Mary Galvin Springsteen Mythen and John Mithen- Their Later Years

Sheriff asked to find John Mithen, Indiana Tribune-German language paper of Indianapolis, Indiana, Vol. 23, No. 343, Page 5, Hoosier State Chronicles.

HELBLING Family, SPRINGSTEEN Family (Click for Family Tree)

After his divorce from Mary Galvin Springsteen Mithen, John Mithen continued his tailoring business in Indianapolis. He ran an ad regularly in the The Recorder- A Negro Newspaper, published in Indianapolis Indiana. The paper included his ad on 21 Oct 1899 on page 1, and he repeated the ad regularly, including in the 29 Dec 1900 issue of the paper.

An interesting article appeared in the Indianapolis News of 29 Aug 1900- “Inquiry About a Brother.” A man named Martin Mithen had sent a “peculiar communication” to the Indianapolis Sheriff asking for a search of the county records, as he was trying to find his brother, John Mithen. John was supposed to have been in the Insane Hospital for a period of nine years, according to Martin. John had written his brother in Carpenteria, California, stating that he had been released from the hospital, and had also divorced his wife. This information is fairly correct, as John was to be committed in July of 1889, and had divorced his wife in 1899, within a year or two of the stated ‘nine years.’ We have been unable to find anything about John during the time between those two events, so he may well have been in the Insane Hospital. (That is something to research too.)

Martin Mithen continued his letter to the Sheriff stating that he had another letter from 23 Indiana Ave., but did not believe that was actually from his brother John. Indianapolis records were searched and none were found for any man named Mithen to be admitted to the Insane Hospital. The Sheriff would contact Martin Mithen, and try to find out who actually sent the second letter.

Two days later, on 31 Aug 1900, the Indiana Tribune, had an article on page 5 that included the names Martin Mithen and John Mithen. The problem was that this was a German language newspaper, and the typeface used was as above. This made it difficult to put into a translation program, and it was tempting to give up, since it seemed like it might be similar to the first news article. Luckily, however, a friend was born in Germany, and he was able to read it:

“Martin Mithen asked the local Sheriff to help with the search for his brother John Mithen. Sheriff Clark found a tailor named John Mithen who lived at Indiana Ave, No. 23, who turned out to be his missing brother.

“John Mithen now wants to move to California.”

So good call to check that one more thing!

We do not know when or where John Mithen died. His son, Patrick James Grattan Mythen stated in his 18 Oct 1920 Passport Application that his father was dead, but some of James’ facts have been wrong. Had John died in Indianapolis, or Massachusetts, where one daughter married, or in California near his brother? We have looked at death records and cemetery listings in all three states but have not yet found anything substantial to indicate when John Mithen passed away.

During these years, we have found Mary Agnes Galvin Springsteen Mythen mentioned or involved in a number of things. The 15 Sep 1900 issue of the Indianapolis News stated that” James Mythen, son of Mrs. Mary Mythen… has gone to Baltimore [Maryland] to enter a seminary.” Mary’s stepson, James planned to become a Catholic priest. (It is interesting that his father is not included in the announcement.) In August of the next year, the Ladies Auxiliary of the Y.M.I. (Young Men’s Institute) held a garden party at Mary’s home at 324 S New Jersey St. It was well- attended, and featured Japanese lanterns lighting the lawn, dancing, a phonograph, and a palm reader. As the article says the entertainment would be repeated in the evening, it may have been a fund-raiser. The Y.M.I. was a group that supported members of the African-American community. Another group that Mary participated in, the Ladies Auxiliary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, was a Catholic organization that celebrated their Irish heritage. Mary was in charge of a refreshment booth at an event in August 1903.

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

Mary Agnes Galvin Springsteen Mithen died of cancer less than 3 years later, on 15 April 1906 in Indianapolis. She was only 44 years old! Mary was remembered in the Springsteen Family Bible, so was still loved by her adoptive family.

Obviously there are some Mithen/Mythen researchers out there as a query by one of them inspired this review of Mary and her family. Mary had three children with John and they each had families of their own, so hopefully there are still some direct descendants today. Please let us know if we need to correct any of this information, or if you have any additional knowledge. We would really love to see a picture of Mary Agnes Galvin Springsteen Mythen or her husband John Mithen!

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. “Springsteen Family Bible,” Heritage Ramblings, 9 Jun 2016. https://heritageramblings.net/series/the-springsteen-family-bible/
  2. Newspaper articles are from GenealogyBank.com and Hoosier State Chronicles. https://newspapers.library.in.gov

 

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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. 
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.
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Mystery Monday: Mary G. (Springsteen) Mythen

Mary G. Springsteen marriage to John Mitten from Springsteen Family Bible.
Mary G. Springsteen marriage to John Mithen from Springsteen Family Bible. (Click to enlarge.)

Helbling Family, Springsteen Family (Click for Family Tree)

 

So just who is Mary G. (Springsteen) Mithen/Mythen? And why is she in our family bible?

 

Mary is listed in the Springsteen Family Bible twice- once as getting married, the second a record of her death.

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

There was (and still is) a St. Patrick’s Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, at that time.

No one other than immediate family members (and their spouses) are mentioned in the bible, plus two grandchildren.

There is no birth record of a Mary G. Springsteen that we have found, but there is a Mary E. Springsteen who was the daughter of Jefferson and Anna M. (Conner) Springsteen. It does not seem logical that they would have a daughter with the first same name and a different middle initial, and there is no record of an additional daughter. Mary E. married Joseph Beckwith in 1872; Mary G. married John Mithen in 188(6?). Mary E. did not have a second marriage that we know of, is buried with family in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis as a Beckwith, and the handwriting in the bible record is clear enough to be the middle initials discussed.

Interestingly, the Indiana Marriage Index 1800-1941 on Ancestry.com lists a Mary A. Galvin who married John Mithen on 25 February 1885 in Marion County, Indiana- the number written in the bible could easily be a 5 instead of a 6. The Galvin name could explain the Mary “G.” Springsteen.

Mary A. Galvin was about 19 when she married John per the marriage record, so she would have been born about 1866, and the bible states she died in 1906.

So was the Mary in our Springsteen Family Bible a Galvin who married first a Springsteen, and then John Mithen? Or was she a Springsteen who married a Galvin, then John Mithen? She was only 19 when she married John, so she would have been a very young widow but that was possible. Or was Galvin just her middle name?

Getting a copy of the marriage record might be of help in learning more about Mary.

It would be interesting to know if she is a married-in, or a Springsteen cousin. Of the Springsteens that we know about, there is no Mary G. Springsteen. Jefferson’s brother Abraham, who also lived in Indianapolis, had only two sons who survived into adulthood per our research.

One last minute bit of research, since doing genealogy is like eating potato chips- you just can’t stop:

FamilySearch has a listing for the marriage of Anna Laurel Mythen, who married Robert Willis Merriam on 23 November 1910 in Medford, Massachusetts. Anna was 20 as was her groom, but she was born in **Indianapolis, Indiana.** Her parents were listed as John Mythen and Mary A. Springsteen. Note that Mary’s middle initial is “A” instead of “G” in this source. Another Massachusetts marriage record states that Anna Laurel’s mother’s middle name was “Agnes.”

The 1910 US Federal Census for Anna L shows her living in the Merriam household, where her future husband is a son. Anna is listed as being born in Indiana, but her parents (John Mythen and Mary Agnes Springsteen) as born in Holland-Dutch! Of course, we do not know who gave that information, and ‘our’ Springsteens have been in America even before it was a country- back into the 1600s. So that does not fit, but otherwise it sure does seem like this is the correct family. But how are they related to ‘our’ Springsteens?

Any light that can be shed on this mystery would be much appreciated!

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Family treasure chest.
  2. Indiana Marriage Index 1800-1941 on Ancestry.com.
  3. FamilySearch marriage record for Anna Laurel Mythen- “Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915,” database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N48R-YQP : accessed 12 June 2016), John Mythen in entry for Robert Willis Merriam and Anna Laurel Mythen, 23 Nov 1910; citing Medford, , Massachusetts, United States, State Archives, Boston; FHL microfilm 2,315,512.
    https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-63PY-4Z?i=696&wc=3G11-PTL%3A1063288401%3Fcc%3D1469062&cc=1469062

 

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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. 
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 or use of our blog material.



Wedding Wednesday: Marriages from the Springsteen Family Bible

Page 3 of Springsteen Bible Family Records- Marriages.
Page 3 of Springsteen Bible Family Records- Marriages.

Helbling Family, Beerbower Family (Click for Family Tree)

We continue our series of the Springsteen Bible family record pages with the happiest of days, when a whole new family begins- wedding days.

Transcription:

[Left Column]

Jefferson Springsteen

Jany 6th 1843. To Miss Anna Conner

by the Rev. Mr. James at his

residence on James St. New York

===========================

John W. Springsteen

Dec 187069 To Miss Jennie Taylor

by the Rev. Mr. Mendenhall at

Indianapolis Ind.

[Ed. Note: Son of Jefferson and Anna M. (Conner) Springsteen. Ancestry’s “Indiana, Select Marriages Index, 1748-1993” gives date of 17 Dec 1869 to “Jane” Taylor.]

===========================

Abram F. Springsteen

Jany 11th 1872 To-

Miss Laura May. Longfellow.

by the Rev. Mr.

at Huntington Ind

[Ed. Note: Son of Jefferson and Anna M. (Conner) Springsteen. Minister’s name not included in bible.]

===========================

Charlie Springsteen To Miss

Katie O’Neil June 26 1884

at Rushville Ind

[Ed. Note: Son of Jefferson and Anna M. (Conner) Springsteen.]

===========================

[Right Column]

Mary E. Springsteen.

April 17th 1872

To. Joseph E. Beckwith

by the Rev. Mr. Edson

Indianapolis Ind.

[Ed. Note: Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Jefferson and Anna M. (Conner) Springsteen.]

===========================

Anna M. Springsteen.

Feb 12th 1873.

To Edwardgar P. Beerbower.

by the Rev. Mr.Hanford A Edson

Indianapolis Ind

[Ed. Note: Anna Missouri Springsteen, daughter of Jefferson and Anna M. (Conner) Springsteen.]

===========================

Robert Springsteen

May 19th 1880. To Anna

Dumont. Indianapolis

Rev. U. C. Brewer Central Christian

Church Ind.

[Ed. Note: Robert E. Springsteen, son of Jefferson and Anna M. (Conner) Springsteen.]

===========================

Mary G. Springsteen To

John Mithen Feb. 25. 188(6?)

St. Patrick Church

by the Rev. Father O. Donaghue

[Ed. Note: Relationship unknown. See upcoming “Mystery Monday for more details.]

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

  1. Family treasure chest.

 

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 2013-2016 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. 
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 or use of our blog material.