image_pdfimage_print

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/

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

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 2013-2019 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, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

Mary Galvin Springsteen Mythen- The Early Years

Mary A. Galvin, her parents and siblings in the 1870 US Federal Census, 1st Enumeration on 9 Feb 1870. (Cited as 2nd Enumeration on Ancestry and NARA films, however the 2nd Enumeration occurred in July of 1870.)

HELBLING, SPRINGSTEEN Family (Click for Family Tree)

Mary Agnes Galvin was born about 1862 in Kentucky, per her later census records. Mary and her family were thus living in the midst of the Civil War, with Kentucky a state divided- part Union, part Confederate, with fighting occurring in the state. Kentucky and Indiana share a border, however, so the family may have decided to move north to the Union state of Indiana, for protection from armies on both sides. We do know they were in Indiana by 1870.

Mary’s father, the records suggest, was Michael Galvin, an Irish immigrant born about 1826. He married Ann (maiden name unknown), another Irish immigrant who was about nine years younger, born circa 1835. We have not determined where they were living at the time of the 1860 Federal Census, probably before Mary’s birth, and have not found a marriage record. “Michael Galvin” was a fairly common Irish name, so it is hard to differentiate Mary’s father Michael from others with the same name. 

The first record we found for Michael and Ann Galvin was the 1870 US Federal Census taken 9 Feb 1870 in the Ninth Ward of Indianapolis, Indiana (above). This census states Michael was a 44 year old white male and a laborer. Michael and his (presumed) wife Ann were both born in Ireland, as were each of their parents. Michael could not read nor write. Anna was 35 and ‘keeping house’ but apparently she could both read and write. They were living with their five (presumed) children: Ellen Galvin, age 17, who had been born in Ohio; Jeremiah Galvin, 13, was born in Kentucky, as were the remaining children. Thomas Galvin was 10, Mary A. Galvin, our main interest, was 8, and young Michael Galvin (Jr.?) was 6 years old. Only Mary was listed as being “at school” with the three older children “at home.” The other families on the page were similar in some ways- one a railroad laborer, another a brickmason, a carpenter, another laborer who was an Irish immigrant like Michael, plus a druggist (whose home and personal value were the highest on the page- only one other resident had a personal estate value listed). Three of the households were headed by women, each with young children. One of those women had her occupation listed as ‘keeps house” but the other two were more interesting- one was a plasterer, and the other was listed as a prostitute. So this was the neighborhood that Mary Agnes Galvin and her siblings experienced as they grew up in America.

As has happened occasionally, the census that year was not very accurate and required a second enumeration in three large cities that felt their population, especially their immigrant population, had been severely undercounted. Indianapolis was one of those cities, so we found another listing (the 2nd Enumeration) of the Indianapolis Ninth Ward with the “Gallivan” family, taken 14th-18th July 1870.

Mary Galvin and the other children of Mike and Anna Galvin, 1870 US Federal Census, 2nd Enumeration 18 July 1870, 9th Ward, Indianapolis, Indiana, page 69.

The family has the same first names but slightly different ages. “Mike Gallivan”  was 45 and a laborer, wife Ann 36. They are listed on page 68 of the census, which has a date of 14 July 1870. Their children were continued on page 69, with the date written as 18 July 1870: Ellen was listed as 16, Jerry (Jeremiah) as 12, Tommy as age 9, Morgan (who is most likely Mary Agnes) 8, and Michael age 5. There were still problems with the wide variety of languages and accents, both by enumerators and those being counted, and many of the enumerators were semi-illiterate. “Mary Agnes” said quickly with a strong Irish brogue could have been heard as ‘Morgan,’ or a neighbor who was giving the information could have heard or given Mary’s name wrong, or had yet another accent to challenge the enumerator to spell correctly.

The families around the Galvins on these pages had a few more of the skilled occupations than those for the Galvins in the first enumeration, including painters (likely for buildings) – and even a Rabbi! More importantly to our research, within the additional families counted in the 2nd Enumeration, was the family of Jefferson Springsteen- just one dwelling number away. 

Jefferson Springsteen family and Mike and Anna Galvin, 1870 US Federal Census, 2nd Enumeration 14 July 1870, 9th Ward, Indianapolis, Indiana, page 68.

Unfortunately, no streets were given in either census enumeration, but there was actually no place on the form for them. “Hutchinson’s Indianapolis City Directory” of 1870 tells us that Jefferson Springsteen and family lived at 117 Spring St., that year, while a “Michael Galivan” lived at 148 S. Noble; these streets are about a mile apart today. So were the Springsteens and Galvins neighbors? Or did they know each other through other sources?

We have been unable to find Michael and Annie ten years later in the 1880 census for Indianapolis. There are two men named Michael Galvin listed in the 1880 Indianapolis City Directory, both listed as laborers- this could be Mary’s father Michael and her brother Michael, who would have been about 16 that year and therefore working.

In 1880, Jefferson Springsteen was 60 years old, working as a painter after a career as a police detective among other occupations; his 26 year old son Charles Springsteen, who lived with Jeff and Anna, was also a painter. Anna (Connor) Springsteen was 55 and their son Abraham/Abram Springsteen, who was 28 and had been recently widowed, lived with them too. (We have some stories about Abram, the “youngest drummer boy of the Civil War” on the blog.) In addition,  this census lists “Mary Galavan,” age 17, as a part of the Springsteen household, working as a servant. The census lists Mary’s birthplace as Kentucky, and Ireland as the place her parents were born. This therefore does appear to be the same Mary Galvin that we have been researching.

Mary may have actually worked in the Springsteen household as a servant, a position not uncommon in families who were middle class in those days. However, sometimes there were persons listed in the census as a ‘servant’ despite actually being family members, often elderly or sometimes with disabilities. Perhaps it was the idea that having an occupation was a good thing, something to be proud of, for each person or even in one’s older years. It could have been a family status elevation to list a servant, too, although the census was likely not available to the public at that time. Or perhaps it was the idea of no free lunch for anyone- especially since often there was so little for the family. So Mary may have just been living with the Springsteens, which is possible since we cannot find her parents in the census in 1880. She was 17 though, which in those days was past time for a working-class child to be earning their own living. So Mary G. may may have actually worked as a servant to help as Jeff and Anna got older. We will likely not know for sure unless more personal family information turns up.

 

Next: The rest of what we know about Mary Galvin Springsteen Mythen and her family.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. 1870 US Federal Census for Michael Galvin family, 9th Ward, Subdistrict 20, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, page 38, lines 25-31.
  2. Ancestry and possibly NARA has labeled its 9 Feb 1870 census results as “2nd enumeration” although it was taken before the 18 July 1870 Enumeration, so Feb. would actually be the 1st Enumeration.
  3. “The 1870 Federal Census’ Second Enumeration,” by Aaron Goodwin,  https://ngsmonthly.ngsgenealogy.org/the-1870-federal-censuss-second-enumeration/
  4. 1870 US Federal Census, 2nd Enumeration, for Jefferson Springsteen- Anna Connor Springsteen family, and Michael and Ann Galvin family, 9th Ward, Subdistrict 20, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, pages 68-69.
  5. Indianapolis, Indiana city directories, found on Ancestry.com and InternetArchive.

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

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 2013-2019 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, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

A Mystery Solved: Mary G. Springsteen Mythen

Mary G. Springsteen’s marriage to John Mithen, from Springsteen Family Bible.

HELBLING, SPRINGSTEEN Family (Click for Family Tree)

Mysteries are fun, but solving them even moreso.

Back on June 20, 2016, we posted about Mary G. Springsteen Mythen as a part of the Springsteen family bible series. The bible, we now think, belonged to Anna Conner Springsteen and Jefferson Springsteen. (Please see the original article on the bible for the updated information.) Their children and their spouses, and a couple of grandchildren, were listed in the births, marriages, and deaths in the family record section. There was also an entry for a marriage for “Mary G. Springsteen,” as seen above.

Mary G.’s entry is curious for a number of reasons:

1) There was no birth or baptism entry for Mary G., but there was for Anna, Jeff, and all the other persons listed in the bible.

2) Jeff and Anna Springsteen had a daughter named “Mary E. Springsteen” and we know she married Joseph Beckwith in 1872. The bible and many other records support this fact. Families sometimes named a second child after one who had died young, but both Marys survived into adulthood, married, and had children.

Mary G. (Springsteen) Mithen death from Springsteen Family Bible. (Click to enlarge.)

3) “Mary Mythen” had her death at age 44 recorded in the Bible, as was the death of Mary E(lizabeth) [Springsteen] Beckwith, aged 82. Indianapolis has death certificates for both women.

4) Mary Elizabeth is buried with the Springsteen family in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, under the Beckwith name. There is no Mary G. Springsteen Mythen/Mithen buried in Crown Hill with the family.

5) Mary Elizabeth (Springsteen) Beckwith is found in the 1926 Indianapolis city directory, listed as the widow of Joseph F. Beckwith. There is no entry in the 1907 Indianapolis city directory for Mary Mythen, nor Mary Mithen.

With all this evidence, we can be pretty certain these Marys are not the same person.

In the previous article, we hypothesized a number of explanatory scenarios as to the relationship of the mystery Mary G. to the Springsteen family. We had no proof of any of them, except a few clues such as the Indiana Marriage Index 1800-1941 on Ancestry, which mentioned a Mary A. Galvin who wed John Mithen in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1885. We asked for anyone with information to contact us, and waited.

Four years after publication of the mystery, a genealogy librarian working for the State Library of Indiana contacted us. Angi Porter (nporter@library.in.gov) wrote that while doing research for a library patron, she found a newspaper article about Mary’s marriage to John Mythen. The article solved our mystery- Mary G. was the adopted daughter of Jefferson and Anna (Conner) Springsteen. 

It was one of those “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that??” moments. No birth record in the Bible? That makes sense if she was adopted when she was older than a baby. The same first name as another Springsteen daughter? Sure, because she had likely been named by her biological parents, and then adopted out. Not buried with the Springsteens? Again, logical since by blood she was not a Springsteen, family burial plots are only so big, and they may have bought the plots before her adoption. The new information fits easily within what we know, including that Mary G. was obviously very important to the Springsteen family.

As always in genealogy, an answer generates new questions, such as:

  1. When was Mary G. adopted by the Springsteens?
  2. What were the circumstances of the adoption?
  3. What was Mary’s life story before and after her time living with the family?

Being researchers, we of course had to learn more about Mary G.

Next: a bit more about Mary Galvin Springsteen Mythen.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. “Mystery Monday: Mary G. (Springsteen) Mythen,”  Heritage Ramblings family history blog, 20 June 2016. https://heritageramblings.net/2016/06/20/mystery-monday-mary-g-springsteen-mythen/
  2. “Treasure Chest Thursday: The Springsteen Family Bible,” Heritage Ramblings family history blog, 9 June 2016.
    https://heritageramblings.net/2016/06/09/treasure-chest-thursday-the-springsteen-family-bible/
  3. Angi Porter, Librarian, Genealogy Division, Indiana State Library– https://www.in.gov/library/genealogy.htm
  4. Indianapolis, Indiana city directories, found on Ancestry.com and InternetArchive.

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

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. 
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, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

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

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

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. 
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, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.

Our Ancestors Lived through Pandemics Too: 1918 and the Springsteen-Beerbower-Helbling Family

About 1911- Edgar P. Beerbower and Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower with their grandchildren. Edgar Helbling is standing and Anna is holding baby Anna May Helbling (later Reilly).

Springsteen Family, Beerbower Family, Helbling Family (Click for Family Trees)

[If you are descended from Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling (1881-1954) and Gerard W. “G.W.” Helbling (1882-1971) of St. Louis, Missouri, these are your ancestors!]

As tough as our times are today with the Covid-19 (Corona virus) pandemic, we have ancestors who lived through pandemics too. Their smart thinking, the fact that they (probably) followed the directions of the experts at that time, and their good genes as well as perseverance helped them get through those difficult times. Love of their family was probably a big factor too!

Let’s go back to 1918, and the “Spanish Flu” outbreak. There are plenty of references to learn more about this pandemic, including a PBS documentary, “Influenza 1918.” Let’s explore a bit about our family in particular.

Our Springsteen family had a number of members who were likely living in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1918.  Jefferson Springsteen (1820-1909) and his wife, Anna (Conner) Springsteen (1824-1887) had lived there from about 1853. They had eight children, one of whom died as an infant and two sons who died prior to 1918. Their daughter Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower, mother of Anna May Helbling, may have been living in Indianapolis, as she had been born there and moved back a couple of times, her husband had passed away there in 1916, and we cannot find her listed in the 1920 Federal Census in any state. Anna’s sister Mary Elizabeth (Springsteen) Beckwith had been widowed- probably actually divorced- and was living with her daughter’s family in New York in 1915, but had moved back to Indianapolis by the 1920 census. Their younger brother, Abram Springsteen, “the youngest drummer boy of the Civil War” as the family lore called him, could also have been in Indianapolis, as he married there in 1912 but then was enumerated in the 1920 census in Washington, D.C. Their youngest brother, Robert E. Springsteen (1857-1931), is the only sibling that we know for sure was living in Indianapolis in 1918, but the others may have been there.

We are looking at Indianapolis, Indiana because there is an excellent article just published on the Indiana History blog about life there during the 1918 epidemic. “Coping with Quarantine in a Pre-Digital Era” is a great read that details how people spent their time during the 1918 quarantine. The information in the article would also probably apply to a large portion of the United States back then. The kids were out of school, it was a Congressional election year, and the economics and boredom of stay-at-home orders were challenging to all. The cause of the disease was unknown, there were no treatments nor vaccines for it, and the death toll in the US and around the world was staggering. (Any of this sound familiar?) The US was in the midst of World War I too, putting additional pressure on the people and government to keep going.

Anna Mae (Beerbower) Helbling and Gerard William “G.W.” Helbling, probably in St. Louis, Missouri, around 1925.

St. Louis, Missouri is another city to mention here, as Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling, daughter of Anna Missouri and Edgar P. Beerbower, lived there. With her husband Gerard William “G.W.” Helbling, she had three children living then: Edgar Bradley Helbling (1908-1994), Anna May Helbling (later Reilly) (1911-1985), and Viola Gertrude Helbling (later Carrigan) (1913-1971). Anna was expecting their fourth child, Robert Harvey Helbling (1918-2001), as the flu began, and “Bob” was born in August.

World War I was using Liberty Loan bonds to help finance the war, and a huge parade was held on September 28, 1918 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is estimated 200,000 people filled the streets to cheer on those in the parade and the war effort. Unfortunately the “Spanish Flu,” which had already attacked military bases and soldiers starting around March of 1918, was unknowingly present in the crowds as well. It only took 72 hours to fill all the beds in the city’s hospitals, and within a week, 2,600 civilians had died. One week later, the city’s death toll was 4,500. The city was short of doctors and nurses, as so many were in military service due to the War.  With no antibiotics nor vaccines at that time, and health care workers using gauze facemasks that had holes large enough to allow most microorganisms through, containment was challenging. Philadelphia finally shut down schools and businesses, but they had waited too late- they could not keep the virus in check. (The 1918 flu was an H1N1 virus of avian origin, so not exactly like today’s corona virus, but still very virulent and hard to contain.)

Thankfully, Anna May and G.W. Helbling and their children were living in St. Louis at that time. It must have been frightening to have small children, including a newborn, as they read the newspapers and saw how the flu was raging across the country, and the world. (Their first child had died as an infant so they must have been very fearful.) The St. Louis city health commissioner was alarmed by the flu activity in the influenza hotspots of Boston and Philadelphia, and toward the end of September 1918, he knew that it would only be a matter of time before the “Spanish Flu” was seen in the Gateway City. He proactively set up a monitoring system, cancelled a Liberty Loan drive, educated the public through articles in the newspaper on how to prepare and avoid the flu, and once cases were being reported, he helped to get a public health emergency declared. Dr. Max C. Starkloff was then given more authority and closures of entertainment, schools, and churches were implemented by October 9th, with public gatherings banned. Those with medical knowledge worked with the city government to minimize any foothold in the community that the flu might gain. As cases of influenza increased, although at a much slower rate than in Philadelphia, St. Louis business hours were cut and then non-essential businesses and factories were closed to further protect citizens. (And yes, business owners and politicians were understandably worried about the economic impact to themselves, their city, and the country.) When restrictions were gradually lifted in mid-December because case numbers had diminished, new illnesses and deaths spiked in a second wave. Eventually, case numbers stayed low and removal of restrictions on December 28, 1918, added some joy to a difficult holiday season.

Death toll of Philadelphia vs St. Louis in 1918 Influenza Epidemic. Closures began Oct. 8th in St. Louis, and the comparison between the St. Louis curve and that of Pittsburgh, where schools, entertainment, and churches were not closed, is striking. “Public health interventions and epidemic intensity during the 1918 influenza pandemic,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Richard J. Hatchett, et al, 2007.

St. Louis is lauded as a city that looked into the future, followed medical advice, and quickly acted for the good of their citizens. What we now call “social distancing” helped to keep the city’s death toll to the sixth lowest in the country; Indianapolis was one of the five cities that had an even lower mortality rate, helping to save our family there. The graph above shows clearly the effect that physical distancing, done early and across the board, can have in an epidemic. This data has been studied by epidemiologists and will hopefully be heeded by governmental bodies and citizens to “flatten the curve” and reduce illness and deaths in our current pandemic. Implementing the 1918 tactics of St. Louis in 2020 can still buy us time for development of treatments and vaccines, and for ramping up manufacturing of materials needed for protection and treatment of patients and staff. The above graphs show that when strict measures are put in place early, the illnesses and deaths are much less than in places that have waited until the virus is rampant.

We are now experiencing in our day-to-day lives some of what our ancestors went through in those days of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. Knowing that they survived through “social distancing” and the economic pain that ensued can help us have resilience and faith that we too can make it through this.

 

BTW, if you have a little extra time on your hands, the references below can be interesting reading. Reference #4 and #10 are particularly good, quick, and not terrifying. They also may give some comfort knowing that a whole lot of folks got to the other side despite not having the technology and scientific advances we have today. And while you are reading, think about how the ancestors only had newspapers, neighbors, local storekeepers and postal carriers to spread news. Sadly they also carried germs, but at least we have a better understanding of that today.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. “Influenza 1918” on ‘American Experience’ on PBS. May be viewed online at https://www.pbs.org/video/american-experience-influenza-1918/

  2. “Have Americans forgotten the history of this deadly flu?” https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/have-americans-forgotten-the-history-of-this-deadly-flu

  3. Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower lived with Anna May and GW Helbling in St. Louis possibly in the 1920s, and it is known she was there in the 1930s. We do have pictures of her there before the 1920s, but do not know if she was visiting or living there.
  4. “Coping with Quarantine in a Pre-Digital Era”
    https://blog.history.in.gov/coping-with-quarantine-in-a-pre-digital-era/. Thank you, Dick Eastman, for featuring this article in your wonderful newsletter.: https://blog.eogn.com/2020/04/03/coping-with-quarantine-in-a-pre-digital-era/
  5. Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling and G. W. Helbling had two more children after the pandemic: William G. “Bill” Helbling (1920-2018) and Mary Theresa Helbling (later McMurray) (1925-2008).
  6. “Philadelphia Threw a WWI Parade That Gave Thousands of Onlookers the Flu”  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/philadelphia-threw-wwi-parade-gave-thousands-onlookers-flu-180970372/
  7. “The Spanish influenza of 1918 in St. Louis, Missouri.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16961567

  8. “The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919: St. Louis, Missouri” https://www.influenzaarchive.org/cities/city-stlouis.html#

  9. “Public health interventions and epidemic intensity during the 1918 influenza pandemic.” Richard J. Hatchett, et al, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, May 1,2007. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0610941104
  10. “This chart of the 1918 Spanish flu shows why social distancing works” by Michael J. Coren, March 11, 2020, Quartz. https://qz.com/1816060/a-chart-of-the-1918-spanish-flu-shows-why-social-distancing-works/
  11. “1918 Pandemic” https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-pandemic-h1n1.html

 

Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.

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 2013-2019 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, i.e, reference this blog.
 Please contact us if you have any questions about copyright or use of our blog material.