Person:Emma Springman (1)

Her parents were John and Catherine Springman, both born in Wurternburg, Germany.

From the Census

On page 146 of Stockbridge's enumeration (house 205/205) in 1900 are John and Lena C. Springman. They have a large family of children with a gap in births that would accommodate Emma's. John and Lena came from Germany in 1870 and evidently commenced having children in 1872. I bet this is Emma's father and siblings, perhaps with a second wife. On the 1850 census, John is a farmer with a lame back.

From Dutch Ramsdell

... the Springman homestead and the Willmore homestead are probably no more than 2 miles apart, perhaps one, as the crow flies. If you want to drive, though, it's going to be three or four miles.

Having lost my hard drive a month ago and having not yet got the Springman's back into the data base, I did a couple of family group sheets the old fashioned way. Here they are.

John Springman, born 1 Nov 1839, Wurtemburg, Germany, died 8 May 1920, Stockbridge, MI, buried Oaklawn Cemetery, Stockbridge, MI M. Christine Magdalene Sager, 15 Apr 1869, Washtenaw Co., MI. Christine born 25 Feb 1844, Wurtemburg, Germany, died 17 Apr 1921, Stockbridge, MI. Buried Oaklawn Cemetery.

They had 11 children

Mary, born 19 May, 1870, probably Ann Arbor, MI, died 18 Oct 1903 near Saline, MI. Married Fred Alber. Lydia "Leda" born 21 Mar 1872, Stockbridge, MI, died 1968, buried St. Cornelius & Cyprian Catholic Cemetery, Bunkerhill, MI. Married Stephen O'Brien. Emma Kathleen. You know all about her. I didn't see a death date for William, though. His gravestone says 1940. They are both in Oaklawn Cemetery. As far as I know, Emma only married once. I first became aware of her in the 1940's ( I was born in 1942) and she lived by herself on the farm then, eventually moved into town to live with her son John and then to the nursing home in Novi which was near Farmington where her daughter Gernith lived. Clara M. born 18 Jul 1875, Stockbridge, died 5 Mar 1962, Battle Creek, MI. Buried, Oaklawn Cemetery. Clara did not marry. John C. born 17 Aug 1876, Stockbridge, died 18 Mar 1957, Ypsilanti, MI. Married Lila Herr (Hurr?) Fred E. born 8 Aug 1878, Stockbridge, died 10 Oct 1930, Stockbridge. Buried Oaklawn Cemetery. Fred ran into a train with his pickup truck. Married Ruth Green. George W. born 15 Dec 1879, Stockbridge, died 25 Jan 1966, Stockbridge. Buried Oaklawn Cemetery. Married M. Louise Yelsick. George ran the family farm. Anna Barbara, born 17 Dec 1881, Stockbridge, died 29 Mar 1979, Stockbridge. Buried Oaklawn Cemetery. Anna did not marry. Charles M. born 11 Apr 1883, Stockbridge, died 16 Jun 1905, Stockbridge, Buried Oaklawn Cemetery. Charles did not marry. He died of appendicitis. Martha Christine "Myrta Belle" born 19 Mar 1885, Stockbridge, died 26 Jan 1973. Buried Oaklawn Cemetery. Myrta married Guy Jay Ramsdell. Yup, my grandmother. Sarah Louise "Sadie" born 19 Jul 1886, Stockbridge, died 21 Sep 1973, Stockbridge. Buried Oaklawn Cemetery. Sadie married Burr Aaron Jackson.

So John and Christine had 11 children. Those children practiced a little more restraint. None had more and three, and Myrta and Sadie each had one. Leda apparently hung nicknames on some of her siblings, including herself, and those nicknames stuck to the point that those are the names on the gravestones. My grandmother's will had several aka's.

Now for Aunt Emma and Uncle Will. I'll just do their children:

John Charles. Sometimes called Bill. Sometimes called Charles. Usually called John. Born 11 Mar 1906, died 1991, buried Oaklawn Cemetery. John married Helen Henshaw. She was born 1910 and she is still with us. John did indeed own the drug store in town.

Gernith. Born 9 Mar 1903, near Stockbridge, died 14 Jan 1981, Peoria, AZ. Gernith married Nyal Carpenter. Gernith and Nyal lived in Farmington, MI and Gernith taught school in Plymouth, MI.

John and Helen had one child, Judith Ann, born 13 Jan 1938, Stockbridge, and died Jan 8, 200, Scottsdale, AZ, buried, Oaklawn Cemetery. She married Richard Price. They had no children of their own but adopted two, Ted and Lee Ann.

Gernith and Nyal had one child that I know of, Mary Jane.

Besides this, I can offer you a bunch of obituaries, or typed transcripts thereof. These include Judith Ann Willmore Price, Gernith Willmore Carpenter, Eliza H. Barscer Willmore, J. C. Willmore, and Thomas Willmore. If you would like these, give me a mailing address and I will go down to the library, make copies and mail them. I would also be happy to scan you a Springman family photo taken about 1900. It's an unusual family photo for the time since it includes all 13 individuals, none having died young.

1. ↑ Stockbridge, Michigan historian. Dutch Ramsdell.