I am always surprised in the course of my genealogy research when I find a large 19th century family where all the children survive to adulthood. It happens so rarely, but for William and Barbara Metzner, parents of eleven children, all did survive. Of course, Barbara may have given birth to others that died in infancy, but there is no record to prove that.
-
William Henry (1848-1921)
-
James (1849-1905)
-
Washington
(1852-unknown)
- John
(1854-1878)
-
Jasper (1856-1938)
-
Delana (1859-1954)
-
Lafayette (1862-1947)
-
Caroline (1866-1910)
-
Henrietta (1868-1950)
-
William (1870-unknown)
-
Louis (1872-1930)
Over the years I’ve dug into the lineage of each of the
children, hoping it would lead to other clues about William and Barbara and
also to my great-grandfather Louis N. Metzner (1872-1930), the youngest of the eleven children. Certainly it did but, in the course of doing research,
it also uncovered unanticipated family events. In the case of this family it was
the very sad events surrounding the death of their fourth son, John.
John was only 23 when he died so we find him in very few
public records. He appears in the 1860 and 1870 census and in the city directories of Fort Wayne, Indiana. While those provide bits of important
information, it doesn’t really tell us much about his life.
 |
| 1870 U.S. Census, Licking County, Ohio |
What we do know is that by 1870, at 16 years old, John is
working as a “common laborer,” probably picking up odd jobs here and
there. But by 1877 he has moved to Ft. Wayne
(from Licking County, Ohio) and is working for the railroad (the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad) as a
brakeman. The next year--the year he
died--he is listed having the same occupation.
This time his younger brother Jasper has joined him in Ft. Wayne
and is also working as a brakeman. They
are 23 and 21, respectively, very young to hold such responsible and dangerous
jobs.
 |
| 1878 City Directory for Fort Wayne, Indiana |
What does the brakeman do?
According to the B&O
Railroad Museum
website one of the most dangerous jobs on the early railroads was that of
brakeman. It was not a job for the faint of heart. It required
strength and coordination, not to mention courage. The brakeman had to climb to
the roof of the railcar and turn the wheel that engaged the brakes on each car.
The air brake was invented in 1869, but not widely used because it was deemed
too expensive. It was not until the 1880’s when railroads finally began
widespread use of air brakes that the job became less hazardous.
John Metzner was switching
cars when he met his end.
The description of the event is difficult to read – one can only imagine how traumatic it must have been
for all those involved, especially for his younger brother Jasper.
Four articles
were printed in various newspapers and provide some insight into that terrible
day.
 |
| From the Kalamazoo Gazette, April 1878 |
When I read about this terrible accident all I could wish was that John was rendered instantly unconscious and did not have to endure the pain of his horrible injuries...and my heart sank for his brother Jasper who rushed to his bedside then accompanied his body home. What a traumatic family event.
John's body was taken to Licking County where he was buried in Evans Cemetery on April 3, 1878. He was the first of William and Barbara Metzner's eleven children to die.
John's body was taken to Licking County where he was buried in Evans Cemetery on April 3, 1878. He was the first of William and Barbara Metzner's eleven children to die.
Rest in Peace John.
