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Archiver > OLD-FREDERICK-CO-VA > 1998-06 > 0898976211


From: "Robert J. Coontz, Jr." <>
Subject: Shepherdstown epidemic, 1829-1830?
Date: Sat, 27 Jun 1998 15:36:51 -0400


My 3g-grandfather Rezin Edward COONTZ married Mary Ellen HOLLIDAY in
Jefferson or Berkeley County, VA/WV, but the family has never found
official records of the wedding. The traditional story, as handed down by
my great-aunt, is that an epidemic of smallpox (typhoid? cholera?) in
Shepherdstown kept them from getting married in town, so they had to hold
the wedding on an island in the Potomac River, where it was never properly
registered. I've always wondered whether that was true, or whether
something else was going on -- an elopement, maybe. Perhaps somebody on
this list can help me to find out.

- The wedding is supposed to have taken place in 1829 or 1830. Does anyone
know of records of any widespread epidemics in the area during those years?

- Do marriage records for 1829-1830 show mysterious gaps across the board?
I.e., was there a time when *nobody* was getting married?

- Has anyone heard of anything like this happening to any other couples?

Of course, I'd also love to hear any other information pertaining to Rezin
and Mary Ellen. Here are a few details I've learned about them:

Rezin (1810-1875) was the son of Abraham COONTZ (1767-1825) and Elizabeth
LUCAS (1771-1843). Spellings of "Coontz" vary widely. Mary Ellen HOLLIDAY
(1809-1876) was the daughter of George HOLLIDAY (1772-1842) and Rachael
MOUNTS (1772-1829). Mary Ellen (whom Holliday genealogists call "Mary
Eliner") had been married before, to William HARVIN, who died in 1824,
leaving her with a baby named George William. Rezin and Mary Ellen moved to
Monroe County, Missouri, in 1836.

Thanks,

Robert J. Coontz, Jr.
Waukesha, Wisconsin

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