Charles P Ehle

Determining Paternity

There seems to be some confusion about the paternal line of Charles P Ehle who is my husband’s 3rd great grandfather. I have seen several trees online that support the conclusion that Charles P Ehle was the son of Herman J Ehle (sometimes transcribed as Herman I Ehle) and Christine Vrooman Van Slyk as opposed to being the son of Peter W Ehle and Catherine Nellis. After looking at the information these trees, it’s easy to understand where the confusion comes in.

The families of Peter W Ehle and Herman J Ehle lived relatively near each other in the Mohawk Valley in Montgomery County, New York. Peter W Ehle’s family was located in the township of Minden or village of Fort Plain on census documents, while Herman J Ehle’s family lived in the township or village of Canajoharie. These townships share a boundary and the municipalities are very close together. Both families also had a child named Charles that was born between about 1815 to 1820 and many trees have merged these men into one person.

Federal Census records before 1850 recorded only the names of the head of house with tick marks in columns denoting the gender and age of the other members in the home, so these early census records are not greatly useful when you are looking for two men in the same general area and of approximately the same age. Birth records in this era in New York are spotty. Neither of the two men have a birth recorded in any documents found to date. The lack of early records is another reason for the confusion between these men.

The 1850 Federal Census in Montgomery county, New York lists only two persons named Charles Ehle. The first is Charles Ehle in the household of Herman J Ehle and family. Charles is listed as a single merchant 34 years old born in New York with property valued at $5000. The second is an infant in the home of Chauncey Ehle. It is easy to understand why Charles in the home with Herman Ehle is often assumed to be Charles P Ehle since he is the only adult Charles Ehle in this county during this census. However, there is an 1850 Federal Census in Racine, Racine county, Wisconsin with Charles Ehale a single carpenter age 30 who was born in New York living at the United States Hotel. No other Charles Ehle could be found in the 1850 Federal Census in Wisconsin.

Why is the man in Wisconsin of interest?

All of the trees online agree on the facts of Charles P Ehle’s life after his marriage in 1851 to Sarah “Sally” Ann Fancher in Racine county, Wisconsin. The trees then jump to an 1860 Federal Census in Lisbon, Juneau county, Wisconsin with Charles P Ehle age 41, born in New York, occupation house carpenter, with wife Sally and 4 children with real estate and property valued at $1200. After this census, the trees continue to follow Charles P (and his family in Wisconsin and then in Minnesota) assuming that this Charles is the same man living with Herman J Ehle in 1850. A closer evaluation of additional records may offer a different conclusion.

The 1850 Federal Census in Wisconsin is the first of many clues that we are working with the identities of two different men. Both New York and Wisconsin have an 1855 State Census that offers additional information. In New York, there is a Charles Ehle in Canajoharie, born in Montgomery county, New York, age 38, living as a boarder with the family of Jacob Wilson.  No occupation is listed on this census. In the Wisconsin census for 1855, there is a Charles P Ehle living in Caledonia, Racine, Wisconsin with 2 male and 2 female members in his household. There is no age, occupation, or place of birth listed on this census but the information given about the people in the home is consistent with the known children of Charles P Ehle and Sally A.

The 1860 Federal Census in Wisconsin for Charles P Ehle was detailed above. Charles P Ehle and family are present in Juneau county, Wisconsin on the 1870 Federal Census, the 1875 State Census, and the 1880 Federal Census. Charles P Ehle is not present on further census records with Sally or any of his children after 1880. Sally is listed alone or as a widow in every census and directory from 1883 until her death. It would appear that Charles P Ehle died sometime between 1880 and 1883 in either Wisconsin or in Minnesota where Sally was living after 1880. It should be noted that Charles P Ehle is listed as a carpenter on all available federal census records but the 1870 where he is a “farmer.”

A search of the 1860 Federal Census for New York does not return any result matching Charles Ehle living in Montgomery county. The State Census for 1865 and the Federal Census for 1870 in New York return the same result. This Charles likely either moved or died after 1855. There were clearly two men called Charles Ehle that were living at the same time from New York, but it is still not clear who belongs to which family. Probate records in Montgomery county offer some more insight.

Peter W Ehle died about 1 August 1836 and left no will. His estate did go to probate where his second wife Maria gave up her administration rights to Peter’s estate. In the paperwork for his estate settlement, he listed his wife Maria, and his children Chauncey, Horatio N, David, James, and Charles Ehle [Not referred to as Charles P Ehle in this document]. No will or probate was found for Herman J Ehle or Charles Ehle in Montgomery county.

Land documents in Montgomery county hold more information. In 1831, Peter W Ehle sold 3 tracts of land in Montgomery county. Two of three sales made reference in the land description to them being part of the Bleekers patent. Bleekers Patent is shown on an 1868 map of Montgomery County as located mainly in the area of Fort Plain and township of Minden with small overlap into the north part of Canajoharie Township.

In March 1846 there was a land sale by Charles P Ehle and Horatio N Ehle (and wife) to James Ehle. The record states CP Ehle is resident of Fort Plain village at time of sale. This land borders the Erie Canal in Fort Plain. (Horatio N Ehle, James Ehle, and Charles Ehle are listed as children of Peter W Ehle in his probate record)

A month later in April 1846, there is a land sale between Charles Ehle and Daniel Spencer both of the village of Canajoharie. There are several land sales of Charles Ehle of Canajoharie from about 1845 until December 1850. Given the different residences listed between the men selling land in March and April, it appears clear that we have two men of similar name living in 2 different localities.

In December 1847, Maria Ehle (widow of Peter W Ehle) sold the land that was her dower right to John Moyer. Charles P Ehle was a signed witness to the sale of the land at the court house and listed as living in township of Minden.

In August 1850, Charles P Ehle and William McCreery are granted a tract of land near Mineral Point, Wisconsin by Phillip Languer who was given the land for his service in the war with Mexico.

In December 1850, Charles Ehle is selling a huge amount of property to pay outstanding debts. This record is several pages long and details many parcels of land that are in the village of Canajoharie and just south and west outside the village in the township of the same name. Among the properties to be sold are a store and lot occupied by Charles Ehle himself, and a home occupied by Herman J Ehle on a separate lot. This information fits well with both the 1850 Federal Census where Charles is living with Herman J Ehle, and also with the 1855 State Census where Charles is living at a boarding house, possibly because he no longer owns any property.

Between 1867 and 1868, Chauncey Ehle sold his 1/5 of a property to Horatio N Ehle in Montgomery County which was noted to be part of the Bleeker patent. James Ehle also sold his 1/5 of the same property to Horatio N Ehle in 1867. David Ehle sold his 1/5 of the same property to Horatio N Ehle from his home in Michigan in 1867. Charles P Ehle also sold his 1/5 of the same property in 1868 from his home in New Lisbon, Wisconsin to Horatio N Ehle for one dollar. This seems to definitively tie Charles P Ehle to the other 4 sons of Peter W Ehle named in his probate record as they each appear to have been given 1/5 of the same property.

The Christian Intelligencer of the Reformed Dutch Church’s published an account of the death of Charles Ehle on 31 Oct 1861. The report states that on 25 October, Charles Ehle, a rating clerk at the customs house, died suddenly. He was 46 years old, formerly a merchant from Canajoharie, and was boarding at the Mansion House. The 1860 Federal Census in Brooklyn, New York does show C. Ehle age 40 born NY, merchant, and $5000 property is living at the Mansion House.

There are two published works on the Ehle family from the Mohawk Valley in New York. The first is “Dominie John Jacob Ehle and his Descendants” by Boyd Ehle, published by Enterprise and News, St. Johnsville, NY 1930. This early work was heavily dependent on individual family members submitting their own family histories. Boyd Ehle does list the children of “Harmonious I Ehle” including a son Charles listed as Charles D. and born 1816. The children of Peter W Ehle are listed as well, but they are not correct in this work. He lists James, Horatio, Nelson, David, and Chauncy. Horatio Nelson Ehle is one of the sons of Peter W Ehle and is not two separate people. I happen to have a copy of a large family tree that was published by Boyd Ehle copyright 1930 that lists the families outlined in his book. This tree does list Charles P Ehle as a son of Peter W Ehle and includes Charles’ wife and children and 2 generations after down to my husband’s grandmother. This information is not included in the book and so must have been discovered after the publication in order to have been printed on the tree.

The second book on the Ehle family is “Mohawk Valley Ehles and Allied Families” by Mack Dawson Duett, published by Penobscot Press, Manlius, NY 2003. The author of this work is a professional genealogist with years of experience in New York records and is also an Ehle descendant. In Duett’s book, Charles Ehle is listed as a son of Herman J Ehle born 1816, died 1861, and is buried in the Prospect Hill Cemetery in Canajoharie with his parents. This work also lists Charles P Ehle as a son of Peter W Ehle born 1818. It is Duett’s opinion – with sources cited – that these are two separate men and that Charles P Ehle is the son of Peter W Ehle and not Herman J Ehle.

The logical conclusion when evaluating the available information is that these two men were contemporaries living in close proximity during their youth. These men are listed with differing occupations that remain fairly consistent for each of them on available records. Charles Ehle the son of Herman is never referred to as Charles P Ehle in any available document. Charles Ehle is also buried in the cemetery with his parents in Canajoharie. Each piece of information when viewed separately may not offer conclusive proof of the parentage of Charles P Ehle, but when all of the information is viewed as a whole, a solid case can be made. Although the evidence used in determining the paternity of Charles P Ehle is indirect, it appears to overwhelmingly support that Peter W Ehle was his father.