Beerbower Family-

Mary Emma Beerbower and Olive Beerbower were not siblings, but instead, children of two siblings, our direct ancestor Eleazer John “E. J.” Beerbower (1815-1882) and his brother, Samuel Beerbower (1824-1890); this made them cousins.

Olive Beerbower was the daughter of Samuel Beerbower (1824-1890) and  Nance “Jane” Huggins Beerbower (1834-1930- she was 96 when she died!). Born on 13 March 1855 in Prospect, Marion County, Ohio, Olive was the first of three children born to Samuel and his wife.

Olive probably helped out at home when her brother, Caspar Samuel Beerbower, pictured above, was born four years later, in 1859.

“Ollie” as she was affectionately known, grew up in Marion, Ohio with her brother.  They lived next to her uncle E. J. and his family, and she would have played with her cousins, particularly Mary Emma Beerbower, who was just 3 years older, but who only had brothers. Ollie’s father was a marble cutter, and they likely were fairly comfortable, as the 1860 census notes that he owned $1500 in real estate and had $850 in personal value. Her uncle E. J. was also a highly skilled craftsman, as he was a buggy upholsterer. Neither family was rich, but they probably had enough to get by.

Mary Emma Beerbower, or “Emma” as she was called (Germans often used their middle name on a daily basis, rather than their first Christian name), was the daughter of Eleazer John Beerbower and Matilda Louise McKelvey Beerbower. She was the eighth of nine children, born 10 March 1852 in Marion. Her brother John E. Beerbower, above, was the baby of the family.

The early 1860s were an unsettling time for both families, as it was for the whole nation as southern states seceded and war broke out to preserve the Union. Emma’s brother and Ollie’s cousin, Samuel T. Beerbower, decided to enlist for a term of 3 years in the Union Army beginning October 23, 1861; he was just 19, and 10 years older than Emma. The Underground Railroad operated through Ohio, and much of the state had northern sympathies. The family would have closely followed the news of battles and Samuel’s unit, hoping to not hear the bad news so dreaded by families who have members serving their country.

The terror of the War of the Rebellion really came home to Ohio in July of 1863, when Morgan’s Confederates entered southern Ohio as part of their 46-day, 1,000 mile raid through Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. Thankfully the Raiders did not get as far north as Marion, but they were close enough, and people were afraid they might get that far. Although captured in Ohio (but they escaped), the Confederate Raiders successfully diverted Union troops from southern campaigns, and definitely did strike fear into the population as part of the psychological warfare of the time. Ollie was just eight, Emma eleven- it must have been very frightening to children, especially with so many young men away fighting, and not there to protect their families.

Even more frightening was what happened next, just four months after the Raiders hit Ohio-  Samuel T., who had fought in many of the War’s battles, was wounded on November 25, 1863. He was charging up the mountain bravely at Mission Ridge, Georgia, when a ball went through him near his shoulder blade and spine, lacking an inch or so of paralyzing him from his chest down for life. He spent three months recuperating in military hospitals, until his arm was more usable, and then requested a discharge home to more fully recover. It was granted, and he mustered out March 23, 1864. It must have been quite a homecoming!

Emma’s brother Stephen Russell Beerbower, age 19, enlisted just six weeks after his brother Samuel T. came home. Emma was probably heartbroken, but grateful that her two little brothers were too young to enlist.

And then Ollie’s nine-year-old world really fell apart- her father, Samuel Beerbower, enlisted in the Union Army on the same day, in the same unit as Stephen: May 2, 1864, Co. B, 136th Ohio.

The mix of emotions must have been so difficult for the two girls- pride in their family serving the Union (and going to get those Rebs who hurt their Samuel!), fear for the safety of their loved ones, especially after seeing Samuel’s injury, and that hole in their heart as the 136th Ohio marched off to war.

Why would they enlist- especially Samuel, at age 39, and a husband and father?

As the war continued and more soldiers were needed, conscription was begun in 1863 for men between 20 and 45 years old. Samuel was thus eligible- maybe he enlisted, knowing that he might be drafted, or perhaps he felt he needed to help the Union finally win the war.  All the men in his unit were mustered in on that same date, with those in higher positions knowing the Union was preparing to launch a massive campaign on many fronts to try to finally end the war.

Samuel and Stephen had 100-day enlistments, and those units generally did guard duty at facilities and strategic places, such as Washington, D.C., freeing up the trained troops for actual fighting elsewhere. It wasn’t quite as dangerous as being in the field, though at times it could be a dangerous, possibly even lethal, situation.

 

It was probably a very long 100 days for the whole family, including Ollie and Emma.

 

To be continued…

 

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) 1860 US Federal Census for Samuel Beerbower: Year: 1860; Census Place: Marion, Marion, Ohio; Roll: M653_1006; Page: 326; Image: 123; Family History Library Film: 805006. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

2) Morgan’s Raid: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan%27s_Raid

3) Civil War conscription: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_the_United_States#Civil_War

4) Wilson Peters, who would later become Samuel T. Beerbower’s brother-in-law, was in the 136th Ohio as well. There are other familiar last names on the roster as well, which shows that the company was tight-knit, and all from the same area.

5) See “Those Places Thursday: Bertha Beatrice Beerbower and her World Travels” to learn more about Ollie’s youngest sister Bertha. http://heritageramblings.net/2015/03/19/those-places-thursday-bertha-beatrice-beerbower-and-her-world-travels/

 

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Beerbower Family

A Beerbower living in Egypt? Shanghai, China? Yes, there was, and she was living in those places, not just visiting.

We often think of our ancestors, especially those born in the 1800s, as staying in one place for much of their lives. Some of our ancestors, however, were world travelers. It would be so interesting to have them tell us their stories themselves!

Sadly, I have not found a diary or other information to detail daily life for Bertha Beatrice Beerbower, but can describe a bit of her life and travels.

Bertha was the youngest of three children born to Samuel Beerbower (1824-1890) and his wife Nance “Jane” Huggins Beerbower (1834-1930); she was the granddaughter of Caspar J. Bierbower (1782-1851) and Christina Reiber Bierbower (1784-1849). She would be a cousin, as her father Samuel was the younger brother of our ancestor, Eleazer John Beerbower.

Samuel and family moved from Marion, Ohio between 1870 and 1876, where Bertha was born 3 January 1876 in Winterset, Madison County, Iowa. Winterset is just 30 miles southwest of Des Moines, Iowa, and in 1870, the population was 1,485. The town was growing though, and by 1880 had 2,583 residents.

Berth’s siblings were quite a bit older- Olive was 21 when Bertha was born, and Casper 17; their mother age 42. Ollie passed away when Bertha was just 3, and Casper married when Bertha was 4, so she was, for all purposes, an only child.

Madison County, Iowa, is located on a a beautiful prairie, with hills and rivers running through. It is famous for its covered bridges, such as Roseman Bridge, which was built in 1883. Of the original 19 bridges built in the late 1800s, there are six still standing, built 1870-1883, and they are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. (The reference number for Roseman Bridge is 76000792.) Doubtless Bertha and her family traveled over these bridges many times, and may have picnicked along the banks.

Winterset was the county seat, and the old courthouse, which burned, was replaced the year Bertha was born, in 1876. This would have been a familiar sight in the downtown shopping area for Bertha and family.

Bertha married Benjamin Franklin Bare (1874-1951) on 25 May 1895 (or 15 Dec 1895 or 1896- need to verify date) in Winterset, so they would have visited the courthouse to obtain their marriage license. They had one child, Robert Osborne Bare (1901-1980), and lived in Winterset through the 1920 census. Benjamin, like his father, operated a grocery store and bakery in Winterset. He was also very interested in that new-fangled invention the automobile, owned one of the first in Madison County, and even offered a taxi service around 1900.

Robert and Bertha divorced after 1920 (1918 per some researchers, but they are found together in the 1920 census, along with 18 y/o Robert). Bertha was noted alone as a roomer in the 1925 census for Winterset, so the divorce likely took place between 1920-1925.

Bertha was a schoolteacher. She likely taught in the US, but she also taught in a girl’s school in Cairo, Egypt, after her enumeration in the 1925 Iowa census.

Life in Egypt would have been very different than that in Winterset, Iowa! King Tutankhamun’s tomb had been discovered in 1922, and the romance of ancient Egypt permeated cultures far and wide around the world during that time period. Architecture, jewelry, and home decor reflected the new-found riches of the tomb. It would have been an exciting adventure for Bertha to be in that part of the world during that time, and especially for a single woman.

There are passenger records for her departure from Bremen, Germany, on 12 Aug 1932 with her arrival a week later in New York on the ship, Columbus. She may have traveled from Egypt to Germany for her passage to the states.

Bertha also taught at a school in Shanghai, China. (We are not sure of the timetable of when she taught where overseas.) China was still not very “open” to Westerners at that time, so she would have probably delighted to see the old culture. The 1930s were tumultuous years in China- there were skirmishes between the Nationalist party and the Communists, with Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung) battling for the country. Additionally, the Japanese had occupied parts of the country from 1931-1945, and committed many war atrocities against the civilian population. Bertha must have been very brave to stay through it all! But what a view she had of world history in the making- the occupation during the Sino-Japanese War became a part of World War II, in which Bertha’s son later served in the Marine Corps as a General of the Allied amphibious forces in the Pacific Theatre.

Bertha’s son Robert O. Bare and his wife Elizabeth Lowes Bare were listed on a passenger list for the ship Henderson which arrived in San Francisco on 19 Nov 1927 from Qinhuangdao, China.  Perhaps they had been visiting Bertha? (Alternatively, Robert may have been stationed in China and his wife accompanied him.)

[UPDATE 6/5/15: We now know that Robert was stationed in China at one point, so perhaps this was their return rather than a visit.]

Bertha is listed on the manifest of the M.S. Chichibu Maru which sailed from Yokohama Japan on July 15th, 1938, and arrived at the Port of Los Angeles on July 31st, 1938. Her destination in the United States was the “American College for girl Winterset Iowa.” There is no one else listed on that page with the same name, nor same hometown or destination, so it appears she was traveling alone. Leaving Asia in 1938 was a wise choice, as more war was imminent.

Bertha moved to Annapolis, Maryland after she returned from her travels and retired from teaching. She died there, on 24 Apr 1950 after a long illness. She is buried in the Winterset City Cemetery.

 

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1) Winterset, Iowa, 1907 image: “Winterset, Iowa – 1907” by FJ Bandholts – Library of Congress. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Winterset,_Iowa_-_1907.jpg#/media/File:Winterset,_Iowa_-_1907.jpg

2) Roseman Bridge image from Wikimedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winterset,_Iowa#/media/File:Roseman_Bridge.jpg. The bridge was used in the 1995 movie, The Bridges of Madison County.

3) Population statistics per Wikipedia entry for Winterset, Iowa, and originally from “American FactFinder”. United States Census Bureau. and Iowa Data Center.

4) 1932 Passenger list: Year: 1932; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Microfilm Roll: Roll 5207; Line: 11; Page Number: 41. Ancestry.com. New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

5) M. S. Chichibu Maru manifest: Ancestry.com. California, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1959 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Page 947/1076 on Ancestry, No. 104 written in on list. Original data: Selected Passenger and Crew Lists and Manifests. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

6) Gizeh, Egypt image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Touristen_in_Egypte_-_Tourists_in_Egypt.jpg

7) Shanghai, China image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bund_in_1930_-_Shanghai_Urban_Planning_Exhibition_Center.JPG

8) Bertha Beerbower Bare- Obituary transcription: http://iagenweb.org/boards/madison/obituaries/index.cgi?read=144104

9) Find a Grave Memorial: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13685689&ref=acom

 

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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.

 

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