Needs further research. The church records support paired births. A family chart’s claim of triplets remains unproved.
What the baptism records show
St. Boniface’s original baptism entries support the following reconstruction of three paired births in Bernard Roling and Magdalena Wintz’s family:
- September 4, 1858: Barbara Elisabeth and Bernard Wilhelm.
- March 3, 1861: Bernard and Barbara.
- February 29, 1864: Johannes Franciscus (John Frank) and Eduardus Pantaleon.
Matching birth dates and parents—not merely shared baptism dates—support twinship. None of these entries explicitly says “twins” or “triplets.” The 1864 pair is very probably twins, but the father’s additional forename in Edward’s baptism—Josephus Bernardus, versus Bernardus for John Frank—remains unexplained.
Why the triplet claim remains open
A family chart supplied by Ron in October 2026 labels the 1861 group as triplets, listing Bernard, Barbara and Henry John separately. Its compiler, date and underlying sources are unknown. Including Elisabeth, born August 28, 1855, the chart totals eight children; the examined baptisms total seven entries. The 1896 biography and 1900 census report seven children. Both later sources report two children then living; they do not substantiate the separate five-survivors account.
Adult Henry probably corresponds to baptismal Bernard, but no explicit alias proves that connection. The chart’s claimed death of Bernard on April 10, 1869 remains unverified. An original death or burial record giving parents and age is the next source needed. Triplets and a Bernard–Henry alias remain research questions, not established family facts.
Sources and record details
- St. Boniface, Quincy, 1855 baptism register, p. 109, entry 96: Elisabeth, baptized August 29, born the previous day.
- 1858 baptism register, p. 24, entries 168–169: born September 4, baptized September 6. 1858 register heading.
- 1861 baptism entries 58–59: names and dates and continuation, p. 91. Born March 3, baptized March 4; the paired rows are joined by a brace.
- 1864 baptism entries 32–33: names and dates and continuation, p. 145. Born February 29, baptized March 1.
- Edward’s burial, p. 66, entry 87: died July 26 and buried July 27, 1864; parents recorded as Bernardi Roling and Magdalenae Wins.
- Historical, Pictorial and Biographical Record of Chariton County, Missouri (1896), p. 111; 1900 census, Quincy Ward 3, ED 128, sheet 12B, line 97.
- Henry’s March 3, 1886 St. Mary marriage entry, p. 42, naming Bernard Roling and Magd. Wintz; Quincy Herald-Whig, November 27, 1931, p. 14, final column. These do not explicitly establish a Bernard–Henry alias.
- Family chart supplied by Ron, October 16, 2026. Compiler, compilation date and underlying sources unidentified; its triplet and April 10, 1869 death claims are retained as research leads.
Church images are in Ancestry collection 61682; viewing may require an account or subscription. Research reviewed October 31, 2026. No new document images are reproduced here.