Breaking the wall of Conrad Nagel

For a while this man, Conrad Nagel, my 2nd great-grand father has been a huge brick wall for me.  I have spent many hours of research on him. I have pulled just about every record I can think of, hoping to find that illusive name of the town he was born in Germany. But I was constantly frustrated.

That is until Thursday, when a little bit of luck, and those hours of research finally paid off. Part of my problem has been searching through church records in Germany. 1) I don’t speak German, so I am overwhelmed when I even attempt such a process and 2) I don’t even know where to begin. Most of the records are on microfilm, not indexed digitally, and I don’t know where I would start to look to wade through all those records. The only clues I had was a pretty solid birth date of July 9, 1832 based on his Civil War Pension records, and that he was born in the Hessen State of Germany.

The break came on Thursday, when I was looking for records through FamilySearch. Usually, you want to keep your search a broad as possible, but for some reason, this time I narrow my results in to only those from Hesse-Germany. The top result was a baptism record for a baby boy named Johann Konrad Nagel, baptized July 7, 1832 in Langd, Hesse-Germany to Johann Henrich Nagel and Anna Katharina Gerst. My gut said that this was the one. The date of birth was was so close.  But I had no evidence to connect these two people.

I didn’t know the names of Conrad’s parents, or even any names of his siblings (there were three other children listed in the baptism records in Langd: Jacob, Katharina, and Anna Elisabetha).  The family names were a good fit (Henry, Jacob, John, Anna, Katherine). So I spent a while finding every record I could on the family.

The records for Johann Konrad and his brother Jacob Konrad each had a notation: nach Amerika ausgewandert (immigrated to America.) I spend some time trying to find Jacob in America, to see if I could place him and my Conrad together. No luck.

And then I remembered an important clue from Conrad’s Civil War Pension record. One of the witnesses interviewed, a 50 year old man named Jacob Knorr stated that he had known Conrad for 40 years.  At the time, I made note of that, wondering if he had known Conrad in German, since he had only been in the US for about 30 years. I had an approximate birth year for Mr. Jacob Knorr based on his age at the time of the interview.  To test my theory, I searched for a baptism record for him in the town of Langd.  And there he was.  Some more digging, and I found a passport application for Mrs. Knorr, on which she gave her husband’s birthplace as Langd, Germany.

So the man who had known Conrad for 40 year, back in the old country, was born in the town of Langd. This was the missing link I needed.

It was like hitting the jackpot, because the records for Langd go back hundreds of years, and they are indexed online. Which means that I can trace the family back generation by generation all the way to another man named Conrad Nagel, born about 1640, who look to be the one who moved into Langd.

So the Nagel family lived in the small village of Langd for at least 200 years, located just east of Hungen.  Langd (pronounced Lawnkt) is such a small village that I had some trouble finding the history on it. At least in English, but thanks to some Google translation, I was able to get a little bit of information.

The first time the village was mentioned by name was in 1242.  The Evangelical Church was built in the 11th century.  Since around 1770, the village has been mainly a mining village, for iron.  The mining areas are partially visible today. Foundations of the workers barracks and some wash trays dams are located in the forest area between Hungen and Langd.

The first school was built in 1832, the same year as Conrad’s birth.  In 1847, the first residents wandered – for economic reasons – to America. (I have yet to find more information on this.)  Conrad came over to America in 1857, living in Ohio until the Civil War.  His younger brother Jacob came in the US in 1863, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he lived with his wife Margaret and four children until his death in 1907.

Images courtesy of the Langd/Hungen Offical Website

From 1832 to 1640… that is quite a genealogical leap. And so exciting after so many months of frustration.

Conrad Nagle Civil War record

I requested and received Conrad Nagle, my maternal great-great grandfather’s complete military and pension records from the National Archives.  Included with his records was this delightful picture, I believe taken around 1891 (age 59). Conrad was 5 feet, 8 inches tall, light complexion, with blue eyes and brown hair. He was 29 years old at the time of his enlistment. I had hoped to find the name of the town in Germany he was from, but he did not give it, listing his birthplace only as GERMANY. What is helpful, however, is finding out where he enlisted, the town of Ironton, Ohio, December 2, 1861.  Why is this helpful? Because it confirms that the 1860 Federal Census I have for Coonrad Nagel, who was living in Upper Lawrence (Ironton is a part of Upper Lawrence) is our man. In 1860, he was working as a miner, but when Conrad joined the Ohio 6th Cavalry, he stated that he was a farmer.  He provided his own horse and equipment, for which the government paid him.  His enlistment period was for 3 years, but on December 23, 1863 in Warrenton, VA, at the end of his service, he re-enlisted. On March 12, 1864, he was given furlough for 35 days, during which he returned to his home in Ironton, Ohio. On April 13, 1864, he traveled by steamer ship, down the Ohio River from Ironton, Ohio to Parkersburg, VA. He was discharged near Petersburg, VA on June 27, 1865.

After the War

The details of his life between his discharge in 1865 and the 1870 census are a little confusing.  The main source of this confusion is the birth/identity of Emma Naugle/Ream/Mitzlaff Emma Mitzlaff was born Feb 2, 1866 in–according to her–Philadelphia, PA.  This place of birth is listed in several places, on her immigration records (she traveled to Germany with her husband Albert), and in her obituary.

MITZLAFF.  Mrs. Emma R., 89, of 111 Jackson Street, died the morning of March 2, 1955, at Lee Hospital. Born in Philadelphia Feb 2, 1866, a daughter of Conrad and Catherine (Rehm) Nagle.* Survived by a sister Mrs Elizabeth Doell, 234 Wood Street.  Preceded in death by husband Albert; two sisters–Miss Mary B. Nagle and Mrs Catherine Reinholtz, and two brothers–Jacob G. and Henry J.

One Emma or Two?

Emma’s mother is listed as Catherine Rehm, Sophia’s sister.  But, from Sophia’s obituary on March 5, 1906:

She is survived by six children as follows: Emma, wife of Albert Metzlaff of New York; Mary, Katie, and Elizabeth, all living at home, and Henry and Jacob, married and residing in the Eighth Ward. She is also survived by one sister, Catherine Ream, of the Eighth Ward, and one brother, Henry Schenkel of Millcreek.

In 1870, when Conrad and Sophia and Catherine and her husband are all living in the same house, Emma is listed as Emma NAGLE, Conrad and Sophia’s daughter, not Emma REAM, Catherine’s daughter. In 1880, there is an Emma REAM listed with Catherine and her husband on the census (14 years old).  Conrad and Sophia and family live just a few doors down…and there is no Emma (who should be 14) listed with them. Emma K REAM along with Catherine Ream are one of those who gave written testimony on Sophia’s widow pension file (in 1894) to the birth of Sophia’s youngest children Catherine and Elizabeth’s birth; She claimed to be present at their birth, that she was a nurse, and had helped with the births. According to the 1910 census, Albert Mitzlaff was married to Emma in 1895, but I cannot located their marriage record (which would be very helpful in sorting out who her mother was). On the 1900 census, Catherine is listed as mother to 1 child….but 0 living. That same year, Sophia, is listed as mother of 6, with 6 living (Emma, Mary, Kate, Elizabeth, Jacob, and Henry equals 6). So, I BELIEVE that there are two women, Emma R and Emma K, cousins, born in the same year, and that Emma K, daughter of Catherine died between 1895 and 1900. But its hard to say with 100% certainty, because as far as records are concerned, the two women never “appear” in the same place at the same time. There are too many holes. I cannot find a grave for a Emma REAM in Johnstown, PA.  Emma NAUGLE is in the 1870 census, but not 1880. Emma REAM is in the 1880 census, but not 1870.  In the 1899 city directory, Miss Emma K REAM was living with in the house of Catherine Ream. And Emma MITZLAFF doesn’t show up until the 1910 census (where was she in 1900?) So in the end, it is a little unclear if Emma is really Sophia and Conrad’s daughter. If she was born on Feb 2, 1866, then she would have been conceived around April 28, 1865, two months before Conrad was discharged.  This of course begs the question, who was Emma’s father?  So, if Emma is Sophia’s daughter, and if she was born in Philadelphia, that would mean that Sophia was in Philadelphia in 1866. But I can find no evidence for this. I cannot find Emma (Nagle OR Ream) in the Philadelphia birth records. I don’t find a listing for Sophia or her father or siblings in the city directory. Emma obviously believed that she was born in Philadelphia, and it seems like such a random fact to cling to without some thing to make her think that. According to Sophia’s widow pension file, she and Conrad were married in Johnstown, PA on Sept 12, 1868. Several witnesses testified to this, as well as the birth of her two youngest children, Catherine and Elizabeth–who were both under the age of 16 at the time of her pension filling, and therefore eligible for benefits. (Sophia couldn’t provide the records to prove these, as she said they had been destroyed in the Johnstown flood, but the records were saved by the minister at the time; they were found with his body. I have a request in, but haven’t received any information yet.) Sophia’s second child, Mary was born June 1869, nine months after her parent’s marriage. In 1870, Sophia and Conrad, Emma and Mary are living in Johnstown, in the same house as Catherine and Jacob Ream. So, how did Conrad Nagle–who before the war made his home in Ironton, OH–get from Petersburg, Virginia in 1865 to Johnstown Pa in 1869 is still a mystery.

150th Anniversary of Gettysburg

Today is the 150 anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.  I know of at least one of my ancestors who was involved in this battle, my 2nd great grandfather Private Conrad Nagel, of the Ohio 6th Cavalry.  I found this great article in the Tribune written by CAROLE BABYAB on the Ohio 6th Cavalry’s involvement in the battle of Gettysburg, printed earlier this week on June 24, 2013.

6th Ohio Cavalry helps turn tide

In June 1863 at Upperville, the 6th Ohio Cavalry charged and held Confederate General Jeb Stuart, in the end driving him back through the gap.

The 6th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry’s participation in these engagements was not without casualties, but they faced the Confederate Cavalry fighting, standing their ground and, importantly, employed dismounted fighting. One trooper would hold the horses in the rear while the dismounted men would advance, firing from a favorable position.

Gen. Hooker had ordered Stahel to scour the Catoctin Mountain near the Pennsylvania border. These men then moved north into the town of Gettysburg, the first Union horsemen to enter Pennsylvania. The men were welcomed with jugs of water, fresh bread and apple butter.

The rest of the army was scattered. The cavalry, Gen. Buford guarded the rear of Gen. John Reynolds’s men, and crossed the Potomac River on June 25 and June 26. Brig. Gen. David Gregg’s division, including the 6th OVC, was guarding the rest of the army and its supply train.

The 6th OVC crossed the Potomac River at Edward’s Ferry on June 27. For more than a year, they had been in enemy territory. The troopers were elated to be in Pennsylvania.

During Gettysburg, 10 companies of the 6th OVC guarded trains and the railroad. After the battle, they saw action with the retreating Confederate army and cavalry.

Tragically, Brig. Gen. Elon Farnsworth, who proved himself a bright, capable cavalry leader, was ordered by Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick, dubbed ”Kill-Cavalry,” to make an unwise mounted charge on July 3, 1863 near the foot of Big Round Top at Gettysburg. Elon protested the charge but followed orders, refused to surrender and was shot 5 times, dying on a wooded hill called Bushman’s Hill.

How are we related?

Conrad Nagle (1832 – 1893) is my 2nd great grandfather > Henry John Naugle (1874 – 1944) son of Conrad Nagle > Betty Louise Naugle (1918 – 2008) daughter of Henry John Naugle.

Story Time: The 6th Regimental Ohio Cavalry

Based on census records, Conrad Nagel arrived in the United States from Germany around 1859. There is one ship record that I have put in my shoebox as a possible immigration record for Conrad.  It is for the ship New Orleans, that arrived in New York in 2 Jun 1857.  It catches my eye because this Conrad Nagel had his destination in the US as Ohio. He is also the right age, and from the right part of Germany. And this Conrad was a shoemaker.

Based on census records, I believe that Conrad Nagel was living in Upper Township, Lawrence county, Ohio in 1860.  Unfortunately, the image of this census record is really poor quality. So bad in fact that I can’t actually read it for myself and have to rely on the transcription from Ancestry.com (which we know can be a bad idea). But Conrad was living at what appears to be a boarding house, run by Charles and Christina Mafus. He appears to be single. As least there are no other Nagel’s living in the same house with him.

When Confederate artillery fired on Fort Sumter April 12, 1861, hundreds of horsemen from the Western Reserve counties of Northeast Ohio took up the call.

OHIO SIXTH INDEPENDENT CAVALRY COMPANY

Responding to President Lincoln’s request, seventeen hundred fifty-eight riders volunteered for duty with the Sixth Ohio Cavalry Regiment. The Sixth Ohio was mustered into service between October 2 and December 12, 1861 at Camp Hutchison, in Warren, Ohio. The 6th was on duty at Warren until January 1862, and then garrisoned Camp Chase and Camp Dennison, where they were finally given their horses, until May 1862 when they were ordered to join the Army of the Potomac.

The 6th Ohio Cavalry Regiment lost 5 officers and 52 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 4 officers and 177 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War.

The unit clashed with Confederate forces for the first time at Woodstock, Va.  June 2, 1862. During the next 34 months, the Sixth would engage the enemy more than 50 times.

The Ohio regiment’s affiliation with the Army of the Potomac led to gallant service at the Second Battle of Manassas, Fredericksburg, Kelley’s Ford (the first pure cavalry fight east of the Mississippi involving a battalion or more on each side), Gettysburg, Yellow Tavern, Cold Harbor, Malvern Hill, Five Forks and Sailor’s Creek.

The 6th was heavily involved in the Gettysburg Campaign, fighting at the Battle of Brandy Station and in several smaller engagements during the Union operations in the Loudoun Valley of Virginia, including the battles of Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville. It traveled into Pennsylvania with the division as part of the brigade of Col. Pennock Huey, but before the Battle of Gettysburg withdrew to Westminster, Maryland, to guard the army’s supply trains. The regiment was active during the retreat of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in July.

The troopers served under several Division and Brigade Commanders, including Colonel Alfred N. Duffie, Brigadier General William Woods Averell, Brigadier General David McMurtrie Gregg and Major General George Crook. During the 1864 raid in Albemarle County, Va., the unit served under Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer.

The Sixth Ohio fought during the final days of the war at Appomattox Courthouse, and was present when General Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865. The Regiment was mustered out of service at Petersburg, Va., on August 7, 1865. This Regiment sustained heavy loss in officers and men during its eventful career.

Union troops at Appomattox, Va., during the American Civil War.
Credit: Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Sisters….sisters…

Timeline of Conrad Naugle

• Born 1832 in Hesse-Darmstadt (Germany)
• ?
• Dec 2, 1861, age 29, enlisted in Ohio’s 6th Calvary Regiment (Ohio), Company H
• June 27 1865, age 33, mustered out at Petersburg, VA
• Feb 1866: Age 34, daughter Emma born in Pennsylvania (Philadelphia?)
• June 1869: Age 37, daughter Mary born in Pennsylvania
• Dec 1871: Age 39, son Jacob born in Pennsylvania
• March 8, 1874: Age 42, son Henry born in Pennsylvania
• Feb 1879: Age 47, daughter Catherine born in Pennsylvania
• 1880: Age 48, living in Grubtown, Johnstown, PA
• June 1882: Age 50, daughter Lizzie born
• 1887: Age 55, living in Grubtown, Johnstown, PA
• 1889: Age 57, living in Grubtown, Johnstown, PA
• 1890: Age 58, living in Upper Yoder, PA
• 1893: Age 61, death in Cambria PA.

I find a 1870 census record for Conrad and Sophia (and daughters Emma and Mary), living in Johnstown in a boarding house. All of the other occupants are from Germany (Prussia). And at least one of the names is familiar to me; the other I’ve added to my list of suspects as possible other relatives.

• Jacob Ream
• Kath Ream
• Christ Meyer
• Ad Schilling
• Julias Wild
• Geo Barneck
• Wm Herzberger
• Conrad Eich
• Alex Leonhard
• Wm Gotz
• Wm Schnabel
• Charles Leifer
• Fred Steur

I recognize the surname of Ream from a family that was living next door to the Naugle in Grubtown in the 1880 census. I go check, and sure enough, Jacob and Catherine E Ream, with their daughter Emma are living two doors down from Conrad and Sophia. Jacob is a saloon keeper. And there is another place I’ve seen Catherine’s name. In 1920, Catharine Ream is living with Emma Naugle (Conrad and Sophia’s daughter) and her husband Albert Mitzlaff. Her relationship to the head of house is aunt. At first I thought she was Albert’s aunt, but now I think that she is actually Emma’s aunt…and therefore Sophia’s sister.

According to the 1900 and 1920 census, Catharine E arrived in the US in 1856-59, around the same time Sophia arrived.  On 1900 census, Catharine, now a widow, is living on 965 Franklin St. across the street from Sophia, also a widow. Living with her is Lizzie Nagel (Sophia’s daughter), her niece.  This also gives us a birth month for Catharine, February.  Her occupation is listed as “capitalist” which makes me giggle for some reason; particularly since it is the SAME occupation Sophia, her sister gives on HER census record. I’m not sure exactly what a capitalist does, but perhaps Sophia and Catharine did it together.

In 1910, Catharine is still living on 965 Franklin. Her other niece Mary Nagal is living with her.  (Nagal…sigh, ANOTHER variation to remember.) So still no maiden name for Sophia, but at least now she has a sister.

A Civil War vet?

Through city directories, I have identified Conrad Nagel (Nagle, Naugle) as likely being the father of Henry J Naugle and wife of Sophia. But I want to see if I can find them all together in census records to say for sure. So, I do a search for CONRAD NAGEL, born in Germany (Hesse-Darmstadt), living in Cambria County, PA with wife Sophia, children Henry J, Jacob C, Mary, Katherine, and Lizzie.

And sure enough, we get a hit. In the 1880 Census, Conrod Nagle is living in Grubtown, with his wife Sophia, daughter Mary and Catherine, and sons Jacob and Henry. He is 48 years old, giving us a birth year of around 1832.  He is a laborer. His mother and father were born in Hesse-Darmstadt. His wife Sophia is 40 years old. Her birth place is given as Prussia.

Now, I take a look at their neighbors. No names look familiar to me, but there are a few other families living next door that are ALSO from Prussia:

John Smerment, born abt 1848 in Prussia, his wife Anna born abt 1852 in Prussia. Next door to them, William Hall born abt 1849 in Prussia, his wife Maggie born abt 1857 in Prussia. Living with them is Maggie’s mother, Elizabeth Smerment who was born abt 1821 in Prussia. And then next door to them, L. Jacob Ream, born abt 1826 in Prussia, and his wife E. Catharine born abt 1832 in Prussia.  Prussia is a big country, but Grubtown is small…It could be that Sophia MAY be related to them, the ages are about right. I will keep my eye out for them.

Now that we know for sure that Conrad is Henry’s father, lets start at the end (his death) and work our way backwards.

I have a range of years for his death: 1893-96 in the Johnstown area of Cambria County.  When I search for a grave on Findagrave.com, I don’t come up with any records for a Conrad Nagel (or any variation of his name) who died in Cambria County in those years. But after a few searches of variations and name combinations, ancestry.com offers up this helpful suggestion:

Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, 1879-1903.

• Conrad Naugle
• Date of Death: 28 April 1893
• State: Pennsylvania 

I look at the record, and where do I find he is buried?  Headrick Cemetery, in Conemaugh, PA.  The same cemetery that his son Henry, grandson, and daughter-in-law are buried. Now, I know I’m supposed to be chronologically working my way backwards, but this is too juicy to let go.

The Headstones Provided for Deceased Union Civil War Veterans, 1879-1903 is a record of over 166,000 cards of headstone contracts provided by the government for deceased Union veterans. Most soldiers included in this database died between ca. 1861 and ca. 1903, but the gravestones were erected between ca. 1879 and ca. 1903. The majority of the burials were in private cemeteries. These cemeteries were most likely located in the county of the soldier’s residence.

The record says that this Conrad Naugle was a Private in H company, 6th Regiment, in Ohio County? So I do a military search, for a Conrad Naugle, who served in the civil war, born in 1832 in German (to see if our Conrad did indeed serve in the Civil war). On the second attempt, I find this:

U.S. Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles

• Name: Conrad Nagle
• Age at enlistment: 29
• Enlistment Date: 2 Dec 1861
• Rank at enlistment: Private
• State Served: Ohio
• Survived the War?: Yes
• Service Record: Enlisted in Company H, Ohio 6th Cavalry Regiment on 02 Dec 1861. Mustered out on 27 Jun 1865 at Petersburg, VA.
• Birth Date: abt 1832
• Sources: Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio

This matches the headstone record (Company H, 6th Regiment), so this must be the same Conrad who is buried in Headrick Cemetery. But is it OUR Conrad Naugle? The birth year is right, but the record doesn’t tell us if this Conrad was born in Germany.  I need to find a secondary source for a death date for our Conrad and see if it matches the headstone. An obituary would be really nice about now.

I head over to Genealogybank.com, but the Johnstown Tribune is not a part of their database yet. Grr. After a little bit of searching online, I find that you can request photocopies of the Tribune from the Cambria County Library. Their website provides a link to an index of obituaries complied by George R. Warholic.  There is an obituary for Conrad Naugel, printed on April 28, 1893. The same date that is listed on our veteran’s tombstone.

I also find that there was an obituary for Anna L Kaufman-Naugle printed on March 11 and 12, 1955. And one for Sophia Nagel, printed March 5, 1906. So, I am going to see if I can get my hands on a copy of said obituaries. But as the evidence stands now, it seems pretty likely that our Conrad is indeed the same Conrad who served in Ohio’s 6th Regiment during the Civil War.