Wedding Wednesday - Mary Elizabeth Creeden to George J. Fisher

The Ft. Recovery library of Mercer County, Ohio has digitized several local newspapers, including some hard to find issues from the 1890s. This marriage notice for Mary Elizabeth Creeden and George Fisher (usually spelled Fischer) was published in the Mercer County Observer on January 23, 1896.

Married. On Wednesday morning by Rev. Hartman at the St. Marys Catholic church, Geo. J. Fisher, the popular young butcher of Logan street, and Miss Mary Creeden, both of Celina. The young couple left on the afternoon train for Wellington, Ohio, where they will visit relatives for a few days and then return to Celina. May success ever be your lot.

The notice places their wedding date at January 22, 1896. Mary was the daughter of my 2x great-grandfather Timothy Creeden. Mary and George lived in Pueblo, CO for a few years and later settled in Los Angeles, CA. They had three children: Hilda, Beatrice, and Godfrey. Beatrice was married to Paul Kenneth Weddell.

Wedding Wednesday is a Geneabloggers daily blogging prompt.

Wedding Wednesday - Ann Baynard and John Councel

The Maryland State Archives has many books of marriage licenses available online. This entry is for Ann Baynard and John Councel, dated August 15, 1808 in Caroline County, Maryland. The date is for the marriage license and not the marriage itself.

I've been trying to figure out if John and Ann are the parents of my 2x great-grandfather Francis Councill. John and Ann were residing in Queen Anne's County in 1821 when they sold their share of an inheritance from Levin Baynard's estate. I know that Francis and his brothers were born after 1808 and inherited land from their father John in Queen Anne's County. The estate papers of their father John Councell mention his wife Ann, but don't mention her maiden name.

Wedding Wednesday is a Geneabloggers daily blogging prompt.

Mystery Monday - Patrick William Creeden

I've run into a bit of a brick wall in trying to find information on Patrick William Creedan. He was born in Clinton County, Ohio around 1865 to my 3x great-grandfather Patrick Creedan and his second wife, Hannah Hoover. The family is in Clinton County, Ohio in the 1870 and 1880 census records.

Patrick is 5 in the 1870 census which was taken on June 23, 1870 in Wayne Township in Clinton County, Ohio.

Patrick W. is 16 in the 1880 census which was taken on the June 6, 1880 in Wayne Township.

In 1883, his father Patrick died and left a portion of his estate to his son Patrick William. That's the last definite trace I have of Patrick William.

I've found several more records that could be for Patrick William, but the name given is William or W. P. Creeden. My guess is he may have gone by William since his father's name was also Patrick.

The marriage record shown above states that W. P. Creeden married Mary C. Snyder on August 24, 1885 in Clinton County, Ohio. Several Ancestry.com trees have this marriage as May 16, 1885 in Ross County, Ohio, but there are no sources. I've been unable to find any Creeden marriage records in Ross County.

In 1887, Quaker records from Clinton County show that a John and William Creeden were received by request. The record lists John's wife Minerva and his son Hiram, but no family for William. In 1889, there is a disunity record for John, Minerva, Hiram and William, meaning that they left the Quaker group or were asked to leave for some reason. Although I can't tell for sure who William is, the John in the records is a match for the son of Patrick Creedan and brother of Patrick William Creedan.

In the 1900 census, William and Mary C. Creeden are living in Darke County with their children Minnie, Elsie, Orval, Ralph, Elzworth, William, and Mary O. They've been married for 15 years. The entry right above them is for a John and Ida Creedan and their children Flora and Stella. This is a match for Patrick William's brother John and John's second wife Ida. William's birth date is May 1864 according to this census record.

Kansas had a state census in 1905 and William and Mary C. Creeden are living in Sedgwick County as of March 1, 1905.The same children are listed, plus Violet. It looks like Mary O. from the 1900 census goes by Opal in this census. John Creedan lived out his life in Darke and Mercer counties in Ohio and died in Mercer County in 1923. William died in 1909 and is buried in Pratt, Kansas. His gravestone says he lived from 1862-1909, so that birth date is a bit earlier than any of the census records.

There is another William Patrick Creeden of about the same age in Ohio during this time. This William was the son of Timothy and Ellen Creeden in Hamilton County. A marriage record for him showed that he married Margaret Nolan in 1883 and consent was given by his father Timothy.

In the 1900 census record shown above, William and Margaret Creeden are living in Hamilton County with children Thomas, Michael, and Laurence. William was born in Feb. 1863. Timothy and Ellen also had a son named Laurence, so that name seemed to run in their family. I mention this William since I've seen records for him confused with the William who went to Kansas.

A death certificate and/or obituary for the Kansas William might help clear this up, but so far, I've been unable to find one online. According to the Kansas Historical Society, death certificates weren't kept by the state until 1911. Records before that may have been kept at the county or city clerk's office, but not all of these survived. The historical society has microfilm for some vital records, but I don't see anything for Pratt or Sedgwick. I'll post an update if I locate any additional records.

Wedding Wednesday - Francis Councill and Mary Ann Meredith

The Maryland State Archives has digital copies of marriage licenses granted by the Queen Anne's County Circuit Court from 1817-1906. Click on the Link next to each set of years to open a PDF file with scans of the books. The records provide the names of the bride, groom, and officiant and the date of the marriage. There are gaps in the years available.

Francis Councill and Mary Ann Meredith, Maryland State Archives msa_ce277-1, Page 225

This entry is for the marriage of  my 2x great-grandparents, Francis Councill and Mary Ann Meredith. They were married in Queen Anne's County on July 8, 1840 by Rev. W. Larkins. The record also indicates that they paid $4.50 for the marriage license.

Transcriptions for the years 1817-1858 and 1865-1908 are available on Sandy's File Cabinet.

Wedding Wednesday - Robert Creeden and Anna Lee Pulskamp

This is the marriage license application and certificate for my grandparents Robert Creeden and Anna Lee Pulskamp.

The marriage license was granted on December 26, 1930 and they were married the next day by Rev. George Hindelang. Rev. Hindelang was the Catholic priest at the Immaculate Conception Church. My grandfather was 19 years old and my grandmother was 20. There is a note on the certificate that the consent of both minors was filed, so I'm wondering if there is another document.

Robert's parents were listed as Charles Creeden and Anna Niehaus. Anna Lee's parents were Mary Gast and Geo. Pulskamp. Robert was working as a filling station attendant, most likely at the filling station managed by his father. Anna Lee was working as an office secretary. In the 1930 census, Anna Lee was working as a secretary at the Farm Bureau, so that might have been her workplace when she was married.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of their wedding, but this picture was taken after the ceremony in front of their new home. It's dated December 27, 1930.

Source: "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/2Q4Y-BHR : accessed 11 March 2015), Robert Creeden and Anna Lee Pulskamp, 27 Dec 1930; citing Mercer, Ohio, United States, reference ; county courthouses, Ohio; FHL microfilm 2,366,955.

Wedding Wednesday - Marriage of Catharine Creeden in 1780

This is the one of the oldest marriage records I've found for a Creeden in the US. According to this record from the Pennsylvania Archives, Catharine Creeden married Daniel Calloughhorn on April 10, 1780.

Marriage Record of the Swedes' Church, (Gloria Dei.) 1750-1810, Page 342

This may be the same Catharine Creeden that I found in an Indentured Servants List from 1772. Both records had locations in Philadelphia, PA.

This is from the Record of Indentures of Individuals Bound Out as Apprentices, Servants, etc. and of Germans and Other Redemptioners in the Office of the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia, October 3, 1771 - October 5, 1773 and shows that a Catharine Creeden from Ireland was indentured to Christian Grover on May 16, 1772.

Wedding Wednesday - Finding a Wedding Date for Kate Covey and George Chilcutt

I haven't found a marriage record for my 2x great-grandparents George Chilcutt and Kate Covey, but I was able to find some information in other sources. The 1900 and 1910 census records state that Kate and George had been married for 24 years and 34 years which would place their year of marriage at 1876.

1900 census, Queenstown, Queen Anne's County, MD

1910 census, Ruthsburg, Queen Anne's County, MD

A newspaper article gives their wedding date as December 23, 1876. The article published in the Easton Gazette of Talbot County, MD on December 23, 1876 states: Chilcutt - Covey - By the same, at Wye Landing, Dec. 21, George Chilcutt to Miss Kate Covey.

I'm not sure what the phrase "By the same" means in this case since they were the first couple listed in the Married column. According to A Gazetteer of Maryland by Henry Gannett published in 1904, Wye Landing is on the Wye River in Talbot and Queen Anne's County, Maryland, so I can at least narrow my record search to those two counties. By the time the 1880 census was taken, George and Kate were living in Queenstown, Queen Anne's County, Maryland with Kate's mother Sarah Covey.

1880 census, Queenstown, Queen Anne's County, MD

Wedding Wednesday - A Mystery Solved

Dr. Edgar J. Willke and Alfrida Kleinhenz

I posted a little over a year ago about a wedding photo I had that was not labeled. It was in my grandfather's collection and I thought it might be someone related to his second wife, Hilda Kleinhenz. I recently discovered two books online about Hilda's sister Alfrida and her family. The This is Our Life book has the same photo in it!

The wedding photo is of Dr. Edgar J. Willke and Alfrida Kleinhenz. They were married on July 21, 1931 at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in St. Mary's, Ohio. Hilda was the maid of honor. The photo in This is Our Life is in much better condition than my copy and there is a second lovely photo of Alrida in her wedding dress on page 23 of the book. The books are beautifully done with many photos and interesting histories.Thanks so much to Andy N. for putting the books online!

Wedding - 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Week #35

Week 35. Wedding. Tell us about your wedding. You may also talk about your future wedding, the wedding of a relative or shape this question to fit your own life experience.

Since I haven't been married and have no future wedding in sight (maybe some day!), I'm going to use this post to update the list of marriage records that I have for my ancestors:

My newest records are for my Rohrer family and were sent by Marj B. from her recent trips to Germany and Celina, OH. Thanks so much to Marj for sending these!

GGG-Grandparents Albert Rohrer to Walburga Fischer on Oct 18, 1846. Church record from St. Vitus Church in Ellwanger, Germany. Albert and Walburga had 2 children: Albert and Anna. Anna was my great-great-grandmother.

Another marriage for Walburga: Wilhem Gessler to Walburga Rohrer on August 23, 1854 in Celina, OH.

Other marriage records I have are:

Grandparents Royce Councill to Edna Willis, Marriage Certificate
June 13, 1925 in Chestertown, MD

Grandfather Robert Creeden to Anna Lee Pulskamp, picture on their wedding day, dated December 27, 1930

Grandfather Robert Creeden to 2nd wife Hilda Kleinhenz, Marriage License
August 19, 1937, Certificate from Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, OH
Newspaper clipping says they were married on August 24, 1937 in Cleveland, OH

Great-grandparents Charles Creeden to Anna Niehaus, Church Record
November 27, 1907, Immaculate Conception Church, Celina, OH

Great-grandparents George Pulskamp to Mary Gast, Newspaper clipping of their 50th anniversary celebration on August 21, 1949, in Celina, OH (Marriage assumed to be August 1899.)

Great-grandparents Eugene Willis to Pearl Chilcutt
1930 census - 1st marriage for Eugene about 1904

Great-grandparents John Wesley Councill to Ariana Sparks
Feb 2, 1887, Maryland - Public Family Trees
1900 census says they were married 18 years, 1910 says 23

Great-great-grandparents Samuel Sparks to Susan Godwin
Index to Queen Anne's County, MD Marriage Records, July 16, 1849, Rev. Sumption

Great-great-grandparents Francis Councill to Mary Ann Meredith/Merridith
Index to Queen Anne's County, MD Marriage Records, July 8, 1840, Rev. Larkins

Great-great-grandparents Timothy Creeden to Mary Ann Matson, Marriage License and Court Record, December 10, 1868, Clinton County, OH

Great-great-grandparents George Chilcutt to Kate Covey
1930 census - 1st marriage for Kate around 1878

Great-great-grandparents William Martin Willis to Ruth Edna Adams
January 25, 1859, Delaware Marriage Record

GGG-Grandparents Samuel Godwin to Ann Davis
Index to Queen Anne's County, MD Marriage Records, March 23, 1824, Rev. Crouch

This is a weekly challenge from GeneaBloggers called 52 weeks of personal genealogy history.

Wedding Wednesday - Mystery Photo

This was in my grandfather's collection, but was not labeled. I suspect that it is someone from his second wife's Kleinhenz family, but they could also be from the Creeden, Pulskamp, or Niehaus families.

Updating to add that the mystery has been solved! The wedding photo is of Dr. Edgar J. Willke and Alfrida Kleinhenz. They were married on July 21, 1931 at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in St. Mary's, Ohio. My step-grandmother Hilda was Alfrida's sister and the maid of honor. See more here.

Fearless Females - How They Met

March 5 — How did they meet? You’ve documented marriages, now, go back a bit. Do you know the story of how your parents met? Your grandparents? 

My parents met in 1955 in Florida. My Dad, aunt, and uncle worked for RCA and my Mom was working for Pan American at Patrick Air Force Base. RCA had a boat ride event and my aunt and uncle introduced my parents to each other. Their first date was to see a movie and play golf. I asked my Mom if he asked her out at the boat ride and she laughed and said, "No! I asked him!".

I don't know how any of my grandparents met, but my Dad's parents were listed on the same page in the census, so I would guess they went to school together.

My parents on their wedding day in 1956. My aunt and uncle are behind them.

Fearless Females - Marriage Records

March 4 — Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents? Write a post about where they were married and when. Any family stories about the wedding day? Post a photo too if you have one. 

Robert and Anna Lee Pulskamp Creeden, Dec 27, 1930

The picture of my grandparents Robert and Anna is from their wedding day on December 27, 1930 in Celina, OH. I don't have any family stories on their wedding and one thing I'm missing is an official record for their marriage. Sadly, Anna died in 1934, but from all accounts they had a few very happy years together.

Marriage records I have are:

Grandparents Royce and Edna Willis Councill, Marriage Certificate, June 13, 1925 in Chestertown, MD

Grandfather Robert Creeden to 2nd wife Hilda Kleinhenz, Marriage License
August 19, 1937, Certificate from Wapakoneta, Auglaize County, OH
Newspaper clipping says they were married on August 24, 1937 in Cleveland, OH

Great-grandparents Charles and Anna Niehaus Creeden, Church Record
November 27, 1907, Immaculate Conception Church, Celina, OH

Great-grandparents George and Mary Gast Pulskamp, Newspaper clipping of their 50th anniversary celebration on August 21, 1949, in Celina, OH (Marriage assumed to be August 1899.)

Great-grandparents Eugene and Pearl Chilcutt Willis
1930 census - 1st marriage for Eugene about 1904

Great-grandparents John Wesley and Ariana Sparks Councill
Feb 2, 1887, Maryland - Public Family Trees
1900 census says they were married 18 years, 1910 says 23

Great-great-grandparents Samuel and Susan Godwin Sparks
Index to Queen Anne's County, MD Marriage Records, July 16, 1849, Rev. Sumption

Great-great-grandparents Francis and Mary Ann Meredith/Merridith Councill
Index to Queen Anne's County, MD Marriage Records, July 8, 1840, Rev. Larkins

Great-great-grandparents Timothy and Mary Ann Matson Creeden, Marriage License and Court Record, December 10, 1868, Clinton County, OH

Great-great-grandparents George and Kate Covey Chilcutt
1930 census - 1st marriage for Kate around 1878
1910 census - Married for 34 years, placing year at 1876

Great-great-grandparents William Martin and Ruth Edna Adams Willis
January 25, 1859, Delaware Marriage Record

GGG-Grandparents Samuel and Ann Davis Godwin
Index to Queen Anne's County, MD Marriage Records, March 23, 1824, Rev. Crouch

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Once again, in honor of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.