John Weidner, Berks County PA

[robang66]

Think I'm going down the wrong branch and need help, please.  In Berks County, Pennsylvania, 5 great-grandfather, William Weidner, 1854-1912 - parents were John Weidner and (I believe!!!) Elizabeth Gerhard.  This could've been one of his two marriages (other may have been Susan Schaffer).  I believe John's parents were Samuel Weidner and Catherine Rhoades or his second wife, Catharine Gauger.

The only headstone I can find for John Weidner has dates of June 11, 1836 to June 14, 1914, but shows a wife, Rebecca Hammes Weidner.  The obit on Find a Grave for John G. Weidner has the correct parents, but shows Rebecca as wife, not the correct names as I have them.  The family settled in Lobachsville PA and this is where I found the headstone. 

I am trying to find some kind of documentation showing dates covering John Weidner - either birth, marriage or death.  If I have correct dates, then I think I can clear up other questions.  Writing to PA Berks County offices has proved absolutely fruitless.  I fear that I may have gone down the wrong branch and wasted months and months of work.   Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Robang66



 

[AMBLY]

Samuel Weidner and Catherine Rhoades or his second wife, Catharine Rhoades.

Hi Robang66,

Did Samuel marry two women of the same name?   

So, reading thru your info there, what you are 100% sure of, is William and that his father's name was John?

Could you point us to your William in the Census - so we can start at the end and work back!

Cheers
AMBLY
 

[shellyesq]

In case you haven't seen them, Berks County has a vital records index here:  http://rwills.co.berks.pa.us/geneology/  There is also a Pennsylvania death index here:  http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/public_records/20686 

Pennsylvania death records are relatively inexpensive to buy compared to other states, but I have read that they're expected to come on ancestry.com by the end of 2013. 

[robang66]

Thanks so much.  I had done it the slow way, by U.S. mail.  They replied that they couldn't find anything.  I'll try your sites, and I appreciate your reply.  Robang66

[AMBLY]

I know you have all this, just putting out there - for the trail, so to speak!

http://shrinkalink.com/66775
Headstone
William H WEIDNER - 18 Mar 1853 to 25 Nov 1912
Wife: Catherine - 22 Sep 1853 to 28 May 1919
Buried in Alsace Lutheran Church Cemetery, Reading, Berks Cty, PA

William's Death certificate, on A tree, actually says he was born 18 March 1854. And it states his father to be John WEIDNER and mother Elizabeth GERHARD
The informant was a Samuel WEIDNER

Cheers
AMBLY

[robang66]

Thanks for verifying that.   Photos of the tombstones showing different years are interesting.  Now that we have it back to John Weidner, herein lies the problem - getting HIS birth/death dates.  I was sure the headstone on Find A Grave was MY John Weidner, but spouse was different.  I'll try a couple of links that someone has kindly shared and see if they show anything.  Robang66

[Lisa in California]

Thanks for verifying that.   Photos of the tombstones showing different years are interesting.  Now that we have it back to John Weidner, herein lies the problem - getting HIS birth/death dates.  I was sure the headstone on Find A Grave was MY John Weidner, but spouse was different.  I'll try a couple of links that someone has kindly shared and see if they show anything.  Robang66

Hi Robang66:

Many years ago, when we were looking for my mum's ancestors' headstone, we passed a headstone that had an inscription that was very similar to her great-grandfather's details, but, his wife's details were absolutely not for my mum's great-grandmother.  I took a photo of the headstone because I thought there had to be a connection.  Several years later we discovered that my mum's ggm passed away when she was about 40 years old, and her ggf remarried within the year and had several more children with the second wife.  No one in my mum's family ever mentioned the second wife.  However, when I contacted a descendant of the second wife, his family had known about my mum's side but just never communicated with them.  Keep an open mind with Mr. Weidner's headstone.   

If I might repeat Ambly's suggestion of letting us check census returns?  We might be able to find some helpful clues. 

Thank you, Lisa.

[Genealiza]

I am also distantly related to the Weidners.  Years ago there was someone trying to make a database of the Weidners.  I don't know whether they succeeded, but some of his information was done on www.genealogy.com--the message boards.  You might try looking there to get in touch with others searching the same family.  I quickly looked, putting in Gauger in the search field of the Weidner message board, and came up with 3 hits.

http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?Gauger::weidner::340.html

Maybe this will help.

[robang66]

Thanks SO much.  The three leads on Gauger within Weidner have been very helpful.  Robang66