Here is the bible transcription: (Roland's bible, Nathaniel is his father)
This family bible has been written in over a series of generations. The handwriting differs for each owner and you can distinctly tell that not all information was entered by one hand after the fact. It is currently in the possession of a female relation. Anyone with questions regarding this bible can reach me at this blog.
Inside the bible is a keepsake marriage certificate that reads:
Roland N. Pittenger of Richland County, OH & Dollie H. Sirpless of Richland County, OH married on the 26th day of October 1876 in Washington, OH by Rev. C.C. Ball. Witnesses I. McK. Pittenger & Nellie E. Sirpless.
Births:
Eudolphia H. Sirpless was born 23 Nov. 1852 {written in her own hand}
Nelson Barnes Pittenger (son) 13 June 1878
Martha E. Pittenger (daughter) 8 Oct 1879
Nellie M. Pitenger (daughter) 26 1881
Dollie Pittenger (daughter) 30 May 1885
at bottom of page it reads: NB Pittenger married Minnie Moore 30 Dec 1899
{All this page written in the handwriting of Eudolphia "Dollie" Sirpless Pittenger}
Deaths:
Eudolphia H Pittenger 9 June 1885 {this line appears to have been written by Roland N. Pittenger}
Roland N. Pittenger 13 June 1910
Dollie Noble 30 Dec 1928
{2 previous lines appear to have been written in Minnie Moore Pittenger's handwriting}
Minnie Moore Pittenger 22 June 1937
Nelson Barnes Pittenger 22 July 1941
Dollie Pittenger Dunmire - Kansas City
Nellie M. Pittenger Countryman - Spokane, Washington 10 Mar. 1948
{Above lines written in another hand, either Ross Nelson "Jake" Pittenger or Blanche Olive Kramb Pittenger}
Memoranda:
Minnie Moore was born 28 Feb. 1876 Shelby, OH
Lois Harriet Pittenger born 4 Aug. 1900 Adario, OH
Martha Eudolphia Pittenger born 9 May 1902 Shelby, OH
Albert Lee Pittenger born 5 July 1903 Shelby, OH
William Carl Pittenger born 23 Feb. 1905 Shelby, OH
Nelson Ross Pittenger born 17 March 1906 Shelby, OH
Mary Catherine Pittenger born 25 Apr. 1907 Shelby, OH
Amy Esther Pittenger born 11 Apr. 1909 Butler Twp, OH
Elnor Ruth Pittenger born 29 Sept 1913 Butler Twp., OH
{This page written by Minnie Moore}
and you can see the transcription of his father's bible at: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohrichla/Bible-Pittenger.htm
Monday, March 30, 2009
Added photos to Ancestry
I am currently adding photos to the tree I have at Ancestry.com. I have added photos of GEIGERS, WESSELS and am beginning to add all the tombstone photos that we have. I am looking for more photos to scan in to our FTM tree here on our home computer- let me know if you have any to share. I can even bring the scanner to you.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Soapbox :)
Ok. I might as well get this over with- I know it weirds a number of you out but cemeteries are a very important and almost zen-like thing for me. I love cemeteries. They give you a slice of history, they tell you about a person, about a family and most importantly they give you peace. Yes-MOM- I know that the people themselves are not there but the point still remains that the ground and the place is meant to be hallowed ground- ie:a religious place. Those of you who don't regularly get out and visit cemeteries-SHAME ON YOU! And to all those people who treat old plots as spare fields, extra grazing space and use headstones to build your out buildings: I wouldn't do that if I were you. Whether or not you beleive in an afterlife or ghosts or whatever- it's dirty, it's creepy and if it were my grave being tromped by cows.... well, you would not sleep again until you put up a nice cow proof fence :) as I've told my husband-I'll haunt you to death. ADK and I just find it disgusting and disturbing that people think it's perfectly ok to treat cemeteries like any other piece of land. I am going to put links here for an article that is super disturbing about cemetery loss and a few links to cool info pages on cemetery preservation.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g0eTRLqVGyaOcigLssVdyuYFVVgQD96QNT381
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohwccps/index.html
http://mccps.tripod.com/
http://www.ogs.org/cemeteries/index.php
Ok- so go educate yourselves and suck it up- cemeteries aren't for ignoring!
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g0eTRLqVGyaOcigLssVdyuYFVVgQD96QNT381
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohwccps/index.html
http://mccps.tripod.com/
http://www.ogs.org/cemeteries/index.php
Ok- so go educate yourselves and suck it up- cemeteries aren't for ignoring!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Roland N. Pittenger
I made some copies of loose notes in the Pittenger Family Bible today and did some work on Roland N. Pittenger (ADK's 3rd great grandfather). I am trying to follow the information from Lisa Louise Cook and her numerous podcasts- but especially her tips on Genealogy Made Simple. She suggests that you start at the most recent and work back and begin with the Census reports. SO I started with the 1910 Federal Census and found them going backwards in time. I had a heck of a time finding the 1910 Census for Roland. Where you may ask was he on May 22 1910-less than a month before his death? Well, he was an inmate in the Toldeo State Hospital for the Insane. I was shocked but if we line up all the facts given in the Census Record there was no doubt that even though his name was mispelled-It was really him. For one the Roland M. Pittinger in the hospital was a civil war vet- which our Roland N. Pittenger was. The birth year given was the same for both and both were born in Ohio. I then looked for a Death Index Record for this Roland M. Pittinger and sure enough, there was a death record for this inmate in Toledo and he had the same death date as our Roland. So I looked into the other Census records for Roland and read over the letter that I had found in the Pittenger family bible from Lois Pittenger Underwood to a woman regarding the Pittenger Family History as Lois knew it. So lets start at the beginning and look at the life of Roland N. Pittenger.
Roland was born 18 September 1845 in West Windsor (now Pavonia), Weller Township, Richland County, Ohio to parents Nathaniel Pittenger and Elizabeth C. Osbun. Source: Nathaniel's Bible written in his own hand, a copy resides in the OGS library. In 1860, Roland is a farm hand on his father's farm. Source: 1860 Federal Census, Database online. Weller, Richland, Ohio, post office Olivesburg, roll M653_1029, page 329, image 277. Shortly thereafter, the Civil War broke out and Roland served as a member of the 163 Infantry (National Guard), he entered the service as a Private and left as a Private. Source:National Park Service. U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007. Original data: National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, online <http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/>, acquired 2007. Here is a short description of his unit: http://www.ohiocivilwar.com/cw163.html. In 1870, he is again living on his father's farm. Source: 1870 Federal Census, Database online. Weller, Richland, Ohio, post office Olivesburg, roll 1261, page 394, image 794. On 26 October 1876, Roland marries Eudolphia "Dollie" Sirpless of Little Washington, Washington Twp., Richland County, Ohio. Source: The handwritten record in Roland and Eudolphia's Bible, which resides in RJSK's possession. Their son Nelson Barnes is born in 1878, their daughter Martha in 1879, and their daughter Nellie in 1881. Source: Pittenger Family Bible. Then in 1885, their daughter Dollie is born. Source: Pittenger Family Bible. Eleven days later, Eudolphia Pittenger passes away due to complications of childbirth. Source: Letter of Lois Pittenger Underwood. Lois further states in her letter that Eudolphia's sister Nellie Sirpless Beeler came and took the three girls to raise and that Nelson Barnes was sent to live with his Uncle Will Sirpless. Eudolphia is buried in Litle Washington Cemetery with her mother, father, brothers and of course Roland. Her stone is small and says Dollie across the top. The only other markings are I Love You in small script across the front of the stone. In 1900, we find Roland living in a rental house in Mansfield. Source: 1900 Federal Census, Database online. Mansfield Ward 8, Richland, Ohio. In 1910 we of course find him in the hospital in Toledo. This begs the question of how did he get there? Well, lets look at his life: he lost the love of his life early in their marriage in childbirth, he was unable to care for his own children after the loss, he then lived alone until being commited around the age of 65. He also served in the Civil War but did not fight in many major battles. My guess would be that he probably suffered from depression after Dollie's loss and then suffered from Dementia or Alzheimers later in life. I beleive that he was admitted to the hospital for dementia or the like because he was marked on early Census records as being able to read and write but during his stay in Toledo- he could no longer read or write. This is consistant of dementia or Alzheimers. Roland's story is so sad. He found love in his late 20's, lost his wife in childbirth less then 10 years later, sent away his children, lived alone, lost his mind in is old age and died at the age of 65 amoungst strangers in a hospital. His family who buried him barely even knew him according to Lois Pittenger Underwood-granddaughter.
Roland was born 18 September 1845 in West Windsor (now Pavonia), Weller Township, Richland County, Ohio to parents Nathaniel Pittenger and Elizabeth C. Osbun. Source: Nathaniel's Bible written in his own hand, a copy resides in the OGS library. In 1860, Roland is a farm hand on his father's farm. Source: 1860 Federal Census, Database online. Weller, Richland, Ohio, post office Olivesburg, roll M653_1029, page 329, image 277. Shortly thereafter, the Civil War broke out and Roland served as a member of the 163 Infantry (National Guard), he entered the service as a Private and left as a Private. Source:National Park Service. U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007. Original data: National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, online <http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/>, acquired 2007. Here is a short description of his unit: http://www.ohiocivilwar.com/cw163.html. In 1870, he is again living on his father's farm. Source: 1870 Federal Census, Database online. Weller, Richland, Ohio, post office Olivesburg, roll 1261, page 394, image 794. On 26 October 1876, Roland marries Eudolphia "Dollie" Sirpless of Little Washington, Washington Twp., Richland County, Ohio. Source: The handwritten record in Roland and Eudolphia's Bible, which resides in RJSK's possession. Their son Nelson Barnes is born in 1878, their daughter Martha in 1879, and their daughter Nellie in 1881. Source: Pittenger Family Bible. Then in 1885, their daughter Dollie is born. Source: Pittenger Family Bible. Eleven days later, Eudolphia Pittenger passes away due to complications of childbirth. Source: Letter of Lois Pittenger Underwood. Lois further states in her letter that Eudolphia's sister Nellie Sirpless Beeler came and took the three girls to raise and that Nelson Barnes was sent to live with his Uncle Will Sirpless. Eudolphia is buried in Litle Washington Cemetery with her mother, father, brothers and of course Roland. Her stone is small and says Dollie across the top. The only other markings are I Love You in small script across the front of the stone. In 1900, we find Roland living in a rental house in Mansfield. Source: 1900 Federal Census, Database online. Mansfield Ward 8, Richland, Ohio. In 1910 we of course find him in the hospital in Toledo. This begs the question of how did he get there? Well, lets look at his life: he lost the love of his life early in their marriage in childbirth, he was unable to care for his own children after the loss, he then lived alone until being commited around the age of 65. He also served in the Civil War but did not fight in many major battles. My guess would be that he probably suffered from depression after Dollie's loss and then suffered from Dementia or Alzheimers later in life. I beleive that he was admitted to the hospital for dementia or the like because he was marked on early Census records as being able to read and write but during his stay in Toledo- he could no longer read or write. This is consistant of dementia or Alzheimers. Roland's story is so sad. He found love in his late 20's, lost his wife in childbirth less then 10 years later, sent away his children, lived alone, lost his mind in is old age and died at the age of 65 amoungst strangers in a hospital. His family who buried him barely even knew him according to Lois Pittenger Underwood-granddaughter.
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