The Easter Bunny is coming early to you TREWHELLA researchers! Instead of waiting until after Easter to get to the Schuylkill County Courthouse and look up marriage licenses, I sent a few bucks to someone there who's willing to make copies and mail them to me. Wasn't sure they'd actually arrive before I left, so didn't want to announce it and get your hopes up, CT! Besides, now not only is our curiosity appeased, but I won't have to spend my very limited time next Monday slaving over a hot copier
The first couple's license is in a different format than the others, so info is provided a bit differently. And FYI, technically, once a license is issued, a couple IS married; but most folks also have the marriage solemnized days or weeks later by a religious or civil authority -- who then returns a signed copy of the license. So the "wedding" date is not the same as the license date.
1) Joseph TREWELLA, b. England 10 Jan 1847; a restauranteur residing in Shenandoah
previous wife died
& Margaret SHARP, b. Luzerne Co. [borders Schuylkill] 20 Jun 1860, a servant residing in Shenandoah
no prior marriage
license issued 15 May 1888; duplicate certificate returned by John Thompson on 17 May
2) Matthew TREWELLA, b. England 4 Jul 1843, a restauranteur residing in Shenandoah
previous wife died
& Amelia REICHARD, b. Ringtown [Schuylkill Co.] "about 1855"; a housekeeper residing in Shenandoah
no prior marriage
license issued 26 Feb 1890; duplicate certificate returned by John Gruhler on 3 Mar
3) Miss Mary TREWELLA, age 17 years, 3 months, 22 days, of Shenandoah [Schuylkill Co.]
& Thomas LEWIS, age 24y 4m 10 d, of Shenandoah
appeared 24 Dec 1885 (ergo she b. 2 Sep 1868; he b. 14 Aug 1861)
consent of Matthew TREWELLA, father of Mary (a minor)
They were united in marriage 21 Jan 1886 in Shenandoah by Wilmer Coffman, minister of the gospel
4) Matthew H. TREWELLA, b. England 1 Jan 1862, a miner residing in Mahanoy City [Schuylkill Co.]
no prior marriage
& Camilla PAYNE, b. Ashland [Schuylkill Co.] 25 Apr 1869, a housekeeper residing in Ashland
previous husband died
license issued 14 Apr 1893; duplicate certificate returned by W.F.D. Noble on 24 Mar
5) Sarah TREWELLA, b. state of New Jersey 19 Aug 1871, a domestic residing in Ashland
no prior marriage
& Showalter PAYNE, b. Ashland 10 Mar 1864, a mason residing in Ashland
no prior marriage
license issued 1 Jul 1893; duplicate certificate returned by W.F.D. Noble on 5 Jul
6) Lizzie Ann TREWELLA, b. Lancaster Co. [PA] 29 Sep 1876, a servant residing in Shenandoah
no prior marriage
& Clarence Leroy OSSMAN, b. Barry Township [Schuylkill Co.] 14 Nov 1876, a carpenter's apprentice residing in Ashland
no prior marriage
license issued 17 Jun 1898; duplicate certificate returned by Rev. James Moore on 30 Jun
7) Frank TREWELLA, b. Lancaster Co. [PA] 15 Aug 1875, a miner residing in Mahanoy City
no prior marriage
& Lizzie SUTTON, b. Mahanoy City 20 Aug 1874, a servant residing in Mahanoy City
no prior marriage
consent of the respective fathers, both residing in Mahanoy City
license issued 23 Nov 1895; duplicate certificate returned by S. J. [or T.] Nicholls on 4 Dec
What does this teach us, or confirm? Let's remember that Matthew ("Sr.," the one b. circa 1841) and family were in Mahanoy City in 1890. Also recall that Joseph's son Matthew (call him #3) claimed to have been born in Shenandoah; both he and sister Josie were listed as PA-born in 1890 & '92. So THAT family was in Schuylkill Co. at the same time. And in the 1880 census, Matthew Sr. & Eliza Jane's younger kids, Frank & Elisabeth An, were listed as PA-born circa 1876 & '78. So ...
1) Looks like Miss SHARP is indeed the 2nd wife of "Joseph The Elder"! Margaret gave her birthdate as June 1858 in the 1900 census; though hir birth is two years off here, she was consistent with the month. This allows us to breathe easier about that "married 4D" nonsense -- must have been a mis-transcription of 10.* Which pretty much confirms that Josie & Matthew #3 are indeed her children; I will try to find their birth records as well as the mysterious third child's. I should also be able to find Joseph's first wife's death info around Shenandoah. Incidentally, notice he was in the hotel business like Matthew Sr. -- he really should be listed somewhere in the Schuylkill Co. Census Directory in 1890. Perhaps we need to re-examine that record under wilder spellings of his surname.
2) Amelia being born in Ringtown aligns with CT's info of her being buried there. I will check. Only remaining question is whether the youngest child, Mamie J., listed in the 1890 might have been hers (and perhaps Ellen/Helen if they were twins). Amelia married in February, and Mamie (+Ellen) were born prior to the time the Census Directory was taken, probably later in the spring/summer (will need to check the book). Unless Amelia was pregnant at the time of their marriage, both girls would have to have been born prior to 1st wife Elizabeth's death. (Do we have an exact date for that, CT? Or any clues in your files about twins?)
3-6) Confirms your prior info. Only things to point out are slight disparities in ages given on the marriage licenses vs. ages on the census for Sarah & Lizzie Ann (and the latter's Lancaster Co. birth record). Probably both simply wanted to appear 21 and therefore avoid the need for parental consent ... but that itself leads me to think the parents may NOT have consented! Lizzie Ann's makes no sense, since she was not a young and foolish teenager, and as a carpenter's apprentice, CL would be able to support a family. Sarah, on the other hand, while choosing a guy with a solid career as a mason, happened to pick one who was turning 30 to her age of not-quite 20. Got a feeling the census will show a wee addition to the family less than nine months later!
7) I nailed it -- what a surprise about Frank ;D He MUST be Matthew Sr. & Eliza Jane's son. Being born in Lancaster Co., so close to when Elisabeth An was -- and being in Mahanoy City like big brother Matt Jr. -- seals it for me. I think the IGI and your other sources were wrong about at least Frank's first marriage -- perhaps there was a later wife named Clara Ellen/Nellie/Rosetta. Would be best to get his 1906 marriage license in Ohio, unless you can get his obit in 1920? Also, please let me know which Lancaster Co. township/city Elisabeth An's birth record was found in -- next step would be to find Frank's, but I may locate more if I had a clue where to start searching. (Remember, a county in the U.S. may be nearly as large as Cornwall itself!)
One of the things I want to look up is the roles of those who returned the duplicate certificate. If they're clergy, I can find the church to which they -- ergo either the bride or groom -- belonged, and from there I may be able to find baptisms, burials, etc.
More about Frank in the next post!
~JudyLynn
* Did you notice that in the 1900 census, Matthew Sr. claims to have been married 38 years, while his
wife was married for 10?! Wonder if, since he remarried so closely after his first wife's death, he considered himself to never have been single since 1862? I could just see a very literal person hearing the census-taker ask, "How many years have you been married?" and thinking to himself ... first married about 1860, she died in 1888, that's 28; plus 10 years now with Amelia; total = 38
Having said that, the 40 "total" wouldn't be mathematically correct for Joseph -- unless he was first married prior to age 14!