Bahle

Are Henrietta Bahle and Rachel Bahle one and the same?

joelowry1982 Bahle, Paternal

Jacob Bahle was a German immigrant to the Pittsburgh area who fought in the American Civil War and worked as a general laborer for much of his life. He married in 1860 and raised at least nine children in the Deutschtown neighborhood, an enclave of working class Germans on the north shore of the Allegheny River. Jacob and his wife spent many of their years at 832 Perry Street.[1] A search of available record groups revealed census schedules, probate indexes, Civil War pension files, Pittsburgh city directories and death certificates for Jacob and his wife. Many of these documents include the same address, informant, surname or list of children. While Jacob Bahle’s name appears almost universally in these sources, the name of his wife is listed variously as Henrietta or Rachel. Never are both used together as if one is a middle name or nickname. Are Henrietta Bahle and Rachel Bahle, who lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from approximately 1860 until 1921, one and the same?

The earliest identified source that includes Jacob Bahle and his wife is the 1870 U.S. Census. Jacob Baily [sic], aged 37, worked in a cotton mill while his wife Henrietta, aged 26, kept the home. Henrietta was born in Ohio to foreign-born parents.[2] Ten years late the 1880 U.S. Census would likewise indicates Jacob Bali [sic] and Henrietta were living in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. While this census would indicate Henrietta was born in Pennsylvania, it is consistent with the enumeration ten years prior in that her parents were born in Württemberg. She again kept the home while her husband Jacob remained employed in a cotton mill. By now they had five children, including George, John, Charles, Jacob and Annie.[3]

On 22 June 1898, Jacob completed a form as part of his Civil War pension application that asked the question, “Are you married?” Jacob’s answer reads, “Yes, wife maiden Rachel Schauffer.[4] This is the earliest known record that names Rachel instead of Henrietta. The informant writes that Victor Scriba, a Justice of the Peace, married Jacob and Rachel on 22 October 1860. The form names their children, including George, John, Jacob and Annie as seen in the 1880 Census. Additional children named include Joseph, Mary and Anthony [Andrew?]. Without the date of marriage, it would be simple to assume that Jacob’s wife Henrietta was deceased and that Rachel was a second wife. However, knowing that they had been married for 38 years at this point helps build the case that Rachel and Henrietta are the same person.

Two years after filing for his pension, Jacob Bahle’s family was enumerated in their home at 832 Perry Street in Pittsburgh for the 1900 U.S. Census. This time, it wasn’t Rachel living with Jacob but Henrietta. She and Jacob were enumerated as being married for 40 years. She was born in Ohio and as in 1880, her parents were born in Germany. In the household are 12 people, including two sons, Joseph and Andrew, daughter Annie, her husband Jacob Mauer, their children and three boarders. [5]

The 1900 Census would be the last in which Jacob and Henrietta were enumerated together. On 14 September 1908, Jacob Bahle died of uraemia at the age of 76.[6] The informant on Jacob’s death certificate was Mrs. Henrietta Bahle of 832 Perry Street. He was buried in Saint Mary’s Cemetery in Ross Township, just north of Pittsburgh.[7] His obituary, appearing in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette a day later, likewise names his wife as Henrietta Bahle (nee Shauffer).[8] This surname is similar to that listed in the 1898 pension application, with a spelling variation of Schauffer (note the “c” missing in 1908).

Just one week after Jacob’s death, on 21 September 1908, a request for a widow’s pension was filed. This time, the name on the record was Rachel Bahle. In an affidavit sworn before a notary, Rachel indicated that Victor Scriba, a justice of the peace, married her to Jacob on 22 October 1860. The name Henrietta does not appear in the document. However, consistent with other documents is the address at 832 Perry Street and Jacob’s death date of 14 September 1908.[9]

Pittsburgh city directories are universal in accepting Henrietta as the wife of Jacob, such that the 1909, 1916 and 1918 directories include her as the widow of Jacob and the address of 832 Peralta Street.[10] In 1920, the census enumerator found Henrietta and not Rachel living alone in the rear apartment of 832 Peralta. Her daughter Annie Mauer was living in the front apartment. Again, she’s enumerated as being born in Ohio to parents who were born in Germany.[11]

The elderly woman who lived at the rowhouse at 832 Peralta Street died at the age of 78 on a cold and rainy Sunday, 6 March 1921.[12] The name on the death certificate reads Henrietta Bahle.[13] No middle name or initial was used and no mention of Rachel. Her daughter Annie Mauer served as the informant of her death, indicating Henrietta’s father was John Schnauffer and her mother name unknown. Her obituary appeared in the Pittsburgh Press the next day under the same name, the wife of the late Jacob Bahle, nee Schuaffer, with no survivors listed.[14]

While Henrietta had died, this was not the end of Rachel in available records. The probate record of Jacob’s wife names her as Rachel. Incredibly, it includes an alternative name, but not the one this search expected. “Rachel (or Rachael) Bahle”, as printed in the Allegheny County Proceedings Index, included her date of death of 6 March 1921. The executor William Rosemeier filed his account of her assets with the probate court on 10 November 1921. It was Rachel’s name in the filing.

It’s not uncommon for someone to have a nickname or use a middle name, but it’s rare for it to be unexplained through most of one’s documented life, switching back and forth in legally binding documents with little rhyme or reason. Regardless, there is sufficient direct evidence to state that the woman who lived much of her life at 832 Perry (or Peralta) Street with Jacob Bahle used both names. Was she Rachel Bahle or was she Henrietta Bahle? She was both.

Sources:
[1] Perry Street north of the Allegheny River was renamed Peralta Street shortly after the 1907 annexation of the City of Allegheny by the City of Pittsburgh and the creation of duplicate street names. The addresses of 832 Perry Street and 832 Peralta Street refer to the same house. For a discussion on street names and naming in Pittsburgh, see George Thornton Fleming, Pittsburgh, how to See it: A Complete, Reliable Guide Book with Illustrations, the Latest Map and Complete Index (Pittsburgh : William G. Johnson Publishing, 1916), 47, “Streets and Street Names”; digital images, Google Books, (https://goo.gl/EMlVX3 : accessed 22 Mar 2016).

[2] 1870 U.S. census, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Allegheny, p. 32 (penned), family #249, Jacob Bahle household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 March 2016); NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 1290.

[3] 1880 U.S. census, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Allegheny, p. 44 (penned), enumeration district (ED) 24, household #426, Jacob Bahle household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 March 2016); FHL microfilm 1255087, image 553.

[4] Jacob Bahle (Pvt. Co. H, 6th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, Civil War), pension no. 931,333, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications …, 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Record Group 15 Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[5] 1900 U.S. census, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Allegheny, enumeration district (ED) 33, sheet 14, family #318, Jacob Bahle household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 March 2016); NARA microfilm publication T623, Roll 1355.

[6] “Jacob L. Bahle,” The Pittsburgh Press, 14 September 1908, online index and digital index (https://www.newspapers.com/image/142146533/ : accessed 25 March 2016), citing print edition page 3, column 1.

[7] Jacob Bahle, Saint Mary’s R.C., Troy Road, Ross Township, Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1777–2012 (www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 March 2016); Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau of Archives and History, Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1929-1990, Series 1.

[8] “Jacob L. Bahle,” The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 15 September 1908, online index and digital index (https://www.newspapers.com/image/86157218/ : accessed 25 March 2016), citing print edition page 6, column 2.

[9] Declaration for Widow’s Pension, 21 September 1908, Rachel Bahle, widow’s pension application no. 904,770; combined with Jacob Bahle (Pvt. Co. H, 6th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, Civil War); Case Files of Approved Pension Applications …, 1861-1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Record Group 15 Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

[10] R.L. Polk, compiler, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, City Directory (Pittsburgh: R. L. Polk & Co. and R.L. Dudley, 1909), 139; also subsequent years by the same title: (1916) 485, (1918) 469; U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com ; accessed 25 March 2016).

[11] 1920 U.S. census, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Pittsburgh, enumeration district (ED) 694, sheet 5A, family #133, Henrietta Bahle household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 March 2016); NARA microfilm publication T625, Roll 1526.

[12] “The Weather,” The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6 March 1921, online index and digital index (https://www.newspapers.com/image/85516420/ : accessed 25 March 2016), citing print edition section 1, page 6, column 5.

[13] Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, “Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1963”, No. 22419 (stamped), Henrietta Bahle entry, died 6 March 1921; indexed database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 March 2016); citing “Pennsylvania Death certificates, 1906–1963”, Series 11.90, Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/).

[14] “Henrietta Bahle,” The Pittsburgh Press, 7 March 1921, online index and digital index (https://www.newspapers.com/image/145649602/ : accessed 25 March 2016), citing print edition page 24, column 5.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday – Charles’ First Communion, Maybe?

joelowry1982 1930s, Bahle, Lowry, Paternal, Pepperney, Wordless Wednesday
My parents and I believe this photo was taken the day my grandfather Chuck Lowry celebrated his First Communion. His grandparents George and Mary Bahle Pepperney made the drive up from Leetonia to Youngstown to celebrate. The photo was probably taken in front of 106 Thornton Avenue, where grandpa lived as a kid. 
I believe his First Communion occurred at Saint Columba Church around 1931. Saint Columba would become a cathedral upon the creation of the Diocese of Youngstown in 1943.

Treasure Chest Thursday – Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906 – 1924

joelowry1982 Bahle, Death Certificate, Paternal, Pepperney, Treasure Chest Thursday

Is it mean to say I am glad so many of my ancestors died in Pennsylvania between 1906 and 1924? While tragic perhaps, it’s fortunate that these records have recently been made available through Ancestry.com. Ancestry.com releases new record groups all the time. Some are indexed, meaning searchable by name, while others are simply images which require manually looking through sometimes thousands of scanned images to find the one you need.

“Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906 – 1924” was released this week and contains thousands of death certificates not otherwise easily obtained. I have numerous ancestors who lived in Pennsylvania in this time period, including Pepperneys and Bahles. I did a quick surname search for Pepperney and found six records, all of relatives. This includes two for children I did not know previously existed. Suddenly, thanks to Ancestry.com’s reach and my subscription fee, I had access to the death certificates for:

  • Margaret Buhl Pepperney (21 Apr 1851 – 23 Feb 1923) who is my 3rd great grandmother
  • Grace Rosina Kreller Pepperney (1876 – 22 Jan 1911) is the wife of my 2nd great grand uncle and Margaret’s daughter-in-law
  • Lawrence A Pepperney Sr. (1883 – 13 Sep 1920) is my 2nd great grand uncle who was tragically struck by a train while working on the railroad
  • Stella Sophia Pepperney (1889 – 1919) who died during the Spanish flu epidemic
  • Infant Pepperney (16 Apr 1915) was stillborn. I was not aware of this child until I searched this record group
  • William A Pepperney (1919 – 31 Mar 1921) is my 3rd cousin, 1x removed and is another child I was not aware of. I perhaps should have been as I imagine he is listed in the 1920 census, but he is distant enough that I had not checked that record yet for his family.
And that’s no doubt all of the family records suddenly available. A search of Bahle, the surname of George Peter Pepperney’s wife, Mary Anna, turns up 15 records. Bahle and Pepperney are both relatively unique names, so I can be more confident in the results than if I had searched Smith. However, I have not done as much research on the Bahle family so while I see some family death certificates, there are some I am not sure of.
Death certificate of my 3rd great grandmother Henrietta Schnauffer
Access to these death records is just one way I am able to piece together our family history. Unfortunately, not everything is found as easily as these and not everything is online. The documents available online through Ancestry.com, Familysearch.com, and other genealogical websites is a small fraction of the genealogical documents out there. Finding others requires countless hours of research in libraries, archives and courthouses. Still, I am excited when a new collection is released online saving me and other researchers those countless hours of searching.
Sources

“Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906 – 1924,” index and images, Ancestry.com, accessed 30 Apr 2014, Margaret Pepperney, 1923; citing reference Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/.

“Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906 – 1924” index and images, Ancestry.com, accessed 30 Apr 2014, Henrietta Bahle, 1921; citing reference Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/.

Amanuensis Monday – Letter from Rachel Bahle to the Commissioner of Pensions

joelowry1982 Amanuensis Monday, Bahle, Paternal

Just what is “Amanuensis Monday?” An amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. I’m not employed but by you, my dear reader, and will use the occasional Monday to transcribe family documents. Transcribing forces me to make a very close reading of the text, thus perhaps showing some detail I may have otherwise missed. When printed on the blog, it makes information more findable for search engines and others interested in the same topic.

In November I wrote about the pension file of Jacob Bahle, my third great grandfather and a Civil War veteran of the 6th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery. This letter was among several in the paperwork what his wife Rachel filed with the Pension Bureau after Jacob’s death in 1908. As other documents in the pension file indicate that Rachel could not write, and her mark “X” is written between her first and last names, I believe this letter may have been written by the witness, George Balzer.
——————————
North Side, PITTSBURGH, PA., Oct 14th, 1916

Commissioner of Pensions,
Washington, D.C.

Dear Sir:
        Per instructions from “News Paper Clipping”, I hereby make application for Widow’s Pension Increase per act approved by the President Sept 8th 1916. I am the Widow of Jacob Bahle, who was a Private, Co. H. 6″ Regiment Pennsylvania Vol Hy Art, my Pension Certificate number is 666039. Age 74 years. Born April 16th 1842 at Columbiana, Ohio. my address is #832 Peralta St. – formerly Perry St., N.S. Pittsburgh, Pa, if there is any other information required you will please let me know, and oblige. 

Yours Respectfully
Rachel Her Bahle
X
Mark

Witness George Balzer.
——————————
Source:

Letter from Rachel Bahle to Commissioner of Pensions. Part of Soldier’s Certificate No. 931,333, Application No. 1,137,044, Jacob L. Bahle, Private, Company H, 6th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery; Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Veterans Who Served in the Army and Navy Mainly in the Civil War and the War with Spain (“Civil War and Later Survivors’ Certificates”), 1861–1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives Building, Washington, DC.

Military Monday – The Civil War Pension of Jacob Bahle

joelowry1982 Bahle, Paternal, Pepperney

I recently did take the trip to the National Archives that I promised last month to look for the Civil War pension of a paternal 3rd great grandfather, Jacob Bahle. Jacob spent a year as a private with the 6th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery guarding the roads around Washington, D.C. Spending several hours at the Archives was a fantastic diversion for a Thursday normally spent at work. When a planned day participating in a fire department training exercise fell through, instead of saving my personal leave at work, I decided to enjoy my day off and head to the Archives.

My Research Card with the number blurred out.
I made my first trip to the Archives as a researcher a few weeks ago and filled out the request for my Research Card. A research card is required for all persons who conduct on-site research at the Archives. It’s very much an accountability tag. You swipe into the Archives in the morning, when entering and leaving each of the research rooms, and to access certain computer terminals and copiers. Each time you enter or leave a room, they also do a search of your papers to make sure you aren’t stealing some national treasures (called ‘Bergering‘). Don’t even try and take a bag into a research room – a security guard will promptly yell at you. While I saw this happen, I tried to be as professional a researcher as I could and read the rules in advance.
The National Archives on a gorgeous fall day. Joe Lowry photo (Instagram).
One of the many Federal collections at the Archives is the Civil War pension records. Pension records were originally managed by the Bureau of Pension under the Department of the Interior and eventually the records were transferred to the National Archives. (The Pension Bureau was subsumed by the Veterans Affairs Department when it was created in 1930.) Pensions were awarded to soldiers thanks to numerous appropriations passed starting as early as 1863. The Federal government was still paying two Civil War pensions as of 2013 to children of Union veterans. 
 
To view a soldier’s pension record, you must first search the alphabetical General Index to Pensions. Thankfully, this is available on Ancestry.com and several other genealogical websites. That will lead to the index cards presented last month. With those index cards, and the application and certificate numbers, I had what I needed to send an Archive clerk scurrying through the stacks for the necessary file. While these records are available as copies by mail, actually going to the Archives allows you to hold the originals. Because some pension files include handwritten letters, photos, and other personal information, you should make every effort to go in person when you are able.
 
Jacob’s pension file offered a number of different items. I spent about three hours with his file, capturing important information from each of the 46 pieces in the envelope. Some of the more fascinating details that I learned from Jacob include:
 
  • Neither he nor his wife could write. While Jacob could at least sign his name, on several Widow’s Pension documents, Rachel simply marked an ‘X’.
  • Jacob’s death certificate was signed by ‘Mrs. Henrietta Bahle’. A family tree passed to me by a relative lists a ‘Henrietta Bahle’ as Jacob’s wife, but every document in his pension file except his death certificate list his wife as Rachel Schnauffer. Numerous affidavits in the file detail their marriage from 1860 until Jacob’s death in 1908. Was Henrietta a different person or an alias? A daughter-in-law? Sister? More research is required.
  • Thanks to his death certificate, I know Jacob’s father was named George. Hello to my 4th great grandfather George Bahle!
  • According to one of his many pension applications, he “Received the injury to my right hand while employed in the Eagle Cotton Mill in Allegheny City, PA Sept 27th/65 by having it caught in the cog wheels of the machinery.” Ouch! He lost part of a finger as a result.
  • Jacob was initially awarded a partial pension of $6 beginning 25 Feb 1897. A November 11, 1903 surgeon’s certificate makes an award of $12.00 per month. When he died, his wife assumed a pension of $12, which was incrementally raised to $20 and then $30.
  • Jacob’s kidneys were not the efficient urine-producing machines they needed to be. He mentions kidney disease in several pension applications and the disorder is listed in multiple surgeon’s certificates. In addition, he suffered from lumbago (lower back pain), a double inguinal hernia, and rheumatism (“merely alleged”). His cause of death was listed as uremia – kidney failure.
I indexed his entire pension file. You can glean further bits and pieces below. Those italicized are items that I scanned at the Archives. I didn’t scan his entire file because I could only scan to paper. If I had a thumb drive, I could have made electronic scans which are easier to work with. As it is, I had to rescan at home my printed copies to get what you see here. As all copies made at the Archives are onto blue paper to prevent theft of originals, I yellowed them to produce a more realistic copy of the originals (much to the dismay of some genealogists, I imagine).
  • Envelope – Act of Feb 6. 1907. Nothing remarkable.
  • Envelope – Act of June 27, 1890. Application date Nov 7, 1892 – Stamped “Rejected”.
  • Envelope – Receipt stamped 15 Apr 1921 advising death of Rachel Bahle and return of last payment.
  • Envelope – Act of June 27, 1890. Application date Feb 25, 1897.
  • Application Folder – Act of April 19, 1908 – Widow’s penion. Stamped “DEAD”. Commencing Sept 22, 1908 at rate of $12 per month.
  • Letter from Victor Scriba (sp?), Justice of the Peace to pension office affirming that on 22 Oct 1860, he married Jacob Bahle and Rachel Schauffer. Stamped 22 Sep 1908.
Click to enlarge.
 
  • Envelope labeled “Marriage Certificate” – Empty.
  • Questionnaire completed by Jacob Bahle for Department of Interior, Bureau of Pensions, dated 22 June 1898. Includes name of children.
Click to enlarge.
  • General Affidavit by Christian Rheim, aged 72 (1611 Howard Ave, N.S.), dated 14 Oct 1908.
  • General Affidavit by Luise Schmidt, aged 83 (No 3rd Street, N.S.), dated 13 Oct 1908.
  • General Affidavit by Chriszinthia Mausch, aged 78 years (No 222 Wabook Ave, N.S.), dated 19 Sep 1908.
  • Surgeon’s Certificate, handwritten on form, dated 2 Mar 1902.
  • Surgeon’s Certificate, typed on form, dated 11 Nov 1903.
Front. Click to enlarge.
 
Back. Click to enlarge.
  • Widow’s Pension application, Act of April 19, 1908. Approved, $12 per month. Upgraded to $20 per month 21 Nov 1916.
  • Declaration for Widow’s Pension, Act of April 19, 1908, stamped received 22 Sep 1908.
Click to enlarge.
 
Click to enlarge.
  • General Affidavit by Rachel Bahle, aged 66 (832 Perry Street), dated 14 Oct 1908.
Click to enlarge.
  • Death Certificate of Jacob Bahle, died 14 Sep 1908.
Click to enlarge.
 
  • General Affidavit by Jacob Bahle, aged 69 years (832 Perry Street, Allegheny), dated 28 July 1902.
Click to enlarge.
  • General Affidavit by Issac Seafer, aged 62 (55 Taggert Street, Allegheny) and by George E. Meyer, aged 38 (Ternon and Brighton Road, Allegheny), dated 28 July 1902.
  • War Department Pension Record Card, dated 5 Dec 1892. Provides basic service information already known.
  • Form from Department of Interior, Bureau of Pensions, to War Department, Record and Pension Office, requesting full medical and military history. Stamped 15 Oct 1895. In the notes, states: “The name Jacob Bakle has not been found on the rolls of Co. H, 6 Pa. H.A.” and “No [medical] records found.”
  • Surgeon’s Certificate, handwritten on form, dated 12 Dec 1892.
  • Surgeon’s Certificate, handwritten on form, dated 30 Oct 1895.
  • Surgeon’s Certificate, handwritten on form, dated 31 Mar 1897.
  • Invalid Pension form, Act of June 27, 1890. Dated 6 Deb 1896. J.E. Detrich, Examiner – stamped “REJECTED”.
  • Invalid Pension form, Act of June 27, 1890. Dated 5 Jun 1893. J.E. Detrich, Examiner – handwritten “Rejection. No notable disability shown under Act of June 27, 1890”
  • Declaration for Invalid Pension (Act of June 27, 1890). Declaration completed by Jacob Bahle listing service history and current disability. Nothing remarkable or unknown. Dated 3 Nov 1892.
  • Declaration for Invalid Pension (Act of June 27, 1890). Declaration completed by Jacob Bahle listing service history and current disability. Nothing remarkable or unknown. Dated 23 Sep 1895.
  • Declaration for Invalid Pension (Act of June 27, 1890). Declaration completed by Jacob Bahle listing service history and current disability. Nothing remarkable or unknown. Dated 24 Feb 1897.
  • Declaration for Increase of Pension (Under Acts of June 27, 1890 and May 9, 1900). Declaration completed by Jacob Bahle listing service history and current disability. Nothing remarkable or unknown. Dated 30 Sep 1901.
  • Declaration for Pension (Under Act of February 6, 1907). Declaration completed by Jacob Bahle listing service history and current disability. Nothing remarkable or unknown. Dated 29 Aug 1907. Awarded $20 per month
  • Declaration for Increase of Pension (Under Act of February 6, 1907). Declaration completed by Jacob Bahle listing service history and current disability. Nothing remarkable or unknown. Dated 28 Aug 1907. Pension request increase to $20 per month on account of age. Pensions for veterans 75 years and older was set at $20 per month.
  • Declaration of Reissue (Under Act of February 6, 1907). Request that his pension application under Act of June 27, 1890 be dropped from rolls and reissued under the Act of February 6, 1907. Rate of $15 per month. Dated 18 Feb 1907. Box ‘checked’ for ‘Claimant does NOT write.”
  • Declaration for Increase of Pension (Under Act of February 6, 1907). Dated 16 Feb 1907. Pension is $15 per month.
  • Declaration for Increase of Invalid Pension (Under Act of June 27, 1890). Dated 16 July 1903. Pension is $12 per month.
  • Declaration for Increase of Pension (Under Acts of June 27, 1890 and May 9, 1900). Dated 15 Jul 1903. Pension is $10 per month.
  • Declaration for Increase of Invalid Pension (Under Act of June 27, 1890). Dated 29 Jul 1902. Pension is $10 per month.
  • Declaration for Increase of Invalid Pension (Under Act of June 27, 1890). Dated 25 Feb 1897. Pension is $6 per month.
  • Handwritten letter from Rachel Bahle to Commissioner of Pensions, dated 10 Jan 1917. Questioning a delay in response to her request for an increase in her pension under an Act of September 8, 1916. See next item.
Click to enlarge.
  • Handwritten letter from Rachel Bahle to Commissioner of Pensions, dated 14 Oct 1916. Making anapplication for Widow’s Pension Increase.
Click to enlarge.
 
  • Typed letter dated October 10, 1908 from Commissioner of Pensions to Mr. H.K. Tyler, attorney for Rachel Bahle, requesting additional evidence for pension. Supplied evidence included marriage certificate not under seal, nor under oath and testimony of one witness, Chriszinthia Mauch. Requests one additional witness statement.
  • Accrued Pension (Act of March 2, 1895). Declaration for Widow’s Pension stated death of Jacob Bahle and approvinf Rachel Bahle for widow’s pension. Submitted 2 Nov 1908; Reviewed 13 Nov 1908.
  • File card for pension of Jacob Bahle. Stamped “DEAD.” Lists pension rate at $20 per month, from Aug. 29, 1904.
  • File card for widow’s pension of Rachel Bahle. Stampted “Finance Div. Notified of Death”.
  • File card for pension of Jacob Bahle. Stamped “Rejected.” Dated 26 Sep 1895, Detrich, Examiner.
  • File card for pension of Jacob Bahle. Numerous dates of pension award.
Source:

Soldier’s Certificate No. 931,333, Application No. 1,137,044, Jacob L. Bahle, Private, Company H, 6th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery; Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Veterans Who Served in the Army and Navy Mainly in the Civil War and the War with Spain (“Civil War and Later Survivors’ Certificates”), 1861–1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives Building, Washington, DC.

Miltary Monday – The Pension Indexes of Jacob Bahle

joelowry1982 Bahle, Paternal

My third great grandfather Jacob Bahle was a private in Company H, 6th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery during the Civil War. Jacob was a garrison soldier, protecting the railroads around Washington, D.C. He saw no combat. Interestingly, when I first moved to Arlington, I lived just a few miles from where he spent 1864 and 1865.

Like many soldiers, he filed for a pension following the war. Each pensioner had a pension index card with a brief service history, the date the pension was issued, and the law under which it was awarded. These pension index cards indicate the date he applied for a pension and, following his death, the date that pension was assumed by his wife Rachel.

A trip the National Archives in the next few weeks should provide his complete pension record, with documents detailing his service, possible disability and perhaps additional family information. I can’t wait!

Top: “United States General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KDPL-TXW : accessed 22 Oct 2013), Jacob Bahle, 1892.

Center: United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K6WL-Q52 : accessed 22 Oct 2013), Jacob Bahle, 1907-1933.

Bottom: “United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K6WL-Q5R : accessed 22 Oct 2013), Jacob Bahle, 1907-1933.

Tombstone Tuesday – Jacob and Henretta Bahle

joelowry1982 Bahle, Paternal
Photo by FindAGrave.com user Wellington1
One of the cool things about genealogy is that there are always people that are willing to help you find information. I have an account on FindAGrave.com, which is a user community that posts and shares cemetery information. They  have a photo-request service and when I realized I lacked a headstone photo for several Pittsburgh relatives, I posted a request. 48 hours later, user Wellington1 sent along the photos and provided permission to use them on my blog and family tree. Following up on Sunday’s 1880 Census of Jacob Bahle, let’s jump ahead to 1908…
Grave of Jacob and Henr(i)etta Bahle
Saint Mary Cemetery
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
I know Henrietta is dead, I just haven’t proved it yet. Her grave has no death date and neither does my family tree. So many mysteries, so little time…
Relationship to me
Jacob Bahle (1832 – 1908)
father of:
Mary Anna Bahle (1877 – 1935)
mother of:
Mary Margaret Pepperney (1902 – 1980)
mother of:
Charles James Lowry (1924 – 2007)
father of:
Patrick Edward Lowry
father of:
Joseph Patrick Lowry

Census Sunday – The Bahle’s in 1880

joelowry1982 Bahle, Census Sunday, Paternal
It’s fun (for me, anyway) to look at the same point in history and see where two branches of your family are. I have previously looked at the Lowry’s in 1880 and just last night discovered the 1880 U.S. Census for Jacob Bahle’s family. Lowry and Bahle are both paternal surnames. My great grandfather Charles Lowry married Mary Pepperney, whose mother was a Bahle. The Bahle’s are an  interesting family, and I’ve discovered quite a bit about them recently.
In 1880, the Bahle’s lived in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Today we know of this as Pittsburgh’s North Side but before 1907, Allegheny was a separate city. While I think they resided on Iten Street (or something similar, see the middle of the ‘N’ in the map below), the street name is unclear on the several census sheets it appears. To further complicate things, upon annexation, many Allegheny streets were renamed because of duplicate names used by Pittsburgh. Based on the names of surrounding streets, examining a 1876 map and comparing it to today’s Google Map, I presume they lived in the East Allegheny, or Deutschtown.
1876 map of Allegheny city’s 7th Ward (Source). To see where this is today, click here. 
For the residents of this street, the census sheet lists birthplaces of Bavaria, Hesse, Prussia and Werttemburg. In the late 1800’s, these were all Germanic kingdoms or duchy’s. Jacob was working in a cotton mill, which is an interesting occupation for Pittsburgh where steel and iron production ruled. While wife Henrietta maintained the home, elder sons George and John were unemployed and looking for work. The younger children were either in school or stayed at home with mom.
The 1880 Census sheet for Jacob Bahle and his family. Click to enlarge.
Finding these records isn’t as easy as you might assume. I had a rough sense that the Bahle’s were living in Pittsburgh in 1880, but wasn’t sure where. A simple last name search turned up nothing. While I’ve manually searched census records for places like Leetonia and Salem, the 1880 Census determined Pittsburgh to be a city of 156,389. After about an hour of using more advanced search techniques (wildcat searches!) on a few different genealogy sites, I found them and discovered by they weren’t easy to find. The enumerator spelled their last name B-A-L-I instead of B-A-H-L-E.

Relationship to me:
Jacob Bahle (1832 – 1908)
father of:
Mary Anna Bahle (1877 -1935)
mother of:
Mary Margaret Pepperney (1902 – 1980)
mother of:
Charles James Lowry (1924 – 2007)
father of:
Patrick Edward Lowry
father of:
Joseph Patrick Lowry

State: Pittsburgh
County: Allegheny
Town: Allegheny City (annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907)
Page No.: 44
Supervisor’s District: 9
Enumeration District: 24
Dwelling: 305
Family No.: 426
Address: 22 (illegible)

Bali, Jacob White, Male, Age 48 at last birthday before June 1, 1880. Head of household. Married. Occupation: works in a cotton mill. Born in Werttemburg, Father born in Werttemburg, Mother born in Werttemburg.
— , Henrietta. White, Female, Age 37 at last birthday before June 1, 1880. Wife. Married. Occupation: keeping house. Born in Pennsylvania, Father born in Werttemburg, Mother born in Werttemburg.
— , George. White, Male, Age 19 at last birthday before June 1, 1880. Son. Single. Occupation: laborer. Number of months this person has been unemployed in Census Year: (checked). Born in Pennsylvania. Father born in Werttemburg, Mother born in Pennsylvania.
— , John. White, Male, Age 17 at last birthday before June 1, 1880. Son. Single. Occupation: laborer. Number of months this person has been unemployed in Census Year: (checked). Born in Pennsylvania. Father born in Werttemburg, Mother born in Pennsylvania.

— , Jacob. White, Male, Age 17 at last birthday before June 1, 1880. Son. Single. Occupation: at school. Born in Pennsylvania. Father born in Werttemburg, Mother born in Pennsylvania.
— , Anna. White, Female, Age 10 at last birthday before June 1, 1880. Daughter, Single. Occupation: at school. Born in Pennsylvania. Father born in Werttemburg, Mother born in Pennsylvania.
— , Joseph. White, Male, Age 8 at last birthday before June 1, 1880. Son. Single. Born in Pennsylvania. Father born in Werttemburg, Mother born in Pennsylvania.
— , Mary. White, Female, Age 3 at last birthday before June 1, 1880. Daughter, Single. Born in Pennsylvania. Father born in Werttemburg, Mother born in Pennsylvania.
— , Andrew. White, Male, Age 1 at last birthday before June 1, 1880. Son. Single. Born in Pennsylvania. Father born in Werttemburg, Mother born in Pennsylvania.

Sources:
1880 U.S. census, Allegheny, Pennsylvania population schedule, Allegheny, enumeration district (ED) 24, page 44 (penned), dwelling 305, family 426, Jacob Bali; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 February 2013); NARA microfilm Roll 1087.

Surname Saturday – Mary Anna Bahle

joelowry1982 Bahle, Paternal

Mary Anna Bahle Pepperney is my great great grandmother on my father’s side. Born in 1877 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of Jacob Bahle and (Rachel Snauffer?)*.

On August 5, 1896, in Saint Mary Catholic Church in Pittsburgh, she married George Peter Pepperney with Rev. Enders presiding.

Click to enlarge.

Together Mary Anna and George would have at least six children, with four surviving into adulthood.

  • George Lawrence Pepperney (1899 – 1900)
  • Mary Margaret Pepperney (1902 – 1980)
  • James Albert Pepperney (1906 – 1999)
  • Katherine Emma Pepperney (1910 – 1978)
  • Baby Pepperney (1910)
  • Eleanor Julia Pepperney (1912 – 1951)
After their marriage, Mary Anna and George lived in Charleroi, Pennsylvania before relocating to Beaver Township, Mahoning County, Ohio. By 1930, they had settled in Leetonia, Ohio where George was a painter of rooms and houses, not canvas. (Interestingly, the 1940 Federal Census lists George as an ‘interior decorator’, which I suppose he was.)

On Sunday, March 31, 1935, Mary Anna was stricken with a sudden stroke at age 58. She was nursed for two weeks before dying on April 11 at 12:30 p.m.

Mary was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Leetonia, Ohio.Her husband George would survive another 27 years before dying in 1962.
Joe Lowry photo.


*Mary Pepperney’s death certificate provides this name, but so far I’ve found no other records of a Rachel Snauffer married to a Jacob Bahle. There is a contemporary Jacob Bahle in Pittsburgh married to Henrietta, but I haven’t explored that further..

Sources:
“Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X6W7-2RF : accessed 10 Feb 2013), Mary Pepperney, 11 Apr 1935; citing Leetonia, Columbiana, Ohio, reference fn 21925; FHL microfilm 2022486.

“Pennsylvania, County Marriages, 1885 – 1950,” index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VFMT-KY5 : accessed 09 Feb 2013), George P. Pepperney and Mary Bahle, 1896.