Geiszler Genealogy

Would German Immigrant Joseph Geißler have to fight with the Union forces in the North? That's where we left off in last week's post . The first three days of July 1863 would become some of the most infamous dates in Civil War history. In Pennsylvania, the largest number of casualties of the entire war occurred at the Battle of Gettysburg. i In the mean time, the beginning of Morgan's Raid was on going in Tennessee and moving into Kentucky. The intended goal was to draw the attention of the Union Army of Ohio away from other activities. Morgan rode into Kentucky on July 2. ii These events were occurring during the first Wednesday through Friday of the dry month. On July 4, bulletins from Washington arrived in Columbus stating that the Union army should receive high praise and honor. For the next few days, the reports of significant success for the Union Army arrived, but the scope of the loss created great anxiety as published in the  Ohio State Journal  on July 6. iii Wh

As we continue the story of Joseph and Caroline (Mack) Geißler, we enter the 1860s with them farming their land in Prairie Township, Franklin County, Ohio with one son, Henry Joseph Geißler, and grieving the recent loss of their oldest son , Carl Geißler. Interestingly, husband and wife are listed in the 1860 US Census as attending school. i Several adults in the community are as well. Perhaps they understood attending school as the German associations that provided English lessons to immigrants in German Village. The family would grieve for almost two years before another child joined the family. Unfortunately, the birth of this daughter came at a perilous time for the German immigrant's new homeland. The American Civil War had broken on 12 April 1861, when Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter. Caroline would deliver her daughter Mary Elizabeth Geißler 12 days later on April 24th. ii At the time of Lizzie's birth, their son Henry was shy of his second birthday. Both Jos

In previous posts, we followed the origins of Joseph Geißler from his origins in Baden to his arrival in Franklin County, Ohio . His marriage to Caroline Mack to the birth of a son and becoming a naturalized citizen . I ended the last post with the birth of his second son and a hint that tragedy would soon strike. Today, the eluded to story is revealed. Sometime between Henry's birth in May 1859 and Carl's birth date in November, tragedy struck. According to the obituary recorded in German at the St. James Lutheran Church, the toddler Carl drowned on the family property in Prairie Township. i “Fresh and in good health he [Carl] arrived a a newly-dug well, about noon, not far from the home. The well had not been encased but just covered with boards. The child slipped between the boards, fell into the well and drowned at noon...   It was a hard blow for the parents but at the same time a good and healing lesson for them and all other parents, that they not only with all their c

For about two years, I have been on the hunt to crack through the brick wall of my ancestor William James Townsend. I've previously shared information from his Civil War pension file . I  learned many details  from the documents in the file but I still had questions left unanswered. What I know about William James Townsend (b 1842 - d 1889) was detailed in a previous post . In the 1880 Census, I found William but one of his daughters, Ida, was not in his home when she wasn't yet married. The discovery of Ida in the home of another person named Townsend led me to ask the question, who else is in Franklin County, Ohio in the 1880 census with the last name Townsend? There were around 50 persons named Townsend in the 1880 Census with 15 of those as either heads of the house. My quest launched a monthly series throughout 2015 to analyze the records pertaining to these specific Townsend families and individuals. Of the Townsends listed, these are the ones that could possibly

When we left off, Joseph and Caroline had married and purchased property in Prairie Township in 1856. Their land neighbored James Kinnaird and Caroline's father, Heinirch Mack. Additional neighbors included the Puseckers, Strunkenbergs, and Tinappels, all from the same village   in Hanover  as the Macks. After over year and a half of marriage, Joseph and Caroline welcomed their first of four children to their family.  Charles “Carl” Geißler was born  17 November 1857, mostly likely in their home in Prairie Township.  Joseph was 21 years of age while Caroline was 19. What was the origin of this child's name?  In jumping ahead, we discover that the couple's second son would appear to honor Caroline's father and Joseph, himself. Their first daughter's name origin is uncertain but has the same middle name of Caroline's step-mother. Was she thus named in honor of the mother that immigrated with Caroline? Finally, the fourth child has the name of Caroline. Wit

In the post Joseph Geissler: Planting Roots in Prairie , I mentioned that my 3rd great-grandfather, along with two other families purchased property from James Kinnaird of Prairie Township, Franklin County, Ohio in 1856. In researching James Kinnaird, I learned that he was born 10 August 1825 in Ohio, United States. I find that he marries Melissa Deans on 13 June 1849 in Franklin County, Ohio. i  In 1853, James Kinnaird marries Jenny Gray on the 27th of October in nearby Fairfield County. ii At the time of the home purchase, James and Jenny would be the likely inhabitants of the Prairie property, which is confirmed by the 1860 US Census record. iii James would remain in Prairie the remainder of his life. James is son of Scottish immigrant David Kinnaird, who also lives in Prairie Township neighboring James's land in 1860. iv It is believed that James is a wealthy stock breeder, but this could be a business he started with his father David. In any case, I received a note that in

Joseph Geißler was born in Baden about 1836 in immigrated to Franklin County, Ohio no later than 1856. 1856 marks the year that he went from being a single man with no other family in the county to a married man with in-laws and property. Planting Roots in Prairie Before completing his naturalization process in 1858, Joseph experienced several life-changing events: he married, purchased property, and became a father. Marriage At the age of twenty, Joseph obtained a license to marry 17-year-old Caroline Mäck dated 16 February 1856. Their differing faiths resulted in their marriage not being performed in either's church. Joseph practiced the Catholic religion and Caroline was Lutheran which prevented their wedding from being held in either church. As such, they were united in marriage by the Justice of Peace Thomas O'Hara on 19 February 1856. i At the time of their nuptials, it is believed that Joseph had already started his naturalization process. Once complete, Caroline would