The Girls -- Delana

Great-grandpa Louis Metzner (1872-1930) had three sisters -- Delana Metzner Beeney (1859-1954), Caroline Metzner Hall (1866-1910), and Henrietta Metzner Ross (1868-1950), or better known in family circles as Lena, Callie, and Etta.  There are no photographs of them and no personal letters, diaries, or other family documents to help us piece together a life story for each of them, and I never remember anyone in the family talking about them.

Little has been found about them in public records, which isn’t unusual in the realm of genealogy.  Nineteenth century women often get short shrift in the public records departments. A preponderance of information for women during that time period is gathered through the records of the men in the family.  For the Metzner girls, it wasn’t much different. 

Lena is the oldest of the sisters, born in Bearcreek Township, Jay Co., Indiana in July 1859. By 1870, at about age 12, she is attending school irregularly because she is needed to “help at home,” at least according to the census (below). Same is true for her 9 year old sister Caroline.  

1870 Ohio Census, Licking County.  Delana is entered as Mary which may be her middle name.

By 1880 Lena is living and working as a servant in the home of farmer Felix Harris. 

1880 Ohio Census, Licking County

  

Working as a domestic was common practice for young women at that time. Most were encouraged to leave home, primarily to ease the financial burden on the family, but also as a way to earn some money and perhaps meet a husband.  Certainly Lena leaving the Metzner household could have eased their financial burden a bit, but there may have been other reasons for her leaving which we are not aware of. 

It’s probable that Lena met her future husband, John W. Beeney (1855-1927), while residing with the Harris family.  The Beeneys lived in the same township and John and Delana were close in age, so it wouldn’t have been unusual for them to connect at some point.  John was widowed in December of 1893, leaving him with three under-aged children.  His deceased wife's obituary is one of the saddest I've ever read from that time period.

Obituary for John W. Beeney's first wife, Martha Warthen Beeney.

Unlike today, where a man could manage as a single father, that wasn’t the norm for the 19^th century.  A widower with children would have immediately begun looking for a new wife to marry at the end of a respectable mourning period.  And that John did.  Nine months after the death of his wife Martha, he and Delana married on September 5, 1894 in Licking County, Ohio. Delana was 35 years old and had never been married.  For her, this was a good opportunity -- women were looked on more highly if married -- and for John, he had a mother for his children and a housekeeper.  If there was love between them, we don't know.  I like to think there was.

Marriage Certificate for John W. Beeney and Lena Metzner, 5th day Sept. A.D. 1894.

They lived in the town of Newark, Ohio for the rest of their lives, raising his three children and a son they had together,  Edward  L. (1895-1969).  John died on June 30, 1927 and Lena remained in their home on Bolton Street in Newark until her death in 1954 at the age of 95. No obituary has been found for Delana.  John's obituary is below.

Newark Ohio newspaper, name and date are unidentified; provided by the Newark Public Library

Newark, Ohio ca. 1910

Next time we'll look at the life of Delana's sister, Caroline.

The 8th Son

Louis, ca. 1890; taken in Ft. Wayne, Ind.

In a nutshell, Louis Napoleon Metzner was    the 8^th and last son of William and Barbara Metzner.  He was born 26 May 1872 in St. Louisville, Licking County, Ohio and died in Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan on 4 March 1930.  His only son, Albert, was my grandfather.

 

I remember as a young girl the first time I heard Grandpa Al say his father’s name – he included the middle name of “Napoleon” and I thought that was so funny!  I also remember at that moment everyone kept shushing Grandpa for having revealed it -- or shushing me for thinking it was funny – it’s not really clear anymore.  But all that shushing made me think there was something forbidden about Great-Grandpa Louis’s middle name. Silly! Nevertheless, I don’t recall we talked about Louis Napoleon too much after that.  He died when Grandpa Al was 28 – my dad, Gordon, was just 5 weeks old.  Makes me wonder what he was like, and since I don’t remember anyone talking about him, all we can go by is records we can find.  This is what we know…

Of the eight Metzner boys, Louis and an older brother Jasper were the only brothers that worked for the railroad for any length of time – Jasper for 22 years before going into the laundry business -- Eagle Laundry in Fort Wayne.  But Louis was a railroad man all the way – 39 years total.  He began working for the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad out of Fort Wayne in 1891, starting as a fireman. By 1902 he was an engineer. 

Probably the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, ca. 1920. Louis is pictured in the top row, 3rd from the left, 

and his brother Jasper is in the 2nd row, far right. 

  

According to “America on the Move” from the National Museum of American History, the fireman and engineer operated a steam locomotive as a team. The fireman managed the output of steam. His boiler had to respond to frequent changes in demand for power as the train sped up, climbed hills, changed speeds, and stopped at stations. A skilled fireman anticipated changing demand as he fed coal to the firebox and water to the boiler. At the same time, the fireman was the “copilot” of the train who knew the signals, curves, and grade changes as well as the engineer. The engineer, in short, was in charge of driving the train, and that's the role Louis had for most of his career.  

Louis got some press occasionally for his work on the railroad -- these railroad men seemed to be big news! The saddest event was reported in two Fort Wayne newspapers on January 8 and 10, 1906. The headline from January 8 and excerpted text from January 10 are presented here:

He even got news coverage for ordinary events in his life.

Fort Wayne News, Dec. 21, 1894

Newark Daily Advocate (Newark, Ohio), Feb 24, 1900

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Nov 14, 1907

In the end, these articles don’t give us a clear picture of his life. Except for the dangers associated with working on the railroad, Louis’ life was probably rather ordinary.  In 1911 he moved his family (wife and two children) to Grand Rapids, Michigan, continuing his railroad work from that location.  If you’ve read earlier posts in this blog you’ll recall that Louis may have been a bit of a dreamer – telling family tales of connections to Jesse James and Buffalo Bill.  Maybe the few photos we have of Louis speak for themselves – what do you think they say about the man?

These souvenir postcards were popular from about 1905 to 1920.  There is nothing written on the back of them so we have no idea where they were taken.  I think they speak a little to Louis' sense of humor. I wonder if he was a fun guy?

 

The search to discover more about Louis and his life is high on my list of genealogical pursuits. Keep your fingers crossed for me. 


Read more about Louis in the posts from July 11 and July 21, 2012.

The Metzner Boys

I am happy to report that John, who I wrote about in the last blog post, is the only child in William and Barbara Metzner’s family that we know met a tragic end.  The brothers of that  generation – there were eight sons in all – were rather ordinary fellas.  A few of them may have tried to find a more exciting path in life but that never really happened.  Two, and perhaps three, of the boys essentially disappeared—more on that later. 

So who are the other boys?

William and Barbara’s first son, William Henry, was born on June 9, 1848 in St. Louisville, Licking County, Ohio.  His parents and siblings relocated to Jay County, Indiana for a period of time, but when the family returned to Ohio, William Henry stayed in Indiana.  He worked there as a day laborer and a farmer – very ordinary stuff – and eventually married a local girl, Angeline Meed. They had two children. William Henry died in Oct. 21, 1921 at age 73 and is buried in Green Park Cemetery in Portland, Indiana.

The 1880 Census for Jay County, Indiana lists Agaline[sic] Metzner and her two children, Sarah and John L., living with Angeline's mother, Nancy Meed.  It is interesting to note that Angeline's husband, William Henry Metzner, is not living with them.  Where was he?  An exhaustive search reveals nothing of his whereabouts.  It is a puzzle, but by the 1900 census he is again living with Angeline. What happened in the 20 years between the two censuses is unknown.  Their son John L. died in 1898 at the age of 20.  I have not yet found out when, where, or how he died.

James was son No. 2.  He also led a rather uneventful life.  He lived at home with his parents until he was 30, but by 1900 he was living on his own and working as a “common laborer.”  James never married.  He was born on Dec. 16, 1849 and died July 7, 1905, age 55, from tuberculosis. His obituary very succinctly describes him:

The Newark Advocate, July 7, 1905

    

Son No. 3 – Washington – is one of the mystery brothers.  He just dropped out of sight.  Washington was born around 1852, probably in Licking County, Ohio.  At the age of 18 (in 1870) he was living at home with his parents and working as a “common laborer.” That’s the last we hear of him.  When his father William died in 1882, the will stated that Washington’s address was unknown. Then, after Washington’s mother died in 1908, her probate records identify Washington’s death date as March 27, 1909. It doesn’t say where, and so far no death record has been found for him through on-line research. Perhaps, in order to close the estate, the family had to have Washington declared legally dead.  

I am sure there are records out there for Washington but finding them has proven very difficult.  He may have used another name or changed the spelling of his last name.  I've looked for George Washington Metzner -- even looked for Metzler, Metzger, and all variety of other spellings, with absolutely no luck.  So Washington will remain a mystery for the time being.    

John (1854-1878) – the one from the last blog post, who died due to injuries in the railroad accident, was son No. 4.

Jasper Metzner, ca. 1910

Next was Jasper -- No. 5.  I’ve written quite a bit about him in posts on 7/11/2012 and 7/21/2012.  He and his brother Louis (my great-grandfather) were probably quite close even though 16 years apart. Both were railroad men working the Grand Rapids route out of Ft. Wayne. We know that Jasper (1856-1938) tried to branch out beyond his small-town life in St. Louisville, Ohio – he traveled and tried to experience life to its fullest.  But when all was said and done, he ended up staying pretty close to home, eventually owning and operating the Eagle Laundry in Ft. Wayne. 

Railroad men were mentioned frequently in the Fort Wayne newspapers.  Several articles were found for Jasper.  One of the most interesting misidentified him, calling him Joseph instead of Jasper.  Here it is:

 

Fort Wayne Sentinel, September 6, 1894

Jasper died in Franklin, Indiana at the Masonic Home on Feb. 24, 1938 at the very respectable age of 81. Good for him!

Lafayette was son No. 6.  He has fascinated me for years – first because of his name and second because he too seemed to drop out of sight, just like his brother Washington.  In his mother’s probate records of 1908 his residence was listed as unknown and the family stated they believe he had died in 1900.  We will never know why he lost touch with his family but it's interesting that that happened with two of the boys.  Were they escaping a troublesome family?  Or did they have the same far away dreams of Jasper?  We don’t know.  But I can tell you I was thrilled in the course of my research when Lafayette finally popped up!!! And he actually hadn’t gone very far. 

Lafayette lived with his parents until 1880 where he was listed in the census for that year in Licking County.  A year after his father’s 1882 death, Laf was in Fort Wayne, Indiana with his brother Jasper.  He, like his brother John before him, worked as a brakeman for the Grand Rapids and Indiana line.  A year later, in 1884, Laf moved to Grand Rapids, and continued his work on the railroad from that town for at least three more years.

1887 Grand Rapids City Directory

Grand Rapids as Lafayette would have seen it between 1884 and 1887. 

Then around 1887 he married a woman named Viola and they began moving around the country. Perhaps he was looking for a better job, not wanting the danger of working on the railroad – or perhaps he just had the wanderlust and wanted to see what else life had to offer.

He and Viola made their way out to Denver by 1896 but for some reason ended up back in Chicago in 1900. There, Laf was employed as a stove moulder and Viola worked as a “medium” – telling peoples’ fortunes.  The following year they headed west once again, this time landing at Salt Lake City. Finally, in 1907, they settled in Los Angeles and remained there for the next 40 years.  Laf was gainfully employed through those years as a custodian for the Los Angeles school system.

I doubt that their life in Los Angeles was extraordinary.  He worked, she kept house, they had no children.  Viola died sometime in the 1930s but Laf lived on until September 10, 1947.  He was 84 years old.

The 7^th son of William and Barbara Metzner was another William, at least as far as the 1870 census is concerned.  The census recorded him as 4 months old, and that’s the last we hear of him.  There are no records of his death and he is not found in the 1880 census when he would have been 10 years old.  So where was he?  He was not listed in his father’s 1882 will so it’s presumed that young William died between 1870 and 1880.

And finally, the 8^th son was Louis Napoleon, my great-grandfather (left).  He has his own story to tell so I’ll save that for another blog.

And of course we can’t forget about the girls – William and Barbara had three – I’ll save them for another post, too.

Happy Reading!   

The story of John "Frank" Metzner

I am always surprised in the course of my genealogy research when I find a large 19^th 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.

The Neversink Valley Museum says that besides the responsibilities of applying and releasing the train’s brakes, the brakeman was also responsible for coupling and uncoupling the train’s cars. In the days of link and pin coupling, switching cars was an inherently dangerous operation where the brakeman had to stand between two cars and attach or detach them. He risked being crushed during this operation or having arms or fingers maimed while lining up the basic link and pin mechanism then is use.

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.

Rest in Peace John.