A Lincoln Connection?

 In the Ogden Cemetery, near Paris in Edgar Co, Illinois, and just a few miles north of Marshall, are markers for several members of the Rhoads family, ancestors of Olive Geisert, wife of Adam Imle. In the cemetery lie Olive’s great great grandfather, Daniel Rhoads, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. Her great great grandmother Elizabeth (Newman) Rhoads. Her great great uncle Newman Rhoads. Her cousins (first, second, third, and otherwise) Willington, Benjamin Tolbert, Daniel, Benjamin Rhoads. And also in Ogden Cemetery is a marker for Sarah (Hanks) Varrell, whose great granddaughter is believed to be Bessie Maude Hanks, who married Lawrence Willington Rhoads, Olive’s third cousin. Now that would not be anything special except that Sarah’s marker is inscribed 

SARAH HANKS
VARRELL
1786 - 1876
AUNT OF
ABRAHAM LINCOLN

 So, do we relatives of Adam and Olive Imle have a connection with Abraham, our sixteenth president? Disappointingly, we probably don’t. Though Nancy Hanks, mother of Abraham Lincoln, did have a sister Sarah, the two Sarahs are apparently not the same. The Sarah Hanks buried in Ogden was probably a daughter of Abraham and Sarah (Harper) Hanks and not of Lucy Hanks, Abraham Lincoln’s grandmother.

 The grave marker clearly states that Sarah was Abraham Lincoln’s Aunt. But on the marker is a plaque inscribed “DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.” The marker proclaiming the Lincoln relationship was erected by the DAR long after Sarah’s death, and we all know how reliable the DAR is. Often, not very. For more information on the extremely murky genealogy of Nancy Hanks, mother of Abraham Lincoln, I recommend Nancy Hanks, of Undistinguished Families, published 1959 by Adin Baber. You can see a free copy on Internet Archive. (As a side note: Adin Baber’s first cousin, three times removed, David Baber, married Elizabeth Tapscott, my third cousin, four times removed. This, of course, has absolutely nothing to do with the Hanks or Rhoads family.)

Me with Sarah’s replaced marker, back 
when I thought I was connected (2003).

Sarah’s original marker (Find A Grave).

Wanted, Imle and Geisert Photo Detectives

 

I’m looking for help from Imles and from Clark Co, Illinois, Geiserts. In 2003 I purchased a photo from a finder of lost photos in Vincennes, Indiana. He had purchased the photo from an antiques store in Terre Haute, Indiana. A very faint inscription in very large handwriting on the back read “Gottlob Imle.” It is likely that this photo belonged at one time to Gottleib (usual spelling) William Imle, son of Christoph Imle of Clark Co Illinois, and was scrapped, sold, or given away. Most of Gottleib’s adult life was living in Terre Haute. Here is a copy of the original photo, followed by an enhanced (MyHeritage) and edited (me) copy to give a sharpened version.

The following identifications are certain or nearly so: Comparison with other photos shows that this photo was taken in front of what was called the “big house,” where my great grandparents Christoph Frederick and Anna Maria (Reichert) Imle lived around the turn of the last century. In later years it became the property of Christoph and Anna’s son Christian Karl Imle (my uncle Chris), and the porch was eventually removed. In the exact center of the picture are my grandparents Olive Rachel Geisert and Adam Conrad Imle, both easily (to me) recognizable. Since they are in the middle of the photo, have no children with them, and Olive appears to be wearing a dress identical to that in her wedding photo, this picture was likely taken on or near their wedding day, 7 Mar 1906. Immediately behind Olive Geisert is her sister Minnie Geisert, who is easily recognizable. At the right of the photo standing on the porch are Anna Maria Reichert (just right of the porch support, with her hair parted exactly down the center) and to her left Christoph Frederick Imle (bulky man with a black beard).

From now on much is guesswork based on other photos and ages and sexes of children. The woman, man, and three children to the right of Olive and Adam could be the Frederick (Fred) Christian and Clara (Coldren) Imle family, who had three children in 1906—7-year old John, 5-year old Susan, and 2-year old Edgar. The woman strongly resembles Clara though the man lacks the mustache seen in some photos of Fred Imle. The man in the large hat and the woman standing at the back on the porch on the left are probably Edward Geisert and his wife, Maria Emmeline Rhoads. The couple is of the right age, the man sports a mustache as did Edward, and the woman bears a very strong resemblance to Maria seen in other photos. The couple to the far left with an infant are probably Gottlieb and Clara (Schroeder) Imle. Both (particularly the woman) bear strong resemblances to Gottlieb and Clara in other photos and, at the date of Adam and Olive’s wedding, they had a single child, Irma, a 7-month old infant. The man standing behind Anna Maria and Christoph strongly resembles Chris Imle.

Perhaps you descendants of Christoph and Anna Maria Imle and/or of Edward and Maria (Rhoads) can confirm some of this. Or, better yet, can identify others. The old man with the white beard at the far right is particularly mysterious. He appears to be of an earlier generation.

Below are four enlarged segments of the photo from left to right. Like a jpg image of the original and enhanced/edited photos? Email me at  retapscott@comcast.net.