GARTNERS - FOUND IN GERMANY?

I believe I have found the Gartner [Gaertner] family in Germany, thanks to familysearch.org. My search returned only 2 Theresa Gaertners born in the same time frame - both found in Batch #C949951, Film #0890644: Katholisch, Kirchhausen, Neckarkreis, Wuettemberg, Parish Register of Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths and Family Registers for Kirchhausen, Wurtembeerg, Germany, including Hipfelhof, 1693-1815. The Theresa I believe is correct has a later date of birth than I thought based on census records, but matches her death certificate. The earlier Theresa's parents were Sebastian and Elisabeth; their children's names were Barbara, Margaretha Theresa, Elisabeth, Maria Anna, and Ignatius. These are not as good a match for the names of Theresa and John Spence's children.

The family I believe contains our Theresa [Gaertner] Spence is as follows:

Georgii Joseph Gaertner, christened Oct 1773.
Married 21 October 1800
Maria Eva Muth, christened 10 Oct 1772.

Children:

1. Maria Josepha born & christened 25 Jul 1801
2. Theresia b/chr 10 Oct 1802, prob married 1823 in Baltimore, John Spence
   
3. Joannes b/chr 24 Feb 1804
4. Wallburga b/chr 24 Apr 1805
5. Joannes Jorg b/chr 9 Jan 1807
6. Frantz Joseph b/chr 3 Dec 1808
7. Aemilianus chr. 6 Oct 1811

Per her death certificate, Theresa had lived in Baltimore 63 years when she died in 1875, or since 1812. Thus she was 10 years of age when she arrived in Baltimore, making it likely she emigrated with her family. [Currently have a friend checking Ancestry for immigration records.]

Her father's family:

Jorg [Georgii] Gartner, married 03 Jun 1763, Clarae Schraudolff

Children:

1. Maria Eva, b/chr 29 Feb 1764, died young
2. Georgius Valentinus, chr 14 Feb 1765 [maybe d. young?]
   
3. Joannes Georgus, b. 15 Dec 1765, chr 16 Dec 1765, d. 1812
4. Eva Walburgis b/chr 01 May 1771
5. Jorg Joseph chr Oct 1773 married Maria Eva Muth
   
6. Jacob b/chr 23 May 1776
   
7. Mathaeus b/chr 31 Dec 1781
   

The only slightly strange thing is the 2 children born 1765 - but they were born 10 months apart, so it is obviously possible. With both child #2 and #5 containing the name Georgius, perhaps the older child died young.

Could not locate any info on mother Clara's family.

Theresa's mother's family:

Joannes Muth married Johannae Heckler.

Children:

1. Helen Thecla chr 24 Sept 1771
2. Maria Eva chr 10 Oct 1772 m. Georgii Joseph Gaertner
3. Anna Catharina chr 27 Sept 1774
4. Laurentius chr 03 Feb 1776
5. Eva Theresia chr 18 Mar 1778
6. Wallburga chr 19 Aug 1779 [maybe d. young?]
   
7. Joannes chr 28 Dec 1781
8. Maria Wallburga chr 25 Mar 1783
   

I could not find the marriage info for this set of parents; nor could I go back another generation on the Gartners. Perhaps they moved into the area in the mid-1700s from elsewhere.

Known children of Theresa [Gartner] and John Spence , all born Maryland, probably Baltimore:

1. George William b. 1823/24
2. Elizabeth Jane b. 1825/26, chr 9 May 1830*, married Wm Anderson
   
3. Mary Catherine [same chr date* as Elizabeth - twins?]
4. Francis b. 1835/36 [daughter]
   
5. Thomas B. b. 1837/38
6. John b. 1842/43
   

* familysearch.org - Batch #C535621 1768 - 1878 Source Call #0013699 IT 5 - Church Records - First Presbyterian Church (Baltimore Maryland)

The name of their first child was another factor in eliminating the "other" Theresa's parents. It would be very common for the first child to be named after Theresa's father Georgii Gartner. Additionally, daughter Mary could be named for Theresa's mother; dau. Francis for brother Frantz; and son John for either his father John Spence or any of the Joannes Gaertners.

Note: Theresa's family belonged to the Catholic Church in Germany, yet she married [1823] into the Spence family who was [or would be] heavily involved in the 1st Presbyterian Church in Baltimore. Daughter Elizabeth married Wm Anderson, and they also attended the 1st Presbyterian Church. However, their son Wm [Jr.] married the Irish Catholic Mary McKenney in the Basilica of the Assumption cathedral, and it is said religious differences were a source of friction during their marriage.

JOHN SPENCE UPDATE

I've been researching online books through heritagequest [remote access through my local library], and Google Books, city directories [most extracted from Ancestry years ago] burial records found for the Spence's of the 1st Presbyterian Church [via Maryland GenWeb], and obituaries via genealogybank.com. I've found a few things, although still no answer to who John Spence's parents were.

I've found the following:

• John Spence and Teresa [or "Tracy"] Gartner were married in 1823, in Baltimore.
• John Spence was Sexton of the 1st Presbyterian Church in Baltimore for the period 1826 to 1844, followed by his son George W. Spence, Oct. 1844 through 1873, then George's son John B. Spence June 1873 through at least 1913 [publish date of the book]: "...a rare instance of the same position being filled in succession by father, son and grandson, for over eighty years."(1)
  

The Rev. John C. Backus of the 1st Presbyterian Church was evidently considered an important and respected figure by the Spence family. He was elected Pastor of the Church in 1836 and served in that capacity until his death 48 years later [approximately 1884].

• When John's daughter Elizabeth Jane Spence married William Anderson in 1851, Rev. Backus officiated at the marriage. [marriage record]
  
• When John's grandson John Spence [son of George] was born in 1853, he was given the middle name Backus. [1st Presbyterian Church Sexton records/online book]
  
• The youngest child of William and Elizabeth [Spence] Anderson was named John Backus Anderson [death certificate].

John Spence also had a son named John, b. about 1842. So far I've found no mention of his middle initial. However, son Thomas [b. 1837/38] did have the middle initial "B".

The obituary of Elizabeth [Spence] Anderson dated 1900 [found via genealogybank.com] stated that she had been a lifelong member of the church. I imagine the examination of parish records for 1st Presbyterian Church would solve a number of questions about these families.

Burial records of the 1st Presbyterian Church for the Spence family, that I was able to find, include the following:

• 1833 July 2 A child of Mr. John Spence, age 3 mos.

• 1844 Oct. 27 John Spence, Sexton 1st Ch.

• 1855 Dec. 13 Geo. Spence's child

• 1860 Sept. Mr. G. Spences child

• 1860 Nov. 3 Mrs. W.W. Spence (very suddenly)

• 1863 March 24 Mrs. Mary S. Winkley (Elder Spence's mother in law)

• 1864 Aug. 4 Miss Agnes Spence

I am fairly certain that only the dates through Sept 1860 pertain to my Spence family. Mrs. W.W. Spence was the wife of William Wallace Spence, who emigrated to the U.S. about 1834. His mother-in-law was Mary Winkley; and he did have a daughter named Agnes. William Wallace was also an Elder in the 1st Presbyterian Church from 1846.

The "child of Mr. John Spence" who d. in 1833 would easily fit within the range of John's children, most of whom are not known!

The 1844 burial record of John Spence, Sexton, was the first time I'd found a date of death for him, beside the estimate of 1842-1850 [his wife is widowed at the 1850 census]. [I've since applied to Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore for an interment list of his wife, Theresa Spence, who died 1875 and is, hopefully, buried with him - if Green Mount was in existence in 1844!]

The above dates of burial for 2 of George's children, 1855 and 1860, match the range of dates his children were born [1853-1872], and I've found an obituary for at least one online at genealogybank.com - George W. Spence, who died at the age of 16 months Sept. 1860.

...to be continued


(1) A Brief History of the First Presbyterian Church of Baltimore, William M. Reynolds, Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1913, pg. 64.

ANDREW MCKENNEY - FOUND ?

Andrew McKenney first appeared in the 1870 census living with his mother and 2 sisters:

1870 Federal Census - Maryland - Baltimore Ward 18, pg. 130:

McKenny, Mary 36 keeps house born Ireland
Anna 10 b. MD, at school
Mary 8 b. MD, at school
Andew 7 b. Maryland, at school

I've been unable to find the family in the 1860 census, and had no idea who Mary's husband was until I found daughter Mary "Minnie" McKenney Anderson's death certificate, which stated her father's name as William McKenna, born Ireland, and mother as Mary McKinney, also born Ireland.

Although I found daughters Anna "Annie McKenny", age 19 and Mary "Minnie" McKinny" age 17 in the 1880 census, working in separate Baltimore households as domestic servants, I was unable to find either their mother Mary or their brother Andrew at 1880.

Since father William McKenna was not part of the household in 1870, I assumed he died sometime between fathering youngest child Andrew [about 1862] and 1870. This being in the middle of the Civil War period, I checked CW indexes in case William died while serving in the military...no luck on that so far; nor in locating a death certificate in online indexes.

Since mother Mary was not found in 1880 and the 2 daughters were both out on their own, I assumed she also died, between 1870 - 1880. I've been unable to locate her death record either. Of course, an alternative to an early death would be that Mary McKenney remarried after the death of husband William, and son Andrew lived with them using the 2nd husband's surname at 1880.

In the 1890 Baltimore Directory, Andrew McKenny was living at 750 N. Eutaw St., the same address as his then-married sister, Minnie Anderson. His occupation, printer, was the same as Minnie's husband William Anderson and his brother John [who lived next door with their parents at 717 N. Eutaw St.] Andrew and Minnie's sister Anna had, by then, married Patrick Mullin [in approximately 1885].  [Note:  both Andrew & his bro-in-law William were printers.]

By 1900, Minnie and William Anderson had moved to Washington D.C., probably an easier commute for William who worked for the International Typographers Union in Washington. Within about 5 years the family moved to Bronx, New York.

Anna and Patrick Mullin remained in Baltimore. But where was Andrew?

I finally found Andrew living in Ohio at the 1900 census. This is the only entry in the census indexes that comes close to matching the missing Andrew:

1900 Federal Census - Ohio, Hamilton County, 4th Ward Cincinnati, sheet 9A:

#1133-104-161 Belvedere St.McKenney, Andrew, head. b. May 1864, age 36. Married 5 yrs. b West Virginia
[crossed out, Maryland substituted]. Parents b Ireland. Printer. Rents.
Anna, wife. b. Oct 1865, age 34. Married 5 yrs. 2 children, 1 living. b WV, fb England, mb Virginia
Margaret. dau. b. Jun 1899, age 11/12. b Kentucky, fb Maryland, mb West Virginia

I could not find Andrew and his family in any later censuses. However, I did find a Margaret McKenney, "Niece", living in Lewis County, Freemans Creek, West Virginia at the 1910 and 1920 censuses, residing with the family of Thomas and Jeanette Wright. In 1910 Margaret's census entry shows her pob as WV, father's pob as MD, mother's pob as WV. She was 9 years old. In 1920, age 20, Margaret's pob was shown as Ohio, father's pob as "U.S." and mother's pob as WV. [It doesn't appear that much effort was spent in remembering her father, nor even her correct place of birth.]

Both the Wrights were b. in WV. It occurred to me that Margaret's mother's maiden name might be Anna Wright, sister of Thomas, whose parents were born England or Scotland [father] and WV [mother]. A quick check of census records shows that to be a good possibility. [census extracts to follow]

In an online search of WV marriage records, I also found the following:

West Virginia Marriage Records, 1863-1900:

W.A. McKeny married Ona White, 12 Jun 1895, Cabell County WV

This was very close to being possible...especially if Andrew McKenny was actually William Andrew McKenny, named after his father and called Andrew to differentiate between the two. [Note that the Coburns resided Cabell County through the 1930 census.]

In 1923, Margaret McKenney married Newton Wesley Coburn, in Lewis County, WV. An image of the certificate can be found at:  http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=10290649&Type=Marriage 

She was 23 years old, and apparently did not know the names of her parents; only a "dash" was shown in place of their names.

I found the Coburns still in WV at the 1930 census, no children shown. Both also appear in the SSDI, last residence being shown as Cabell County, WV. I do not know at this point if Margaret McKenney Coburn ever had children, or if she was Andrew McKenney's sole descendant.

Further Questions/ Research:

* birth/baptism of Andrew - was he actually a William Andrew?
* Did Andrew meet Anna Wright in Baltimore, then travel to WV to marry near her parents?
* Was dau. Margaret b. KY as indicated in the 1900 census, or WV?
* What took Andrew to Ohio? Work? Note, Wm. Anderson, Andrew's bro-in-law, left Baltimore at roughly the same time.
* birth record of Margaret McKenney, WV [or KY], 1899

* death certificates of Andrew & Anna Wright, probably Cincinnati Ohio, betwn 1900-1910

I am researching 4 families in Baltimore, Maryland: Anderson, Gardner/Gartner, McKenney [or McKinney, McKenna], and Spence.

• Theresa GARTNER, b. Germany about 1799-1800, married 1823 in Baltimore to John S. SPENCE
• Their daughter Elizabeth Jane SPENCE married 1851, Baltimore, to Wm ANDERSON(1)
• Their son William ANDERSON(2) married 1888, Baltimore to Mary ["Minnie"] McKENNEY

GARTNER

I have no information on the family of Theresa GARTNER. One federal census puts her pob as Hanover. I don't know if she arrived in Baltimore as a child with her family, or as an adult. None of the federal censuses in which she appears as an adult in Baltimore include any Gartners.

NOTE: new info found Aug 2009 at familysearch.org which may be her family! See separate post

SPENCE

I have no family information on John S. SPENCE either. There was a John Selby Spence in Baltimore around the same time who was a political [famous] figure, and about whom there is some biographical info to be found on the web. My John Spence died between 1841-1842 [dob last known child] and 1850, when Theresa was shown as the head of household for the family in the federal census. Their children were:

1. George W. Spence, b. 1823/24; was an undertaker in Baltimore
2. Elizabeth Jane Spence, b 1825/26 m. Wm. Anderson
3. ? possible child b abt 1828,
4. ?possible child b. abt 1830,
5. ?possible child b. abt 1832
6. Francis [daughter] b 1835-36
7. Thomas b b 1837-38
8. ?possible child b abt 1840
9. John b 1842/43
10. possible dau Mary C., b 1825-26 [appears in 1850 census, out of order - listed last in household; same age as her sister Elizabeth; twins? Perhaps recently married.

Note: christening records at familysearch.org indicate both Elizabeth Jane and Mary Catherine Spence were baptised on the same day in 1830.

NOTE: Aug 2009 update - John Selby Spence was born "near Snow Hill", Maryland, and appears [from online research] to have been associated with Worcester, Maryland rather than Baltimore. There was also a William Wallace Spence in Baltimore [born Scotland and emigrated circa 1834-36] who had 7 children with names were similar to my Spence family. Thankfully, the birthdates are off enough to differentiate between the families, and the presence of his mother-in-law in at least once census helps further. See separate post.

ANDERSON

I do have a little information on the ANDERSON family. It appears that William(2) was living with 2 younger sisters and perhaps a married older sister at the 1850 census:

1850 MD - Baltimore Co., 3W Baltimore, pg. 290, Dwelling #46, Family #56.
ANDERSON, William. 25. M. Dyer and Scourer. b. MD. [b. 1824-25]
Julia. 16. F. b. MD. [b. 1833-34]
Elizabeth. 14. F. b. MD. [b. 1835-36]
COLEMAN, Edwin S. 38. M. Sea Captain. b MD [b. 1811-12]
Mary A. 34. F. b. MD. [b. 1815-16]
Eugene D. 7. M. b. MD. Attended schl. [b. 1842-43]
Mary J. 2. F. b. MD. [b. 1847-48]
HAGINS, Mary. 23. F. b. Ireland. Cannot read/write.

A gentleman who descends from the Coleman family is currently doing a lookup on the marriage of Mary to Edwin S. Coleman; he believes Mary is not an Anderson, but is unrelated to the family. He provided the following info obtained from Familysearch.org:

IGI Individual Record FamilySearch™ International Genealogical Index v5.0
North America
EDWIN COLEMAN Pedigree
Marriages:
Spouse: MARY A. E. DORMAN
Marriage: 10 MAR 1840 Christ Church Parish Chase And St Paul Street-
Probaltimorepiscopal, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland
Messages: Extracted marriage record for locality

Either Mary was not an Anderson, or her maiden name was Anderson and she was a widow when she married Edwin Coleman. Hopefully the marriage record will clarify this.

I have been curious as to why William would be living with 2 younger sisters at 1850; what happened to their parents?

I have assumed that the William Anderson who married Elizabeth J. Spence in 1851 is the same William Anderson extracted in the 1850 census, above. This 1850 census and the 1851 Baltimore Directory list William Anderson, "dyer/scourer" or "silk dyer". Later directories consistently show William as a "painter" or "house painter". The only other William Andersons listed had occupations of "brakesman", "hacker", "furniture dealer".

William and Elizabeth Anderson named 3 [of their 6] children Theresa, Mary Anna and Elizabeth. If Mary A. Coleman was an Anderson, William named 2 of his 3 daughters after his 2 sisters. Theresa, of course, was named after his wife Elizabeth's mother, Theresa Gartner Spence.

McKENNEY/McKINNEY/McKENNA

Mary ["Minnie"] McKenney Anderson was the mother of my paternal grandmother. My grandmother's sister, Elizabeth Jane Anderson Regan, outlived my grandmother by approx. 30 years and provided much of the family history for me, limited though it was. According to Aunt Elizabeth:

• Mary McKenney was one of 3 children - 2 girls, 1 boy; she was known as "Minnie"
• Her sister Anna married Patrick Mullen; their oldest daughter, named perhaps "Marie", married and moved to Canada
• Another Mullen child was a son named Leo
• Aunt Elizabeth also had Barker cousins - supposedly a sister of her father [William Anderson(2)] married a Barker, who had at least one son named Frank Barker.
• Her parents William and Mary were married in a cathedral.
• Her mother was a seamstress.

...Mary McKenney was called Mary in the 1870 census [Baltimore], where she lived with her mother Mary, sister Annie and brother Andrew. No father shown; presumed deceased. [Mother Mary does not appear in later censuses; presumed deceased betwn 1870-1880.]

...Mary was called "Minnie" in 1880; she and her sister Anna were living with 2 different families as domestic servants. Mary was listed as "Minnie" in all federal censuses through 1910 [except for the 1870 census as a child at home w/her mother].

...Minnie was called "Minnie McKenny" in the Latin record of her church marriage; her parent was listed as "Mariea McKenna". [And she married in the Basilica of the Assumption cathedral.]

...Minnie was listed [along w/ other family members] in the 1890 Baltimore City directory: "Minnie Anderson, Dressmkr". Listed at the same address was her brother: "Andrew McKenny, printer"

...Minnie was called "Minnie Anderson" on her death certificate. Father listed as "William McKenna".

NEXT DISCUSSION: Andrew McKenney, brother of Mary "Minnie" and Anna.

TO DO:

• Search for death certificates, Baltimore MD, for Minnie McKenney Anderson's parents: William McKenney/McKenna, probably between 1860-1865 [youngest child b. about 1862]; and Mary McKenney, probably between 1870-1880. [Both parents b. Ireland]
• Marriage record of Anna McKenney to Patrick Mullen [probably Catholic Church]
• Catholic Church records for McKenney and Mullen childrens' baptisms. [Assume both were Catholic]
• Emigration records - William & Mary McKenney - don't know if they were married here or in Ireland; all 3 children born in Maryland, probably Baltimore.
• Why, in dau. Minnie McKenney's marriage record to Wm Anderson, was her mother's surname written differently in the same record? [McKenney / McKenna]. Was McKenna her mother's maiden name?
• Gartner - emigration from Germany between 1799 and 1823 [dom to Spence]