EEMcD & The Mystery of the 1838 Reeded Edge Half Dollar
TomB
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Who is E. E. McD. and how and where did he/she die on March 11, 1847? Though first addressed over five-years ago in the original article, I believe it is time for an update...
Most folks who read any quantity of my PCGS posts or who go to my website have no doubt been beaten over the head with the mantra of “original surfaces” this and “original surfaces” that, over and over. Similarly, many might be numb to reading “it’s likely been dipped…” or “the surfaces have clearly been altered” or even the favorite of some “the coin has been boinked”. However, sometimes the right coin comes along and just has to be purchased or incorporated into the collection even if it might not make sense on some levels. Such is the case with a piece being shared at this time.
It’s fair to say that I like Reeded Edge half dollars. It’s also fair to say that I adore Reeded Edge half dollars. Heck, it might even be fair to say that Reeded Edge half dollars are my favorite US series. This quirky, short-lived series sits nestled between two enormous, highly popular and widely collected half dollar runs that constitute the Capped Bust and Seated Liberty series. The Reeded Edge half dollars are also coins that I carefully inspect when going to shows, visiting shops or examining collections. There are many scarce die marriages; two low mintage issues and a seemingly endless array of die cracks to find. Then, there is this coin.
Obviously, at one point the coin had a hole in it that has since been filled by a non-silver metal. It also has exquisite engraving that states “E. E. McD.” directly in front of the portrait and “1847 Died March 11th” directly behind the portrait. Aside from the engraving and repaired hole, the surfaces themselves are not original by any stretch of the imagination. I’d guess the coin was dipped once or twice, especially if it was worn on a necklace as suggested by the repaired hole, and has since retoned. Truly, if the engraving was on a coin from another series or if this were simply a Reeded Edge half dollar with surface issues then it is highly unlikely I would have purchase the piece. However, the coin is what it is and here we are with a modified 1838 Reeded Edge half dollar GR-14 (formerly JR-7) die marriage.
I had spent quite a bit of time looking at this coin and also lots of time using Google to find out who might be referenced on the coin. For quite a while, there had been no interesting leads, but a number of cool items popped up. These include-
- A list of soldiers and civilians killed in the Siege of Veracruz from March 9 through March 29, 1847, which was the first large-scale amphibious assault by US forces. Below is an image of an engraving by Adolphe Jean-Baptiste Bayot after a painting by Carl Nebel.
- The history of the Donner Party along with a listing of individual survivors and casualties. Most have probably read about the Donner Party, but if you haven’t then you should take some time to read about what these folks endured on their trip westward and how so many of the members of the party died en route. The following is a route map generated by Karl Musser.
- On March 11, 1847 John Chapman died in Allen County, IN. Today he is better known as Johnny Appleseed. Of course, I do not know if he was always as obviously happy as the 1972 postcard, below, suggests. This seems to be the ubiquitous image of a carefree Johnny Appleseed and has been published myriad times including Indiana University South Bend where the present image was found and saved.
At the time of purchase, I was told that the coin was found in circulation in the early 1950s and was placed into its former collection at that time. The collection was from a collector who lived in Idaho. I purchased this coin nearly ten-years ago and for a few years performed various internet searches however, from that point until early 2014 I was no closer to finding out the story surrounding this coin than when I had started. Then something truly remarkable happened.
Approximately a year after I first wrote about the coin on the PCGS boards, one of the PCGS board members did some research on various genealogy sites and found a name and grave marker that might reference the person on the coin. The grave marker was for Elizabeth McDonald, who was married to John McDonald and who died on March 11, 1847. They were married in 1838 and her maiden name was Elizabeth Eva Kurtz. Therefore, she would have died on March 11, 1847 with the initials EEMcD and would have gotten married in 1838 (the year of the host coin). This all very strongly pointed to the identification of the original EEMcD and was quite exciting.
Further, while attending the FUN show in January, 2014 I received an email from Carroll H. of Kansas who mentioned reading the original article I wrote about the EEMcD Reeded Edge half dollar and asked if I still had the coin in my possession. I admit that my response was quite short and direct, since I was at a show, but told Carroll H. that I still owned the coin. A quick follow-up email from her asked if the coin might be for sale and I similarly responded that I had no immediate intention of selling the piece.
Carroll H. then told me what she knew about her family history. The great-great-great grandmother (three-times-great) of Carroll H. was Elizabeth (Kurtz) McDonald and she was the first wife of John Ross McDonald, who is Carroll H's great-great-great grandfather. He was from the Maryland side of the Maryland-Pennsylvania line while she hailed from York County, Pennsylvania. They married in 1838, had four or five children (as is the case so often in these early 19th century marriages, it is not known for certain how many live births occurred) and Elizabeth died on March 11, 1847 at the age of 28-years old. John McDonald appears on the 1850 Baltimore census with his children; Mary, William Tom, Priscilla E. and Lydia Agness with Mary having a birthplace of simply Pennsylvania and the latter three children listed as Baltimore County, Maryland. John McDonald later remarried and oddly enough the first name of his second wife was also Elizabeth and her maiden name began with a K (Krout) and they moved to Missouri and had four more children. John McDonald was a farmer and died in the 1860s. He is currently interred with his second wife, who died in 1900, in Olathe, Kansas. The EEMcD of this article (Elizabeth (Kurtz) McDonald) is buried in the St. John (Sadler's) cemetery in Stewartstown, Pennsylvania with the grave inscription "Wife of John R. McDonald".
Carroll H. had started with a pile of pictures from her deceased grandmother as well as family ancestry information, but after she located the grave marker of her great-great-great grandmother in Pennsylvania she had a difficult time finding out her maiden name or other historical information. After two-years of intensive research, by Carroll H., into the life of EEMcD, she received an email from someone who had read not only her online genealogy work, but had also read my initial post on the PCGS boards. That was the connection needed to get the two of us together.
Carroll H. appears to be the great-great-great granddaughter of the EEMcD memorialized on the 1838 Reeded Edge half dollar I purchased so many years ago. Her relationship to EEMcD is through the last child of Elizabeth and John; Lydia. Lydia Agness is the great-great grandmother of Carroll H. and one of the items of information provided to Carroll H. by her now deceased grandmother was a photograph of Lydia Agness as an adult. Given that Lydia Agness was born in 1845, it is likely that the photograph is from the 1860s or 1870s. Carroll H. graciously shared the photograph with me, along with her family research, and the photo of Lydia appears above the Reeded Edge half dollar that she may very well have owned or even worn as part of her jewelry. Currently, the EEMcD 1838 Reeded Edge half dollar belongs to Carroll H. of Kansas and I expect that it will (this time) remain in her family for generations to come.
Comments
Fantastic story and research. Thank you Tom.
That is a fantastic story. Gives true meaning to the statement "holding history in your hands". I am glad it seems to have found it's way back home.
Article just off the charts
Mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
I enjoyed the coin and the read. Great work!
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
first and foremost, it goes without saying that it was a very benevolent gesture to re-unite this keepsake with what seems certain to be the rightful owner. since I work in a Pawn Shop I am given a first hand look at how some family "heirlooms" are discarded. there's a movie line that says "Money is very poor way to measure a man's worth" and that sort of applies here. some things like this coin are really priceless, as are the actions of TomB.
we are at a marvelous time in human history, on the brink of each knowing exactly who we are and where we came from, all thanks to advances in Science. this summer I have a planned trip that will start in Central Pennsylvania, the towns of Madeira and Altoona where my father was born and lived for the first six years of his life. with a little luck I might find the graves of the Great Grandparents I never had a chance to meet.
thanks for sharing this story, Tom.
Great story Tom. You are truly a master detective.
OINK
Wonderful, heartfelt story, Tom. Thank you for sharing it.
You are a saint for all your effort and for helping this half dollar find its way home.
Lance.
What a great story, Tom. I'm sure the family will cherish this coin for a long, long time. It's difficult to envision this re unification of artifact and descendants occurring without the internet, and the efforts of several dedicated folks.
Thanks for the 1847 history lesson, too, there was a lot going on that year, maybe this has something to do with my affinity for 1840's seated dollars?
Very Nice!
I hope this story gets wider circulation, and I strongly feel it should be published in The Numismatist, or similar publication. This is a great 'feel good' story which the hobby needs.
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing.
Tom, Really enjoyed the story. On a recent trip to Kansas, I learned of some of my family members from that era. Glad the half made it home. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for that history! That happens to be the one that I just had graded at PCGS I will keep this article to go with the coin.
Very neat story.
What an incredible story Tom..... Between family history, DNA research, the internet and a collectors diligence, a coin of significant family history is reunited four generations later with descendants. Thanks @TomB for this great coin story....Cheers, RickO
Wow. What a fantastic story Tom.
Click on this link to see my ebay listings.
Thanks for sharing this. Great coin.
Great story. I agree that this should be published in either The Numismatist or the John Reich Journal.
Go ahead and submit it to them.
Great post, Tom. Thanks for sharing the story of this coin being reunited with the family it came from.
Thats a great story, thank you for sharing it.
Wow!
Very nice story.
Apples don't grow true to variety from seed.
Very interesting. What tool is used for engraving on coins like this? A local dealer recently sold a Barber dime with the Lord's prayer on the reverse, which to me is a technological marvel.
I agree. The story is quite amazing. I can attest that the genealogical sites now are a treasure trove of information and have also helped me gain knowledge about my family that I never expected to know.
Very well written and a great story TomB.