Individual Details

Found in 1850 Census - Owensboro, Daviess Co KY, living with Elijah Comstock. Surely the son of Levina & William. He was age 16, a cabinet maker as was Elijah.

Also think I found John in Memphis in 1860:
He was living in a boardinghouse as Jno. Spickernagle, age 25, Carpenter, but born in New York [of course the info probably given by the landlady...]
However, there are Spickernagles found in New York.

John Spickernagle was listed as a Private in Company A, of the 154th Senior Regt. Tennessee Infantry [1st Tenn. Volunteers]
NARA film: M231, roll 41

1867 Memphis, TN City Directory
Spickernagle, William and John, newsdealers, 125 Poplar, residence same

John Spickernagle married Miss Caladonia C. Dean, 11 Mar 1868. G. W. White, Rector of Calvary Church performed the ceremony. Shelby Co, TN. License dated the same day.


1870 Census, Owensboro, Daviess Co KY
John Spickernagle, age 36, Jour. Carpenter, b. TN
Sallie C., age 24, b. MS
Susan J. age 3, b. KY. Lillie S. age 1, b. KY


Found in the manuscript file of Samuel Willett Comstock at NEHGS Library - in his collection of letters that had been written to Noah D. Comstock.
The letter was written in Owensboro by John Spickernagle on 17 Jan 1877 to N. D. Comstock, Esq. [Answer to a letter written to his uncle Elijah]
Sir
Your favor of the 3d, came to hand and found Mr. Comstock Dead. He died 5th of Dec 1875. [This would be Elijah Comstock, John's uncle. John had lived with him after the deaths of his parents.] As to your queries in regard to his family, I will give all the information that I possess. His father came from Connecticut - or was born there. His Grandfather died when his father was small and his grandmother married again, a man by the name of Linden. One son was born to them. [Surely a confusion regarding the two families of Daniel Comstock - wrong grandparent! The grandmother died early. The grandfather was married twice and Lyndon was a son of the 2nd marriage. But the stories of Lyndon live on!]
This boy went to sea and when the war of 1812 occurred he became part owner of a privateer. The last heard of him was that his ship was in sight of the British Channel. The supposition was that some English cruiser put her to the bottom. [Lyndon did go pirating and probably was entitled to a percentage of the spoils - he was seen some years later in New Orleans, but his family never heard from him again.] Mr. Comstock's father [William] came to Kentucky sometime in 1790. He married Winney Hardin by whom he had three children two boys and one girl. Ephraim was the oldest, Elijah was the second son 10 years younger. Lavinia was the daughter's name. She was the youngest by two years. [This part seems accurate enough although the spread between the boys was more like 13 years; I've always wondered about this 13 years with no children. There must have been difficulties in the marriage, or perhaps some dead babies.] Ephraim Comstock was married three times. By his first wife he had one child, a daughter. By his second wife he had one son. By his third wife he had three or four sons. [Actually seven sons and a daughter.] The last wife was married in Arkansas. [No, they married Maury Co. TN - the last wife and all the children moved to Missouri after the death of Ephraim in Perry Co TN. She was a widow in the 1850 census in Tennessee. Only my Tom went on to Arkansas and that was after the Civil War. It's interesting that John Spickernagle knew anything about Arkansas.] The others were in Kentucky. Elijah Comstock had two wives. By the first he had two children, one son and one daughter. By his last wife he had no children.
His father's given name was William. He was one of the district Judges in this state when there were three on the bench at a time. Breckinridge County was the place of Mr. Comstock's birth, near Hardinsburg.
[This is confusing, but I think he meant Elijah was born near Hardinsburg, which would be so.]
Yours,
John Spickernagle.


Finally found John Spickernagle in 1880. His name was quite unreadable and indexed as "Spiennagile".
He was in Owensboro, of course. Family 186. His wife was Sallie C. in 1870 and I think the "C" might be for Caledonia since the age and her place of birth fits.
Jno was age 46, working as an undertaker, b. TN as were his parents
Wife, Caladonia, age 34, b. Mississippi as were her parents
Sue, age 10, daughter, b. KY
William age 5, son, b. KY [probably Wm C. mentioned on SWC's worksheet re the Spickernagles]
AND.....
Sue Comstock, age 62, Boarder, b. KY, her parents born in Maryland - this can only be Susannah Bowlds, 2nd wife and now widow of Elijah Comstock who had died in 1875.

1889 Owensboro, KY City Directory
Spickernagle, John. carpenter, S Main, between St. Elizabeth & Locust. Residence: 110 St. Elizabeth
Spickernagle, Susan, L., residence 110 St. Elizabeth
Spickernagle, Wm C., residence 110 St. Elizabeth

A note in the Samuel Willett Comstock manuscript "John's son Wm. C. Spickernagle, Owensboro, KY. His letter Nov 8/03 promises info from his mother."
I find no Spickernagle in Daviess County in 1900, but in Owensboro in 1910:
W. C. Spickernagle, age 38, b. KY, father b. KY, mother b. MS, did general repairs and had his own shop

Birth	12 Oct 1833	Tennessee
Marriage	11 Mar 1868	Shelby County, Tennessee - Sallie Caledonia Dean

Spouse	Sallie Caledonia Dean (1846 - )
Child	Susan J. Spickernagle (1868 - )
Child	Lillie S. Spickernagle (1869 - )
Child	William C. Spickernagle (1875 - )

Father	William Spickernagle (1790 - 1845)
Mother	Levinia Comstock (1810 - 1837)
Sibling	Horace Spickernagle (1829 - )
Sibling	William Spickernagle (1831 - 1878)
Sibling	Laura Spickernagle (1835 - )
Sibling	Lavinia Spickernagle (1837 - )