Linda Claire Groshans digitally enhanced this photo of G. Jack Groshans using AI (artificial intelligence)G. Jack Groshans was 41 years old in 1919.
When Gottlieb Jack Groshans was born on 10 Mar 1878, in Sundhouse, Bas-Rhin, France, his father, Gottlieb, was 30 and his mother, Salome “Sallie” Lauffer, was 27.
In the 1920 U.S. census Gottlieb Jack (“G. Jack”) Groshans was 41 years old. In this census, he provided the date of his immigration from France to the U.S.A. as 1880 (he was only a toddler.)“Alsace is located on France’s eastern border and on the west bank of the upper Rhine adjacent to Germany and Switzerland.” At the time of this 1920 census, he listed his occupation as a farmer. He states that his wife Maude was born in Arkansas. Her father was born in Kentucky and her mother was born in Arkansas. Gottlieb Jack and Maude’s home in 1920 was in Winona, Carroll, Arkansas.
G. Jack Groshans received citizenship to the U.S. in 1886 when he was 8 years old. His marriage to Maude Lillian Meador was on 12 Jun 1912 in Carroll, Arkansas.
In the 1940 US census G. “Jack” Groshans lives in the Bruce, LaSalle, Illinois with his wife Maude, daughter Rita and son Robert Groshans.
I noticed that his wife Maude was considerably younger than G. Jack. He was born in 1878 and she was born in 1887.
His wife Maude died 17 Jan 1971 in Ypsilanti, MI. She lived to be 83 years old. She had spent 30 years as a widow after his death.
Virginia’s parents were Clarence “Leo” Meredith and Grace Frederika George. The photos below announce the marriage of Ginny’s parents.
The wedding of Ginny’s parents is announced in the Jackson Citizen Patriot on 13 Nov 191912 Nov 1919 Daily Telegram Adrian MI
When Mary Virginia Meredith (“Ginny”) was born on March 13, 1922, in Hudson, Michigan, her father, Clarence Leo Meredith, was 27, and her mother, Grace F. George Meredith was 29.
At the time of the 1930 US census, Ginny was 8 years old and living in the household of her grandmother with her parents and her older brother and younger sister. They lived on Washington Avenue, Hudson, Lenawee, Michigan, USA.
1930 US Census
Ginny was only 11 years old when her older brother Frederick George Meredith passed away.
The death certificate for Ginny’s brother10 Apr 1933, The Daily Telegram, Adrian, MI12 Apr 1933, The Daily Telegram, Adrian, MIThe Daily Telegram 21 December 1933, Adrian, MI
Ginny’s younger brother was born only one month after the death of her older brother in May of 1933. Ginny’s younger sister also had major surgery in December of 1933.
By the time of the 1940 US census, Ginny was 18 years old and living with her family.
1940 US Census – Residence in Hudson, Lenawee, Michigan
Ginny married Robert Emerson Ream on November 6, 1954, in San Diego, California.
6 Nov 1954 Catholic Mission San Diego de Alcala
Ginny and Robert Ream had two children during their marriage. She died on January 25, 2006, in Columbus, Ohio, at the age of 83, and was buried in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Leonarda (Lena) Geraci and her husband Giuseppe “Joseph” Cirabisi
Giuseppe “Joseph” Cirabisi was born on March 5, 1873, in Sicily, Italy. He had one son and two daughters with Leonarda (Lena) Gerace or Geraci between 1909 and 1916. He died in 1950 at the age of 77.
On the free FamilySearch.org website his ID# is L1FX-D4W
Here is a recap on an original document showing when Joseph immigrated at the age of 10 to the USA arriving on November 3, 1013. (Note that census records and other government records showed little regard to spelling, this might explain why his father’s name is listed as Tirabisi instead of Cirabisi?!)
At the age of 35 years old, he stated for New York records that he was employed as a Bracciante (translation is farm hand , hired hand or laborer.
When Alice “Christine” Thompson (she used her middle name) was born on June 10, 1905, in Lawrence, Mississippi, her father, Ransom, was 48, and her mother, Susan “Sudie” Arabella Spurlock Thompson, was 43. I believe that she was the youngest of 8 children.
She married (weddingdate unknown) Eugene Ludlow Barnes and had three sons with him. She died on January 20, 1994, in Pascagoula, Mississippi, at the age of 88, and was buried in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43359840/alice-christine-barnes
Her oldest son Samuel Henry Barnes was born on January 20, 1931, in Lamar County, Mississippi. Her second son Thompson Eugene “Genie” was born on August 27, 1935 and tragically died at age 12, in Mississippi. Her third son Arthur “Dale” (he used his middle name) was born on July 18, 1942, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
The 1910 census when Christine was only 4 years old The 1930 census – she lists herself as married but living with her parents? The 1930 census – she lists herself as married but living with her parents? 1940 census
When John Andrew Bravin “Uncle John” was born on March 1, 1922, in Meduno, Udine, Italy, his father, Anibale, was 31 and his mother, Lousa “Louise” Melosso, was 22.
In the 1930 US Census, Uncle John was only 8 years old. He was living with his family then at 924 E. 10th Street, Altoona, PA. The census indicates that both of his parents were born in Italy and that the family language in their home was Italian. In this same year, his younger brother Louis was 5 years old and his sister Madeline was 3 years old. Both Louis and Madeline were born Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Uncle John was a US veteran. He was in the US Marine Corp during WWII and served as a Sergeant.
He died on February 10, 2011, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, at the age of 88, and was buried there.
Here are a few photos from the Groshans family photo collection:
Photo found on multiple websites including Ancestry and Family Search
Chauncey was the 3rd Great Grandfather of Eugene Norbert Wiesner.
Here is how they related:
When Chauncey Commodore Hitt was born on August 23, 1812, in Delaware, New York, his father, Isaac, was 27 and his mother, Anne Moore Hitt, was 25. He married Frances Elizabeth Walter in 1839. They had seven children in 15 years. He died on November 14, 1874, in Door, Wisconsin, at the age of 62, and was buried there.
Here is a photo of Chauncey’s wife Frances Elizabeth Walter Hitt that I found on Ancestry and Family Search web sites.
photo from multiple web sites including Ancestry
Stories of Chauncey’s life are told in a publication called: “History of Door County, Wisconsin: the county beautiful” Chauncey is listed as one of the first persons to buy land in Door County.
From some of my other research, it appears that just shortly before Chauncey’s death he bought a boarding house attached to a saw mill and turned it into a tavern and saloon to be run by his son Charles. I believe the property was named the “Eagle Hotel.”
These are very small print, and I only have dates and not the names of the newspapers:
9 October 1873 26 March 1874
I found these death notices:
From Find a Grave28 November 1874 Green Bay Weekly Gazette, Wisconsin
Hendrick Jansen Oosteroom was my 8th great grandfather. Here is how we relate:
When Hendrick Jansen Oosteroom was born in 1630 in Netherlands, his father, Jan, was 25 and his mother, Claudina Relyea, was 24. He married Tryntje Lubbertse VanBlarcom and they had five children together. He then married Geesje Jacobs on May 23, 1666. He died in 1670 in Poughkeepsie, New York, at the age of 40.
Here is a photo of records regarding his 2nd marriage:
His name later became Hendrick Jansen Ostrom. A comment made on Family Search.org reads: “The Dutch of New Amsterdam did not use surnames until 1664 when British took control & renamed New York. The surname “Oosteroom” as entered here has seven alternate spellings as seen on records of time frame – whoever could write spelled & wrote what was heard, not what was meant to be heard”
He was also called Hendrick Van Schalwyk which used the place of his birth as his name.
In 1654, there are records of him receiving a land grant for 25 mogens of land in Kill van Kull, the site of what would later be, Bergen New Jersey. Because of problems the settlers were having there with the Native Americans, it seems that Hendrick later took a lease for unsettled land in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, NY. which was a part of British Colonial America. From familysearch.org “He was apparently living in New Jersey when the Indians forced all white persons living west of the Hudson to retreat to New Amsterdam, where his second child was born in 1657.”
My direct ancestor and 2nd Great Grandfather, Garret Spruhan, was born in about 1825 in Kilkenny Ireland. (source reference for birth is the 1860 census) The name Spruhan is rare in the United States and in Ireland.
In 1850, at the age of 25, Garret left Ireland and immigrated to the United States on a “famine ship.” The name of the ship was the “Martha.” He embarked from Liverpool. This brief history of famine ships (includes the ship the “Martha”) Information may be found at http://www.irishamericanjourney.com/2011/10/irishships-to-america.html
“Garret Spruhan was a farmer in County Kilkenny. He arrived in New York like many from his country and eventually moved west with the railroads. He married Margaret Denny and had five children. The Spruhan family settled in Crawfordsville, Indiana.The children’s names were as follows: John Arthur, Katherine, William Henry, Eliza J., and Macie.
In 1862 Margaret Denny Spruhan died (She was my 2nd great grandmother). Garret Spruhan returned to farming in 1864 after purchasing land north of Crawfordsville. He also remarried in that year to Ann McKevitt Wood. The family farm prospered over the next four years, as evidenced from estate records. Tragedy hit the family in early 1869 when Garret died.
From the estate records, the Spruhan children were sent to live on farms in neighboring counties. Only Macie remained at the Spruhan farm with her stepmother. Any questions or comments are welcomed.” Note: this means that my great grandfather Henry Spruhan was emancipated at the age of 12!
____________________________ In 1852, at the age of 27, Garrett Spruhan married Margaret Denny. They were married on January 11, 1852 in Hamilton Co., Ohio by a Roman Catholic bishop. In the 1860 census, Garret lives in Union, Montgomery, Indiana. The afore mentioned quotation states that he settled in Crawfordsville, Indiana. (The Civil war would begin on April 12, 1861) __________________________ Garrett had a brother named John Henry. John immigrated to Nova Scotia Canada. He changed the spelling of his last name from Spruhan to Spruin. This is documented in a post found online. http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?Roanoke::in::36997.html (There seems to be an incorrect piece of information in this post. Garret immigrated in 1850 and NOT 1839. Also, there may be a misspelling of Garret’s second wife’s name.)
Here is the post that I found on-line from family historian Lydia Spruhan: Dear Spruhan Family querers: My name is Lydia Mary Spruhan. I am the genealogist of the family. I can tell you alot about the Spruhans in Indiana. The family began in this country when Garret Spruhan came to America from Ireland in 1839, and married Margaret Denny, also from Ireland. The were married in the Roman Catholic Church, by the Bishop of Pennsylvania. Garret became a naturalized citizen in 1940. I still have his original naturalization papers, as well as official “copies” issued by the Gov’t. He and his wife moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana and began a family, the oldest being John Arthur (NOT Alexander) Spruhan, who is my great-great-grandfather. I have many photos of him, as well as letters to my grandfather from his daughter, my great-great. Eliza, whom you also mentioned, became the first female attorney in the State of Indiana, and carried the name Eliza Spruhan Painter. She ran a charity for Confederate Soldiers from the Civil War. But, I am jumping ahead of myself here. There were many children born to the Spruhans, some of whom died in infancy. They were all baptized at the Catholic church in Crawfordsville. I have the original church ledgers if you would like to see them. When Garret and Margaret were still fairly young, Margaret died. Garret married a woman named Ann McKerritt, also from Ireland, as a second wife. After Garret died (I have never found out whether he died in the Civil War after conscription or of natural causes), the children were sadly separated into different families in the community. I have the name of the family who raised Eliza and the younger children. I’ll have to look it up for you, it’s German. John Arthur and Henry were already of sufficient age to be emancipated as adults. John Arthur married Joan America Bohannon, who is in herself quite a story. Their children are in my direct line, so I can share that history with you as well if you wish. Her family dates back to the pre-Revolutionary times, and my female ancestors and aunts have always been in the DAR due to the connection to John Bohannon who served in the Virginia militia during the Revolution. John Arthur was the railroad man for the stop in Crawfordsville for many years. His son, Fred Garret Spruhan went to Purdue and also became an Engineer. His son, John Galey Spruhan, is my grandfather, also a Purdue grad and engineer. John Halsey Spruhan was the only child of John Galey Spruhan and my grandmother, Beatrice Halsey, who only recently died a few years ago at 93. After John Halsey Spruhan, of Salem, VA, comes Paul Wesley Spruhan, my brother, and then his son, my five-year old nephre Bahe Spruhan. Paul lives in Arizona with his Navajo wife, Bidtah. Both of his children are also enrolled in the Navajo Nation (tribe).
Back to the beginning: The Spruhans come from County Carlow, and County Kilkenny, Ireland. Garret was from Kilkenny, and he has a brother who also emigrated around the same time to Nova Scotia. the family there changed the spelling of their name so it would be pronounced correctly (Sproo-in), NOT Sproo-Han. They go by the spelling Spruin. John Henry Spruin is the brother who went to Canada. His son, John, is somewhat of a local Nova Scotia hero, as he was one of the “Halifax Nine”, who were first responding fireman at the Halifax explosion (when a munitions boat exploded in Halifax Harbor, killing all nine, who were the only fireman who responded, given the seriousness of the explosion and the certainty of death. There are still Spruins in Canada whom I know of.
Back to Ireland: The Spruhan Family are all buried back hundreds of years from Garret’s arrival in the US, at St. Columbkille’s Cemetery in Thomastown. There are barrows in the distance of the ancient Celtic kings who the area around the Nor River (Black River) in Kilkenny. There are Spruhans still there, in the area of Carlow bordering Thomastown, Kilkenny. They are headed by Thomas and Peggy Spruhan, and they have five sons, one of whom I talk to, Edmond, who lives in the Boston area. One of Edmond’s brothers, Michael I believe, lived and worked in Mexico City, and married a Mexican woman. They have a son named Emilio. So, as you can see with the Navajo & Mexican influences, our family is quite diverse.
Of course I have the documents and photos for all of this. There are a few other Spruhans in my home state of VA: Jack Spruhan, my great uncle (Fred Garret’s cousin), and his local hero father, Pinky (Guy) Spruhan RIP, who was the football coach at Roanoke College for many years.
What else are you wanting to know about? Henry Spruhan is your ancestor, I do have a family tree which comes down to the 1980s. there should be two siblings named Paul (not my brother Paul) and his sister Cinnamon Spruhan. they also had a younger brother who died as a child. Cinnamon should be in her 30s and Paul is a young free spirited 20 something. People often search for my brother, Paul, on Facebook, and are si surprized when they find Paul Spruhna from Henry’s line, as he seems to be into counter culture…like Punk Rock or skateboards or similar style.
As I said, you’ll have to ask my some more questions if I’m to help you find (or have myself alreay), the particular documents or information you require.
Interesting piece of sad Famine-era family history: there was a young woman named Bridget Spruhan who jumped to her death from a prison ship rather than be put into a life of servitude and slavery in Australia. For some reason the song “Fields of Athenry” makes me cry, most likely due to Bridget’s experience. Many regards, Lydia Mary Spruhan Salem, VA _______________________ Of Garret’s children, my direct ancestor is Henry Joseph Spruhan who married Caroline Baur. Henry was 12 at the time of his father’s death and was thus thrust into an early adulthood emancipation. (Henry Spruhan was my Great Grandfather)
My name is Linda Claire Hess Groshans
List of generations: Garret Spruhan and Margaret Denny Henry Joseph Spruhan and Caroline “Carrie” Baur Henrietta Spruhan and George K. Hess, Sr. Robert Lawrence Hess and Gretchen Lois Ream (my parents)
Comments from Ancestry.com
“Nor River: The Spruhan Family are all buried back hundreds of years from Garret’s arrival in the US, at St. Columbkille’s Cemetery in Thomastown. There are barrows in the distance of the ancient Celtic kings who the area around the Nor River (Black River) in Kilkenny.”
When William Sprague was born on October 26, 1609, in Upwey, Dorset, England, his father, Edward, was 33 and his mother, Christiana Margaret Holland, was 31. William’s father was a fuller by trade.
William married Millicent Eames on May 26, 1635, in Charlestown, Massachusetts. They had 12 children in 18 years. He died on October 26, 1675, in Hingham, Massachusetts, at the age of 66.
William was one of the first planters in Massachusetts. He had arrived in Massachusetts Bay having left from Upway, Dorsetshire, England in 1628. He probably traveled on the ship Abigail. He traveled to the colonies with his brothers Ralph and Richard. They were some of the first settlers in Watertown and Charlestown. William moved to Hingham in 1634 with his future father-in- law, Lt. Anthony Eames.
Source: North America Family Histories 1500 to 2000, Sprague Families in America
Source: North America Family Histories 1500 to 2000, Sprague Families in America
From source: Great Migration Study Project…”By 1636 William was a proprietor and in ensuing years received several grants of land. He served as a fence-viewer, constable and disbursing officer as well as a selectman in 1645.”
I thought that it was most interesting that in his will, part of his estate were his books valued at 8s.
Source: Great Migration and the Great Migration Begins Vol. 3 P-W
William Sprague, Sr., my 10th great grandfather died the 26 day of October, 1675, but ” not a stone tells where he lies.”
You can purchase this book on Amazon: The Genealogy Of The Sprague’s In Hingham: Arranged In Chronological Order, To The Fourth Generation, Counting From William Sprague, One Of The First … England, In The Year 1628.
On the free website FamilySearch.org the ID# for William is LT3K-KCD
When Celia Marion Joyce was born on March 18, 1898, in Derry, New Hampshire, her father, William Lawrence Joyce, was 22, and her mother, Olive Annis Watts, was 24. She married Charles Edwin Moller on December 25, 1919, in her hometown. They had seven children in 12 years. She died on June 11, 1961, in Hartford, Connecticut, at the age of 63, and was buried in Manchester, Connecticut. (Article below from Hartford Courant, Hartford, CT. 13 Jun 1961)
The children of Marion Joyce and Charles Edwin Moller are listed below:
telling life stories 