{"id":471,"date":"2016-11-06T13:39:42","date_gmt":"2016-11-06T13:39:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/?p=471"},"modified":"2016-11-06T13:40:35","modified_gmt":"2016-11-06T13:40:35","slug":"john-duer-where-art-thou-buried-and-other-duer-mysteries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/?p=471","title":{"rendered":"John Duer, Where Art Thou Buried and Other Duer Mysteries?!"},"content":{"rendered":"

My last post, Records Breadcrumb Trail May Lead to Wrong Conclusions<\/em>, and an earlier post, Circular Migration Patterns-How History Repeats Itself<\/em>, 30 May 2015) noted my research of my Duer line.\u00a0 My latest hurdle is finding the burial location of John Duer, my 3rd<\/sup> great grandfather.<\/p>\n

I know from his Indiana probate records that John died on 25 February 1885 in Adams County, Indiana.<\/a>[1] John and his second wife, Margaret Martz Searight, were living in Jefferson, Adams County, Indiana in 1880, along with their two children Charley, age 14 and Lucinda, age 12.<\/a>[2]\u00a0 Adams County, Indiana is adjacent to Mercer County, Ohio where both had resided with their first spouses.\u00a0 I\u2019m descended from John\u2019s daughter, Maria, with his first wife, Mary Jane Morrison.<\/a>[3]<\/p>\n

I\u2019m discovering some interesting information regarding John and Margaret and I wish I could connect up with relatives who might be able to shed light on my findings.\u00a0 The first \u201codd\u201d event was John and Margaret\u2019s marriage on 11 December 1864.<\/a>[4]\u00a0 How that is odd is that first wife, Mary Jane, did not die until 10 July 1866.<\/a>[5]\u00a0 No divorce documentation has been found.\u00a0 Nothing leads me to believe that John was a polygamist; he was raised as a Presbyterian and his father, Thomas, was buried in a Presbyterian cemetery in Trumbull County, Ohio.<\/a>[6] \u00a0The Justice of the Peace for the second marriage was a third great uncle of mine on another line, John Leininger.\u00a0 The Leiningers were Lutheran. \u00a0Since Mary Jane\u2019s tombstone clearly states she was \u201cthe wife of John Duer\u201d and there was only one other John Duer living in the area at the time who happened to be her son who was married to a Carolina Kuhn, this isn\u2019t a case of mistaken identity.\u00a0 I\u2019m positive that the John Duer that married Margaret was not John and Mary Jane\u2019s son John (Jr.) as I have his marriage certificate to Carolyn in 1863.\u00a0 John Jr. and Carolina\u2019s first child, John (of course!) was also born in 1866.\u00a0 Likewise, John Sr. and his second wife, Margaret\u2019s first child, Charles, was born in 1866.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t been able to find the exact birth date but remember, first wife didn\u2019t die until July 1866.<\/p>\n

If John Sr. and Mary Ann had divorced, why would Mary Jane\u2019s tombstone inscription note her as a wife?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Figure 1Mary Jane Morrison Duer Tombstone<\/a>[7]<\/strong><\/p>\n

To further support I have the correct John Duer, his will probated in Adams County, Indiana not only mentions his children from his second marriage to Margaret, but Angeline, his youngest daughter with his first wife, Jane.<\/a>[8]<\/p>\n

John and Jane had ten children; at the time of his death six were known to be living.\u00a0 Yet, he did not note any child from the first wife in his will except Angeline.<\/p>\n

There could be several reasons for the omission.\u00a0 Perhaps his older children, as well established adults, did not need financial assistance.\u00a0 Maybe there was a falling out and the older children were no longer speaking to their father.\u00a0 Angeline, Mary and James, children from his first wife, were living in Adams County, Indiana while the other children were living in Mercer County in 1870.\u00a0 Although geographically these counties are next to each other, perhaps John decided only unmarried children living in Indiana would receive compensation.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve searched for an obituary for John and Jane and haven\u2019t been able to find one.\u00a0 I\u2019ve also been unable to find where John was buried.<\/p>\n

Kessler Cemetery records are incomplete.<\/a>[9]\u00a0 Jane is mentioned in the records, however, John is not.\u00a0 According to one of the county trustees, the older section of the cemetery has no empty plots.\u00a0 There is an empty space in Jane\u2019s row so it is possible that John was interred there with no stone.\u00a0 If they had divorced, why would he be interred close to his ex?<\/p>\n

To rule out a burial elsewhere, other cemeteries in Mercer and Adams counties were examined.\u00a0 No burial location for John was found.\u00a0 John died before death certificates were mandatory in Indiana so there is no clue to be discovered there.<\/p>\n

John\u2019s second wife, Margaret, was also buried in Kessler Cemetery and her burial is notated in the records.\u00a0 There are no empty spaces in Margaret\u2019s burial location and all surrounding graves have readable tombstones, very similar to Jane\u2019s.\u00a0 Like Jane, Margaret\u2019s stone denotes her as the wife of John Duer:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Figure 2\u00a0Margaret Ann Martz Searight Duer Stone<\/a>[10]<\/strong><\/p>\n

Margaret was first married to a Mr. Sea(w)ri(gh)te.\u00a0 She had a daughter, Effie, from her first marriage that was born in 1856.\u00a0 Effie was born in Ohio so Margaret had emigrated from Hesse, Germany prior to that time.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never been able to determine where Margaret\u2019s first husband was buried, either.\u00a0 Oh, these missing men!<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the second odd situation with this family \u2013 John and Jane\u2019s daughter, Maria (not to be confused with Mary, another of their daughters) married Henry Kuhn Jr.\u00a0 Henry was also an immigrant from Germany; he was quite prosperous and well known in the German community in Mercer.\u00a0 The Leininger family (the JP for the second marriage) were much like the Kuhns; born in Germany they adapted quickly and held many political offices in the community as well as being successful farmers.\u00a0 Surely these individuals would have all known each other.\u00a0 Maria and Henry\u2019s tombstone is ornate and also in Kessler Cemetery.\u00a0 They could have well afforded a small stone for John. Why doesn\u2019t John have one if he was buried there?<\/p>\n

Some individuals do not want a stone but I find no reason that John would have been one of those folks.\u00a0 His father, mother and grandfather had stones, as did both of his wives.\u00a0 It seems to me that his passing wanted to be forgotten.<\/p>\n

As I was researching obituaries I came across the following unsettling article:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

John’s wife, Margaret, had met a similar fate[11]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Figure 3 The Fort Wayne [Indiana] Daily News<\/p>\n

The son that lived nearby was Charles.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Figure 4 The Evening Republican<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Figure 5\u00a0The Fort Wayne [Indiana] Evening Sentinel<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Figure 6 The Indiana Tribune (in German)<\/p>\n

John and Margaret\u2019s son, Charles Edward Duer, was married to Almeda Buckmaster.<\/a>[12]\u00a0 I thought she was the \u201cMrs. Duer\u201d who had died on 1 June 1894<\/a>[13].\u00a0 I began to wonder if there wasn\u2019t a sinister side to this line but I\u2019m happy to report that upon analysis, there were two Charles Duers, one in Indiana and one in Ohio.\u00a0 Both had a loved one die by fire but they were not one and the same.\u00a0 Whew!\u00a0 Thought I was identifying a murder suspect for a bit.\u00a0 Guess it\u2019s just a creepy coincidence!<\/p>\n

__________________________________ \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0[1] \u201cIndiana, Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999,\u201d John Duer, Volume A-C, page 484-486; digital image, Ancestry.com<\/em> (http:\u00a0 ancestry.com:\u00a0 accessed 16 October 2016), citing Adams County, Indiana Circuit Court.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[2] 1880 U.S. census, Jefferson, Adams County, Indiana, population schedule, page 6 (handwritten), family\/dwelling 54, John Duer; digital image, Ancestry.com<\/em> (http:\u00a0 ancestry.com:\u00a0 accessed 16 October 2016), citing FHL microfilm 1254263.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[3] See previous blogs for citations.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[4] Ohio, Marriage Intention Application, John Duer,<\/p>\n

<\/a>[5] Find-A-Grave, database and image (http:\/\/www.findagrave.com:\u00a0 accessed 16 October 2016), memorial page for Jane Morrison Duer (1804-1866), Find A Grave Memorial no. 22503919; memorial created by Teresa citing St. Kessler Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio; image by Cousin Becky.\u00a0 Tombstone states \u201cJane, wife of John Duer\u201d and clearly shows 1866 as the death year.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[6] Find-A-Grave, database and image (http:\/\/www.findagrave.com:\u00a0 accessed 16 October 2016), memorial page for Thomas Duer (1775-1829), Find A Grave Memorial no. 57798621; memorial created by BLJns75 citing St. Pricetown Cemetery, Newton Falls, Trumbull County, Ohio.\u00a0 No tombstone pictures but confirmed with a local genealogist in Trumbull who had tripped over Thomas\u2019 fallen stone and had it reset, the cemetery was for Presbyterian\u2019s only.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[7] Find-A-Grave, \u201cJane Morrison Duer,\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a>[8] \u201cIndiana, Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999,\u201d John Duer, Volume A-C, page 484-486<\/p>\n

<\/a>[9] Author to\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 , Mercer County Trustee, Phone and Email, date, .\u00a0 Author is deeply appreciative of\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 for not only scanning and emailing the cemetery records for the Duer family, but including other family members who were interred in the cemetery.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Also physically went to the gravesite to verify that there was no stone for John Duer.\u00a0 She took pictures of surrounding stones and emailed to the author.\u00a0 Her dedication is exemplary!<\/p>\n

<\/a>[10] Find-A-Grave, database and image (http:\/\/www.findagrave.com:\u00a0 accessed 16 October 2016), memorial page for Margaret A. Duer (1823-1904), Find A Grave Memorial no. 22546617; memorial created by Teresa citing St. Kessler Cemetery, Chattanooga, Mercer County, Ohio; image by Cousin Becky.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[11] \u201cBurned in Her Home,\u201d The Fort Wayne<\/em> [Indiana] Daily News<\/em>, 29 December 1904, p. 1, col. 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cAged Woman Cremated,\u201d The<\/em> [Columbus, Ohio] Evening Republican<\/em>, 30 December 1904, p. 1, col. 2.<\/p>\n

\u201cAged Woman Burns to Death in Home,\u201d The Fort Wayne [Indiana] Evening Sentinel, 30 December 1904, p. 1, col. 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cRadridten and Indiana,\u201d Indiana Tribune<\/em>, 30 Dec 1904, No. 110, p. 1, col. 6.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[12] \u201cIndiana Marriage Collection, 1800-1941,\u201d Charles E. Duer and Elmeda Buckmaster, 6 March 1886; digital image, Familysearch (https:\/\/familysearch.org<\/a>:\u00a0 accessed 17 October 2016); citing FHL microfilm 002321466; citing Adams County, Indiana County Clerk Office, p. 124.<\/p>\n

<\/a>[13] \u201cFatal Burns,\u201d The Lima<\/em> [Ohio] Times-Democrat<\/em>, Vol. X, No. 195, p. 1, col. 1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My last post, Records Breadcrumb Trail May Lead to Wrong Conclusions, and an earlier post, Circular Migration Patterns-How History Repeats Itself, 30 May 2015) noted my research of my Duer line.\u00a0 My latest hurdle is finding the burial location of John Duer, my 3rd great grandfather. I know from his Indiana probate records that John … Continue reading “John Duer, Where Art Thou Buried and Other Duer Mysteries?!”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[82,139,369,141,80,370,368],"class_list":["post-471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family-stories","tag-duer","tag-kable","tag-kessler-cemetery","tag-kuhn","tag-leininger","tag-mercer-ohio","tag-seawright"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=471"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":473,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471\/revisions\/473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogyatheart.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}