My Trails into the Past

Not all people who end up in court commit crimes and experience punishment. Here’s a short tale of my husband’s great-great-grandfather who lived either in Jeffersonville, Indiana, or Louisville, Kentucky, which was just across the Ohio River. Ludwig “Louis” Wollenweber, my husband’s 2x-great-grandfather, was a saloon owner in Louisville, Kentucky in the 1860s and 70s. In 1861, he appeared in the local city directory on four pages, where he was really covering his bases on his cliental: selling wines and liquors on 520 E. Market Street manufacturing bitters at n.s. Market between Jackson and Hancock sirup manufacturer at 520 E. Market and wines and liquors wholesales at 520 E. Market. [1] Four years later his saloon was at 90 Market near 3 rd and lived at the same address. [2] Running an establishment dealing with liquor or tobacco involved regulations. Licenses and special taxes had to be paid. It turns out that if one is late in paying, the court gets involved. This happen...

I am working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow . I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails Into the Past . I’m looking forward to writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways. The first child born to Johan Adam Voehringer and Maria Agnes Reiff was named Philippine Margaretha Voehringer. She was born 18 February 1832 in Unterhausen, Schwarzwald, Württemberg. She lived just over one year, dying on 14 April 1833. [1] Their second child was also named Philippine Margaretha, born 28 May 1834. [2] She was the 3rd great-grandmother of my children and the oldest child who lived to adulthood. She was confirmed when the family was living in Bronnweiler. She then left for America, arriving on the SS Gebhard in New York on 1 September 1857. [3] It is not clear she traveled alone or with other known people. A year later she married Ludwig Wilhelm Wollenweber on 5 September 1858 in Louisvil...

It all started with a newspaper article in the Courier-Journal , a newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky. I was searching this newspaper in the ProQuest.com newspaper site that the attendees at IGHR at Samford University had access to.  There was a newspaper in Louisville, Kentucky and I had Wollenweber ancestors in Louisville. So in my search I found an article about real estate transactions. Philippine Wollenweber, a widow, was selling her interest in the estate of Fred Vohringer to Rosina Noking. [1] Well, light bulbs went off in my head! Voehringer was Philippine’s maiden name. I knew this from her marriage record to Ludwig W. Wollenweber. [2] Selling an interest in an estate meant she had some connection to this Fred. Vohringer. And could Voehringer and Vohringer be the same name? The complete transaction as printed in the newspaper went like this:   “Philippine Wollenweber, widow, to Rosina Noking, interest in estate of Fred. Vohringer, deceased, and being one-half...

Our genealogy society had a meeting this month at the Concord Family History Center.  Actually, we call it a workshop, so members can use the computers, books, and microfilms after the center has closed.  I let other members have access to the computers and checked out the binder listing all of the microfilm records the center had available.  The films were listed by locality and I saw many films of Louisville, Kentucky and got excited. I'm looking for Louis W Wollenweber, my husband's gg-grandfather, who was from Germany.  He married Phillapena Voehringer, also from Germany, in 1858.  We had the date based on a transcript of a family bible.  Now I have the record as recorded in the marriage register: Louisville, Kentucky Marriage Register, Sep 1858, p 98 (left side of register) This side of the page reads:       Sep 3, Louis W. Wollenwebber & Phillippena Voehringer, Augustus Bargas  Augustus Bargas is the person who marri...