Helbling Family, Springsteen Family (Click for Family Tree)

Transcription and Notes:

Jefferson Springsteen. Born February 14^th 1820

at Harrison Ohio

[Ed. Note: Jefferson Springsteen was the son of John Springsteen and Mary Logan.]

Anna Springsteen. Born February 20^th 1824

County Mai Ireland

[Ed. Note: Anna (Conner) Springsteen was the wife of Jefferson. We have been unable to find her immigration information, the names of her parents or siblings, etc.- yet.]

John William Springsteen. Born Sat. Nov 26^{th 1844} Brooklin. N.Y.

[Ed. Note: John William Springsteen was the oldest child of Jefferson Springsteen and Anna Conner.]

Mary Elizabeth Springsteen.    ”  Friday Oct 9^th, 1846

Brooklin New York State.

[Ed. Note: Mary Elizabeth Springsteen was the second child of Jefferson Springsteen and Anna Conner.]

Jefferson Springsteen. Wednesday Sept 13^th  1848.

[Ed. Note: Jefferson Springsteen was the third child of Jefferson Springsteen and Anna Conner. His full name was Thomas Jefferson Springsteen.]

Abram Springsteen. July 5th 1850

Brooklin New York State.

[Ed. Note: Abram Springsteen was the fourth child of Jefferson Springsteen and Anna Conner. He was considered to be the youngest drummer boy in the Civil War.]

Charles Springsteen. Sunday May 16th 1852

Brooklin New York State.

[Ed. Note: Charles Springsteen was the fifth child of Jefferson Springsteen and Anna Conner.]

Anna Missouri Springsteen. Tues May 16^{th 1854}Indianapolis Ind.

[Ed. Note: Anna Missouri Springsteen was the sixth child of Jefferson Springsteen and Anna Conner. She was likely named after her paternal aunt, Missouri E. (Springsteen) Scotten (1834-1895).]

Robert Springsteen     May 25th 1857                    ”      ”      ”      ”

[Ed. Note: Robert E. Springsteen was the seventh child of Jefferson Springsteen and Anna Conner.]

Joseph Springsteen. July 1st 1860                            ”      ”      ”      ”

[Ed. Note: Joseph Springsteen was the eighth child of Jefferson Springsteen and Anna Conner.]

Laura Grace Alien Springsteen. Mch 20th 73-359 E. Market St.

Indianapolis Ind.

[Ed. Note: Laura Grace Alien Springsteen was the only child of Abram Furman Springsteen and Laura May Longfellow, thus granddaughter to Jefferson and Anna Springsteen.]

More Springsteen Family Bible in upcoming posts!

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. “Amanuensis” means to transcribe.
2. Bible page from the family treasure chest.
3. Transcription by the author.

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Original content copyright 2013-2016 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Springsteen Family (Click for Family Tree)

The Springsteen Family Bible contains three pages that had photos in them, but many had been removed by the time these pages were copied. (Yes, copied- these images of the bible were done before scanners!) So, with apologies for the quality of the images and the paper-punched holes in the side, on this Friday let’s take a look at these ‘Faces from the Past.’

First of all, none of these images have any identification to them, and what was on the back of each image was not documented well. Some of the images were taken out and then replaced for the copies.

Please note: The comments below are just educated guesses- NONE of the identifications can be documented at this point. Of course, if you have an image like one of these, please contact us! We may be able to better determine who the person **might** be by knowing who ended up with the photo- or, a family historian’s dreams could come true and your images might be labeled!

◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊

The image above indicates a sleeping baby, or, more probably, a babe who has passed away. Taking portraits of dead persons was one way to remember a beloved one who may have died suddenly, or very young. The BBC has an excellent article on such portraits- see Notes for link. Our image has an angel-like, floating-in-the-clouds feel to it, strengthening the belief that it is a post-mortem image.

Because the bible belonged, we think, to Anna Missouri Springsteen, the dead baby may be Mary Emma Beerbower, the daughter born 22 April 1880 in Brightwood (a suburb of Indianapolis), Marion, Indiana, who lived just until 29 June 1880. Anna Missouri and Edgar Peter Beerbower also had another child, little Willie Beerbower, who was born on 14 February 1889 and died the next day in Cairo, Alexander, Illinois. Finding these pictures and learning what might be on the reverse, such as the name of a photographer’s studio, would help to determine which, if either of these children, is in the portrait.

The little boy in the bottom photo might be Edgar Springsteen Beerbower (1876-1940). He was the second son of Anna Missouri and E.P. Beerbower. Edgar married a bit later than usual in life and then divorced, and no children of his have been documented. So there may have been no one who was interested in the photo in later years, thus it remained in the album- just an idea.

Or, could it be Anna Missouri’s littlest brother Joseph Springsteen, born in 1860 but died in 1862, before his second birthday? Much information in the bible is about her siblings.

Or, could it be someone else??

This appears to be a more clear image of the above baby. The reverse image at bottom right is believed to be from the portrait of the young woman below. J. M. Strode was the most prominent photographer in Kokomo, Indiana, for over 25 years, and working in the 1870s. Kokomo is about 60 miles from Indy. Wonder if this image is actually Anna Missouri Springsteen as a young woman? She married Edgar in 1873, and they may have traveled there for their honeymoon or just a visit. (No known family in Kokomo.)

Here is a picture of Anna Missouri when she was young…

And a bit older- do you see any resemblance?

We probably need to do more research on her dress and hairstyle, as that can tell us much about the time period. It would be wonderful if it was an early portrait of Anna (Conner) Springsteen (1824-1887), seen here in later years:

Her eyes are more wide open than her daughter Anna Missouri’s, so there might be a possibility… More research is needed.

We definitely know that the young drummer boy in the upper right is Abram Furman Springsteen (1850-1930), supposedly the youngest drummer boy in the Civil War. That was the legend (not just with family, but in Indiana) though it is probably not true.

We don’t know the little baby in the bottom right photo, either. She or he could be any of the folks mentioned above, or even a cousin or family friend. It too looks like a post-mortem photo- notice the wide belt to hold up the baby? The eyes may have been added in, too. Sometimes someone would get behind the baby or child to hold them in place, and that may be the case here too.

So what are your thoughts on these images?

Please do let us know if you have these same photos, and especially if you can identify them!

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1.  Family treasure chest.
2. An interesting article shows some of Victorian death pictures: “Taken from life: The unsettling art of death photography” by Bethan Bell, BBC News, 5 June 2016. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-36389581

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Original content copyright 2013-2016 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Springsteen Family (Click for Family Tree)

Edited 22 October 2020: 

Recent research and analysis suggests that the Springsteen Family bible was most likely owned by Anna (Conner) Springsteen (1824-1887) and Jefferson Springsteen (1820-1909), not their daughter Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower as originally believed. Because the Bible was printed in 1876, 33 years after the marriage of Anna and Jeff, it was originally thought that the bible might instead belong to one of their daughters. Their daughter Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower however had her own family bible, which was printed in 1873 and given to her by her father- please see the blog post about the Beerbower family bible for more information. (We do not know descendants of Mary Elizabeth (Springsteen) Beckwith, their other daughter, nor have any of her heirlooms.) So perhaps this bible was purchased around 1876 to replace an earlier Springsteen Family bible that may have been lost or damaged. Another possibility is that Anna and Jeff may not have had a bible previously, although that would not have been typical for such a family. Many of the entries in this bible look as if they were done at the same time, not contemporaneously with the event, and they mostly contain the children, spouses, and grandchildren of Anna and Jeff. Their children were born between 1844 and 1860, so could not have been written in a book that was published 16 years after their last child was born.

Original Post:

We believe the Springsteen Family Bible was owned by Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower (1854-1939), who married Edgar Peter Beerbower (1849-1916) on 12 February 1873 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Their first child was born in 1874, and the second in 1876. Perhaps the bible was a gift from Anna’s parents to celebrate, and record, the births, marriages, and deaths in the new family, since it was printed in 1876.

The bible was passed down to Anna’s daughter, Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling, and then to Mary Theresa (Helbling) McMurray.

This and upcoming posts on the Springsteen family bible are based on black and white copies of the pertinent family pages, copied probably back in the 1970s. Please excuse the poor quality of the images.

More to come this week and next with all the family record pages from the Springsteen Family Bible.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Family treasure chest.
2.  Added 22 Oct 2020: “Beerbower Family Bible-Dec. 31st, 1873,” Heritage Ramblings family history blog, 31 Dec 2014–
   https://heritageramblings.net/2014/12/31/beerbower-family-bible-dec-31st-1873/

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images.

Original content copyright 2013-2016 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Springsteen Family (Click for Family Tree)

Just a bit more clarity, just a bit of proof, plus some snippets of information and matching DNA for the John Springsteen family…that is our ‘Wishful Wednesday’ Wish.

The name early on was spelled ‘Springsteel’, then changed to ‘Springsteen’ in Ohio and Indiana. One branch later used ‘Springston.’ So the use of wild cards in searches can be very beneficial with this family.

The name “Springsteen” is Northern Germanic or more likely Dutch in our family. The Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press states it comes from a type of stone called a ‘springsteen’ which was “…used as a stepping stone in unpaved streets or between two houses.” Ancestry.com shows the most Springsteens in New York in 1840, followed by New Jersey; then Maryland, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, with numbers decreasing in that order. By the 1920 census, Springsteens had spread out to over one-half the states.

John Springsteen was born in New York, possibly around 1782, but we know nothing definite about his parents except that he visited his father in New Jersey around 1837. (See “Those Places Thursday: Indianapolis and Jefferson Springsteen’s Obituary“.)

John Springsteen has not yet been found in the 1800 (he would have been ~ 18 years old) or 1810 US Federal Censuses (about 28 yrs. old). He married Mary Logan, who was born about 1800 in Pennsylvania per the 1850 census; we have not yet found a marriage record or details about her parents or early life, since her maiden name was just recently found. Maybe they met as John migrated west, since Pennsylvania is on the way to Ohio, and sometimes migrants would stop for a while in a place as they worked their way west to their final destination. The couple were most likely married a year or two before 14 February 1820 when son Jefferson Springsteen was born in Harrison, Ohio. The “John Springsteel” family was enumerated in Crosby Twp., Hamilton Co, OH at the 1820 census. That census household had 2 females, one under 10, and one age 10-16, in addition to three individuals who are probably John, Mary, and Jefferson. Could one of these ‘extra’ girls be a daughter who did not survive into adulthood, or who is not known to researchers? (If Mary was born about 1800, she would have been about 20 in 1820, so only the youngest could be their daughter. Or was Mary actually older, or a second wife raising the daughters of John’s first marriage?) Or were these girls family or neighbors who were boarding with, and working for, the Springsteel family? Only one person in the family was engaged in manufacturing, which was most likely John who was a skilled craftsman in later years (and possibly in 1820). If not children of John, the two girls may have been helpers for home, baby Jefferson, a very large garden, and probably a cow, chickens, and maybe a couple of hogs- all ‘women’s work’- to help support the family, since John was not a farmer. Finding a marriage record for John and Mary might help answer some of these questions.

Son Abraham Springsteen was born next (we believe), in 1824 in New York per his 1863 Civil War Draft Registration, but Ohio per his 1860 and 1870 US Federal Census entires. The family was in Ohio in 1820 and again in 1830, so the birthplace is likely wrong on the draft registration.

On 16 October 1830 a daughter was born to John and Mary, and they named her Sarah Emily Springsteen. She was born in Cincinnati, Madison, Ohio, which is about 20 miles from Harrison. In the 1830 US Federal Census, we find a John Springsteen living in Cincinnati Ward 5, Hamilton, Ohio. The household included one male 40-49 (presumably John), one female 30-39 (Mary), 1 male 10-14 (Jefferson), one male 5-9 (Abraham), but also a male under 5 (possibly a son who died young? as there was a 6 year gap after Abraham). There was also one female under 5 (newborn Sarah Emily?), but also an unknown female aged 10-14. The unknown female could have been a daughter born before or after Abraham, or outside help boarding with them. Jefferson had run off to join the circus much earlier and was in Indianapolis in 1835 according to his obituary, so would not have been counted in this household.

The Springsteens may have stayed in the Cincinnati area a bit as daughter Missouri E. Springsteen was born in Ohio about 1834, but the city/county is not known. The family was on the move again after that, with daughter Eliza (Analiza) Springsteen born 16 May 1839 in Buck’s Creek, Hancock, Indiana. (We do need to check county boundaries, though, as the family might not have moved but the county line might have!)

Sometime between about 1835-1837, Jefferson, AKA “Jeff,” had persuaded his father to visit him in Indianapolis. That may have been the reason for the family’s move west from Ohio, as Buck’s Creek is only about 16 miles from the center of Indianapolis, Indiana. The community chided John for buying a lot in the wilds of Indianapolis back then, but that lot is probably prime city real estate today.

The year 1840 found the family in Lawrence Ward 1, Marion, Indiana. (Indianapolis is in Marion County.) One person was employed in manufacturing and trade, presumably John. Trying to fit this family to the known children of John and Mary leaves us with two ‘extra’ males, aged 10-14, 1 female under 5, and one female 20-29. So is this the same family, again with additional children, or extended family or neighbors living with them?

Some Springsteen researchers believe that there were more children in the family, possibly up to 11, but we do not yet know their identity if that is true. It would explain the ‘extra’ children on these early censuses.

John and Mary’s three known daughters (Sarah, Missouri, and Eliza) were living with them in 1850, when the federal census enumerated them in Buck Creek, Hancock, Indiana. John was listed as a carpenter with $800 in real estate.

A John Springsteen lived in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1860 (per the US Federal Census) and was listed as b. NY. He was 76, so b. about 1784. Is this ‘our’ John Springsteen? Neither Mary nor the daughters were listed with him. The girls had married by that date: Sarah to Robert Ogle in 1852, Missouri E. to William C. Scotten (after 1850 when enumerated with parents, and before 1860 when enumerated with her husband, marriage date and place unknown), and Eliza to George A. Hanna in 1855. Mary may have passed away by 1860 as we have been unable to find her in a census, but we haven’t found her in any death records, though they did not keep them in Indiana at that date. The death of a woman was not always listed in the newspaper, either, especially in a big city where the newspapers required payment for obituaries.

John was 78 and listed as a ‘Sash maker’ (a highly skilled job) in 1860. He had 2 women by the name of DeWolf living (boarding?) with him: Agnes, age 56 and Susan, age 30; the occupation for both was listed as ‘tailoress.’ John’s real estate was valued at $4,000, with a personal estate of $200. (Agnes had $1,000 in real estate.) Possibly they cooked and cleaned for the elderly widower in exchange for their board.

The 1862 Indianapolis City Directory listed a John Springsteen as a barkeeper who boarded at 31 Spring St., where Jefferson and his family lived. Could this be Jeff’s father at age 80? Jeff’s son John William Springsteen was about 17 in 1862, so it appears more likely that it would be the younger John instead.

In 1865, the elder John would have been 83. The City Directory listed a John who boarded at Jeff’s as a painter; since Jeff was listed as a painter and his son Thomas Jefferson as well, who also lived at home, it suggests that these are the younger generations. There was a John Springsteen included in the City Directory who lived on Market St., but no occupation was given. This would most likely be the elder John, it seems.

A death notice was given in the Indianapolis Herald newspaper for John, stating he died 19 March 1867. The Springsteen family bible stated that he died in 1872; it was written naturally (not squeezed in) between entires for 1862 and 1873. (These bible pages will be posted in the near future.) Crown Hill Cemetery records state the John Springsteen buried with the headstone posted yesterday was buried on 21 November 1876. It would seem that the contemporary account in the newspaper would be the most accurate, but why the different date? Cemetery records are probably less accurate than some other records (though not always) so we are using the 1867 newspaper date as his death for now, especially since it lists his sons Jefferson and Abraham.

Please contact us if you know more about this family. We are eager to make more connections!

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. A special “Thanks!” to Kimberly Platt, Genetic Genealogist, for sharing her work on the Springsteen/l family. You can contact her at k.platt@jacksonandplattgenealogy.com. She does more than just genetic genealogy, and has very reasonable prices. Kimberly actually found the maiden name of Mary (Logan) Springsteen in the new Ancestry.com database of Indiana deaths as she has been doing the Springsteen/l research for newfound (to us!) cousin Carol H. I am so glad that the three of us can now collaborate!
2. St. John the Evangelist Church image by Nheyob (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
3. See also “Matrilineal Monday: The Springsteen Family Origins” and “Those Places Thursday: Indianapolis and Jefferson Springsteen’s Obituary“.
4. There is a baptism record at Corland Church, Montrose, New York for a John Springsteen, born 14 July 1788 to Samuel Springsteen and Mary Lent – could this be ‘our’ John and his parents? http://interactive.ancestry.com/6961/43103_356231-00252?pid=2334663&backurl=http://search.ancestry.com//cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc%3DPAe4%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource%26usePUBJs%3Dtrue%26indiv%3D1%26db%3Dnydutchchurch%26ssrc%3Dpt_t4049043_p-1645375695%26srchb%3Dr%26gss%3Dangs-d%26rank%3D1%26tid%3D4049043%26pid%3D-1645375695%26gpid%3D%26gsfn%3DJohn%26gsln%3DSPRINGSTEEN%26msbdy%3D1782%26msddy%3D1867%26msbpn__ftp%3DNew%2520York,%2520USA%26msdpn__ftp%3DIndianapolis,%2520Marion%2520Co.,%2520Indiana,%2520USA%26cp%3D12%26cpxt%3D1%26msrpn__ftp%3DCrosby,%2520Hamilton,%2520Ohio,%2520United%2520States%26msrpn1__ftp%3DIndianapolis,%2520Indiana,%2520USA%26msrpn2__ftp%3DIndianapolis,%2520Indiana,%2520USA%26msrpn3__ftp%3DIndiana,%2520USA%26msfng%3DJohn%26msfns%3DSPRINGSTEEN%26msmng%3DCatharine%26msmns%3Dvan%2520PELT%26msbng0%3DWilliam%26msbns0%3DSpringteen%26msbng1%3DMary%26msbns1%3DSpringsteen%26msbng2%3DElexander%26msbns2%3DSpringteen%26mssng0%3DMary%26mssns0%3DLOGAN%26mscng0%3DJefferson%26mscns0%3DSPRINGSTEEN%26mscng1%3DAbraham%26mscns1%3DSpringsteen%26mscng2%3DSarah%2520Emily%26mscns2%3DSpringsteen%26mscng3%3DMissouri%2520E.%26mscns3%3DSpringsteen%26mscng4%3DEliza%2520Analiza%26mscns4%3DSpringsteen%26_83004003-n_xcl%3Df%26MSAV%3D1%26pcat%3DBMD_MARRIAGE%26fh%3D0%26h%3D2334663%26recoff%3D%26ml_rpos%3D1&ssrc=pt_t4049043_p-1645375695&treeid=4049043&personid=-1645375695&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=PAe4&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true
5. The information used in this post was also used for John’s Find A Grave memorial- no plagiarism since this author wrote both! http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=27909566

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Original content copyright 2013-2016 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Springsteen Family (Click for Family Tree)

This headstone is between those of Jefferson Springsteen and George Springsteen in the beautiful Crown Hill Cemetery of Indianapolis, Indiana. Only “J. Springsteen” is carved on the stone, but the cemetery records note this headstone as being for a “John Springsteen.” It is one of the many Springsteen headstones in the family plot.

We know that Jefferson Springsteen was the son of a John Springsteen; George Springsteen was the son of Abraham, another of this same John Springsteen’s sons. (See “Sunday’s Obituary: John Springsteen.”)

Thus this headstone may be for the same John, the father of Jefferson, Abraham, Sarah Emily, Missouri E., and Eliza/Anaeliza Springsteen, and husband to Mary Logan. It could be logical that he is buried between his son and grandson.

There is a bit of another question here though: the cemetery states that the John Springsteen under this stone was buried 11/22/1876.

HOWEVER…

The obituary mentioned above states that ‘our’ John Springsteen died 19 March 1867.

SO…

** Could there be an error in the date from the cemetery? The last two digits, ’67’ could have been transposed and become 1876.

BUT…

John died on Tuesday the 19th, and was buried on Thursday, the 21st. The date from the cemetery is the 22nd.

THE KICKER…

The month: the obituary states March, Crown Hill records state November. Big difference- hard to confuse a 3 with an 11.

** Or could this be a different John Springsteen?

** Or could John have been buried in one spot, then re-interred in the family plot? The first Springsteen burial in the family plot was 04/15/1873, Laura Springsteen. Possibly the family did not own the large plot until after John’s death?

The obituary suggests that his death occurred at his home in Indianapolis, as he was sitting in “his chair.” The funeral took place from the residence of his son, Jefferson Springsteen, who lived in Indianapolis. It does not seem logical that John died and was buried in one place- especially a far place- and then reinterred in the family plot. It could have happened, though it seems there might be a note in the cemetery records as they do sometimes note removals.

John Springsteen’s wife Mary Logan Springsteen is not buried in the family plot- at least, there is no record of it. (The Mary A. Springsteen buried in the family plot is Mary Anita Willet, wife of Abraham Springsteen.) John’s wife Mary is not mentioned at all in his obituary, nor are any children other than Jefferson & Abram.  Had Mary passed away before John, were they estranged, or did she survive him?

More information would be appreciated, if anyone out there has found some verification.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. “Sunday’s Obituary: John Springsteen“- http://heritageramblings.net/2016/01/31/sundays-obituary-john-springsteen-2/
2. Crown Hill Cemetery, Burial Locator- http://www.crownhill.org/locate/. Enter “Springsteen” and John is listed in Section 14, Lot 67, buried 11/22/1876.

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Original content copyright 2013-2016 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.