Thursday, February 7, 2013

1880s Autograph Album of W. J. Gastiger of Waterloo, Iowa & Pennsylvania


1880s autograph album of W. J. Gastiger, who, judging from the messages within the album, moved from Pennsylvania to Waterloo, Iowa, with perhaps a stop at Milledgeville, Illinois in between.



The album is approximately 7" x 4" and contains over 40 pages signed by the owner, his relatives and friends.  An alphabetical list of the signers appears at the end of this post.

From online research, hopefully correct: [corrections and clarifications welcome!]

Because of the preponderance of surnames such as Blough and Fike, I believe that this may have been the album of William J. Gastiger, son of Joseph W. and Susan (Blough) Gastiger of Pennsylvania.  The Blough and Fike families were inter-connected.

William J. Gastiger was born about 1867, in Pennsylvania, though I also saw a reference to his birth as about 1858.  There may have been two men of this name.  

If our William J. Gastiger was the son of Joseph W. and Susan (Blough) Gastiger, then he is the William who married Elizabeth M. Suder, daughter of Benjamin and Mariah (Sevits or Zavitz).  They had a son Elwood Peter Gastiger, born 4 February 1898 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

Hopefully, after reading the list of signers below, some of whom helpfully provided a family relationship to W. J. Gastiger, a reader with knowledge of the family will provide a clarification in the comments section or contact me directly.

Cousin George W. Blough signed a page at Berlin, Pennsylvania, on  1 December 1889.



Cousin Emma S. Fike signed a page at Waterloo, Iowa, on 7 March 1887.



Cousin Jacob H. Fike signed a page at Waterloo, Iowa, on 8 March 1887.



Cousin Mrs. W. A. Blough signed a page on 1 January 1888.



In January 1888, William apparently stayed overnight at Mt. Morris College in Illinois, in the room of M. M. Fike of Milledgeville, Illinois, and H. I. Buckley of Mt. Morris, Illinois.  They signed facing pages, with the word "Room" at the top of one and "Mates" at the top of the other.





The album has an old photograph tucked inside.   Though the pages it was tucked in may have no significance, they were the facing pages of Clara Stokes, who signed at Waterloo, Iowa, on 3 January 1888 and Ellen, who signed her name without much room to spare, so that her name appears to be Zim, but might be Zimmerman, which was the surname of the signers following her page.



If you have information to share on William J. Gastiger or any of the signers, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!

Alphabetical list of signers: [Note: given names within a particular surname may not be in alphabetical order.]


  • "Tigg [not sure of name], the Western Terror" of Waterloo, Iowa
  • George W. Blough, signed at Berlin, Pennsylvania on 1 December 1889; William's cousin
  • W. A. Blough, signed at Waterloo, Iowa, on 11 March 1887
  • Mrs. U. S. Blough, signed at Waterloo, Iowa, on 18 December 1887
  • U. S. Blough, signed at Waterloo, Iowa, on 18 December 1887
  • Mrs. W. A. Blough, signed on 1 January 1888; William's cousin
  • W. E. Blough of Milledgeville, Illinois, signed 8 January 1888
  • H. I. Blough, signed 9 March 1889
  • Bert P. Dist. 7, Trop. 23, Range 6, East of the 4th P. I.; stamped name of Bert Blough of Berlin, Pennsylvania
  • Eph Blough, signed at 87 Main St., Grubbtown, Pennsylvania. Ephraim Blough
  • Cora Blough of Milledgeville, Illinois, signed 13 January 1888
  • Dr. A. G. Blough of Milledgeville, Illinois, signed 14 January 1888
  • H. I. Buckley of Mt. Morris, Illinois, signed 16 January 1888 at Mt. Morris College.  This page has the word "Mates" at the top; the preceding page, signed by M. M. Fike of Milledgeville, Illinois, has the word "Room", so these two signers were roommates at Mt. Morris College.
  • C. A. Cable of Waterloo, Iowa, signed 8 March 1887
  • Emma S. Fike, signed at Waterloo, Iowa on 7 March 1887; William's cousin
  • Jacob H. Fike, signed at Waterloo, Iowa on 8 March 1887; William's cousin
  • Charles Fike of Milledgeville, Illinois, signed 8 January 1888
  • Eliza Fike
  • Mrs. J. S. Fike of Milledgeville, Illinois, signed 12 January 1888
  • J. S. Fike, signed at Milledgeville, Illinois, on 12 January 1888
  • Mrs. M. W. Fike of Milledgeville, Illinois, signed 13 January 1888
  • W. M. Fike of Milledgeville, Illinois, signed on 13 January 1888
  • Mrs. A. M. Fike of Milledgeville, Illinois, signed 16 January 1888
  • A. M. Fike of Milledgeville, Illinois, signed 15 January 1888
  • M. M. Fike of Milledgeville, Illinois, signed at Mt. Morris, Illinois on 17 January 1888.  "Remember the time you staid with us at Mt. Morris College" - there is the word "Room" at the top of this page, and the next page has the word "Mates", so M. M. Fike and the next signer, H. I. Buckley of Mt. Morris, Illinois, were roommates at Mt. Morris College, in Illinois.
  • Nora Fike of Milledgeville, Illinois, signed 13 January 1888
  • Miss Ida M. Forney of Jenner Cross Roads, Pennsylvania, signed on 7 February 1888
  • Miss Lizzie Forney, signed at Jenner Cross Roads, Pennsylvania, on 7 February 1888
  • Charles L. Forney, signed at Jenner Cross Roads, Pennsylvania, in 1888
  • J. H. Furnoy of Berlin, Pennsylvania, signed 23 February 1890.  Looks like Furnoy, but could be Forney, as there are other signers with that surname.
  • William J. Gastiger of Waterloo, Iowa, previously of Pennsylvania, signed 27 November, 1887; album owner
  • M. M. Keller of Sipesville [Pennsylvania ?], signed 6 Feburary 1888
  • H. W. Kretchman, signed at Waterloo, Iowa, on 23 December 1887
  • B. F. Lambert of Buckstown, Pennsylvania, signed on 11 February 1888
  • Philip Mauser [not sure of surname], signed at Stoyestown, Pennsylvania, on 9 February 1888
  • Annie Miller, signed at Waterloo, Iowa on 28 November 1887
  • Harvey Miller of Waterloo, Iowa, signed on 26 Nov 1887 at Jacob Fike's
  • E. E. Stokes of Waterloo, Iowa, signed 3 January 1888
  • Ida Stokes, signed at Waterloo, Iowa, on 3 January 1888
  • Clara Stokes, signed at Waterloo, Iowa, signed on 3 January 1888.  Whether the placement is significant or not, a snapshot of a man and two women was found tucked in this page and the facing page, next.  The photograph is two images on.
  • Ellen Zim*, signed at Stoyestown, Pennsylvania.  Either her last name is short, or she ran out of room.  Another Stoyestown, Pennsylvania signer was Lizzie Zimmerman, if that's a clue.  Whether the placement is significant or not, there was a photograph tucked into this page and the facing page, the previous image.  The photograph is the next image.
  • Joanna R. Zimmerman of Stoyestown, Pennsylvania, signed 12 February 1888
  • Lizzie Zimmerman, signed at Stoyestown, Pennsylvania, on 10 February 1888
  • H. F. Zimmerman, signed at Stoyestown, Pennsylvania on 10 February 1888
Waterloo, Iowa


Thanks for stopping by!


1 comment:

  1. I didn't know there were autograph albums back then. They have lots of info in them. Would be great to have.

    Betty

    ReplyDelete