"Valentine" - #52ancestors - Valentine Joseph Todt 1853-1922

This week's theme for the 52Ancestors/52Weeks challenge from Amy Johnson Crow, is "Valentine." My ancestors have no weddings on Feb 14th, very very few names of Valentine, no Valentine's Day momentoes! But here's my offering for Valentine's Day. 

My 4th cousin twice removed Anastasia Gabrielle Kuhn, born Apr 27, 1854 in East Berlin, Adams, Pennsylvania, married Valentine Joseph Todt on May 1st, 1881, at the Conewago Chapel of the Basilica, Adams, Pennsylvania.

Valentine is only related to me as the husband of my 4th cousin 2x removed! But I will take this opportunity to post on a non-direct ancestor. He was apparently known by his nickname "Felty."

Joseph and Frederica Todt, Valentine's parents, were both born in Germany, and likely immigrated as a married couple. That is only a possibility of course. I have not found other children of this couple in my searches.

Valentine first married Anastasia G. Kuhn and had six children with her, b. in Mt Pleasant Township, Adams, Pennsylvania:
      1. Valentine, b. 1882 aka "William", m. Anna S. Kuhn
      2.  Francis aka "Frank" Gregory, b. 15 Feb 1886, d. 4 Dec 1955 Hanover PA;
              m. 25 Feb 1919 to Mary Jane Eck in Hanover, PA.
      3.  Ellen Gabriel, b. 29 Jun 1888; m. 13 Feb 1912 to Edward L. Weaver in
              Littlestown, PA
      4.  Helen Catherine, b. 10 Aug 1890
      5.  Alverta Elizabeth, TWIN, b. 27 Aug 1893
      6.  George Sylvester, TWIN, b. 27 Aug 1893, d. 8 Jul 1960, Hanover PA

Unfortunately Anastasia died several weeks after the twins' birth [George & Alverta]. Hopefully Valentine had help from family and friends, as the children were still quite small. He was a farmer, and clearly help would have been needed.

On 5 May 1896, Valentine married for a second time, to Susanna Gaul, at the Conewago Chapel of the Basilica, Adams, PA.  Susanna's parents, Jacob and Helena Gaul, were also born in Germany. She was born 18 Jun 1861 in Pennsylvania.

The couple had 3 more children: Irene, Lillian, and John Todt.  I do not have their exact birthdates unfortunately. More research to do at a later time.

Valentine died 14 Jun 1922 in Union Township, Adams, PA, and was buried in the cemetery at the Conewago Chapel of the Basilica, Adams, PA. Eight years later, his second wife, Susanna, died 26 Jan 1930, and was buried by her husband. The gravestone shows their two names, dates of birth and death.

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If any of these are ancestors of yours, I would be happy to hear from you with your comments or corrected information. I am also very happy to share any details I might have that are not shown on this post. Contact information is found at the very bottom of this blog.

Blogger has a glitch which is stopping me from replying to your comments, but please do know that I appreciate your comments very much. You make my day! Thanks so much for stopping by to read my family blog.

"Favourite Name" - #52ancestors: Zerubbabel JEROME

This week, in the year-long #52ancestors challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, has the prompt: Favourite Name.  

Mine is Zerubbabel JEROME.

This is indeed my all-time favourite first name in our ancestors. I also listed a few more which are appealing for various reasons, but this one is the winner.

Can you picture a darling little boy in the arms of his mother, with father looking on happily, and they smile and say, "Let's call him Zerubbabel!"  

Of course, that is not how they named him - such a very unusual name. No, they would have opened their Bible and poked a finger at a page, then looked at the nearest male name. Apparently Zerubbabel is listed only three or four times in the Bible, and  translates to Seed of Babylon. 

I immediately wonder how he was called to come in for supper when he was playing outside, and what did his best friends call him... 

I know little about him as yet. He was born 3 Apr 1715 in Windham, Connecticut, married two sisters in Meriden, Connecticut, lived for a time in Bristol, CT, and died in October 1783 in Farmington, Connecticut, aged 68.  

Zerubbabel was the third child of the seven known children, second son, of Timothy JEROME & Abagail RICH, who married in 1709 in Dorchester, Massachusetts. All seven children married and had children, the start of a large pool of descendants to this day. By the way, Timothy JEROME is Winston Churchill's wife's great-great-great-grandfather [Jennie Jerome]. 

Zerubbabel married two sisters, daughters of Henry COOK. His first wife was Sarah Cook, and in 1737, she died in childbirth, her baby girl, Mary, also died.  

The following year, August 30, 1738, he married Sarah's sister, Phebe, in Meriden, New Haven, Connecticut. I can hear Judy G. Russell's voice in my head - "Did you check the laws to see if this marriage was approved/allowed by law-? There could be records!" Sigh, I haven't but I will. Honest! Any day now.

Zerubbabel and Phebe had 11 children, several of whom died youngish [females in their 20s], as well as a namesake Zerubbabel who died as an infant. A subsequent son, the 10th child, was named Zerubbabel also, and lived into his 60s. I have written about Zerubbabel previously - search the site for other posts, using the Search this Blog box below my photo, on the right. 

My line comes from their youngest daughter, Ruth JEROME, who married into the GRAVES family in Harwinton, Connecticut.

A few other interesting first names:

• Achsa Beebe - I believe this is a girl, born in Naugatuck, CT
• Agnes Gosling - 1500s England; this one tickles my fancy, as Agnes means "lamb of God" and Gosling - well really, "little goose."
• Barzilla Beebe - those Beebe's! born in the 1700s, early 1800s 
• Cliofus Veach - late 1800s, in Illinois [RICE line]
• Concurrence Meigs - mid-1600s, Massachusetts
• Egbert Noyes Foster - mid-1850s, Oregon - AKA "Norman" 
• Eusebius Jacobus Owings - early 1800s, PA
• Gamaliel Reynolds - early 1700s, CT; and Gamaliel Veach, 1800s Illinois
• Increase - several, in mid-1600s to 1700s, MA & CT. Since a pregnant woman was said to be 'increasing', this seems an odd name to give a baby girl... 
• Jabez Healy - meaning "sorrowful" - for a boy, late 1700s in MA. Hmmm. 
• Legoria Kuhn - I have no idea here: perhaps a Spanish name
• Macedon Ault Rudisill - a mouthful, born in late 1800s, PA
• Resolved White [Mayflower] - born 1614 Eng; brother born on ship 1620, Peregrine.
• Taliaferro Craig - eventually spelled as pronounced: Tolliver, born 1700s in Virginia

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If any of these are ancestors of yours, I would be happy to hear from you with your comments or corrected information. I am also very happy to share any details I might have that are not shown on this post. Contact information is found at the very bottom of this blog.

Blogger has a glitch which is stopping me from replying to your comments, but please do know that I appreciate your comments very much. You make my day! Thanks so much for stopping by to read my family blog.