April 30th - Feast of St. Erkenwald

Another purely English feast day was held in honor of St. Erkenwald.  An East Anglican of the royal family, St. Erkenwald established a monastery at Chertsey and a nunnery at Barking in Essex.  He set his sister St. Ethelburga as abbess over the nunnery.  St. Erkenwald was abbott at Chertsey until 675 when he became the Bishop of London a position he held for eleven years.  He died on April 30th, 693 hence the designation of his feast day.  He was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral and his tomb was a site of pilgrimage.

As an educated man in a relatively uneducated world St. Erkenwald helped write and refine King Ine of Wessex's law code.  He worked on several charters for a number of towns. He is also credited with converting the King of the East Saxons to Christianity.  

The coming of Christianity to England brought up a theological anxiety over the fate of the pagans pre-dating Christianity.  A poem entitled St. Erkenwald written during the 14th century addresses this concern.  The basic plot is that during a renovation to a portion of the cathedral a tomb is found with an illegible inscription.  St. Erkenwald retires to his cell to pray through the night for guidance in interpreting the inscription and discovering the occupant of the tomb.  The next day the tomb is opened and the Holy Spirit breathes life into the corpse.  He is found to be a pre-Christian British judge.  He explains to St. Erkenwald that he has been in limbo from the time he died.  After a long discussion, St. Erkenwald sheds a single tear which baptized the corpse, released him from limbo and sent his soul to heaven.

Ahnentafel #55 - Anna Runyon

Anna Eliza Runyon

Born: November 24, 1846, Jefferson Co., KY
Died: November 5, 1907, Wayne City, IL

Buried: November 7, 1907, Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Oldham Co., KY

Married: Charles Albert Speer January 31, 1865 in Oldham Co., KY

April 25th - Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist

Feast Day in honor of the author of the second gospel. According to church legend he was baptized and taught by St. Peter.  Mark accompanied Peter to Rome and it was there that he wrote his gospel for the Roman converts.He later became the Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt where he was most likely martyred. 

April 25th was also the Major Rogation Day.  Rogation is derived from the Latin word rogare - to ask. These are days of reparation and penance.  No meat would be eaten. There were four rogation days throughout the year during which parishioners were to march around the parish boundaries, blessing every tree and stone while chanting a litany of mercy. The Litany of the Saints was most generally used:

April 23rd - Feast Day of St. George

England's national day and according to tradition the day of St. George's death in 303 AD.  When it falls near Easter the feast day is moved to the first Monday after Easter.

The patron saint of England was first mentioned by the venerable Bede ca. 700.  St. George is associated with the church at Fordington in Dorset where there is a stone recording his miraculous appearance to lead crusaders into battle.

1222 was the first observance of St. George's Feast Day in England. It became second only to Christmas from the 15th through 18th centuries.  At one time it was customary to wear a red rose and fly St. George's Cross flags.  St. George's cross is one of the three crosses which make up Great Britain's Union Jack and represents England.  The other two are the crosses of St. Andrew and St. Patrick.

Tradition says the St. George was a Greek Christian soldier and favorite of the pagan Roman Emperor Diocletian.  Diocletian made a point of killing every Christian he encountered.  George was a Christian who went straight up to the emperor and renounced his edict and then resigned from the army.  George was tortured and eventually beheaded for his stand.

Ahnentafel #54 - Charles Speer

Charles Speer Family

Charles Albert Speer

Born: July 20, 1843, Kentucky
Died: July 2, 1922, Oklahoma

Buried: Sunrise Cemetery, Kellyville, Oklahoma

Married: 
1) Sarah Catherine Head June 18, 1863 in Floydsburg, KY
2) Anna Eliza Runyon January 31, 1865, Oldham Co., KY

Divorce: Anna Speer filed for divorce in 1906 on grounds that Charles would beat her and the children and that he would deny her proper food and clothing. In the petition she states that she stopped living with him on Oct. 1, 1902

Ahnentafel #53 - Susanna Morehead

Susanna Morehead

Born: 1837 in Kentucky
Died: January 20, 1883 in Wayne Co., IL

Buried: Bailey Church Cemetery (Arrington Prairie) in Wayne Co., IL

Married:
1) Leonard Cagle Gurley, Sept. 30, 1857 in Massac Co., IL
2) Leonard Cagle Gurley, Sept. 5, 1869 in Louisville, IL
3) Peter Hockenberger, Oct. 1878 probably in Wayne Co., IL

Susanna and Leonard were divorced between 1867 and 1869.  He accused her of adultery with several men.  She counter sued denying the charges.  Susanna also sought an injunction against Leonard to keep him from liquidating property in order to prevent her from getting it.  In that injunction filing she claimed that he prevented her from going to

Ahnentafel #52 - Leonard Gurley

Leonard Cagle Gurley

Born: February 10, 1823, North Carolina
Died: August 23, 1870, Wayne Co., IL

Buried: Bailey Cemetery, Wayne Co., IL

Married:
1) Nancy Ann Warren, Sept. 22, 1844, Massac Co., IL
2) Susanna Morehead, Sept. 30, 1857, Massac Co., IL
3) Susanna Morehead Sept. 5, 1869, Louisville, IL

Divorced Susanna Morehead in 1867 when he accused her of adultery with Francis Hillhouse and other men.  She counter sued and sought an injunction in order to retain her dower rights.  She accused him of being a drunk and attempting to sell all his property in order to keep her from having any.   She also accused him of preventing her from appearing in court when he filed for divorce.

Ahnentafel #51 - Sophia (--?--)

Sophia (--?--) or Magdalena Sophia (--?--)

Born: 1820 Hannover in the Kingdom of Prussia
Died: Unknown

Buried: Unknown

Married: 1) Andrew Probst in Germany and 2) Casper Korte March 30, 1875 in Vanderburgh Co., IN. 

Immigration:
The family came to America between 1851 and 1860. A lock of hair of "an aunt who died on the boat over" was passed down from Fredericka to Anna (Erkman) Wheeler to my mom.  I suspect it was a Probst or one of Sophia's family members. 

Ahnentafel #50 - Andrew Probst

Andrew Probst

Born: 1818 in Hannover in the Kingdom of Prussia
Died: between 1870 and 1873 in Indiana

Buried: unknown

Married: Sophia (--?--) ca. 1844 in Prussia 

Immigration: ca. 1858 to the United States.  Andrew bought 80 acres of land in Posey

Ahnentafel #49 - Katherine Warner

Katherine Warner

Born: 1807 in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany
Died: February 4, 1878 in Carmi, IL of pleurisy

Buried: Old Carmi Cemetery, no tombstone found

Married:  Jacob F. Erkmann in Germany in 1831, divorced 1852


Katherine filed for divorce May 31, 1852, excerpts follow:

That heretofore towit on or about the year 1831 your petitioner was legally married to one Jacob Erkman her present husband whom she prays may be made defendant hereto that for some few years after the marriage of your petitioner and the said defendant they lived together and with each other in peace, quiet and happiness each performing the duty imposed upon them respectively by the obligation of their marriage vows that your petitioner from the day of her said marriage with said defendant until she was compelled by the ill treatment of her said husband to leave her home, demeaned and conducted herself toward said defendant kindly, quietly and affectionately on

Ahnentafel #48 - Jacob Erkmann

Tombstone that is now
in Maple Ridge Cemetery

Jacob F. Erkmann / Jakob F. Erkmann

Born: March 17, 1807, Hesse Darmstadt, Germany
Died: October 14, 1875, White County, Illinois

Buried: Burrell's Woods near Carmi, Illinois. This cemetery which was on Jacob's property has disappeared and is now a cornfield.  Jacob's tombstone was moved to Maple Ridge Cemetery in Carmi.

Married:
1) Katherine Warner 1831 in Germany, divorced 1852 White Co., IL
2) Louisa Hoffman Aug. 20, 1859 in Indiana

Occupation: farmer

Ahnentafel #47 - Hester Hopkins

Hester Ann R. Hopkins

Born: November 15, 1817, Kentucky or Indiana
Died: June 16, 1894, Wayne Co., IL

Buried: Olive Branch Church / Baltimore Cemetery, Wayne Co., IL 

Married; Andrew Maulding, April 20, 1834 Wayne Co., IL


Census:
1820 not found on census

1830 Illinois, Hamilton Co. - age 13 living with her parents

1840 Illinois, Wayne Co. - age 23 living with Andrew and  two children ages 2 and 3.

1845 not found on census

Ahnentafel #46 - Andrew Maulding, ver. 3

Andrew J. Maulding

Born: February 3, 1817, Union Co., KY
Died: January 19, 1879, Wayne Co., IL

Buried: Olive Branch Church / Baltimore Cemetery, Wayne Co., IL

Married: Hester Ann R. Hopkins, April 20, 1834, Wayne Co., IL

Occupation: minister, farmer, blacksmith, hardware merchant

Migration:  
Andrew came to Hamilton Co., IL with his parents ca. 1819.
The family moved to Wayne Co., IL ca. 1840 where they lived just east of what is now Wayne City and ran a mill - Maulding's Mill.

At some point after his father's death in 1843, Andrew moved to the Baltimore Community in Wayne County where he was living in 1861 when he mustered into the army.  Baltimore is the area around Olive Branch Church about six miles south of Wayne City.

Ahnentafel #45 - Rebecca Clark, ver. 2

Rebecca Clark

Born: December 15, 1804 in New Jersey
Died: October 10, 1873 in Wayne Co., Illinois

Buried: Farnsworth / Mt. Zion Cemetery, Wayne County, IL

Married: David Robertson, June 14, 1821, Galliopolis, Ohio

Migration:
ca. 1810 the Samuel Clark moved his family to Scioto Co., OH which became part of Lawrence Co.
Rebecca and David moved to Illinois  ca. 1845

April 5th - Easter Sunday

Sunrise services are nothing new at Easter.  Congregations would gather outside the church to see the sun rise and sing hymns of joy.  The fasts of Lent were at an end.  This was the biggest feast day of the year.  New clothes were worn and given out by the king and queen to their court retainers.  These courtiers in turned passed down last years clothes to the next tier of of nobles.  

Eggs were not eaten during Lent, so in the days coming up to Easter, eggs would be boiled and set aside for the big day.  Easter eggs were originally painted red to represent the blood of Christ.  Some were turned green when boiled with greens.  Parents hid eggs for their children to find to recreate the finding of the tomb empty and looking for the risen Christ.

April 4th - Holy Saturday

The last day of the Triduum.  It is a day to be spent in silence or as much quiet as possible as people reflected upon the death of Christ and the time spent in hell.  It was the day which the Church sits near Christ's grave and mourns.  People were engaged in preparations for the Easter feast to be celebrated on Sunday.  Tenebrae services would again be observed and at midnight would begin the Easter vigil. Traditionally Holy Saturday was also a day to baptize children born in the last six months.

Ahnentafel #44 - David Robertson, ver. 2

David Robertson

Born: January 1, 1800, Virginia
Died: October 15, 1872, Wayne County, Illinois

Buried: Farnsworth / Mt. Zion Cemetery, Wayne County, Illinois

Married: Rebecca Clark, June 14, 1821 in Galliopolis, Ohio

Occupation: Farmer

Religious affiliation: Methodist, David helped build Mt. Zion Church

Migration: 
Moved to Ohio with his parents about 1816 and lived in Gallia County
1821 David appears on the Lawrence County, Ohio tax list. 
1822-1825 David appears on the Gallia County tax lists, but is probably living in Lawrence County

April 3rd - Good Friday

Good Friday is the second day of the Triduum [Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday].  The Tenebrae services were held at midnight on each day.  The service on Good Friday would begin with the creeping to the cross. The congregation would approach the cross barefoot and on their knees.  The hearse would have only one candle lit.

The use of nails and iron tools was forbidden on Good Friday. 

A mystery play of the crucifixion would also be performed.  This was to help instruct the congregation about significance of Good Friday and the gospel.  All religious services were conducted in Latin which the majority of the congregation did not understand.

April 2nd - Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is a moveable feast.  The date is determined by lunar calendar. It has several different names:

• Holy Thursday
• Covenant Thursday
• Shere Thursday
• Thursday of Mysteries

Maundy is taken from the Latin word mandatum and translates roughly as washing of the feet.  The feast day commemorates Christ's last supper or passover.  It is also the commemoration of the creation of the Eucharist.

April

Spring is well underway and a young couple are getting married. There are men fishing on the lake in the background.

Ahnetafel #43 - Mary Parrish, ver. 2

Mary Frances Parrish

Born: February 14, 1819 in Davidson/Rowan County, NC
Died: January 28, 1905 in Jefferson County, IL

Buried: Mt. Olive Cemetery, Jefferson Co., IL

Married: April 17, 1836 John Gentle in Putnam Co., IN

Records:
1820 not found in census

1830 Putnam Co., IN - age 11 with her mother and seven siblings

1830 - May 6th - partition of Mary Frances' father's estate, Putnam County, Indiana: