On Dec 23 1839, Lorenz/Lawrence Sammetinger (b. 1815) married Rosina Frederika Schurr. Rosina had a sister, Maria/Mary who married Johann/John Engelhaupt. John immigrated to America in 1833 on the ship "Ulysses" which docked in Baltimore on October 13, 1833. He is listed as a weaver, age 19, from Eckhard [Germany].* Lorenz Sammetinger had a brother, Johann/John who married Catharine Tobias on 12/24/1844. In the Federal Census of 1850, Pusheta Twp, Auglaize Co, OH, John and Catharine Sammetinger are listed with their two children, Lawrence, age 2 and Catharine age 6 months. But also in their household is a John Tobias, weaver, age 58, b. in PA (Catharine's father), Kunigunda "Sumidinger," age 69 (John's mother) plus a Catharine Engelhaupt, age 4 and a Hannah Engelhaupt, age 1. The mystery, which is the subject of this blog, is "why were these Engelhaupt children in the care of John and Catharine (Tobias) Sammetinger in 1850?" Aren't you just a bit curious also?
The answer is found through a more thorough look at the Engelhaupt family that came to America. As was mentioned, John Engelhaupt came to America in 1833 along with Caspar Müller, but no other family members. I will designate him as John Engelhaupt II, for reasons that will soon become apparent. According to a caption of a photo in the Wapak paper written by Norma Lunz (date unknown), "John Engelhaupt Sr. and Maria Schurr. John was born August 12, 1814 in Germany, died Dec. 11, 1892 in Freyburg. He was the son of Joannes Engelhaupt and Eliza Cleinheing..., Submitted by Steve Kaeck."

The photo was of John Engelhaupt II and wife, Maria. His father was Johannes/John. Therefore I will designate him as John Engelhaupt I. This will just help in understanding how little Catharine and Hannah Engelhaupt ended up with the Sammetingers in 1850—remember them?

The Federal Census, Pusheta Twp, Allen (now Auglaize) Co, OH which shows the following info:
John Engelhaupt—2 males 20-30 years old; 1 male 50-60 years old and 1 female 15-20 years old.

Couple that with the 1850 Census for Auglaize County, which shows the following adult male Engelhaupts:

John Engelhaupt, age 66, b. in Germany, living with the Sammetingers in Pusheta Twp, as previously noted

John Engelhaupt, age 35, b. in Germany, living alone in Duchouquet Twp

Adam Engelhaupt, age 31, b. in Germany, with family, living in Pusheta Twp

While we know of John II's immigration to the US, apparently, at least two other Engelhaupts also immigrated  from Germany to the US around the same time. As you can see, the three male Engelhaupts in the 1850 census fit neatly into the age brackets of the Engelhaupt household in 1840. As to the 15-20 year old female in the 1840 census, I had little hope of identifying her, until I came across a marriage record for a Mary Engelhaupt who married George Frederick Roth on 4/7/1840 in Allen Co, OH. Keep in mind that Pusheta Twp was a part of Allen County until Auglaize County was formed in 1848.

While I cannot PROVE that the Engelhaupts mentioned here are all part of the same family, the fact that there were no other adult Engelhaupts known to be in the area, as per marriage, cemetery or census records, I feel confident that I could say that John Engelhaupt I had three children, John II (who married Maria Schurr), Adam and Mary.

Now, on to the second part of solving the riddle of why the Engelhaupt girls were living in the Sammetinger home in 1850. This involves a review of marriage records of Allen/Auglaize Co. There are four marriage records for the name John Engelhaupt. I will deal with the fourth one first, as it appears to be the marriage of John Engelhaupt III. Yes, that's right. Who would have guessed that the name John would be passed down to another generation of Engelhaupts? The 1860 census confirms that John II had a son, John, age 7 in 1860. On 6/27/1878, John Engelhaupt married Mary Link. According to Birth and Death Records, at least four children were born to them. Now let's examine the other three marriage records:

John Engelhaupt married Katharine Hartand, 6/1/1841, Allen Co, OH

John Engelhaupt married Hannah Tobias, 2/11/1846, Allen Co, OH

John Engelhaupt married Mary Ann Shore, [Schurr], 11/6/1850 (photo above)

My theory is that all three of these marriages are John II. If so, he married Katharine Hartand at age 26, Hannah Tobias at age age 31, and Mary Schurr at age 36. All very plausible. Now let's say that after he married Hannah Tobias in 1846, they had 2 daughters, one born in late 1846 and one born in mid 1849. Then Hannah dies, leaving 2 small children without a mother. Hannah's sister, Catharine (Tobias) Sammetinger takes them in. [end of conjecture] thus in 1850, Catharine and Hannah Engelhaupt are found with the Sammetingers and their father, John Engelhaupt II, is found living alone in Duchouquet Twp, just to the north at the same time. In November of 1850, however, John marries Mary Schurr, and can once again take care of his children.

In the 1860 Census, Pusheta Twp, Auglaize Co, OH bears this out:

John Engelhart, age 45, born in Bavaria, Germany

Mary Engelhart, age 29, born in Würtemburg, Germany

Hannah Engelhart, age 10

John Engelhart, age 7

William Engelhart, age 5

Henry Engelhart, age 4

Paulina Engelhart, age 1

John Tobias, age 67, born in Pa.

Fits very neatly. Explains the presence of Engelhaupts in the John Sammetinger household, which at first blush seemed to only have a relationship to them through John Sammetinger's brother's wife's sister's husband (if you follow me). And while that is true, the relationship is much closer, as Hannah and Catharine Engelhaupt are actually John and Catharine (Tobias) Sammetinger's nieces. And the girls' grandfather, John Tobias, is living with them, in 1850 at the Sammetingers and with Hannah in 1860 at her father and step-mother's home.

Which brings up another question that I must leave YOU to solve, since I have been unable to: What happen to Hannah's sister, Catharine. She is not living with Hannah in 1860. Did she die? If so, where is her cemetery record? Was she put to work as a domestic or indentured? If so, why doesn't she show up in a census in the area? There is no record of a Catharine Engelhaupt marrying in the Auglaize County area, either, in case you are wondering.

As to Hannah Engelhaupt's subsequent life, it appears that she married a Jacob Roode. I have found birth and/or death records for the following children attributed to Jacob and Hannah Engelhaupt Roode: John Adam Roode (b. 1875), Katharina Flora Roode (b. 1882), Louisa Mary Roode (b. ca 1874), George Benjamin Roode (b. 1878). But as for a marriage record, I can only find a marriage for Jacob Roode to an Anna M. Engelhaupt, 11/19/1872, Auglaize Co, OH. Could "Anna M." be a spelling error? Hannah and Anna sound a lot alike. And the birthdates of all of the children of Hannah and Jacob are subsequent, and yet relatively close to the marriage date of Anna and Jacob. The questions never cease, so neither do I. As always, any input on any of my forays into family history are greatly appreciated.

*On a side note, a 20 year old Caspar Müller, also a weaver and also from Eckhard is listed on the line just below Johann Engelhaupt in the passenger list. Anybody know if a Caspar Müller/Miller also settled in the Auglaize Co area?

Close Knit Community

By 1840, my Kantner and Sammetinger ancestors had settled in Pusheta Township, Allen (now Auglaize) County, Ohio. Farmers all. On just one page of the 1840 census (SeriesM704, Roll 375, Page 138), I found two brothers, George and Emanuel Kantner, and father and son, Christian and Lorenz (Lawrence) Sammetinger with their unnamed household members. What interested me was the way in which other names appearing on the same page, thus living in relatively close proximity, are interwoven into our families. I'll come back to that shortly.

NOTE: In the 1840 census, only the heads of households were named. The rest of the household were only known in terms of free males, free females, free male colored persons, free female colored persons, and male slaves, female slaves. Within each of these catagories, the number of individuals within certain age brackets were provided. But whether these persons were related or not or how they were related if so were not given. So if an aunt or a grandmother or a farmhand was living with the family, one would not be aware of it. Thankfully, beginning with the 1850 census, the names and actual ages were added, but it wasn't until the 1880 census that the relationship of the individual to the head of household was provided. The following image is a portion of the page of interest. It contains the complete list of names on the page, but I cut out some of the info which doesn't pertain to the relationship questions.

George (line 8) and Emanuel (3rd line from the bottom) were sons of John (Johannes) M. Kantner, b. 1774. George had a daughter, Catherine, who "appears" in this census as one of the two free white females under 5 years of age in George's household. In 1857 she married John, son of Francis Shaffer (line 3), who "appears" as one of two white free males 5-10 years of age. George and Emanuel had a sister, Otilda who married William Bechdolt, Jr. in 1833. She "appears" on this page, on line 7, as a free white female, age 20-30. George and Emanuel also had a brother, Martin, whose son, John Martin married Wilhelmina Huttis in 1855. Wilhelmina was the daughter of Conrad Huttis (Hotes) and "appears" on the 7th line from the bottom, as a free white female, under age 5.
While the above named relationships are quite clear, in my opinion, the following is not certain, but presented for your consideration and further study. In regard to the Kantner clan:
1) George Kantner married Leah Oswalt (or Oswald), buried Haruff Cemetery, Pusheta Twp. I have her father as John Oswald, and her birthdate as 4/6/1812, PA. Perhaps a relationship to Daniel Oswald (line 15)?

2) George Kantner's grandson (son of John Shaffer and Catherine Kantner), George Frank Shaffer, married Anna C. Fisher, daughter of Antony Fischer and Anna Theresa Wiss, and granddaughter of John Fischer, buried in the Old St. Johns Cemetery, Pusheta Twp. Any relationship to Michael Fischer (line 4)?

Moving on to the Sammetingers:
1) Christian Sammetinger (line 14) is shown with the following in his household:
1 male 10-15       corresponds to Michal, b. abt 1827
1 male 15-20       corresponds to Johann, b. abt 1820
1 male 60-70       corresponds to Johann Christian Wilhelm Sammetinger, b. 6/11/1778
1 female 40-50    corresponds within 2 years to Kunigunda (Kraft) Sammetinger, b. 1788 (via immigration record).

2) Lorenz Sammetinger (line 13), son of Christian Sammetinger:
1 male 20-30      corresponds to Laurence Sammetinger, b. 1815
1 female 20-30   corresponds within 3 years to Rosina Fredrika (Shurr) Sammetinger, b. 1823

Lorenz Sammetinger's wife, Rosina Shurr had a sister, Maria who married John Engelhaupt, b. 1814. John's father was Johannes, i.e. John Engelhaupt. On the 11th line from the bottom is the household John Englehaupt, including 2 males 20-30, 1 male 50-60, and 1 female 15-20. I theorize that Maria's husband, John, is one of the 2 males 20-30 listed in the John Engelhaupt household.

In addition to the above "pretty certain" connection, I would point out the appearance of two Ruck households that may very well be connected to the Sammetingers, but my explorations into the Ruck family barely scratch the surface.  There is a Jacob Ruck on the 12th line from the top and a George H. Ruck on the 12th line from the bottom. I know that there is a
1) Mary Anna Ruck married Johann Sammetinger, son of Lorenz, son of Christian.
2) Catharine Ruck married a William H. Sammetinger, but I'm not sure who his father was. This merits further study.
3) Danniel Ruck married Margaret Engelhaupt, daughter of John and Maria (Shurr) Engelhaupt.

Any of you up on your Rucks? Perhaps you could bring me up to speed!

In the post with the transcription of the Henry William Smith Family Bible, the record of Kathaleen Smith and Bryan Hefner's marriage incorrectly had the date as March 17, 1938. The correct date is April 17, 1938. Thanks MMM for pointing that out. I've edited the original post to note the discrepancy, so those that might want to copy the dates from that post will be informed.

I'm going to share some info that MIGHT be helpful concerning Catharine Amarella Wilson's parents. I'm just throwing this out with the hope that someone might be able to find conclusive evidence that these documents either do or don't apply to Catharine's parents. I know this has been one of those stumbling blocks in tracing our family roots.

First, it is the unofficial position of the family that Catharine's parents were Thomas Wilson and Mary Chesta or Christy. As far as I know there is no documents to substantiate that. Perhaps this info was passed down verbally, from generation to generation. Any thoughts on that?

What we do know is that Frank Michael Smith and Catherine Amarella Wilson were married in Monroeville, Allen Co, IN on 11/4/1869 (Early Marriages of Allen County, Indiana, 1849-1874, Vol. II, compiled by Josephine Crabill Ehle, published by Mary Penrose Wayne Chapter N.S.D.A.R., Fort Wayne, Indiana) and with the date substantiated by the Marriage Records in the Schmidt Family Bible (Henry William Smith Bible) p. 1 “Family Record, Marriages: Frank M. Schmitt & Catharine A. Schmitt, Nov. 4th, 1869”

In the 1870 Census of Monroeville, Allen Co, IN:
Wilson, Mary, age 51, b. in PA
---------, Martha D., age 11, b. in OH
---------, William L., age 9, b. in OH
---------, Nancy C., age 7, b. in OH

If we accept that this is Catharine (Wilson) Schmidt's mother and children, we might posit from this that Thomas died between 1862 and 1870 (since he is missing from census and youngest child was born 1862-1863), perhaps a civil war casualty, that daughters Mary, Catharine, Allethea, Sabina have left the nest, that perhaps Mary, Thomas's widow moved to Monroeville after his death to live near a grown child

In the 1860 Census of Crawford Twp, Coshocton Co, OH:
Wilson, Thomas, age 42, farm laborer, b. in OH
---------, Mary, age 39, b. in PA
---------, Cath., age 13, b. in OH
---------, Allethea, age 12, b. in OH
---------, Sabina, age 10, b. in OH
---------, Martha, age 1, b. in OH
---------, Mary, age 17, Domestic, b. in OH

In the 1850 Census of White Eyes Twp, Coshocton Co, OH:
Wilson, Thomas, age 32, laborer, b. in OH
---------, Mary, age 28, b. in PA
---------, Harvey, age 10, b. in OH
---------, Mary Ann, age 8, b. in OH
---------, Catharine, age 4, b. in OH
---------, Ann, age 3, b. in OH
---------, Olivia, age 11/12, b. in OH

Next I present documents that may provide insight into the marriage of Thomas and Mary Wilson.
Since I found them living in Coshocton Co, OH in 1850, with a child 10 years old, I assumed they may have been married there around 1839. I was unable to find a marriage record in Coshocton Co, but after seeing a family tree that suggested that they were Thomas Wilson and Mary Christy married in Holmes Co in 1846 I got thinking. What if Harvey and Mary Ann were children from a previous marriage? Nothing from the info I had would argue against that possibility. Also, Holmes County is just to the north of Coshocton Co. So I looked for other marriage records for Thomas Wilson prior to 1846. I found:
Holmes Co, OH: Thomas Wilson married Margaret Jane McCaughey, 3/5/1840
Holmes Co, OH: Thomas Wilson married Sarah Jane Boyd, 4/3/1841
Holmes Co, OH: Thomas Wilson married Mary Christy, 3/5/1846

Could it be that Thomas was married twice, or even three times, and that our ancestor, Mary Chesta/Christy was step-mother to Thomas's first 2 children?

Interestingly, there is an 1840 Census, Holmes Co, OH that has a Thomas Wilson, age 20-30 and a female age 15-20, with no other children. Possibly, our Thomas's first wife?
Also an 1840 Census record in Coshocton Co, OH for a Henry Christy with daughters the right age for one of them to have been Mary.

If you want to look at the documents I can email a copy to you as I keep a digital copy of all the records I find.

Next time I'll delve into the little bit I've learned about two of Catharine (Wilson) Smith's sisters that may also help in putting the Wilson pieces together.

I hate retractions, but sometimes it happens. So hold the phone on Jacob Demaris. Seems he married a Martha A. Kauffman, not Martha Wilson. I'll try to slow down on making assumptions

In my 3/29 post I mentioned that I was trying to figure out who Martha Demaris was that appears in the 1900 Census with Frank and Catharine Smith, and listed as sister-in-law. Mom comes through again. She found a Jacob B. Demaris in the General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, in which a Martha A. Demaris sought a widow's pension for his service in the K 59 Ohio Infantry after Jacob's death in 1916.
So I asked Mom, why sister Martha might have been living with the Smith's in 1900. She posited that since Catharine had lost a leg, perhaps Martha had come to stay and help during her convalescence. We don't really know when she lost her leg, but know it was later in her life. A life crisis like that could account for an extended stay that would have put her there during the census.

Was wondering why I was getting no comments on my blog posts. After viewing the auto emails generated when I post, I have come to realize that you are getting an email containing the post, but not an obvious link to the blog itself. There is a link to the blog at the end of the email, "Kantner Trace" which if you click on that link, the Kantner Trace website will open. The advantage of this, is that you will be able to see all of my posts, plus you can add comments to any of the posts you want to add your thoughts to. Hope that helps.

The 1900 Census, Pusheta Twp, Auglaize Co, OH shows a Martha Damaris in the household of Frank & Catharine Smith. She is listed as sister-in-law of Frank, b. Sept. 1858 (age 41), single, born in OH.

Q1. Is this Martha Wilson a sister of Catharine (as sister-in-law would suggest)? According to the 1860 Census, Crawford Twp, Coshocton Co, OH, Martha Wilson was 1 year old (census taken on 7/12/1860), so her age is right.

Q2. Why is she listed as Martha Damaris, SINGLE? Should have been "widow" or "divorced." Perhaps this was a little white lie.

Q3. Who was Mr. Damaris, and where was Mr. Damaris? I can find no record of a Damaris/Wilson marriage between 1878 and 1900. I have spelled it as Demaris without any better success.

On a side note, the whole Thomas & Mary (Chesta) Wilson family is somewhat elusive. They lived in Coshocton Co, OH at the time of the 1850 & 1860 censuses. But unable to find any but Catharine Amarella (who married Frank Smith) in any subsequent censuses.

Speaking of Family Bibles, in Jan 2011 I posted info on the Jack Family Bible, which has been passed down to me--in case you are interested.
There is also a Kantner Family Bible out there somewhere. It was reported to have been in the possession of a "Mrs. Graf, of Wapakoneta." I have written to the only Graf in the Wapak directory, but so far have not received a response.

So, today I'm looking at the 1900 Census, Pusheta Twp, Auglaize Co, OH in regard to Lorenz & Elizabeth Sammetinger, my great-great grandparents, their daughter Caroline Susanna being my great grandmother. Two families below their listing on the same page is a William and Catharine Sammetinger with children Grover W., Wilson W., Philander R. and Clara A. Can someone help me with their place in the family tree? Here are the pertinent facts given about them:

William, head, b. 12/1855 (age 44), married 12 yrs, b. in OH, parents b. in Germany

Catharine, wife, b. 11/1867 (age 32), mar. 12 yrs, birthed 5 children-4 survive, b. in OH, parents b. in OH

In my post yesterday, I referred to the Henry W. Schmidt/Smith Family Bible. My mother has copies of the Birth, Marriage, and Death pages which I have scanned. Mom told me who she believes has the actual Bible, but it slips my mind at the moment. Hope to have that info soon. Also, I got some interesting emails in response to the post, which provide some personal insights on Henry William. I need to check with the authors of those notes, to see if they mind having their insights shared with the rest of you. Please feel free to use the comment line beneath the post to share your thoughts with others. But if you wish your comments to remain personal, just shoot me an email. I promise not to "put it out there" unless you are agreeable.

Here is my transcription of the Bible. I believe the Bible to be the Word of God without error, but that obviously doesn't apply to the Birth, Marriage and Death Records that have been written in. There are some obvious errors. Perhaps you will notice others that I have missed. Off to the side I will add comments in brackets. Again, please feel free to comment on any aspect of this.

p. 1 “Family Record, Marriages:

Frank M. Schmidt & Catharine A. Schmidt, Nov. 4th, 1869"

p. 2 “Family Record, Births: [of Frank and Catarine Schmidt's sons and daughters-in-law]

Hattie M. Smith, b. 11/27/1879; d. 2/10/1960, 80y 2m 13d [Hattie Maud Jack, wife of Henry W. Smith]

Callie Smith, b. 4/27/1868; d. 5/29/1944, 76y 1m 2d [Carolyn "Callie" Englebrecht, wife of Charles Michael Smith]

Louis Simon Pfenning, b. 10/28/1886, d. 10/3/1967, 86y 11m 5d [husband of Anna "Annie" M. Smith]

Emma E. Smith, b. 10/30/1885, d. 7/24/1971, 85y 8m" [Emma Elizabeth Brautigam, wife of Francis Frederick Smith]

p. 3 “Family Record, Deaths: [Frank M. & Catharine A. Schmidt and their children and Frank's father]

Christena A. Schmidt, June 22, 1875

Margata M. Schmidt, July 23, 1878

Mr. Michael Schmidt Sen., May 14, 1878 [Frank's father]

Dory Schmidt, Feb 20, 1886

Lucinda Schmith [as it was actually spelled], Jan 4, 1888 [her birth and death year have both been overwritten, either changed from 1888 to 1889 or (as it appears to me) from 1889 to 1888--see below]

Cathern(sic) A. Smith, April 23, 1917 [mother "Catharine" Amarella Wilson Schmidt]

Frank M. Smith, June 24, 1918 [father]

Mrs. Athur (Amelia) Bechdolt, March 5, 1913

Charles M. Smith, Dec. 14, 1946

Henry W. Smith, Mar. 25, 1959

Fred F. Smith, June 10, 1952[(sic)] [Headstone at Greenlawn Cemetery gives the year as 1956]

(Rosa) Mrs. Raymond Synder[(sic)], March 9, 1960 [Rosa married Raymond "Snyder"]

Mrs. Louis Pfenning (Anna), Feb 9, 1975"

p. 4 “Family Record, Births: [parents and ten children]

Frank M. Schmidt, Aug. 26, 1847

Catharine A. Schmidt, Feb. 4, 1847

Charles M. Schmidt, Sep. 16, 1870

Christena A. Schmidt, Jul. 29, 1872 [died age 2]

Margrata M. Schmidt, Feb. 3, 1875 [died age 3]

William Henry Schmidt, Jan. 2, 1877 [actually Henry William]

Frank Frederic Schmidt, Feb. 1, 1879

Anna M. Schmidt, August 5, 1880

Amelia Elizibeth Schmidt, Nov. 5, 1882

Feb. 4, Rose Schmidt, 1885 [also given as Rosa, elsewhere; she and Dory were twins]

Feb 4, Dory Schmidt, 1885 [died age 16 days]

Jan. 4, Lucinda Schmidt, 1888" [died same day]

[Pages 5-8 follow Henry William (son of Frank M. & Catharine A. Schmidt), wife Hattie and his five children]

p. 5 “Family Register, Parents’ Names:

Husband: Henry W. Smith, Born Jan. 2, 1877, Son of Frank M. Smith and Catherine A. Wilson Smith

Wife: Hattie M. Jack Smith, Born Nov. 27, 1879 at Babcock Mills Penn., Daughter of John Jack and Clementine Rimmel Jack"

p. 6 “Deaths:

H. W. Smith died March 25, 1959

Hattie M. Smith passed away Feb 10, 1960"

p. 7 “Marriages:

Henry W. Smith and Hattie M. Jack married June 3, 1903

William Henry Smith and Ethel Jane Barrett were married Nov. 27, 1929

Leland Elbert Smith and Lucille Levada Valentine were married June 18, 1930

Mary Marguerite Smith and Ray Dwight Kantner were married July 29, 1931

[no marriage record was recorded for Luella Marie Smith]

Kathaleen Clementine Smith and Bryan Rogers Hefner were married March 17, 1938" [actually April 17, 1938]

p. 8 “Births:

William Henry Smith was born Monday Aug. 19, 1907

Leland Elbert Smith was born Sat. Oct 16, 1909

Mary Marguerite Smith was born Sun. July 30, 1911

Luella Marie Smith was born Mon. June 14, 1915

Kathaleen Clementine Smith was born Mon. Aug. 26, 1918”

Here are the birth and death records for Lucinda. What do you think, should it be 1888 or 1889?

Birth:

Death:

This post was going to be all about the Henry W. Schmidt/Smith Family Bible Records, but I got sidetracked when I discovered a discrepancy concerning the birthdate of Henry William Smith. This is the son of Francis "Frank" Michael Schmidt and Catherine Amarella Wilson, and husband of Hattie Maude Jack. My records indicated that Henry W. was born Feb. 2, 1877. The Henry William Smith Family Bible, in two separate entries, lists his birthdate as Jan. 2, 1877. This made me curious, so I consulted Ancestry.com and found that 4 out of five Family Trees had the Feb 2, 1877 birthdate. Upon further investigation I found his WWI Draft Registration that clearly states his birthdate as "January 1, 1877." Then I looked him up in the 1900 census, because the 1900 census provides the month and year of birth, unlike earlier censuses which only give the age and leave the researcher to estimate the year of birth. He is listed as being 23 years old, living with his parents in Pusheta Twp, Auglaize Co, OH in 1900. His month/year of birth is listed as Jan/1877. I then went looking for a birth record in the Auglaize Co, OH Official Birth Records. I found him listed on a page where the first half of the entries on the page had Month/Day/Year but Henry William Schmidt was on the half of the page that the clerk, apparently, felt that only the year was important, so it only records his birthdate as 1877. Then I went to his marriage record. It also states clearly that "Henry W. Smith is 26 years of age, on the second day of January, 1903." I have not been able to find his death certificate online, but as all other official documents support the Jan 2, 1877 date given in the Family Bible Records, I think we should feel confident in using Jan 2, 1877 as Henry William Schmidt/Smith's birthdate. Next time, I'll share the contents of the Schmidt Family Bible as I transcribed them.

In my first post today, I had remarked that the 1920 census shows a Martha M. Gagley, living in the household of Elizabeth Gagley, and that if the age of that Martha was correct, and if she actually was Elizabeth (Kantner) Gagley's daughter, then she would have been born about two years before Joseph Gagley and Elizabeth Kantner were married. Plus there is a new inconsistency that comes to light. In the census, she has the middle initial M. whereas, the birth, marriage and death records of her children, where a middle name or initial is given, it is always Martha Jane or Martha J. or just Jane. Conclusion: Not ready to commit to this census's Martha being the Martha of the will. It could in fact be a daughter-in-law of Elizabeth, rather than her own daughter. But the 1927 Wapak phone directory, shows Elizabeth Gagley, widow of Joseph Gagley, living at 216 E. Auglaize St., Wapak which I believe, shows with virtual certainty that this is the Elizabeth Kantner who married Joseph Gagley.

It is interesting that the maiden name of the Martha is given as Kantner (or Kentner) as well as Gagley. Not only did this occur with her son, James H. McKibbin, but also with a daughter, Ancil (or Enzil) who married David A. Abbott. Ancil's marriage certificate states that she was born to William McKibben and Martha Gagely. But her death certificate gives her parents as Alexander McKibben and Martha Kentner.

Question: What does the fact that Martha's maiden name is sometimes given as Kantner, rather than Gagley suggest to you?

Question: Coming full circle, does any of this shed light on why, Martha, granddaughter (as I suppose) of Martin Kantner, receives interest on $400 until her husband dies and then receives the principal amt of Elizabeth Gagley's portion (who hasn't died) of Martin Kantner's estate? Seems strange to me, but perhaps a lawyer type might be able to shed some light on it.

This is rather unprecedented in the annals of Kantner Trace—2 posts in one day!
I have uncovered some interesting info that helps but does not solve the mystery of Martha McKibben, who was the source of such consternation in my last post. Let's see if I can boil it all down for you. Perhaps you can take what I've learned and connect the dots that are eluding me.

1. I believe I found the marriage record of Elex McKiben and Martha:
    William A. McKibben mar. 3/31/1876 to Martha J. Kentner in Kosciusko Co, IN
But if you are paying attention, you will be objecting. And I don't blame you. But I arrived at this conclusion via a round-a-bout route—I wanted to use "circuitis" but my spell checker isn't giving me the proper spelling, it just keeps slapping my fingers—but oh well.
Here goes:
I found a birth record for a James McKibbin, b. 9/13/1881, Union Twp, Auglaize Co, OH to an Alexander McKibbin and Jane Kantner. Then I found a marriage record for a James H. McKibbin and Maude Duncan in Kosciusko Co, IN. Marriage on 11/21/1906. The important thing is that the marriage certificate also states that James was born on 9/13/1881 in Wapakoneta, OH to William A. McKibbin and Martha J. Gagley. Study that for a while and I think you will see why I have drawn the conclusion that the Marriage Record of William McKibben and Martha Kentner, set forth above is the correct marriage record for the Elex McKiben and Martha (somehow related to Elizabeth Gagley) in Martin Kantner's Will.

Further findings after I return from "OZ, the Great and Powerful"

Sometimes tracking down relatives isn't easy. Case in point today, and hopefully one of you Kantner family members can help me out.

Subject: Heirs of the Estate of Martin Kantner (b. 11/15/1810, Berks Co, PA; married Catharine Bechdoldt 12/22/1831, Germantown, Montgomery Co, OH; d. 3/23/1894, Duchouquet Twp, Auglaize Co, OH; bur. Haruff Cemetery, Pusheta Twp, Auglaize Co, OH)

A list of the heirs of Martin Kantner is found in the Probate Records of Auglaize County, Case #4158. I have identified most of them, but one eludes me: William Bush, who is named as one of the heirs notified of the probate of Martin's will, and who signed his name to a document stating that he had received that notice. This he did in the presence of the Probate Judge of Auglaize County, so I assume that he lived in the vicinity of Wapak at the time (1894). His name does not appear in the body of the will, so I am assuming he is a relative. If you have any idea of his relationship to Martin Kantner, please let me know.

The second mystery to me is found in the body of the will, itself, which contains 5 parts and I here summarize to provide context:
1. All debts and funeral expenses to be paid ASAP after his decease
2. His wife to receive a 1/3 interest in the sale of all his real estate [she died after Martin but before his will was probated]
3. [I'll come back to this one as it is the one containing the mystery]
4. All the following married children share equally of the proceeds of his real and personal property:
John M. Kantner
Benjamin Kantner
Martin V. Kantner
Perry Kantner
Mary Gibbs
Hannah Burden
Matilda Snyder
Rosanna Smith
Rachael Kroft [she actually married a John Jacob Graf, not Kroft]
Henry Kantner [odd since he died 16 years previous to the will and his children are named as heirs]
Elizabeth Gagley
5. Executor should make sale of real and personal property as soon as convenient after his death

Back to #3 which I transcribe in it's entirety:
"3rd, I bequeath to Martha McKiben the interest on four hundred dollars interest to be paid annually as long as her husband Elex McKiben lives. After his death, she shall receive the principal acct [or amt] of Elizabeth Gegley's portion of my estate."

Of the three persons named here, I know one: Elizabeth Gegley was the daughter of Martin and Catharine Kantner, b. 8/1/1840, who married Joseph Gagley, 10/1/1861, and d. 9/14/1929 in Wapak

My first thought was that Martha McKiben was the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Kantner) Gagley, which seems born out by the 1920 Census, Wapakoneta, Ward 2, Auglaize County, OH (Family #61) where we find a Martha M. Gagley, widow, age 62, listed as a boarder in the household of Elizabeth Gagley, widow, age 79, at 216 [E] Auglaize St, Wapak. But perhaps this raises as many questions as it answers.
1. If this Martha Gagley is Elizabeth's daughter, why is she listed as a boarder, rather than her daughter; and if she is Elizabeth's daughter, she would have been born 2 years before Elizabeth married Joseph Gagley?
2. If this Martha Gagley was married to an Elex McKiben [or Alex McKibben], why isn't she listed as such in the census rather than going by her maiden name?

On the positive side, Elizabeth's age would be right, the place of her birth and that of her parents would be right. And if the Martha listed here is her daughter, the state in which her mother was born would be right. I don't know where her father, Joseph, was born.

I am searching for more info, but any help on sorting this out would be appreciated.