APPLEBACH, ABRAM (or ABRAHAM) - 1860 AND 1870 CENSUS

APPLEBACH, ABRAM (or ABRAHAM) - 1860 AND 1870 CENSUS

Abram/Abraham APPLEBACH was born between 1848 and 1851 depending on the document you are looking at. His father was definitely Henry APPLEBACH.  His death certificate says his mother was Catherine STAHR, which is entirely possible.  However, I have also seen her name as Catherine CORNER.

His death certificate says he was born in  Feb. 1851 and he is not on the 1850 census. His mother appears to disappear from sight about the time of his birth.  His siblings appear in the 1860 census as living with other people.

In 1860, Abram was living with Samuel and Harriett MILTENBERGER in Monroe County, PA. He is listed as 10 years old and has been in school that year.

Source: Family Search

In 1870, Abram is listed as living in Northampton County, PA with Sam and Catherine SHIMER.  He is 22, and a farm laborer.

I do not have any information yet on how Abram APPLEBACH ended up in Lancaster County, PA by Dec. 1872 when he married Elizabeth LITTLE in Lancaster, PA. They would live the remainder of their lives in Lancaster County, PA.

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

HENRY APPLEBACH (approx 1814-1878)

Henry APPLEBACH was the son of Henry APPLEBACH ( also known as Johann Heinrich AFFLERBACH - emigrant) and Anna Elizabeth (TRIEDE/TRUDE) APPLEBACH. At this point, exact years are conflicting and sketchy but it appears that he was born 1814-1817 and died sometime between 1870-1878.

#1. According to "Six Afflerbach Emigrants Who Came To Pennsylvania and their Descendants 1750-1930" by Jane K. THOMPSON, pg. 178 lists his siblings as:

Mary 1810-1883 - married to Jacob RORERBACHER

Henry (approx) 1814-1878 married to Catherine (Mary) STEHN/STAHR in 1840 and Ellen SHELLY after 1855.

Louise 1815- _____. Married to Mathias WEAVER

Susan 1817 - ____. Married to Joseph CLARK

William 1818 - _____.  Married to Elmira _________.

Charles 1825 - _______. Married Margaret __________.


According to the same source above, Catherine Mary STEHN/STAHR may be the one christened at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Beaver Township in Clarion, PA on 10 July 1825 and that record says she was the daughter of Michael and Catharina.  Henry and Mary married 31 July 1840.

#2. According to THOMPSON pg. 178-179 and the 1850 census:

Henry is 36 and a laborer

Mary/Catherine is 34

Louise is 9 (dies in 1853)

William is 7

Catherine is 5

Sarah is 3

Abraham born in 1851

#3. After the birth of Abraham, Mary/Catherine drops from sight.  Did she die around the time of Abraham's birth? Did she abandon the family? Thompson appears to think it may be connected to Abraham's birth.  

I grew with my father telling me she had been killed by Indians.  However, as an adult, I think this is unlikely as eastern Pennsylvania was very settled in the 1850's and that the Indian story was simply a story - I think she probably died of illness or something connected to Abraham's birth. 

However, the truth is the children of this union were farmed out to others and Henry disappeared from sight. Or did he?

In the 1860 census for Monroe County, PA - Abraham is listed as living with Samuel and Harriet MULLENBERGER.  In the 1860 census Catherine is living with the George WEISS family as a servant. How were these families connected to Henry and Mary/Catherine APPLEBACH that they ended up with their children?  So far, I haven't located the other children in 1860.

According to THOMPSON, Henry APPLEBACH was living with a woman who is usually called Ellen SHELLY, but is also seen in records as having the first name of Sarah, Lanah, and Allina.  She was the daughter of John SHELLY and was from Hamilton in Monroe County, PA. It appears that they were living together (married??) from 1856 onward.  Ellen already had a daughter named Lucinda SHELLEY (whose father was probably George HOFFNER). According to the 1870 census for Carbon County, PA: Henry 55, boot maker
Allina 39
Lucinda 14
Julia (July?) A. 11
Ella 10
Ida 8
Margaret 4
Emma 11/12

Further speculation is made by THOMPSON:

The1880 census in Philadelphia are listed 2 nephews in the household of Henry APPLEBACH's brother Charles:
Frank 10
Charles 9

Could these 2 boys be the sons of Henry and Ellen being raised by Henry's brother after Henry disappears/dies?

#4. Mrs. Ellen APPLEBAUGH married Lewis LAUER on 1 Jan. 1877.  In the 1880 census are listed these children: Ellen APPLEBACH age 20, Ide APPLEBACH age 18, Mage age 14, Emma age 11, and Luwise LAUER age 1. If THOMPSON's research and speculation are correct, three children were born to Emma by her step-father between 1884-1892. Obviously while interesting, right now I am not on the trail of Henry's second family and will leave it rest for now.

#5. Years ago I stumbled upon a Lancaster County directory (below) for 1877-78.  I was looking for Abraham and did not pay attention to the name below Abraham until I obtained the THOMPSON book and realized I needed to look at Henry too.  Henry did not have a son named Henry, so it is likely that the Henry in the directory is Abraham's father,  but why that date and place?

Lancaster Directory 1877-1878

Abraham and Elizabeth (LITTLE) had married in 1872 and by 1877 there should have been children, so why was Abraham boarding in the Eagle Hotel? Did he board closer to his job and go home on weekends? Were Abraham and Elizabeth separated? In my own mind it was one of the first two situations.  But, what if Abraham's father Henry - now an old man (kicked out by 2nd wife?  Run off by man who replace him as new husband/step-father?) had no where else to go? Or Henry was visiting his youngest son and more or less moved in, and Elizabeth refused to put up with it and both men had to leave? Is it possible that Henry died and is buried somewhere in Lancaster, PA?

How much contact was there between Henry and his first family? Was he not able to care for them properly when Mary/Catherine died, or did he simply dump them with whoever would take them, and then take up with another woman and have a second family?

When it comes to Henry, I have many more questions then answers.  I am speculating that he may be buried in Lancaster County somewhere and have died 1877-78. If so, was he buried quietly (cheaply) in a pauper's grave and any records have disappeared?  Or could he have been making some sort of circuit visiting each of the children of his first marriage, and died along the way?

According to THOMPSON, she has not found any death or burial records. She has also not found a marriage record for Henry APPLEBACH and Ellen SHELLEY - is it possible they just lived together and had a family? If so, could he have deserted them or could Ellen have thrown him out? She legally married Lewis LAUER on 1 Jan. 1877, so where was Henry?

In answer to the question, how sure am I that this Henry is actually Abraham's father?? Besides the records available, I think a big clue is that Abraham was trained as a shoe maker.  In Lancaster, he seems to have taken up the occupation of wagon driver between Lancaster and Philadelphia.  However, the thread of shoemaker between Abraham and Henry tells me there is a very real chance that they were father and son.  It also tells me that they may have been some form of interaction between them, even when Abraham was young.  Is it possible that the two of them maintained some sort of relationship even when Henry had gone on to have another family? If so, is it possible that when Henry was old/sick/injured/unwanted that he would turn to the (now) adult child he had a relationship with?

I may never know, or I may stumble upon answers - as yet, Henry APPLEBACH remains a mystery.  I do have to wonder how much the possible instability of Abraham's family life growing up lead to the instability of his own children (drunks, multiple marriages, illegitimate grandchildren) and then to his own grandchildren.

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

BESSIE (APPLEBACH) DOSTMAN 1880-1969

Elizabeth "Bessie" APPLEBACH was born in 1880 in Lancaster, PA to Abraham and Elizabeth (LITTLE) APPLEBACH.  She was the second known child.  Her older brother was born in 1878 and was blind.

The first mention I found of Bessie (she appears to always have been known as this, even in official documents) was in the Lancaster newspaper on Dec. 24, 1889 (source: Chronicling America) in an article (sorry, I accidentally cut off the title) listing all the kids in school that were preforming in a Christmas production and that she was singing "All Contrary".  She would have been 8 or 9 years old.

In the 1897 Lancaster Directory, Bessie is listed as living at 421 Concord and was a box paperer in occupation.

Bessie apparently was living elsewhere, or married William DOSTMAN between 1897 and 1900 because she disappears out of the directories under the name APPLEBACH.  William and Bessie's one known child, Robert, was born in 1900 and died in 1904. According to the Mennonite Vital Records, Robert was the child of Wm. DOSTMAN 1879-1919 and Bessie (1880-1969).  Robert's dates are listed there as July 31, 1900 to Feb. 28, 1904. 




(Source of above photo: Find a Grave)

In the 1900 census, William and Bessie DOSTMAN are listed as living on Gilbert Street.  It says they married in 1900, and that she has 2 living children.  My note here is that the census taker was at this house prior to the birth of Robert, because that would have made 3 living children, as she had 2 children prior to marrying William.  However, her second child, Lester SPEISS age 2,  was living with William and Bessie. Her oldest child was living with her parents under the name of Violet APPLEBACH.

In the 1910 census, William and Bessie live on Church Street. They have been married 10 years and have 2 living children - obviously Robert is dead, which leaves her 2 children from prior to marrying William. 

The census lists Bessie occupation as a "stripper" for Laborer Fait - in other words, she worked for one of the numerous Lancaster factories of this time as a tobacco stripper. William is a painter, and Violet is a "tipper" meaning she works in one of the umbrella factories in Lancaster. Lester is probably a student. Both Violet and Lester (SPEISS) are listed with the last name of DOSTMAN. However, Violet is listed as living with her grandparents as Violet SMITH in the same census.

In the 1920 census, Bessie is listed as living with son Lester and his family:

Source: Ancestry

In the 1930 census, Bessie is still listed as living with son Lester and his family:

Source: Ancestry

There is some thought that Bessie may have been married to _______ SPEISS and widowed shortly afterwards, leaving her pregnant with Lester or as an infant.  Her gr-grand-daughter told me that Bessie was married, had Lester, and was widowed in a year's time.

Violet's story is unknown to me other than the few censuses and her death certificate. 

I believe she was illegitimate and at this point the father is unknown.  However, apparently Wm. DOSTMAN allowed her to use his last name, and maybe even had adopted her. Bessie would have been 14-15 years old when Violet was born.

Update12/30/2024: It is implied and possible in some documents that I have run across that William DOSTMAN could be the biological father of Violet. William and Maggie (Taylor APPLEBACH's first wife) were siblings. Hence, the DOSTMAN and APPLEBACH families would have known each other. It is entirely possible that William and Bessie had a relationship, broke up, and then married after she was a widow of _____SPEISS.

Another topic to research...

Violet's death certificate 1930 from Ancestry

 According to the Lancaster Directory for 1933, 1935, and 1937 Bessie lived at 522 S. Plum, Lancaster.

 In the 1950 Lancaster Directory, she is living at 8 Chester in Lancaster.

According to the 1955 Lancaster Directory, she was living at 407 S. Shippen St. in Lancaster.

This is the info I found on Ancestry for the SS Index:

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

MY ORGANIZATION SYSTEM

 I was recently contacted and ask how in the world I actually keep track of all this stuff??? My system is anything but perfect and generally pretty low tech.  However, keep in mind, that I like stuff being where it belongs - and that means any item you care to name. 

 I work the paperwork side of medical (HIM) and a definite mind set to being successful in this is simply being organized. Another common personality quirk in this field is liking mysteries and/or puzzles. I spend all day digging thru medical records and doing research, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that I have no issues about coming home and spending time digging thru more records trying to solve genealogy mysteries.

That being said, as a teen when I started on this family history journey, I recycled a bunch of old manila file folders.  On each I put the name of a person, their birth and death years, parents names, and known spouses.  Inside I just stuck anything I found that fit that person. I was happy to just have it in one spot. Each person had a file, ok, some people ended up with 2 or 3.  They continue to look the same:

 

As I collected more and more info and documents, I added 3 ring binders for direct ancestors that I was specifically looking for and so had lots more stuff (remember the people who had 1 and more files).  I put the documents in date order and use plastic acid free sheet protectors to put these in.  

If the paper is double sided, then it is in the sheet protector by itself - if it is a single side then I put 2 in. This way I can simply flip thru and see what I have - it kind of works like a timeline. I am very visual, so this allows me to see what is there.  I also highlight with a yellow marker dates and names so they stand out.

 I recently started making a binder for all the known children of a set of parents (excluding the one who is actually a direct ancestor and has his/her own binder). I simply take the manila folder that the papers were in inside the file cabinet (I have 2 four drawer ones for genealogy), punch 3 holes in it and put all that person's papers behind it.  I put the children in birth order.  

On the folder for my direct ancestor I write somewhere to "See Binder" because everything for that person has been moved to a personal binder.  While not actively searching out all the various children and their descendants, I do end up finding stuff on them as I search for my own ancestors so this allows me to have plenty of room for this extra info. Again, all the papers are in sleeve protectors. (Tip: the local Goodwill here tends to have 3 ring binders and for 49 cents each I get lots of them.)

 As I research now, I save a copy of what I find onto my computer and also print off a copy that will go into that person's binder or file.  Yes, it is a little bulky, but it is what works for me.  I then back up all my computer files onto a very large external hard-drive.  The external hard-drive is kept in a fire proof safe.

     I also purchased 2 techie items that I feel are very important:

• A good quality scanner - mine does negatives, slides, photos and documents.  It also has a labeling program for the photos, so I can label the photos right on the front (no more unlabeled photos or lost postie notes).
• A high end digital frame that I can put several thousand photos on.  It is in the living room and I have a really nice way to display so many of the old photos that are now in my possession. 

 Please realize that I have thousands of photos and documents and the scanning project is a long way from being complete, however, it is in progress.  Each day sees a few more items scanned in and saved on the computer. 

I end up having 2 complete sets of photos in the computer because I keep the original, plus the photo that is labeled on the front. Aw yes, and let us not forget the actual printed photo that was scanned in to begin with. Many of these have been given to other family members who will also appreciate them.

 So how to I store the photos?? Well the first thing I did was took them out of those old sticky "magnet" photo albums that were so popular in the 1970's and 1980's.  If they weren't labeled, I took a few with me every time I visited with family and tried to find someone who knew who, when, and where. 

For many years I felt like I really was drowning in photos and it was an overwhelming project.  I still have boxes of photos that are not scanned in.  However, as I scan them in and they get labeled, they they go into acid free photo boxes by year.  I don't know that I will ever get them put into some form of photo albums, but at least they are in one place.  I know those acid free photo boxes can be a little pricey, but for me they are worth it.

 So below is a shelving unit that is neat and tidy.  More important, I can find the people or photos I am after without a lot of muttering and frustration.

     I keep reference books in one certain spot, however, they are in no particular order:

 I recently went on a research binge, so now I am catching up on my filing again.  It's ok though, because all of it has a spot to go to when I get to it.  I guess my advice is to simply find or make a system that works for you and then stick to it.  If I (or you) can't find the documents or photos they are not doing any good for family history.

A side note: figure out how you are going to label your individual documents or files on the computer and then be consistent.   I tried several different naming systems over the years and when I finally settled on a way that I really liked, I had to go back thru years of files and rename all of them consistently.  It took weeks and turned me into a blithering idiot for the time I was working on it. I am now labeling my computer documents like this: surname_first name_date_place_item

Years ago, I saw somewhere a suggestion to use colored file folders for the various branches of a family tree.  Since I was (and still do) use recycled manila file folders, they are all that lovely off white color. 

So, I bought cheap star stickers in blue, green, red, and yellow.  I put a colored sticker beside the name on each file or binder that are my direct ancestors. The colors to me mean:

• Blue = my father and his paternal line
• Green = my father's maternal line
• Red = my mom and her paternal line
• Yellow = my mom's maternal line  

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

ABRAHAM & TAYLOR APPLEBACH ADDRESSES IN DOCUMENTS (Part 1)

Abraham APPLEBACH was born in 1850 or 1851 depending on the document being used. He was not born in Lancaster County. Here is his memorial on Find a Grave. He died in Oct. 1912 and is buried in Lancaster, PA.

Using documents, censuses, and Lancaster city directories I was able to put together this list of known places he lived in his life. Obviously, these same addresses applied to his wife Elizabeth (LITTLE) APPLEBACH and any minor or adult children who lived with them.

Twins Scott and Taylor APPLEBACH were born in 1886. They would have lived at the same addresses as their parents until they set up their own homes at some point in their adult lives. In the case of Taylor, he was in and out of his parents home even as an adult both with and without a wife.

Elizabeth (LITTLE) APPLEBACH died in 1931 and by  then all the kids had their own homes.

PLEASE NOTE: 
ALL PHOTOS AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE MY OWN UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

YEAR	ADDRESS	NOTES
1870	Bethlehem Twp., Northampton, PA	Abraham living with Sam Shimer household – per federal census
1872	Lancaster, PA	Per marriage license to Elizabeth Little
1873	105 Market	Lancaster Directory
1877	Bds. at Eagle Hotel, Lancaster	Lancaster Directory
1879	105 Market	Lancaster Directory
1884	434 Water St.	Lancaster Directory
1888    (Taylor born 1886)	552 N. Shippen	Lancaster Directory
1889	761 N. Lime	Barn fire news article
1890	20 W. New	Lancaster Directory
1892	117 Beaver	Lancaster Directory
1897	421 Concord	Lancaster Directory
1898	421 Concord	Lancaster Directory
1899	434 N. Water	Lancaster Directory
1900	Ward 9	1900 Census
1905	424 Concord	Lancaster Directory
1907 (Taylor’s address – wife              Maggie living at            266 W. Strawberry)	424 Concord	Lancaster Directory
1909	424 Concord	Lancaster Directory
1910	Ward 9	1910 Census
1911	424 Concord	Lancaster Directory
1912	424 Concord	Abraham’s death cert
1913	431 N. Mary	Lancaster Directory
1916	431 N. Mary	Lancaster Directory
1917	431 N. Mary	WWI draft card and Lancaster Directory
1923	225 W. King	Lancaster Directory
1925	227 Concord	Lancaster Directory
1927	425 Marion	Lancaster Directory
1929	519 Church	Lancaster Directory
1931	519 Church	Lancaster Directory
1933  (James born June 1933)	211 E. Chestnut	Lancaster Directory