Today’s Rabbit Hole ~ The Wenger family of New Orleans - related by marriage on my maternal side

 

Today I kind of went down a rabbit hole.  My genealogy friends know that is when you find one thing that leads to another and another. 

In this case, I was still kind of tying up loose ends for the GILLEN family I wrote about a couple of days ago.  Adding findagrave memorial numbers to my Legacy database and adding links to parents in the findagrave database as well.

That lead me to Silas Gillen’s wife’s family, the WENGERs.  Mathilde Wenger had a brother named Henry who was 2 years younger than her.  I had an approximate birth year for him and a findagrave number 23405138, but not much else.

 
I did have mention, in my research notes in Legacy, of an obituary I had located a couple of years ago on the Genealogy Bank website.

 
So, I went back to the website and lo and behold, found so much more. I located Henry's obituary, which included a picture of him.

Here is Henry Wenger’s obituary.

(Please click on any image to enlarge it)

Published in the New Orleans Item, 20 Sep 1912, page 3

It turns out that Henry, whom I found out was named Rudolph Henry at birth, was well known in the New Orleans area.  It seems his father, Henry Sr., had owned a saloon/dance hall.  Upon his death in 1896, his son, Henry Jr., took over ownership.

 
This dance hall/theatre was called the Trocadero and located at Burgundy & Iberville, in New Orleans.  As we know, New Orleans is known for the jazz halls, dance halls and music venues of all kinds.  I was unable to locate anything on Google in regards to a dance hall by the name Trocadero, but not for lack of trying.

Google map showing the intersection of Burgundy St. and Iberville St. where the Wenger dance hall/theater was located.  It is very near Bourbon St.

I also learned that there was another sibling in this Wenger family, named William F. born in 1862. He sadly died at age 49 in 1911.

Published in Times-Picayune, 13 Aug 1911, page 9

I was able to continue searching and located Henry’s death record on familysearch.org.  He died of acute uremia and, as I read it, enterocolitis.

Given the ages of death of her brothers, 49 and 56, Mathilde was fortunate to live to age 77. I wonder if she missed her younger brothers as she went on in life?  It would have been a sad couple of years for her, losing them both a year apart.

You can visit Henry Wenger’s memorial on findagrave here #23405138

For now, I will stop my research on the Wenger family.  I generally stay pretty close to my tree and don’t go off on wild chases of the 1st cousin 4 times removed's wife's brother.  But, in this case I found it an interesting journey. And, sometimes it's just plain fun.
 
If you have any information to add to what I’ve found, I’d be happy to hear from you.
 
If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2022   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION
 

MOTHER’S DAY 2020 ~ My matrilineal line back to my 6th great grandmother

A fellow blogger, Heather Wilkinson Rojo, who writes Nutfield Genealogy posted a blog with her matrilineal line.  I thought it was a good idea.  Yet another way to get this information out there and hope to connect with others who may share this line.

HERE ARE THE LADIES FROM WHOM I'M PROUD TO DESCEND

My Mother – Patricia Anne MILNE

Born 1924 in Detroit, Michigan, died 2016 in La Mesa, California, married Harry Norman Gould in 1949

My grandmother – Florence Lee Nora BOWDEN

Born 31 Jan 1888 in Ashland, Boyd, Kentucky, died 2 Apr 1986 in Southfield, Oakland, Michigan - married Joseph A. Milne on 11 Apr 1906.  They had 4 children

My great grandmother – Florence HUNTER

Born 7 Aug 1869 in Newport, Campbell, Kentucky, died 27 May 1946 in Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri - first married Robert Edward Lee Bowden on 10 Mar 1887 - they had 2 daughters.  Next married George Keatley Bell on 16 Oct 1904

My 2nd great grandmother – Susan Caroline BOGGS

Born 4 Aug 1842 in Marion, Lawrence, Ohio, died 26 Mar 1913 in Miamiville, Clermont, Ohio - married first James Gillen Hunter on 29 Aug 1859 - they had 9 children, after his death she married William Lewis Cresse on 26 Oct 1897 in Logansport, Cass, Indiana, after his death she married Lewis A. Hankins on 14 Apr 1909 in Jefferson Co., Indiana

My 3rd great grandmother – Nancy Delilah LUNSFORD

Born 8 Nov 1819 in Virginia, died 10 Apr 1895 in Huntington, Cabell Co., West Virginia - married William Allen Boggs on 11 Apr 1839 in Lawrence Co., Ohio - they had 5 children

My 4th great grandmother – Mary “Polly” Sackville HUDSON

Born 10 Jun 1796 in Virginia, died 28 Jun 1871 in Lawrence Co., Ohio - married John Lunsford (no known date) and they had 16 children

Here is a blog post about those 16 children - Sibling Saturday - The 16 children of John and Mary Lunsford 

My 5th great grandmother – Elizabeth REDDING

Born about 1775 in Virginia, died after 1850 - married Richard H. Hudson on 6 Sep 1795 in August Co., Virginia - they had 10 children

My 6th great grandmother – Mary (maiden name not known…..yet)

I don't yet know much about this couple.  I believe she was born about 1760 and that she died after 1815.  She married James Redding and is named in his will along with their 5 daughters

If you have connections to any of these ladies or their many descendants, I would love to hear from you and exchange information.  Are there other photos out there?  Are you a cousin?

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION