See What Our Family Was Up to During

. . . America's Westward Expansion to Ohio

from Maryland and Virginia, 1803 - 1860

Hahn, Harless, Johnson, McNeely, Park, Tingley, Weisleder

The Hahn and Weisleder families migrated from Baltimore County, Maryland, to Columbiana County, Ohio. These people were still very much in touch with their German roots. It is said the Hahn immigrants came from Wurttemberg, Germany, during the Palatinate immigration. They most likely landed at the port of Baltimore, in the early 1700s because just prior to their move west, we find the family in Manchester, Maryland, in the late 1700s. Many children were born here and christened in German Lutheran and Reformed churches. All were born under German-spelled names. They most likely belonged to a tight-knit German colony. Some of the family may have spent some time in Frederick County, Maryland, and perhaps a short time in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, before migrating to Columbiana County, Ohio, in the early 1800s, where many Germans settled from Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Our direct ancestor, Adam Hahn, came to Columbiana County from Baltimore County in 1801, as soon as the land was opened up to settlement, and bought a section directly from the government; his brothers followed. Adam and his son, Andrew, set up a saw mill on Yellow Creek, and it was known as Hahn’s Mill for several years.

Adam and his brothers were quite prolific, and intermarried among the other pioneer families in the area. Andrew married in 1809 to Maria Magdalena  Weisleder, later known as Mary. The Weisleders were former neighbors in Baltimore County. Weisleder translated means Whiteleather, and some descendants later became known by that name. Still attending German Lutheran and Reformed congregations, the new generation of parents continued naming their children with German-spelled names. A German-language family Bible was acquired sometime after 1819 by Andrew Hahn (born Andreas), and all family entries were written in German. It is likely these German American inhabitants of Columbiana County were still speaking German.

Mary’s father, Andreas Weisleder, was a native of the town of Stiege, now within the state of Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany. He was drafted into the army, and became one of the many thousands of Hessian soldiers sent to assist England in its war with the American Colonies. Finding himself a prisoner of war in Virginia, he determined none of his options were very good so he escaped and then deserted. Mingling in among the many sympathetic German settlers in the region, he made his way up to Manchester, Maryland, where he married Anna Maria Zentzin, of Swiss heritage. After having several children, they moved to Columbiana County in 1807 and purchased land from Adam Hahn.

When the War of 1812 broke out, a local militia was formed, and Andrew’s brothers, John and Adam, and a few of their cousins joined up. Andrew’s son, Samuel, a direct progenitor, moved on to Darke County, Ohio, on the western side of the state, in the late 1830s. Samuel’s cousin, also named Samuel Hahn, settled out there, as well. The Weisleders remained in Columbiana County and were very instrumental in its growth and progress. Our Samuel finding himself widowed with five children married Nancy Harless, herself a young widow, and from another prolific family, who had migrated over to Darke County from Virginia. 

The Harless family began along New River in Virginia with the arrival of the German immigrant, Johann Philip Harless, in the mid 1700s. His progeny quickly grew with the births of many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, in spite of the common childhood illnesses and Indian massacres. The area became known as the German New River Settlement and is said to be the first of its kind west of the Alleghenies.

As the settlement grew, young men found it necessary to move west. Some  Harlesses went to Tennessee and Kentucky; others went to Ohio. Among those were two brothers, Elias and Paul Harless, who arrived in Miami County, Ohio, in the mid 1820s. They later settled a little further west in Darke County. Distant  Harless cousins, also originating from the New River Settlement migrated to Miami and neighboring Preble Counties.

Our direct ancestor, Nancy Harless, was born in Giles County in 1822. In 1844 she married Samuel Hahn in Darke County. Although no records have been found mentioning her name prior to 1844, it is strongly believed she is the daughter of Paul Harless, based on extensive research of all Harlesses in Darke and Miami Counties.

The story of our Harlesses and their settlement in Ohio is a short one. The decade of 1820 saw Nancy’s birth in Virginia, the Harless family’s migration to Ohio, the death of Paul’s first wife, which would have been Nancy’s mother, and Paul’s remarriage. Then, Paul passed away sometime before 1840, while only in his forties. His older children were married; the younger children and Paul’s widow were divided up and lived among several family members. Nancy most likely lived with her uncle, Elias. When she was nineteen years old, she gave birth to a daughter, Delilah. This name occurred quite often in the Harless family. No record has yet been found of a marriage to Delilah's father, but when her little one was three years old she married the widower, Samuel Hahn.

In the early 1840s the Hahns were off again to a new frontier. Samuel Hahn and his new bride and their children moved on to the newly opened lands in northwestern Missouri, along with his parents and his brother's family. Many of the Harlesses  
remained in the Darke County area, some moving just over the state line into Indiana. 

The rest of our Ohio bound ancestors appear on the pedigree chart of lela Tingley. Clela’s grandparents, Jared I. Tingley and Sarah Ann McNeely, finally settled about 1860 in Williams County, on the western side of Ohio, after moving back and forth from Mercer County, Pennsylvania, to Iowa, to Williams County, to Illinois, and back to Williams County. Jared probably ties into the line of Palmer Tingley, of which much has been written.

Clela’s other set of grandparents, Oliver Johnson and Mary Jane Park, were married in Crawford County, Ohio, in 1860. Both were born on the east side of the state in Stark County. Oliver’s father was a native of Ohio and his mother was born in Pennsylvania. Mary Jane’s parents both came from Virginia, possibly Hampshire County. In his old age, Mary’s father, Amos, ended up in Williams County with her and some of his other children.

Oliver Johnson spent some time serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. One Johnson researcher says he received some land for his service. After the war, he moved his young family to the southeastern corner of Michigan, where his third child, Carrie, was born. While she was still a baby, her mother died. Shortly after, Oliver is found in Williams County with a second wife. Together they had four children, but only one grew to adulthood. Oliver died in 1902, succumbing to Tuberculosis.

Carrie’s older sisters married and moved to the northwest in the early 1900s for the logging industry. Carrie married in 1888 to Jared T. Tingley, one of twelve children. Immediately they homesteaded in Colorado. Two of Jared’s brothers lived in Colorado, as well. Oring moved his family out to Denver so his ill wife could benefit from the dry air. Warren, a Union veteran, wound up a miner in Creede.

Image from http://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion

Grandfather's Flying Machine

"Old German Near Atlanta Is Builder of Machine
Has Made Short Flight
He Has Guarded the Machine Jealously and Has Been Working On It Ever Since the Wright Boys Flew Kites in Dayton.
Reported from Telegraph Bureau, Kimball House.
Atlanta, Oct. 25.
A made-in-Georgia airship, the darling of its inventor's heart and the fruit of ten years' hard work, is to be one of the most novel exhibits at the Great Southern Automobile show in Atlanta from November 8 to 15. It has made but a short flight so far, but its maker believes it will pass the clouds when a larger motor is put in.
H. Thaden, an aged German truck farmer, just outside of Atlanta, has been working on his airship since the days when the Wright boys were flying kites in the Dayton suburbs, and getting laughed at for their foolishness. But he did not follow the usual lines. His airship looks more like a boxcar than an aeroplane, its propellers fill both sides of the big structure, and the driver's seat throws the center of gravity so low Mr. Thaden is positive his craft can never turn over.
The old man has kept his queer ship hidden jealously for several years, but now that it is completed he is willing to show it to the public. He will be in personal charge of the exhibit and explain the workings of his ship to the interested visitors."
The article goes on to say John Philip Sousa's band and practically every automobile dealer in Georgia and the southern territory will at the auto show. They were proud to say they would have on display the first new models from all the factories several months in advance of the exhibits in New York and Chicago.--Macon [Georgia] Telegraph, 26 Oct 1913, p. 6.

Herman Thaden patented his airship in 1910. He was so very interested in aeronautics. He read the Aeronautics magazine and wrote a letter to the editor in 1911. As I read his letter, all his thoughts and concepts went right over my head. Such a technical letter. I marvel at his command of the English language. I admire him for his genius. I wish I had a photograph of his flying machine. There is supposed to be one in the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian. Perhaps one day I will find it.

Burial in Arlington National Cemetery

The funeral of Henry B. Thaden, long-time resident of the District, will be held from his home, 2317 M street at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. The burial will be in Arlington cemetery. He was seventy-two years of age, and a veteran of the civil war. His widow, Mrs. Marie Thaden, survives him.--Evening Star [Washington, D.C.] 6 Jun 1910.

Singing in the Choir

This is a picture of Peck Memorial Presbyterian Chapel, the church to which Charles B. Thaden and his wife, Lydia, went each Sunday. They were married at this church in 1908.

"Last night at Peck Memorial Chapel Miss Lydia Dalton Hodgson, daughter of Mrs. John E. Hodgson, was married to Charles Thaden by the Rev. James M. Henry, pastor of the church. The bride entered with her brother, Mr. John W. Hodgson, who gave her in marriage. Her dainty dress was of soft white French lawn, trimmed in valenciennes lace. She carried a shower bouquet of bride roses and lilies of the valley, and her tulle veil was fastened with lilies of the valley. Mrs. Grace Schlosser, as matron of honor, wore white swiss and carried Golden Gate roses. The four brides maids wore dainty dresses of white organdie and carried bridesmaid roses. They were Miss Vannie Fauth, Miss Doris Denham and the Misses May and Irene Yost. The ushers were Mr. W. Shipley, Mr. Arthur Payne, Mr. W. Beckwith and Mr. William Cartwright. Lucien Thaden was best man for his brother. Mr. George H. Ward, organist of the church, rendered several selections and two wedding marches. The chapel was prettily decorated with palms and daisies by the members of the church. Mr. and Mrs. Thaden left soon afterward for Atlanta, Ga., where they will be the guests of Mr. and Mrs. H. Thaden, who are to give a reception in their honor next Thursday night."

Interestingly, the best man and and bridesmaid Doris Denham later became husband and wife. Mr. and Mrs. H. Thaden in Atlanta were Charles' uncle and aunt.

Lydia sang soprano in the small church choir. There were three other sopranos, two altos, two basses, and a tenor. They were accompanied by organ. One year they gave a special evening Christmas song service and sang "Sing, Oh Heavens," "Behold I Bring You Tidings," and "Holy Night."

The Peck Chapel was located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and M Street. It was founded in 1886 as a mission outreach church in Georgetown, which provided vocational education for minorities and disadvantaged youth.  The church was sold to another organization in 1938 and was finally demolished in 1951.  The above photo shows an image of the church photoshopped into a current image to show its location. https://georgetownmetropolitan.com/2015/12/09/now-and-a-long-time-ago-pennsylvania-and-m-st/.

The Depletion of Frank De Mayo's Wealth

Undated article, and no place: "Gnawed at Dice Riches"
Pay-off Fees and Lawyers Cut into De Mayo's Money.
The $230,000 Accumulated in 1917 Went to Varied "Takers," Ex-bootlegger Tells Bankruptcy Referee.

Frank De Mayo, the former "bootleg king," who used to boast that "everybody had a price," was on the grill today before the referee in bankruptcy, harking back to his prosperous bootlegging days to explain the fading of a dice fortune, estimated by him at $230,000 at one time.

De Mayo has been trying to explain to Henry A. Bundschu, referee, and the trustee of his estate, that he is broke; that his small fortune, which reached a peak in 1917 of a quarter million, is now gone.

Bundschu is trying to trace the disposition of De Mayo's estate and gather up any missing assets to satisfy his creditors. De Mayo filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy July 12, stating he had only $1,000 left of his own to meet debts and judgments of more than $300,000.

The former booze runner, Bundschu learned today, would have most persons believe his fortune was spent in "fixing" public officials, paying off fines and compensating lawyers for getting him out of trouble in the prohibition era.

Testimony by De Mayo before  Bundschu discloses he had $250,000 in 1917 when he was 27 years old, realized by dice games and other gambling in pool halls he operated between 1907 and 1917.

In 1928, when he became involved with federal authorities over his illicit booze traffic, his fortune began to dwindle, he told Bundschu. He testified he paid the late Frank Walsh and other lawyers a $50,000 retainer fee for an unsuccessful effort to "wiggle" him out of the clutches of Uncle Sam.

During the Prohibition era, De Mayo told Bundsch, he spent much money in "fixing" public officials, and used his last $100,000 in "trying to keep out of jail." He finally received a federal penitentiary sentence and served it.

De Mayo has told the federal bankruptcy court he gave Mrs. Bessie De Mayo, his wife, large amounts on many occasions when he "was in the money."

In 1931, after his release from prison, he went in the oil business, forming the De Mayo Oil company, and bought up leases on 3,400 acres of oil land in Eastern Texas with his wife's money, he has stated. He paid $85,000 for the lease options out of one-third of the oil profits in eight years, according to his statements to Bundschu.

Mrs. De Mayo owns the oil company, which, he says, he manages for her. The late Casimir J. Welch, East Fifteenth street Democratic leader, was a partner for a time in the De Mayo Oil company, according to De Mayo. Records show Mrs. De Mayo in 1931 invested $56,000 in the Muskogee Natural Gas company and later sold her interests for $70,000.

De Mayo even capitalized on liquor investments after repeal of the eighteenth amendment, he says. In 1933, he sold warehouse receipts he had obtained on legal whisky at a profit of $5,000, which now, he told his interrogator, is gone. He also said he made a profit on $5,000 on Dominion of Canada bonds in 1933, and in 1934 he lost $40,000 in an Edgerton, Mo., distillery failure.

Then, in 1933 and 1935, he invested some of his wife's earnings in two cabinet manufacturing concerns, realizing a profit for her, he related, of about $22,000. He stated his wife's present income is $25,000 a year from the Texas oil leases.

[$230,000 in 1935 is equivalent to $4,000,000 in 2016. $25,000 in 1935 is equivalent to $438,000. The image of Frank De Mayo comes from nationalcrimesyndicate.com.]

Halloween 1906

I came across an article about Lucien Hayo Thaden and a Halloween party he attended in 1906. When reading this article, I was struck by how Halloween parties have come through a vast evolution. Here is the article:

"A Halloween party was given by Miss Irene C. Boyne at her home at 204 H street northwest. Games were played and vocal selections, accompanied by Miss Boyne on the piano, were rendered by Miss Edna Kaiser of New York city, Miss Bessie Hurt of this city and Mr. J. H. Brotbeck of Chattanooga, Tenn. Mr. William W. Norris gave several solos on the piano. Dancing then followed, after which supper was served in the dining room, which was very artistically decorated with autumn leaves and jack o'lanterns. Those present were Mrs. I. B. Boyne, Mrs. A. H. Anadale, Misses Frances Moyer, Edna Kaiser, Virginia Raines, Irene C. Boyne, Bessie Hart and Lillie V. McCullum; Messrs. William W. Norris, Lucien H. Thaden and Michael Holleran, and Edmund E. Hellerstadt, J. H. Brotbeck and Wells H. Hall of Chattanooga, Tenn."-- Evening Star [Washington, D.C.], 4 Nov 1906.

What a lovely little gathering. I learned a few things about Halloween parties of yesteryear from the Firelands History Website blog (https://firelands.wordpress.com/tag/halloween-1906).

“Halloween at the beginning of the 20^th Century was as much about romantic love as it was about ghosts and goblins . . . .

. . . [M]ost young men and women . . . would attend parties hosted by the young women in their homes. The women would treat their guests to a meal and the young people would entertain themselves with dancing and games. As with most social events of the day, activities at Halloween parties were a way for young men and women to flirt and gauge the suitability of potential romantic partners while under the watchful gaze of their parents.

The games especially were a great way to get acquainted. Some are familiar today, like bobbing for apples. A variation of that game popular at the time was called Snap Apple, where boys and girls would attempt to bite an apple suspended from the ceiling by a string. The first to succeed would be the first to marry. Another game involved the host hiding a dime, a ring and a thimble in mashed potatoes or a similar food. The guest who found the ring in his portion would be destined to marry soon, the one with the thimble would spend his or her life alone, and the lucky one to get the dime would have good fortune.”

I also learned through the Heritage Square blog (https://heritagesquarephx.org/news/halloween-hullabaloo/) that it was common at these parties to have “bubbling pots of candy that would be poured over a plate of nuts, then cooled, broken into smaller pieces and eaten.” We call this peanut brittle today. They also ate candied and carameled apples.

"Halloween parties had live entertainment – in the form of parlor games, fortune telling (likely with someone dressed up as a gypsy or witch to play the part), and readings. The parlor games involved many that would supposedly foretell a young person’s marital future, including pouring molten lead from a spoon into a pan of cold water, and the ensuing 'fanciful' shape would reveal the kind of husband a young lady would later marry."

Lucien was 20 years old at the time. Perhaps this was a reunion of high school friends or maybe a collection of young people who lived in the neighborhood. I notice none of his brothers attended so this was definitely Lucien's circle of friends. 

The postcard image came from http://tracystoys.blogspot.com/2013/10/antique-halloween-postcard-apple-bobbing.html.

Henry Thaden Class of 1909

Henry Bernard Thaden graduated from the Linthicum Institute housed in this building in 1909. I located a newspaper article reporting on the commencement exercises in the Washington Post dated 27 May 1909. Henry was 16 years old.

"Boy Students Give Plays.
Commencement Feature at Linthicum Institute.
Medals and Cash in Gold Awarded Winners of Prizes for Highest Standing in Studies.

Commencement exercises marking the close of the thirty-fourth school year of the Linthicum Institute in Georgetown were held at the school on O street before a large audience of relatives and friends of the hundred or more students of the institution. High honor was paid to the name of Edward Magruder Linthicum, formerly a prominent business man of Washington, who in his will left $75,000 for the erection of the school where poor boys might obtain a free education after working hours.

Boys of all ages who are on the rolls took part in the interesting program last evening, of which the principal numbers were three one-act plays. . . . The sketches were done well by the boys, and kept the audience in laughter for more than an hour and a half. [There were several piano numbers by an alumna.] Rev. J. T. Marshall, pastor of the West Presbyterian Church, offered prayer.

At the close of the program prizes for work during the year were presented by . . . a member of the board of trustees. He complimented the students on what they had accomplished in the year, and told of the close contest for the various medals. [H. B. Thaden was not among the prize winners, but he was listed with others receiving 'special mention.']

After the exercises had been concluded the visitors were taken through the school building and shown the clever work of the students in the several classrooms. . . ."

Henry's parents and three older brothers were likely in attendance at this graduation program. They were probably quite interested in looking at Henry's classroom and desk where he sat with his school work. The school was located about 15 blocks northwest of their home at 2317 M Street NW. It appears there was probably a street car line going right down O Street in front of the school.

From The Chronicles of Georgetown, D.C., from 1751-1878 by Richard Plummer Jackson, published in Washington, D.C. by R. O. Polkinhorn in 1878 on pages 238-244.:
Edward Magruder Linthicum grew up poor, but through hard work, he attained success and retired in comfort. An extract of his will reveals that he believed ". . . knowledge and piety constitute the only assurance of happiness and healthful progress to the human race. . ." He gave $50,000 [not $75,000 as the 1909 article stated] to his friends to become his trustees and establish and maintain "a free school for the education and instruction of indigent white boys and youths of Georgetown in useful learning, and in the spirit and practice of Christian virtue . . ." The trustees worked with the Georgetown city school system in building a large school house opposite St. John's Church between High and Market Streets. It was agreed "to set apart, free from rent, a room on the ground floor of the main front" of the building for the Linthicum Institute. The school was opened 1 Oct 1875 in the Curtis School Building. Night school classes were held for working boys from 7:00 to 9:00 every evening, except Saturday and Sunday, in penmanship, bookkeeping, drawing, arithmetic, geometry, chemistry, and physics. Two other schools operated separately in this same building.

The building no longer exists, but it was located across O Street from St. John's Episcopal Church, and next to the Hyde School; both of these buildings are still standing. According to a 1890 map of Georgetown, Potomac Street lay between Market and High Streets, which were mentioned in the above article. A close comparison of this map and a current map shows that High Street is now Wisconsin Avenue NW; Market Street is now 33rd Street NW; and today's O Street NW was once called First Street. The Curtis School Building more accurately sat at the northeast corner of Potomac and O Streets. The Hyde School playground now occupies the spot.

Image of Curtis School Building from The Georgetown Metropolitan, "Survey of Historic School Buildings in Georgetown, 9 Nov 2009, accessed 21 Nov 2018,
https://georgetownmetropolitan.com/2009/11/09/survey-of-historic-school-buildings-in-georgetown-hyde-school/.