Wedding certificate of Irene L. Peters and Samuel Taylor Beerbower, 13 January 1867. Courtesy of Marion County [Ohio] Historical Society. (Click to enlarge.)Beerbower Family
Transcription:
This
Certifies that
the rite of
Holy Matrimony
was celebrated between
Samuel T. Beerbower of Marion Ohio
and Irene L. Peters of Marion Ohio was
on the 18th [1867 written above] day of January 1867 [written in] at Bucyrus Ohio married
by the Rev Harmount
Witness S E Ramsey
Witness E B Ramsey
Samuel Taylor Beerbower (1842-1902) was the son of Eleazer John Beerbower and Matilda Louise McKelvey (MacElvey) Beerbower.
Irene L. Peters (1846-1924) was the daughter of Nathan Peters (1799-1881) and his second wife, Mrs. Mary Russell Ballantine Peters (1820-1830).
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Image courtesy of the Marion County Historical Society, Marion, Ohio, from the Samuel Taylor Beerbower Family Bible.
Please contact us if you would like a higher resolution image. Click to enlarge image.
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.
Samuel T. Beerbower Bible- Unknown couple from the front of the Bible. Posted courtesy of the Marion County Historical Society. (Click to enlarge.)
➡ Beerbower Family
Tuesday’s Tip:Contact the local historical society where your ancestors lived. They may have a treasure trove of family information!
We were very lucky because the Marion County Historical Society (MCHS) found and contacted us through the blog. Our Beerbower family lived in Marion County, Ohio for a number of generations, and a Beerbower family bible was donated to the Society, along with photographs that were found inside. The MCHS is planning an exhibit and they would like to learn more about the Beerbower family.
Samuel T. Beerbower Bible- Unknown couple from the front of the Bible- reverse. Posted courtesy of the Marion County Historical Society. (Click to enlarge.)
Alas, like so many photos, there are no names nor dates on the majority of the images (though we are lucky with this one). We are putting these images up on the blog in hope that someone will recognize some of these folks, and let us know. The MCHS has kindly shared all the images of Beerbowers and Bible pages to help us piece together more of our family history.
This Bible is known as the Samuel T. Beerbower Bible. Samuel was the brother of our direct ancestor, Edgar Peter Beerbower, who married Anna Missouri Springsteen. He was thus an uncle to Anna May Beerbower, who married Gerard William Helbling. (If you are a grandchild of May and GW, Samuel would be your great-great uncle.) See the Beerbower Family Tree on the blog for more information.
So who are the people in this image?
Known Data:
Clue #1– The image was found in the front of the Bible.
Clue #2– The Bible the picture was found in is called the Samuel T. Beerbower Bible.
Clue #3– The reverse of the image notes the photographer as “Wm. H. Moore, Third Story, Bennett’s Block, Marion, Ohio.”
Clue #4– “1878” is handwritten on the reverse of the photo.
Clue #5– The image shows a man and a woman.
Analysis:
Clue #1– The image was probably of two people very important and/or closely related, to the family, since it was in the front of the Bible. That would often be parents.
Clue #2– Although the bible is called the Samuel T. Beerbower Bible, the notations inside suggest it may have been the Bible of Nathan Peters, Samuel’s father-in-law, and passed down to Irene L. Peters, Samuel’s wife. There are mostly Peters family member listed, and just a few Beerbowers. Instead, it may have been Irene’s Bible into which she copied the names from her father’s Bible.
Clue #3– Research on this photographer indicates he was a daguerreotypist 1857-60 and had studios in Cinncinnati 1857-97 and Marion 1859-97. There was also a “Moore’s Photographic Gallery” on Bennet’s Block in Marion, but no date noted. The History of Marion County, Ohio, 1883, notes that his Bennet Block studio was established in 1855, and at the time of the writing of the county history, published in 1883, he had moved to Main Street. If a photographer had a large stock of backings, this one may have been still used after moving to the new location, but for now, we will use 1855-1883 as the time range for the Bennet location.
Checking for W. H. Moore in Marion city directories will help to narrow the time frame a bit.
Clue #4– It is unknown who added the date to the photo. The date does fit with the known dates of the photographer’s location. The photo appears to be a ‘cabinet card’ which was introduced in the early 1870s, so the date of 1878 still is very plausible. Analyzing the style of clothing and hairstyles may help to narrow the date range of the image.
Clue #5– The man and woman in the image are posed as married persons are often posed. They appear to be in their 30s-50s.
Nathan Peters- Portrait and signature from “History of Marion Co OH,” 1883, p226. Drawn from a picture of him, per his bio in the above. (Click to enlarge.)
My hypothesis (which remains to be proven) is that the first image is Nathan Peters with his wife, probably his second wife, Mary Ballantine Peters. They married on 02 Jan 1842, and Irene L. Peters, their daughter, was the Bible owner at one point.
Mary B. Peters died on 18 Dec 1850, however, so could not have been in a photo taken by WH Moore, since his business started in 1855. I am wondering if this could be a copy of an earlier photo, possibly a daguerrotype; this appears to be the case with another photo in the collection. Nathan would have been 79 in 1878, so that would be older than the man in this picture, thus reinforcing the idea this is a copy of an older image.
We have no evidence that Nathan remarried after the death of his second wife. Censuses show some of his children living with him on the farm in his later years, plus a servant for the household and a farm laborer, but no wife is listed. (We have been unable to find him in the 1850 census, although his 1850 Agriculture Schedule is available.)
Note the cheekbones and jawline of the man in the couple picture, and his ears- they look somewhat similar to the drawn portrait of Nathan that was in the county history, which might vary somewhat as it was an artist’s conception of a photo. The hairline and brow seem similar, too.
The Bible has mostly Peters information, and very little on the Beerbowers, so that is another clue that suggests this first image in the Bible might be Nathan Peters and wife.
What do you think?
It is so wonderful that Historical Societies and scholars are finally working with family historians- that is the only way to tell the whole story of history.
And please, if you know anything about the couple in this image, contact us!
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Image courtesy of the Marion County Historical Society.
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 Contact Us form), 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.
‘At Home’ card of Robert Warson Beerbower and Anna Josephine Reiffel Beerbower, married 23 August 1898. (Click to enlarge and sharpen.)
Transcription:
Mr. Robert W. Beerbower,
and
Miss Anna Josephine Reiffel,
Married,
Tuesday Evening August the 23rd, 1898.
Indianapolis, Ind.
At Home:
After September the First,
920 Fletcher Ave.
‘At Home’ card of Robert Warson Beerbower and Anna Josephine Reiffel Beerbower, married 23 August 1898- reverse. Age listed is Josephine’s. (Click to enlarge and sharpen.)
Reverse- transcription:
21 years& 9 mnth- 10 days. at date of mar
– riage
This age refers to Josephine, as she was 21, and Robert 24, when they married.
Josephine and Robert’s second anniversary was bittersweet. They anticipated the birth of their first child in 1900, but sadly, Robert had become ill. He went to Denver for his health, but died there of consumption on 12 September 1900. Their daughter Roberta Pearl Beerbower was born the next month.
Thanks so much to Cousin SA for passing on this beautiful little card that came down through Robert and Josephine’s daughter Roberta P. Beerbower and then her son with James Franklin Wertz, Robert Eldon Wertz, and Robert’s wife. Robert had no children so sadly this direct line has ended. SA was so thoughtful to send it to me- she was actually born into the Wertz line, and Robert Wertz was her cousin, as his father James Wertz was the brother of SA’s grandmother, Annette Wertz Kinsey. She thought it should belong in with Beerbower memorabilia. It will be cherished!
[Editor’s Note: I had one part of this post wrong. Cousin SA , was not a ‘married in’ as I originally wrote. The post has been corrected to show the true relationship. Thanks for keeping the blog accurate, SA!]
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) See other posts that include Robert Warson Beerbower:
2) ‘At Home’ card currently in possession of author- thanks again, SA!
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.
Portions of the lyrics posted for educational use only.
2) Photos from family treasure chests.
Please contact us if you would like higher resolution 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.
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.
Roberta Pearl Beerbower, c1920? Posted with permission.
➡ Beerbower Family, Helbling Family
Roberta Pearl Beerbower was the only child of Robert Warson Beerbower (1874-1900) and Anna Josephine Reiffel (1876-1965) who married 23 August 1898. Roberta was born 16 October 1900 in Indiana (likely Indianapolis) less than a month after her father died at age 26 in Colorado. Robert had gone to Denver for health reasons, and died of consumption there.
“Cousin Roberta” was a beloved older cousin of Mary Theresa Helbling. Mary looked up to her beautiful cousin and wanted to be like her. Roberta would have been 25 when Mary was born, which surprised me as I always thought they were closer in age, maybe just 5-10 years difference.
Recently I received a note from a Find A Grave member requesting I change Roberta’s middle name to Pauline on her memorial, as that was what Roberta’s daughter-in-law thought the name was. The family bible owned by her aunt, Anna May Beerbower Helbling, lists Roberta’s middle name as ‘Pearl’ so I am using that name here, but it needs further research. The new collaboration is wonderful though, as this researcher was able to provide the above beautiful portrait, and more information about Roberta and her marriage and family that I did not know.
Following are some photographs that Mary Helbling McMurray thought would be Roberta, or that were labeled with her name, and some of my notes. Please let us know if you have additional information or corrections.
May (age 4) or Viola Helbling (age 2), possibly with Cousin Roberta Beerbower, Helbling home in St. Louis, Missouri, 06 June 1915.
This is Roberta per Mary Helbling; Roberta would have been 15 in 1915 so this is likely correct. (Note ‘G.W. Helbling Undertaker’ sign in front of the Helbling home in St. Louis, Missouri.)
Possibly Roberta Beerbower with her mother Josephine Reiffel Beerbower? October 1910From left: Viola Helbling, Edgar Helbling, May Helbling, and possibly Roberta P. Beerbower? October 1910
The above two photos could be Roberta, as she would have been 10 in 1910. Not sure about the date though, as Edgar was born in 1908 so 1910 for the photo cannot be correct if that is him with his younger sisters in the image. Will need to review photo album again. Maybe the girl on the right is another cousin? Maybe these are not Helbling children, though they do look like Edgar, May, and Vi, and were identified as such by their youngest sister Mary (but she wasn’t there as she was not yet born).
Roberta P. Beerbower with her cousin Edgar Helbling. August 1920
Edgar would have been 12 in 1920 and Roberta 20, plus these people were positively identified in photo album, so this identification should be accurate.
Roberta P. Beerbower with her paternal uncle Edgar Springsteen Beerbower. August 1920.
This photo was a game changer when I realized the date and the identification of the man with Roberta. The man was “Ed” per the caption in the album. Mary Helbling did not know if the man was her uncle, Edgar Springsteen Beerbower (1876-1940) or her grandfather, Edgar Peter “E. P.” Beerbower (1849-1916), both with the same nickname. Looking at the dates though, and the age of the man, lets us know it must be Edgar S. Beerbower, since his father (E.P.) died in 1916 and had been born 71 years before the photo was taken. So now we can use this positive identification for other images of this man. (Sadly, though, it means we do not have a picture of Edgar Peter Beerbower.)
Roberta P. Beerbower with her paternal grandmother, Anna Missouri Springsteen. Summer 1927
The photo album belonged to Anna May Beerbower Helbling, and her mother lived with Anna and her family in her later years. Love how cute ‘flapper girl’ Roberta is! No wonder that Mary Helbling, born in 1925, looked up to her glamorous cousin.
About 1930- May Helbling on left with her sister Mary Theresa Helbling in front. Unknown girl on right.
It was thought the girl on the right in the picture was Roberta P. Beerbower but the age is not right- Roberta would have been 30 when this photo was taken because of the approximate age of Mary. Maybe it is the same girl as above that we are not sure about?
Robert Eldon Wertz, son of Roberta P. Beerbower and James I. Wertz. August 1935, age 3 yrs 1 mo.
Robert Eldon Wertz was born 30 July 1932 in Indiana to Roberta and James F. Wertz (1895-1979). He was their only son, and he had no children with his wife, Halina Ulrych. He is such a cutie with that smile!
A special thanks to Shelley for sharing what she has to help us extend our tree.
Please do let us know in the comment section if there are any correction or if you have more information about these folks.
➡ Beerbower Family, Helbling Family
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Family treasure chest of photos.
Please contact us if you would like higher resolution 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.
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.
![Wedding certificate of Irene L. Peters and Samuel Taylor Beerbower, 13 January 1867. Courtesy of Marion County [Ohio] Historical Society. (Click to enlarge.)](https://i0.wp.com/heritageramblings.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/sam-and-irene-marriage.jpg?ssl=1)
