Mary Fahnestock is the author of the first two letters, dated April 16,1865 and May 1865. What do we know about her that we can use to verify her identity in Ancestry records? She lives in Pittsburgh and is writing to her sister Lizzy. She speaks of brother Derick. We have mention of a Benjamin who might be a husband or other adult living in the house. We have cousin Louisa, sister Sarah is in Pittsburgh, Cousins Alice Clara Lou & May, sister Lucinda. Mary has children who send kisses. In the May letter we also have Cousins Alarice? & Jerry Barnaxxas. We have the line “Benjamin will enclose the money in this letter”. We think she has children but says “I had invitation without number from highly esteemed gentlemen and did I wish such places should have been proud to have honored them with my company.” Hmmm, does not sound married? Aunt Sally Elberman died. Cousin Marian. Cousin Martha is in Lanchaster PA. Sister Lucinda again. Aunt Gardian was in Baltimore. From the April letter: “Benjamin and sister Sarah unites with me in love to dear Mother”. From The May letter: “Benjamin Sister Sarah writes with me her love to you dear mother. Brother Derick, Sister Lucinda. Ella Farring, Allen & Nancy
Sooo, a few family members! Ancestry.com provides a candidate, Mary Frances Fahnestock. Born 25 May 1813 Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland, Died 23 Feb 1897 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Marriage Date: 14 May 1850 Spouse: Benjamin L. Fahnestock Spouse Gender: Male County: Baltimore County
It is easy to miss that both of their last names are Fahnestock. A short amount of time in Ancestry Fahnestock tree and one discovers this situation over and over. I think the best thing to say is that the Fahnestocks were very proud of their linage and thought that marring another Fahnestock was a great idea. They probably were not exposed to a lot of non-family-members.
Here is Mary’s husband Benjamin’s entry from the Fahnestock genealogy.
#105 BENJAMIN LATSHAW FAHNESTOCK (Henry [No. 40], Benjamin, Johann Diedrich), b. Baltimore, Md., 16 Dec. 1810; d. Pittsburgh, Pa., 3 Jan. 1888; m. (1) Pittsburgh, 8 Nov. 1832, Elizabeth Haupt, b. Pittsburgh, 12 June 1811; d. Pittsburgh, 6 March 1849, daughter of Jacob and Anna Margaretta (Wiall) Haupt; m. (2) Baltimore, 1850, Mary Frances Fahnestock, b. Baltimore, 25 May 1813; d. Pittsburgh, 23 Feb. 1897, daughter of Peter Fahnestock [No. 41]. Benjamin Latshaw Fahnestock at nineteen became a clerk in the wholesale drug business for his cousin, Dr. Benjamin Augen- baugh Fahnestock [No. 98]. At the age of twenty-four he was admitted to the firm which was dissolved in 1857. He bought the firm of Fleming Bros, and engaged in the same business, admitting his son Benjamin Seymour Fahnestock as a partner and in 1867 admitting his son-in-law Benjamin Franklin Vandevort. They started the successful Iron City White Lead works. His first wife was the sister of General Herman Haupt, Chief Engineer of the Missouri Pacific R.R. He and his wives were buried in the Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pa. His will dated 19 May 1884, was proved 7 Jan. 1888. The children of Benjamin Latshaw and Elizabeth (Haupt) Fahnestock, all b. Pittsburgh, were: I. Henrietta, b. 14 Oct. 1833; d. unm., Pittsburgh, 10 May 1919. #238 II. Charles Henry, b. ca. 1834. III. Augustus Albert, b. 17 Dec. 1836, d. 6 June 1849. #239 IV. Benjamin Seymour, b. 3 June 1838. #240 V. Walter Bryant, b. 30 Jan. 1840. VI. Eliza Catherine, b. 19 June 1843, d. 27 July 1858. #241 VII. Caroline Ringold, b. 19 May 1845. VIII.Mary Emma, b. ca. 1847, d. 2 July 1847. The children of Benjamin Latshaw and Mary Frances (Fahnestock) Fahnestock, all b. Pittsburgh, were: IX.Irving, b. 3 Oct. 1851, d. 14 March 1852. #242 X. Vernon, b. ca. 1853. XI. Levi, b. 16 June 1857; d. unm., Germantown, Pa., 8 Nov. 1903. XII. Catharine Margaret, b. ca. i860, d. 8 Oct. 1860.
There is a lot to take in here. The numbers, like #105, are the way a genecology keeps track of people. The first person is #1, his children are #2 #3 etc. The roman numerals from l to Xll list the children. Note that many of the children do not get #s as they did not have offspring. Number l Hanrietta has the notation unm which means unmarried. Number lll Augustus died at the age of 13. You will note of course that Benjamin and his first wife, Elizabeth Haupt, had 8 children. She was one of the rare exceptions in the family, she was not a Fahnestock. ca as in “b. ca 1834” means circa 1834. The author is not really sure of the exact year and has no exact birth date.
Another great source of information for me is the Ancestry census records. Not only do many of the later ones list all household members but Ancestry has provided an “aid” that does a super job of transcribing the often floral script of the census enumerator.
So here is the Benjamin – Mary household from 1850.
So we will go through the names in the census form and line them up with the ages from the geneology above. Ben is 39 and Mary is 37. This is 1850, so they should be born in 1811 and 1813. he actuals are Ben 1810 and Mary 1813, close enough. Then we have Henritta 1834 Charles H. 1836. The actuals are 1833 and 1834. Benjamin S 1838 and Walter B 1840. The actuals are 1838 and 1840. Next E Kate1843 and Caroline R 1845. Actuals are 1843 and 1845. We then have 3 what we assume to be servants, 1 ireland, 1 wales 1 PA: Mary Curren 39, Mary A Synnott 22 and Miriam Edwand 23. Don’t worry, I am not that much better than you are at deciphering the script, I am cheating and using the transcriptions that Ancestry provides when you curser over the script. Have to assume they used AI or LOTS of people!
So we can be positive this is the Ben/Mary family we are tracking. Note that Ben’s first wife Elizabeth has just died and none of these children were born of Mary. Onto the 1860 census.
I am taking special note to show it is from Pittsburgh Ward 4. The ages are all a good fit, Ben at 49, Mary 47, Harriette 26, Walter B at 20. Charles H and Benjamin S are both gone from home. Caroline is now 15 and now we are starting the Mary children. Vernon 7 Levi 3. Next is a mystery. Two more Fanhestocks: Catherine 47 and Agnes 8. Ancestry thinks that is 47 and ancestry is right on the money time after time but I am going to propose an alternate hypothesis. You will note that Ben and Mary had a last child named Catharine Margaret who was born and died in 1860. Two points against me. That Catharine is spelled ar and this one is er. The enumerator when he is writing ages below 1 uses a fraction 11/12 6/12 in other places so maybe this is a 47.
I have made a little more progress with Agnes. There is a Agnes Fahnestock who is living with relatives bouncing around Pittsburgh. I am not sure of myself to say anything more yet. My first assumption was that Catherine is Abnes’ mother but again the jury is out.
Alright, back to the 1860 census and the servants. Four from Ireland this time: Mary Curran 55, She has aged a little, put on 15 years instead of 10! Maggie Harland 25, Margret Gonnan 18, Catherine Keelan 16.
There is a very interesting thread about Ben and this druggist business and of course I have not laid out Mary’s family and who are her sisters. I’ll handle the sister issue in the next page called “Who is Lizzy” and hoppefully come back to the druggist adventure later.