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Mary Galvin Springsteen Mythen-Her Adult Years

Mary Galvin Springsteen marriage to John Mithen from Springsteen Family Bible.

HELBLING, SPRINGSTEEN Family (Click for Family Tree)

Although Mary Galvin was listed as a servant to the Jefferson Springsteen family in the 1880 US Federal Census, it does seem that there was more than just a servant relationship between Mary and the Springsteens, since she was included in their family bible record- twice.

Her first entry in the bible stated “Mary G. Springsteen To John Mithen Feb. 25, 1885, St. Patrick Church.” There was no explanation in the bible as to how Mary was related. The marriage newspaper announcement, however, found by Angi Porter at the Indiana State Library, tells us that “The bride is the adopted daughter of Jefferson and Anna Springsteen”- our mystery solved as to the relationship of Mary and the Springsteens.

The wedding announcement tells us that wedding guests travelled to the home of the bride’s parents after the church ceremony; we assume this means the Springsteen home. Their guests were treated to a “sumptuous supper” and “…dancing was indulged in until the wee small hours.” The newspaper also stated “The presents were most valuable and numerous. Mr. and Mrs. Mython, like sensible people, went at once to housekeeping at 240 South East street.”

Mary was 23, John 32 when they married. It was John’s second marriage, as he had wed Bessie Hays (1860-1884) on 4 Aug 1880 in Indianapolis. John and Bessie had a son, James Grattan Mythen (1883?-1925). They also had a daughter, Katie Mithen, who was born on 11 Jan 1884 and only lived about 5 hours, dying on 12 Jan 1884. Bessie died the next day from complications of childbirth, and they share a monument in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Lafayette, Indiana. So John may have brought his 2 year old son to the new marriage.

Monument to Bessie (HAYS) MITHEN and her daughter Katie MITHEN, St. Mary’s Cemetery, Lafayette, Tippecanoe, Indiana. Used with kind permission of the Find-A-Grave photographer.
Monument to Bessie (HAYS) MITHEN and her daughter Katie MITHEN, St. Mary’s Cemetery, Lafayette, Tippecanoe, Indiana-closeup. Used with kind permission of the Find-A-Grave photographer.

This has been one of those “Stop the Presses!” moments, as in the last few days we have found quite a bit of new information about this family and have needed to rewrite our scheduled posts. Here is one  new-to-us article:

“Mary E. I.(?), daughter of Mr. J. Mithen, aged 6 yrs, d. Sun [6/12/1887] @4pm. Funeral this Tues [6/14/1887] @2pm, at 16 Greer st.” -Indianapolis Journal of this date, p7 c3.

This daughter would have been born about 1881, after John’s first marriage, so Bessie (Hays) Mithen might be her mother. Of course, we cannot be certain that “Mr. J. Mithen” is our John Mithen of interest, but a newspaper article we will explore later gives us a hint that he had two children buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., Indiana. (We have not, however, found this Mary in the Find A Grave listing for burials at St. Mary’s, though should check with the diocese.) So this is one more intriguing bit about the family that needs further research.

The history of the family is further made confusing by information found about John and Bessie’s son James.We do not know how long John Mithen, his son, and possibly daughter from his first marriage lived with Mary G. and their daughters. Some of the story concerning (Patrick) James Grattan Mythen is discussed in numerous posts by Matthew Namee and others on an Orthodox Church history website. These posts state that the birth mother of James, Bessie [Hays Mithen], was Roman Catholic, his father John Mithen an agnostic Episcopalian, and his step-mother Mary Galvin Springsteen Mithen a German Lutheran woman. James claimed his mother died giving birth to him, which is incorrect. James also stated that his father “lost his mind” and then he was raised by an uncle who was Episcopalian. James possibly also had Unitarian influence when in school, but became a Roman Catholic, as in 1900 he was to enter seminary in Baltimore to study for the priesthood. But then he was back to being Episcopalian, and eventually became both a priest in the Episcopalian and Catholic religions as he switched back and forth. He very actively supported the women’s suffrage movement, joined the US Navy in World War I, and became an advocate of Irish independence, which did not go over well with the Episcopal Church that had roots in England. So James left the Episcopal church and became a Russian Orthodox Christian. James was a very powerful member of that church even though he only stayed in it for 4 years; he returned to the Catholic Church in 1924.

James was very proud of his Irish ancestry, and his middle name of Grattan was a paternal family name, and he stated he was descended from one of the early proponents of Irish independence from Britain, Henry Grattan. Family oral history states that the Mithen brothers who emigrated from Ireland to America changed the spelling of their name to “Mithen” from the “Mythen” that had been used in their homeland. As an adult James changed the spelling of his surname back to the older way, with a “y.” James also added his first name “Patrick” before he converted to the Orthodox Church to honor his Irish ancestry. Sadly, he was found dead at the age of 42. His journey is quite interesting per the Orthodox History posts and other research. Please search within the Orthodox history website to read more about him.

Patrick James Grattan Mythen, 1923.

And what about John Mithen and Mary Galvin Springsteen Mithen? Mary had become a mother in her own right, with the birth of Robert E. Mithen in 1886, Mary Anna Mithen in 1887, and Anna Laurel Mithen in 1888.

In an 1887 Indianapolis city directory, John was listed as a tailor, as he was in various censuses, directories, and advertisements in the newspaper. In December of that year, he was named as a Vice-President of the Peoples’ Saving and Loan Association, No. 3, in Indianapolis, which had a capital stock of $100,000. We don’t know any more about this business venture, or even if it is ‘our’ John Mithen, but it was said that ‘our’ John was a prosperous tailor, and perhaps he was helping his Irish community and others by becoming involved in a banking venture. There was quite a lot of discrimination- especially against the Irish- in banking and bank loans for immigrants in those days, so as many immigrants do, they may have banded together to help those newest to the American shores become successful. Just a theory.

A real estate transfer in the newspaper of 12 Apr 1888 to John Mithen was for Lot 12 in Greer & Bater’s Subdivision of Outlet 101. John paid $2,600 for the property, which may have become the Greer address we find later in records for both John and Mary. In February of 1889 Mary sold a part of the lot for $2,510. For some unknown reason, John’s name was not in the newspaper real estate transfer notice.

In 1889 John H. Mithen was listed in Indianapolis as being a ‘cutter’ (cutting fabric for men’s suits most likely) and he lived at 18 Greer per Ancestry’s transcription- no image is available.

The next year, 1890, Mary was was listed by herself in Indianapolis city directories as working in “dry goods.” The dry goods store address of 157 Virginia av was listed as a millinery shop in 1891 with Mary’s name, and her home address at 17 Greer. (Again, no image on Ancestry.com, just the transcription.) Their children were aged 12, 13, and 14. Women often did not ‘work’ if they were married and generally were not listed separately in a directory, if at all. (Indianapolis city directories generally do not even list a married woman with her husband.) So it seems the couple may have separated.

“John Mithen” was listed under tailors in a 1900 city directory and in the general section, with his business at 234 Indiana av, and residence the same. “Mary A. Mythen”- note name spelling difference- was listed in the general directory section as being a milliner at 307 Virginia av,  her residence 324 S New Jersey. In the 1900 article about James Grattan Mithen entering seminary, it states he is the “son of Mrs. Mary Mythen”- no mention of his father. The use of Mary’s first name along with ‘Mrs.’ instead of her husband’s first name, again suggests that she was a widow or separated from her husband John Henry Mythen.

Now, another “Stop the Presses!” moment- we found more information, and will tell that in our next post.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Angi Porter, Librarian, Genealogy Division, Indiana State Library– https://www.in.gov/library/genealogy.htm
  2. Mary G. Springsteen-John Mythen wedding announcement- Indianapolis Sentinel, March 1, 1885.
  3. GenealogyBank.com and Hoosier State Chronicles (https://newspapers.library.in.gov) have the source newspaper articles.
  4. “In Catholic Schools and Churches,” (James Mythen to attend seminary in Baltimore), Indianapolis News, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, 15 September 1900, via Hoosier State Chronicles.
  5. Indianapolis, Indiana city directories, found on Ancestry.com and InternetArchive.
  6. Additional links for Patrick James Grattan Mythen:
    https://orthodoxhistory.org/2010/01/27/the-erratic-life-of-fr-patrick-mythen/
    https://orthodoxhistory.org/2012/03/17/st-patricks-day-with-fr-patrick-mythen/
    https://orthodoxhistory.org/2012/05/28/this-week-in-american-orthodox-history-may-28-june-3/
    https://orthodoxhistory.org/2012/05/09/fr-kyrill-johnson-1897-1947-2/
    https://orthodoxhistory.org/2012/09/17/this-week-in-american-orthodox-history-sept-17-23/
    https://orthodoxhistory.org/2019/09/05/when-do-firsts-really-matter-thoughts-on-orthodox-history-in-the-americas/
    https://orthodoxhistory.org/2010/01/26/the-first-english-speaking-parish/
    https://orthodoxhistory.org/2012/11/22/thanksgiving-at-st-nicholas-cathedral-1921/
    https://orthodoxhistory.org/2012/03/19/this-week-in-american-orthodox-history-march-19-25/

 

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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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Some Housekeeping: An update to an earlier post on the Springsteen Family Bible

The Springsteen Family Bible, printed in 1876.

HELBLING, SPRINGSTEEN Family (Click for Family Tree)

An earlier post that began the series on the Springsteen Family Bible has been revised due to further research. We have realized that the bible most likely was owned by Anna (Connor) Springsteen and her husband, Jefferson Springsteen. Please take a look at the original post,  “Treasure Chest Thursday: The Springsteen Family Bible,” beginning 19 Jun 2016. Please update your information as needed.

Genealogy- always a work in progress!

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Treasure Chest Thursday: The Springsteen Family Bible,”  heritageramblings.net/…/treasure-chest-thursday-the-springsteen-family-bible

 

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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 2013-2020 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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Sentimental Sunday: Four Generations of Springsteens

Four Generations of Springsteens: Jefferson Springsteen, seated, with his great-grandson William Helbling. Standing on left is Jefferson's daughter Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower, and her daughter, Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling, mother of little William.
Four Generations of Springsteens: Jefferson Springsteen, seated, with his great-grandson William Francis Helbling. Standing on left is Jefferson’s daughter Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower, and her daughter, Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling, mother of little William. Taken November, 1906.

Helbling Family, Springsteen Family (Click for Family Tree)

Jefferson Springsteen (1820-1909), married Anna Connor (1824-1887).

Anna Missouri Springsteen (1854-1939) married Edgar Peter Beerbower (1849-1916).

Anna May Beerbower (1881-1954) married William Gerard Helbling (1882-1971).

William Francis Helbling (1906-1907) died at age 15 and one-half months.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Family treasure chest of photos, provided by a dear cousin- thank you!

 

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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 2013-2016 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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Thriller Thursday: Abram F. Springsteen and His Civil War Drum, Part 3

Drum of Abram F. Springsteen, youngest Civil War soldier. Posted with permission of family.
Drum of Abram F. Springsteen, youngest Civil War soldier. Posted with permission of family.

Helbling Family, Springsteen Family (Click for Family Tree)

We left our story with the Springsteen family chasing after their son Abram who was running off to war…

But Jefferson Springsteen (1820-1909) must have remembered his own headstrong, daredevil nature at the same age, and he and his wife Anna (Connor) Springsteen (1824-1887) finally relented. They allowed Abram to muster into Company I, 63rd Indiana Volunteers on 29 July 1862. He had turned 12 years old only 24 days earlier.

Anna- and Jeff and the whole family- must have been terribly distraught- they had just lost their youngest son, Joseph Springsteen, at only 22 months old. Now another son was leaving them, and the risk of him not coming back was high.

Abram had quite the adventure as a drummer boy in the Civil War, but he saw horrors as well.  Regiments tried to keep their drummer boys protected, as their drum rolls were one of the few ways to communicate in the chaos and noise of battle. In May of 1864, Abram was ordered off the field at the Battle of Resaca, Georgia by his commanding officer, General Mahlon Manson. Abram lingered, carrying his drum, wanting to be in the thick of it all. An enemy shell knocked Gen. Manson off his horse, and Abram ran to his side, being the first to reach him. Abram probably felt very smug at the service he was able to do after technically disobeying an order.

Battle of Resaca- Union cavalry moving through a gap to attack Confederate infantry. Kurz & Allison, c1889, Library of Congress via Wikipedia. Public domain.
Battle of Resaca- Union cavalry moving through a gap to attack Confederate infantry. Kurz & Allison, c1889, Library of Congress via Wikipedia. Public domain.

Other times, the small size of the drummer boys could be an advantage. Abram told the story that he was to carry dispatches to a forward skirmish line, which was in a very dangerous position. Abrams crawled through a field of cotton, on his hands and knees. The enemy noticed him, and began firing. He jumped up and ran as fast as he could- thankfully the enemy soldiers were not good shots. He was able to safely deliver the important missives and help the Union in their battle with the Rebs.

 

To be continued…

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. “Hoosier Youngest Civil War Soldier,” by Louis Ludlow, in The Evansville Courier and Press, Evansville, IN, page 4, columns 1-3, via GenealogyBank.com.
  2. “Diary of Abram F. Springsteen” transcription, done by family members. Thank you for sharing!

 

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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.
 
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Workday Wednesday: Abram Springsteen and his Civil War Drum, Part 2

This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series Abram Springsteen and his Civil War Drum
Drum of Abram F. Springsteen, youngest Civil War soldier. Posted with permission of family.

Helbling Family, Springsteen Family (Click for Family Tree)

Yes, his parents must have truly regretted the day they bought Abram Furman Springsteen a drum.

Jefferson Springsteen, his father, was probably the one who went to get Abram from the Army office where he was ‘drumming up’ recruits for the Union, and dragged him back to school, where a ten year-old boy belonged.

But Abram persevered with his drumming to recruit soldiers. And Jeff went back to get him again, and took him back to school.

At first, at the age of ten, Abram likely thought he could do his part for the war effort by his drumming. By the time he turned eleven on 5 July 1861, though, ideas were probably constantly swirling through his mind of the glory of battle and the brotherhood of soldiers forged only by fire. By October, the desire to become a soldier was so strong that once again Abram ran away, but this time he acted on the plan he had made- he enlisted in the 35th Indiana Volunteers, Company A, as a private.

And again, Jeff and Anna Springsteen went to take their child from the military and back to home and school where he belonged. They probably knew he would run away again- his father’s genes for adventure had surely been passed to young Abram. The 35th was to be a Home Guard to protect Indianapolis, so Abram’s parents finally agreed to allow him to stay.

Civil War Regimental Fife and Drum Corps, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. (Click to enlarge.)
Civil War Regimental Fife and Drum Corps. We don’t know if Abram is in this picture or not, but he probably was much shorter than the men in this photo. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons. (Click to enlarge.)

We don’t know if Abram took his own drum, or was more likely issued a federal drum that he could use as he marched at the front of the column of Indiana Volunteers. He learned the various drum rolls that were used as commands on the march and on the battlefield, and would have practiced with the men as they drilled in ranks; he may have even helped stand watches or run errands for the officers. Abram’s life continued in this vein for two months, until the end of the year. On 31 December 1861, the inevitable happened- his regiment was ordered to be transported to the frontlines. Upon learning of this, Abram’s parents, Jefferson Springsteen (1820-1909) and Anna (Connor) Springsteen (1824-1887) requested his discharge. The Army was not about to lose a warm body, however, no matter how short or how young, and they refused to muster him out. Abram did not want to go back home anyway.

The family was distraught, including his six siblings. (We know that Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower was especially worried, as they were close.) The federal government continued to prohibit Abram from mustering out because he was underage, arguing that his parents had signed with permission at his enlistment. Their reply that they thought the enlistment was just for the Home Guard fell on deaf ears.

Desperate measures were required.

Abram’s law-abiding parents kidnapped him.

They locked him inside the house.

Do you remember anything about Jefferson Springsteen from previous posts, and his jobs in Indianapolis? They include being the first Chief of Police in Indianapolis, a Detective, etc. through the years. So kidnapping his son and going against federal law must have been a tough thing for him to do. But it was his son, and Abram was just too young to go off to war.

What a handful Abram was- he continued to run away, be caught, be locked in the house again; and repeat. What was a parent to do?

To be continued…

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. “Hoosier Youngest Civil War Soldier,” by Louis Ludlow, in The Evansville Courier and Press, Evansville, IN, page 4, columns 1-3, via GenealogyBank.com.
  2. “Diary of Abram F. Springsteen” transcription, done by family members. Thank you for sharing!

 

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

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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