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.

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.

 

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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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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.

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.

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Helbling Family, Springsteen Family (Click for Family Tree)

We continue our posts of the Springsteen Family Bible with the small piece of paper clipped to the “Memoranda” page:

It reads:

Baby Born 2/26/06

”      Baptized 4/22/06

Mary My then died 4/15/06

Jefferson Springsteen died 4/14/05

John           ”    died 5/2/06

Ed married 10/19/05

Mother           4/2/07

Baby died      6/12/07

The dear “Baby” who has a birth, baptism, and death listed was the first child of Anna May (Beerbower) Helbling (1881-1954) and William Gerard Helbling (1882-1971). Anna May was the daughter of Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower (1854-1939), probably the original owner of the bible. The baby’s name was William Francis Helbling. Anna Missouri had two of her own five children die young- one just a day old, the other only nine weeks- so she surely understood the pain that her daughter felt at losing a child. It was probably doubly painful to Anna Missouri because she had lost her first grandson (she did have a granddaughter at that date), but also to see her own baby in pain from losing a baby must have been almost unbearable.

If memory serves, Mary T. (Helbling) McMurray said that the handwriting was that of her grandmother, Anna Missouri, but the last 3 entries on this scrap were written by her own mother, Anna May.

Mary Mythen is Mary G. (Springsteen) Mythen (or Mithen), married to John Mythen. See next week’s “Mystery Monday: Mary G. (Springsteen) Mythen” for the little bit we know about Mary and John.

The Jefferson Springsteen who died 4/14/05 would be the younger family member, known as Thomas Jefferson Springsteen, born in 1848. He was the brother of Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower, the bible owner, thus son of Jefferson Springsteen (1820-1909) and Anna M. (Conner) Springsteen (1824-1887).

Anna Missouri’s other brother John William Springsteen is listed on the scrap with his death date. The rest of her siblings died in the 1930s, except baby Joseph Springsteen who only lived not quite two years, and Mary Elizabeth (Springsteen) Beckwith, who died in 1928.

The Ed who married in 1905 was Edgar Springsteen Beerbower (1876-1940, Anna May’s brother. His wife was Rosabel K. Hoppe (1885-1976), but sadly their marriage did not last, and they divorced sometime between 1920 and 1930.

The next entry for “Mother” likely means that Anna May’s mother married on 4/2/1907. Anna Missouri (Springsteen) Beerbower had divorced her husband years before, but had, as was common, been listed as ‘widowed’ on the census and even in an 1897 Indianapolis, Indiana city directory. This marriage entry is curious, as Anna Missouri was living in St. Louis in 1900, and she and Edgar Peter Beerbower (1849-1916) did remarry. A marriage record has been found for her husband dated either 26 or 28 December 1908- a very different date than what is in the bible. The marriage record is  for E. P. Beerbower (Edgar did use his initials) and a “Mrs. Mae Clore.”

This does not make sense with anything we know of the family, as in 1910 Anna Missouri and Edgar P. Beerbower were living together in Indianapolis. No re-marriage certificate has been found for them in Indiana (their 1873 first marriage is a record available on Ancestry.com), and none with Anna Missouri’s name on it. Clerical error, perhaps, with the marriage register? Anyone have other ideas?

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Family treasure chest.

 

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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.

Gridded notepaper pinned to front page:

Mary died Jan. 6^th,
1928
Ind.
In her 82^nd year
At her sons. 2331-
N. New Jersey St.
Indianapolis
Ind.

[Mary Elizabeth Springsteen Beckwith, Anna Beerbower & Edgar Springsteen’s daughter (b. 1846); married to Joseph E. Beckwith (1844-1922).]

 

Abram F. Springsteen
Died Jun 20^th 1930.
In his 80^th year
Santille Calif-

[Abram Furman Springsteen, brother of Anna May Springsteen Beerbower. Served as ‘youngest drummer boy’ of the Civil War.]

 

Birdie Springsteen
Died Jan 11^th
Calif.     1932

[Birdie Crozier Rosengarten Springsteen, second wife of Abram F. Springsteen, Anna Missouri’s brother.]

 

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.

 

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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.

 

Sadly, we do not have funeral cards for Jefferson Springsteen in our family, but there were a few death and funeral notices published in the newspaper for him, including one in the Washington DC newspaper. (Jeff’s son, Abram F. Springsteen, was celebrated as the youngest drummer boy in the Civil War in Indiana, and he worked for the Federal government in the Pension Office.)

See the originals of Jeff’s obituary and death/funeral notices that we have at “Wishful Wednesday: Jefferson Springsteen was “Lured by the Sawdust Ring…”

Here are the transcriptions:

WILL BE BURIED TUESDAY

Funeral Services of Jefferson Springsteen at Home of Daughter

The funeral of Jefferson Springsteen, who for seven months had been confined

to his bed at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. J. F. Beckwith, 1118

Bellefontaine street, with whom he made his home, will take place from there at

2 p.m. tomorrow. The burial will be at Crown Hill cemetary. His wife died

twenty-two years ago. He is survived by the following children: Abram F.

Springsteen of the pension department, Washington, D.C.; Robert Springsteen,

this city; Charles Springsteen, Champaign, Ill.; Mrs. E.P. Beerbower and Mrs.

J. F. Beckwith, this city; also by eight grandchildren and eleven

great-grandchildren.

His death occcurred Saturday afternoon. He was born at Harrison, O.

February 14, 1820 and when a boy ran away with a circus, but soon gave up the

sawdust ring. He came to Indianapolis in 1835 and when sixteen years old was in the employ of the government carrying the

mail on horseback between this city and Winchester, a trip of sixty-five miles.

In 1837 he went to New York, where for some time he had a restaurant at the

old Fulton market. He married Anne Connor of Brooklyn and in 1852 they came to

this city for permanent residence. He was a Democrat and soon became a leader

in his party in local politics. In 1854 he was made “captain of the watch” and

between 1855 and 1861 served as city marshal. He was well known as a

contracting painter for many years, but retired from active business life

twenty years ago.

————————————

CARRIED MAIL ON HORSEBACK

Public Service Began When 16

Over 65-Mile Route- Later

Democratic Politician.

Jefferson Springsteen, one of the oldest pioneers of Indiana, died at 8

o’clock yesterday afternoon at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Joseph Beckwith,

1118 Bellefontaine street, closing an eventful and interesting career of

ninety years. The funeral will be held at the home Tuesday afternoon with

interment at Crown Hill Cemetary.

—————————————-

SPRINGSTEEN, JEFFERSON – Died in his ninetieth year at the home of his

daughter, Mrs. Joseph Beckwith, 1118 Bellefontaine street. Funeral notice

later.

—————————————–

SPRINGSTEEN – Jefferson Springsteen, age [?] years. Funeral Tuesday, September

28, at [?] p.m. at the home of his daughter Mrs. [?] Beckwith, 1118 Bellefontaine

st. Friends invited. Burial private.

 

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Copyright 2013-2014 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

1) Family Treasure Chest

2) Abram F. Springsteen HeritageRamblings blog posts:

Sibling Saturday: Happy Birthday, Abram F. Springsteen! Part 1

 

 Sentimental Sunday: Abram F. Springsteen, Part 2

 

 

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.