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.

 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:

 

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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

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.

 

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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.

 

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 What a joyous news note- the birth of a daughter to Edgar “Ed” Peter Beerbower and Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower!

This cherished daughter was born 22 April 1880. She was named Mary Emma Beerbower, likely after her paternal aunt, Mary Emma (Beerbower) Ligenfelter, who was 3 years younger than her brother Ed.

A Marion, Ohio newspaper printed this story, since Ed and his father, Eleazer John Beerbower, his mother, Matilda Louise McElvey Beerbower, and their other children, were former residents of Marion. (It was also a way to increase newspaper sales in another city- a common ploy by savvy newspapers.) Ed’s brother Samuel T. Beerbower still lived in Marion, and was the postmaster, so the news would be of interest to many in the town.

Ed and Anna Beerbower had already had 2 sons, Robert Warson Beerbower, born 1874, and Edgar Springsteen Beerbower, born 1876. There was then a gap of about three and a half years before dear Mary Emma was born. Two more children would later be born to Ed and Anna: Anna May Beerbower, b. 1881, and Willie Beerbower, b. 1889, but Willie only lived one day.

Samuel T. Beerbower and his wife, Irene L. Peters, had only two known children, both sons: Cornell R. Beerbower (b. 1870) and Wilson Beerbower, birthdate unknown but probably in the 1870s; he only lived one year and a few days.

Little Mary Emma’s grandparents, Eleazer and Matilda Beerbower, were still alive and living in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1880, and must have been thrilled to finally have a granddaughter. Other children of Eleazer and Matilda would give them more grandchildren in later years.

Note the play on words: “Brightwooder be the smiles…” instead of “Bright would be the smiles.” The writer refers to Brightwood, where the daughter was born, a residential area then northeast of Indianapolis, Indiana.

We have real privacy concerns today, but it’s really not that new, except the scope- the newspapers of old could print pretty much what they wanted and usually filled their columns with all sorts of goings on in the town, along with editorial content in the news pages. The birth of a niece was probably a happy event for Samuel and his wife Irene, especially with the 3+ year gap in children for Anna and Ed Beerbower, when they may have lost another child not known. Sadly, the newspaper sort of rubs in the fact that Samuel and Irene do not have a daughter of their own- that probably hurt deeply, as anyone who has lost a child or been unable to have as many as they wish would know.

The sadness continues though… despite being a healthy 8- 1/2 pounds at birth, baby Mary Emma Beerbower only lived just over two months. The Beerbower family bible states

“Died

Mary Emma Beerbower

June 29th 1880 Aged

9 weeks, 5 days

Brightwood, Ind.”

The telegram was dated 29 June,, but states that the infant died “yesterday, at 4 p.m.” making her actual death date 28 Jun 1880. The paper notes her burial is to be July 1st, but the Find A Grave record for Mary Emma in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana, notes that she was buried 29 Aug 1880, quite a long time from the bible and telegram death date.

Mary Emma is buried in Section 22, Lot 894, which is not by the remaining family’s lots.

Even though the news is first happy but ultimately sad here, one bright spot to an intrepid family historian is that the first article tells where  Ed Beerbower worked- the CCC & IRR office, so we may be able to find some railroad worker records for him now that we know the line and a date.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Birth announcement in Marion [Ohio] Daily Star, April 26, 1880, Volume III, No. 170, Page 4, Column 2. Posted with kind permission of the newspaper for personal, non-profit use only.

2) 1880 US Federal Census for Eleazer and Matilda (McElvey) Beerbower: Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana; Roll: 295; Family History Film: 1254295; Page: 227B; Enumeration District: 113; Image: 0156.

3) Death telegram news story in Marion [Ohio] Daily Star, April 26, 1880, Volume III, No. 225, Page 4, Column 2. Posted with kind permission of the newspaper for personal, non-profit use only.

4) Mary Emma Beerbower’s Find A Grave Memorial #45869800: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=45869800&ref=acom

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