Clues from George Metzner

If you’ve been following Linnea’s Legacy posts, you’ve read some tall tales of our Metzner ancestors along with “real” life events, beginning with the first generation that arrived in the U.S. to the generation that includes my grandfather, Albert Louis Metzner (1902-1970), and his sister Helen Metzner Kramer McCarthy Kramer (1897-1984). For the most part, that’s where we’ll end our journey of Metzner American roots. Next stop Germany…but before we traipse back further, let’s take one more look at our Metzner lineage in the U.S.:

1^st Generation:                              William Metzner       (1811-1882)

2^nd Generation:                             Louis N. Metzner      (1872-1930)

Louis N. Metzner, ca. 1890

3^rd Generation:                           Albert L. Metzner      (1902-1970)

Albert L. Metzner, ca. 1920

 

4^th Generation:              Gordon L. Metzner   (1930-1970)

                                      Albert J. Metzner      (1932-1984)

5^th-7^th Generation:         All the rest of us!

One question remains, what is our German legacy?  This blog (and perhaps one or two more) will be devoted to getting to my theory on our German heritage.

I’ve found a few enticing clues within U.S. records, along with a published county history. Let’s begin with an excerpt from the county history. It contains a brief biography of John Metzner (Source: Biographical & Historical Record of Jay & Blackford Counties, Indiana, 1887, pp. 585-586).

John Metzner, one of the old and respected pioneers of Noble Township [Jay County], residing on section 7, was born in Saxony Germany, October 2, 1805. His parents, Jasper and Hannah (Risanburg) Metzner, were born, reared and married in Saxony, Germany, his mother dying there. His father died in 1838 on the ocean while crossing to America. They [Jasper & Hannah] were the parents of the following children—Rachel, John, William, George, Hannah, Andrew, Nicholas and Mary. John Metzner was reared to manhood in his native country, and there learned the wagonmaker’s trade. In the spring of 1838 he immigrated to America, landing at Baltimore, Maryland, where he worked at his trade a year. After living in Baltimore eighteen months he visited Canada, where he lived a short time. He then returned to the United States, stopping at Cleveland, Ohio, where he met his future wife, Miss Catherine Young, to whom he married at Newark, Ohio, November 4, 1839 … For twelve years after his marriage Mr. Metzner lived at Louisville, Ohio, working at his trade, and making a comfortable home for his family.

John is the brother of our William Metzner (1811-1882). John's brief biography provides a wealth of clues: 

-       First, their parents’ names are Jasper Metzner and Hannah Risanburg; 

-       Their siblings are Rachel, George, Hannah, Andrew, Nicholas, and Mary;

-       John’s birthdate is Oct. 2, 1805;

-       John arrived in America through the Port of Baltimore in the spring of 1838 (and his father apparently died on that voyage – more on that later because I suspect that’s not the case); 

-       John married in Newark, Ohio in 1839 and for a number of years resided in St. Louisville, Ohio (both are in Licking County where our direct ancestors lived; in fact, our ancestral grandfather, Louis Metzner, was born in St. Louisville); and finally,

-     There is a possible family tradition of wagonmaking. 

Based on these clues I began a search in the U.S. for each of John and William's siblings, hoping to discover if any of them also came to America.  I only found evidence of a George Metzner arriving in 1841. Records associated with him have, surprisingly, been the most helpful in guiding me back to Germany. 

 

George arrived through the Port of Baltimore -- the date was June 22, 1841. The ship’s manifest identifies George as a coach maker from Coburg. 

The Clementine's passenger manifest lists Georg Metzner, age 28, a Coach Maker from Coburg. Based on his age in this record, George was born about 1813.

Alone, this information is not that telling, so let’s keep going. Remember, in John’s biography it said he was a wagon maker – now, here is George, possibly his brother, who is a coach maker. Similarly, brother William (our direct ancestor) is listed in the 1870 U.S. census as a harness maker. 

Metzer[sic] Wm, 55, w (i.e., white), Harnessmaker

 

 

It’s not unusual for sons to learn the trades of their fathers. We might guess then, that if these three are brothers, the Metzners in Germany were likely in the business of making horse-drawn vehicles and/or related accessories, such as harnesses.

John, William, and George are each found in the 1850, 1860 and 1870 U.S. Censuses. Their birthplaces are listed as Saxony (occasionally Germany); each has worked in an occupation related to horse-drawn transportation; and all have lived in Licking County, Ohio for at least a period of time. These are all very compelling coincidences to link them together.

Then I find the clue that I believe leads us to our ancestors in Germany.  The 1870 Ohio Census of Putnam County identifies George Metzner as being born in Hillburgh, Saxony. Coincidentally, in 1880, William Metzner of Licking County, Ohio identifies his mother’s birthplace as Helbourg, Saxony. 

1870 U.S. Census, Ohio, Putnam County. Mertzner[sic] George, 57, male, white, farmer, real estate value $5000, personal property value $627; his birthplace Hillburgh Germany

1880 U.S. Census, Ohio, Licking County. Top row shows the last 3 columns of data entered for William Metzner.  Far left column is his birthplace: Saxony. Center column is his father's birthplace ------. Right column is his mother's birthplace: Helbourgh Sax.

Okay, Hillburgh – Helbourg. Big difference, right?  Well, I’m not so sure. There are too many similarities between these three presumed brothers, and now to find two of them claiming a connection to German towns that sound incredibly alike – well, it’s mind-blowing! -- at least to a genealogist.  And knowing that census takers were notorious for spelling phonetically, it only makes sense that Hillburgh and Helbourg could be the same place. 

The next step is to find a town of a similar name in Saxony – and perhaps near Coburg, which was listed on George’s passenger record.  That’ll be for another blog.  

Oh, by-the-way, finding clues to our Germany heritage in U.S. records essentially ended with the deaths of John, William, and George.

The first of the men to die was George on June 19, 1875 in Putnam County, Ohio.  According to History of Northwest Ohio: A Narrative Account of its Historical Progress and Development…. Vol. 2, page 884…

Mr. Metzner settled on a farm in Putnam County and lived there for a number of years, his death resulting from a quarrel with a neighbor during which he was struck down without a chance to defend himself.

 

Next was William, our direct ancestor.  He died on June 8, 1882 in Licking County, Ohio from a condition called dropsy.

And lastly, John, of Jay County, Indiana died on January 10, 1888. The cause of his death is unknown. Travis LeMaster, cousin and fellow genealogist, found this obituary in the Evangelical Messenger for Jan. 24, 1888. It contradicts some of the facts in John's Jay County biography -- I'll examine those facts in a future blog:    

     METZNER. — John Metzner was born in Germany, October 21, 1805, came to America in 1837, located in Licking Co., O., where he continued to live until 1850, when he with his family came to Jay Co. He was married to Catharine Young, Nov. 3, 1839, and to them were born six sons and five daughters, of whom 2 sons and one daughter have gone before him over the river of death. He embraced the Christian religion in 1840, in which he continued to live until his death, and died in the triumphs of a living Redeemer, Jan. 10, 1888.    Father Metzner was a member of the Ev Association, and in his death we lose a brother and a father, but that which is our loss is his gain. Funeral services by the writer, assisted by Bro. H. E. Moser.   

 J. B. FISHER.

Stayed tuned! Next time we’ll go to Germany!            

Hitting the Brick Wall

I’ve done an exhaustive search for good genealogical evidence for William Metzner (1807-1882) of Licking County, Ohio, and his wife Barbara Powell Metzner (1828-1908), and I think I’ve “hit a brick wall” – a phrase well-used among genealogists. It basically means I'm stuck – and for William and Barbara, the search has probably ended in America, or nearly so. 

Other than being documented in U.S. Census records, which contain a wealth of genealogical information, William and Barbara left land records of property purchased in Licking County ... and William left a will.  The will has great potential. I’ve only seen an extract which identifies his children and where they were living at the time of his death -- if it was known.  The will has helped me move forward, fleshing out each of the children—among them Louis (our ancestral grandfather) and his brother Jasper -- both of whom I've written about in earlier blog posts.

William's grave marker, Evans Cemetery, Licking Co.

Next step is to get a complete copy of the will and see if anything more can be discovered about William and Barbara.  In the meantime, a few other bits of information have been uncovered for both of them.

William’s death is recorded in the “Record of Deaths, Licking County, Ohio” as follows:

Male. Metzner, William. Died 1882 June 8. Married. Age 75 years 3 months. Died at St. Louisville. Born in Germany. Occupation Farmer. Cause of death “dropsy.” 

There was no newspaper notice at the time of his death, or at least not one that could be found.  Perhaps there was no fanfare when he died. Makes me wonder if he was well-liked.  Did he have a nice circle of friends that would have attended his funeral?  I wonder? 

What we do know is that in 1880 (according to the census) he had a ruptured scrotum. Two years later he was gone, having passed away from dropsy. In modern medical terms dropsy is edema, a condition where fluid collects under the skin.  It’s unlikely that William died from dropsy – dropsy was probably just a symptom of a bigger problem such as heart failure.

After William’s death on June 8, 1882, his wife Barbara disappears, in a sense.  She isn’t found in any public or private records until January 23, 1908 when this short notice is published in the Newark (Ohio) Advocate:

That is followed five days later with her obituary:

Source: The Newark Advocate, 28 January 1908

Barbara's obituary at least provides a clue to the year she and William were married (61 years ago, so about 1847). Unfortunately, it does not tell us where the marriage took place.  The obit does imply that she may have been Catholic before her marriage -- another clue!  We don't know the names of her parents or siblings and without those the brick wall has been hit again.  Ah, genealogy...

But there are plenty of other Metzner stories to tell and people to research, so the hunt goes on. 

Right: Barbara's grave marker at Evans Cemetery in Licking County. Her husband William is engraved on one side and their son John, who died in 1878, on the other.

 

St. Louisville

The name Metzner is interesting.  While I’ve never met another person by that last name outside of my immediate family, an uncle and his children, a set of grand- parents, and of course Aunt Helen – I get very excited when someone I meet asks me if I’m related to so-and-so. Then I find out that it’s a Metzger or Metzler – not a Metzner they know – ah, bubble burst! And yet, in all the research I’ve done, I’ve come across hundreds of Metzners in genealogy records, especially in Indiana and Ohio.  Most, I imagine, are distant cousins, aunts, and uncle.

  

Left: Metzners settled in Jay County, Indiana (circled in red) and Licking County, Ohio (circled in green).

Indiana and Ohio are the states most of our Metzner ancestors settled when they arrived in America. Generations later, many still call these states "home."  

John Metzner (1805-1888) arrived in 1838 and eventually settled in Jay County, Indiana after a few stops along the way. His brother, and our direct ancestor, William Metzner (1807-1882), also set up homesteads in Indiana and Ohio. 

While it’s not certain when William arrived in America, we do know he was here by 1847 because he purchased a piece of property in St. Louisville, Ohio in November of that year.  It was Lot 12 of Coffman’s Addition in the heart of the little village – likely a convenient location to set up his harness-making business.  

In this 1875 map of St. Louisville, Ohio, Coffman's Addition is in the center of town. Lot 12, the first piece of property purchased by William Metzner in 1847, is the rectangle of land marked by the "C" in COFFMAN."

William’s circumstances must have changed around 1854.  That November he purchased 40 acres of farmland in Jay County, Indiana – the same county his brother John was living – so he left St. Louisville and for the next 12 years raised his family on that farm.

The gray square at the center (above) is the location of the William Metzner farm in Bearcreek Township, Jay County, Indiana. In the detail map below, notice a W.F. Metzner owns property just southwest of William's.  

We can also trace where our William Metzner family lived based on the births of his eleven children:

-          William Henry               b. 9 June 1848             Licking County, Ohio

-          James                             b. 16 Dec 1849             Licking County

-          Washington                    b. 1852                         Licking County

-          John                               b. 7 March 1854           Licking County

-          Jasper                             b. 4 April 1856             Jay County, Indiana

-          Delana                            b. July 1859                 Jay County

-          Lafayette                        b. 27 Sept 1862             Jay County

-          Caroline                         b. February 1866           Licking County

-          Henrietta                        b. April 1868                 Licking County

-          William                          b. May 1870                  Licking County

-          Louis*                             b. 26 May 1872             Licking County

*our g-grandfather

Their births tell us that the family was in Licking County, Ohio from at least 1848 to March of 1854, then Jay County, Indiana by April of 1856.  By the close of the Civil War, April 1865,  they were in their final year in Jay County. Circumstances again must have changed, causing William to sell the farm in March 1866 and move his family back to St. Louisville. 

William and wife Barbara bought and sold several pieces of property in St. Louisville between 1866 and 1871. They owned Lots 5, 6, and 14 in Coffman’s Addition until Barbara’s death in 1908. It is presumed the family home was on one of these lots.

  

Above: : Lots 5, 6, and 14 were purchased in 1866 after returning to St. Louisville. 
Lot 12 was their original lot, purchased in 1847. 

I visited St. Louisville in 1997 – I wish I had taken some photo of this interesting little town or knew, at the time, where Lots 5, 6, and 14 were situated.  I would have taken a few pictures and perhaps found the old homestead.  Good reason for another genealogy trip – my favorite kind of vacation.