When I am working on a surname, I do the siblings of my ancestors as well as their descendants for one or two generations. I find that I tend to spend more time on a person when there is a story waiting to be told. Such was the case when I started to look at Mary Ann Shaffer, a daughter of George Washington Shaffer and his first wife, Elizabeth Helman. Elizabeth Helman was a daughter of George "Big George" Helman who lived in East Mahoning Township in Indiana County, Pennsylvania.
Mary Ann Shaffer married Washington Wilhelm who died in 1871. She then appears in the 1880 census as the wife of Samuel Helman who is 62 years old. This is where it gets interesting. An article in The Indiana Progress dated 14 September 1892 states "Mary Ann Wilhelm, by her next friend [her son-in-law], John A. Bothel, vs Samuel Helman; divorce proceedings. The parties were duly married and after living together for several years in White twp., the petitioner discovered her husband had another and former wife still living. They then separated, and now she wants a legal decree of separation." An article in The Indiana Weekly Messenger on the same date states ..."divorce decreed." Why did she wait until 1892 to ask for a divorce when she was married to Samuel Helman prior to 1880? Since her son-in-law was acting for her in the divorce, her children may have wanted her to get a divorce. I believe that the Samuel Helman who married Mary Ann Shaffer was the Samuel Helman married to Sarah Custer. This Samuel Helman was a son of Daniel Helman, Jr. Samuel Helman was born in 1814 and died in 1898 according to his tombstone at the McGregor Cemetery in Somerset County.
While looking for newspapers articles on Mary Ann Shaffer who married Samuel Helman, I came across newspaper articles dated June, 1890 and June, 1891 for a Mary A. Helman who divorced Samuel J. Helman since he deserted her. He then moved to Cambria County where he had another wife and family. Now I was really confused. It appeared there was another Samuel Helman married to a Mary. I knew that Samuel J. Helman was a son of John Helman and Martha Layton. John Helman was a son of John Daniel Helman who moved to Somerset County after 1800 from Franklin County. I knew that Samuel J. Helman had married Sarah Ann Jones about 1872 and that they lived in Adams Township, Cambria County in the 1900 census. Was Samuel J. Helman married to a Mary A. before he married Sarah Ann Jones? According an article in The Indiana Gazette dated 10 June 1891, "Mary A. Helman sued Samuel J. Helman on the ground of desertion. The parties to this suit were married in White township, during the time of the war. In 1871 they moved to near Johnstown, in Cambria county, and lived there about six months. On their way back to Indiana county, the husband started back to attend to something he had neglected. The wife and family came on to Indiana county. Mr. Helman never made his appearance again, having left the country with another woman, and, according to the testimony, he is now a resident of Cambria county and has a family over there. Divorce granted." Samuel Hellman was living in Rayne Township, Indiana County in the 1870 census with Mary and three daughters. Mary A. Helman married John F. Piper in Reynoldsville, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania on 18 June 1891. This must be why she filed for divorce in 1890 after all those years since Samuel J. Helman deserted her in 1871. She wanted to get married again. Her marriage license application gave her parents' names as Peter and Sarah Menges. She died in 1897 in Jefferson County where she is buried.
Many times I find that trees on Ancestry.com confuse people with the same name in the same area. It is important to find out all you can about each person with the same name to help you place someone with the same name into the right family. That is where doing extended research rather than just ancestor research helps. It also uncovers buried family stories. I will be going to the National Archives in August and will request Washington Wilhelm's and Samuel J. Helman's Civil War pension files to see they give any more information. Also, I will request the divorce files from the Prothonotary's Office in Indiana County, Pennsylvania the next time I am there.
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