lives in Winnepeg Canada
All notes are from Andy Miller:
Sources conflict on date of birth:
14 Oct 1844 -- church records at Trulben, Germany
22 Mar 1844 -- death certificateAlso known as Veronica. Nickname was "Fronnie" (a common nickname for Veronica).
Sarofina had an “interesting” if not checkered past, judging by the fact that she had children by three different marriages/fathers. Safronia was obviously married at least once, maybe twice, before she married Theodore Utsinger, circa 1878. (previous husbands: Kuhn/Scott)
Sometime before 1861 she married Nicholas Kuhn, son of John (or Peter) and Catherine (Beckerich) Kuhn, with whom she had at least her two eldest children: Ann and John William Kuhn. (On John William Kuhn’s death certificate of April, 1937, his father is listed as Nicholas Kuhn.)
It is not known what happened with that marriage, but both Safronia and Nicholas Kuhn went on to remarry. (There ought to be some record of a church dissolution or divorce in the Burkhart Church records, and/or the Monroe County court records.)
Grandma Edna Kuhn Masciarelli or Richard Scott said that Nicholas Kuhn (1843-1908) was said to have been married three times. He and his last wife Anna moved to Bridgeport, Pease Township, Belmont County, Ohio. That answers the question about Safronia’s eldest two children, but leaves the son Joseph Scott’s paternity unanswered. Who was Joseph Scott’s father?
On the 1870 census Marion Township, Noble County, Safronia is listed with her parents and her first three children. When asked about Safronia Utsinger, Grandma Edna remembers her and her son John W. Kuhn who lived at “Doherty”, but she doesn’t remember who John Kuhn’s father was. (John W. Kuhn’s death certificate lists Nicholas Kuhn (1843-1908) as his father.) Nicholas Kuhn moved to Bridgeport, Ohio, and was never as “close” with his family as his other brothers were. That alone may say something.
Ultimately, Sarofina married Theodore Utsinger sometime before or circa 1878.
At the time of the 1920 census, 75 year old widow Fronnie Utsinger lived in the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Frank Crum, at 522 Luck Ave. in Zanesville, Ohio. The census states that Fronnie was born in Germany and was a naturalized citizen. The year of immigration is given as 1946 and the year of naturalization is 1965. One can only assume that the census taker intended to write "1846" and "1865" respectively. Fronnie could not read or write.
Safronia Utsinger’s obituary was published in the “Zanesville Signal” on Wednesday, 21 June 1922, p.5
“An Aged Woman is Called by Death”
An illness from a complication of diseases resulted
in the death of Mrs. Safronia Utsinger, aged 78, which occurred
at 1 o’clock Tuesday afternoon at the home of her daughter,
Mrs. J. F. Crum, 522 Luck Avenue. She had been ill for the past
fourteen weeks. Mrs. Utsinger was a native of Germany and
formerly resided at Summerfield, but for the past six years had
made her home with her daughter here (Zanesville).
Mrs. Utsinger was a member of the St. Thomas Catholic
Church and besides the daughter with whom she made her home
she is survived by the following other children: Joseph Scott of
Woodsfield, John Kuhn of Doherty, Mrs. Caroline Bailey of Pratt,
Kansas; one sister, Mrs. Barbara Willey of Summerfield, and by
sixteen grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.
The body was removed to the People’s morgue and
prepared for burial and will be taken to Burkhart Station Thursday
morning where services will be conducted at the Catholic Church
there.Theodore died in 1899, according to his tombstone. Safronia died on 20 June 1922, Zanesville. They are both buried in the Chapel Hill Cemetery, next to her parents, John and Anna December.
From Andy Miller:
Levi was born on 20 April 1834, in Ohio, but his father came to Summerfield from New York state. Levi Willey fought in the Civil War, according to his tombstone.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-According to the 1880 census, Levi Wiley (45) and his wife Barbary (40) lived in Marion Twp., Noble County, Ohio with their children Lora (17), George M. (13), Sarah E. (11), and Catherine (9). Levi's occupation was "works on farm." (This suggests that he did not own a farm, since other men on the page have the occupation "farmer.") Levi was unemployed for six months during the previous year. Levi was born in Ohio, according to the census, and both his parents were natives of New York. Barbara and her parents were from Baden (Germany). The children, all of whom attended school, were all born in Ohio.
From Andy Miller:
Grandma Edna Kuhn Masciarelli remembers Barbara, who her father, Joe Kuhn, always referred to as “Aunt Barbara Willey”. For years, Grandma Edna has told the same two stories about Barbara:
a) that she had a large, beautiful flower garden at her house in Summerfield, so full of flowers that there was just a path to walk among them, and
b) that Barbara got her shoe caught in the railroad track near Summerfield, and a train was approaching, so she laid down in the railroad track and the train passed over her. Evidently, she wasn’t hurt. (Grandma never said anything about that part.) According to Barbara’s obituary, she died of cancer at the ripe old age of 84, so she must not have been seriously hurt by the train, if at all.Carol Hatfield tells the following story about her great great great grandmother, Barbara December Hatfield:
Barbara was a beautiful girl with long blonde ringlets. When she came to America with her family, a Southern plantation owner saw the pretty girl and wanted to buy her as an upstairs maid. Barbara's father, John, objected strongly to this. "He pitched a fit," says Carol, and would have none of it.Barbara and Levi Willey are buried in the Summerfield, Ohio Cemetery. (They have a big stone on the hilltop in the old section of the cemetery.) There was an unnamed son buried next to them. They had nine children, six of whom were living in 1900.
Barbara (December) Willey’s obituary, which follows, was published in the “Noble County Leader” on 3 September 1924.
Mrs. Barbara Willey, aged eighty-four years, a life-long
resident of Summerfield and vicinity, died at five o’clock Thursday
morning from cancer.
She is survived by four daughters, Mrs. Lora Powell, of
Dover, Mrs. Jennie Powell and Mrs. Charles Smith, of Zanesville,
and Mrs. C.W. Rodecker of this place (Summerfield); a number
of grand and great-grandchildren and other relatives and a wide
circle of friends.
The deceased was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic
Church at Burkhart, and a very estimable Christian, and one widely
known for her kindness to all with whom she came in contact.
The funeral was held Saturday morning in the Carlisle
Catholic Church with the services conducted by Father Crock, of
Caldwell. Interment was made in the Summerfield cemetery
beside her husband, Levi Willey, who died a number of years ago.
Not living with her parents and siblings at the time of the 1880 census.
Also known as Polly. Not living with her parents and siblings at the time of the 1880 census.
From death certificate:
Name: Sadie Rodecker
Age: 71 years 2 months 3 days
Birth: 12 Mar 1869, Noble Co., Ohio
Occupation: Housewife
Marital status: Married
Spouse: C. W. Rodecker
Father: Levi Willey, uinknown
Mother: Barbra December, Germany
Informant: C. G. Rodecker, Summerfield, O