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THE SEARCH INTO A DIFFICULT PAST For several years, I have been trying to determine the ancestry of Henry F. Wildasin, who is my 3rd g-grandfather. He is a very mysterious man, and little can be found about him or his past. Until recently, I was ready to give up my search, and work on other family lines that I am researching. Now, with the help of some hard work and other researchers, I believe I am making some headway in the search for Henry's parents. Below is what I knew before, and what has been recently discovered.
WHAT WE DO KNOW A cousin of mine, who is knowledgeable about the family, was good friends with Henry F. Wildasin's daughter, Annie. Years ago, they would get together and talk about old times, and also the family's past. Annie had said that her father had a brother named Stephen. She had also said her father came from Germany. I have been unable to verify the information that Henry was an immigrant, but Henry did have a grandson named Stephen. With that being an uncommon name for the time period, it seems likely that this was true.
While the information I have on Henry is limited, there are some key items that are helping me determine who his parents are. Henry was born on November 29, 1820, although no baptismal records have been discovered for him. He died on January 16, 1898, and is buried at St. Paul's (Dub's) Church Cemetery, located in Manheim Township, York County, Pennsylvania. Also buried in this cemetery is his first wife, Anna Mary Schuman, born June 2, 1822 and died January 24, 1878, and possibly his second wife Mathilda Myers, although her grave has not been located.
Dub's Church is where many other Wildasin families have attended for some time. There are also many lines that were located in Manheim Township as well. I have always felt that they were related to Henry, but I was not sure how. Henry and Anna Mary were the parents of these 8 children:
When Henry's wife, Anna Mary died, he was left to care for the younger children. Henry's second wife was Mathilda Myers, but a marriage date, or any information on her is currently unknown. Henry and Mathilda had a daughter together:
It is assumed that Henry and Mathilda were married before that date.
RECENT DISCOVERIES Recently, I have been searching for the Stephen that Annie had mentioned as being a brother to Henry. I have been finding some information on him, and also some other clues that may help determine Henry's parentage. Below is a listing of facts that were found. Note that there are many names that tie into Henry's family.
Sarah Fuhrman (mother of Stephanus/Stephen Wildasin)
Valentine Fuhrman (Sarah's father)
Stephen Fuhrman (Valentine's father)
With the information I have presented above, it seems very likely that Henry F. Wildasin's parents were Jacob and Sarah Fuhrman Wildasin. He could have been the first child was born to them, or there may be others that have not been discovered yet. With the frequency of the names Valentine and Stephen occurring, this makes the possibility of a connection even greater. Perhaps searching into these families even greater, a positive match can be found.
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