Boyer - Kramer Family Records

Notes about the family of Mae Kramer Huffman Norwood and the maternal ancestors of Walter C. Huffman

Four Generations of Boyers, Kramers, and Huffmans:

1916 Walter C Huffman Jr with grandma Flora Boyer Kramer and great grandma Anna Boyer and mother Mae Kramer Huffman

Notes about the Boyer - Kramer Family of Mae Kramer Huffman Norwood

      The Boyer and Kramer forbearers of Walter Charles Huffman Junior

Mae Kramer, the mother of Walter Charles Huffman Junior was born in Kansas on May 21, 1889. She was the daughter of John E. Kramer and Flora J Boyer. May Kramer Huffman's Boyer family ancestry had come from the German-speaking area of Switzerland, emigrating first to Pennsylvania in the 1720s.

[note: Just as Conrad Huffman changed the spelling of his name from Hofmann, seemingly to retain the same pronunciation in America, so also did the Boyer family, whose surname was originally Bayer. In German, Bayer is pronounced with a short A: "Bye-er" rather than "Bay-er". Presumably, the adoption of the Boyer spelling was an attempt to retain the pronunciation of the family name.]

There were three generations of John Boyers who lived in Conestoga Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania:

• John Boyer (I) born in Switzerland in about 1700 who married Barbara Beck, also born in Switzerland in about the same year. John and Barbara Boyer emigrated to Conestoga Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the 1720s. This was then rural farm land 100 miles west of Philadelphia. John Boyer died there in 1756 and was buried in the Byerland Graveyard in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

• son John Boyer (II) was born in Conestoga Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1729 and died there in 1809. John Boyer married Elizabeth Hoover (1730-1809) who lived to the old age (at that era) of 79. John and Elizabeth Boyer had a son, also John Boyer.

• John Boyer (III) born in Conestoga Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1749.

This ancestor, John Boyer (III), born in Conestoga Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1749 moved the family 50 miles west to York County on the Pennsylvania-Maryland border. This was in North Codorus Township, York County, Pennsylvania where John Boyer died in 1786 at the young age of 37 (cause of his death has not yet been identified). John Boyer married Elizabeth Boyer, born November 12, 1749. She greatly outlived him and died at age 77 on January 16, 1827 in York County, Pennsylvania.

John and Elizabeth Boyer had several children, the list of names not yet identified. Among the earliest was the Boyer ancestor George Boyer. George Boyer was born on July 3, 1773 in York County, Pennsylvania and died there on June 22, 1828 at the relatively young age of 54. George Boyer was a Lutheran, and it is interesting that he is said also to be a follower of the "Personal Piety" movement, just as our ancestor Conrad Huffman was.

The Piety movement later developed into the "Evangelische Kirchenverein", or Evangelical Lutheran movement, or which the Lutheran Church of York County where George Boyer lived was one. This Piety movement resulted in ostracism in Germany from the traditional Lutheran Church, and from much of contemporary society, and caused many German families to emigrate in the first half of the 18th Century. Both our Boyer family ancestors and our Huffman family ancestors seem to have been so motivated.

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George Boyer married Anna Maria Hartmann (1778 – 1853) in 1798. They lived in Codorus Township, York County, Pennsylvania in the south of central Pennsylvania just on the Pennsylvania-Maryland border. Anna Hartmann was born August 4, 1778 in Maryland and died October 10, 1853 in Springfield, York County, Pennsylvania. She was daughter of Tobias Hartman (1730 – 1817) and Maria Elizabeth Houseworth (1741 – 1840). Tobias Hartman had migrated from the Palatinate region of south-west Germany as did our ancestor Conrad Huffman. George and Anna Boyer had 6 children:

• Daniel Boyer 1799 – 1868

• Elizabeth Boyer 1801 – 1871

• George Boyer 1803-

• Anna Mary Boyer 1805 – 1865

• Frederick Boyer 1812 – 1828

• Sarah Boyer 1815 –

George Boyer died on June 22, 1828 age only 54 and was buried in Saint Paul Lutheran Cemetery in York County, Pennsylvania.

George and Anna Boyer's son Daniel Boyer, the ancestor of Mae Kramer lived in Codorus Township, York County, Pennsylvania.

Daniel was married to Rosanna (sometimes "Rosina") Glattfelder (born March 5, 1804) by the Rev. John Herbst, Jr. on January 22, 1818 in the Sadler’s Lutheran Church.

Rosanna was the daughter of Casper Glattfelder and Eva Maria Kirsch Glattfelder.  Casper Glattfelder was born in Switzerland in the village of Glattfelden in the Zurich Canton in 1746.  Glattfeld means literally "flat field" in German.  Casper died in November 1823.  Rosanna's mother, Eva Maria Kirsch (1765 – 1851) was born and raised in York County, Pennsylvania.

This was not the only Boyer - Glattfelder marriage.  Jacob Glattfelder of York County married Anna Mary Boyer on October 23, 1805.  Elizabeth Boyer born in York County, Pennsylvania on March 26, 1801, married Michael Glattfelter, all in this same Lutheran church. 

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Daniel and Rosanna Boyer had an amazing 15 children:

• Alexander Boyer born June 12, 1821 - April 5, 1866 who married Sarah Boyer and had children Rosanna and Mary. He died in Wisconsin

  

        Alexander Boyer in Civil War uniform 1860s

• Mary Ann Boyer born March 20, 1823, and who died in York County, Pennsylvania on July 28, 1876.  Mary Ann married Jesse Gerberick Bortner (October 19, 1819 - 20 December 20, 1895) in York County, Pennsylvania in 1842 and died in 1876.

• Jackson Boyer born May 15, 1825, (named after Andrew Jackson who had recently lost the 1824 Presidential election). Jackson Boyer moved to Iowa, where he joined the 24 Iowa Infantry during the Civil War and was killed in action in 1863. Rosanna gained a small Civil War pension as a result.

• Thomas Jefferson Boyer born December 13, 1826 (named after Thomas Jefferson who died a few months previously on July 4, 1826).  Thomas joined the Tenth Illinois Infantry during the Civil Was and was killed in combat.

• Isabelle Boyer born October 15, 1828, who married William Casper in about 1845. She died in 1907.

• Amos Boyer born November 4, 1830, who was a cooper, rope maker and carpenter.  Amos married Sarah Hamm (born 1834) and had children Warren and Clara (Clara lived with her parents for more than 50 years, and apparently never married), Cleon, and Otto.  Amos served in the 42nd Indiana Infantry during the Civil War. He died after 1910.

• Aaron Boyer born February 17, 1833.  In the 1850 Census, Aaron is listed in 1850 as being blind, but with the profession of a plasterer.

  

    Aaron Boyer in about 1900. An account of his death in the Cambridge City Tribune, Indiana December 24, 1903:

  DEATH OF AARON BOYER: Veteran Broom Manufacturer Succumbs to Heart Disease. A. Boyer, the founder of the Boyer broom factory, who, in spite of his blindness, achieved great success, died this morning at 7:30 o'clock at his home, at 370 South Prairie Street of heart trouble, after an illness of two weeks. His wife is also seriously ill at the home and there is fear she will not recover...

  SKETCH OF HIS LIFE: Mr. Boyer was a remarkable man. He was born in York County, Pa., on Feb. 17, 1833, and was the son of Daniel and Rosana Boyer. When six years old his family removed to Indiana, He attended the public school until 12 years old. An unfortunate accident that eventually destroyed his eyesight occurred at this age. He subsequently engaged in a number of employments. He worked for the Miami Canal Packet company at a time when James A. Garfield was in its employ...When seventeen years old be became totally blind. Still he was ambitious and eager, and soon began making brooms at East Germantown, Ind. where his parents lived. Quickly he attained proficiency and was appointed foreman of the broom shops at the school for the blind at Indianapolis, where he remained a year. From 1855 to 1864 he manufactured brooms in Wayne county, Indiana... Moving to Crawford county, Illinois, he carried on the same business until 1866, when he came to Elmwood. Two years later he removed to Galesburg and began business in a factory fifteen by twenty feet. From this humble beginning he developed a large and successful business, which he carried on until 1897, when he retired... His factory turned out 15,000 to 18,000 dozen annually and gave employment to many hands... He was an active member of the First Methodist church. Mr. Boyer was married three times. In 1853 he married Elizabeth Buck. To them were born one son, that did not long survive and the mother's death soon followed. October 3, 1858, he married Sarah Harper in Wayne county, Indiana. She died in 1875, leaving three sons and one, daughter, Charles H., of Nebraska, Andrew J., Chicago, and William R., Galesburg, Ola B., New York City: Mr. Boyer July 10,1877, married Julia E., daughter of John and Bethan (Lee) Mitchell, early settlers of Galesburg. To this union were born four children, a son and daughter dying in infancy, and Abel and Orris E., of this city surviving.

• John Boyer, born February 9, 1835, who married, but had no children, and died in 1896. By profession, John was a carpenter. In the 1880s, John lived with his brother Amos's family.

• Cornelius Boyer, May Kramer's grandfather, born May 9, 1836 - July 12, 1918.

• Sophie Boyer, born March 24, 1838 and died young in 1848.

• Rebecca Boyer, born April 22, 1841.

• Daniel B. Boyer, born August 25, 1843, and who died in Cambridge City on May 7, 1920 at age 76.

  

    Daniel Boyer in the late 1910s. a brief biography appeared in the Cambridge City Tribune, Indiana on May 13, 1920;

  Daniel Boyer, son of Daniel and Rosana Boyer. He was born at East Germantown, IN on August 25, 1843, and departed this life at his home in this city on May 7, 1920, at the age of 76 years, 8 months and 12 days. His boyhood was spent in the vicinity of his birth until May, 1862, when he enlisted in the Sixteenth Indiana infantry and was honorably discharged at the close of the Civil war three years later. He was badly wounded at the battle of Richmond, Ky., and was deprived of active duty several months. After the war he moved to Iowa, where he was united by marriage to Adelaide Lankins. To this union eight children were born, two of whom preceded him in death. The living are Mrs. Belle Craig of Jacksonburg, John of Kansas, Arthur, Alice and Reko of Liberty, and Stephen of Rushville. From Iowa he moved to Washington and thence to Oregon City, Oregon, where his wife died 27 years ago. He then returned here with his family and took service with James A. Boyd as a farmer until physically incapacitated several years ago. Beside his 6 children and 17 grandchildren, he leaves two sisters, Mrs Elizabeth Oldaker of Germantown and Mrs Rebecca Swinn of Richmond, and one brother Chas Boyer of Galesburg, Ills. Mr. Boyer lived the simple life and believed in honesty and truthfulness.

• Fraternal twins William Boyer and Elizabeth Boyer, born May 24, 1845. (imagine bearing twins as your thirteenth and fourteenth children !) William Boyer died fairly young on March 15, 1880 age 36.

  The following account of the death of William Boyer comes from the Cambridge City Tribune - March 18, 1880 (thanks to Julie Barker)

  William Boyer, whose injuries in an altercation with Levi Goldman, were recounted in these columns a few weeks since, died at the residence of his brother-in-law, William Oldacre, near Pennville, last Sunday morning, at one o'clock-aged 34 years and 10 months. A post mortem examination conducted by Drs. Rutledge, Mauk and Study revealed fracture of the inner table of the skull more than one and a half inches long, and three-fourths of an inch in width, with extensive inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain. The funeral took place on Monday afternoon, at the Lutheran Church, and was attended by a large concourse of relatives and sympathizing friends. Despite his imperfections, the deceased had many warm friends, and those who gathered to pay the last tribute of respect to the regretted dead, can best attest his virtues. The funeral discourse was delivered by Rev. Wesner, after which the remains were interred in the cemetery hard by.

• Charles Carroll Boyer, born October 25, 1849, who married Maggie Neilon of York County in 1869.

Daniel and Rosanna Boyer moved from York County, Pennsylvania to East Germantown, Wayne County, Indiana in 1838 with their children, including Cornelius, Mae Kramer's grandfather.  Wayne County Indiana is located near the Ohio-Indiana border.  Daniel Boyer died in Wayne County, Indiana on November 2, 1868. He and Rosanna Boyer were buried in East Germantown Lutheran Cemetery, East Germantown, Indiana.

Grave marker for Daniel and Rosanna Boyer, East Germantown Lutheran Cemetery, Indiana

Cornelius Boyer, Mae Kramer's grandfather, married Anna E. (Russell) Boyer (born February 5, 1843 in Pennsylvania) in Wayne County, Indiana at the Bethel Christian Church on September 16, 1858, when Cornelius was 22 and Anna was 16.

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Cornelius and Anna Boyer had 7 children, of whom Flora, ancestor of Mae Kramer was the third:

• Emma C. born August 23, 1859 who married George Weber in 1880

• Mary Addie born July 17, 1861 and died April 15, 1889, aged only 28, perhaps in childbirth.

• Flora J. born July 21, 1865  and died after 1941, who married John E. Kramer on June 8, 1883,  Flora was Mae Kramer's mother.

• Isaac B. born October 23, 1867 and died May 21, 1890, aged only 22

• Frank, born January 1, 1870 and died May 30, 1925. Frank married Minnie Luster, and they had two children: Bess who married Harold Filby and Lillian who married Elmer Sauers (and who had children Noel and David)

• Charles born March 9, 1873 - 1946 married Nellie Sullivan in Cincinnati, Ohio. Charles and Nellie had 3 children: Charles J. Boyer born June 3 1896, and who married Salena Ogborn in 1915, and had two children.

• Albert born October 23, 1877 married Flora Davis, daughter of Walter (an organ maker) and Mary Davis of Cambridge, Wayne County, Indiana.  However, in the 1910 Census, Albert is listed as living with Cornelius and Anna, with Albert's daughter, Bessie, born in 1894, but Flora is not listed, so presumably had died. Albert was still living at home with his mother Anna in the 1920 Census. Two years later, at age 44, at about the time of Anna's death, Albert married Flora Davis when she was aged 43.

The Boyers lived in Cambridge City, Jackson Township, Wayne County, Indiana between at least 1840 and Anna Boyer's death in 1922.  In the 1860 census, Cornelius's profession is listed as "Post F Maker" (I'm not sure exactly what that would be). Cornelius Boyer also served on the Union side during the Civil war, serving in Company G of the Fifth Indiana Cavalry during the Civil War.

Cornelius, Anna, and son Albert, then 32, lived in RR A, Cambridge City, Wayne County, Indiana. Albert was listed as being a "bicycle repairman at own shop". Albert Boyer lived with his mother Anna until her death in 1922.

Cornelius Boyer died on July 12, 1918:

Cornelius Boyer obituary from the Cambridge City Tribune, Indiana, July 18, 1918: Cornelius Boyer was born May 9, 1836, in Little York, York county, PA. His father was Daniel Boyer of that state. His mother was Rosina daughter of Jacob Glattfelder, also of Pennsylvania. When Cornelius was six years old he came with his parents overland, there being no railroads at that time, to Indiana, where they lived to a ripe old age and died in Pershing where they first settled. There was a family of 15 children, 4 of whom survive, namely: Daniel Boyer of Cambridge City, Elizabeth Oldaker of Pershing, Rebecca Swinn of Richmond and Chas. Boyer of Galesburg, Ills. He was united in marriage to Anna Russell in 1858, and to them was born seven children, Mrs. Geo. Weber, Chas. Boyer and Albert Boyer of Cambridge City, Mrs. John Kramer of Indianapolis, Frank Boyer of Richmond and Mrs. Addie M. Forrest and Isaac Boyer, both of whom preceded their father in death. Soon after marriage they went to housekeeping in Jacksonburg, and from there moved to the present location south of Cambridge City, where Mr. Boyer followed farming and the carpenter trade... He is also survived by seven grandchildren, Mrs. Walter Huffman and John Kramer of Indianapolis, Mrs. Wm. Conrad and Dorothy Boyer of Cambridge City, Mrs. H. J. Filby and Mrs. Elmer Bauer (Sauer, maybe) of Richmond, Earl Boyer of Cincinnati, and Chas. Boyer who belongs to the 324th machine gun battalion and landed in France two weeks ago. Also three great-grandsons Walter Hoffman, jr., of Indianapolis, Wm. Conrad, jr., of Cambridge City and Noel Herbert Sauer of Richmond. He was taken sick April 3, 1918, and lingered until July 12, 1918. For many months he was practically helpless, during which time he was tenderly cared for by his wife and his son Albert. He was well known in Cambridge and vicinity and held in high esteem by all who knew him.

Anna Boyer outlived her husband Cornelius Boyer by four years, dying in Wayne County, Indiana in 1922.

The third Boyer child, the ancestor Flora J. Boyer married on June 8, 1883 to John E. Kramer. John Kramer was born 1864 in Indiana. John and Flora Kramer had two children: John E Kramer, Jr. (1889-1947) and Mae A. Kramer.  The "A." seems to have been Anna, after Mae's mother's mother. There are records showing "Mae Ann" and "Mae Anna", but her passport and several census records stated "Mae Anna".

Mae Anna Kramer was born in El Dorado, Kansas in Butler County, east of Wichita on May 21, 1889. El Dorado was very much a farming area, particularly in corn, and grass covered the prairie.  El Dorado at that time was still a pioneer area, with the population being only about 3,600.  The railroad had come to El Dorado in 1877.  Why John Kramer moved there from Indiana is not recorded.

By 1910, John E. Kramer and Flora J. Kramer were living at 1382 Nordyke Avenue in Indianapolis. John was listed as being a "machinist".

By 1930, John E. Kramer Senior having died, Flora lived at 1744 Brookside Avenue, Indianapolis, where she was still living until her death in 1949 at age 83. 

Notice of Flora J. Kramer death in the Indianapolis Star 14 February 1949

Further records of Mae's brother John have not yet been located.

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A recent discovery was that Mae Anna Kramer was first married in 1907. She later sometimes mentioned to the family that she had been in a marriage arranged by the family, and that she hated the marriage, but provided no further details. The marriage took place at the Kramer home on Nordyke Avenue, Indianapolis on 28 November 1907, ironically Thanksgiving Day. The groom was Carol David Craig - he was 27 and Mae was 18. A record of their divorce has not yet been located.

Mae Anna Kramer married Walter Charles Huffman in Chicago where he was then working on 29 September 1913.  After only six years of marriage, Walter Charles Huffman died November 13, 1918 during the great influenza epidemic from pneumonia. He was buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, where Mae and her father John Kramer also bought plots, as shown in the document, below.

Mae A. Kramer later married Ralph S. Norwood on November 14, 1923.  During their married years in Indianapolis, they lived at 3617 Carrollton Avenue in a house built by Ralph on property he had purchased in 1920.

Ralph died in Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia in November, 1971 and Mae died in September, 1974 in Riddle Memorial Hospital in Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Funeral card for Anna E. (Russell) Boyer, 1843 - 1922

John E. Kramer, Sr and Mae A. Huffman cemetery plot, Crown Hill, Indianapolis 1918

Mae and Ralph Norwood (at right), 1961 on Cunard Liner Caronia Round the World Cruise

Click here to go the the Huffman Family Tree

Click here to go to the Huffman Family Photographs

Click here to go to the Norwood Family Records

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¹ from Biographical Memoirs of Huntington County 1901 pages 718-720

If you have any comments or questions about this site, please e-mail me (Larry Huffman) at e-mail address: leopold.stokowski@gmail.com