Nicholas Conrad – Sophia Levens Marriage (1905)

Issued Mar 16 1905
No. 183838

Nicholas Conrad
AND
Sophie Levins

Affidavit of Applicant for Marriage License

State of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia County, ss.

Personally appeared Nicholas Conrad who hereby requests the Clerk of the Orphans’ Court, for the said County, to issue a License for the marriage of himself to Sophie Levins and who, being duly sworn according to law, doth depose and say: that he was born in Phila, Pa, on the 22nd day of Febry A.D. 1867; that he resides at 1729 N. 4th st., Phila; that he —– occupation Mill Hand; that he is not related by blood or marriage to the person whom he desires to marry; that he has never been married before; that Sophie Levins whom he is about to marry, was born in Centralia, Pa on the 26th day of Febry A.D. 1866, that she resides at 2035 E. Allegheny ave, Phila, —– occupation servant; that she has never been married before; that he knows of no reason why the said marriage may not be lawfully made.
[signed by] Nicholas Conrad
Sworn and subscribed before me this 16th day of Mch A.D. 1905
J—– Goebel, Clerk of Orphans’ Court

DUPLICATE
No. 183838
Filed Mar 23 1905

I, Rev. Martin S. Stockett hereby certify that on the sixteenth day of March one thousand nine hundred and five, at Philadelphia, Nicholas Conrad and Sophia Levins were by me united in marriage, in accordance with License issued by the Clerk of the Orphans’ Court of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, numbered 183838
[signed by] Martin S. Stockett

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Original Citation:
Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, marriage license no. 183838 (1905), Nicholas Conrad & Sophie Levins; Clerk of the Orphan’s Court, City Hall, Philadelphia.

Nicholas Conrad Obituary
Philadelphia Inquirer, 18 November 1942

CONRAD — Nov. 16, NICHOLAS, husband of the late Sophia Conrad (nee Levens), of 2069 E. Clarence st., aged 75 yrs.  Relatives, friends and Washington Camp, No. 15, P.O.S. of A., invited to funeral services, Fri., 1 P.M., Hackman Bros., 905-07 W. Lehigh ave. Int. Northwood Cem. Viewing Thurs., 7 to 9 P.M.

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Original Source Citation:
“Conrad, Nicholas,” obituary, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 18 November 1942.

Edward Charles Conrad Baptism, 1906

Full Name: Edward Charles Conrad
No. 1097
Sponsors: Robert Ellis & Elizabeth Ellis
Parents: Nicholas & Sophia
Birth Date: Aug 5, 1905
Birth Place: 2158 Monmouth
Baptism Date: Feb 11th, 1906
Baptism Place: St. John’s Church
Officiating Minister: Jno. P. Bagley

—————–

Original source citation:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Philadelphia: Episcopal: St. John’s Episcopal Church, image 304, p.96, Edward Charles Conrad, Baptisms; digital images, Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Historic Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=2451 : accessed 26 July 2013).

This is part 2. See part 1.

Todds on Tioga Street in 1940

With enumeration district 51-1884 in hand, I went searching the 1940 census for my Todds. They were easy to find, showing up on the fourth image. Living with John and Olivia Todd were their son, John A. Todd, Jr. and their daughter Elizabeth Campbell, as well as Elizabeth’s daughter, Honor. I still don’t know who Mr. Campbell was. I had guessed she had been married to a Campbell from her SS-5, but have yet to find him. Great Aunt Bessie later married a Mr. Tilsner.

Emboldened by my success, I sat down to figure out where my Conrads might be in 1940. At first I was not sure, but then I remembered I had two documents that could help: my grandfather’s SS-5 from 1937 and his father’s death certificate from 1942. I knew from my father, born in 1937, that he had lived with his grandfather as a young child. I was in luck. Both listed the address of 2069 Clarence Street.

Off to Google maps, where I found something interesting. The Conrads lived right around the corner from the Todds:


View 1940 Census in a larger map

Now this isn’t unusual by any means, but it was interesting that I had not stumbled across this fact until now.

Conrads around the corner on Clarence

Conrads around the corner on Clarence continued

Another family found and I did not even need to figure out the enumeration district. Three images beyond the Todds, were the Conrads: Edward and Susan Conrad (John A. Todd’s son-in-law and daughter), their children Doris and Charles, and Edward’s father, Nicholas.

There are two improvements in my mind in 1940 for the census. One is the legibility factor. While I have still come across some poor handwriting, for the most part the letters are crafted in ways that are decipherable to me. We have finally reached modern style handwriting in full. The second is the x with a circle around it to indicate who answered the questions. This is a big help in determining how much credence we should put in those answers. Neighbor Bob might not be as reliable a source on the Smiths as Mrs. Smith would be.

Still, misinformation appears. My great-grandfather was born in Scotland. This is a well-known fact in the family. I was told this as a young child. Every census prior to this one listed his birthplace as Scotland. Certainly his daughter, who answered the questions according to the notation beside her name, knew this. And yet, this is what was recorded by the census taker:

John A. Todd, born in Pennsylvania?

The census provides loads of information and clues, but is by no means a stopping point in research. Reliability is not its strong suit.

CONRAD, Nicholas: Application for Social Security Number 1937

Transcribed from a photocopy obtained from the Social Security Administration.

U.S. Social Security Act

Application for Account Number

1. Nicholas Conrad

2. 2069 E. Clarence St

3. Phila. PA.

4. Employer: A. Mitchel + Son

5. Employer Address: Hancock + Allegheny Ave.

6. Age: 70

7. Date of Birth: Feb 22 1867

8. Place of Birth: Phila. PA.

9. Father: Nicholas Conrad

10. Mother: Unknown (Dead)

11. Sex: Male

12. Color: White
…

15. Date signed: May 26 1937

16. [signed] Nicholas Conrad