January 23, 2011

Albert Bishop (1838-1865)



Albert F. Bishop, a resident of Freedom in Portage County, Ohio, was 
my husband's great-great-grandfather. He suffered an untimely death
146 years ago this week, as noted in the Portage County Democrat:

“Died.
BISHOP—in Freedom, on the 28th inst., of consumption, Albert F. Bishop,
son of F. and S. A. Bishop, aged 26 years.
         The deceased was an excellent young man, and bore his long and
painful illness with Christian composure and resignation, and leaves
behind him as a testimony, for the comfort of surviving friends, his
expression of unshaken confidence in his salvation, through the
atonement purchased by the blood of Christ. He selected a text for his
funeral sermon, Psalms 93:4. Though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy
staff they comfort me. He requested Rev. William Potter, to preach the
sermon.
         Thus in early manhood has passed away a kind and dutiful son, an 
affectionate and loving husband and father, leaving behind him the savor
of a good name.
         He leaves a wife and one child, and parents and brothers and
sister, to mourn this sad bereavement, but not to mourn as those who
have no hope, for in his case hope is full of a blessed immortality.”


It appears from his obituary that Albert fought consumption 
(tuberculosis)for quite awhile--long enough to reach a stage of 
acceptance and plan his own funeral service. He would have been too 
sick to fight in the Civil War, which ended shortly after he lost his own 
battle. His widow, Augusta, now faced raising their five-year-old son, 
Theodore, alone. She was just 24. Both she and the country had some 
healing to do over the next few years.


Citations:
Albert F. Bishop obituary, Portage County Democrat (Ravenna, Ohio), 1 February 1865, p. 2, col. 8. (Transcribed August 2010 by Shelley Bishop)
Freedom West Cemetery (Freedom, Portage County, Ohio), Albert F. Bishop marker, lot 91; photographed by Shelley Bishop, 2009.


Related Posts:
More Questions than Answers: Augusta Bishop
The Final Days of Fitch Bishop
Lettie A. Bishop
The Short Story of Walter H. Bishop
Walter F. Bishop, Aged 20 yrs.

January 14, 2011

Striking gold in Salt Lake City

I’m writing this from Utah, where I’m attending the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG) this week. I’m learning a lot from the class that Paula Stuart-Warren, CG, is teaching on “American Records and Research,” and having fun talking genealogy with classmates and friends. But another great thing about being here is the chance to do research at the Family History Library. I’m spending virtually every spare minute there.

Yesterday, after cranking many rolls of microfilm, I loaded up #1514064 and made an exciting discovery: my great-great-grandparents’ marriage record. There it was, plain as day, in the record book of St. Peter’s German Evangelical Church in Cincinnati. Yes! Although the family has an oral tradition that John George Herrel and Wilhelmina Mueller were married here in the U.S. after emigrating separately from Germany, no one has seen a marriage document, and the date was unknown. They came too late for the 1880 census, so aren't found until 1900 in Cincinnati. Since the Hamilton County Courthouse was completely destroyed by fire in 1884, a church source like this may be the only surviving record.


Even though it is written in German, and I have no skill or experience in reading the language, it's not hard to decipher. Here’s what it looks like:

They’re number 12 on the page. The microfilm is a little streaked, but my (admittedly rough) translation is:

(married)   Johann Herrel with Mina Mueller
(marriage date)  25th January 1883
(license date)     25th January 1883

I think the last column is for the clergyman, but can’t make out his name. Any ideas?

I can’t wait to show this to my Herrel relatives at home. We had a big reunion last summer, so I know they’ll be interested. And as exciting as this strike was, I found some equally interesting nuggets on different family lines. But since there’s still a lot to do and only a little time left, those will be stories for another day…

Source: St. Peter’s German Evangelical Church (Cincinnati, Ohio), “Copulationen, Confirmanten, St. Peters Gemeinde, Angefangen 1874,” p. 152, no. 12, Johann Herrel and Mina Mueller (1883); Family History Library microfilm #1514064, citing original records at Wright State University (Dayton, Ohio).

January 1, 2011

Going out on a limb

Ok, I’ll admit I’m a little uneasy with putting my genealogy goals out here for all to see. What if I fall flat on my face and don’t get any of them accomplished? Public goals are so, well, public. And sometimes, even when I set out with all good intentions, real life interferes and things don’t quite go the way I planned. But I guess I’ll risk it. Besides, even though I’m relatively new to blogging, you all seem to be pretty understanding and supportive. If I run into problems or get stuck along the way, maybe you can help me out.

With that in mind, here are my three main Research Goals:

1.      Research my Ballenger ancestors back to at least the early 1800’s, and complete an OGS Settlers & Builders of Ohio application for them.
2.      Find the parents of Carrie Beum, who married John Evans and was the mother of Ruth (b. 1898) and Leatha (b. 1900) Evans. Carrie died when Leatha was five months old, and not only were the connections with her family lost, but records of her seem to be hiding as well.
3.      Research the ancestry of my husband’s grandmother, Annah L. Crites.

And here are my three main Writing Goals:

1.      Write research reports for my own files as I complete segments of research on particular questions or individuals.
2.      Complete writing assignments for remaining lessons in the NGS Home Study Course and ProGen Study Group.
3.      Create a narrative summary or mini-book out of the research I’ve done on the Bishop-Crites family.

That last one will be a real challenge. But it deserves to be a top priority, because I’d like to make something I can share with my father-in-law, who is probably my #1 fan when it comes to genealogy. He’s a World War II vet, and as we all know, that generation isn’t getting any younger. So it’s something I’ll have to figure out. Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me in 2011! 


Written for the 101st edition Carnival of Genealogy, "Research/Writing Goals for 2011"

Welcome 1-1-11


Wishing all of you a new year full of good health and happiness!

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