Who's Who -- The family of Charles Scheel (b. abt 1829)

Charles Scheel (b. abt 1829) immigrated to the United States from Germany and settled in Buffalo about 1850. So far we've had easy families for our who's who - one husband married to one wife the entire time, they had x number of kids, here's the list.

However for THIS Charles Scheel, things are not so neat and clean!

First, he married Phillipina (last name unknown) in Buffalo, NY, and I can confirm by using the 1860 US census that they had the following children:

Phillipina (b. Aug 1855 - ??)
Charles (b. 1858 - ??)
Susan (b. 1860 - ??)*
*this child doesn't appear on any other census or documentation; I can only assume that she died as a young child.

However, by the 1870 US census, Phillipina has died. Of course I'm assuming this since divorce was rare and the children would have typically lived with their mother back in the mid 1800s. So when she drops off the census and is replaced by another woman as Charles' wife, I can only assume she passed away. I am still looking for a death certificate or other information about her.

Instead, in 1870, Charles is married to Elizabeth Klein. Besides Phillipina Jr. and Charles Jr., they are listed as having the following children living with them:

Henry (b. 1861 - ??)
Elizabeth (b. 1864 - ??)
Frederick (b. 1866 - ??)
William (b. 1869 - ??)

I'm not sure which women (Phillipina or Elizabeth) is the mother of these children. There is not really a good gap between the births that would indicate where the split occurs. However, from subsequent censuses, I know that Elizabeth Klein is the mother of:

Caroline M. (b. 1871 --??)
Edward Christian (b. 15 Dec 1874 - 3 Aug 1937)
Albert (b. 1878 - ??)


I will be posting more about this family, and the censuses they are found on, later.

The Marriage of Edward Scheel and Mary Culver

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Transcription of above certificate:

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Left-hand Column:

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Date of Marriage: January 26, 1898

Groom's Full Name: Edward C. Scheel

Residence of Groom: 627 Elm St. [Buffalo, NY]

Age: Twenty-three

Color: White

Occupation: Art Imporium [?]

Single or Widowed: Single

Birthplace of Groom: Buffalo, NY

Father's Name: Charles H. Scheel

Mother's Name: Elizabeth Klien

Number of Groom's Marriage: One

Bride's Full Name: Mary Culver

Residence of Bride: 37 East Ferry St. [Buffalo, NY]

Age: 26

Color: White

Single or Widowed: [widowed crossed out]

Maiden Name if widowed: [blank]

Birthplace of Bride: City [meaning Buffalo, NY]

Father's Name: Frank

Mother's Maiden Name: Burk

Number of Bride's Marriage: [Ink scribble]

Name of Person performing Ceremony: Albert W. Allen

Residence: 594 W. Ferry St. [Buffalo, NY]

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Right-sided Column:

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State of New York

County of Erie

Certificate and Record of Marriage

City of Buffalo -- Bureau of Vital Statistics

I hereby certified that Edward E. Scheel and Mary Culver were joined in Marriage

by me in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, at 37 East Ferry

this 26th day of January 1898

Signature of Witnesses in Marriage: Henry Robinson, Robert Brown

Signature of Person performing ceremony: Albert W. Allen

This marriage certificate contains a lot of wonderful information for genealogical purposes. First, by listing the parents, it provides a link between generations, and a confirmation of parentage. Next, the addresses are a huge bonus -- they are important when you are trying to establish the bloodlines and there are many common names. Since Charles and Edward are quite common, and Scheel was not an uncommon name in Buffalo at the turn of the century, I can match up families by the address on this certificate with those on the census records, and confirm families. Lastly, I have the bride's maiden name which allows me to open a new branch in the family tree.