[Daughter of Anna Missouri and Edgar P. Beerbower, on Nov 24- 1904.]
Edgar S. Beerbower to
Rosabel K. Hoppe Oct. 19- 1905
St. Louis, Mo. Thursday
[Edgar Springsteen Beerbower, son of Anna Missouri and Edgar P. Beerbower.]
Robert W. Beerbower
Josephine Ruffle Aug-23,
Indianapolis Ind.
[Robert Warson Beerbower, son of Anna Missouri and Edgar P. Beerbower.]
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Beerbower family bible.
2)Springsteen and Beerbower Family Group Records compiled over many years using bibles, census, and other data.
3) Edgar Peter Beerbower was called, “Ed” and I have seen him listed as “Edward.” Being that Edgar became a family name, I lean toward his name being “Edgar.”
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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
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[Robert Warson (b. 1874), Edgar (b. 1876), and (Anna) May (b. 1881), children of Anna Missouri and Edgar P.]
Anna M. Beerbower Baptized
Nov 1st 1885 By Rev
McNutt. Presbyterian M.
[Probably Anna Missouri Springsteen Beerbower, bible owner, since daughter Anna M. already baptized.]
Anna Beerbower
Became a member of
the Co Presbyterian Church
Feb 30 1887
Rev. M[?]
[Probably Anna Missouri Springsteen Beerbower, bible owner. Likely in Cairo, Illinois.]
Roberta Pearl Beerbower
Christened Nov. 4th Sunday 1900
by Rev. Mr. Hunter Pastor Prec[?]
522 Buchanen St.
Indianapolis Ind.
[Grand-daughter of Anna Missouri and Edgar P., and daughter of Robert Warson Beerbower & Josephine Ruffle.]
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Beerbower family bible.
2) Springsteen and Beerbower Family Group Records compiled over many years using bibles, census, and other data.
3) Note nickname of “Eddie” for Edgar Springsteen Beerbower.
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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, 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.
“Jany 19 -74” may indicate that Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower began recording family events in the bible received from her father on that date. We also know that any dates that occurred before the date of presentation, 31 December 1873, may be subject to error, although most information has been verified with a few exceptions that will be noted.
BIBLE INSCRIPTION
NOTES
Births
E. P. Beerbower Born June 28th-49Pickerington, O
Edgar Peter was the husband of Anna Missouri Springsteen; year b.was 1849.
Anna M. Beerbower Born May 16th-54Indianapolis Ind 117 Spring St.
Anna Missouri Springsteen Beerbower, bible owner. Year b. was 1854.
Robert Warson Beerbower Born June 16 187[?]126 Spring St. Indianapolis, Ind Tuesday
The first son of Edgar P. and Anna Missouri, b. 1874.
Edgar Springsteen Beerbower Born Oct 19 187[?]263 Christian Ave, Indianapolis, Ind Thursday
The second child of Edgar P. and Anna Missouri, born 1876. Given his mother’s maiden name as his middle name.
Mary Emma Beerbower Born April 22 1880 ThursdayBrightwood, IndMarion Co.
Third child of Edgar P. and Anna Missouri Springsteen Beerbower.
Anna May. Born May 25th-81- 9 pm ThursdayAt 264 East Ohio St. Indianapolis
Fourth child of Anna Missouri and Edgar P.; year b. was 1881.
Willie Beerbower Born[Fe?]b 14 1889 at Cairo Ill
Fifth and last child of Anna Missouri and Edgar P.; b. Feb 14, 1889.
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Beerbower family bible.
2) Springsteen and Beerbower Family Group Records compiled over many years using bibles, census, and other data.
3) Edgar Peter Beerbower was called, “Ed” and I have seen him listed as “Edward.” Being that Edgar became a family name, I lean toward his name being “Edgar.”
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Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, 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.
The year 1866 must have been a year of a big collective sigh in what was again a United States of America. The strife of the Civil War was behind the country, although the personal, physical, financial, and emotional wounds still festered; they would heal some with time. The Beerbower family bible was printed that year, but we have no information on its whereabouts prior to its presentation in 1873.
The bible is inscribed,
“Presented to Anna M. Beerbower by her Father.
Dec 31st 73″.
Unfortunately that page seems to be missing in my scans, but one of the scans has some of the information below:
Beerbower Bible-
The date is listed in my transcription from long ago, but I do not know why there is no scan with that page. Another item to investigate in my spare time…
Anna Missouri Springsteen was married 12 Feb 1873 to Edgar Peter Beerbower. The bible was a gift from her father, Jefferson Springsteen (1820-1909), at the end of that year, as her married name was inscribed in the first pages.
Upon Anna Missouri’s death, the bible was passed on to her daughter Anna May, and then to her daughter, Mary Theresa Helbling McMurray. Names included are BEERBOWER, SPRINGSTEEN, HELBLING, HOPPE, RUFFLE,and CROZIER; the majority of the family lived in Indianapolis, Indiana. The bible was copied and transcribed in 1995, then the transcription was revised and annotated in 2008, all by Anna Missouri Springsteen Beerbower’s great-granddaughter (yours truly).
I do not believe the above is the handwriting of Anna Missouri Springsteen Beerbower- in upcoming posts you may note the different style of “M” and “B” on this page as compared to early entries in subsequent pages. I am not a handwriting expert, but this looks like the writing of a little girl. I am wondering if this is the handwriting of her daughter when young- Anna May Beerbower Helbling. The second style of handwriting in later pages also differs from this, and does look like other examples we have of Anna May’s handwriting.
Sometimes it is hard to remain objective as a family historian, as my mind wanders to what might have taken place between people, daydreaming about the circumstances: the who, what, where, why, when, and how of an event. Looking at this information as I write it, I wonder why the bible was a gift at the end of the year, and not a wedding gift or Christmas gift. Christmas was much less lavish back in the 1870s, and the Panic of 1873 set off a six year depression so money was probably tight. Thin budgets might explain it being an older bible- maybe used or a clearance sale item? Since the family record pages were not written in, even if it was a used bible, it was very gently used over those seven years before it came into Anna M.’s possession. It may even have been an extra family bible owned by Jefferson and his wife Anna Connor, as we also have their Springsteen family bible pages. (Those will be posted soon.)
I do find it curious that it was given to her by her father, and her mother, still living, was not mentioned. But that would have been consistent with the times, a wife/mother being on the sidelines with all owned and given by the male head of the family.
Back to the circumstances- why was the bible given on Dec. 31, 1873?
Trolling through records of both families, mind open to seeing new connections, the flash of understanding occurred- Robert Warson Beerbower, the first child/son of Anna M. and Ed Beerbower’s, was born 16 Jun 1874. That was six and a half months after the bible was presented. My mind leapt to the idea that Anna had announced her pregnancy about the end of December, when signs of her pregnancy became evident and she knew she might carry to term in the days of pregnancy being a dangerous condition. (Pregnancy still is dangerous- the US has an embarrassingly high infant and maternal mortality and morbidity rate.) Delving further into the information known about her siblings, I realized that two others were married prior to the bible presentation date in 1873, but none yet had children.
So we can’t say for sure, but I surmise that the bible was a gift from a father to his daughter, on the occasion of his first grandchild preparing to come into the world. How touching, and how wonderful to have an idea about the possible circumstances of the bible presentation.
Pages from the bible will be presented with their transcriptions in upcoming posts.
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) Beerbower family bible.
2) Springsteen and Beerbower Family Group Records compiled over many years using bibles, census, and other data.
3) Edgar Peter Beerbower was called, “Ed” and I have seen him listed as “Edward.” Being that Edgar became a family name, I lean toward his name being “Edgar.”
Please contact us if you would like higher resolution images.
Copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, 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.
Mary T. Helbling and “Honeychow,” the family’s beloved cocker spaniel, c early 1940s.
This is really a ‘Sentimental Sunday’- a day that causes memories, regrets, happy thoughts, and a whole mix of emotions to weave through my consciousness throughout the day. It is the birthday of Mary Theresa (Helbling) McMurray.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, to G. W. Helbling and Anna May Beerbower Helbing, Mary never knew that she was named for her paternal great-grandmother, Mary Theresa (Knipshield) Helbling. She always thought her family was of poor German and Irish origins, but it turns out that they were early pioneers, upstanding community members, and good, hardworking people. (See previous Helbling posts.)
Mary Theresa Helbling as a baby, 1925.
Mary was the last of the seven children born in the family, with her nearest sibling eight years older. So she was the ‘baby’ of the family, and often felt like she had a number of mothers and fathers, since her oldest sibling was 17 years older. Her father was stern with her, but her mother doted on her, and she loved her mother so intensely that it was very hard for her to leave home even when she fell in love and married.
Mary T. Helbling playing chess as a child, c1930s.
Mary’s father, G. W. Helbing, was extremely intelligent, even though he had not completed more than the eighth grade; her mother completed two years of high school. Her older brothers and sisters were very intelligent too- she sometimes had the same nuns for teachers as they had at St. Mark’s Catholic School, and the nuns would expect so much of her, because her older siblings had done so well. She was very good at spelling and loved to play chess, which her father and siblings taught her when young, and was a whiz at schedules and plain old arithmetic. She never really liked school though.
Mary T. Helbling as a young teen with one of the family’s cocker spaniels, c late 1930s.
Mary loved to play with paper dolls and read movie magazines, though the magazines were considered scandalous back then. She would sometimes cut out the pictures of the movie stars, and use them as paper dolls. She loved the ‘glamour girls’ of the 1940s and wanted to look like them- there are many pictures of her in similar poses. She loved singing- even sang on the radio once as a child or young teen. Her mother’s cousin was Elsie Janis- a famed comedienne/singer/actress of the early 1900s and “The Sweetheart of the A.E.F.” (more on Elsie in upcoming posts) – and Mary wanted to be like her. The family had cocker spaniels which Mary dearly loved. One died in a fire in the family home, and Mary was always so sad about that, even 50 years later.
Mary T. Helbling and her husband, Edward A. McMurray, September 1948. “The Merry Macs” as she labeled this photo in her album.
Mary was a very fast typist and knew shorthand. She worked at Gardner’s Advertising and then a government group (maybe AFEES?) during the war. Mary met US Army/Air Corp veteran Edward A. McMurray on a blind date at a picnic in a park in 1946. The two fell madly in love, but did not want to marry, as Ed was in pharmacy school. Love won out, however, and they married on June 5, 1948. They lived with her parents until Ed graduated, found a job, and they purchased a house in north St. Louis County, in a new subdivision during the booming 1950s.
Mary (Helbling) McMurray holding her first child, 1954.
Although Mary would have loved to have the glamorous life of a singing star, as her mother’s cousin Elsie Janis had, she mostly just wanted to be a wife and mother. She did both, and always said that was her greatest accomplishment.
Mary Theresa (Helbling) McMurray passed away April 3, 2008, of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Happy Birthday, Mary Theresa. We love you and miss you.
Notes, Sources, and References:
1) G.W. Helbling, head of household, 1940 US Federal Census- Source Citation: Year: 1940; Census Place: St Louis, St Louis City, Missouri; Roll: T627_2208; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 96-670.
2) Family photos and oral history.
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Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.
We would love to read your thoughts and comments about this post, 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.
