On FamilySearch's one world tree, and some other online family trees, somehow somewhere along the way Franklin Levi Fahnestock was given the powerful 'gift' of being able to successfully posthumousely impregnate his wife, Sarah L. Fahnestock, and not just once but twice.
I am including screenshots, taken today (4 Jan 2021) from the one world tree, to help provide some visuals as I lay some of this out there for perusal:
Let's start with the most obvious and "in your face" item that mathematically the dates for the older male and two younger children, attributed to him, does not "add up" to being possible. Franklin Levi died in 1854 ... Charles Jeremiah was born in 1863, 9 years after "his father"'s death and then Nellie is born in 1879, a mere 22 years after "her father" died. This is just based off the math, so not including science where freezing sperm and eggs, and artificial insemination, was not possible in the 1850s. Now Sarah L. Fahnestock, in her late 30s to mid-40s, may have been physically able to have a child in the very early 1860s, but Nellie was born in 1879 when Sarah would've been around 52 years old, so may be 'pushing it' a bit. And then there's Sarah L. Fahnestock's obit that doesn't mention Charles nor Nellie among the children as to surviving her passing:
Mrs. Sarah Fahnestock.
Mrs. Sarah Fahnestock, widow of Levi Fahnestock, of Baltimore, died yesterday morning at the residence of her son-in-law, Thomas C. Pears, 6706 McPherson street, East End. She was born in Menallen township, Adams County, 81 years ago, and at the death of her husband she made her home with her father in Lancaster, Pa., where she lived until his death in 1877, when she came to Pittsburgh and resided with her daughter, Mrs. Ada F. Pears, who survives her with three grandchildren, J. Palmer Pears, Harry C. Pears and Thomas C. Pears, Jr. Funeral services will be held to-morrow afternoon at 3 o'clock and the interment will take place in Baltimore.
-- Source: Pittsburgh Daily Post - 8 Mar 1909 - Page 5
Screenshot Number 2 sharing some details shared for Charles Jeremiah Fahnestock:
Secondly, Franklin Levi and Sarah L. Fahnestock's own paper trail have them placed being in Maryland and western Pennsylvania area. Furthest west, in location thoughts, I came across for either one was for Sarah L. Fahnestock and that was in regard to her moving in with her daughter, Ada, family in Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Nothing remotely hinting that the couple, or Sarah (by herself), went to Illinois or Missouri for any reason (to live, visit someone, or whatever). This is important as Charles Jeremiah Fahnestock, on the FamilySearch One World Tree, is listed being born Dec 1863 in Missouri,,United States and, on my side, I have him being born in McLean county, Illinois, United States. Charles is not mentioned, anywhere, as to ever living in Pennsylvania. So the location thoughts don't work on helping to support the thought of Sarah L. Fahnestock being Charles Jeremiah's Fahnestock's mother.
Screenshot Number 3 for the minamal details shared for Nellie Fahnestock on FS:
I personally have not been able to 'prove' where Nellie Fahnestock was born, but it does lean toward she was probably born in Illinois. I came across an obit for her sharing she had died 4 Dec 1966, appears to have never married, and she did have a sister who was still living - but her sister's name was Etta (married surname of Massena), not Ada Fahnestock Pears (the daughter that Sarah L. Fahnestock moved to Pittsburgh to live with until her death in 1906).
Appears that the only thing that Franklin Levi and Sarah L. Fahnestock shared, or had in common, with Charles Jeremiah Fahnestock or Nellie Fahnestock was having the same last name. That is not enough to have Levi and/or Sarah deemed the 'biological parents' though, and I've shared only 2 to 3 thoughts debunking that Charles nor Nellie were Levi and Sarah's children. Hopefully this posting will help have others, who copied that erroneous information, detach Charles and Nellie from having Levi and/or Sarah L. Fahnestock as their parents and instead look for the 1870 and 1880 US Censuses that may help place the two children with the right parents and siblings versus right now 2 to 3 families, plus countless online family trees that unhesitantly copied the wrong familial connections someone else shared, not having the correct information shared for some of the people in those families.
