Monday, December 16, 2013

Weekly Puzzle - Mary Jane Trindle Noffsinger

On 16 Jun 1847 Mary Jane Trindle married Andrew Nofsinger in Knox County, Ohio.  

Andrew and Mary Jane were listed in Clay township, Knox County in the 1850 census with one son William age 2. (1)

On 5 Jan 1858 Andrew was married a second time to Helen Wood.  (2)

In 1860 Andrew and Helen were living in English, Keokuk, Iowa.  Five children are listed: Thornton (same as William above), James age 10, John age 8, Albert 2 and Mary A 2m.  It would seem likely that the first three are all the children of Mary Jane which puts her death between 1852 and 1858.  (3)

Further clarification comes from the 1856 Iowa census (English River, Keokuk).  Andrew, William T, James and John are living with Lucy Nofsinger age 70 most likely Andrew's mother.  Andrew is listed as a widower. (4)

So Mary Jane died sometime between John's birth in July 1852 and the date the census was taken in 1856.

Her tombstone is found in South English Cemetery listing both a birth and a death date of 1 Feb 1855. (5)


All well and good, but who is Mary Jane?


In 1850 William and Mary Trindle were living in Licking county (next door to Knox) Living with them is Matilda who was born in 1838.  Other children that have been suggested for this family are William Alexander bn 1822 (moved to Indiana), Rebecca bn some time after 1823 and Samuel bn 1837 (died age 20 buried in same cemetery as father).

This family configuration definitely could accept Mary Jane bn 1827 and perhaps still unconnected individuals born in Ohio.

If this is the correct family, does anyone have source information to prove it?  Does anyone have information to prove otherwise?




  1.  (Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009; Clay, Knox, OH; M432_700; Page: 362B)
  2. (FamilySearch - Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994 > Knox > Marriage records 1856-1860 vol H Image 81)
  3. (Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009;  English, Keokuk, IowaM653_329; Page: 771; Image: 35)
  4.  (Iowa, State Census Collection, 1836-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.)
  5. (Find A Grave Memorial# 54815537)

Monday, December 9, 2013

Weekly Puzzle - German Roots

On 3 Jun 1857 Herman Trendel, age 19, a grocer, arrived in the Port of New York on the Orpheus.  Having sailed from Bremerhaven, Germany. His stated destination was New York.

In 1870 Herman Trendel is residing in Chicago, Cook, Illinois working as a driver.  Living with him are his wife, Caroline Mack and three sons: Herman, Theodore and Julius.  In 1880 Caroline is listed as a widow and a daughter Caroline has been added to the family.

The likelyhood is that this is the same man.  There is no Herman Trendel found living in New York in 1870. Herman may have made connections on the voyage with passengers destined for Chicago, there were some.

All four children were married and had children.

So the question is, who is Herman Trendel?  Where in Germany did he come from?  It appears that Caroline was from Baden and Catholic, was Herman Catholic as well?

While following German families is not going to add to my own genealogy, following these families does help in sorting through records that might be relevant.


Monday, December 2, 2013

Weekly Puzzle - More Irish Connections

On 18 May 1804 Thomas and Ann Trindell with 8 boxes, two trunks and one bed roll arrived in the Port of Philadelphia on the Cornelia.  The ship master was Theodore Bliss and it had sailed from Bristol.  Thomas and Ann settled in the Spring Garden area of Philadelphia where Thomas was a teacher.  He died in 1839, aged 77, of chronic hepatitis.  Ann was still alive in 1840, but not found in 1850.

Census records imply one son and one daughter, but direct connections haven't been found. There is a James Trindle in the same vicinity in 1824 who is also a teacher.  There is a Joseph Trindle in Spring Garden in 1840.  This may be the same Joseph that died in Philadelphia in 1841 (he was born in 1804). Adding to the difficulty of researching Thomas is the fact that every record found has a different spelling for Trindal.

Who is Thomas? Who were their children? Where in Ireland were they from?