Genealogical Researching on a Budget

Caron Primas Brennan had an article "Genealogical Researching on a Budget" that was published as the Technical Insert #216 in the Illinois Heritage Association November-December 2018 newsletter.  It went to all Illinois Heritage Association member museums and historical societies as well as other libraries and archives, preservation groups, genealogical societies, some tourism organizations, and other cultural heritage organizations in Illinois.

The article includes information on researching genealogy on-line for no charge, using free databases or subscription databases used through libraries.  It covers looking for people, graves and obituaries, photographs, immigration, maps, newspapers and general resources.  It also includes US and international sites.

Check with your local library or historical society to see if they have a copy.  Or you can contact the Illinois Heritage Association (https://illinoisheritage.org) or Caron Brennan at Your Cousin Caron to request a copy.

Illinois Heritage Association

The Illinois Heritage Association perpetuates the history and heritage of Illinois by providing professional services to educational institutions, local government bodies and nonprofit agencies. It recognizes the contribution of people and nature to the shaping of the cultural heritage of the state of Illinois. In furthering such purposes, the Illinois Heritage Association researches and documents the history of Illinois, makes available the services of qualified personnel to assist with the needs of agencies entrusted with the perpetuation of Illinois history, provides educational services and benefits to the public, and builds coalitions with other groups that have similar objectives.

Aid to museums, libraries, and preservation organizations is at the core of the Illinois Heritage Association’s purpose. The IHA helps to preserve the cultural heritage of Illinois. Its mission is to stimulate an interest in this heritage and to provide technical assistance to organizations and individuals who work to preserve it. In the IHA’s view, cultural heritage encompasses historical records, decorative and fine arts, folk arts, material culture, and the built and natural environments. The IHA was established as a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status in 1981, when state support for cultural institutions was at a low ebb. The association’s founders believed there should be a history-related service organization independent of state government.

The IHA issues a printed newsletter six times a year. It contains news of exhibitions, conferences, educational programs, and other activities of cultural heritage organizations in Illinois and across the country.  Each printed newsletter contains a technical insert that addresses an area of concern for cultural heritage organizations.

Caron Primas Brennan

Caron Primas Brennan blogs as Your Cousin Caron.  Caron loves history, biography, puzzles and a good mystery, which makes her perfectly suited to genealogy research!  She has been researching her family history since a 6th grade school project got her interested.  Caron’s only vice is genealogy so she has subscriptions to many resources including Ancestry.com, Genealogybank.com, Fold3.com, and Newspapers.com.  She belongs to several local and regional genealogy groups as well as being a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild and a Professional Member of the Association of Professional Genealogists.  She is currently the Recording Secretary and Society Liaison for the Illinois State Genealogical Society for 2018-2019; Facilitator for the Chicago Region of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) and is leading the Web Site Redesign Committee for the Chicago Genealogical Society.  She previously held Board positions at the Chicago Genealogical Society and CAGGNI (the Computer-Assisted Genealogy Group of Northern Illinois). When not working at her day job, researching her own family tree or making genealogy presentations, Caron may be researching for others or writing for her blogs!

1919 - Not a Good Year for August and Lillie Fielmann

I received this message via Ancestry.com recently:

“WE HAVE ALBERT, ANNA AND BLANCHE FIELMAN, CHILDREN OF AUGUST AND LILLIE BURIED IN JEWELL CEMETERY PLOT 44, BUT ACCORDING TO OUR RECORDS THERE IS ANOTHER PERSON BURIED THERE AND WE HAVE NO INFORMATION. WOULD YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHO IT MAY BE? ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANKS IN ADVANCE; JEANNIE STROVEN, CLERK DAYTON TOWNSHIP”

When I reviewed my tree for this family I found August Fielmann was born 19 Oct 1875 in Ottawa, Michigan[1] to William and Mary Fielmann.  August married Lillie Belle Mack on 15 Nov 1905 in Dayton Township, Newaygo County, Michigan[2].  Lillie was born 2 Jun 1877 in Holton, Muskegon, Michigan[3] to James and Elizabeth (Killenbeck) Mack.

Marriage of August and Lillie

I have four children listed for August and Lillie:  Mary born 13 Aug 1906[4], Anna born 2 Aug 1908[5], Blanche born 22 Feb 1910[6] and Albert born 23 Apr 1912[7].

In the 1910 US Census, August is enumerated along with Lillie (as Lillian), Mary, Anna (as Annie), and Blanche in Dayton, Newaygo County, Michigan.[8]  August is a farmer and Lillie is noted to have borne three children with three living.  Albert was born two years later.

On 22 July 1919, August and Lillie lost their only son, 7 year old Albert, to diphtheria[9].  

Albert death certificate

Nine days later on 31 July 1919 their two youngest daughters Anna (11 years old) and Blanche (9 years old) also died of diphtheria[10].  Their only surviving child was Mary who was 13 years old in 1919.

Blanche death certificate

Anna death certificate

According to Public Health Journal from the Michigan Department of Health there was an outbreak of diphtheria that killed 755 people in Michigan in 1919.[11]

The Mortality Statistics 1919[12], there were 12,551 deaths from diphtheria and croup in the U.S. in 1919, with children under 5 years of age representing 56% of the total.

Mortality Statistics 1919, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1920, page 27

About six months later, on 5 Jan 1920, August, Lillie and Mary are still in Newaygo County, Michigan farming[13].  But in 1921 they moved to New York[14].  

Springville Journal (Springville, New York), 15 Dec 1921, Thu, Page 5

In 1925, they are found in the New York State Census in Concord, Erie County, New York[15].

1925 NY State Census detail

Lillie Fielmann died 22 Jun 1926 in Wheeler Hollow, near Springville, New York after a prolonged illness.  She was 49 years old[16].  She was taken back to Michigan for burial.

Springville Journal (Springville, New York), 24 Jun 1926, Thu, Page 

August Fielmann died 25 Feb 1927 at home in Wheeler Hollow, at age 51[17]. He was also returned to Michigan for burial.

Springville Journal (Springville, New York), 03 Mar 1927, Thu, Page 1

In the 1930 US Census, Mary Fielmann is in Springville, Erie County, New York as a boarder in the household of Libbie Brace.  She is single and noted to be a capper in the drug industry[18].  By 1940, she is married and has three children of her own.

As a mother, I cannot even begin to comprehend how the loss of these children affected these parents but I am sure it was life altering.  Perhaps this is why they moved to New York, to try and escape the memories.  I imagine that the remaining child Mary was also never the same. 

The answer to the original question – who is the fourth person in the cemetery plot – I have no answer.  It was over two years after the wedding that Lillie had Mary.  There might have been a first child that died young or was stillborn.  It might be Lillie herself, returned to be buried with her children. It might have been another relative.  We may never know, but the Dayton Township folks are investigating it. 

---

[1] Ancestry.com. Michigan, Births and Christenings Index, 1867-1911 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Original data: "Michigan Births and Christenings, 1775–1995." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2009, 2010. Index entries derived from digital copies of original and compiled records.

[2] Ancestry.com. Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.  Original data: Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867–1952. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics.

[3] Ancestry.com. Michigan, Births and Christenings Index, 1867-1911 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.  Original data: "Michigan Births and Christenings, 1775–1995." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2009, 2010. Index entries derived from digital copies of original and compiled records.

[4] Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.  Original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007.

[5] Ancestry.com. Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.  Original data: Death Records. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Lansing, Michigan.

[6] Ancestry.com. Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.  Original data: Death Records. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Lansing, Michigan.

[7] Ancestry.com. Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.  Original data: Death Records. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Lansing, Michigan.

[8] Year: 1910; Census Place: Dayton, Newaygo, Michigan; Roll: T624_666; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0105; FHL microfilm: 1374679.

[9] Ancestry.com. Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.  Original data: Death Records. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Lansing, Michigan.

[10] Ancestry.com. Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.  Original data: Death Records. Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics, Lansing, Michigan.

[11] Personnel of the Michigan Department of Health. (1921, January). Public Health. Retrieved June 5, 2017, from Google Books:  https://books.google.com/books?id=bJY_AQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

[12] Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce, Mortality Statistics 1919, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1920, page 27

[13] Year: 1920; Census Place: Garfield, Newaygo, Michigan; Roll: T625_787; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 173; Image: 999

[14] Springville Journal (Springville, New York), 15 Dec 1921, Thu, Page 5

[15] New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1925; Election District: 02; Assembly District: 08; City: Concord; County: Erie; Page: 6

[16] Springville Journal (Springville, New York), 24 Jun 1926, Thu, Page 5

[17] Springville Journal (Springville, New York), 03 Mar 1927, Thu, Page 1

[18] Year: 1930; Census Place: Springville, Erie, New York; Roll: 1435; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 0392; Image: 212.0; FHL microfilm: 2341170

John Lewis, Union Soldier and Prisoner of War

A while back I received a gift from a 91-years-young cousin.  He had all the pages of his mother’s scrapbook scanned and copies sent to me.  Among the newspaper clippings was an obituary “Death of Mrs. Samuel Herbert”.  Mrs. Samuel Herbert was born Jane Lewis.  The notice mentions that she was predeceased by her brother, John Lewis, who died in Andersonville Prison.  This was news to me – I had never heard this before.

Jane Lewis Herbert Obituary

What did I know about my 3rd Great-Grand Uncle?  John Lewis was born about 1831-32 in Dutchess County, New York to John Lewis and Esther Hudson.  His parents were born and married in Yorkshire, England and came to the US shortly before he was born.  John had two older sisters, Sarah, and Ann Jane, called Jane or Jennie, my 3^rd great-grandmother, who were both born in England.

According to the Portrait and Biographical Album of Livingston County (1888), John Lewis (the father of John)…”came to America with his family in 1831, settled in the city of New York, where he engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes, afterward removing to Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, and engaging in the same business, which occupation he followed until he died.”

On 14 August 1850, John is enumerated in the US Federal Census living in the town of Fishkill in Dutchess County, New York.  He is an eighteen year old shoemaker, living with his parents John and Esther and his married sister Sarah and her husband Phillip Ward.  His sister Jane had married Samuel Herbert in 1848 and lived nearby in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Sometime between 1850 and 1860, John’s father John died and he and his mother moved west to Illinois with his two sisters and their husbands. According to his brother-in-law Samuel Herbert’s obituary the Herbert family came to Illinois in 1857.  It would be reasonable to believe that John and his mother traveled with them, if his father had already died.

On 5 July 1860, John is enumerated in the US Federal Census living in Pontiac, Livingston County, Illinois.  He is listed as a Plastering Mason, living with his widowed mother Esther in the home of his brother-in-law and sister, Samuel and Jane Herbert, along with their children.

In June 1863, he registered for the draft in Livingston County.  He entered the service 5 Jan 1864, with a muster date of 12 Jan 1864 at Joliet, Illinois as a Private in Company K of the 39^th Illinois Infantry.  He was about 32 years old.

 

Draft registration - Civil War

I looked for evidence that John was in and/or died in Andersonville Prison.  I checked www.Ancestry.com  for John Lewis and found 2 possible suspects in the Andersonville Prisoner of War database but no exact match.  There were also a number of John Lewis’ named in the US Army, Register of Enlistments database but again no exact match.  So I wondered did he really die at Andersonville or was he just a prisoner there?  I was suspicious of a newspaper account 30 years after the fact.

I went to www.Fold3.com  and checked the NARA database of Civil War Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900.  There were two men listed as John Lewis that requested pensions on their own behalf as invalids:  John Lewis, Private, Illinois, Infantry, Regiment 90, Company D and John Lewis, Corporal, Illinois Infantry, Regiment 111, Company H.  Another request was from the mother of John Lewis, Private, Illinois Infantry, Regiment 39, Company K who died at Andersonville Prison on September 23, 1864.  This last one looked promising, but was it really MY John Lewis?

Pension Index

I went to check www.cyberdriveillinois.com for Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls.  In the Illinois regiments listing I found over 25 men named John Lewis on the muster rolls, including the three from the pension database.   I was able to see (and save) the Illinois Civil War Detail report on my three suspects.  This detail report includes Name, Rank, Residence, Age, Height, Hair  and Eye color, Complexion, Marital status,  Occupation, Location of birth; when and where they joined; where and when they mustered in and out of service; and remarks including notes about discharge and where they were taken prisoner.    I was able to verify that the John Lewis who died in Andersonville Sep 23, 1864 was my John Lewis.  His report showed that he was born in Dutchess County, New York, a mason and was “taken prisoner May 16, 1864 at Drury’s Bluff, Virginia.”

 

John Lewis Military Detail

I found the History of the 39^th Regiment of the Illinois Infantry (John Lewis’ unit) and saved this excerpt (highlights are mine):

“After the Regiment had been recruited to seven hundred and fifty (750) strong, it left, early in March 1864, for Washington, D.C., and from thence sailed to Georgetown, Virginia, where in was assigned to the First Brigade, First Division, Tenth Army Corps. It then embarked, the 5^th day of May 1864, with General Butler's expedition up the James River. On reaching Bermuda Hundred, the Regiment took the advance on the march into the interior for several miles, when the entire command was halted, and entrenchment’s thrown up. After remaining for a day or two, the whole column was moved forward to Drury's Bluff. The Thirty-ninth was located on the extreme left of General Butler's command on the 16th of May 1864, when the entire force under Butler was attacked and driven back. The Regiment was at one time completely surrounded by the enemy, but succeeding in cutting their way out, after great loss. To use General Butler's own words, "the Thirty-ninth fought most gallantly, and have suffered most severely". Colonel Osborn, Major Linton, Captain Phillips, Captain Wheeler, Lieutenant Kidder and Lieutenant Kingsbury were all wounded - the latter losing an arm. Captain James Wightman and Adjutant J. D. Walker were killed while gallantly cheering on the men. The entire loss in this engagement, including killed, wounded and missing, reached nearly 200 hundred (200).”   The entire history of the regiment can be found at http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/reghist.pdf.

John and the other prisoners were taken first to Libby Prison in Richmond Virginia.  His mother may have seen the following newspaper article.

From the The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) 23 Jul 1864, Sat, Page1, 

At some point John and his fellow prisoners were transferred to Andersonville.  According to the Civil War Trust web site: “The first prisoners were brought to Andersonville in late February 1864. During the next few months, approximately 400 more arrived each day. By the end of June, 26,000 men were penned in an area originally meant for only 10,000 prisoners. The largest number held at any one time was more than 33,000 in August 1864. The Confederate government could not provide adequate housing, food, clothing or medical care to their Federal captives because of deteriorating economic conditions in the South, a poor transportation system, and the desperate need of the Confederate army for food and supplies.”

This means that John, being captured in May 1864, was sent to Andersonville while it was still fairly new and died when it was near its highest population.

Also from the Civil War Trust:

“When General William T. Sherman’s Union forces occupied Atlanta, Georgia on September 2, 1864, bringing Federal cavalry columns within easy striking distance of Andersonville, Confederate authorities moved most of the prisoners to other camps in South Carolina and coastal Georgia. From then until April 1865, Andersonville was operated in a smaller capacity.”

A sketch of Andersonville Prison by John L. Ransom, author of Andersonville Diary, Escape and List of the Dead. Areas of the sketch are numbered, the labels at the bottom are transcribed below: 1. Head Quarters, 2. Rebel Camp. 3. Hospital, 4. Cook House, 5. Death House, 6. Death Line, 7. The Island, 8. Sutler's Camp, 9. Police Quarters. 10. Hospitals along the Death Line. 11. Market Street, 12. Broad Street, 13. Inside Stockade, 14. Second Line Stockade, 15. Third Line Stockade, 16. Lieut. Head Quarters, 17. Washing Place, 18. Rifle Pits, 19. Astor House Mess.  This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID pga.02585

This time-frame of moving of the prisoners suggests that John Lewis was too ill to be moved and therefore died in Andersonville.  The movement of the prisoners and the confusion that must have ensued could also explain why some records I found for John did not specifically state he died at Andersonville, but said “no discharge furnished”.

Here is a report of the conditions found at Andersonville in August 1864, a month before John Lewis died from The Pantagraph, (Bloomington Illinois) 23 Sep 1865, Sat, Page1. 

“…we respectfully submit the following as causes of disease and mortality. 

1rst. The large number of prisoners crowded together.

 2^nd. The entire absence of all vegetables as a diet, so necessary as a preventative of scurvy.

3^rd. The want of barracks to shelter prisoners from sun and rain.

4^th. The inadequate supply of food and good water.

5^th. Badly cooked food.

6^th. The filthy condition of the prisoners.

7^th. The morbid emanations form the branch or ravine passing through the prison, the condition of which cannot be better explained that by naming it a morass of human excrement and mud.”

Based on the accounts of Andersonville conditions, it would be reasonable to assume that John Lewis died weak, emaciated, malnourished, and sick on 23 Sep 1864.  I assume he suffered, but hopefully someone, perhaps a friend was with him at the end.

According to The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) 26 Aug 1865, Sat Page 1 there were about 500 prisoners who were buried of which no records were kept and so could not be identified.  About 13,000 were identified and given grave-markers.

I still have questions:  Was he able to write or receive letters from his mother and family?  How and when did his mother learn of his death?  

Marker at Andersonville

Do You Want Responses To Your Inquiry?

Help me help you!

I received this contact yesterday via Ancestry. I do not know if it is referring to a tree connection or a DNA match.

For a quick response, it would be helpful to know what tree on Ancestry (I manage over ten trees on Ancestry) and what person in the tree you are interested in. For DNA connections, I would like the same information.

Here is an real email I received (I couldn't make this up!).  

​

Tue, Sep 22, 2015 at 8:00 AM:
It seems we are related :) how are you?  I don't know any of my relatives so I'm trying to find them.
Merry Christmas
Jennifer

I have DNA kits at three different testing companies.  I manage a number of family DNA kits.  How do you think I should respond?

This email is slightly more helpful:

Fri, Mar 18, 2016 at 12:31 PM:
Dear Bobby,

I am writing to you as Family Finder shows that you are my cousin. If you would like to get in touch with me to share our search results I would be very grateful.

Looking forward to hear from you soon,

Your cousin,

Jan

  

Here is an example of one I can respond to with some real information:

Sun, Nov 8, 2015 at 7:23 PM,

Subject: GEDMatch to KAK48

My mother (Axxx719) and I (Axxx205) have matching regions with KAK48 kit on GEDMatch.

I am interested in trying to identify our common ancestor.

Our ancestors are from Sweden, Finland, and Germany (Prussia, Pommerania). Does KAK48 have ancestors from any of these regions?

Thank you,

Tim

Here is one I sent that received a quick response:

Subject:  Gedmatch Connection to [kit numbers]

Hi Grace,

It appears you and Art are a cousin match to my husband Bruce B and his aunt Marion Brennan Enich (MBE97).  They are also connected via paper trail and DNA back to Norwegian immigrants.  Family names include Knutsen/Knudsen, Gunderson and Marcusen.

Would you be willing to see how you all connect?  The family tree is on Ancestry as a public tree Primas Brennan Family http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/167759

Here are some requests of mine, if you would like to receive a response from me.

• Use an interest catching Subject like “Gedmatch - Autosomal DNA Match - Raymond Smith”, not “Hello Cousin” or “We Match!”  If you use one of the latter, it’s may go to the spam folder or be low priority to read and respond.
• Identify the person(s) you are trying to connect with or about.  In the case of DNA matching, do not assume the email is going to the tested person.  I manage many kits for others and need to know who you want to know about.  I also manage trees for other folks, so let me know what tree the person you are inquiring about is found in.  Where you found the tree would be helpful as well.  All my trees are not on Ancestry.
• Please tell me the name of the tree and where you found it, along with the name of the person in question.
• Include the testing company, kit numbers and/or names for DNA matching.
• Give me a brief description of what you are working on/looking for in contact requests. Example: “My mother's family were German Lutherans. My mother was born in Volhynia, and the family was there from the mid to late 1800s up until 1941 when the Russians expelled the Germans.  I am looking for family connections.”
• A pedigree chart in pdf format would be helpful as well as link to an on-line tree.
• Be courteous and gracious. Say please and thank you.  I am responding in my precious spare time.
• Avoid sending messages with misspellings, incorrect grammar or abbreviated texting language.  If you are sloppy in your communications, what is your research like?  There are instances of incorrect grammar when I get emails from non-English speaking folks or through a translation engine, which is understandable.

I do not think I am alone in hoping (asking) for better and clearer communication among genealogists.  It would make it easier for us to help each other.

Lost and Found

Over the years, I have requested birth, marriage and death certificates.  Occasionally, I receive ones that upon examination, are not my kin.  I cannot through them away, as I know how precious they might be to others.  So I am going to post them here hopefully to be found by their correct kin.

Certificate of Stillbirth

Baby Kerlev/Kerler/Karlov  (handwriting is not very legible)

Born: October 14, 1945 at St Joseph Hospital in Chicago, Illinois

Father: Frank J Kerlev/Kerler/Karlov, 29 years old, born in Urbana, Illinois, machine operator 

Mother: Dorothy Davis, 27 years old, born in Chicago, Illinois, housewife

Marriage certificates

Name of Husband: Osmond Jensen

Residence of husband:  Columbia County, Wisconsin

Name of wife previous to marriage:  Julia Holverson

Marriage date: March 7, 1857

Place: Arris Village, Sauk County, Wisconsin

Death certificates

Anna Katie Cook

White, female, widow, age 31 years old

Name of father: William Shaker

Name of mother:  Christine Heller

Date of birth of deceased: Mar 29, 1866

Birth place of deceased: Hanover, Wisconsin

Name of husband:  William Cook

Date of death: Dec 7, 1898

Residence at time of death:  Janesville, Wisconsin

Louise Melcher

White, female, married, age 43 years old

Birth date: Nov 3, 1898

Birth place:  Madison, Nebraska

Date of death: Aug 20, 1942

Place of residence: 3030 Fulton Blvd, Chicago, Illinois

Husband:  George Melcher

Parents:  Frank Nathan, Wilhelmina Born

Minnie Melcher

White, female, married, age 62 years old

Birth date:  May 18, 1882

Birthplace: Dalton, Illinois

Date of death: Oct 20, 1944

Place of residence:  Wheatfield, Indiana

Husband:  Louis Melcher

Place of death: St. George Hospital, Chicago, Illinois

Cause of death ruptured appendix

Parents:  Jens Larson, born in Sweden; Sophia Wittorp, born in Germany

Louis Melcher

White, male, widower, age 87 years old

Birth date: Sep 16, 1835

Birthplace:  Germany

Occupation:  Railroad Cabinet maker for the Pullman Company

Date of death: Mar 21, 1923

Place of death:  (home) 11825 S Princeton Ave, Chicago, Illinois

Wife:  Albatina Melcher

Parents:  John Melcher, born in Germany; Anna (unknown maiden name) born in Germany

Daniel Ross

White, male

Occupation of deceased: locomotive fireman

Age: 37 years old

Name of Father: Frederick M Ross

Name of mother:  Isabella Ross

Birthplace of deceased: New York City

Name of wife:  none

Condition:  single

Death: November 7, 1898

Residence at Time of Death:  Baraboo, Wisconsin

Cause of death:  traumatic pneumonia, injury to lungs as result of an accident

Place of death:  Janesville, Wisconsin

Duration of disease:  2 days

Place of burial: Walnut Hill Cemetery, Baraboo, Wisconsin

  

Ragna Westby

White, female, married, age 53 years old

Birth date: Aug 9, 1879

Birthplace:  Norway

Date of death: Oct 15, 1932

Place of death: (home) 3326 Narragansett, Chicago, Illinois

Husband:  Julius Westby

Parents: August Krogfloss; mother not known

Burial:  Perry Cemetery, Mount Horeb, Wisconsin