An Ancestor Found: An Update On The Research Into My Oswalt Acestors

As I mentioned previously, I worked on my genealogy when I had some free time, and I will briefly discuss some of the findings I made for one branch.  Interestingly, I had not expected to make any progress on my Oswalt ancestors this past year, but that is what happened!

At the end of June 2012, FamilySearch put images of the probate records for many of Pennsylvania's counties online. Some of Huntingdon County's Will Books and Orphan's Court records were included in this database, and that July, I decided to look through these images to see if I could uncover any new information on my Huntingdon County ancestors. Previously, I had only examined the Will Books for Oswalt/Oswald surnames and examined the Orphan Court Records for my ancestor, Benjamin Oswalt/d by ordering the microfilmed records held by the Family History Library. As you may remember from a previous post, Benjamin's probate records did not mention the names of his heirs apart from his wife, Mary, and son, John. I re-looked at the probate records for Benjamin again, but I did not uncover anything that I had not found before. After that disappointment, I decided to look at the probate and orphan court records for an Adam Oswalt/Oswald who had died in Huntingdon County in the late-1830s. Previously, I had only examined the notation in the Will Book, which only mentioned the names of the court-appointed administrators of Adam's estate; however, when I decided to see if the Orphan Court had any additional probate records, I uncovered a mini-goldmine of information. Previously, I had dismissed the idea of examining the Orphan Court records for Adam because I had not obtained any new information from the records on Benjamin's probate.

I had always suspected from an examination of the 1820 and 1830 censuses and tax records for Huntingdon County that his Adam Oswalt and my ancestor, Benjamin, were related in some way, possibly as father and son; however, I had not been able to confirm my suspicion. The Orphan Court records confirmed my suspicion, and also gave the names of Benjamin's living siblings and Adam's widow, who I presume to Benjamin's mother.

From the Orphan Court records, I learned that Adam Oswald had owned land in Hopewell Township, and that he had at least seven children. Adam apparently either died in 1837 or 1838, and his children sold their father's land. Adam's widow, Mary, probably died around 1848, as five of Adam's children did not receive their shares of the land sale until that year, and the delay probably had to do with Mary's dower's right  in her husband's land. (Of course, I need to check the laws for that period to make sure that my assumption is correct.)

So far, the known children (in no particular order of age) of Adam Oswalt (d. 1837-1838) and Mary ? are:

• Benjamin Oswalt (d. 1861) - eldest son (I do not know who Adam and Mary's firstborn is yet.)
• Eve Oswalt wife of William States
• Adam Oswalt - youngest son (He lived in Blair County.)
• Margaret Oswalt wife of Jonathan Rough
• Catherine Oswalt wife of John Fry
• Elizabeth Oswalt widow of Jonathan Snyder
• Mary Oswalt wife of Samuel Weight (sic) 

Since looking at the probate records, I've made some more progress, but I will write about those findings in another post. If you have any additional information on this family, questions or comments please feel free to leave a comment or contact me at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

Searching For Joseph Stout's Parents, Part One - What I Know So Far

Earlier this week I promised to write a post about my speculations on who were Joseph Stout's parents. At the moment, I do not have any documentation to link my ancestor to the couple, but I hope that by writing this post, I might receive some advice or help in linking my ancestor to the suspected couple. The best way to start this post is to list what I know about Joseph Stout. So, here is what I know about my ancestor:

• Joseph Stout was born sometime between 1803 and 1806, most likely in 1805, in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. (Joseph's son Reuben stated, in his biography, that Joseph was born in 1800 in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, but census records suggest a later date. His death records states that he was about 70 years old at his age of death.)
  
• Joseph Stout married Susan Kelley in Northampton County, Pennsylvania on 3 March 1829. (See here for my post on their marriage information.)
• Joseph and Susan would have seven children. Six of their children would outlive them.
  
• By 1850, Joseph Stout had moved his family to Saint Joseph County, Michigan. Reuben claims in his biography that the family moved to Michigan around 1846, but I have yet to confirm or disprove Reuben's claim. An examination of tax records for Saint Joseph County, Michigan should indicate when the Stouts moved to the county.
• In 1858, Joseph Stout bought a farm in Florence Township, Saint Joseph County, Michigan. Two years later, in the 1860 census, Joseph Stout and his family are listed as living in Florence Township. (This census as puts a letter G in front of Joseph's name. This is the only time I have come across the G in primary sources so far in my research.)
  
• In 1864, Joseph Stout sold the farm to his son, Peter.
  
• In 1865, Joseph Stout was taxed by the federal government for the amount of peppermint oil he produced or sold. (The tax suggests he was still in charge of the farm even though he had sold it to his son.)
  
• In the 1870 census, Joseph Stout is still living in Florence Township, but now, he is listed as a retired farmer. His household is directly below Peter's household on the census, and that suggests to me that he lived nearby Peter's family.)
• Joseph Stout died on 11 February 1875 in Florence Township, and is buried in Calhoun Cemetery in Florence Township. Susan dies later that month, on the 25th, and is buried near him. (Reuben incorrectly states in his biography that they died in February of 1872, but contemporary records, such as their death records and Joseph's probate packet, give their death year as 1875. Joseph and Susan share a tombstone since they died the same month. The tombstone gives his death date as the 9th of February, but I eventually found his death record in the Saint Joseph County death records which listed the date as the 11th. I had difficulty finding his and Susan's deaths since they were incorrectly indexed in the county and state indexes. A look at the actual county death records clearly showed the last name to be Stout and not Stant or Stent as was listed in the indexes.)

As you can see, I do not know a lot about Joseph Stout. I know when he died, where he lived in Michigan, who he married, and that he came from Northampton County, Pennsylvania. I know that he was engaged in farming (at least in Michigan), but outside of these facts, I do not know much more about Joseph other than what is in Reuben's biography. Reuben claims that he father worked as a gunsmith in Northampton County, but I do not have any proof yet outside of Reuben's biography. Reuben also claims that Joseph and his family lived in Centre County, Pennsylvania, but I have not been able to confirm Reuben's statement. I have been unable to locate Joseph Stout and his family in the 1840 census. (I should also state that I am slightly wary of the information in Reuben's biography because Reuben was incorrect on some of the dates of deaths he gave for his parents and wife.)

So, who do I suspect are Joseph's parents? I believe his parents may be Peter Stout/Staut and Eva Hoch. Why? Well, besides knowing that my ancestor, Joseph Stout, came from Northampton County, Pennsylvania where Peter and Eva Stout resided in the earlier 1800s, a couple of published genealogies and online family trees list a Joseph Stout born in 1805 to Peter and Eva. (As I stated earlier, my ancestor was born close to that time period of Peter and Eva's son.) Unfortunately, none of the books or online trees actually provide any primary sources, so I am still speculating. According to these genealogies the Stout that lived in Northampton County originated from the Palatinate region of what is now Germany. Interestingly, oral traditions passed down in my family claim that my Stout ancestors were German, and although, an oral tradition is not enough proof to link my ancestor to Peter and Eva.

So, far I haven't been able to find any primary sources in Michigan to link my Joseph with the Joseph of Peter and Eva (Hoch) Stout. All I have to connect them are online family trees. As for sources in Pennsylvania, I haven't had very much time to order microfilms to further my research or find the original marriage record for Joseph and Susan (Kelley) Stout. Does anyone have an documentation linking my Joseph to Peter and Eva Stout, or any suggestions as to where I should direct my research? Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Surname Saturday - Can I Conclude These Oswalts Are Related? - Part Three

In my previous post, I continued my analysis of the possible children of Benjamin and Mary Oswalt, but I stopped before I got to William. For this post, I plan to complete the series, and I would appreciate everyone's feedback on whether or not I can reasonably conclude that my ancestor, Adam Oswalt, was related to the Benjamin and William Oswalt living in the Saint Joseph and Barry Counties, respectively, of Michigan.

So why do I believe that the William and Benjamin Oswalt are brothers to my ancestor, Adam Oswalt? How do I even know that this William and Benjamin Oswalt are the same ones as the William and Benjamin Oswalt listed as living in the household of Benjamin Oswalt in the 1850 census? Well, the information that tells me that the William and Benjamin Oswalt of Michigan are the same as the ones in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania comes from the Civil War records of William and Benjamin, who both served in Michigan infantries. William Oswalt enlisted in the E company of the reorganized Eleventh Michigan, and in the muster-in roll for company E, the birthplaces of the enlistees are listed. William's birthplace is given as Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. The birthplaces for Benjamin Oswalt and his fellow soldiers, who served in company G of the 25th Michigan Infantry, are not listed; however, from Benjamin's Civil War Pension file, I know that he was also born in Huntingdon County. (1) While I haven't yet obtained a copy of William's Civil War Pension file (Or to be more accurate, his widow's file), I can make that conclusion from examining Michigan's Civil War records. Of course, the Civil War records are not the only records that I have to connect William and Benjamin Oswalt.

So, what are my other sources? In the 1860 census, William Oswalt is listed as living the household of Daniel Black. Also living in Daniel's household were a Margaret and Mary Black. (2) While mentioning that William lived in the household of Daniel Black may not seem significant, but it is. In fact, this Daniel Black was also listed as a witness to Benjamin Oswalt's marriage to Elizabeth Freelove. Additionally, after Daniel died in 1901, Daniel's wife, Margaret, remarried to a David Elsey, and on the marriage record, Margaret listed the names of her parents as Benjamin Oswalt and Mary Robb. (Margaret's death certificate does not list the first name of her father or her mother's name, but does list her father's surname as Oswald.) (3) Margaret and Daniel provide the link between William and Benjamin. This link is especially important in that neither Benjamin or William's death records list the names of their parents. (Benjamin's Civil War Pension file does included testimony from Adam's brother and-sister-in-laws about Benjamin's early life.) (4)

So, how is Adam connected to William, Benjamin and Margaret? As I mentioned in my first post, Adam mentioned in his Civil War Pension file that he was born in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania and his death certificate listed his parents as Benjamin Oswalt and Mary Rough. (5) Except for the maiden name, Adam's certificate and Margaret's second marriage give the same names for their parents. While this my greatest link between Adam, Margaret, William and Benjamin, it is not my only link. In 1871, Adam and his wife, Ann, sold the property they had bought the year before, and the witnesses to the sell listed on the deed were an Elizabeth Oswalt and John Dowlin/Dowling (I forget which was the actual spelling at the moment.) As I mentioned above, Benjamin married a woman named Elizabeth, and I believe that the Elizabeth Oswalt who witnessed the transaction was her. Of course, it could also possibly be William's wife, but I suspect it was Benjamin's wife since William's wife's name was Eliza. (Eliza's maiden name was Mosier/Moshier, and she remarried after William's death in 1876. I have not yet found a marriage record for them.) (6)

The last possible sibling I have for Adam is Nancy Oswalt. In the 1850 and 1860 censuses, she is living in the household of Benjamin Oswalt; however, after Benjamin (the father) died in 1861, I don't know what happened to her or to Benjamin's wife Mary. (7) I have not been able to find them in the 1870 census.

So, that is the information that I have so far on the proven and possible siblings of Adam Oswalt. Do I have enough information or evidence to conclude that William and Benjamin are Adam's brothers? What do you think? Any comments or suggestions are welcome. Thanks, and enjoy!
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Sources

1. Michigan Adjutant General, "59-14 Ovs 16 Folder 02 Eleventh Michigan Infantry (Reorganized): Muster-In Rolls of Draft Rendezvous," Civil War Service Records, document 11, Seeking Michigan, http://seekingmichigan.org; Michigan Adjutant General, "59-14 Ovs 39 Folder 02 Twenty-fifth Michigan Infantry: Muster-In Rolls," Civil War Service Records, document 16, Seeking Michigan, http://seekingmichigan.org; Civil War Widow's Pension File of Elizabeth Oswalt (Benjamin Oswalt).
2. U. S. 1860 Federal Census, Michigan, St. Joseph County, Fabius Township, household of Daniel Black.
3. Marriage of Benjamin Oswalt to Elizabeth Freelove, Saint Joseph County, Michigan marriages, FamilySearch Record Search; Death Certificate of Daniel Black, Cass County, Michigan death records, Seeking Michigan, http://seekingmichigan.org; Marriage of David Elsey to Maggie Oswald Black, Van Buren County, Michigan marriages, FamilySearch Record Search; Death Certificate of Margaret Elsy, Van Buren County, Michigan death records, Seeking Michigan, http://seekingmichigan.org.
4. Death of Benjamin Oswalt, Saint Joseph County, Michigan deaths, FamilySearch Record Search; death of William Oswalt, Barry County, Michigan deaths, FamilySearch Record Search; Benjamin Oswalt's Civil War Pension file.
5. Civil War Pension File of Adam Oswalt; death certificate of Adam Oswalt, Kent County, Michigan death records, Seeking Michigan, http://seekingmichigan.org.
6. "Deed from Adam and Ann Oswalt to ? (I can't remember the men's names at the moment since I don't have the record at school with me), Saint Joseph County, Michigan land records. (I would list the volume and page number for the deed if I had my notes with me, but I do not at the moment; marriage of Eliza Mosier Oswalt to Reuben Pierce, Barry County, Michigan marriages, FamilySearch Record Search.
7. U. S. 1850 Federal Census, Pennsylvania, Huntingdon County, Walker Township, household of Benjamin Oswald; U.S. 1860 Federal Census, Pennsylvania, Huntingdon County, Juanita Township, household of Benjamin Oswalt.
   

Surname Saturday - Can I Conclude That These Oswalts Are Related? - Part Two

In my previous post, I started to write about who I believe Adam's siblings were and why, but I ended the post before finishing because I realized that the post had become too long. Therefore, I decided to split up this Surname Saturday on the Oswalt Family to make it more readable. (This Surname Saturday will probably end up as multiple posts due to the length of the analysis needed to explain everything.) But before I go any further, I think I should list how many people were living in the household of Benjamin and Mary Oswalt (Adam's parents, according to his death certificate) during the 1830 and 1840 censuses.

Although Benjamin Oswalt isn't listed in Ancestry's index for the 1830 census, I did find him listed in the census living in Hopewell Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. (Correction: At least that was true prior to June 5, when I happened to look through the index again.) According to the census, 6 people were living in Benjamin's household at that time: 1 white male under 5, 1 white male between 5 and 10 years old, a white male between 30 and 40 years old, a white female under 5, a white female between 5 and 10 years old, and a white female between 30 and 40 years old. (1)

So, who might the people be living in Benjamin's household? Well, the 30-something year old man is Benjamin and the 30-something year old woman is Benjamin's wife, Mary. The male between the ages of 5 and 10 is more than likely, Benjamin and Mary's son, John. (Other census records indicate that John was born in either 1820 or 1821.) The male under 5 is probably Benjamin and Mary's son, Solomon (of whom, you may remember, I wrote about in the previous post). As for the two young females in the same age group as the boys, I can only guess although I believe the two to be Benjamin and Mary's daughters. One of females might be the Eliza Oswalt, who is listed in a 1848 marriage announcement as marrying a Thomas King. (I strongly believe Eliza is a sister of Adam for two reasons: In the 1870 census, Adam is listed as living in Three Rivers, Michigan and in addition to his wife and children being listed, a 20 year old Clara King is also listed as living in his household. In 1876, this Clara King married a George P. Mosher, and when she died in 1886, her parents are listed as Thomas King and Eliza King. From the marriage announcement, I know that Eliza's maiden name was Oswalt. Of course, my suspicion could be wrong, but that is how I have interpreted the records so far.) I later found Eliza and Thomas in the 1850 census living in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania with two young children: a two-year old Mary and a 4-month old Clara. (2) As for the younger female, I'm uncertain as to who she might be.

In 1840, Benjamin Oswalt is residing in Walker Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. According to the census, 9 people lived in Benjamin's household: 2 white males under 5, 1 white male between 5 and 10 years old, 1 white male between 10 and 15 years old, 1 male between 20 and 30 years old, 1 male between 30 and 40 years old, 1 white female under 5, 1 female between 10 and 15 years old, and 1 female between 30 and 40 years old. (3)

So, who might have been living in Benjamin's household in 1840? Well, the 30-something year old man and woman are most likely Benjamin and Mary Oswalt, even though they were listed as the same age in the 1830 census. The two males under 5 are probably Adam and Benjamin. The male between 5 and 10 is probably William. The male between the ages of 10 and 15 is most likely Solomon. As for the male between the ages of 20 and 30, I'm not sure who it is. Benjamin and Mary's son, John, had married earlier that year in March, and his household is listed separately from Benjamin's. (4) Although it is still possible that it is John, it is probably either a relative or a farm hand. I will have to do more research to determine who he is. The female under 5 is probably Margaret, and the female between the ages of 10 and 15 is most likely Eliza. (This list of possible names for the two censuses comes from the 1850 census I mentioned in the previous post and the sources I list for Eliza. The 1850 census for Benjamin Oswalt's household listed the names and ages of him and his family: Benjamin Oswalt, age 52; Mary Oswalt, age 50; Solomon Oswalt, age 24; William Oswalt, age 18; Margaret Oswalt, age 13; Benjamin Oswalt, age 11; and Nancy Oswalt, age 8. (5) )

In my next post in this series, I will continue my analysis, and explain why I believe William is Adam's brother. I will also include proof on how I know that Margaret is Adam's sister. Until then, have I made a good enough case to say that Eliza (Oswalt) King is a sister to my ancestor, Adam Oswalt? Please let me know what you think. Thanks, and enjoy!
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Sources

1. 1830 U. S. Federal Census, Pennsylvania, Huntingdon County, Hopewell Township, household of Benjamin Oswalt.
2. "Married," Huntingdon Journal, 21 November 1848, 3, http://205.247.101.31/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/ajuncnews&CISOPTR=3916&REC=5; 1870 U. S. Federal Census, Michigan, Three Rivers, household of Adam Oswalt; Marriage of Clara King to George P. Mosher, Saint Joseph County, Michigan marriages, FamilySearch Record Search; Death of Clara Mosher, Barry County, Michigan Deaths, FamilySearch Record Search.
3. 1840 U. S. Federal Census, Pennsylvania, Huntingdon County, Walker Township, household of Benjamin Oswald.
4. 1840 U. S. Federal Census, Pennsylvania, Huntingdon County, Walker Township, household of John Oswald; "Married," Huntingdon Journal, 1 April 1840, 3, http://205.247.101.31/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/ajuncnews&CISOPTR=5320&REC=1.
5. 1850 U. S. Federal Census, Pennsylvania, Huntingdon County, Walker Township, household of Benjamin Oswalt.
   

Surname Saturday - Can I Conclude That These Oswalts Are Related? - Part One

I've never participated in this meme before, but I did learn about the meme from reading Randy's post. Instead of just writing about where I've researched a certain surname, I thought for my first post in this meme series I would write some more about a research problem I have. Since I will be posting on all of my research on my Oswalt ancestors up to this point, I'll have to split this Surname Saturday into two or more posts to make the reading more manageable.

I did write about my problems trying to connect Adam Oswalt to Benjamin Oswalt and William Oswalt, but I only wrote about my research in general terms. I am hoping that by writing in more specific terms will generate more of a response on whether or not those three Oswalts are related. (I am hoping that other genealogy bloggers will comment; and give advice or suggestions on whether or not I can conclude that they were relatives, or where to continue my research.) In other words, would including Benjamin and William as brothers of Adam be acceptable? Do I have enough evidence to prove a relationship? How would a professional or experienced genealogist view my research? These are all questions that I am hoping other genealogy bloggers might be able to answer or at least suggest what I should do next in my research.

As you probably already know, I am descended from the Civil War veteran, Adam Oswalt. From Adam's pension file, I learned that he was born outside of Huntingdon, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania on May 15, 1836. (I have not yet confirmed this information with any primary sources yet, but hopefully, I will uncover church records some day.) Adam did not name his parents or any other relatives, but mentioned that his parents were illiterate. (1). Census records from 1880 through 1910 indicate that he was born about 1836. For some reason, the 1870 census suggests a birth year of 1837. His marriage certificate and muster-out military papers also suggest a birth year of 1837. (I do not know if those years are a mistake, or if the earlier records are correct. Again, I am hoping church records will resolve that issue.) (2). Adam married Barbara Ann Detwiler in 1861, and his age was given as 23 years old. His parents' names are not listed in the county marriage record as they were not required at that time. (3). The first record that gives Adam's parents' names is Adam's death certificate, and the certificate lists a Benjamin Oswalt and Mary Rough as his parents. (4). As to whether or not the informant is related, I do not believe he is, although there is always the possibility. What I do know about the informant is that he worked at the Old Soldier's Home Hospital as a clerk. Where did he get the information, if he was not related? It's probably very likely that he got his information from Adam's daughter, Myrtie, as she was listed as his nearest relative in his admission papers to the home. (5).

After uncovering the names of Adam's parents, I looked for them, and found them in the 1850 Census in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Among the children living with Benjamin and Mary were a Solomon, William, Margaret, Benjamin and Nancy Oswalt. Adam does not show up in the household. (6). Of course, the absence of Adam in the 1850 census does not mean that he was not Benjamin and Mary's son, and there are probably multiple reasons as to why Adam did not show up in the census. I also found Benjamin Oswalt and Mary living in Huntingdon County in the 1860 census, but Adam is not listed in that census either. (7). To this date, I have not been able to find Adam in the 1850 or 1860 census, even though Adam stated on his admission papers that he had been living in Michigan since March of 1859. (8). There is another Adam Oswalt living in Blair County (which was once part of Huntingdon County), but that Adam is too old to be my ancestor. It is completely possible, though, that this Adam is a relative of Benjamin Oswalt. I have yet to determine whether or not that Adam is a relative, though.

While I haven't been able to find Adam in the 1850 and 1860 censuses, I do know that he was living in Pine Grove Township, Van Buren County, Michigan at the time of his marriage in 1861. (9). Whether or not Adam began living in Michigan in 1859, I have yet to determine. It is possible that tax records for those years will help me narrow down when and where he was living in Michigan at that time. Although I haven't been able to find Adam, I did find a Solomon and William Oswald living in Saint Joseph County, Michigan in the 1860 Census. Solomon was living in the household of John Heinback in Park Township, while William was living with a Daniel and Margaret Black in Fabius Township. (10). The odd thing about Solomon was his age. He was still in his twenties in this census like he was in the 1850 census. Oddly enough, the age given was about the same age as Adam would have been. Could Adam have been living in the same household as Solomon but missed or mixed up? (11). All I can do is speculate until I go through the tax records of Saint Joseph County for those years. Of course, I do know Adam lived in Saint Joseph County after his marriage in 1861.

As for the Solomon Oswalt who was living in Park Township at the time of the 1860 census, he was not living there in the 1870 census, nor was I able to find a Solomon Oswalt that fit the previous censuses in Pennsylvania. (There is a Solomon Oswalt in Pennsylvania in the 1870 census, but that Solomon does not appear to fit the Solomon Oswalt in the 1850 Census.) (12). Originally I believed that he had died in Saint Joseph County after the 1860 census, but after looking at the Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania newspapers and Civil War records for Pennsylvania, it appears that Solomon returned to Huntingdon County. How was I able to determine that fact? Well, the newspaper, Huntingdon Journal, carried a marriage notice for a Solomon Oswalt who married a Mary Morningstar on February 14, 1861, and since the only Solomon Oswalt around the Huntingdon County area was the Solomon connected to Benjamin and Mary Oswalt, I think it is safe to assume that it is him. Additionally, the Pennsylvania Archives has a Civil War Veteran's index file, and it lists a Solomon Oswalt who served in September of 1862. This Solomon enlisted at Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, and I suspect that Solomon is Benjamin and Mary's son. (13). In 1869, a Mrs. Mary Oswalt is listed as marrying a Jno. Westbrook in a marriage announcement, which suggested to me that Solomon had died some time before the newspaper published the announcement and that his widow had remarried. To confirm my theory, I searched the 1870 census for a John Westbrook living in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania with a wife named Mary, and I found the couple. Included in the household were two children: William and Ann Oswalt. (14). Of course, my connection to these children and Solomon are tenuous, and I still have to confirm the relationship with some other form of documentation. Additionally, I only have the 1850 census to connect Solomon to Benjamin and Mary Oswalt.

Benjamin Oswalt (the father) died sometime before 28 September 1861 when his widow, Mary, renounced her right to administer his estate. She requested that their son, John, take care of his estate, but unfortunately, only John's relationship is stated in the will book. (15). When I looked at the Orphan Court's records to see if any further documentation might list Benjamin's heirs, I did not have luck. The court records only mention that the estate had been assessed and that the administration of it had been approved by the Orphan's Court. (16). Short of finding any other court records, I'll probably have to look for church records, but at the moment, I am not sure as to what my Oswalt ancestors religious beliefs were.

In the next post, I'll continue with my research into this Oswalt family by analyzing the information I have on William and Benjamin Oswalt. If I have rambled too much, I apologize for any confusion.

So, what do you think so far? Do I have enough information to conclude that Adam and Solomon are brothers? Any advise or suggestions are welcome. Thanks.
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Sources

(Some of the citations are not complete due to the fact that I do not have all of the documents in front of me at this time. I am relying upon my memory at the time of this writing.)

1. "1907 Statement." Civil War Pension File of Adam Oswalt.
2. U.S. Federal Censuses of 1870, 1880, 1900 and 1910. (For the first three censuses, Adam is living in Saint Joseph County, Michigan. For the 1910 census, Adam Oswalt is living in Kent County, Michigan.)
3. "Marriage of Adam Oswald to Barbary Ann Detweiler." Saint Joseph County, Michigan Marriage Records. Book C, page 307.
4. "Death record of Adam Oswalt." Kent County, Michigan Death Records. His death certificate can also be viewed online at http://seekingmichigan.org/.
5. "Admission papers of Adam Oswalt to the Michigan Old Soldier's Home." Microfilm at the Grand Rapids Public Library. Admission number 5205.
6. U. S. 1850 Federal Census, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, Walker Township, household of Benjamin Oswalt.
7. U. S. 1860 Federal Census, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, Juanita Township, household of Benjamin Oswald.
8. See record in source number 5. Page 2.
9. See record in source number 3.
10. U. S. 1860 Federal Census, Saint Joseph County, Michigan, Park and Fabius Townships, households of John Heinback (sic) and Daniel Black.
11. See record in source number 10 for Park Township.
12. U.S. 1870 Federal Census for Saint Joseph County, Michigan and Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.
13. "Marriage of Solomon Oswalt to Mary M. Morningstar." Huntingdon Journal. 20 February 1861. http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Default/Skins/civilwar/Client.asp?skin=civilwar&AppName=2&AW=1257601112239; "Solomon Oswald." Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866. Pennsylvania State Archives. Between Oswald, John P. and Otis, Ora L. Item 17. http://www.digitalarchives.state.pa.us/archive.asp?view=ArchiveItems&ArchiveID=17&FID=1350300&LID=1350349&FL=O&Page=1.
    
14. "Marriage of Jno A. Westbrook (sic) to Mary M. Oswalt." Huntingdon Globe. 3 March 1869.http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Default/Skins/civilwar/Client.asp?skin=civilwar&AppName=2&AW=1257601112239; U. S. 1870 Federal Census, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, Township, household of John Westbrook.
15. "Administrative letters for the estate of Benjamin Oswald." Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania Wills, 1787-1918, Wills v. 5-6. FHL US/CAN Film 854233. Will Book 6, page 142.
    
16. "November 1861 Session." Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania Orphan's Court Dockets, 1788-1866. Volume I, FHL US/Can Film 900592. Page 59 (?).
    

A Family Reunion From A Child's Perspective ...

For this upcoming edition of the Carnival of Genealogy, I am supposed to write about family reunions. I have only been to one family reunion so far in my life, and as I do not know about any other family reunions in my family before my time, I'll write about the one I attended.

I was eight years old when I attended the reunion with my mom, brother and paternal grandparents, and in addition to my immediate family, my great-uncle and great-aunt also attended the reunion. They, of course, drove separate from us. The reunion was in Pennsylvania, and my grandfather drove the van we had at the time. (I don't know where exactly it was in Pennsylvania except that it was pretty close to the border with New York.) My dad did not accompany us to reunion because he had to work. I do remember the drive to the reunion, but I don't remember if I saw any road signs. All I knew was that the family reunion was on my grandma's side of the family.

The hotel where the reunion was held (and where we stayed) had, from what I remember, an Irish theme. I can't remember the name, but I can still recall what the place looked like. (Of course, I also took pictures, so that is probably why I remember so much about the place.) Outside of the family members I mentioned above, I did not know anyone else there at the reunion, and I don't really recall interacting with the other people at the reunion. What I do remember was that the reunion was in late October, and was primarily a weekend event. I might have had to miss a day or two of school, but the reunion wasn't very long. Towards the end of the reunion, there was a little trick-or-treat event set up for the children, and I remember wearing the costume I had that year for Halloween. Unfortunately, my brother and I missed most of the event, but our mom took pictures of us in our costumes.

Since I really did not know anyone, I think I hung around my family most of the time, although I do remember wandering around a little bit. (Unfortunately, I don't remember everything.) I did leave the hotel a couple of times, but only with other family members. One of the outings from the hotel was with my grandparents, and I remember we drove across the boarder into New York to buy lotto tickets. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a park (probably a state park) and walked through the park. I think we originally stopped to see a waterfall, because I remember walking to the waterfall in the park. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the park or the waterfall. At one time I did have some information on the park and the waterfall, but the information was thrown out years ago before I had a chance to really look at it.

The second outing that I remember was to a restaurant, and the restaurant was in an old, white house. I don't remember the food at the place, but I do remember the Halloween decorations that were set up behind the building since I took many pictures of them. (I think I drove my mom nuts with all the pictures I took, but mostly I remember being fascinated with the decorations. Of course, as a kid, I was into Halloween, so it was hard for me to ignore.)

Outside of the events above, I don't remember too much more. I do remember that there was a group picture taken of everyone because my grandma held up a copy of the Livonia Observer, so that the picture would end up in the newspaper. The picture was eventually printed in the newspaper, but it wasn't put into the newspaper until some months later. (A classmate happened to see the picture and mentioned it to the class. At the time, we were supposed to pick articles out of the newspaper, and she happened to notice my name in the picture. Of course, I didn't know until then that the picture had been printed.) After it was printed, I cut-out the image, and I still have it in a scrapbook.

Before the reunion ended, I think every family member received a mug and plastic cup with the name and year of the reunion because we brought home a few of them. Of course, I don't know for sure, the mugs are probably the only mementos (besides the photographs) my family still has from the reunion. (My grandma did receive some information on her family, but I wasn't with her at the time so I can't say when during the reunion she received it.)

So, as you can see, most of my memories of the family reunion are random. Of course, I was really young at the time, so I did not know what was going on other than what I saw or heard. As for whether or not I would ever attend another family reunion, I probably would since I had a fairly positive experience with the one I attended. I just only wished I understood better what was going on at the time.

Summer Reading Challenge Book Review 7

Well, I have finished reading another book, and like the previous six books, the book I had to read was also on the reading list for my history class. This time, I read Reforming Men & Women: Gender in the Antebellum City by Bruce Dorsey (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2002).

This book deals with the history of gender ideology in the reform movements in the Antebellum North. The primary focus is on how white men defined their view of manliness against women, African Americans and European immigrants.

(Note from October 10: Since I waited too long to post this book review, I have decided to omit my opinion of the book so that I can post this review.)

Frustrated Friday - Who Are Their Parents?

It has been awhile since I last wrote about my Stout ancestors, and at the moment, I'm a bit uncertain as to where I should look for a marriage for my ancestors, Joseph Stout and Susan Kelley. What I do know is that they were married in Northampton County, Pennsylvania in 1829. The image above is their marriage notice that was published in the Easton Centennial on 6 March 1829. ( A woman named Marie, did the look-up in the newspaper, and e-mailed me the image of the notice.)

I do not know which church Joseph Stout or Susan Kelley attended, nor do I know who were their parents. (I have suspicions as to who their parents are, but at the moment, I do not have any proof to link them to the suspected parents.) All I know is that they were married by Charles E. Weygandt, Esq., and that Susan was from Bushkill while Joseph was from Schoeneck. Is anyone familiar with the records of Northampton County, Pennsylvania? Does anyone know where I should look for a marriage record, or which church Charles Weygandt might have been a member? Any suggestions or advise is welcome. If you can help me, please contact me by e-mail at jess_history at yahoo dot com. Thanks!

Family History Center Visit 10

Earlier today, I visited the local Family History Center with my brother and grandma. My grandma helped me with my research by looking through the will index for Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, and she wrote down names from a list on surnames that I gave her. I looked at the grantee index for the same county, but most of the Oswalts listed in the index were for deeds recorded in the mid-Twentieth Century, so I did not have as much luck with that film.

After going through that film, I looked at the church records for Trippstadt, Germany, and I had more success with that film. I was able to find baptismal records for Adolph Kees and Amelia Cotta's children who were born before 1839, and I was able to find a couple of burial records for the Kees and Cotta family. I'll have to order the other microfilm to find the other baptismal, marriage and burial records for the Kees and Cotta family. Of course, I made copies of the images.

I did not order any microfilms this time because I spent the whole time doing research and making copies for what I found.

Family History Center Update

I received a phone call from the local Family History Center earlier today, and I learned that the three microfilms I ordered a couple weeks ago have arrived. I hope to be able to pay a visit to the center soon. Stay tuned ...

Family History Center Visit 9

Earlier today, I stopped by the local Family History Center, and ordered three more microfilms. Two of the mircofilms are indexes: one for the probate records of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania and the other for the grantees for Huntingdon County's land records. The other microfilm is of church records from the Protestant church in Trippstadt, Germany. I am hoping that these mircofilms of the indexes will help me with my research into my Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania ancestors. Stay tuned for further updates ...

Family History Center Visit 8

Earlier today, I visited the local Family History Center, and I took a look at the new microfilm that had come in earlier in the week. As I suspected, it was a microfilm of church records (Bishop's transcripts, to be specific) from Wigan, Lancashire, but unfortunately, after looking through the film, I realized that I had ordered the wrong microfilm. So, the next time I visit the local Family History Center, I'll have to order a different film for the area.

After not having any luck with the Wigan film, I went through the Huntingdon, Pennsylvania microfilm again, but as with the first film, I was unable to uncover any more information on my ancestors. So, I did not have any luck with that film either.

After not having any success with those two films, I did take another look at the Luton microfilm I had looked at before, and this time, I did find the marriage of my great-grandmother's older brother. (I didn't find her younger brother's marriage, but I couldn't remember the year he married.) When I looked at the witnesses to the marriage, I was surprised to see my great-grandparents listed as the witnesses! Since I did not know how they met or for how long they knew each other before they married, I was thrilled to find their signatures on the record at least three years before they married!

So, for this visit, I really did not have any success, other than when I looked at the Luton microfilm. I did not order any additional microfilms at this visit, but I am hoping to visit the center next week. I might order a few more microfilms at that visit. Stay tuned ...

Family History Center Visit 7

Yesterday, I visited the local Family History Center, and started to take a look at the two microfilms that had come in. I had only about an hour to do research, so I wasn't able to get too far into my research.

The first microfilm that came in happened to be of marriages from St. Matthew's Church in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. I had hoped to find my great-great-grandparents marriage record in this microfilm, since it was the church where my great-grandparents got married. Although the records went back to the time of my great-great-grandparents' marriage, their marriage was not recorded in this church. I'll have to take a look at other church records in the area, and order another microfilm. (Of course, before I return the microfilm, I will double check to make sure that I haven't overlooked any of the marriages of my great-grandmother's siblings as well.)

So, after quickly determining that my great-grandparents were not in that film, I decided to look at the other microfilm. This microfilm contained the records of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania's cemetery, church and bible records, and I quickly discovered that the microfilm contained a typed transcript of those records done by the local DAR branch in Huntingdon county. Despite being disappointed at not viewing the originals, I still decided to go through the film and see if I could find my ancestors mentioned. Unfortunately, I only got through about a third of the microfilm, so I'll have to make another trip to the center to finish going through the microfilm. Hopefully, I will get lucky and uncover more information on my ancestors on my next visit. Stay tuned for future updates ...

Family History Center Update

I just received an e-mail from the local Family History Center and learned that two of the microfilms I ordered have arrived. I know that one of the microfilms is of the church and bible records of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, but I am unsure of what the other microfilm is because I only ordered one microfilm from Pennsylvania this time around. I did order two microfilms of church records from England, so it is possible that one of the microfilms is from England. Either way, I'll find out which microfilm that one is the next time I go to the center.

Family History Center Visit 6

Earlier today I visited the local Family History Center in my area, and I took a look at the microfilm of Trippstadt's death records from 1803 to 1839. I was able to find four death records for members of the the Kees and Cotta families, among which one of those death records happened to be for the Christoph Friedrich Cotta that I wrote about last year. The other three death records were of his grandchildren who died young, and I was able to print out images of all four of the death certificates.

After looking at the death certificates, I took a look again at the tax assessments for Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, and I tried to find my ancestor, Benjamin Oswalt, listed in the tax records before 1823, but I was unsuccessful in searching the townships of Henderson, Porter and Huntingdon. I did, though, find information on a couple possible Householder ancestors. If I am going to find Benjamin in the tax records before 1823, I will have to order the other microfilms of tax records and look for him in other townships. I was unable to print out copies of the pages of those assessments because I ran out of time for research.

Before I left the Family History Center, though, I ordered three more microfilms. Two of those microfilms are of church records in England and the third microfilm is of church records for Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Hopefully, I will find more information on my Oswalt ancestors when the Pennsylvania church records arrive. Stay tuned for further updates ...

Family History Center Visit 5

Yesterday, I went back to the local Family History Center, and I looked through the Huntingdon tax records microfilm, that I ordered, again. As you may remember from my previous post, I was unable to finish looking through the assessments for Hopewell Township after 1815 on my last visit, so I finished going through the assessments for the township between 1815 and 1823. Of course, I was still able to find an Oswalt in the assessments for that township, but I was unable to find my ancestor, Benjamin Oswalt, in the records before 1823. The Oswalt that I did find in the assessments was an Adam Oswalt, and I suspect this Adam might be Benjamin's father as this Adam is old enough to pass for his father. Of course, this Adam is not to be confused with Benjamin's son, Adam, who served in the Civil War. (If that makes any sense!)

Of course, I was hoping to find Benjamin before 1823 because I am trying to trace his movements. I know that Benjamin did reside in Hopewell Township from 1823 until 1826, and then again from 1829 until 1833, when the tax assessments end, but I have not yet been able to find him or his family in the 1820 census. I did notice that there were other people living with an Adam Oswalt in the 1820 census, so I am trying to determine if that is where Benjamin was living. Of course, I will need to look at other townships in the area as it could be possible that Benjamin was living another township before 1823. I am hoping to narrow his movements so that I can figure out when Benjamin married and his age.

I noticed that at the end of the tax assessments, there was a section for single, freedmen, but I could not find Benjamin listed in that list either, for Hopewell Township. One of the tax assessments recorded that single men who were 21 and older were listed under that list. So, if I was able to find Benjamin in the tax assessment, that would give me an approximate year of birth and the removal of his name from the single men's list would give me an approximate year of marriage. Since I was unable to find him listed under any of Hopewell's tax assessments before 1823, I will need to look for him in another neighboring township. (When Benjamin does show up in Hopewell in 1823, I know he is already married as he is listed with the other heads of households on the assessment and not with the single men.)

So, I will have to visit the local Family History Center again, and look through the microfilm again. Eventually I will do a post on the tax assessments, but that will have to wait until I am able to go through the microfilm again. Stay tuned ...

Family History Center Visit 4

Earlier today I visited the local Family History Center, and I discovered that the another microfilm of tax assessments for Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania had arrived. I looked at the tax assessments for Hopewell township from 1788 to about 1815, and discovered that a possible Oswalt ancestor resided in the county from 1802. Of course, I have not proven that this man is my ancestor, but this man was old enough to pass for Benjamin Oswalt's father. I was unable to look at the tax assessments from 1815 to 1823 because I ran out of time, but I hope to look at those tax records again soon.

Now I have proof that Oswalts were living in Huntingdon County from at least 1802, so now, I need to figure out why I cannot find them in the 1810 census. I guess I'll have to look again and see if I can find the family. Stay tuned ...

Family History Center Update

I forgot to mention this yesterday, but another one of my microfilms has come into the center. Obviously, I do not know what records are on the microfilm, but I hope to be able to visit the center in the next few days. As always, I'll report on what I find after my visit.

Family History Center Visit 3

Earlier today I visited the local Family History Center, and I took a look at the Trippstadt microfilm that had arrived. I was able to find two death records for one of my German lines, and I copied those two records. ( I will write a future post on these death records and post some images from those films.)

I also took a look at the Huntingdon county tax assessments, and copied images from the microfilm. In addition, I ordered two more microfilms, and those films I ordered were death records and tax assessments. Hopefully, I will be able to find more information on my family when those microfilms arrive. Stay tuned ...

Family History Center Visit 2

Earlier today I visited the local Family History Center, and I took a look at the two microfilms that had come in on Tuesday. The microfilms that came in were the church records for a Catholic church in Elizabeth, New Jersey and tax records for Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania.

One of my great-grandfathers grew up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and was raised in the Catholic Church. This ancestor happens to be a bit of a brick wall to me because I am not completely sure as to who his parents were, and I thought viewing the records for the church he attended as a child might provide some answers. Well, I did take a look at the records, but I was unable to determine if the first communion records and confirmation records were of my great-grandfather as there were other boys listed that had the same name and the parents were not listed. So, I'll have to do a little more digging to figure out which one might be my great-grandfather, and until then, searching in this microfilm will be inconclusive.

Although I did not have as much success in searching through the church records, I did have more success with the tax records. Although my ancestors mainly lived in Walker and Juniata Townships, I knew from the 1830 Census that Benjamin Oswalt did live in Hopewell Township at one point, and I decided to order the microfilm that contained tax records for Hopewell Township. The microfilm included the tax records for the years 1823 to 1833 for the township, and to my surprise, I discovered that the tax payers were listed in alphabetical order by last name. (The only exception to that was the single free men section.) I do not have very much experience with tax records, so I am uncertain as to whether or not this is typical. Either way, the alphabetical order of the names made my job of searching the tax records a lot easier.

So, what did I find? Well, I found the listings for my ancestor, Benjamin Oswalt, and another Adam Oswalt. (From looking at the 1820 and 1830 censuses, it appears that this Adam Oswalt was older than Benjamin Oswalt, to the point that he was enough to be Benjamin's father, and therefore, I suspect that Adam might be his father. Of course, at the moment, I am only speculating as I do not have proof yet.) The tax records listed the number and type of animals and amount of land that a tax payer might own. For Benjamin, that happened to be mainly one cow and sometimes one horse, but for Adam, the tax record listed that he owned between 150-164 acres of land, one horse and one cow at various points. Of course, the ownership of land is news to me, so I have another lead to chase down on my Oswalt ancestors, possible and confirmed.

The tax records also contained for some of the years the papers giving a resident of the township the authority to assess all of the residents of the township, and it also listed how much each item was worth. Another column listed the total value of a person's taxable property, and how much the person had to pay in taxes. At the end of each year's assessment, the names of people who owned unseated land, single free men and the names of poor children were listed. Unfortunately, I did not copy any pages from the tax record at this visit, so I do not have any images to show as examples. On my next visit, I'll try to copy some of the pages and post a few examples.

So, that is what I accomplished on this visit. Although I did not find all of the answers I wanted to, I am still happy that I was able to find my Oswalt ancestors on the tax rolls. I know have a better idea of where they were living in between the 1820 and 1830 censuses. I did not order another microfilm as I am still waiting for the third film to come in, but on my next visit, I'll probably order some more microfilms.