The family of Robert Rockwood or more likely Richard Rockwood

I have serious questions about this man.  Did he really live for 100 years and die in Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1672? ? And was he the same man who came to Massachusetts by 1633?  And if these answers are both affirmative, who was his wife?  Some say she was Elizabeth Bachler, but I've not found any documentation for that.  There may have been a second wife, but see the next paragraph.  His first son, if our identification is correct, was born in 1602, and the next mention of children is in 1628.  Do all these "facts" apply to the same person?  I'm not reasonably sure of most of the things I will write in this post, but I am sure that this family deserves further study.

Our connection, if there is one, if through Richard Rockett, who was born in 1602 in England, possibly Weymouth, Dorset, and who died in 1660 in Dorchester, Massachusetts.   He may actually be the father of the next three children I will mention.  His wife is Agnes or Ann Lovell, the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Dunkley Lovell.  Or is she possibly the wife of Robert?  Richard's children are sometimes shown to be Robert's children, with the same birthdates used for each.  It's a mess.  

So Robert, if the father (I tend to lean toward Richard as the father) of the next children, has children named  Nicholas, Lydia, Phebe, John, and Hannah.  There is no Robert, and no Richard, that has been shown to be a son in this family, which is a bit unusual.

Nicholas was born in 1628 and died in 1681.  He married three times.  With Jane Adams, not further identified, he had Samuel, Benjamin, and Josiah.  With Margaret Holbrook, the daughter of John Holbrook who may be an uncle to our family, he had Elizabeth, John, Joseph Nathaniel, and possibly Isaac.  

Lydia born in 1634,is probably not the Lydia who is identified as Lydia Penniman.  She may have married Edward Adams, but I can find nothing further about her.

Phebe was born in 1639 and died in 1718. She married John Taylor, who identification is not yet proven.  I could locate only two children for this couple, Mary and John.

John was born in 1641 and died in 1725.  He married Joanna Ford, who may possibly be the daughter of William and Anna Eames Ford.  Their children are John, Priscilla, Johannah, Joseph, Mercy, Trial, and Deliverance.  I'll write more of this family in my next post.

I also have Hannah listed as a daughter, but have no information so at this time I would tend to say she is a myth until proven otherwise.  

This is mostly a placeholder post, about Robert or Richard's family, so far as I have been able to determine them.  I hope to do better with John Rockwood's family!  In the meantime, if anyone has answers to some of these questions, I would be delighted to hear from you.

The family of Andrew Kepler 1776-1855

 First, a bit of a clean up paragraph.  I've listed his parents in a previous post as Bernard and Maria Elizabeth Lindemuth Kepner, based on records in Berks and Schuykill counties in Pennsylvania.  Because so many of his siblings stayed in that area, I've thought it was correct.  I still am leaning toward this parentage.  However, I should mention that other trees, also with records, give him Bernhart Kepler 1736-1804 and Rebecca Zieber as parents.  I am not convinced of that yet, but I want to leave it in this post for anyone who is researching; perhaps records can be found to clarify this.  Also, this seems to be the first generation that almost exclusively is noted as Kepler rather than Kepner or various other spellings.  

So, Andrew was presumably born in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 1776.  He married Anna Maria Kramer, the daughter of Daniel and Anna Maria Geise or Geist Kramer, and the couple had at least 9 children together, some in Pennsylvania and some in Ohio.  Sometime about 1809 they moved to what is now Summit County, Ohio, and were perhaps the first family to settle in Green Township.  Andrew was a private in the War of 1812. Although I have not yet traced his military history, he is likely to have seen at least some action.  Andrew died in 1855 in Green Township, Summit County, Ohio.

The children of Andrew and Anna Maria have at least some documentation to them, although some is a bit sketchy.  Also, because Andrew's brother John settled in the same area, and used many of the same names for his children, it's possible that the names and dates are confused, between children of the two fathers.  I've seen two different birthdates for Elizabeth, one of 1800 and one of 1817.  It is possible that there are two Elizabeths, the first not surviving, but it's also possible that one Kepler is the father of one Elizabeth, and the other is the father of the other one.  I'm not sure about that.  

Elizabeth may have been the first born daughter, if she belongs in this family and if her birthdate is 1800.  She married Samuel Stover, the son of Emanuel and Susannah Price Stover.  Their children are Hannah, Leah, Zachariah, Samuel, Margaret John, Solomon and Amanda.  Elizabeth died in 1882 in Big Bend, Republic, Kansas.

Mary was born next, in 1801.  She was married three times-to Jones Coolman or Koolman, George Harshbarger, and John Palmer or Paulner.  Her only known children are with George, and they include Lewis, John, Andrew Jackson, Leah, and Milo.  I have written of this family in a post about the family of George Harshbarger, who was the son of Johannes or John and Christina Elizabeth Fehler Harshbarger.  Mary died sometime after 1881.

Catherine, born in 1803, married Peter Wilhelm, possibly the son of Abraham and Mary Wilhelm.  Their children are Abraham, Andrew, Margaret, Sarah, Hiram, and Catherine.  She died about 1861 in East Liberty, Summit, Ohio.

Sarah, born in 1805, married David Warner, the son of Henry and Catherine Schumaker Warner.  Their children are an unnamed girl, Andrew, Henry, Samuel, John, Sarah, Margaret, and David.  I have seen a "son" William listed, but Sarah would have been 54 when he was born.  It seems unlikely.  She died in 1892 in Summit County, Ohio.

I have no records for John, so this is basically heresay.  He was born about 1807 and died in 1885.  His wife was Mary Kintz, the daughter of John and Susanna Wisner Kintz.  Their children are Margaret, Sarah, Mary Ann, Elizabeth, Lucetta, John, Ephraim, Lovena, Martha, Simon, and possibly another Elizabeth. There is a family in the 1850 census in Green Township, Summit, Ohio that fits this list, but it would give John a birth date two years earlier, so I'm not sure it's correct.

Margaret was born next, in 1808. She married Lewis Haring, the son of Conrad and Christina Stroman Haring.  Their children are Mary, Hannah, Sarah, Leah, Samuel, Hiram, and Lewis. She died in 1892 in Summit County, Ohio.

Jacob was born in 1809 and married Christina or Christiana Harshbarger, the daughter of Johannes and Christina Elizabeth Fehler Harshbarger.  (She was sister to George Harshbarger, who married Jacob's older sister Mary.) Their children are Elizabeth, Adam, Solomon, William, and unnamed infant, and Sophia.  Jacob died in 1871 in Green Township, Summit County, Ohio.

There may or may not be a son Barnett.  He is mentioned in the will of Andrew Keplar of Green Township, Summit County, Ohio in 1851.  I'm not sure this is the same Andrew, because my death date for Andrew is 1855.  Perhaps my death date is actually the final settlement of an estate, so I am including him here.  Barnett is reported to having been born in 1812 in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.  Did the Kepler family go there for relative safety during the War of 1812?  I'm just not sure.  He married Hannah Woods, currently not further identified.  Their children are Lucius, Margaret, Elizabeth, Andrew, Amanda, and Eleanor.  This family lived in Hocking County, Ohio, so I'm not sure this is our family.

Andrew was born in 1815 and died in 1894 in Summit County, Ohio.  He married Sarah Kintz, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Cook Kintz.  I'm not sure whether Sarah, the wife of Andrew, and Mary, the wife of John, are related but it seems possible that they are cousins.  Their children are Mariah, Hiram, Isabella, John, Sylvester, Oliver, Annanias, Simon, and Llewellyn.  

Then there are no reports of children born for 7 years, during which there may have been unsuccessful pregnancies or still births.  Samuel was born in 1822 and died in 1854.  He married Margaret Warner, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Cook Warner.  Again, I don't know whether Margaret and David, who married Samuel's sister Sarah, are related but it seems at least possible.  Their children are John, Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah, Lucinda, Louisa, Seneca, Alfred, Catherine, Samantha, Rebecca, and Andrew.

Lastly, there may have been a daughter, Rebecca, born in 1823.  I have not located any information about her and it's possible that she did not live a long life. Her mother would have been 47 years old at the time of her birth, which is not impossible but is somewhat unexpected.  I have a question mark after her name, for the time being.

Many of the many grandchildren of Andrew and Anna Maria would have been of the correct age to have fought in the Civil War.  I have not researched them, but it would be a fun rainy day project! We can guess that this was a tightly knit family, since almost all of the children lived their lives in close proximity to their parents.  We can be grateful for their example of good citizenship and hard work.

The family of Bernard (or Benedict) Kepner Kepler 1741-1817. Maybe.

This is another family with confusing and much missing "information".  I have seen him shown as Andreas Bernard and as Benedict or Bernard Samuel. He's the son of Benedict and Maria Salome Weicker.  Although he was born in 1741, I have seen him assigned a marriage in 1755.  Clearly, the 1755 marriage to Eva Meyer is not our Bernard. He may have been married first to Maria Elizabeth Winters, not further identified.  She died in 1764, with no record of children to this marriage, if this is our guy.  However, he did marry Maria Elizabeth Lindemuth (or Lindemood in 1765, the daughter of Georg and Maria Anna Drach Lindemood.  And then it gets murkier still.  Maria Elizabeth died in 1788, and he then married Margaret (or some variation thereof) Kettery (or some variation thereof).  She was 26 years younger than he Bernard, and they also had a large number of children.  However, I am totally uncertain about which children belong to which mother, except for the first three.  It is also possible that this list includes one or more children who belong to another Kepner male.  There is a will that I have been unable to locate that apparently would give me answers, if I could only get my hands and eyes on it.

Benjamin was born in 1765, death date not located.  He married Maria Elizabeth Huebshe. Their children are Maria Elizabeth, Susanna, Catherine, Benjamin, Maria Magdalena, Andrew, Sarah, Henry, and Bernard.   I am not entirely convinced he is of this family, as it appears there may have been two Bernards, one in Berks/Schuylkill County, and one in Montgomery County.  He is noted as being in Montgomery County.

Bernard was born in 1766 and died after 1817.  He married Catherine or Kate Koenig.  They had at least four children, Mary Magdalena, Catherine, Bernard, and Samuel.  He is credited with Revolutionary War service, but based on his age, it must have been late in the war, perhaps in the British-inspired attacks by some of the indigenous tribes.  This is a bit confusing, because his birth records say his name was Benedict.  Two sons may be mixed here.

Maria Salome was born about 1771.  She married someone surnamed Koch, who was apparently deceased at her father's death in 1817. I would not be at all surprised to find that this man is part of the family of Adam Koch's (the immigrant) family, as all of these people lived in Berks/Schuylkill County and several ended up in Summit County, Ohio, where we know Henry Koch was at an early date.

Catherine Kepler was born in 1772, and may have married Henry or Heinrich Kehler.  I've found nothing further about her.

Maria Magdalena was born in 1774 and married Isaac Whetstone, the son of Jacob and Anna Maria Shaeffer Whetstone.  The Harshbarger family descends from Jacob and Anna Maria through a different line.

John Kepler was born in October of 1775 and died in October of 1833 in Green Township, Summit County, Ohio.  He married Magdalena Kramer, the daughter of Daniel and Anna Maria Geist Kramer.  Their children are Catherine, John, Jacob, Andrew, David, George, Henry, Samuel, and Lena.  

Andrew Kepler was born in 1777 and died in 1855 in Green Township, Summit County, Ohio.  He married Anna Maria Kramer, the daughter of Daniel and Anna Maria Geist Kramer.  Yes, brothers married sisters and apparently the two couples lived near each other their entire lives, moving from Schuylkill County to Centre County, Pennsylvania and then on to Summit County, Ohio.  Andrew's children are Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine, Sarah, John, Rebecca, Jacob, Andrew, and Samuel.  I will follow this family in my next pos

Henry may have been born about 1779.  His wife may be named Rosina.  Those are the only two clues I have about him at this time. 

Anna Maria was born about 1779 and married David Raudebusch.  The search for more information about this family continues.

George was born about 1785 and died in 1811.  His wife's name was Margaret.  Again, that is all that I know at this point. 

Margaret, known as Molly, was born in 1786 and died just 10 days later.  

Susanna, born in 1793, married John Adam Will, the son of Henry and Hannah Schweffel Will.  Their children include Mary, William, and Benjamin.

William was born about 1794. That is the current limit of my information about him.  

Tobias was born in 1795.  (There are also records for a Tobias born in 1812, but it seems unlikely that he belongs to this family.  Margaret would have been 45, so it's not totally impossible.  He married Eliza Weaver, and they had at least two children, Henry and Catherine.  He married secondly, Martha Winterstein, but there are no known children for this couple.  

Jacob is reported to have been born in 1770 but is also said to be Bernard and Margaret's youngest son, born in 1812.  It is possible that the second one was named after the first Jacob died in 1811.  As of now, I haven't been able to trace either man.  

Isaac was born in 1797.  He married first Mary Miller, and secondly Catherine Wiend or Wiand.  I have not located the parents of either of these women.  The children, who are Mary's, are  Moses, William, Benjamin, Valentine, Emanuel, and Sarah.   

Esther was born in 1803 and died in 1881.  She married John Hettinger, the son of Frederick and Maria Kleckner Hettinger.  There are just two known children, Washington William, and Martha, although it is likely there are more yet to be found. Mary is shown on the 1850 census, and she is possibly a child of Esther and John's also.  

Samuel is mentioned by name in his father's will, but I have been unable to locate anything at all about him.  

This post is meant only as a rough guide and is not to be taken at face value.  There are missing children.  One comment says that Bernard had 19 children, another says 25.   It's possible that one or more of the children named here are imposters, and belong to a different family.  As a clue, all the records I've found point to Berks/Schuylkill County in Pennsylvania, or Summit County in Ohio.  I'd be suspicious of anything else.  

If you know more about this family, please let me know! 

Harshbarger line: The family of Benedict Kepner 1714-1778

 The story of Benedict starts out on a confusing note, with his name.  He is referred to as both Benedict and Bernard Kepner, with some showing his name as Benedictus Bernard.  The records I have seen all refer to him as Benedict, so that is the name I will use. He is the son of Johannes Bernard and Anna Barbara Schlagman, born in Sulzfeld, Baden-Wuertemburg, in what is now Germany.   The second point of confusion is when and where he was married.  His wife is listed as Maria Salome Weicker, the daughter of Johan George and Anna Barbara Elisabeth Daecher Weicker.  Supposedly they were married in 1734 in Berk, Berks County, Pennsylvania.  However, there are immigration records for Benedict Kepner from 1764.  Is this the same man?  Did he return to Germany for some reason as an older man, and if so, why?  And the final question is whether the last three children he is credited with were his, or whether they may have belonged to his son or another Kepner entirely.  They were born too late to have been the children of Maria Salome, as she was born in 1721 and the last three children were born in or after 1766.  (Plus, there is a gap of several years between the last child who appears plausible and the supposed last three.)  So there are still a lot of questions swirling around this family.  

Benedict and Maria Salome's children are shown on some trees as being born in Berks County and others as being born in Germany.  There is documentation for at least some of the children in Berks County, so I will use that as the birthplace of all until I find records indicating otherwise.  

The first born, or first surviving, child was Johannes Jacobus, born in 1737.  He may have married Maria Christina Strauss, the daughter of Johann Albrecht and Margaret Zerbe Strauss.  Their children include Anna Maria, Elizabeth, Samuel, Benjamin, Jacob, John, David, Susan, Margaretha, and Elizabeth.  

There may be a Jacob, born in 1741.  If so, it's possible that the Johannes Jacobus mentioned above died early and this Jacob is the one who survived to marry Maria Christina.  One of these two died in 1836 in Millerstown, Perry County, Pennsylvania, it appears.  

Next was Andreas Bernard, born also in 1741 but not noted as being a twin.  He married Maria Elizabeth Lindemuth or Lindemood, the daughter of George and Maria Anna Drach Lindemood.  He is shown as having 19 children with three or more different wives, so I need to do more research on him and will write more about this family in my next post.  As of now, it's possible that his children may include Bernard, Bemjamin, Savilla, Maria Salome, Andreas, Anna Catherine, John, Magdalena, Andrew, Anna Maria, Samuel, George, Esther, Benedict, Appolonia, Moses, Henry, Maria Magdalena, Susanna, Isaac, and Jacob.  

Anna Barbara, the first known daughter, was born in 1743.  She married Henry Shoemaker, the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Roberts Shoemaker.  Their children are Christian, Henry, Benjamin, Mary (known as Molly), Hannah, Jacob, Ann Elizabeth, George, Samuel, Susanna, and possibly another Samuel.  I'm skeptical of the two Samuels because they have different birth dates and death dates, but perhaps one was named for one person and one for another.  Both lived into adulthood.  Anna Barbara died in 1817 in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. 

Hanna or Hannah Kepner was born in 1745.  She married Franz Roth, also known as Francis Rhoads, the son of Franz Wilhelm and Ann Margaret Grimm Roth.  Their children are Maria, Francis, Henry, John, Daniel, Peter, Hannah, Jacob, and Mary (Molly) Magdalena.  Hannah died in 1843 in Selingsgrove, Snyder County, Pennsylvania.  

Next was Maria Margareth, born in 1746.  She married Charles (also seen as Carl/Karl) Shoemaker, who was also the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Roberts Shoemaker.  Their children are Jacob, Mary, Walter, John, another Mary, Charles, Sophia, Margaret, Benjamin, and Anna.  She died in 1831 in Windsor, Berks County, Pennsylvania.

There may or may not have been a son Benjamin, born about 1747.  Several trees list him, but he seems to be confused with one or another of his brothers or cousins and I am not, at this point, sure that he existed.  

Sevilla was born in 1749 and married Johann Philip Strauss, the son of Johann Albrecht and Anna Margareth Zerbe Strauss.  Their children inclule Margaret, Jacob, Elizabeth, Susanna, Johannes, Philip, David, Catherina, Sidney, and Mary (Polly).  She died in 1805 in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.

There was a break of about six years before the next child was born,  Perhaps Maria Salome was ill, or perhaps there was one or more unsuccessful pregnancies, because the next child we know of is Mary Magdalena, born in 1755. She first married John Uhil, whose ancestry is not known to me.  They had one son, John.  In 1780, she married Godfrey Feister, the son of George Gottlieb Pfisterer and an unknown mother.  Their children are Jacob, Henry, Mary, Daniel, Maria Sarah, Godfrey, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Susanna, Charles, and Sophia.  She died in 1832 in Muncy, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.

There was a child Elizabeth, born in 1757.  Most trees report her death as having occurred in 1831 in Muncy, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.  I have not found that record, nor have I found any record of her after her birth.  At this point, I don't know whether she lived to adulthood, nor do I know whether she ever married.  She is another mystery to be solved by someone, sometime.

There are three more children attributed to this couple, but I have doubts.  Benedict, Katherine, and Eva Rosina were born between 1766 and 1775.  Maria Salome would have been 45 in 1766, and her last previous child was born in 1757.  It seems likely that these children belong with another Kepner family.

Several of the men mentioned here, sons and sons in law of Benedict and Maria Salome, served in one capacity or another during the Revolutionary War.  Most of them left Berks County, their birthplace, to go further west, although they all stayed in Pennsylvania.  Benedict and his many children and grandchildren helped build America. 

The family of Samuel Goodnight 1760-1833

 Samuel Goodnight's life and family are only partially documented, or at least I've not found all that I need to make a definitive post for his family.  However, I'm not sure I will be able to complete the research that is needed so this post is, again, bread crumbs for a future researcher.  

Samuel is the son of Christian and Mary Magdalena Gruenholtz, born in 1760 in Germantown, Pennsylvania.  He would have been of the right age to have been in the Revolutionary War, but I've not located any military records for him in any of the usual sites I utilize.  There is a hint in one registry that says his service must be proven.  He married Magdalena Berkheimer, the daughter of Leonard and Catherine Kerger Berkheimer, in 1785 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  This was likely not far from Germantown, as the county itself was formed in 1784 from part of Philadelphia County.  At least four children were born to Samuel and Magdalena there, and census records indicate there may be children not currently known to us.

Martha is the first known child, born in 1786.  As far as I can tell, she never married, but she is found in 1840 in Fayette County, Ohio, aged 50-59, with another female 20-29 living with her.  Sadly, in 1840 relationships were not stated.  By 1850 she is still in Fayette County, with a five year old male, William Watson, living with her.  He was born in Ohio.  So the question is, who is William Watson, and what was his relationship, if any, to her?  I have no answers at this time.  I have not located any records for Martha after 1850.

Leonard was the next born, possibly in 1788.  He married Martha ("Matty") Fernough.  There are many spellings for this name, but she appears to be the daughter of Johannes or John and Christiana Clover Virnau.  They have a large familly, including, Mary, Christian, John, Hannah, Rosanna, Samuel, Catherine, David, Elizabeth, Ortena, and another Christian.  He died in 1827 in Fayette County, Ohio.  

Christopher is also shown with a 1788 birthdate, but about 10 weeks after Leonard.  I wonder whether these might be baptism dates, and perhaps Leonard was born in 1787.)  He married Jane Mason, the daughter of Andrew and Mary Light Mason.  Their children are Elijah, William, Andrew, Mary, William, Samuel, Matilda, Josephus, Sarah, Aaron, and John.  Christopher died in 1868 in Clinton County, Indiana.  

The last known child is Catherine, born in 1793.  (Note that there is a gap of almost five years here, when it is possible that there were one or more children born to the couple, who perhaps did not survive childhood.) She married Jacob Dunham, the son of Samuel and (probably) Hannah Ruble Dunham.  They have at least six children-Catherine, Jacob, Amos, Samuel, Mary Ellen, and David.  Catherine died in 1870 in Tipton County, Indiana.  Tipton County and Clinton County border each other so it is likely that Christopher and Catherine kept in close touch.

Census records of Samuel in 1810 (Berkeley County, Virginia now West Virginia) show that there were 6 people in his household young enough to be his children.  One may or may not be a Samuel.  There are quite a few Samuel Goodnights in subsequent census records but none I can say is definitely our Samuel, if there is one.  I don't have any clues as to the other male, if indeed he was a son.

It is thought that Magdalena died about 1830 and that Samuel may have gone to Fayette County, Ohio, to live with either Martha or Christopher, until he died about 1833.  

Once again, we have an apparently incomplete family, but perhaps someone reading this will have the answers to our questions, or perhaps this post will help someone else find the answers!  This is my last post on the Goodnight line, as the Beeks family descends through Catherine Goodnight Dunham, but corrections and additions are welcome. 

Beeks line: The family of Christian Gutknecht 1722 -1795

 Yes, there are several German or quasi German lines in the Beeks family history.  Yes, they are easy to get mixed up.  Yes, this line is better documented than some because of its connection to Barack Obama, a couple of generations down line from this one.  Christian is the immigrant ancestor, having been born in Bischwiller, in what is now France.  It was part of the Palatinate-Zweibrucken when Christian was born.  He is the son of Johannes and Anna Barbara Keiffer Gutknecht.  I was surprised to learn that he was a tobacco preparer before he came to America, and that Alsace actually grew their own tobacco at the time.  

Christian married Magdalena Marie Grunholtz, the daughter of Johann Michael and Magdalene Mitscher Grunholtz, in 1746 in Bischwiller, while the War of Austrian Succession was being fought, with negative consequences for the couple.  It became harder and harder to make a living, and in 1749, the couple, along with their first two daughters, migrated to Pennsylvania, where they settled in Germantown, just north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  

Christian and Magdalena are the parents of six known children, although just four are known to have survived to adulthood.  

Their first daughter was Maria Magdalena, born in 1747.  She is thought to have accompanied her parents on the trip to America, but there is no known record of her here and she may have died on the voyage, as was, sadly, not uncommon.

Maria Elisabetha was born in 1748 and married, in 1770, Christopher Henrici or Henritzy, whom I can't further identify.  They had a least one child, Gerhard Christian.  Christopher died in 1790 and in 1794 she married Peter Hartmann.  Elizabeth died in 1822 in Germantown.  I am sure there is more to her story than I have been able to uncover.  There is a high likelihood there were more children born during her first marriage, which lasted 20 years, but she would have been quite old to have had children with Peter.

Christian was their first son, born about 1754 in Germantown.  He married Elizabeth Rittenhouse or Rittenhaus, the daughter of Garret and Mary Bartleson Rittenhouse.  Rather than fight in the Revolutionary War, he chose to provide a substitute, and also paid  a supply tax to the state.  It is interesting to think about what he did as the battle raged around Germantown.  Did he and his family leave town, hide in a basement, or somehow help in or after the battle?  We don't know.  Christian's children are listed as Elizabeth, Deborah, William, Susanna, Christopher, and John. Christian died in 1823.

Samuel was the next son, born about 1761.  He married Magdalena Berkheimer, the daughter of Johann Leonard and Maria Catherine Kerger Berkheimer.  This couple had at least 5 children, all of whom apparently spelled their name as Goodnight.  The children are Martha, Christopher, Leonard, Catherine, and Samuel.  I will write more about this family in my next blog post. 

Catherina was born next, in 1764.  She died in 1767, which was a sad thing but not uncommon.

Finally John Christopher was born in 1769.  I did not locate much information about him.  He may have married Gartraut Freimauer, and later Dianah Watson. He is the only one of the siblings to have left Germantown, settling in what is now West Virginia.  Census records show that he probably had at least five children, but I found names for only two-Mary Magdalena and Sally.  He died about 1842 in Hardie, in what is now West Virginia.  He is noted as being a veteran of the Revolutionary War, which means the birth date I've shown may not be correct.  He was also likely involved in the War of 1812, based on where he lived and the known history of that area and era.    

This family sketch is not nearly as complete as I'd like it to be, but it's a start.  There are more stories to find, hidden in brief clues, and I hope you will share them with me.

The family of Samuel Falley 1780-1871

 I've written of Samuel Falley earlier.  He's the son of Richart and Margaret Hitchcock Falley, the one we know of who went to sea and worked himself up the ladder from cabin boy to second mate before returning home to Westfield, Massachusetts.  I've speculated, based on comments in his biographical sketch that he was an abolitionist, that perhaps whatever he saw of the slave trade became just too much to bear.  Or perhaps he was offered a better opportunity.  He is reported to have set up mercantiles or stores of some sort in Ohio that were owned by his father.  Richard died in 1808 and it appears that Samuel went back to Westfield then, and stayed there and in Montgomery, Hampden County, Massachusetts, for a few years before moving to Granville, Licking County, Ohio.

Samuel married Ruth Root, the daughter of Martin and Ruth Noble Root in 1810, and the couple had at least 11 children together.  The first three were born in Westfield or Montgomery, and the others were born in Granville, Ohio, where both Samuel and Ruth died, she in 1862 and he in 1871.  

Their first born was a daughter, Lois Matilda and known as Matilda, who was born in 1811 and died in 1900 in Granville.  It appears that she never married, but if she was able, she surely would have helped with some of her nephews and nieces. Her occupation was "housekeeper" in her parents' home until Samuel died, and then she went to live with a sister.  She had attended the Granville Female Academy in 1838 and it appears that this was a college level education.  It would be interesting to learn what her story is!

Clarissa was born in 1812 and died in 1875 in Tipton, Iowa.  She married John Havens Starr, the son of John and Elizabeth (Betsey) Havens Starr.  Their children are Myra, Harriet, John, Eunice, Mary, and Frances.  

Richard was the first born son, born in 1813 and died in 1877 in York, Clark County, Illinois.  He married Francis ("Fanny") Scranton, the daughter of Charles and Olivia Sparks Scranton,  Their children are Sarah, Olivia, Louis, George, Charles, and Louisa.  There may have been a Lula, also, but I'm not clear on whether Lula may have been a nickname for one of the girls.  

Charles was born in 1815, in Granville, Ohio and died in 1896 in Bible Grove, Clay County, Illinois.  He was married twice, first to Caroline Richardson, who died within a few years of the marriage, and then to Ann Brackett, the daughter of John and Eunice Clark Brackett.  (I haven't been able to trace John, but would not be surprised to learn that he is a distant relative to the Massachusetts Brackett family we have in our Holbrook line,) It appears that all of the children were born to the second marriage.  They are Charles, Louise, E.A., Richard, and another Charles.  

Samuel was born in 1816 and died in 1850 in Marshall, Clark County, Illinois.  I don't know why he died so young, but he left a widow, Mary Abigail Damon, and five children-Mary, Eliza, Matilda, Julia, and Francis. He was a cabinet maker.   I've not been able to identify Mary Abigail at this point.

Francis was born in 1818 and died in 1893 in Bible Grove, Illinois.  He seems to have never married, and was a farmer all his life.  

Ruth was born in 1819 and died in 1879 in Granville, Ohio.  She married Charles Webster, the son of Elijah and Miriam Mallory Webster.  I have located only two children for them, Helen and Miriam.  

Edmund was born in 1821 and died in 1897 in Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas.  His harness store was burned in Quantrill's raid of 1863, when Confederate soldiers burned most of the town and killed many of its residents.  I'd sure like to know how he escaped!  (Finding nuggets of history like this really makes history come alive for me. They are pure gold.)  He married Eliza Montgomery, another person I can't further identify.  Their children are Clara, Laura, James, George and Samuel.

Linus was born in 1822 and died in 1897 in Licking County, Ohio.  He married Elizabeth Haupt, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Runnels Haupt.  Their children are Nancy, an unnamed twin, Lewis, Charles, Mary and Walter.  

Eunice was born in 1824 and died in 1906 in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio.  She married John Seegar, the son of David and Mary, another unidentified woman, Seegar. Their children are Cyrus, Eldora, and Norah. 

The last known child was a daughter, Charlotte.  She was born in 1828 and died in 1901 in Granville, Ohio.  She married late in life, at age 49, to Amos Montonya, and had no known children.  

This list gives Samuel and Ruth 38 grandchildren.  Some of them were likely beyond their reach, in Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas, but I'm sure they were never far from their hearts.  This family was strongly Presbyterian in religious affiliation, as far as I can determine.  They were good, solid citizens, and led good lives.  It's another family to take pride in, as we say good-bye to the Falley line.