Month: November 2015

Tuesday’s Tip – Read Source Introductions

I have been looking for one of my ancestors for years in the 1800 Census.  He lived in Baltimore County, Maryland.  It seemed as though the entire county was missing from every source I looked at.

Well, I finally discovered why.

During a trip to my local public library I pulled the book “Maryland 1800 Census Index” from the shelf.  I decided to read the introductory pages…and there it was:

Jackson, Ronald Vern., and Gary Ronald Teeples. Maryland 1800 Census Index. Bountiful, UT: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1973. Print.

So, read the introductions of sources to find out what is and what isn’t there.  I have known this tip but obviously haven’t followed it.  Maybe if I write it down I will now practice what I preach.

Sibling Saturday: My Grandmother and her siblings – 1925

Charles, Adelina and Ruth Pisani

One of my favorite pictures of my grandmother and her siblings.  This picture was taken in 1925, probably at the farm they lived on in White Hall, Baltimore County, Maryland. They were the children of Angelo Louis Pisani and Ruth Augusta Henry.
Charles Angelo Pisani, a World War II veteran, was born on 1 JUL 1919 in Baltimore City, Maryland.  He died in White Hall, Baltimore County, Maryland on 12 MAR 1955 in a motorcycle accident.
Margaret Adelina Pisani Bull Wilson (my grandmother), was born on 14 JAN 1921 in White Hall, Baltimore County, Maryland.  She married and became a mother at 16, lost that son at 17 and then had 3 daughters.  She died 27 MAR 2002 in Hampstead, Carroll County, Maryland.
Ruth Louise Pisani Allen was born 8 JUL 1922 in White Hall, Baltimore County, Maryland.  She married her husband right before he went overseas in World War II.  They had one son.  She passed away on 23 AUG 2015 at the age of 93.

Epple Go-Over – Part One

In light of Thomas MacEntee’s “Genealogy Do-Over” (which I have been watching since its inception but haven’t jumped into), I decided to do a “Go-Over” for some of the families in my tree.  I decided to pick families that I haven’t really pursued seriously since I did the initial research on them.

One family in my tree that makes me scratch my head endlessly are my 2nd great-grandparents Massimo Hazeltime Pisani (Sr.) and Rosine Margarethe Epple.  Both were immigrants, he from Italy in the late 1850s and she from Germany in 1852.  I still have many questions about Massimo but I decided to first take another look at his wife’s family.

My original research on this family started in 2003, when I first caught the genealogy bug.  Unfortunately, my grandmother passed away in 2002, so I never got the chance to talk to her about the family.  So, I talked to my mother, my great Aunt Ruth Pisani Allen and my great aunt’s cousin.  I inherited 3 pictures of Rose that my grandmother had.  All 3 photos were from after she married my 2nd great-grandfather.  Only one picture had any date on it and another was the only picture that had any names associated with the people in the picture.  Beyond the pictures, after those conversations, I had names, birth dates, death dates and spouses for three of Rose and Massimo’s five children.  I knew a couple places in Baltimore that they lived and that Massimo was a fruit dealer and confectioner.  But what I knew about my 2nd great-grandmother herself was that her name was Rose Epple, and she was born in Germany.  That was it.  No dates, no parents.

So I started my research.  It looks like I didn’t source the information I have very well but as of today the information I have for Rose is:
Rosine Margarethe Epple was born in Germany (presumably Waldenbuch) and came to the United States, more specifically Baltimore, on 29 November 1852 when she was 3.  She arrived with her parents (Johan Georg-47 and Catherine-37) and 2 sisters (Albertina-13 and Paulina-5).  The Wuerttemberg, Germany Emigration Index and the Baltimore, Passenger and Immigration list (the ship name was Bessel) as sources for this.
Once in Baltimore, 1860 census information lists the family (minus Albertina) in the 14th Ward of Baltimore City along with 2 more sons (Lewis, who is actually a daughter Louise-7 and August-3) who were born in Maryland (presumably Baltimore).

I was unable to find Rose in the 1870 census but I did find her mother and 3 of her siblings. Her father Johann (or John) seems to have died, her mother Catherine (listed as being 26 years old) appears to have remarried a John Gerth (a 45 year old laborer who was born in Prussia).  Pauline (23), Louisa (14) and August (12) are also in the household in the 16th Ward of Baltimore City, Maryland.

By the 1880 census Rose had married Massimo and they were enumerated at 141 West Baltimore Street in the 9th Ward of Baltimore City, Maryland.  Also in the household was M. Fisher, a 39 year old single female, listed as a servant.

The 1900 and 1910 census’ list Rose and Massimo living in the 9th District of Baltimore County, on York Road. 

In the 1920 census finds Rose and Massimo living with their daughter and son-in-law Adelina and Louis Vicari.  Rose is listed as immigrating in 1852, Massimo in 1858.  Both are naturalized, with a date of 1885 for Massimo.

The 1930 census lists Rose as a widow (Massimo died in 1924), renting part of a house at 517 Turnpike Road in the 27th Ward of Baltimore City, Maryland.  She is listed as first being married at age 20, immigrating in 1853, and being naturalized.

“Rosey M. Pisani” died on 4 Oct 1937 at 500 Murdock Road in Anneslie, Baltimore County, Maryland.  She died of cardio-renal disease.  Her birth date is listed as 23 May 1849 and she is listed as being born in Stuggart, Germany.  Her father’s name is not supplied and her mother’s name is listed as “Katherine J. Epple”.  The informant for the information was her daughter “Mrs. Vicari” who lists her address as 500 Murdock Road.  Wm. Cook was the undertaker.  Rose was buried on 7 Oct 1937 at Western Cemetery in Baltimore City, Maryland.  It is also important to note that in the area of the deceased name, “Katherine Jacobina” was originally written and then struck through and “Rosey M.” written above.

So now I want to start filling in some of the information about Rose’s early life.  I also want to make sure I go back and source all the bits and pieces I already have. 
I have collected several newspaper articles, city directory pages, random documents that I haven’t sourced, or even organized.  I plan to go through all that information as well and see what I can learn from all the “stuff” I already have.

Stay tuned for more!