Mary Catherine Shank Kuhns
Mother of Samuel Kuhns (1843–1918) (“Samuel Kuhns and Mary Shank”, Byler - Amish Immigrants of Waldeck and Hesse (1993)). Online trees give her as born about 1805, daughter of John Shank and Mary Elizabeth (unverified), dying in Holmes County in 1842.
Date problem
If she died in January 1842 she cannot be the mother of a son born in July 1843. Either Samuel Jr. was born 20 July 1840 (Byler: “ca 1840”; another online tree: 1840), or his 1843 birth year is right and the death date is wrong, or Samuel Sr. had a second wife. Samuel Jr.’s own obituary says 1843.
Open questions
- Death 8 Jan 1842 (Geni) vs after the birth of her son Benjamin, 17 Sep 1842 (WikiTree, citing Gingerich & Kreider) vs mother of Samuel Jr. born 1843 (his obituary)
Research log
- 2026-10-31: archive.org full-text search ‘Samuel Kuhns’ Shank Holmes / Kuhns Shank Somerset Amish: only Byler (already used), the 1906 Bedford and Somerset history and the Hochstetler genealogies; parents not found. Next: Gingerich & Kreider (AAMG), 1850 Holmes County census (FamilySearch sign-in) — blocked
About this research
Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.