image_pdfimage_print

Friday’s Faces from the Past: Unknown Beerbower or Peters Family

Beerbower Family-

Unknown man- reprint of c. 1850s photo by J. A. Vail, Photographer, Marion, Ohio. Found in front of Samuel T. Beerbower family bible.
Unknown man- reprint of c. 1850s photo by J. A. Vail, Photographer, Marion, Ohio. Found in front of Samuel T. Beerbower family bible. (Click to enlarge.)
Unknown man- reverse. Reprint of c. 1850s photo by J. A. Vail, Photographer, Marion, Ohio. Found in front of Samuel T. Beerbower family bible.
Unknown man & woman photos- reverse. Photo by J. A. Vail, Photographer, Marion, Ohio. Found in front of Samuel T. Beerbower family bible. (Click to enlarge.)

These photographs were found in with the bible held by the Marion County Historical Society that is known as the Samuel T. Beerbower Family Bible. In 1867 Samuel Taylor Beerbower (1842-1902) married Irene Lewella Peters (1846-1924). Much of the information found in the bible relates to the Peters family- there is actually very little about the Beerbowers. (See previous series posts of Bible pages and transcriptions, starting here: “The Family Bible of Samuel T. Beerbower and Irene L. Peters Beerbower- Series”).

Unknown woman in Samuel T Beerbower family bible. Likely late 1880s.
Unknown woman in Samuel T Beerbower family bible. Likely late 1880s. Same back as above:  J. A. Vail. Photographer, Marion, Ohio. (Click to enlarge.)

Gale E. Martin, Director of the Marion County Historical Society (MCHS), who so kindly has shared these photos and allowed them to be posted on this blog, analyzed the two photos:

“In looking at the way these 2 were placed in the album, I thought maybe they were a couple. The man’s photo appears to me to be a reprint of an 1850’s-60’s image (due to the beard, tie and the jacket) while the woman’s image must have been taken in the latter part of the 1880’s. The backs of the photos indicate Vail as the sole photographer which I believed happened after 1886. From 1881 to 1886 he was in partnership with T. B. Prentice.”

At first I thought these might be Irene’s paternal grandparents, Samuel Peters and Mary Stevenson. Since the man looks older and the picture was likely taken in the 1850s, it cannot be Samuel- he died in 1829, before photography.

There is a photo online of Mary Stevenson Peters: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=29451899&PIpi=115971226. Do you think this could be the same woman? If it is Mary, then who is the man- maybe not her husband?

The above persons could also possibly be Irene’s maternal grandparents, Willard Russell (1788-1872) and Lucia Cady Russell (1795-1890). Their birth and death dates would fit well with the photographer’s dates and Gale’s analysis of when the images were first taken.

Irene’s mother, Mary Cady Russell, died in 1850, so the woman is most probably not Mary. More research is needed on the Russell line of the family, and hopefully we can find some images that are labeled with names to confirm the above educated guesses.

Another option is that these folks could be Beerbowers. Eleazer John “E. J.” Beerbower (1815-1882) and Matilda Louise McKelvey (1823-1900) were Samuel’s parents, but it probably is not Eleazer- he would have been just 35 in 1850, so too young to be the man in the picture.

E. J. Beerbower’s father, Casper J. Beerbower (1782-1851), could possibly be the man in the picture, but his wife, Christina Reiber Beerbower (b. 1784), died in 1849, so the older woman is not likely to be Christina if it is indeed a couple pictured in these two images.

Sometimes ruling out people is the best one can do until new information becomes available.

 

Here is another photo found in the album:

Unknown older man found in front of the Samuel T. Beerbower-Irene L. Peters Beerbower Family Bible.
Unknown older man found in front of the Samuel T. Beerbower-Irene L. Peters Beerbower Family Bible. (Click to enlarge.)

In a previous post, we showed a picture found in the album that had a couple posed similar to many married couples. (Tuesday’s Tip: Local Historical Societies and the Beerbower Family) When analyzing unknown photographs, it is important to look at them separately, without pre-conceived notions so that an analysis can be unbiased. It is also important to then look at them to see if they could be a series of portraits of a particular family member, following them as they age. (As you may have noticed from face-recognition software used in photo programs, often a child is thought to be a parent or aunt/uncle, as facial features may be similar to those who have gone before, so this fact must be taken into account as well.)

Unknown man cropped from picture of a couple found in the front of the Samuel T. Beerbower Family Bible.
Unknown man cropped from picture of a couple found in the front of the Samuel T. Beerbower Family Bible. (Click to enlarge.)

Take a good look at the cropped image of the man from the Tuesday’s Tip post, to the right.

Do you notice any similarities to the individual portrait on the left? Look at the high forehead, hairline and wave to the hair, ears, jawline, cheekbones. To me, even the eyebrows and mouth look similar. This could be a younger version of the older man above, in my opinion. The picture on the right is earlier than the image above, so that does fit as well.

 

Here is Gale Martin’s analysis of the photo of the couple, from which this image is cropped:

“I don’t think that is an 1850 photo. But there are elements of both eras. I think he is hanging on to an older hairstyle. During the 1850’s you saw the pompadour hair and sideburns such as he wears and the wide tie (men still wore that tie into the 1870s though). There again, look at the wide sleeve on the coat. Definitely Civil War era.

The woman in the image is wearing her hair more like the 1860’s than the 50s as it is flatter down on her ears and not puffed out. She also appears to perhaps be wearing a snood which also became popular in the 1860’s.

The fringe on the chair doesn’t really become popular until the 1860’s.”

We need to look at place, to see if the persons were in the vicinity to have a Marion Photographer. They could, however, have had the pictures taken when they were visiting, which family did quite frequently.

 

So we have the beginnings of a photo analysis, but no definitive identification yet. Even if we do not know their names for sure, it is really nice to see what our ancestors looked like!

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) “The Family Bible of Samuel T. Beerbower and Irene L. Peters Beerbower- Series”: http://heritageramblings.net/series/beerbower-peters-family-bible/

2) Marion County Historical Society & Wyandot Popcorn Museum, 169 East Church Street, Marion, OH 43302. www.marionhistory.comwww.wyandotpopcornmus.com

3) “Tuesday’s Tip: Local Historical Societies and the Beerbower Family”: http://heritageramblings.net/2015/03/10/tuesdays-tip-local-historical-societies-and-the-beerbower-family/

4) Find A Grave memorial #29451899 for Mary Stevenson Peters: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=29451899

5)  Find A Grave memorial #29452065 for Samuel Peters:  http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=29452065

 

 

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.
 
Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright of our blog material.

Workday Wednesday: Samuel T. Beerbower, Postmaster

Importance of a Post Office and Postmaster
Importance of the Post Office and Postmaster, Samuel T. Beerbower. Marion [Ohio] Daily Star, Vol. III, No. 193, Page 1 via Ancestry.com.
Beerbower Family

In 1868, General Ulysses S. Grant, then President Grant, appointed Samuel T. Beerbower Postmaster of Marion, Ohio. He was reappointed in 1872 by President Grant, and again in 1876 by President Rutherford P. Hayes.

Samuel T. Beerbower was the Postmaster in Marion, Ohio, for 13 years.

His youngest brother, Eleazer John (or John Eleazer/Johnny) Beerbower worked for him in 1879-1880.

Samuel t. Beerbower, Postamster.
Great demand for postage stamps in Marion, Ohio. 21 March 1879, Marion [Ohio] Daily Star, Vol. II, No. 139 (Whole no. 449), Page 1, Column 3. Posted with permission for non-profit use only. Via Ancestry.com.
 Marion, Ohio, had a population of about 2,500 in 1870, but it grew 54% by 1880, to about 3,000 persons- they would use a lot of stamps, since people wrote to each other so frequently! By 1890, there was a 113% increase, to a population of over 8,300. Marion became a major industrial center in Ohio, with companies such as the Marion Steam Shovel Company, which later built the Panama Canal. By 1911, Marion, Ohio produced 80% of our country’s steam and large earth-moving equipment, which was likely the cause of some of the population increase, plus the increased need for postage stamps filled by Sam Beerbower.

Prior to his stint as Postmaster, Sam had been a cashier in the store of Lucas & Seffner after he recovered from his Civil War wounds. (He had enlisted at age 18.) He also clerked at Reed & Yake for about a year, in 1867.

Sam was just 39 when his tenure ended as Postmaster in 1881. In 1883, he owned 2 acres for his residence, 2 town lots, and a ‘business room’ adjoining the People’s Store, which he built for $4,000 in 1881 at the corner of Main and South St.; it also had an apartment above. He probably received rents from these business locations.

By the 1900 US Federal Census, Sam was listed as a farmer. His wife and his only living son, Cornell R. Beerbower, lived with him, Cornell working as a ‘watch repairer.’

Sam was referred to as “our former Postmaster” in the local newspaper for the rest of his life. He died in 1902.

More to come about Sam in future posts.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Newspaper articles cited in captions.

2) Sam’s youngest brother, Eleazer John/Johnny Beerbower, was the father of Elsie Janis, the vaudeville child star, “Sweetheart of the A.E.F.,” actress, singer, song writer, and film writer.

3) 1900 US Federal Census, Samuel T Beerbower Head of Household:

Year: 1900; Census Place: Marion Ward 5, Marion, Ohio; Roll: 1302; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0063; FHL microfilm: 1241302. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.

 

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.
 
Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright of our blog material.

 

 

Matrilineal Monday: The Family Bible of Samuel T. Beerbower and Irene L. Peters Beerbower- Memorandum

This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Beerbower-Peters Family Bible
Beerbower-Peters Family Bible- Memorandum Page
Beerbower-Peters Family Bible- Memorandum Page (Click to enlarge.)

 

Beerbower Family

 

TRANSCRIPTION:

Zena Prettyman     [born] Feb. 11, 1927

Gene Prettyman       [born] November 10, 1930

 

Helen M. Beerbower born February 24th, 1906.

[Note: The above appear to have been added at a different time- likely later- than the information from the Nathan Peters bible below.]

 

Family record coppied from Bible of Nathan Peters.

purchased in Marion Ohio August 9th 1828.

 

Marriages

Married on Thursday February 10th 1825

Nathan Peters to Alice Wilson

——————————————————-

Married January 1840

Nathan Peters to Mary C. Ballantine. (Mary Cady Russell,

Charlotte A Peters to Alonzo W. Baker March 12th 1850

Married April 6th 1858. Bradford R. Durfee to Pauline M. Peters

Jane Peters and John D. Haney were united in Marriage

Nov 22nd 1860.

———————————————————-

Mary Ellen Peters [“to” OR “&”] Wm M. Camp married Oct 13th 1864

Irene L. Peters to Samuel T Beerbower. married Jan 13. 1867.

Married Wilson Peters to Mrs. Olive S. Southwick Jan 22nd 1881

Mary Cady Russell born Sept 4th 1820 either in

Reading Vermont or Connecticut: Bottom [“Bottom” lined through.]

(Births-)

Nathan Peters born June 20th 1799 in Baltimore

Black Rock Co. Maryland

Alice Wilson born Dec 15th 1798- acording to

Aunt Pauline in Carlisle Pa_

Wilson Peters born Nov. 27th 1825 in Fairfield Co. Ohio

Harvey Peters March 4th 1828 in

Pauline Peters born July 7th 1834.   in Marion Ohio

Jane Peters   ” August 29th 1836 ”       ”         ”

Infant born Oct 14th dead 1838

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Bible images courtesy of the Marion County Historical Society, Marion, Ohio. We appreciate their generous spirit of sharing!

2) Transcription completed by the author and includes any misspellings, errors, etc. as written in bible. Please advise of any errors known in transcription or to information in bible.

 

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.
 
Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright of our blog material.

 

 

The Family Bible of Samuel T. Beerbower and Irene L. Peters Beerbower- Marriages & Deaths

This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Beerbower-Peters Family Bible
Beerbower-Peters Family Bible
Beerbower-Peters Family Bible- Marriages (Click to enlarge.)

Beerbower Family

TRANSCRIPTION:

 

Samuel T. Beerbower     and

Irene L. Peters married January 18th 1867

 

Cornell R Beerbower   and

Mabel Barnard     married April 26th 1904

 

Helen M. Beerbower and

Paul M. Prettyman married Sept. 24th, 1929

Beerbower-Peters family Bible- Deaths
Beerbower-Peters Family Bible- Deaths (Click to enlarge.)

TRANSCRIPTION:

 

Grandpa Willard Russell died November 3rd 1872.

Wilson Peters Beerbower died August 18th 1877.

Father Nathan Peters died Sept 22nd 1881

Alice Peters Williams died 8 Setember [“85” written in pencil] 1889

Lucia Cady Russell died June 17th 1890

Samuel T. Beerbower died July 12th 1902

Mother- Mary C. Russell- Ballantine died Dec 18th 1850.

Harvey Peters died January 1st 1883

Jane Peters Haney   Mch. 3rd 1863.

Wilson Peters died Aug. 8th 1908

Pauline Peters_Durfee- Hummer died 1923

Irene L. Peters Beerbower died Nov 18th 1924

Mary Ellen Peters-Camp died Aug 14, 1927

Olive Southwick Peters died Jan. 1925

Cornell Russell Beerbower- died May 18 1929

Paul M. Prettyman   Dec. 3, 1949

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Bible images courtesy of the Marion County Historical Society, Marion, Ohio. (Thank you for your generosity.)

2) Transcription completed by the author. Please advise of any errors known in transcription or to information in bible.

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images- it may also make them sharper.

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.
 
Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright of our blog material.

The Family Bible of Samuel T. Beerbower and Irene L. Peters Beerbower- Births

This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series Beerbower-Peters Family Bible
Beerbower-Peters Family Bible- Births.
Beerbower-Peters Family Bible- Births. Courtesy of Marion County Historical Society, Marion, Ohio. (Click to enlarge.)

 Beerbower Family

TRANSCRIPTION:

Samuel T. Beerbower was born November 10th 1842

Irene L. Peters was born February 19th 1846

Cornell B. Beerbower was born June 18th 1870.

Wilson Peters Beerbower was born August 14th 1876.

 

Fathers Family

Nathan Peters born June 20th 1799 married

first to Alice Wilson feb 2nd 1843

Alice Wilson born

second marriage to Mary C. Russell. Ballantine

Mary C. Russell Ballantine born Sept. 4th 1820

 

Children of first wife-

Wilson Peters born Nov 27th 1825 married to

Olive Southwick [Editor’s Note: maiden name was Smith; married Corydon Southwick 1st, then Wilson Peters.]

Harvey Peters born March 4th 1828 married to

Martha Boyd. December 29th 1864

Charlotte Peters born Jan 10th 1830 married to

Alonzo Baker March 12th 1850 died Apr 12th 1895

George Peters born June 18th 1832

Pauline Peters   ”     July 7th 1834 married to

Bradford Durfee. April 6th 1858 second marriage Dec 19th 18– [cut off scan]

Jane Peters born Aug 29th 1836. Married to John D. Haney (?)

Infant born- Oct 14th 1838.

 

Second children

Mary Ellen Peters born Dec 18th 1843 married to William C [cut off in scan]

Irene Lewella Peters  ” Feb 19th 1846- married to-

Samuel T. Beerbower ” Jan 13th 1867.

Alice Lunetta Peters   born Aug 14th 1850- married

James J. Williams

[Editor’s Note: Middle name of Irene L Peters corrected 3/22/15.]

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Bible images courtesy of the Marion County Historical Society, Marion, Ohio.

2) Transcription completed by the author. Please advise of any errors known in transcription or to information in bible.

 

Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images. Click to enlarge images- it may also make them sharper.

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.
 
Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright of our blog material.