Geiszler Genealogy

It's once again time to investigate the  Townsends of Franklin County , Ohio in an effort to find relatives of  William James Townsend  who was born around 1842 in Franklin County, Ohio. So far I have discovered one relative and I have a genealogy super-sense that I have found a few others. Let's continue with the second to last named Townsend in the  1880 US Census . The next individual is Miss Nettie Townsend born in 1858 and is a 22 year-old servant for the John Bobbert family. Nettie Townsend in Marion, Franklin, Ohio in 1880 US Census as a servant for John Bobbert Sadly, as a servant there is very little information about Nettie as recorded in the 1880 US Census. Her name, age, and gender were recorded. No parental or personal birth locations were recorded. She was a servant in the home of John Bobbert, aged 38, and his wife Martha, 25. John is a gardener by trade and Martha keeps the house. Martha tends over five children: John H Bobbert, age 14; Charles, 12; E...

Previously I wrote about the  success of finding a relative  by using the One Name Place Study method.  Let's continue investigating the remaining Townsends in the  1880 US Census  for Franklin County, Ohio. There are five left. As you'll remember, I am in the process of investigating the  Townsends of Franklin County , Ohio in an effort to find relatives of  William James Townsend  who was born around 1842 in Franklin County, Ohio. The second of the final four is F Townsend born about 1835 in England, with parents originally from England. F is working as a Paper Box Maker. F Townsend of Marion, Franklin County, Ohio in 1880 US Census Record Also in the F Townsend home, which was in Marion, Franklin County, Ohio, is his wife Emma Townsend who was born about 1850 in New York. Her parents may be from New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. They have two children living with them: Charles born 1873 in New Jersey and Sarah born 1879 in New York...

Previously I wrote about the  success of finding a relative  by using the One Name Place Study method.  Let's continue investigating the remaining Townsends in the  1880 US Census  for Franklin County, Ohio. There are four left. As you'll remember, I am in the process of investigating the  Townsends of Franklin County , Ohio in an effort to find relatives of  William James Townsend  who was born around 1842 in Franklin County, Ohio. The first of the final four is Perry Townsend born about 1855 in Ohio, with parents originally from Ohio.  Perry is working as a farm laborer. Perry Townsend, 1880 US Census, Groveport, Franklin County, Ohio Perry's household includes his wife Jane, also born around 1885. She's 25 years old and is keeping the house. Her parents are originally from Maryland and Ohio. In investigating Perry, I could not find records with the name Jane again as a wife. I found spouse...

According to the Guild of One-Name Studies , "People often start one-name studies when they get stuck on part of their own ancestry, and believe that if they were to collect all references they find to the surname then this will lead to a break-through." I am in the process of investigating the  Townsends of Franklin County , Ohio in an effort to find relatives of  William James Townsend  who was born around 1842 in Franklin County, Ohio. So far, most Townsends do not seem to be close relations, but I haven't given up yet. The next individual listed  1880 US Census  is Elisabeth  Townsend. Elisabeth indicates in this census that she was born about 1867 in Ohio, with parents also originally from Ohio. At age 13, she's listed as a servant in the home of Wm and Ruth Wildermuth (though the handwriting looks like Wildersmith). The Wildersmith's have children aged 22-13. Her servant position was certainly not that of a governess based on her young age! ...

It's once again time to investigate the  Townsends of Franklin County , Ohio in an effort to find relatives of  William James Townsend  who was born around 1842 in Franklin County, Ohio. The next individual listed  1880 US Census  is Ella Townsend. Ella indicates in this census that she was born about 1855 in Connecticut. The twenty-five-year-old is working as an overseer at a box factory. Ella is living with her married sister, Minnie Center, in Columbus Ohio. Minnie's husband Orestes Center is a bookkeeper and they have two young children (aged 4 and 1) in the home, with a 19-year-old servant. Ella Townsend in the home of Orestus Center; Year: 1880; Census Place: Columbus, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: 1017; Family History Film: 1255017; Page: 380A; Enumeration District: 037 In researching Ella further, I discovered that her sister's name as it appears in the 1880 US Census Minnie is the nickname for Mary. Additionally, her sister's married name of Cen...

It's once again time to investigate the  Townsends of Franklin County , Ohio in an effort to find relatives of  William James Townsend  who was born around 1842 in Franklin County, Ohio. The next individual listed  1880 US Census  is Henry H Townsend. Henry indicates in this census that he was born around 1845 in Pennsylvania. His parents are listed as being from England. His occupation is a marble dealer. Other household members include Anna M Townsend born around 1849 in England. She's 31 and again, her parents are from England. According to this document, they have a son named Grant Townsend who is 10 and a daughter Lulu C Townsend who is 7. Both children were born in Ohio. At first glance, the birth place of Pennsylvania three years after William's birth in Ohio is making a close family relationship doubtful. Further, Henry states that his parents are from England and William has reported that his parents are from Maryland. Townsend is a common name ...

It's once again time to investigate the Townsends of Franklin County , Ohio in an effort to find relatives of William James Townsend who was born around 1842 in Franklin County, Ohio. The next Townsend listed in the  1880 US Census is Fred W Townsend. 1880 US Census, Columbus, Ohio; Entry for Fred W Townsend Fred's birth is approximated to 1847 as his age is listed as 33 years-old. His birthplace is listed as Ohio with his parents from Ohio.  His occupation is a Marble Cutter. He is residing as a boarder in the property owned by Evan Jacobs and his wife Mary. Could he be a brother to Robert Townsend from the previous post ? Fred was a Marble Cutter residing on Front Street which is two streets away from High Street where Robert, a brick mason, was residing. Nothing is conclusive, but it is interesting. If Fred was kin to my ancestor William, he would be a bit younger. At this time, William was a blind farmer. Had William not returned from the Civil War blind, ...

It's once again time to investigate the Townsends of Franklin County , Ohio in an effort to find relatives of William James Townsend who was born around 1842 in Franklin County, Ohio. The next individual listed 1880 US Census is George A Townsend. George indicates in this census that he was born around 1840 in New York. His parents are also listed as from New York and he says he was a merchant. Other household members are Louisa Townsend born around 1840 in New York (parents also from New York).  They have a son Charles W Townsend, who is about 11 in their home. Charles was apparently born in New York as well. At quick glance, this does not appear as close a relation as I would like to see. William was born in Ohio and several records place his parents from Maryland. George and William are around the same age so the different birth places would rule out the possibility of being brothers. Could they be distant relatives? I continued to research George and found him in the 7...

It's once again time to investigate the  Townsends of Franklin County , Ohio in an effort to find relatives of  William James Townsend  who was born around 1842 in Franklin County, Ohio. 1880 US Census, Columbus, Ohio. Entry highlighted for Robert Townsend. The next individual listed  1880 US Census  in Robert Townsend born about 1842 in Ohio. He is boarding in a home on Front Street in Columbus owned by John Reed (born in Pennsylvania) and his wife Ester (born in Massachusetts). Robert is about 38, is single, and works as a Brick Moulder. Frank Crawford and George Hamilton, who are also living in this residence, are employed with the same craft. A false trail led me to connect him with a Robert Townsend born in Georgia who died in Oklahoma. Other than this Census entry, I am unable to find Robert in the 1860 or 1870 Census records. The 1900 Census record seems to removed to be certain of his location. I've attempted to search for variations of Robe...

The hunt for ancestors continues with the fourth and fifth of 15 heads of households named in the  1880 US Census  with the last name  Townsend  in Franklin, County. Today is a two-for-one post as the two men listed aren't actually heads of households. They are both inmates in the Columbus Hospital for the Insane. According to the Forgotten Ohio website, the massive building that would house a large number of patients was built between 1870-1877, prior to the 1880 US Census in which I find Wm and James Townsend. "United States Census, 1880,"Wm Townsend, Columbus, Franklin, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district  007 , sheet  164D , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1015; FHL microfilm 1255015. "United States Census, 1880,"JamesTownsend, Columbus, Franklin, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district  007 , sheet  162C , NARA microfilm publicat...

The hunt for ancestors continues with the third of 15 heads of households named in the  1880 US Census  with the last name  Townsend  in Franklin, County. "United States Census, 1880,"NS Townsend,  Columbus , Franklin, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district 042, sheet 25A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1015; FHL microfilm 1255015. In 1880, N.S. Townsend  (FS 29S3-R8W) and his wife Margaret are living in Columbus, Franklin, Ohio. As a side note, Columbus is more urban than Truro and Hamilton have been. On Ancestry.com, a user-edited the N S to stand for Norton Strange Townsend . Norton was born about 1816 in England. His wife Margaret was born around 1824 in West Virginia.  Norton was a professor at the State University. His neighbor Edward Orton was President of the university. Norton had two children also attending the university, one being a da...

In the post " Who else was in Franklin County, Ohio in 1880 ?" I featured 50 Townsends, 17 of which are heads of households. The purpose of the one name study in Franklin County, Ohio is an attempt to find relatives for William James Townsend . This is the first installment of perhaps 15 posts detailing those Townsends of Franklin County. Year: 1880; Elizabeth Townsend in household of Geo W Shoaf, Census Place: Hamilton, Franklin, Ohio; Roll: 1015; Family History Film: 1255015; Page: 186A; Enumeration District: 009; Image: 0475 The first name I wished to examine was Elizabeth Townsend ( LJBR-MYD ) who was listed in the 1880 US Census in the same town as my great grandfather William. The first thing that jumped out to me was that Elizabeth was born around 1838 in Scotland. Her husband could be born in England if Isabell's Shoaf's (LZD5-C1C) reference to her father (with Elizabeth being her mother) being born in England is an accurate relationship. She...

The hunt for ancestors continue with the second of 15 heads of households named in the 1880 US Census with the last name Townsend in Franklin, County. "United States Census, 1880,"John Townsend, Truro, Franklin, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district 015, sheet 310B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1015; FHL microfilm 1255015. In 1880, John and Catherine Townsend and their two boys Joseph and John were living in Truro, Franklin County, Ohio. John Townsend (FS ID: LJY6-82Z) was born in 1814 in Maryland, as were his parents. His wife Catherine was born around 1826 in Ohio, and her parents were also from Maryland. Joseph was born around 1853 and John around 1860. Both were born in Ohio. However, ditto marks by the census maker says the both of the boy's parents were from Maryland. Was Catherine really from Maryland or did the enumerator become ditto mark happy? If John was relate...

Tessa Keough discussed the basics of a One-Name Studies in her One-Name Study entitled "Who Does That?" An Introduction to One-Name (Surname) Studies. I loved the title and the question "Who Does That?" My answer is, "I do! Well, sort of." In quickly researching the concept of searching for the occurrences of one name in one place and best practices for the process, I have found several One-Name Study organizations. That is a little more intense than what I'm seeking to accomplish I simply want to see if any other Townsends in Franklin County, Ohio are possibly related to William James Townsend, my 2nd great-grandfather. If I find a Townsend living in Franklin County who is not likely to be a relative, I will stop researching that line rather than become an expert knowing all the migration and back story. For those who seek to have guild approved studies, I wish you all the best in your endeavors. Given that William James Townsend is in the 18...

Last time, I shared the fact that I'm starting a one-name study of Townsends in Franklin County, Ohio. Prior to digging into the study, I shared what I know about William James Townsend's family. I have been as reasonably exhaustive as I am able within the constraints of time, location, and funds. However, there is something I could do and that is research all the Townsends in Franklin County, Ohio. I am limiting my scope to those families I find in the 1880 US Census all because of William's daughter Ida. Ida Jane Townsend was born on 25 April 1867 in Hamilton Township, Franklin County 1 , Ohio. She is the second oldest of William and Mary (Clabaugh) Townsend's 10 children. Here are some other facts I know about Ida: 1870 resides in Hamilton, Franklin, Ohio 2 1880 is not listed in the home of her parents 3 14 Nov 1885 marries Lawrence (or Loren) Sanborn in Franklin County, Ohio 4 13 Nov 1889 her father William Townsend dies 5 by this time, Ida has had th...

Howdy Folks! I'm going to get genealogy crazy. I'm trying to crack through a brick wall for my Civil War ancestor William James Townsend. Starting in January of last year, I shared William's pension file and the things I learned and the questions I still had . William Townsend Pension Declaration The pension file gave me a few new pieces of information and the story of how William became blind. Unfortunately, no siblings or parental information was found. How can I find these pieces of information? Start with What You Know William James Townsend born abt 1842 in Ohio 1, 2, Birth records don't become available until 1867 1860 resides in Madison Township, Franklin County, Ohio 3 Single, farm laborer, boarding in the home of Robert Henderson June 1863 Madison Township, Franklin County, Ohio 4 Civil War Draft Registration Single, farm laborer Recorded same time as John Townsend, married, age 27 of Madison May 1864 - August 1864 Serves in ...