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

————————-

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

Margaret Levens Death Certificate

Transcribed by Alexander Conrad from photocopy

Margaret Levens Death 1918

1. Place of Death

County of Columbia

Borough of Centralia

2. Full Name: Margaret Levens

3. Sex: female

4. Color or Race: white

5. Single, Married, Widowed or Divorced: widowed

6. Date of Birth: July 2nd 1838

7. Age: 79 years 11 months 22 days

8. Occupation: housewife

9. Birthplace: Philadelphia

10. Name of Father: Alexander McElheny

11. Birthplace of Father: Ireland

12. Maiden Name of Mother: Sophia Hazelet

13. Birthplace of Mother: Ireland

14. Informant: Mrs. Jennie Heahley, Philadelphia

15. Filed 6/24 1918
16. Date of Death: 6 – 22 – 1918

…

19. Place of Burial or Removal

Ashland, Pa.

Date of Burial: June 25 1918
———————————

Original Source Citation:

Pennsylvania, Department of Health, death certificate 66517 (1918), Margaret Levens; Division of Vital Records, New Castle.

One hundred fifty-seven years ago this week, my great-great grandparents James Levens and Margaret McElhenny were married.

My great grandmother Sophia Levens was raised in Centralia, Pennsylvania, a mining town, but came to Philadelphia sometime before 1900. I learned that her mother was also from Philadelphia when I found the book Schulkill County, Pennsylvania: Genealogy – Family History – Biography, volume II:

James Levens, father of Mrs. Ebert, was a native of Ireland and emigrated to America, landing at Philadelphia, where he made his home for a time. Going to Port Richmond, near Philadelphia, he there married Margaret McElheny…

James Levens and Margaret McElhenny were married on October 8, 1855 at the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Port Richmond, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Rev. J Rudderow. This is yet another record I found in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s Pennsylvania Church and Town Records database available on Ancestry.

James Levens & Margaret McElhenny marriage, 8 Oct 1855. Click to see full image.

Descendants
of
Nicholas Conrad of Bavaria and Catharine Emminger of Württemberg

1-Nicholas Conrad (abt 1824-1874)

+Catharine Emminger (1834-1910)

2-Maria Magdalena “Lena” Conrad (1854-____)

+John Bowers

3-Allen Bowers (1877-1915)

+Katherine Brennan

4-Allen Bowers (1901-1982)

4-John Bowers (1905-____)

4-Harry Bowers (1909-____)

3-George Bowers (1879-1882)

3-William Bowers (1881-____)

+Rickie (Frederica) _________ (1882-____)

4-Mary Bowers (1901-____)

4-William Bowers (1905-____)

4-Edna Anna Bowers (1911-____)

+Robert Lawrence Maurer (1911-____)

5-Living

5-Living

5-Living

5-Living

4-Charles Bowers (1918-____)

4-Harry Bowers (1920-____)

3-Charles H W Bowers (1883-1968)

+Theodora King (1888-____)

3-John Bowers (1886-____)

3-Harry Bowers (1889-1965)

3-Agnes Bowers (1892-1985)

+William F Kline (1892-____)

4-Living

2-John Conrad (1857-____)

+Georgianna Duncan (1862-____)

3-Frederick N Conrad (1897-1970)

2-Charles Conrad (1860-____)

2-Frederick Conrad (1864-1917)

2-Nicholas Conrad (1867-1942)

+Sophia Levens (1866-1934)

3-Edward Charles Conrad (1905-1981)

+Susan Lippencott Todd (1904-1998)

4-Living

+J William O’Neill (1928-2004)

5-Living

5-Living

5-Living

+Living

6-Living

4-Charles Edward Conrad (1937-1999)

+Carol Lucille Garrison (1938-1999)

5-Living

+Living

6-Living

+Living

7-Living

6-Living

5-Alexander Conrad That’s me!

2-William Conrad (1869-____ )

2-George Conrad (1872-____ )

+Addie Eckert (1880-____)

3-Adelaide C Conrad (1905-1995)

3-George Conrad (1908-____)

3-Aloise E Conrad (1915-1990)

+Living

2-Kate Conrad (1873-1882)

People are listed as living if they were born 100 years ago or less and I have found no evidence of death.

Relationship Evidence
	Strong evidence	Birth record, SS-5 application, multiple other evidence
	Some evidence	Death record, vital record indexes, Census records (post-1880)
	Weak or no evidence	Family stories, Census records (pre-1880)

One of my weekend shows that I sometimes watch is “Life After People” on the History Channel. The premise is basically if humans disappeared today, how long would it take for human-made things to break down.

Today I saw an episode that used my great grandmother’s hometown as an example. In the 1960’s a fire started underground and made its way into the abandoned coal mines in Centralia. In the 1980’s most of the residents left in the town were relocated, and the fire still burns. According to Wikipedia, there were still 9 people living in Centralia in 2007. Here’s a Google search if you’d like to read more.

Life After People used Centralia as an example of how a town would look twenty-five years after people. I don’t think it was the best example, since most of the building were torn down after the people relocated. But, it was interesting none the less.

My great grandmother Sophia Levens left Centralia for Philadelphia before the turn of the century, long before the fire broke out. (That would be the turn from the 19th to the 20th) Some of her siblings remained in the area of Centralia, where her father had been a coal miner.

Here is a link to the Centralia section of the episode: Centralia on Life After People (no longer available)