Military Monday: World War I Memorial Plaque, Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Remagen, Germany

Inside Sts. Peter and Paul's Catholic Church in Remagen, Kreis Ahrweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Germany, there is a memorial plaque which lists the names of local men who died during World War I. In the bottom section of the last column, names of missing men are listed.

Census Sunday: Can No Longer Read and Write

United States federal census records between 1850 and 1880 consistently show that Miriam (Hill) Russell, the wife of my 4th-great-grandmother's brother James Russell, was able to read and write.

The 1850 United States census shows that James' mother Hannah (my 5th-great-grandmother) and sister Sobrina (my 4th-great-grandmother) cannot read and write. There is no mark in the Persons over 20 years of age who cannot read and write column for James or Miriam.

1850 United States census, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 279B, image 564. Available from Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

In 1860,  There is no mark in the Persons over 20 years of age who cannot read and write column for any members of the Russell family.

1860 United States census, 14th District, Davidson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 243, image 285. Available from Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

In 1870, there is no mark in the Cannot Read or Cannot Write column for Miriam Russell or her daughter.

1870 United States census, 1st Civil District, Williamson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 10B, image 27. Available from  Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

In 1880, there is no mark in the Cannot Read or Cannot Write column for Miriam Russell or any member of her family.

1880 United States census, 1st District, Williamson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 4C. Available from Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

However, in 1900, "no" is written in the Can read and Can write columns for Miriam Russell.

1900 United States census, District no. 1, Williamson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 8B. Available from Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

1900 United States census, District no. 1, Williamson County, Tennessee, population schedule, page 8B. Available from Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. 

It is possible that this is a mistake. But perhaps Miriam could no longer read and write. Maybe her eyesight was failing and she could no longer see well enough to read. Maybe she was no longer physically able to write. Maybe this census record is a clue to the physical ailments that she may have experienced in her old age. She was in her 80s at the time of the census enumeration.

Capture of the Ludendorff Bridge

The Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine at Remagen after it was captured by U.S. troops, 7 March 1945. U.S. Signal Corps/ National Archives. Public domain. Available from Wikimedia Commons.

Today is the 70th anniversary of  the capture of the Ludendorff Bridge. The bridge connected Remagen and Erpel, two German ancestral towns of mine. It was built in 1918 to carry supplies to the Western Front in World War I, and was named after General Erich Ludendorff. Architect Karl Wiener designed it as a railroad bridge; it had two railroad tracks and a walkway for pedestrians.

On 7 March 1945, the U.S. 9th Armored Division captured the Ludendorff Bridge shortly before 4:00 PM, when they believed the Germans would blow it up. The first American soldier to cross the bridge was Alexander A. Drabik; as the Germans fired at him, he ran across the entire length of the bridge. German-born lieutenant Karl H. Timmermann was the first officer to cross the bridge. More than 8,000 American soldiers crossed over within 24 hours.
 
14-year-old Heinrich Lindlohr and his family were in the back part of the bridge tunnel at the time of the surrender. About 40 American soldiers were there as well. Heinrich's sister Anni walked toward the soldiers and carried a white flag. Lindlohr is one of my ancestral surnames from Erpel. I could be related to Heinrich and Anni Lindlohr.

On 17 March 1945, the bridge collapsed as a result of the damage it had sustained.

References
Alexander Drabik, 82, First G.I. To Cross Remagen Bridge in 1945
Battle of Remagen 
The Bridge of Remagen - Between Truth and Legend: Contemporary witnesses remember March of 1945
Capturing the Bridge at Remagen, 1945
Ludendorff Bridge
The Ludendorff Bridge Erpel - Remagen
Ludendorff-Bridge - "The battle for the bridge is legendary"
Ludendorff-Bridge ... "The Bridge of Remagen"
Remagen
US Troops Capture Ludendorff Railroad Bridge at Remagen

Friend of Friends Friday: Francis Hardgrave's Bequest to His Grandson Francis Hardgrave

Excerpt from will of Francis Hardgrave, 22 February 1827. Davidson County, Tennessee Probate Court, Will Records. Tennessee, Probate Court Files, 1795-1955. FamilySearch.

In his will, dated 22 February 1827, my 6th-great-grandfather Francis Hardgrave included the following bequest to his grandson Francis C. Hardgrave:

I give and bequeath to my grandson Francis Hardgrave son of John and Polly Hardgrave a certain Negro boy named John to be his

Francis Hardgrave died in Davidson County, Tennessee on 7 August 1828. In 1840, his grandson Francis lived in Illinois Township, Washington County, Arkansas. He owned three slaves: two males 10 and under 24, and one female 36 and under 55. It is possible that John is one of the two males. The other male might be Franklin, the boy that Francis purchased from his uncle Skelton Hardgrave's estate.

1840 United States census, Illinois Township, Washington County, Arkansas, roll 20, page 272, image 1125.

1840 United States census, Illinois Township, Washington County, Arkansas, roll 20, page 272, image 1126.

Those Places Thursday: Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Remagen, Germany

Sts. Peter and Paul's Catholic Church is located in Remagen, Kreis Ahrweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Germany. The church was built on the site of the church that was destroyed in a fire in 1198. The original church was in existence by 1003.

The oldest part of the church building is the choir, which dates back to 1246.  The nave was built in the 16th century. The bell tower was built in 1662, and the vaulted tower was completed in 1674.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the church was enlarged by adding on to the existing building at right angles.

Many generations of my ancestors attended Sts. Peter and Paul. My great-grandfather John (Johann) Schneider was baptized at Sts. Peter and Paul.

I had a chance to visit Sts. Peter and Paul earlier this year. Visiting my ancestors' church was a very moving experience. While I was there, I lit candles in their memory.

References
McLachlan, Gordon. The Rough Guide to Germany.  Rough Guides, 2004.
St. Peter und Paul (Remagen)

Slaves Sold in Louisiana by Skelton Hardgrave, 1818

My 5th-great-grandmother's brother Skelton Hardgrave lived in both Tennessee and Louisiana during his adult life. The Ancestry.com database Louisiana, Slave Records, 1719-1820 provides information about slaves that Skelton sold in Louisiana. The information in this database comes from the Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy 1719-1820 database, which was compiled by Dr. Gwendolyn Midlo Hall. The information on these slaves can also be found by searching that database. Skelton's name is sometimes recorded as Kelson Hardgrove in the databases. Perhaps his first name, which is rather unusual, was hard to read. I have seen many variant spellings for his surname.

Mariah
Age: 20
Gender: female
Race: mulatto
Seller: Kelson Hardgrove
Buyer: Baptiste Simon Fontenot
Seller from Tennessee
Sold with one female child under 5 years of age (Lucinda)
Selling value: $1150
Document location: St. Landry (Opelousas Post). [Calcasieu 1840, Cameron 1870, Acadia 1886, Evangeline 1908, Allen 1910, Jefferson Davis 1912, Beaureguard 1912]
Date of document: 5 May 1818
Document number: 2236
Notary name: Notarial Acts Reel 4
http://www.ibiblio.org/laslave/individ.php?sid=76971

Lucinda
Age: 1
Gender: female
Race: mulatto
Seller: Kelson Hardgrove
Buyer: Baptiste Simon Fontenot
Seller from Tennessee
Sold with her mother, age 20 (Mariah)
Mother's race: 4
Selling value: $1150
Document location: St. Landry (Opelousas Post). [Calcasieu 1840, Cameron 1870, Acadia 1886, Evangeline 1908, Allen 1910, Jefferson Davis 1912, Beaureguard 1912]
Date of document: 5 May 1818
Document number: 2236
Notary name: Notarial Acts Reel 4
http://www.ibiblio.org/laslave/individ.php?sid=76972

There is another entry which includes the designation mulatto rouge, with no additional information. Because the number is the same as for Mariah and Lucinda, it may pertain to them.

Document location: St. Landry (Opelousas Post). [Calcasieu 1840, Cameron 1870, Acadia 1886, Evangeline 1908, Allen 1910, Jefferson Davis 1912, Beaureguard 1912]
Date of document: 5 May 1818
Document number: 2236
Notary name: Notarial Acts Reel 4
http://www.ibiblio.org/laslave/individ.php?sid=76973

Jacob
born in Kentucky
Age: 20
Gender: male
Race: black
Seller: Kelson Hardgrove
Buyer: Louis Pitre
Seller from Tennessee; slave from Kentucky
Sold or inventoried as an individual
Selling value: $1000
Document location: St. Landry (Opelousas Post). [Calcasieu 1840, Cameron 1870, Acadia 1886, Evangeline 1908, Allen 1910, Jefferson Davis 1912, Beaureguard 1912]
Date of document: 5 May 1818
Document number: 2238
Notary name: Notarial Acts Reel 4
http://www.ibiblio.org/laslave/individ.php?sid=76998

Sukkay, Wolof Female Name (listed as Soukay in Louisiana, Slave Records, 1719-1820)
Age: 3.0 (Louisiana, Slave Records, 1719-1820 gives her age as 17)
Gender: female
Race: Grif (usually means mixed black and Indian) (Louisiana, Slave Records, 1719-1820 gives her race as black and says she was described as "Yellow Negress")
Seller: Skelton Hardgrove
Buyer: HIlaire Gradenigo
Seller from Tennessee
Selling value: $1100
Document location: St. Landry (Opelousas Post). [Calcasieu 1840, Cameron 1870, Acadia 1886, Evangeline 1908, Allen 1910, Jefferson Davis 1912, Beaureguard 1912]
Date of document: 24 November 1818
Document number: 2452
Notary name: Notarial Acts Reel 4
http://www.ibiblio.org/laslave/individ.php?sid=79787

The Wolof people are from Senegal, the Gambia, and Mauritania.

Julienne
born about 1803 (age 15)
Gender: female
Race: black
Seller: Skelton Hardgrove
Buyer: Simon Fontenot
Sold or inventoried as an individual
Selling value: $950
Document location: St. Landry (Opelousas Post). [Calcasieu 1840, Cameron 1870, Acadia 1886, Evangeline 1908, Allen 1910, Jefferson Davis 1912, Beaureguard 1912]
Date of document: 25 November 1818
Document number: 2457
Notary name: Notarial Acts Reel 4
http://www.ibiblio.org/laslave/individ.php?sid=79796

Tombstone Tuesday: Philipp Gerspacher

While visiting St. Bartholomäus Catholic Church in Görwihl, Waldshut, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, I came across the grave of Philipp Gerspacher (1929-2010) in the church's cemetery. My Gerspacher ancestors were from Görwihl. Philipp could be my distant cousin.