It has been a while since I have posted on here and I apologize for that. This was a project that I adapted a few years ago and I have let it lapse.

This shall lapse no longer. I will continue to post on here, at least once a month (if not more).

Tilghman and Ida (Holland) Weisbach

My grandfather, Charles George Weisbach (1921-2008).

Cute, huh? Now you see where I get it!

In honor of my grandfather's 93rd birthday, I will write about his parents, my maternal great-grandparents, Tilghman and Ida (Holland) Weisbach. 

My grandfather's family was kind of like the Brady Bunch -- a large blended family -- although they didn't necessarily all live under one roof in peace and harmony. At the end of the day, my great-grandparents had thirteen children between them: six of them, having died at birth or in early infancy. My grandfather was the youngest of these children.

My paternal grandfather, Tilghman Charles Weisbach, was born 27 April 1875, possibly in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania (this is what his death certificate says). He was the eldest child of Charles F. and Mary (Osmun) Weisbach.

During Tilghman's childhood, the family lived in Allentown; the family had moved around many times, with different addresses found in the south central part of the city. By the time he was nineteen years old, Tilghman was working as a wire cutter.

My great-grandfather, Tilghman Weisbach, on the far right. He was involved with the Allentown, Pennsylvania, fire department, and also served as President of the Allentown Fire Police in the 1910s.

During his life, Tilghman was employed as a moulder, and later as a ribbon weaver and silk weaver. He was also involved with the fire department in Allentown, particularly with Engine Company No. 2. In 1903, Tilghman was nominated to serve as assistant secretary for Engine Company No. 2. In May 1913, Tilghman was re-elected as president of the Allentown Fire Police. He also held the title in 1918.

In or around 1896, he married his first wife, Emma Lilly Trumbauer. Emma, or Lillie as she was known (probably to differentiate from her mother), was born 13 May 1876, the daughter of Franklin John and Emma Matilda (George) Trumbauer. They made their home in Allentown. In 1905, at the time of the death of their son, Willard, they were living at 1149 Lawrence Street, Allentown. The family was still living there in 1907, according to the Allentown City Directory from that year.

Tilghman and Lillie appeared to have been separated by 1910; the census from that year stated that Lillie and Tilghman were living at separate residences: Tilghman was a boarder at the home of Violet Daughtery, 18 South Eighth Street, Allentown, and Lillie was living with her father at 726 Chew Street, Allentown. However, it appears that Tilghman and Lillie had reconciled, as two more children were born to them (that year, and in 1912). It is possible that Tilghman and Lillie were separated again. The death certificate for a stillborn daughter, born to Ellen M. Wheeler on 24 April 1915, in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, listed Tilghman Weisbach as the father. 

The Allentown City Directory listed 910 Maple Street, Allentown, as Tilghman's address. He was listed as being a silk weaver.

Lillie died on 24 December 1916. According to her death certificate, she died of "septicemia," with the contributing factor being the absence of the uterus. (On Tilghman's marriage license to Ida Holland, he admitted that he had been married before, but the marriage ended with the death of his wife, and gave the date of Lillie's death; so, Tilghman and Lillie were still legally married.)

Tilghman and Lillie had, at least, seven children: 

1. Arthur Stanley, born 8 November 1898; he died in July 1982. He married Lillian Reichenbach on 16 December 1925, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Lillian died before 1930.
   
2. Lillian Mary, born in 1900, in Allentown, Pennsylvania; she died in March 1993, in South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. She married John A. Merkle. They had three children: Roland G., Muriel J. (1919-2014, Mrs. Robert Howard), and Gladys M. (?-2009, Mrs. Charles Ferry).
   
3. Warren Tillman, born in 1903; he died before 1910.
   
4. Willard, born 9 November 1905; he died of pneumonia on 26 March 1906, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and was buried in the Union-West End Cemetery, Allentown.
   
5. A child, who was born and died before 1910. [The United States Federal Census (1910) listed that Lillie had five children, two of which were alive, in 1910.]
6. Carlton John, born 27 April 1910, in Allentown, Pennsylvania; he died 2 January 2001, in Salisbury Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. He married Jean C. Kehl, in October 1951. They had three children: Carton Jr., Gail L. (Mrs. Barna), and Lynn M. Carlton was a self-employed barber for over 63 years before he retired in July 2000.
   
7. Frederick Charles, born 8 October 1912; he died in 1978.

Tilghman and Ellen Wheeler had one child:

1. A daughter, born 24 April 1915, at 211 Second Street, Catasauqua, Pennsylvania; was stillborn. She was buried in the Mickley's Cemetery, in Whitehall, Pennsylvania.

Henry and Margaret Huff

Henry Huff, my fourth-great-grandfather, was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, on 21 May 1796. He was the son of Godfrey Huff (1753-1828) and his wife, Anna Elisabeth Hoffmann (1755-1828).


The gravestone of Henry Huff
Wright Cemetery, Albion, Indiana

He married Margaret Smith or Suton, my fourth great-grandmother, on 1 November 1821, in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Margaret was born 3 February 1799, in Pennsylvania.

I figure that my grandfather Henry is the same Henry Huff that lived in Sandy Township, Tuscarawas County, according to the United States Federal Census from 1830 and 1840. Additionally, he lived there in 1850, per the census. He was listed as being a farmer with $3,200 in real estate. Tuscarawas County is located in eastern Ohio, and Sandy Township is located in the northeastern corner of Tuscarawas County.

Between 1850 and 1860, the family moved to Indiana. The United States Federal Census (1860) listed Henry as living in York Township, Noble County. He was recorded as being a 64-year-old farmer with $6,000 in real estate and $400 in personal estate. Their Post Office was recorded as "Wolflake & Albion," so I am guessing that they lived between the villages of Wolf Lake and Albion, Indiana.

Henry died 3 March 1870, aged 73 years, 9 months and 13 days. Margaret died 19 September 1878, in Noble County, Indiana. Henry and Margaret were buried in Wright Cemetery, in Albion.

Children of Henry and Margaret:

1. Rebecca, born in 1827 in Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
2. Martin, born 26 September 1827 in Sandy Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio; he died 9 September 1884 in Ligonier, Indiana. He married Ruth Ann Shisler, 23 January 1851 in Tusacarawa County. They had the following children: Daniel Samual (1853-1898), Margaret E. (1853-1891), twins Eva C. (b. 1856) and Sevilla (b. 1856), twins Frederick Omer (1859-1932) and Henry Owen (1859-1893), Levi S. (1861-1903), Reuben (1863-1914), Alma (b. 1867), Martin Luther (1872-1942), and George Washington (1874-1887).
3. Daniel, born in 1830 in Sandy Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
4. Phillip, born 20 September 1831 in Sandy Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
5. Reuben B., born 11 January 1839 in Sandy Township, Tuscarawas County, Ohio; he died 24 August 1914, and was buried in the Wright Cemetery, Albion, Indiana. He married Susan Hile, 23 December 1864, and they had the following children: Ernest M. (b. 1880), Isaiah (b. 1865), Joette B. (b. 1878), and William F. (b. 1871).

Matthias Warble and Elizabeth Staubs

I had always believed that I had Northern blood in my veins. By 'Northern,' I mean in regards to the North and the South, that which is divided by the Mason-Dixon line. It's true, during my years of research, I had always found my ancestors to live on the northern side.

But then, I found Matthias Warble, a fifth-great-grandfather.

Mathias was born at Antietam Creek, east of Sharpsburg, Maryland, on 1 February 1785. He was one of seven children born to Johannes Warble and his wife, Maria Salome [Sarah] Trute. At the age of 22, on 20 June 1807, at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hagerstown, Maryland, Matthias married Elizabeth Staubs. Elizabeth was born in 1787, in Washington County, Maryland. I cannot find anything on her family. I have found her last name to be also recorded as Staup or Stoup.

The United States Federal Census (1810) listed a household manned by Mathias Warble in Jefferson County, West Virginia. (At the time, Jefferson County was part of Virginia; in 1863, it was annexed into West Virginia.) This is where the Southern blood comes in! This household included one male and one female, who were each between the ages of 26 and 44 -- this would be Mathias and Elizabeth. There was also one female, under the age of 10 -- this would be their daughter, Adeline.

The United States Federal Census (1820) also stated that the family lived in Jefferson County, Virginia/West Virginia, but this time adding that they lived in Lee. (This could be a reference to Leetown.). The household was made up of eleven people, three of which were slaves. (The slaves were: one male between the ages of 14 and 25, one male over the age of 45, and one female under the age of 14.)

By 1830, it appears, Mathias and his family moved to "the North." The United States Federal Census (1830) listed the "Matheas Warkle" family as living in Jefferson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio. Jefferson Township is located southwest of the city of Dayton, Ohio. I could not find the family in the 1840 census, but the United States Federal Census (1850) maintains that Mathias and Elizabeth were still in Jefferson Township, where Mathias farmed and owned $3,900 in real estate. He died 17 August 1854 in Jackson Township, which boardered Jefferson Township to its west, and was buried in Farmersville, Jackson Township, in the Slifer Cemetery.

The United States Federal Census (1860) listed Elizabeth Warble as being the head of a household located in Jefferson Township, Montgomery County. (Her Post Office was located in Liberty.) The census stated that Elizabeth was a 75-year-old widow with $6,000 in real estate and $100 in personal estate. Living with her were Henry and Catharine Apple, as well as their children, Lucinda, age 3, and Benjamin F., age 1. Catharine was likely Catherine (Meckley) Apple. The connection betwen Elizabeth and the Apple's is unknown. Was there a relation somehow?

Elizabeth survived her husband by twelve years before she died, aged 79, on 12 November 1866. She joined Mathias in the Slifer Cemetery.

Children of Matthias and Elizabeth:

1. Adeline, born 25 May 1809 in Shepherdstown, Virginia (now West Virginia). She died 18 February 1878, and was buried in Slifers Cemetery. Adeline married Henry Rentfrow (1810-1877), and they had the following children: Louise (1840-1878, Mrs. Hiram Gebhart), Margaret Emmline (1845-1928, Mrs. George Washington Gebhart), and Irena (1852-1863).
2. George W., born 25 May 1810. He died 17 May 1874. George maried Cynthia Miles.
3. A daughter, born in 1811 and died before 1830.
4. John, born 13 April 1813. He died 25 March 1905. John was married three times: first, to Elizabeth Snyder, 22 June 1839, who died in 1878, and had 10 children; then, to Mrs. Elizabeth (Wertz) Stine, 15 October 1879, the widow of Frederick Stine; and finally, to Cynthia Stephens.
5. Daniel, born 2 March 1816. He died in October 1864. Daniel married to Francis Furry/Farrow.
6. Elizabeth, born 11 November 1817 in Jefferson County, Virginia (now West Virginia). She died 3 October 1901. Elizabeth married Jacob Wertz, 16 June 1839 in Montgomery County, Ohio. They had three children: Mathias (b. 22 August 1840), John (b. 30 May 1844), and Daniel (b. 31 January 1852).

Peter HOLLAND and Anna Margaretha MILLER

Peter Holland, my fourth-great-grandfather, was born 28 April 1777, the son of Christian and Susanna Margaretha (Reimer) Holland. He was baptized 24 May 1777, at the First United Church of Christ, in Easton, Pennsylvania. His Godparents were Peter Ehler and Elisabetha (?). [1]







He married his first wife, Susanna Correll, around 1805. Susanna was born 28 February 1779, the daughter of Philip and Maria Engel (Schug) Correll. She died in March or May 1817, and was buried in the Forks Cemetery, in Stockertown, Northampton County.

 

He married his second wife, Anna Margaretha [Margaret] Miller, my fourth-great-grandmother, on 6 July 1817, at the First United Church of Christ, in Easton. Margaret was born 27 October 1792, the daughter of Jacob and Maria Sarah (Reimer) Miller. Peter's mother, Susanna Reimer Holland, and Margaret's mother, Sarah Reimer Miller, were sisters, making Peter and Margaret first cousins. 



The gravestone of Peter Holland,
Forks Cemetery, Stockertown, Pennsylvania.




Peter is listed in the United States Federal Census from 1830 and 1840, although the census is not specific as to who is in the household. The United States Federal Census (1850) lists Peter Holland, age 73, living in Plainfield Township, Northampton County, where he owned $4,500 in personal estate. No occupation is listed. The household included his wife, Margaret, age 58.; children: Susan, age 31, and Elizabeth, age 19, as well as Jeremiah Baker, age 14.
 

Peter died 20 January 1858, aged 80, and was buried in the Forks Cemetery.

 

Margaret was listed in the United States Federal Census (1860) as living in Plainfield Township (post office: Easton) and working as a seamstress. Also living with her was her daughter, Susan Mark, and two grandchildren, Mary and Susan Mark. The United States Federal Census (1870) listed Margaret as living in Plainfield Township (but this time, her Post Office was in Belfast). Also in the household was her daughter, Susan Holland, 57, Catharine Holland, 25, and Edna Holland, age 4.

 

Margaret survived her husband by twenty years, almost to the day. She died 23 January 1878, and was buried in the Forks Cemetery, next to Peter.
 

Peter and Susanna had four children:

1. Sarah, born 22 October 1806. She died in 1887.
2. John, born 9 Janaury 1809.
3. Julianna, born 21 December 1810.
4. Maria Anna, born 28 June 1814.  She died 25 August 1868. She married a Mr. Becker.

Peter and Anna had five children:

1. Susanna, born 30 August 1818. She died 26 August 1877. She married a Mr. Mark, and they had two children: Mary C. and Susan.
2. Jacob, born around 1820. He married Matilda Uhler, and they had nine children: William H. (b. 1844), Cecilia (b. 1846), Helena (b. 1848), James Franklin (b. 30 November 1850), Albert (b. 1852), Emma (b. 1856), Edna (b. 1859), Anna M. (b. 1860), and Jacob H. (b. August 1863).
3. Abraham, born around 1822.
4. Elizabeth, born around 1831. She married Levi Michael, and they had one daughter, Ellen (b. about 1860).
5. Matilda. She was married to a Mr. Kotz.

Christian Holland (1755-1811?)

The earliest Holland ancestor I can find is Christian Holland, my fifth-great-grandfather, who was born 7 May 1755 in Northampton County, Pennsylvania.

There was a Christian Holland, a nailsmith, who was assessed in Easton, Pennsylvania, on 2 January 1776. (At this time, Christian would have been about twenty-one years of age.) His home was located on Town Lot No. 124. This home, number 46 on this map, is located near the present-day intersection of Ferry Street and North Third. There was a Christian Holland mentioned in the church records at St. John's Lutheran Church, Easton, from the 1770s and 1780s, and it is possible that this may be the same Christian Holland.

Christian married Susanna Margaretha Reimer. Susanna was born in Williams Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Johann Valentine and Anna Margaretha (Steier) Reimer.

Christian and Susanna were the Godparents of Maria Catharine Moritz, daughter of William and Anna Eva Moritz, who was born 8 December 1754 and baptized 8 June 1777. A Pennsylvania Septennial census, dated 1786, lists a Christian Holland living in Easton.

Susanna died around 1794. Christian died 1 February 1811 in Plainfield Township, Northampton County.

Christian and Susanna had three sons:

1. Christian, born 7 May 1775.
2. Johannes
3. Peter, born 28 April 1778. He died 20 January 1858.

Osmun

My fifth-great-grandfather, John Osmun, was born in New Jersey on 30 August 1770. His parentage is unknown. Details of his early life cannot be found, due to the ambigious nature of early census records. What is known is that he was married to my fifth-great-grandmother, Rebecca Bellis, who was born in 1777.

In 1800, there was a John Osmun living in Morris and Sussex Counties, in New Jersey. This may have been him, as John and Rebecca's daughter, Elizabeth (born in 1806), was born in "Mansfield," which may be a reference to Mansfield Townhip, which was at the time located in Sussex County (it is now part of Warren County).

John died, aged 57, on 7 June 1828, in Macungie, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. In 1829, at the Orphans' Court proceedings, John is said to have left ten children, although only nine can be found. After John's death, guardians were named for the minor children: Jonas Faust was the guardian for daughters Abigail and Rebecca; Jacob Shuler, of Macungie Township, was the guardian for Catherine; and John Bellis, of Bethlehem Township, Northampton County, was the guardian for Sarah and William. It is possible that John was a relation of Rebecca; were they brother and sister?

Rebecca was living with her daughter, Abigail, in South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County. She lived to a remarkable old age, as evidenced in the United States Federal Census (1860), which recorded 84-year-old Rebecca, disabled, living in the Lehigh County Almshouse, in South Whitehall Township.

John and Rebecca had nine children:

1. Samuel, born around 1797. He died 25 November 1836 in South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. He married Maria Magdalena Miller, 27 August 1818, and had the following children: Reuben, Eli, Peter, John, Thomas (b. 31 March 1833) and Sarah.
2. John Jr.*
3. Elizabeth, born 10 March 1806. She died 15 February 1890 in Elwood, Will County, Illinois. She was first married to Joseph Rhdoes, 10 August 1827, and they had five children: Rebecca (b. 27 February 1829), Eli (b. 23 December 1830), Elovina (b. 1 September 1833), Sarah Ann (b. 2 December 1841), and Sophia (b. 20 December 1846.) Joseph died 22 August 1851 in Naperville. She then married Frederick Nehs, 26 September 1852.
4. Margaret, born 16 November 1808. She died 29 April 1898 in Chicago, Illinois. She married the Rev. Benjamin Franklin Deamer, and they had three children: Caroline (b. 2 January 1841), Solomon (b. 1843), and Catherine Amelia (b. 15 February 1845).
5. Abigail, born around 1811. She died 23 January 1890 in Naperville, Illinois. She married Solomon Drissler, around 1833, and had the following children: Rebecca Susanna (b. 28 January 1843), Mary E. (b. 28 August 1846), Milton F. (b. 9 December 1850), Ervie, and Howard.
6. Rebecca, born in 1813. She married Ruben Breifogle, 7 August 1831.
7. Sarah, born 1 February 1816. She died 5 January 1887. She was married to Daniel Gangewere, around 1840, and they had one son, Daniel Jr. She later married Nathan Sell, 29 December 1846.
8. Catherine, born 6 August 1818. She died 30 May 1897 in Allentown. She was married to Israel Trexler, 1838.
9. William, born 13 October 1821. He died 29 June 1898 in Allentown. He married Lovina Berndt.

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John Osmun Jr., my fourth-great-grandfather, was born 25 November 1803, also in New Jersey. He married Eliza Strauss on 23 August 1829, in Macungie. Eliza was born 15 August 1811, in South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.

The 1860 United States Federal Census (1860) listed John and "Eliz" Osmun as living in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania (post office being Rittersville). John had $200 in personal estate and his occupation was listed as "locktender." John is said to have also been a laborer, hotel keeper and book agent, as well as being the Coroner for Lehigh County from 1875 to 1878.

I could not find John or Eliza in the United States Federal Census from 1870 or 1880. John died, aged 80 years, on 19 June 1884, in Allentown, and was buried in the Union-West End Cemetery, Allentown.

I did find, in the City Directory for Easton, Pennsylvania (1884), an Eliza Osmun, a widow, boarding at The Arlington, a hotel. She died 28 June 1888, and was buried next to John.

John and Eliza had nine children:

1. Tilghman*
2. George W., born around 1836. He was a sailor in 1860.
3. Richard, born around 1842. He was a machinist in 1860. He drowned in the flood of 1862.
4. Andrew, born around 1843.
5. Rebecca, born around 1846. She married Milton Walt, of Allentown.
6. John J., born around 1847.
7. Eliza, born around 1849.
8. Jacob, born around 1855.
9. Isabella, born around 1859. She was unmarried at the time of her father's death.
10. Flora, married James Ross of Mauch Chunk (Jim Thorpe), Pennsylvania.

=======================================================================================

Tilghman Osmun, my third-great-grandfather, was born 9 December 1832. He married his first wife, my third great-grandmother, Amelia (last name unknown). Amelia was born 30 May 1833. The United States Federal Census (1860) listed Tilghman as a tailor, and his family lived in Allentown, Third Ward. He owned $1,000 in real estate, and $200 in his personal estate. When Tilghman registered in the draft during the Civil War, he stated he was a 30-year-old man living in Allentown. Again, his occupation was listed as "Tailor." The United States Federal Census (1870) listed "Tilgh Osman" as a 37-year-old tailor with $11,000 in real estate and $6,000 in personal estate. Amelia died 3 May 1877.

He married his second wife, Mrs. Sarah Ann Merkel. Sarah was born 21 February 1847. Her maiden name is unknown, but she was the widow of Phaon Merkel, with whom she had one daughter, Amanda. The United States Federal Census (1880) listed Tilghman, again as a tailor, and Sarah, living with their children in Allentown. Sometime after this, within the next year, Tilghman purchased the farm of Jonas Musselman, of Quakertown.

Tilghman died 11 August 1884, in Quakertown, and was buried in the Union-West End Cemetery. Sarah remained in Quakertown, as shown in the United States Federal Census (1900), which listed a widowed Sarah living at 1325 West Broad Street, Quakertown with her 16-year-old granddaughter, Lottie Nagle. Sarah died 23 March 1901. The Quakertown Free Press reported the death of Sarah Osmun, widow of Tilghman, aged 54 years old. She was buried in the Union Cemetery, in Quakertown.

Tilghman and Amelia had four children:

1. Mary Jane*
2. Henry T., born in 1860. He died in 1940, and was buried in the Union-West End Cemetery, Allentown.  He was married to Kate Steinbach (1854-1937), and they had at least one daughter, Elizabeth Florence (1887-1918).
3. George, born around 1867.
4. Emma Matilda, born in October 1868. She married Henry Kemmerer Klein, 26 December 1891, and they had three children: J. Robert (b. December 1891), Herman Otto (b. April 1895), and Lillian Naomi (b. February 1898).

• Due to the large gap between the births of Henry and George, I would bet that there may have been a few children born to Tilghman and Amelia who died in infancy or early childhood (before the 1870 census).

Tilghman and Sarah did not have any children, biologically, but Tilghman did adopt Sarah's daughter from her first marriage:

1. Amanda, born 17 March 1866. She died 10 March 1905, and was buried in the Union Cemetery, Quakertown. She was married to Cyrus Nagel.

For more information on the continuation of the Osman family into the Weisbach family, please refer to the blog entry "Weisbach, Weissbach" (dated 22 December 2013).