Unproven BOHN Family

Notes for Nicholas BOHN b. 06 Oct 1831 in Wahlen, Hessen, GERMANY d. 23 Jan 1900 in Pass Christian (Harrison), MS

1. I have found Nicholas BOHN on each census from 1860 to 1880. They are all for Pass Christian (Harrison), MS. The date puts it in the right time-frame, and the birth place is correct for it to be him.

2. Nicholas BOHN's wife, Barbara, was born in Switzerland.

3. In 1870 there is a Nicholas BOHN on the census. In 1880 there is an N. BOHN on the census. In 1860 there is an M. BOHN on the census.

CENSUS

1. The 1860 Census is the only one not listing full names of the members of the household. It is also the one that I am not 100% sure of as far as being the correct family.

A. There is an M. BOHN who is about the correct age and born in the correct location. His occupation is a shoemaker. In the 1870 and 1880 census the occupation is a shoe maker or owns a shoe store. I have no idea why M would be there and not N, but the census clearly shows M so there is no way it could be a N.  Of course it could be that it was mis-heard by the census taker, or even mis-recorded by the census taker.

B. The wife is P. BOHN who is born in Switzerland. The ages and birth locations match with the 1870 and 1880 census, but the name is Barbara BOHN. I have no idea why P would be there and not B, but the census clearly shows P There is no way it could be a B. Of course it could be that it was mis-heard by the census taker, or even mis-recorded by the census taker.

C. There is a J. BOHN who is born about 1858 in LA. The name on the 1870 census is Josephine and the age and birth place match the 1860 census. She is not on the 1880 census with the family. She could have gotten married or died between 1870-1880. I have done no further research on her to be sure.  

D. There is an E. BOHN who is born about Oct 1859 in LA. The age and birth location match the 1870 and 1880 census, but the name is Henry BOHN. It could be possible that mom spoke French and said, "Enry" instead of "Henry" and that is why it was written down as an E. and not an H. Of course it could be that it was mis-heard by the census taker, or even mis-recorded by the census taker.

2. The 1870 Census shows full names of every individual. It was the first census I found for this family, and the reason I believe I have the correct Nicholas BOHN. It matches perfectly with the 1880 census.

A. Nicholas BOHN is stated as being born in Hessen D which is where he is commonly known to have been born in Germany.

B. Barbara BOHN, Josephine BOHN, and Henry BOHN are all on the 1870 census.

C. There are also now Martha, George, William, and Anna BOHN.

3. The 1880 Census shows full names of all individuals except the head of household. It matches perfectly with the 1870 census.

A. N., Barbara, Henry, Martha, George, Willie (short for William, most likely) and Annie (thier nickname fore Anna, most likely) all appear on this census.  

B. Mathilda and Julia are now on the census.

C. It appears that Nicholas owns or works in a shoe store, and that his eldest son, Henry, has followed in his footsteps to be a shoe maker.

4. The 1900 Census shows full names of every individual and middle initials of some. It also includes month/year of birth marital status, years married and number of children born to a woman and number still living.

A. Henry, George (A.), William (J.), Julia, and Martha (R.) are on this census.

B. Because Barbara is not on this census, I'm assuming that she died between 1880-1900. I already have the death date for Nicholas, so am not surprised he's not on it.

C. Henry must have married between 1880-1888 because he has an 11 year-old son, Edgar. He also must have been widowed between 1892-1900 because he has an 8 year-old daughter, Amy V., and the census lists him as widowed.

D. George A. and William J. are both listed as married for 7 and 6 years respectively. Neither of their wives appear on the census, so there is no telling who they are or where they are. Further searching may reveal George and William with their wives elsewhere in the census.

E. Martha R. has the last name of Gamill and has 2 sons, Eddie C. and Nicholas A., and is listed as married for 20 years, but the husband is not on the census. There is no way of knowing who he is unless Martha is found elsewhere in the census with him, or a marriage record or birth records for the children are found. Martha is also listed as having 3 children, only 2 of which are living.

Sources: Records:

1. George August BOHN. Social Security Death Index, Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Provo, Utah: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2005.

2. George August BOHN. Texas Deaths, 1964-98, Texas Department of Health. Texas Death Index, 1964-1998. [database on-line] Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2000-. Original electronic data from:Texas Department of Health. Texas Death Indexes, 1964-1998. Austin, TX. Texas Department of Health. State Vital Statistics Unit, 19xx-.

3. George August BOHN. Houston, Texas City Directory, 1917, Ancestry.com. Houston, Texas City Directory, 1917 [database online]. Provo, UT: MyFamliy.com, Inc., 2000. Original data: R. L. Polk and Company. Polk's Houston City Directory. Houston, TX: R. L. Polk, 1917.

4. George August BOHN. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Ancestry.com. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-18 [database online] Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 2002. National Archives and Records Administration. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. M1509, 4,277 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.Roll 1953523, DraftBoard 0.

I have TRIED to match up the BOHN family household for each census from 1850-1880. Each black square represents a family member not present on that particular census. I have had to do some guessing based on ages in some cases. This may or may not be more accurate than what I have written out in the family notes above. Only people with surnames other than BOHN have been included. All people in the household have been included.