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Tuesday’s Tip: Putting Together the Clues about Henry Horn

This entry is part 2 of 11 in the series Henrich Horn: Military Career
Henry Horn's Pension Application Affirmation and his mark.
Henry Horn’s Pension Application Affirmation and his mark. (Click to enlarge.)

 

[Editor’s Note: We apologize that this Tuesday post was not published on Tuesday- not sure what computer gremlins intervened. But here it is on Thursday, and now yesterday’s post will probably make more sense.]

 

➡ Horn Family, McMurray Family, Genealogy Research

 

Have a genealogical conundrum? Have lots of facts and details but not sure how they all fit together?

Tuesday’s Tip:

1. Write a list of brief notes- just the facts.

2. Look at the notes apart from all that data and details circled around your desk space or computer desktop, and with a very open mind to all the possibilities. Give your thoughts time to brew, and meld- even ‘sleep on it.’

3. Analyze the brief facts, and find any connections- or none. Knowing what is ‘NOT’ may be important too.

4. Write an Analysis Report that details how you came to your conclusions. It doesn’t have to be long, perfect, or totally accurate (yet)- it is just a record of your thought process to help in the future.

In the dark long ago of genealogical research, pre-internet, gathering information was tedious and difficult. One would read the queries posted in genealogical magazines, join local historical societies and place queries in their newsletters, then send a SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelopes) so the person you were writing to with questions did not have to buy a stamp just to respond to you, nor have to figure out the handwriting for your address. One would copy by hand or make carbon copies (the origin of “CC” in your email program, for the internet generation) pedigree charts and Family Group Records to include in the letter, and then one had to wait months, even years, to see your envelope returned with hopefully useful information typed with a typewriter with dirty keys and usually with handwritten notes inserted or in the margins. The carbon paper was messy and smeared, but that was all we had until the late 60s when copy machines could be found. (Those were very smelly and left oil and/or alcohol stains on the paper, but still an improvement.)

Books, journals, and government records were, of course, available with information, but they were secreted away in all sorts of depositories one would have to travel to, and once there, with many not indexed, or not indexed well, poring over the books and old records was a challenge. Thankfully the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) had a lending library, and would ship old books from their circulating library. I eagerly awaited those big boxes of sometimes very old, falling-apart books that held so much information. The St. Louis County, Missouri, public library had an excellent genealogy section that was helpful too.

Microfilm was available for order from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, and could be read in a local branch of their library.

The above information was all we had to go on to learn Henry Horn’s history. Our Tuesday Tip to write down what you know, in a brief form, and then analyze, is how we came to a hypothesis about Henry Horn and his military service, using information gleaned from the above resources.

Following is a bit of what was known about Henry Horn back in the late 60s/early 70s, even pretty much up until the 1990s and special genealogy interest mailing forums online, and then Ancestry.com. Finding Henry Horn’s pension application on microfilm in 1992 helped immensely.

1. Mary Ann Horn (1824-1891) married Henderson McMurray and had Frederick Asbury McMurray (1850-1929), one of their 13 children and an ancestor.

2. Mary Ann Horn’s father was Frederick P. Horn (1796-1867), and his father was Henry Horn (1758-1845). We could not find Henry’s parents nor record of his birth in the US, but Horn is a common name.

3. Henry Horn served in the American Revolutionary War forces, as he had a US Pension granted.

4. Henry Horn was born near Hesse-Cassel, Germany, in the year 1758, per his pension.

5. Henry Horn was just 16 when he came to America, per his pension.

6. Henry Horn enlisted at Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1777, per his pension.

7. Henry Horn participated in the Battle of Trenton, per his military marker.

8. Henry Horn married Elizabeth Pretzman (1759-1840) in 1782 in Leesburg, Loudon County, Virginia.

9. Henry and Elizabeth moved to Bedford County, Pennsylvania, with their children.

10. Oftentimes, his name was listed as “Heinrich Horn” or “Henrich Horn.”

 

As a colonial America and American Revolution history buff, and knowing the history of the time, as I skimmed these brief facts, the lightbulb went on.

Born in Hesse-Cassel, Germany? The hated Hessians ‘mercenaries’  that supplemented British troops were recruited from there.

Born in 1758? That would make him prime age for the military and draft, age 18 in 1776.

The Battle of Trenton? The Hessians marched with General Howe’s British Redcoats and took New Jersey as a defeated George Washington and his troops retreated. The Hessians occupied the small town of Trenton, NJ, as their winter quarters, but were attacked 26 Dec. 1776 by Washington’s forces after crossing the Delaware River and the Hessians surrendered after their commander was killed.

BIG CLUE– There is no mention of the Battle of Trenton in Henry’s pension. If he had been part of Washington’s forces, wouldn’t that famous, turning-tide battle be remembered, even at his advanced age at the time of the pension?

Place of enlistment Lancaster, PA? The Hessians captured at Trenton on 26 December 1776, over 900, were taken to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as prisoners of war. So Henry Horn would have been in that place in the year 1777 if he indeed was a Hessian.

Enlisted in 1777? The prisoners at Lancaster had been enticed to enlist in General Washington’s forces. They were well-trained soldiers, and the American rebels needed all the military forces they could muster.

Hmmmm, this analysis suggests that Henry Horn could have been a Hessian- but was he? Granted, there were many Germans who had immigrated to the colonies before 1776, and there were German regiments who served Washington well. The above analysis is not quite the genealogical standard of ‘preponderance of evidence,’ but a good basis for more research- for proof.

Unfortunately, back then, there was not much available to check whether or not Heinrich Horn was on the rolls of the Hessian recruits. HETRINA, or Hessische Truppen im Amerikanischen Unabhängigkeitskrieg, Index nach Familiennamen, was not available in English, but I felt it would give the answer. Sadly, it was only available in German in Germany, and I never got a reply from my letters to archives there. The Hessians kept very good records, so that they would be paid well by the British King George for his German mercenaries, but I just could not find access to any of them at that time.

Once the mailing lists and genealogy websites began popping up on the internet, plus with correspondence with other Horn researchers, the consensus was that Henry could have come to America via one of the following scenarios:

1. He was avoiding the German draft, since he was the prime age of 16, so immigrated on his own. Germany had a history of sending their armies to other countries as mercenaries, as did other European countries.

2. He came to America with his parents when about 12, arriving at the Port of Philadelphia in 1770 on the ‘Good Ship Sally.’ The family settled in York, PA, and Henry joined the colonists when war broke out with Britain. This was the view held by one of the premier Horn researchers.

3. He came as a Hessian soldier.

 

The third scenario turned out to be the truth about Heinrich Horn, and we will explore more in future posts.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Early research of the author and others.

2) See also:

Military Monday: Heinrich Horn” at http://heritageramblings.net/2015/03/02/military-monday-heinrich-horn/

Tombstone Tuesday: Henry Horn” at http://heritageramblings.net/2015/02/24/tombstone-tuesday-henry-horn/

George Washington and Our Ancestors” at http://heritageramblings.net/2015/02/22/george-washington-and-our-ancestors/

It’s July 4th- Do You Know Our Revolutionary War Ancestors?” at http://heritageramblings.net/2014/07/04/its-july-4th-do-you-know-your-revolutionary-war-ancestors/

The McMurray-Payne-Benjamin- Horn Family Family Tree Page: http://heritageramblings.net/family-trees/the-mcmurray-payne-horn-family/. Scroll down to the Horn tree. Please note that the generations before Henry Horn have not yet been well researched to verify what other (good) researchers have provided.

 

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 
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Sentimental Sunday: Family Artifacts From the Moon???

Civil War Drum of Abram F. Springsteen.
Civil War Drum of Abram F. Springsteen.

No, we sadly don’t have any family artifacts from the moon, but Neil Armstrong’s family does. See the article here about the treasures his widow found stashed in a closet. (See also the Buzz Aldrin video- he is a national hero, now in more ways than one.)

Our more mundane family treasures may not have been to the moon, but they have been other places, perhaps a Civil War battlefield or used daily by our ancestors, which makes them priceless to us.

Above is the actual Civil War drum that belonged to Abram F. Springsteen (1850-1930), one of the youngest drummer boys in the Civil War. Our family, of course, told the story that he was THE youngest in the Civil War at age 12 on enlistment, but there were probably others who were that young as well. Mary Theresa Helbling McMurray, the granddaughter of Abram’s sister Anna Missouri Springsteen Beerbower (1854-1859), remembered going to Indianapolis, Indiana on the train for her grandmother’s funeral, and seeing his portrait in the museum. For many years we wondered what happened to his drum.

Thanks to the internet and Ancestry.com, we finally learned what happened. We got in touch with descendants of Abram’s son, Perry Harrison Springston (note change in spelling of surname), and they had the drum in their home! The drum had been passed on to the oldest son of each of the next generations.

The passing of the Abram F. Springsteen Drum.
The passing of the Abram F. Springsteen Drum from oldest son of a generation to oldest son of the next generation. (Click to enlarge.)

Sadly, this drum is not the one that Abram used throughout the war to give battle commands to the troops and spur them on through marching and fighting, as that was captured by the Confederates along with Abram. He did escape near the end of the war, but without his drum. It was replaced by his comrades, and throughout his life, Abram used that drum in Civil War Veteran parades. He would also walk along the boardwalk in Indianapolis, beating his drum on the anniversary of his enlistment. He was a lifelong activist in Veteran Affairs, and worked for the federal government’s War Department.

 

We were ‘over the moon’ (pun intended) to find the disposition of the drum, and more importantly, the cousins we had not known about! So even if your family treasures are not the Data Acquisition Camera that filmed the landing on Tranquility Base or the Waste Management Cover of the Eagle Lunar Module, they are worth documenting and preserving properly.

 

➡ Springsteen Family, Helbling Family

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Secret stash of moon artifacts found hidden in Neil Armstrong’s closet: http://sploid.gizmodo.com/secret-stash-of-moon-artifacts-found-hidden-in-neil-arm-1684449533

2) Family photos of the Springsteen drum kindly shared by cousins and posted with permission without names.

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
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Tuesday’s Tip: Broida Family Research in Denver, Colorado Repositories

1894c Gittel (Frank) Broida, cropped from a family portrait.
1894c Sarah Gittel (Frank) Broida, cropped from a family portrait.

Broida Family Ancestor

 

So much for a quick check of my email…

An email from GeneaBloggers Daily reported that Family Tree Magazine had listed the “75 Best Genealogy Websites for USA Research.” So of course I cruised onto the FTM website despite my meticulous list of all the things I needed to do today that did not include genealogy. I was excited to see that the article was titled, “75 Best Genealogy Websites for U. S. States in 2014.” There, in a state-by-state listing, were state repositories, rather than general lists that covered the whole country. It was exactly what I needed.

Gittel Frank Broida is one of our family brick walls. We were elated this past year to learn that her maiden name was Frank, and that a cousin had found her death certificate in Colorado, even though she was buried in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately the link no longer took us right to the certificate, as it might in many states. Since the time of finding the link, Colorado has apparently deemed it an invasion of privacy to put online a death certificate that is 114 years old. So I paid my money and sent lots of information, including a driver’s license image and a notarized statement that my husband wrote that he was requesting the death certificate of his g-g-grandmother. After a few weeks I finally got a message back that he was not eligible to receive the death certificate, as he had to be within 2 generations of the deceased, and the money I sent was taken as research fees. Sadly there is no one around 114 years later that fits the requirement of only 1-2 generations from the ancestor, so no death certificate for us. (A good reminder- save/make copies of what you find online- it may be even more ephemeral than paper!)

Seeing that there were two repositories listed for Colorado in the Family Tree Magazine article, I knew I had to do the searches. The Colorado State Archives was the first search, with 3 hits for “Broida”:

BROIDA, Sarah Gasse,  ID 195474, Death Record, Archive Location R90, County of Denver, and the date was 1901-APR-14

BROIDA, Theodore D., ID 1248579, Marriage License, (no county listed), 1916-Aug 20

CORONATION EMBROIDAY HOOP Co., ID 816923, Incorporation records, Archive Location S500, (no county listed), 1903-MAY-28

It took me a minute to realize why that third search result was in there- my mind read “Embroidery” but it was spelled differently and the name “Broida” was right in the middle.

The other two hits were great though.

I had forgotten that Gittel was listed with ‘Sarah’ as her first name in some of the burial records, but I have not heard the name ‘Gasse.’ Her maiden name was Frank, so it will be interesting to see where ‘Gasse’ came from, with further research. The death date and place were correct, however, so this is most likely our Gittel.

Years ago we were surprised to find Gittel and John in Denver, Colorado in the 1900 US Federal Census- initially thought it was a mistake, as they had lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for most of their lives after age 20 or so when they migrated to the US from Russian Lithuania. At first we assumed that the census taker found them in Denver during an extended visit with their son, but then realized John was employed and a number of people lived in the home. More recent research, however, told us that Gittel acquired ‘pulmonary tuberculosis,’ so they had probably moved to Denver in hopes of the cleaner mountain air helping her to breathe easier. Sadly, that was not to be, and she passed away 14 April 1901.  She was buried in Beth Hamedrash Hagodol-Beth Jacob Cemetery in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. (See the previous post, “Mystery Monday-Gitel/Gertrude (Frank) Broida.”)

Looking back at my ‘Mystery Monday’ post on Gitel (always review your previous research!), the light bulb went on- the name “Gasse” might be explained by the way Gitel was enumerated in the 1900 census- as “Gussie.” Gitel and John’s granddaughter, Gertude Broida Cooper, remembered her immigrant grandfather as having a very thick accent (she never knew her paternal grandmother)- Gitel probably did as well. So that may explain the names. One more mystery- SOLVED.

The next step was to get the record for Gittel from the Colorado State Archives, so I contacted the Archives via email. More on that later, and Theodore Broida, too.

 

Oh yes- I got so excited about what I found that I didn’t really mention a Tuesday’s Tip. Not sure if it should be:

1) Read a lot of genealogy blogs and follow up on the resources they mention; OR

2) Check out state repositories every now and then to see what new items are online; OR

3) Review your research at later times- something you just learned may make something else ‘click’; OR

4) Just ignore the “dumb-stuff-ya-gotta-do” and do genealogy as it comes to you.

My “Tuesday’s Tip” should probably be all of the above. I wish 4) could happen more often.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) GeneaBloggers Daily. 22 Jan 2015. http://paper.li/geneabloggers/1306385546?edition_id=24394720-a2a3-11e4-8c49-0cc47a0d1605&utm_campaign=paper_sub&utm_medium=email&utm_source=subscription#!technology

2) Crume, Rick.  75 Best Genealogy Websites for US States in 2014. 20 Jan 2015.  Family Tree Magazine/FW Media. http://familytreemagazine.com/article/2014-best-state-genealogy-websites

3) Colorado State Archives: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/archives/archives-search

4) See my 25 Nov 2013 post, “Mystery Monday- Gitel/Gertrude (Frank) Broida at http://heritageramblings.net/2013/11/25/mystery-monday-gitelgertude-frank-broida/.

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 
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Motivation Monday: Get It All Down Before It’s Too Late

Anna Mae (Beerbower) Helbling with her daughter, Mary Theresa Helbling, 1925. Mary Theresa was my first storyteller, and so many of those stories revolved around her dear mother.
Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling with her daughter, Mary Theresa Helbling, 1925.

“Get It All Down Before It’s Too Late”

 

These are words family historians hear all too frequently, but all too frequently, we do not have the time to make that happen. Somehow we have to balance researching the past with the stories we are creating with current generations. The fragmentation of families and distance from loved ones make it even more difficult, but with all our high-tech tools, there are many ways we can make it actually happen.

I recently read a great article by Clay Jenkinson in the Bismarck Tribune, 28 December 2014. He kindly gave me permission to quote from his article:

“Every life is important, every life has mystery and astonishing adventures.

Every relaxed person can speak forth whoppers that will lift you out of your chair. We take for granted their stories, sometimes regard them as tedious, but then they die and that unique voice is lost forever, and those amazing stories begin to lose their authenticity and take on the rounded curves of safe family narrative and myth.

We must get it all down before it’s too late.”

The entire article may be found here. It is well written and a worthwhile read.

Tedious“- an excellent word in this context. I think of the stories I found “tedious” as a child, and so wish I had listened better, or asked the family elders to write down those memories- they do not seem so tedious today. Today, I scour the internet and ask family questions trying to learn those tedious stories, but seldom am successful. I am, though, thankful for all that I did get down on videotape or paper, especially those names on the backs of photographs.

Mary Theresa Helbling, my first storyteller, captivated me with stories of her dear mother, Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling, and grandmother, Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower, who lived with them. One year we visited in June, but it had to be a quick visit. Mary was happy and healthy at age 80 (and didn’t seem that old at all), so we laid out plans to go through photo albums and family treasures and record memories when we returned in August. By the time we got there just two months later, however, the insidious tentacles of Alzheimers had strangled those memories, and they were lost forever.

I always expect too much in my New Year’s resolutions, so this year I am going to make two simple ones:

1) Talk more with the oldest members of the family, and get their stories recorded in some technology.

2) Convert the videotapes and audio recordings I have to today’s technology, so they won’t be lost forever.

I guess these are not that simple and will be time-consuming, but definitely worth the effort. And I did not set specific goals or use the overwhelming word “all,” so maybe these will get done.

I realized too that my own story is not really down on paper, and now I am one of the older generation. (That is SO hard to write! I still feel 30-something in my heart.) I do have some journals I have kept for our son of his growing up years, plus some from one college semester when we were required to keep a journal in English 101, but that is just a small fraction of my life. We do get the “so-tedious—you’ve-told-me-that-before” eye-roll when we tell stories to our son, but maybe I’ll put them down anyway, in case he is ever interested, or those grandchildren we hope to have eventually.

 

After all, every life is important.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1)  Photo from Helbling family photo album.

2) Family history: Get it all down before it’s too late- http://bismarcktribune.com/news/columnists/clay-jenkinson/family-history-get-it-all-down-before-it-s-too/article_8a54f302-8b96-11e4-90b1-dbbf4b6e92ed.html

3) Clay Jenkinson seems like a very interesting person- check out his Amazon.com page (actually, sign up & use smile.amazon.com to have Amazon donate a portion of your purchases to a favorite charity): http://smile.amazon.com/Clay-Jenkinson/e/B001K7OX96/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

I love how he brings the humanities to (what some would call dry) history, and will be ordering a number of his books. (No financial interest, just excited about finding his work, especially since I am a Lewis & Clark groupie.)

4) P.S. I apologize, Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, Aunts and Uncles, for those teenage eye-rolls. I really do regret them now- you were right.

 

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We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post (see form below), and thank you for your time! All comments are moderated, however, due to the high intelligence and persistence of spammers/hackers who really should be putting their smarts to use for the public good instead of spamming our little blog.
 

Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

Family history is meant to be shared, but the original content of this site may NOT be used for any commercial purposes unless explicit written permission is received from both the blog owner and author. Blogs or websites with ads and/or any income-generating components are included under “commercial purposes,” as are the large genealogy database websites. Sites that republish original HeritageRamblings.net content as their own are in violation of copyright as well, and use of full content is not permitted.
 
Descendants and researchers MAY download images and posts to share with their families, and use the information on their family trees or in family history books with a small number of reprints. Please make sure to credit and cite the information properly.
 
Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright of our blog material.

Those Places Thursday: Southern Pacific Depot, Santa Rosa, California

Southern Pacific Depot in Santa Rosa, California circa 1891? Pacific Novelty Company, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Southern Pacific Depot in Santa Rosa, California. Postcard circa 1910? Pacific Novelty Company, San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. (Click to enlarge.)

When I first saw this postcard in the handful I was going through in an antique shop in Franklin, North Carolina, my heart skipped a beat. Edward B. Payne probably stopped at this station on his way from Berkeley, California, to Santa Rosa where he and his followers planned a Utopian community called Altruria. Colony members and visitors also may have gone through this station when Altruria existed between 1894 and 1896.

Of course I had to buy it before I was able to do detailed research, but I knew a lot of the history of EB Payne, so this purchase turned out well.

So, how does one go about checking to see if a postcard or photo could have been taken during an ancestor’s lifetime?

First, try to ascertain the age of the photograph, or postcard. Lists of photographers and postcard printers may be found online. In this instance, the postcard was printed by the Pacific Novelty Company, San Francisco and Los Angeles, as seen on the reverse. A Google search of this company brought up a number of websites and images, some including this same depot. It was interesting that the best search results were when I misspelled the name, so try a couple of permutations of the name or a phrase if you need more hits. I also knew that the style of the reverse, writing side of a postcard can give clues as to its age if one know what to look for. Researching all that would be much more complex than what I was interested in learning, so I put that off to another day.

Results:  The Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York City noted that Pacific Novelty was in business from 1908-the 1960s, so we know that the earliest this particular card could have been published was 1908.

Reverse side of Southern Pacific Depot in Santa Rosa, California circa 1891? Pacific Novelty Company, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Reverse side of Southern Pacific Depot in Santa Rosa, California postcard, circa 1910? Pacific Novelty Company, San Francisco and Los Angeles. (Click to enlarge.)

Second, research the history of the building or the place. Include details about the city and state and/or country in your Google search as necessary. You may find information in Wikipedia (double check the accuracy), on a county historical society’s website, museum website, or, if the building is still in existence, there may be a website devoted to that building. You might need to make a phone call to the local historical association or genealogy group, or could even get information from Rootsweb or various genealogy mailing lists. Additionally, Google maps can be used to search for an address, and see what the area looks like today.

Results: The Sonoma Heritage Collection of the Sonoma County Public Library has a wonderful and charming image of the depot on its website. It states their photo was taken in 1885. The images look very similar, so now we know the station was in existence at least between 1885 and 1908.

Third, determine the timeline of your ancestor and include places. I create a specific timeline for my most researched ancestors (EB Payne certainly qualifies there), and in my documents folders I use file names that start with dates, such as:

1892_0609_PAYNE_EB_California Voter Registers_Alameda CA_ancestry.jpg

 This is my file name for an newspaper article that was published June 9, 1892. My folders are ‘automagically’ sorted into a timeline with this system (make sure to use leading zeroes on month and day, and if either are not known, use ’00.’), so all I sometimes have to do is check my collected documents file to know where someone was at a particular time. Most genealogy programs also provide timelines, but a quick check of my computer folders keeps me from having to open another program. (An extra pain since the best genealogy programs are for Windows but I use a Mac. But I digress…)

Results: Edward B. Payne was living in Berkeley, California in 1892, and that falls between the dates of 1885-1908 that we know the train depot existed at minimum.

Fourth, think about a motive for your ancestor being in that place at that time. Back to my timeline to find this file:

1894_1016_PAYNE_EB_Land for Altrurians_San Francisco Call_v76_n138_p8_c2_cdnc.pdf

Results: I know that Edward Payne was looking for land for the new colony in 1894 in Santa Rosa per this San Francisco Call article, plus I know they did build Altruria and he traveled there frequently from Berkeley. (He did not live at Altruria because he had a pastorate in Berkeley.) He did take the train when he traveled frequently- I have news stories that verify that- so we know he may have been on a train that stopped at this station.

Fifth, evaluate your data and see if there are any other circumstances which should be considered.

This would be a good place to stop and check train routes- was there a route from Berkeley to Santa Rosa? The map found on Wikipedia for the Southern Pacific suggests there was. There also was a ferry system between Oakland and San Francisco, California as early as the 1870s; after taking the ferry, passengers would then take the train to points north or east.

The Southern Pacific Company's Bay City ferry plies the waters of San Francisco Bay sometime between 1870 and 1900. Denver Public Library-public domain.
The Southern Pacific Company’s Bay City ferry plies the waters of San Francisco Bay sometime between 1870 and 1900. Denver Public Library-public domain. (Click to enlarge.)

Conclusion: Edward B. Payne likely visited the Santa Rosa train depot in the image during the 1890s. He could have gone from Berkeley to Oakland, taken a ferry across the bay, then the train from San Francisco to Santa Rosa. A horse and buggy would have carried Payne and his daughter, Lynette Payne, to Altruria.

Of course, it is also likely that we will not know for sure that Edward B. Payne stepped foot in this train depot, but the odds look pretty good with this analysis.

How sad that the depot no longer exists for me to step foot there too.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Postcard in possession of author.

2) Sonoma Heritage Collections, Sonoma County Public Library: http://heritage.sonomalibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15763coll2/id/1223

3) Pacific Novelty Company:

Oakland Museum of Califronia: http://collections.museumca.org/?q=list/taxonomy/term/21140&page=2

250+ postcards listed, many images: http://www.pacificnoveltyco.com

Metropolitan Postcard Club of New York City (excellent website): http://www.metropostcard.com/publishersp1.html

4) Southern Pacific RR: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Pacific_Transportation_Company

 

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