Geiszler Genealogy

Last week, I shared all the rich knowledge that I learned from the Civil War Pension file for William James Townsend and his wife Mary Clabaugh of Franklin County, Ohio. This week, I'll recap all the questions the file generated. Marriage Certificate for William Townsend and Mary Clabaugh It seems that when one question is answered, more questions arise. Perhaps this makes me a sleuth. Perhaps this makes me a little too curious for my own good. Hopefully I can answer some of the questions on my list. Perhaps they'll forever remain unanswered. It's nice to know I have a To Do list that is never ending. QUESTIONS TO ANSWER: William Townsend Pension Application William's last name is spelled Townson. Later records change the last name to Townsend. Does this provide clues as to how his name was pronounced, or perhaps an earlier version of the spelling? Or is this simply a mistake? A W Shearer of Alton, Franklin County, Ohio was his attorney. (Question: how was Mr. Shearer ...

It all started with this grave marker. For the past 23 weeks, I've shared portions of my Great Grandfather William James Towsend (or Townson)'s Civil War Pension file. He served with the Ohio Infantry 143rd Regiment Company K. I'm so thankful for the genealogy blogging community pointing me in the direction of hiring a professional genealogist to go to the National Archives and look up the case file. Having the specific record citation for William and his wife Mary Clabaugh made the research easy. In a few short months, and for an expense far less than what the Administration charged, I had 38 scanned images of information to enlighten my understanding about a great-grandfather and his wife. Did I break down any brick wall? Short answer. Nope. Did I find out any new information to add to my family tree? Nope. Did I learn more about the story of William and Mary Townsend of Edwards Station, Franklin, Ohio? Yes. And isn't that what a family historian...

This is the last image in the series of files I received from my Civil War ancestor William James Townsend. As you can see, there was so much information contained in these files. If you come across a Civil War ancestor, be sure to check out their Pension files. Return of Check and Plate Destroyed for Mary Townsend Widow's Pension Paid @ $12 to June 4, 1916 Sept 23 1916 to the Chief, Finance Division: You are hereby notified that check #2540745 for $36 dated Sep 4 1916 in favor of MARY TOWNSEND post office GROVEPORT OHIO certificate # 320542 ACT APR Class Act April 19, 1908 Section 8 has been returned to this office by the Postmaster with the information that the pensioner died Aug 28 1916 and said check has the day been canceled. Very respectfully GUY O TAYLOR Disbursing Clerk  KNOWLEDGE GAINED: A check of $36, dated 4 Sep 1916 was returned to the Pension Office The plate that helped print checks for Mary Townsend was destroyed Essentially, the file was c...