order to settle what was expected to be a civilian uprising. On 8 March 1860 he re-enlisted at Camp Floyd in Utah and received a re-enlistment bonus equal to three months pay -  $33. The units stationed at Camp Floyd were a mix of northern and southern regiments. However, the civilian uprising never occurred and Henry found himself stationed at Camp Floyd near Payson, Utah at the beginning of the Civil War. His enrollment was almost up and he was serving under General Johnston who decided to join the Confederate Army. During this time of confusion Henry made the acquaintance of a local merchant, George Washington Hancock. Mr. Hancock helped Henry sneak out of the camp in a wooden packing box and he is listed as deserting on 3 May 1861. In order to avoid arrest, he changed his last name to Tervort, his mother's maiden name and went by John Tervort for the remainder of his life.

John Henry Vagedes-Tervort

On 4 September 1862, John married Sarah Rosina Savage (1844-1920) in Payson, Utah. Sarah Rosina Savage went by Rosina and was born in Middlesex, England to Henry Savage (1810-1884) and Sarah Powers (1821-1881). She immigrated with her family on the ship John M. Wood from Liverpool, England on 12 March 1854 and arrived in New Orleans. Her brother John Ebenezer Savage (1841-1854) died of cholera in New Orleans on 3 May 1854, soon after they arrived. Several other siblings died prior to leaving England. They were Virginia (1843-1843) and her twin Paul (1843-1843), and Hyrum (1846-1849).  Sarah's family migrated westward with 393 Latter Day Saints with the Robert L. Campbell Emigration Company from New Orleans through Nebraska, Wyoming and then to Salt Lake City. They arrived in Salt Lake City on 28 October 1854. During the migration the family consisted of her parents Henry and Sarah, along with her siblings Kizziah (1848-1933), Moroni (1850-1930), and Jemima (1852-1933). Her mother Sarah was pregnant during this migration and gave birth to a daughter, Rachel Savage (1854-1919), at the foot of Little Mountain in the Salt Lake Valley two days before the end of the trek on 26 October. Several additional children were born after their arrival in Utah. They were Ebenezer (1857-1898), Alma (1859-1943), Cornelius (1861-1941), and Nephi Miles (1864-1934). The 1856 Utah Census lists the Savage family as members of the Salt Lake 6th Ward. Her parents were silk weavers and were noted for the fine quality of work they produced. The family moved to Payson, Utah in 1858.

After their marriage in 1862, John and Rosina Tervort had at least eight children. They were Henry Anthony (1863-1904), John Franklin (1864-1839), Sarah Arminnie (1866-1934), Rosina Gertrude (1868-1912), Annie Jemima (1870-1941), Moroni Eben (1871-1958), Rachel Lillian (1873-1874), and Mary Victoria (1875-1959).

The 1870 census for Payson, Utah lists John Tervort as a shoemaker with a personal value of $150 and real estate valued at $100. John Henry Vagedes-Tervort died on 11 October 1876 in Payson, Utah and is buried in the cemetery there. His widow remarried to John Ferrington Manwill (1832-1922) on 15 December 1881 in the Salt Lake Endowment House. Rosina had 5 children by this marriage, William Riley (1882-1959), Daisy (1883-1977), Myrtle (1885-1975), Rosina Savage (1887-1903), and Nephi (1889-1891). This family moved from Payson to Box Creek and then to Greenwich, Utah. Rosina and John divorced in 1895. Rosina died on 4 February 1920 in Payson and is buried in the local cemetery.

Joseph Reiss (1844-1924) "52 Ancestors"

Greetings everyone. This is week 14 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. I decided to head back to my side of the family for a little while this week. This story is about Joseph Reiss, my great great grandfather.

Joseph Reiss was born 19 June 1844 in Shelby County, Ohio, the son of George Reiss (1817-1879) and Seraphine Lump (1825-??). George immigrated from Germany about 1842 and Sarah immigrated with her parents when she was two years old. George filed a certificate of intention for citizenship in Shelby County, Ohio on 10 December 1852. Joseph's siblings were William Leonard (1847-1941), Mary Catherine (1853-1933), and Josephine (1862-??). Josephine was an adopted child according to the 1870 census.

The first record that I have found for the family is the 1860 census. This census has George (age 43), Sarah (age 35), Joseph (age 15), William (age 13), and Mary (age 7). The family was living in McLean Township, Shelby County, Ohio. George's real estate is valued at $300.

George fought in the Civil War as part of Company C, 118th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. There is a family story that Joseph worked in the hospitals and was also an ambulance driver during the war but we don't have documentation of this yet. After the war, Joseph learned to operate steam engines and went to work for August Wise in the saw mill. The 1870 census has Joseph (age 24) listed as an engineer living in the home of Louis Morman and family. Louis Morman is employed as a miller and I am assuming that he worked for the Wise Sawmill also.

Magdalena and Joseph Reiss

On 12 November 1876, Joseph married Magdalena Gaier, the daughter of Ferdinand and Appolonia Siegel Gaier. The witnesses for the wedding were Leonard Reiss, Joseph's brother, and Catherine Gaier, Magdalena's sister. Joseph and Magdalena had the following children; John Ferdinand (1877-1945), Catherine (1879-1960), Edward Leonard (1884-1955), and Leo Bernard (1891-1959).

The 1880 census lists the family as living in Berlin (Ft. Loramie), McLean Township, Shelby County, Ohio. Joseph (age 33) is employed as a laborer. His wife is listed as Madline (age 24) and their children are John (age 2) and Catherina (age 8 months).

The 1900 census has the family listed as living on Main Street, Loramie Village, McLean Township, Shelby County, Ohio. Joseph (age 54) is working as a fireman at the sawmill. His family consisted of his wife Magdalena (age 45), and children; John (age 22) employed as a teamster for the sawmill, Katherine (age 20) employed as a servant, Edward (age 12) and Leo (age 7) both attending school. In addition, Magdalena's father, Ferdinand Gaier (age 90), is living with the family.

On 23 July 1901, John Reiss married Anna Mary Pieper and on 16 June 1903, Catherine Reiss married August Jacob Wise. Catherine and August were my great-grandparents. The other two sons, Edward and Leo never married. Leo had a birth defect that left him partially crippled and Edward took care of him.

Ed, John, Joseph, Magdalena, Catherine, and Leo Reiss.

Joseph's occupation in the 1910 census is listed as engineer at the sawmill. He is 65 years old by this time. His wife Magdalena (age 55) and two sons, Edward (age 21) and Leo (age 17) are living in the home. Edward has taken up the trade as a carpenter by this time.

Joseph is still working at the sawmill as an engineer in the 1920 census when he was 74 years old. He continued working in the sawmill until near the time of his death in 1924. Magdalena, his wife is listed as being 64 years old. Edward (age 26) and Leo (age 21) are still living at home. Edward is working as a carpenter and Leo is listed as a laborer in the sawmill. Notice the ages of the family members during this census compared to the 1910 census. Edward and Leo only age 4 to 5 years during this time frame.

In June 1923, Joseph was stricken with an illness but was still able to get around and continued to work for a while. In November the illness became more sever and he was forced to remain in bed. He died at home on the morning of 18 February 1924. The cause of death was listed as epithelioma of the face which he had for 1 year and 4 months. His funeral was held on 21 February and he was buried in St. Michael's Cemetery in Ft. Loramie. He was survived by his wife, four children, nine grandchildren, two great grandchildren, one brother and one sister. His wife, Magdalena, died five years later, at the age of 76, on 25 August 1929. Her cause of death is listed as myocarditis.