Franklin Levi Fahnestock (1807-1854) & Sarah L. Fahnestock's (1827-1906) Mystery Children

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.

Keeping Track Of The Intermarriages and DNA Matches Within My Family Tree

I work on the family tree primarily within a program. I do have a of woefully outdated online family tree, from 2016, on Ancestry. The online tree is kept private as my method of updating it is through deleting the older version and uploading a new gedcom which means I have to create a new tree then re-invite people to the newer copy. Not the most advisable method of 'updating', I agree, but an online copy of a tree has not ever been my primary, or main, tree.

That being said, in the program, I have created my own 'citations' that I add to some folks within the family tree. More for my personal research thoughts.

The first of these personal citations is for keeping track of the intermarriages and, therefore, any changes in relationships that those may cause. For example, I have "Descendant of Hans George Wampfler/Wampler, son of Hans Peter Wampfler, Sr." which, naturally, I add for his children and their descendants. of him. I have created similar worded citations for Hans George's siblings, including his sisters, and also for his wife and her siblings. I also have "Descendant of Blaney Palmer, Sr., son of <unknown> Palmer" and similar one for his brother, John, descendants. As their father and mother are still unknown, the citation is able to edited at a later date when I have come across something (beyond a debunked "naming tradition theory" thought or a blank certificate that is turns into being used for a "set of twins", that is).

Using the citations have helped me to follow the intermarriage thoughts to a fairly decent degree. This method doesn't highlight more than one intermarriage between the same two branches, but it can help share when a new one comes in and how that may change some relationships, in terms of between their then-cousins and/or myself. So it's not perfect, but does what I wanted for the most part as, in using this citation guide, thanks my great-grandparents' marriage that has me being a descendant of Hans George and Hans Michael Wampfler/Wampler and Elisabeth Steffan/Steffey ... and my grandparents marriage had me also being a descendant to another person, Elisabeth's brother, Heinrich/Henry Steffan/Steffey. However, by others, I would be considered, or listed, as a descendant of Hans George and Elisabeth within books or the Wampfler/Wampler database type thoughts thanks to the male ancestors had more Hans George and his wife's 'connection' as it was more in thanks to the female ancestors, who married those particular males, who helped bring in the other descendancy thoughts.

Now all this may not seem all that scintillating of information, until looking over at my first husband's side of the tree and unbeknownst (to either one of us), he was also a descendant of Hans Michael Wampfler/Wampler (so far in my research) and at least two twigs of his side married into Hans George's side. So he and I were distant cousins when we met and later married. Also, when hopping over to my mother's side of the tree, it appears that even though her branches came to America almost a 100 years after the Wampfler/Wamplers and Steffan/Steffeys did, and also settled more toward the midwest from almost the get-go, there appears to been two intermarriages between some of her side and my paternal side of the tree as well.

For the DNA matches, I add those to the offline tree using a "DNA Match Ancestry - <name of person tested>" or "DNA Match MyHeritage - <name of person tested>". I didn't personalize or individualize the citations further to include the person's match's name. I didn't feel the need to do so at this time. For the URL/page of the source, I list the match's profile page from the particular site they shared a DNA test with. If the match's DNA is managed/maintained by another family member, then I list the managing person's profile URL and, in notations where I share a cut & paste of how many cMs and such info, I share the match page's URL. With my above described usage of citations of who is who's descendant, for trying to track the intermarriage thoughts, then I also know which side and what branch of the tree the match stems from as well. This has also helped me to see, when not on a particular site, who matched with a person and who didn't share a match with a particular person, as that has also been interesting to see on my side of the researching thoughts.

Anyway, that is how I try to keep track of some thoughts on my side of the deal within my family tree work. As my citations for tracking the descendants or DNA matches is not likely a type of source that would be included in something like a genealogy/family research book type of thought, that has me being a bit more lax with their wording and not worrying about having each one individualized. Since I am a heavy cut & paster, I have enough info kept with the tree that I could individualize them, if feeling a need to, at a later date.

Amanda Jane Wampler (1854-1923)

I have seen variations to the spelling of Amanda's mother's maiden name. On my side I have decided to go with Whisenand for consistency when sharing the maiden name within the tree and this places like this blog.

That being said, Amanda Jane Wampler was the daughter of Hiram Wampler (1815-1868) and Susan Whisenand (1818-1871). She was born 2 Apr 1854 in McLean county, Illinois - possibly in or nearby to Arrowsmith Township. Her nickname was Mandy.

[hm5-59] Amanda Jane, WAMPLER
   b. 2Apr1854; Arrowsmith Township IL
   m. Frank MARSH
   l. [he1-3]Hans->[hm2-5]Peter->[hm3-12]Jacob->[hm4-24]Hiram=>
Source: Wampfler/Wampler Database

Information from the Wampfler/Wampler Database is, for the most part, correct. It is, however, incomplete information for Amanda's life.

On 24 Dec 1874, in McLean county, Illinois, Amanda Jane married a John Franklin Marsh. Information I found for him is that he was born 10 Apr 1853 in Dawson Township, McLean county, Illinois to John Marsh and Eliza Hobart. The marriage between John Franklin Marsh and Amanda J. Wampler resulted in a daughter born on 14 Jul 1876 and named Goldie M. Marsh.

Amanda Wampler and John Franklin Marsh were divorced sometime between 1880 and 1888. John Franklin Marsh lived until 27 Jun 1932 and resided in Arrowsmith Township at the time of his passing - and Amanda's paper trail alone helps to share they were no longer husband and wife. I am personally leaning to the divorce happening before Feb 1885 due to this newspaper clipping I came across:

Miss Amanda Wampler, of Arrowsmith, will go to Wellington, Kas., next Monday, to make her future home with her brother, John, who is visiting at Arrowsmith at present.
The Pantagraph, 4 Feb 1885, Wed, Page 2

The thought of moving to Kansas did not last long as, per Mandy's paper trail, she is back in McLean county when she marries for the second time on 20 Feb 1889 to a Francis Marion Huckleberry. He was born 29 Apr 1857 in Blue Lick, Clark county, Indiana to George Huckleberry and Louisa Thompson.

Maybe the spouse's name, listed for Amanda Jane's entry above, was an accidental "mash up" of both husbands' names? Possible.

Amanda's marriage to Francis Huckleberry resulted in two children. A daughter, Leona Pearl, was 5 Jan 1891 in McLean county, Illinois. On 20 Oct 1895 a son, named Harry Willard, joined the family.

In 1898 Goldie M. Marsh passes away and she's buried in Ellsworth, McLean county, Illinois. So far, per my personal research, it does not appear that Goldie ever married.

On 19 Feb 1923, in Cheneys Grove, McLean county, Illinois, Amanda Jane Wampler Huckleberry passed away. She is buried in Ellsworth, McLean county, Illinois. Francis Marion did not remarry and he later passed away 20 Jan 1947. He is also buried in Ellsworth, McLean county, Illinois.

Leona Pearl Huckleberry does not marry and she passed away 23 Jan 1982. She is also buried in Ellsworth, McLean county, Illinois.

Harry Willard Huckleberry enlisted in the military 24 Mar 1918 and was discharged 3 May 1919. He does not marry either and passed away 14 Mar 1984 in Champaign, Champaign county, Illinois. He is buried in Ellsworth, McLean county, Illinois.