Sunday’s Obituary: Benjamin L. House

Benjamin L House, 89, of 1124 E. Main St., died at 8:30 a.m. today in County Memorial Hospital.

Born in Coshocton county Aug. 24, 1890, he was the son of William R & Margaret Davisson House. He was the last of a family of three brothers and three sisters.

Mr. House received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Union College, Lincoln Nebraska and a Bachelor of Theology Degree from Pacific Union College in California.

He served as a college teacher for 15 years in Nebraska, California, and Texas. He was a public lecturer in several states.

Surviving are his widow, the former Anna Ruby Burch; stepchildren, Charles Burch of Birmingham Michigan and Mrs. John (Juanita) Kah of Coshocton; two sons, Harold House of Mexico City, and Dr. Leland House, Los Angeles, Calif; two daughters, Evelyn Moran of Loma Linda, Calif. and Esther Gossart of Riverside California, by a former marriage.

Mr. House spent his boyhood days in Coshocton county, for 20 years he was a state employee. he was a member of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, having served as secretary treasurer for the Coshocton County Chapter for many years. He was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Dawson Funeral Home in charge of Elder Ocee R Heaton. Burial; will be in South Lawn Cemetery.

Published: Coshocton Tribune (Coshocton, Ohio); Wednesday, Oct. 15, 1969.

Benjamin Longdon House, my first cousin twice removed, was first married to Maynie Wells in Cuyahoga county. The digital image of their marriage license and certificate [Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1997,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-17963-39865-92?cc=1614804 : accessed 30 Aug 2014), Cuyahoga > Marriage records 1903 vol 56 > image 175 of 302.] call in to question the birthdate in the obituary. On July 3, 1903 Benjamin lists his age as 22 putting his birth about 1891 or 1892 – a good eight years earlier than the 1890 year listed on the obituary. To make sure this is the same man, I looked at his parents’ names and his occupation – listed as clergyman, as well as his birth place – Coshocton, Ohio. Perhaps someday, there will be an explanation as to why these dates are skewed. Maynie Wells was the daughter of Franklin Wells and May Perkins. From this marriage, two daughters – Esther and Evelyn – and two sons – Harold and Leland – were born. I have not found any death or divorce information, but Benjamin went on to marry Anna Elizabeth Ruby Burch on September 29, 1935 in Pleasants county, West Virginia.

Benjamin’s uncle, James Emory House (my great-grandfather), had a daughter by his first marriage – Belle Dora House. Belle married Thomas Ruby and Anna was their daughter; Benjamin and Anna were first cousins once removed (Benjamin and Belle were first cousins). According to the digital image of their marriage license and certificate [“West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970,” index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FBSR-ZM1 : accessed 30 Aug 2014), Benjamin Longdon House and Anna Elizabeth Burch, Pleasants, West Virginia, United States; citing ; FHL microfilm 867988.], Benjamin is listed as 11 years older than Anna which corresponds to a birth year of 1891 or 1892.

 

 

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SNGF – My Sarahs

Randy Seaver, of Genea-Musings posts a challenge each Saturday for the geneablogger community. Tonight’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun is to post those in my family tree named Sarah LNU (Last Name Unknown). If for some reason, there isn’t any Sarah LNU people in the tree, I’m to use “Mary LNU” or something else. However, I have many Sarahs without a surname. I typically use the word “Unknown” in place of a surname if I don’t know what it is. Very rarely do I leave that blank or use LNU.

1. Sarah born 1704 in Switzerland married Christian Kuntzi born about 1764. For a marriage date, I have a span of 1693-1741 but I’m sure they were probably married before my ancestor Joseph Kuntzi was born in 1724 in Switzerland. Sarah died in 1789 and his buried in the Kinsey cemetery in Berks county, Pennsylvania. Sarah is my 7th great-grandmother.

2. Sarah born and died unknown married Moses Fritter. His birth and death date is also unknown. The only child I am aware of is Susannah Fritter born in Stafford, Virginia in 1787. Susannah was the foster mother for my great-grandmother and was married to Evan Ogan.

3. Sarah born in England and married on 22 February 1612/13 in England to William Eddye, who was my 10th great-grandfather. Sarah was his second wife and not my ancestor. He was born about 1560 in Bristol, Somerset, England.

I have many more but they are all wife of half-brother of fourth cousin three times removed or something like that. I especially want to find out what Christian Kuntzi’s wife’s maiden name was as she is in my direct line.

I did a Google search but didn’t have any luck coming up with even a possible maiden name. All documents call her Sarah, wife of Christian Kuntzi. I did locate her memorial on Find a Grave so I now have a grave site and a date of death. I would suspect that there may be baptismal records in Switzerland and perhaps a family Bible that might have Sarah’s maiden name. Another avenue to explore would be to check the list of passengers on the ship when they immigrated to America and church records to determine if there are similar surnames to indicate Sarah’s family traveled with them.

Thanks, Randy, as I wouldn’t have thought about going through some of my LNU ancestors to see if anything is updated.

(Image courtesy of people-clipart.com)

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Surname Saturday: Feuerstein

Nicholas (Hans) Feuerstein, born on March 25, 1712 in the Alsace region of France, is my 6th great-grandfather on my father’s side. That area of France is next to Switzerland and Germany along the Rhine. He married Anna Nonnenmacher in the Berg Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bas-Rhin, Alsace.  She was born on August 2, 1711 in that region. The couple had ten children: Anna Catherina, Johan Nicolas, Johan Joseph, Eva Catherina, Rosina (my ancestor), Mathias, Maria Dorothea, Maria Magdalena, Michael, and Theobald. After oldest son, Johan Nicolas, was drafted into the French army, the rest of the family moved to Holland and eventually set sail for America on the ship “Peggy.” In order to pay for their passage, father and sons were indentured for a period of five years. The family is located in records of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Daughter, Anna Catherina (b. August 23, 1733) married Conrad Stautzenberger (b. about 1730) on June 3, 1754 in the Trinity Lutheran Church and died in 1769.

Son, Johan Nicholas (b. April 17, 1735) married Eva Catharina Schwab (b. about 1739) about 1761. They had eight children. Johan Nicholas died in 1807 in Virginia.

Son, Johan Joseph (b. May 7, 1737) married Catharina (LNU) (b. about 1735) about 1764. They had seven children. He died in January 1793 in Virginia.

Daughter, Eva Catherina (b. June 3, 1739) married John Stiffler (b. about 1739) before 1763. Her death date is unknown.

Daughter, Rosina (b. March 13, 1741) married Phillip Hoff/Huff (b. about 1743) before June 1, 1768. They had six children. Rosina died after 1810 in Virginia.

Son, Mathias (b. April 5, 1744) married Anna Maria Bieber (b. July 15, 1752) on April 4, 1774. They had fourteen children. He was also known as Johann Mathias as well as Mathias Firestone. He died in 1829 in Columbiana, Ohio.

Daughter, Maria Dorothea (b. either February 17, 1746 or 1747) married John Wall or Waller (b. unknown) before 1779. Her death date is unknown.

Daughter, Maria Magdalena (b. either March 22, 1749 or 1750) married Philip Emig/Emigh/Emich. Her death date is unknown.

Son, Michael, is listed as born on June 10, 1750 (which, if correct, would mean that Maria Magdalena was born in 1749) but no further information is known about this son.

Son, Theobald, (b. March 3, 1752) died about 1760 in Pennsylvania.

(Source of above information: Shirer Family Genealogy Project; Denny Shirer; Ancestry.com; hosted by Rootsweb; 2014)

This is the family from which Harvey Samuel Firestone (founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company) descended. (Wikipedia)

My line from Rosina Feuerstein:

Rosina and Phillip Hoff/Huff > Susannah Huff and (George) Peter Werts > George Peter Werts and Margaret Catherine Maple > William Washington Werts and Louisa Bookless/Buckless > Mary Angelina Werts and William Henry Amore > Lloyd William Amore and Ella Maria House > my dad and mom > me! (So that means I am related to the Firestone founder which explains why I get my auto repairs and new tires from our local Firestone! And no, I don’t get a family discount!)

 

 

 

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