Obituaries - Jonathan & Adeline (Hanna) Ringer

JONATHAN RINGER

Jonathan Edward Ringer, a well known resident of this city, died suddenly at 3 a.m. yesterday at his home, 340 North Mulberry street, from paralysis of the heart, aged 67 years.  He had been in failing health for some time but had not been confined to his bed, and Tuesday said he had felt better than for some time.  About 2 o'clock yesterday morning he awoke his wife and complained of suffering severe pains in the region of the heart.  Dr. Wm. Preston Miller was summoned but before he arrived Mr. Ringer had expired.  Mr. Ringer was a native of Boonsboro, but had been living in this city nearly all his life.  For many years he conducted a bone mill, by the primitive process of heavy stampers, on the site of his present property, adjoining the Fair Grounds.  He retired from business several years ago and had since been living retired.  He was the first person to grind bones in Hagerstown, and many of our citizens in their boyhood days gathered bones and sold them to Mr. Ringer and in this manner paid their way to  see circus performances or purchased otherwise unobtainable luxuries.  He was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church and was widely known and esteemed.  He is survived by his wife, who was a Miss Hanna, of this city; sons, Luther, Edward, Iowa; Benton. Joseph, Illinois; Harvey, Kansas; Noah, New Jersey; Elmer, Pheonixville, Pa; brothers, Benjamin, this city; Joseph, Waynesboro; sisters, Mrs. David Huntsbarger, this city; Mrs. Van Kershner, Mrs. Anna Sprecker, New Salem.

MRS. ADELINE RINGER

Mrs. Adeline Ringer, widow of Jonathan Ringer, died at 5 o'clock this morning at her home, North Mulberry street, after a couple days' illness from fatty degeneration of the heart, aged 73 years.  She was a native of this city and was a Miss Hannah.  Survinving are sons, Luther and Edward, Iowa; Harvey, Kansas; Joseph, Illinois; Noah and Elmer, this city; sisters Miss Ruanna Hannah, Ohio; Mrs. Urilla McKee, Mrs. Tracey Fahrney, Virginia.

I transcribed these off of a photocopy of some materials provided to me by Roger & Charlotte Ringer.  Thanks, Charlotte!

New information on ancestor Adeline Hannah and a new-found cousin!

For quite some time I've tried to find out who the parents and ancestors of Adeline (Adaline) Hannah (possibly Hanna) were. Adeline (b. 1830 in Maryland) was the wife of Jonathan E. Ringer (b. 1836, Maryland) and they were the parents of Joseph Ellsworth Ringer (b. 1861, Maryland) who was the first direct ancestor of mine who began the westward migration of this faction of the Ringer clan.

About a week ago I received an email from Charlotte Ringer in Kansas, who has been researching Elias Ringer. Turns out Charlotte's husband, Ronald, is a cousin who also claims Jonathan Ringer and Adeline Hannah as direct ancestors! Ronald's ancestor, Harvey Ringer and my ancestor, Joseph Ringer were brothers.

Charlotte and Ronald own a bed and breakfast near Medicine Lodge, Kansas. The website for it is http://www.bunkhouseatwildfireranch.com. Looks like a fun place! If you stop by to see them let me know! Roger Ringer is also a western singer and cowboy poet. There is an interesting link to a page all about him on the bed and breakfast website that you should read. It includes a couple of photos of Roger.

I've exchanged a couple of emails with Charlotte in the past few days and she's shared some great information with me and is forwarding a packet of information that will include obituaries for Jonathan and Adeline. I'll post them here as soon as I get them!

So the parents of Adeline Hannah were Robert Hanna (b. 1795 in Maryland; d. 1870, Beaver Creek, Maryland) and Catherine Billmyer (b. 1805 in Maryland; d. 1836 in Maryland). I was able to do a quick look up of some other family trees on ancestry.com. If the research there is to be believed (I'm always skeptical) it is possible for one to trace the relatives of Catherine back to 1564 in Germany! Some of the surnames in that line are Toby/Tobey, Thomas, Baker, Bart, Margaretha, Lang, Sturm, Ruester, Ruffenach, Forster and Fluer.

I've updated my family tree at ancestry.com to show the new additions. If you have an account there, it's the "Ringer" tree. If you need my username there it's olee902

So now that branch of the tree dead ends at Robert Hanna (1795-1870). If anyone has any information on Robert, I'd greatly appreciate it!

How fun to come in contact with another relative and learn more about my ancestors! Thanks, Charlotte!

Middlekauff tragedy

I've always believed that if I did enough research I would eventually come across a "skeleton in the closet" or two and such is the case with a recent investigation into the Middlekauff family.

Today's report is not on a direct ancestor, but a brother to a direct ancestor of mine. Ellsworth Douglas Middlekauff was the son of a brother to Rosanna Russell Middlekauff (my ancestor). Rosanna married Elias Finifrock (I recently posted his obituary) and they were my great great grandparents.

Ellsworth was a successful businessman, inventor, and (apparently) a friend of General George Custer. Ellsworth was honored with an entry in a Who's Who edition of 1911 (see first image, above). The entry says that Ellsworth was an early adopter of what has become a more recent trend: saving the wild horses. You can enlarge the Who's Who copy as well as the newspaper copies by clicking (or maybe double clicking) on each of them.

Unfortunately, he also met his demise in 1911, after what must have been an .... interesting.... evening. The remaining three images are snips from an article published in the New York Times on May 18, 1911. May he and his young companion rest in peace.

While this is, no doubt, a sad affair, it's interesting to note the difference in reporting from 1911 to today.

Another aside: Ellsworth was the son of Hiram Middlekauff (the brother of Rosanna, my great great grandmother), and his mother was Elizabeth Poffenberger. I was recently at the Antietam National Battlefield (from the Civil War) in Maryland and walked across the Poffenberger property, now part of the National Battlefield.

I walked right past the Poffenberger barn that is being restored on my way to view the Middlekauff property just north of the Poffenberger's. I still don't know which relatives owned the farm at the time, but that is on my list to determine. I have some photographs I'll soon post from that trip, but they are presently on another computer I don't currently have access to.

I wonder. Is it possible that Hiram Middlekauff and Elizabeth Poffenberger were neighbors on land that was soon to become the infamous Antietam Battlefield?

Link to article on the Poffenberger Farm at Antietam

Here's a link to an article and some photographs discussing the Poffenberger farm and what happened there on September 17, 1862.

http://shaf.org/2008/07/12/the-joseph-poffenberger-farm/

Elias Ringer dead end

I'm still trying to determine who Elias Ringer's (born 1807 in Maryland) parents and/or siblings were. So far... not much luck. I recently discovered a few legal documents relating to Elias Ringer that I hoped might help.

The first is a sale of property from Elias Ringer and and his wife Mary & Samuel Ringer and his wife Eva to Peter Ringer. The sale is for a piece of property consisting of 142 3/4 acres for the price of $2000. It is dated April 9, 1859. I'm guessing that Samuel and Elias were brothers as Samuel was born in 1804 and Elias in 1807 and both married in 1833. However, I haven't been able to confirm that or to find any additional records on Samuel. Hopefully I can unearth an obituary for Samuel one of these days that will help me.

As to who Peter was, I have no idea. I'm guessing a relative of some sort, but who knows? There were several Peter's in the area at the time, but which one was it?

There is another deed of title that shows Elias purchasing 133 1/16 acres of land in 1854 from an Alex Neil for the price of $2,600. I'm wondering if this is the property that was listed in the advertisement that I just posted earlier today? It's about 5 acres short, but possibly he bought up 5 more acres over the 35 years in between the purchase and sale? There is a legal description of the property in the recording, but the copy I have is very difficult to read.

Finally, I have one more deed of sale showing Elias purchased, in 1838, for the sum of $40, from an Emmanuel Titlow, "... one Cow, one Stove and pipe, two beds and bedding, six chairs, one bureau, three hogs. two tables, one silver watch, and one wheelbarrow..." About that time period the newspapers show many people selling much of what they had to "go west." Hopefully he got a good deal!

All in all some good information on who Elias was and what he did in his life, but little to go on that will helped me to understand who his parents and/or siblings were. I'll keep digging...

Sale of Elias Ringer farm in 1881

The following advertisement appeared in the Hagerstown, Maryland Herald and Torchlight newspaper on September 7, 1881. I'm more and more certain that Elias was my great-great-great grandfather and this appears to be an announcement for the sale of his farm

You should be able to click on the newspaper article to supersize it to the point of being able to read it.

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Our ancestor's connections to Mark Twain!

Well, it's quite loose, but interesting nevertheless. John T. Lewis became a very good friend of Samuel L Clemens (Mark Twain), after saving the life of Clemens' wife-to-be, Olivia L. Landon. Lewis was "...the very person whom Clemens had used to create the personality of Jim, the run-away slave in his novel Huckleberry Finn."

So just how is John T. Lewis possibly connected to our family? John T. Lewis was the man who returned the famous "Pulpit Bible" to the Dunker church 41 years after it disappeared following the Civil War battle. It was the Bible that sat in the church unharmed while the church was being shelled during the battle. Prior to the battle the Bible was often used by Elder David Long, who married our ancestors Elias Frinifrock and Sarah Wolf in 1850. Perhaps it was the very same bible Elder Long read out of when he married Elias and Sarah!

Remember, I told you it was a loose connection! ;) We know that the Dunker church, where the Bible was situated was built in 1852 as a daughter congregation from the Manor Congregation, which is where we presume Elder Long married Elias and Sarah. Did they obtain a new Bible for the Dunker church? Or did they take the one from the Manor Church? We don't know, though my presumption is that it's a different Bible. But we can be certain, at a minimum, that the Bible returned to the Dunker Church by John T. Lewis was, without a doubt, used often by Elder Long, the pastor who married Elias and Sarah.

Here's a link to an article that tells the story. If you're in a hurry, move down to the section entitle, "The Pulpit Bible," about 3/4 of the way down the page.

http://www.cob-net.org/antietam/dunkers.htm

Interestingly enough, I was just at the Antietam Battlefield Museum a few months ago and walked right past this very Bible, not having a clue of the connection it may have had to our ancestors!

Civil War connection for the pastor who married our ancestors Finifrock & Wolf.

it seems as though Elder David Long, who was the pastor who married Elias Finifrock (whose obituary I posted today) and Sarah Wolf, was the presiding pastor who delivered the sermon at the Mumma / Dunker church on Sunday, September 14, 1862. The Battle of Antietam, the Civil War battle which was the first major battle of the Civil War to take place on Northern soil, and the bloodiest single-day battle in American history (about 23,000 casualties), would occur at that exact spot just a few days later.

Here's an interesting article about Elder David Long and a little history on what happened that day:

http://rockhay.tripod.com/peace/dunkerchurch/ankrum/preacher.htm

Attached is a photocopy of the obituary for Elias Finifrock, my great-great-grandfather. It was provided to me by Uncle Bud Ringer. Thanks Bud!

Elias was the father of Sarah Finifrock, who married Joseph Ringer, who was the father of George Ringer, who was the father of Uncle Bud Ringer, Dolores Ringer (my mother) and all their siblings.

Thanks so much to cousin Lillie M. Finifrock (Renner), may she rest in peace, for writing this wonderful piece 99 years ago and recording some very interesting history that not only provided us with some insight into the life of our ancestor, but also helped me discover more family connections to the Civil War and even to Mark Twain! More on that coming soon and I PROMISE it won't take a year! ;)

In case you can't load the image, the text of it is as follows:

Obituary - Elias Finifrock

A Pioneer of Carroll County Passess to the Great Beyond

Elias Finifrock was born in Washington Co., Md., Feb 25, 1826, and died at the home of his son George on the old family homestead, in Cherry Grove township, Ill., March 10, 1911, aged 85 years and 13 days.

He was left an orphan while young and was reared on the home of his grandmother. Feb 7, 1850, at the age of 24 years, he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Wolf, daughter of David Wolf, also of Washington Co., Md., by Elder David Long of the Manor Congregation, and they lived happily together for 53 years. To this union were born 11 children: Annie Louise, who became the wife of Geo. Bolinger, Emma Susan, Mary L., John H., Margaret, Sarah E. Ringer, of Ortonville, Minn.; Elsie Kate, Clara A. Burkhart, of Lanark, Ill.; Cora M. Boyd, of Shannon, Ill.; Albert E., of North Yakima, Washington, and George E. who resides on the old homestead.

In the year 1858, in company with his wife and three children, he came to Carroll Co., and settled in Cherry Grove, where he purchased land and upon which the family resided for 36 years. March 41, 1860, the family circle was broken, and little Margaret was taken away. In June of this same year death again entered the home. Emma Susan, dying on June 17, Mary L., on June 21, and John Harvey on June 24, 1860. These children all died of scarlet fever.

In the year 1872 he united with the Church of the Brethren in which he remained faithful and steadfast to the last. He also served in the office of deacon for almost 30 years.

As to his honesty, uprightness and law he stood for the right both in the church and in his dealings, he never willfully wronged anyone, no one ever went hungry from his door and never was there a house where everyone was so welcome as was his home. We need not speak of these things, his life tells it all.

March 14, 1895, death again entered the home and Elsie Kate was taken away. April 10, 1895, Annie Louise Bolinger was also taken away. Feb 2, 1903, his bosom companion was taken by death and from this time Grandpa cared nothing for the things of this life.

Being once a man and twice a child was never more beautifully portrayed than in Grandpa's life. He cared nothing for the association of older people, but all the enjoyment he had the last few years he took with his grandchildren, and he always acted as though he was one of them. For the last year and a half he has been entirely helpless and had to be cared for as a baby. He was very strong physically. Not having any disease, he simply had to wear out and just gradually failed until Monday evening, March 6, when he went to sleep and slept continually until Friday morning at 6 o'clock when he awoke in the Glory World.

Grandpa was the last to be taken of his own family, all his brothers and sisters preceded him. He leaves 5 children, 23 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren.

Being our constant care he will be missed, but we do not wish him back, as the vacancy made here is only a vacancy filled up yonder and may the good Lord who ruleth all things well, direct us, and guide us, that we may meet again. The funeral services were held at the Cherry Grove church Sunday afternoon at 2 0'clock, conducted by Elder I.B. Trout, assisted by Revs. I.R. Young and Chas. Delp. The pall bearers were: Jacob Boyd, Geo. Boyd, Scott Meyers, W.H. Puterbaugh, Will Wingerd and Ira Butterbaugh. Interment in the nearby cemetery.

Lillie M. Finifrock

Note: Elias was the son of Daniel and Rosanna (Middlekauff) Finifrock, grandson of John and Susan Finifrock and great grandson of Johann Michel Funfrock, Jr. (1770 immigrant).

(Note: this text was copied on April 5, 2010 by Owen L. Wollum, a great-great-grandson of Elias Finifrock from a photocopy provided to him by Albert (Bud) Ringer, a great-grandson of Elias Finifrock).

Whoops! I missed all of 2009? Okay, sorry about that, and my new year's resolution for 2010 is never to promise I'll keep my blog up to date! ;)

And though I haven't been updating anything recently, I HAVE been doing some research, including a couple of trips back to Washington DC where I found out some interesting information, which I will post as I work through it.