Assistance Finding a Maiden Name G7RW-6XX
Hi everyone! This forum is always incredibly helpful, and I usually try not to ask for help until I've completely hit a wall, so here I am.
I'm trying to identify the maiden name of my ancestor, Eva. She was a first-generation immigrant from Württemberg, Germany (possibly Rotensol). I have fairly solid documentation for her husband, Johann (John), but very little for Eva herself.
Eva first appears in the 1850 U.S. census, while Johann appears as early as 1840. He was naturalized in 1839, and the record suggests he emigrated around 1830. They appear to have spent their entire lives in Baltimore after arriving in the United States.
I've reviewed records for their children in hopes of finding a marriage record (unsuccessfully) that might reveal Eva's maiden name. I also have her death certificate, but I have been unable to locate a marriage record for Johann and Eva. Because of their immigration timeline, I suspect they were married before emigrating from Germany.
I'm not very experienced with Lutheran church records, but I wonder if those might hold the key. I also found an Ancestry index that may refer to Eva, but I don't currently have access to the full record. I'll include the link below.
Any suggestions on where to look next or help interpreting the Ancestry index would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3141/records/86126?tid=&pid=&queryId=124960dc-656f-44a1-a437-105aeed01451&_phsrc=MWX57&_phstart=successSource
Answers
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@Chad1451
Unfortunately, that index from Ancestry has very little information. It refers to "Wife Rommoser," with no given or maiden names listed.
Most public libraries and all FamilySearch Centers offer free access to Ancestry.3 -
If it helps you at all, here is a transcription of her death notice:
ROMOSER—Suddenly, on the evening of February 28, Mrs. EVA ROMOSER, aged 74 years 1 month and 19 days, born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, beloved wife of John P. Romoser.
Weep not for me, my husband and children, dear,
For in a short time you will sleep here;
Prepare for death, for the hour is near,
And with your wife and me mother sleep in dust.The relatives and friends of the family are respectfully invited to attend her funeral from the residence of her son, No. 188 South Sharp street, on Saturday afternoon, 3d instant, at three o'clock.
Mortuary Notice, The Sun, Friday, Mar 02, 1883, Baltimore, MD, Vol: XCII, Issue: 91, Page: 2 via GenealogyBank
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@Chad1451 I would try the dedicated Maryland, Baltimore Passenger Lists, 1820-1948 database. This contains digitized indexes and images corresponding to National Archives (NARA) publication M255. Here's the citation provided by Google AI "Maryland, Baltimore Passenger Lists, 1820-1948." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 2 March 2025. Citing NARA microfilm publications M255, M596, and T844. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
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Good morning @Chad1451
MyHeritage.com offers a collection of Maryland Death Certificates.
John and Eva's son, Alexander, died on 6 April 1916, and his death certificate lists his mother's name as Eva Spangler.
Name Alexander F. Romoser
Gender Male
Birth Jan 31 1846
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Marital status Married
Death Apr 6 1916
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Age at death 70
Father
Name: Jno P. Romosen
Birth: Germany
Mother
Name: Eva Spangler
Birth: Germany
State file # C 940034 -
@Chad1451
For further confirmation of Eva's maiden name, Alexander's daughter was named Eva Spangler Romoser.
Name Eva Spangler Romoser
Gender Female
Birth Dec 9 1880
Maryland, United States
Marital status Single
Death June 10 1951
Sykesville, Carroll, Maryland, United States
Age at death 70
Father Alexander F. Romoser Sr.
Mother Mary Elizabeth Causey
State file # 05858
I've attached the supporting records to the profiles, but I thought I would leave the joy of adding Eva Spangler's maiden name to her profile to you.4 -
Aine - thank you so much!!!!
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You're very welcome @Chad1451
When you check the family profiles, you'll see I've found some additional information. Let me know if you have any questions.
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Why do you think someone might have the last name "Shorts" within the family? I see it on the census, but I'm not familiar why that might be the case?
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@Chad1451 I've been connecting dots.
Ann Elizabeth Romoser married William H Short. I don't have a marriage, but I have other confirming records. All attached.
Ann Elizabeth Short's obituary lists her parents' names. And her husband's obituary mentioned he died at their son-in-law's home. I have a marriage for their daughter, Rose, as well as her death.
https://www.genealogybank.com/nbshare/AC01100711225640281771782933855
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@Chad1451
The Ortsfamilienbuch that sylviaelchinger1 kindly provided in your discussion in the Germany Research group matches names. John Phillip's wife is listed as Eva Spengler. The difference between Spengler and Spangler is negligible.
https://ofb.genealogy.net/famreport.php?ofb=baltimore&ID=I105426&lang=de1 -
@Áine.ní.Donnghaile Thank you - I was looking for that. Very much appreciated!
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I'm sorry, @Chad1451
I left Eva's profile without a maiden name so that you could have the joy of adding the information when you were comfortable with the research. Unfortunately, someone else has added that name today, with a reason link to this thread.1 -
@Áine.ní.Donnghaile It's a shame that an uninformed user felt the need to do that to Eva's profile without knowledge of all of the research and information that was provided by @sylviaelchinger1 in the detailed thread posted in the Germany group here:
A shame really, since the maiden name is most likely Spengler or Spengel and not Spangler since the sources listed in your link to ofb here: https://ofb.genealogy.net/famreport.php?ofb=baltimore&ID=I105426&lang=de are considerably more reliable than the USA records recorded by non-German speakers.
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Agree, @SantaNinfa
The difference in pronunciation between Spengler and Spangler is negligible. We know only too well how names can morph over time after settling in a new country.If it were my family, I would have entered all the spellings as alternates. I wanted @Chad1451 to have that honor and choice.
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Thank you all for the assistance. I have been reviewing the changes. It's tough when someone makes a lot of changes to your tree at once, as you want to verify them. It's typically well intentioned, so I don't have a huge issue with it. I obviously have a greater connection to the tree so I try to spend a lot of time verifying. So apologies that I haven't responded. Life is very busy. I appreciate all the time and efforts to assist! I will try to check back to this thread periodically. I am still learning but your knowledge has been extremely helpful!
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Just to add a note, not related to the relative herself,
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Hi everyone! This forum is always incredibly helpful, and I usually try not to ask for help until I've completely hit a wall, so here I am.
"
It's more than fine to come participate in the forum without having hit a complete block, as it provides the rest of the participants more of a chance to be a part of gaining experience through helping on various issues. You're still learning, and so are we, and we're happy to both help you and be metaphorically shoulder-to-shoulder with you as we all help others. 🙂
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@Chad1451
You're very welcome. And, if you ever have a question about anything anyone has added or changed on the profiles, please ask. I try to leave breadcrumbs of evidence for anything I change.Yesterday, I located another record set that should be helpful for your research. The registers for the Second German Lutheran Church are available on FamilySearch, with full-access. The register is written in that difficult German script, but @Robert Seal_1 and others in the Community have an excellent command. I can pick out highlights, but that's not my area of expertise.
Before my eyes got too tired yesterday, I located three of your family's baptisms on DGS 7834188: Image 391 for Karl Philip, Image 405 for Anna Elisabeth, and Image 417 for David Franklin.
Link to Karl Philip's baptism on 14 April 1838
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3N-RQTS?view=explore&groupId=M9ML-FZP&lang=enAnna Elisabeth on 28 March 1841
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3N-RQT2?view=explore&groupId=M9ML-FZP&lang=enDavid Franklin on 17 December 1843
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3N-R71C?view=explore&groupId=M9ML-FZP&lang=enEnjoy!
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@Chad1451 I've now attached those 3 baptisms to the children and their parents. You can see them in the source list for John Philipp Romoser: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/sources/G7R7-TS7
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