The family of Henry Jackson 1742-1810

 This should really be titled "Or what I think I know so far".  It's hard to grasp that people who were just 250-260 years ago are so hard to trace.  This family is one of those.  They lived on what was more or less the frontier, and records were either not kept or lost more easily than in the more settled areas.  So I'm grateful to at least have this much information, while earnestly yearning for more.

Henry Jackson was born in 1742, possibly in Maryland.  His parents were possibly John and Ruth Jackson, but I'm not sure of that.  He married Elizabeth Stump, the daughter of Thomas and Jane Booth Stump about 1762, and we find them in Whitely, Greene County, Pennsylvania at least during the middle years of their marriage.  Henry died in 1810 in Guernsey County, Ohio, where some of his children had gone.  I am not sure when or where Elizabeth died, as I am finding conflicting information about her death.  The couple lived through great turmoil, including the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, the Whiskey Rebellion, and the formation of our country, and there are likely more stories to be found than I have yet located.  Their family includes as many as eleven children; I have been unable to locate more than a rough year of birth for most of them, so the order of birth here may be incorrect.  

Alexis, sometimes seen as Alexander, appears to be the first born, in 1762.  He married Catherine Moore, the daughter of John and Hannah Armstrong Moore.  Their children are John, Edward, Sally, Hannah, Mary, Alexis, Henry, Barbara, Thomas, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Eleanor.  Alexis is a veteran of the War of 1812, and he died in 1826 in Pike Township, Marion County, Indiana, where Catherine died in 1830.  I will follow this family in my next post.

Next was William, born in 1765.  I have found death dates for him ranging from 1795 to 1835, but I've found very little else.  Some believe that he lived to marry, or at least have children with, a woman with the last name of Cradlebaugh, who would likely be related in some way to John Cradlebaugh, who is listed in the 1800 census in Whitely, Greene County, Pennsylvania.  The children may be William and Rachel.   Clearly this family needs to be researched further.

James was born December 11, 1768 and died in 1829 in Jefferson County, Ohio.  He married Rachel Orr, the daughter of John and Martha Dickey Orr.  Their children are William, James, Martha, Mary, Agnes, John, Alexander, and Rachel.   

Nellie was born in 1769, or maybe later.  She married William Dawson, whom I have not yet been able to further identify.  The 1830 census in Guernsey County, Ohio, shows 6 children in the family but I don't know if they may include grandchildren, since this couple, both aged 60-69, may have been too old to have children in the 15-19 year range.  Their children are believed to include Henry, Isaac, John, William and Elizabeth.  

Henry was born about 1770 and died in 1838 in Byesville, Guernsey County, Ohio.  He first married Hannah Keener, the daughter of John Keener (mother unknown).  Their children are Elizabeth, Mary, Ruth, Nancy, Andrew, James, Margaret, and Hannah.  After Hannah died, he married Rachel Tustin, the daughter of Abraham and Mary Hamilton Tustin.  He fathered another eight children with Rachel, including Henry, Jacob, Eleanor, Samuel, Jane, Abraham, Lydia and Charles.  

Elizabeth was born in 1776 and died in 1817 in Miami County, Ohio.  She married Benjamin Dye, the son of Andrew and Sarah Minor Dye.  Their children are Stephen, Elizabeth, Horation, Vincent, Andrew, James, Sarah, William, Benjamin, Maria, and John.  (There is a six year age gap between Henry and Elizabeth, and James, Nellie and Henry were reportedly born close together.  That is why I am a bit skeptical of the birth years when I don't have an actual date.)

Sometimes it is really hard to learn family history, and such is the case with their daughter Ruth.  She was born in 1778 and seems to have died perhaps in the late 1790s or early 1800s.  The story is that she and her unnamed husband had gone to Fort Jackson for safety from ongoing attacks from native Americans.  When they thought things had settled down, they left the Fort for their nearby home, but were "tomahawked" and killed within sight of the Fort, on land that was known as the Henry Jackson farm.  Her parents and siblings all lived in the area, and I cannot imagine the trauma, fear, grief, and anger this would have caused her family, as well as the unknown husband's.  This may be one reason the whole family left the area within a few years.  

Samuel was born in 1779 and died in 1839 in McHenry County, Illinois.  In 1821, he married Mary Williams. who is probably related to at least one of the several Williams families in the 1820 census in Guernsey County, Ohio.  Their children are Stephen, Demeus, Samuel, Alexis, Spencer, and Mary Jane.

Nancy was born about 1782 and that is all I know.  There is a Nancy Jackson who married Elias Dennison in Guernsey County in 1828 but I'm not sure if it is our Nancy, and if it is, she would have been too old to have children.  

Thomas was born in 1783 and died as a baby or toddler.  

And finally, Jacob was born in 1785 and died in 1863 in Spring Grove, McHenry County, Illinois.  He married Margaret Shriver, the daughter of Adam and Elizabeth Shull Shriver.  Their children are Ruth, Elizabeth, William, Lucinda, Elijah, Michael, James, Priscilla, Jacob, Vincent, Margaret, and Adam.   

I'm sure there are uncovered stories that would be of great interest to any descendants of these children.  Men likely served in the War of 1812, and just to know the stories of their migration out of Greene County would be fascinating.  Henry and Elizabeth attended a Baptist church in Pennsylvania, but because this was still basically a frontier area, it may or may not have been their only choice.  I'd like to know more about that, too. 

 

 

 

 

 

Allen line: The family of John Jackson-highly speculative and perhaps incorrect

This guy is a mystery and he may not be ours.  I've found little documentation about him.  He was likely born about 1710 based on the dates of his supposed children, possibly in England.  He may be the John Jackson who died in 1761 in Prince Georges County, Maryland.  He may have been married to Ruth Beall, and then to a second Ruth, who may also have been a Beall.  Or there could have been two John Jacksons, each married to a Ruth Beall.  It's confusing. The older Ruth Beall wouldn't be the mother of the children I'll mention, because she was born in 1686 and the children were born from 1732 to 1747.   I'm writing this post hoping that someone has this figured out, but if not, then the next person who works on this guy will be alerted to the difficulties I've found.

The list of his children seems to have been taken primarily from a will, but whether this is the will of our John Jackson or not I cannot say.  These names are Alexis, Samuel, Richard, William, Thomas, Henry, Edmund, and Jacob.  These names need to be studied further.  It does appear that all were born in Prince Georges County, and that at least Alexis, Samuel, and Richard followed a logical migration path to Greene or Beaver County, Pennsylvania.  Henry, our Allen ancestor, moved on to Guernsey County, Ohio.  I will follow him in my next blog post.   

Please let me know if you have any information about any of these people.  Let's give Henry the benefit of knowing who his parents are! 

 

 

 

 

The family of Kingsland Comstock 1719-1753

 If I were to sit down with this Kingsland Comstock, I think my first question would be "How many children did you have, sir?"  Some of the children I can document with at least basic information, but for some (who, by the way, don't have Comstock or even Crocker names), there seems to be not even a clue.  I don't know how some of the names got added as his children, so I will just briefly mention them at the end of this post as "maybes".  

Not many of the Comstocks in these later generations lived long lives.  Kingsland was born in 1719 and died in 1753, both in New London, Connecticut.  He married Rachel Crocker, the daughter of John and Mercy Tubbs Crocker in 1717.  It is possible that this was one of the many marriages of the time in which the bride was already expecting a child, because their first son was born before 1718, and another daughter followed in 1718.  

Kingsland, the first son, was born before 1718, or perhaps wasn't born to this couple at all.  I am including him as a likely son simply because of the name.  It's possible he was a nephew to our couple, born to another of the sons of Kingsland and Mary Atwell Comstock.   

I have more faith in Mary, born in 1718.  She married John Leeds, the son of Cary and Martha Holly Leeds.  Their children are Gideon, Jonathan, William, Experience, John, James, and Mary.  I have two death dates for Mary, one in 1772 and one in 1804.   I am not able to determine which, if either, of these dates are correct.  

Rachel was born in 1720.  I have always shown her husband as John Eames, the son of John and Abigail Morgan Eames.  Their children are John, Elizabeth, and Robert.  However, there is also a case to be made that she married John Brown, the son of John and Marah Franklin Brown, and their children are Rachel, John, Kingsland, Christopher, Comstock, and Daniel.   John Eames seems to have lived until 1778, and so if she married both men, there must have been a divorce.  I would sure like to know whether this is the same woman, or whether the Rachel Comstock who married John Brown is an entirely different person.  Can you help?  I haven't located a death date for her, either.  

John was born in 1722, and married Margaret Vibber, the daughter of John and Joanna Williams Vibber.  He died before 1787, having been an ensign in the Revolutionary War, and having lost two sons during the Wyoming Massacre in Pennsylvania, where the family had settled.  There is a very long list of children for this couple, including Kingsley, Elizabeth, Electra, Elijah, Hannah, Charles, Robert, Giles, Mary or Mercy, Eleanor, Peleg, Rachel, Alexander, Crasy, Russell, and Margaret.   Kingsley and Robert were the two who were killed in the Massacre; John escaped by hiding behind a large log.  

Joseph was born in 1725 and died in 1763 in Clinton, New York.  He married Elethiar or Althea Bliss, the daughter of Pelatiah Bliss (mother unknown at this time).  Their children are Joseph, Benjamin, Thankful, and Elthera. 

Elizabeth is thought to have been born in 1727 and married Stephen Baker, the son of Joshua and Miriam Hurlburt Baker.  Their children are Lucretia, Stephen, David, Abel and Sibbel/Sybil.  She may have lived until 1814 but I do not know where she died.

That leaves us with three children who are mysteries, or misplaced.  Jemina is said to have been born in 1724 and may have died young.  Crasy and Russell are sometimes seen as children of Kingsland and Rachel, but these names are also mentioned as being children of Jon and Margaret's (above).  With no dates as potential children of Kingsland and Rachel, and with birth dates as the children of John and Margaret, I am mentioning them as "maybes" for the family I'm writing about here.

Once again, I have a lot of questions about a family that was formed just a little over 200 years ago.  Sometimes the earlier generations are documented more thoroughly than the 18th century families, and it is a bit frustrating.  Still, this lets us know that the family lived, supported their colony and country, and helped the country grow.  That makes them important, at least to their descendants!   

 

 

The family of Kingsland Comstock 1673-1721

 The third man in our Comstock line is Kingsland (Kinsley, and other variations), the son of Daniel and Palthiah Elderkin Comstock.  He was born in Norwich, Connecticut in 1673 and died in New London, Connecticut in 1721.  He married Mary Atwell, the daughter of Benjamin and Mary Uncas Atwell.  (Mary was indigenous, and this is one of very few native persons that I have found in any of the four families I write about (Holbrook, Allen, Harshbarger, Beeks).  That story fascinates me.  Kingsland and Mary had six known children together, but their birth dates are not well documented, or at least I have not been able to find anything more than "about" dates.  Many death dates are missing, also.  This would be a fine family for a thorough investigation, so we could be more sure about our ancestors and their families.

Mary may have been the firstborn, about 1701 and her death date must at this point be unknown.  She married Philip Want, whose parentage is also not known.  Their children are Mary, Martha, Matthew, Thomas, Benjamin, Ann, Philip, and Joseph.  (I might suspect that Matthew or Thomas may be a clue for the father or grandfather of Philip, but that is just a guess.) Philip died in 1739 and there is a possibility that she is the Mary Want who married "old Mr. Powers" but this is not proven.

Ann may have been the next born, about 1704.  She married Peter Chapman, the son of Samuel and Bethia Tubbs Chapman (yes, Bethia is a sister to our Mary Tubbs, who is our ancestor in another line) .  She died after 1753.  Their children are Andrew, Alithia, Zephaniah, Susannah, Peter, Ann, Adinijah, and another Zephaniah.  

Benjamin was born about 1705 and died in 1753 in Lyme or New London, Connecticut.  His wife's name is not currently known, but he had at least two sons, Daniel and Benjamin.   

Joseph was born about 1707, although I suspect it may have been earlier.  He died in 1725 in New London, and left at least one child, a daughter, Sarah.  It would have been unusual for an 18 year old male to have left a child, whether he married the mother or not, which is why I wonder if he may have been born earlier.  However, it is possible that the 1707 date is correct; he wouldn't have been the first 18 year old to have become a father.  

Then there is a long pause between births, which of course makes us consider whether there may have been other pregnancies, perhaps even births of which we have no record.  There is also the possibility that Mary may have died and there was another Mary who was the mother of the next two children, but there is no indication of that.  Perhaps the birth years of the last two sons were only guesses, and bad ones, at that. We can only wonder.

Daniel was born about 1715 and died in 1753 in New London, Connecticut.  He married Mary Chapel, the son of Joseph and Bethia Dart Chappell.  Mary was a descendant of our ancestor George Chappell, it appears.  Their children are Elisha, Mary, Ebenezer, Desire, Christian, Jemima, Daniel, and Alpheus.   

And finally, there is Kingsland, who is thought to have been born about 1719.  He died after 1753 in New London, Connecticut.  He married Rachel Crocker, the daughter of John and Mercy Tubbs Crocker.  Their children are John, Joseph, Mary, Rachel, and Elizabeth.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.

Several of these children are given death dates of 1753, or after 1753, because they showed up in their mother's will in 1753.  If they all died during that same time period, there must have been an epidemic going around then.  My guess is that some of the dates are later but that records are missing to give the correct dates.  In other words, this is a post full of more questions than answers, but at least it gives us a feel for this family, who seem to have stayed in the same geographic area for all their lives-unless, of course, they moved on and that's why we can't find adequate records.   

 

 

The family of Daniel Comstock 1624-1683

 Daniel Comstock is next in the Comstock line, also an immigrant ancestor.  He was born in England, possibly Uxbridge, Middelesex, but I'[m not 100% sure of that.  He married Palthiah or Paltiah Elderken, the daughter of John and Abigail Kingsland Elderkin in 1653, and died 30 years later, in New London, Connecticut.  And between his marriage and his death, he became father to a lot of children.  Once again, the record isn't as clear as a family historian would wish, with confusion as whether, for instance, Bethia and Rebecca were one and the same person, or whether there were two daughters who married the same man.  So once again, I tread lightly and try to point out where more research is needed. And once again, I believe there are children assigned to this family who do not belong to this family, but I will include brief mentions of them towards the end of the post.  

Bethia seems to be the first born, in about 1654.  She married Daniel Stebbins, the son of John Stebbins. Daniel's mother is yet to be identified, as far as I can tell.  Their children are Margaret, Christopher, Paltiah, and Elizabeth.  There may be more children, as both Bethia and Daniel lived into the 18th century.  Bethia died in 1713.

Daniel was born in 1655 and died in 1725 in New London, Ct.  He married Elizabeth Prentice, the daughter of John and Sarah Jones Prentice.  Their children are Peter, Daniel, John, Thomas, James, Jonathan, and (finally, a girl!) Elizabeth.  

Sarah was born in 1657 and apparently died in 1677.  She may, or may not, have married Samuel Youngs before he married her sister, Mary.  

Elizabeth was born in 1659 and died in 1734 in New London, Connecticut.  She married Peter Strickland, who may be the son of Edmund Strickland, but I've not found proof of that.  Their children are Elizabeth, Thomas, Samuel, Peter, Priscilla, Sarah, and Mary.  

Mary was born in 1661 and died in 1690 in Southold, Suffolk, New York.  This is just across the sound from New London, so she didn't travel far.  She married Samuel Youngs, the son of Joseph and Margaret Warren Youngs.   Their children are Ephraim, Mary, Samuel, David, and Margaret.  

Zipporah may have been born about 1664.  Other than her baptism along with all of her siblings who were born before 1671, I have not been able to locate any information about her.  One site, with no documentation, states that she died in 1690, but it may well have been earlier than that.

Hope was born about 1667 and died before February 1733 in Mattetuck, Suffolk County, New York.  She married Thomas Hallock, the daughter of William and Margaret Howell Hallock.  Their children are Richard, Anna, Patience, Hope, Kinglsand, Zerubabel, Icabod, and Mehitable.   

Anne was born about 1669 and died after 1727 in Stonington, Connecticut.  She married Ebenezer Billings, the son of William and Mary Atherton Billings.  Their children are Anna, Ebenezer, WIlliam, James, Zipporah, Margaret, Jemima, Increase, Thankful, and Benjamin.  

These are the children who were baptized in 1671, in a group, so we aren't really certain about their birth dates.  After this, Daniel and Palthiah continued to add to their family.  

Patience was born in 1673 and died a short time later.  

Samuel was born in 1673 also, so it is possible that Patience was a twin.  He died in 1757 in Montville, New London, Connecticut.  He married twice.  His first wife is Sarah Douglas, the daughter of Robert and Mary Hempstead Douglas.  Their children are Samuel and Christopher.  His second marriage, after Sarah's death, is to Martha Jones, the daughter of Samuel and Mary Bushnell Jones.  Their children are Nathaniel, Gideon, Zebadiaha, Caleb, Sarah, Martha, and Jonathan.  

Kingsland may have been the last child, or he may have been born before Samuel.  He died in 1721 in New London, Ct. He married Mary Atwell, the daughter of Benjamin and Mary Uncas Atwell (Mary was native American).  Their children are Kinglsand, Daniel, Mary, Ann, Benjamin, and Joseph.  I will follow this family in my next post.  

Then there are the "possibles": Hannah, Rebecca, Abigail, John, James, and Peter are all found in some family trees.  Some of them have information that make it seem unlikely that they belong to this family, such as birth locations of Lynn, Massachusetts, or having the same birthdate as known children of our couple.  I consider each of them as entirely unproven but am always looking for more information about them.  I may be jumping to erroneous conclusions and would love to find more about each of them.

This generation of the Comstock family stayed close to New London.  They may have been merchants, or involved in fishing, or somehow been involved in the maritime industry, as that was the focus of New London at this time.  Samuel became a captain in the militia and it's possible that other of the men also served.  We can be grateful for their dedication to their country and to their family and their God.   

 

 

 

Holbrook line: The family of WIlliam Comstock (dates not known, but roughly 1595-1683)

 We don't know much about William Comstock, except that his wife was named Elizabeth and he came from England to Connecticut by 1641, possibly a few years sooner.  His wife's name is usually given as Elizabeth Daniel or Daniels, but there is a case for Elizabeth Cock also.  Perhaps he was married to two women named Elizabeth, one at a time of course.  We do know that he died in 1683 in New London, Connecticut, where he lived for most of the time he was in America.  There are six known children for William, five of whom lived to adulthood.  

John was the firstborn, in 1626.  He died in 1680 in Lyme, New Haven Connecticut.  He married Abigail Chappell, the daughter of George and Margaret Christian Chappell.  Their children are Abigail, Elizabeth, William, Christian, Hannah, John, Samuel, Marah and Ann.  

Samuel was born next, in 1628.  He died in 1661 in Providence, Rhode Island.  All that I could find of his wife is that she is "Ann".  There are two known children for this couple, Samuel and Daniel, but it's possible there are others.

William was also born in 1628, and may have been a twin to Samuel.  He died as a young child, in 1634.

Daniel was born in 1630 and died in 1683 and died in 1683 in New London, Connecticut.  He married Palthiah Elderkin, the daughter of John and Abigail Kingland Elderkin.  Their children are Bethia, Daniel, Sara, Elizabeth, Mary, Ann, Hope, Zipporah, Patience, Samuel, and Kingsland.  I will follow this family in my next blog post. He fought in King Philip's war. 

Elizabeth, the only daughter, was born probably in 1631 and died in 1659 in New London, Connecticut.  She married Edward Shipman (possibly Shipton) and their children are Elizabeth, Edward, and William.  Again, it's possible there are additional children.

And finally, Christopher was born in 1635 and was the only child to live into the 18th century, dying in 1702 in Norwalk, Connecticut.  He married Hannah Platt, the daughter of Richard and Mary Wood Platt.  Their children are Mercy, Daniel, Hannah, Abigail, Mary, Elizabeth, Samuel, Nathan, and Moses.  He had the rank of sergeant and also served as a deputy to the General Assembly of Connecticut three different terms, so we was a well-respected man.  

This brief overview of the family leaves much to be desired, including the names of some of the in-laws, and enough information to feel that we understand the family.  Why did the children settle in areas other than New London, for instance?  There are more stories to be told about this family, but at least we have them in Connecticut very early, and that alone is notable.   

 

 

 

 

The family of George Essig 1794-1866

 It's supposed to get easier to trace the descendants of ancestors as we get to generations that are closer in time to us.  I'm learning that is not always true.  This family is better than some in that regard, but there are still questions for which I've found no answers. 

George Essig was born in 1794 in Adams County, Pennsylvania and died in 1866 in Whitley County, Indiana.  He is the son of Simon and Julianna Schneer Essig, and he married Catherine Shollenberger, the daughter of Peter and Susanna (maiden name not certain) Shollenberger.  Again, there are various spellings for these names; I have tried to use the ones that appear to be the most common.  

George and Catherine, like most of the Essigs in our earlier posts, had quite a large family. It appears, however, that some of the children listed as belonging to this family actually belong to another George Essig, who was married to Margaret Spangler, or to another George Essig altogether.  I hope I'm including all the correct children, and omitting the incorrect ones, here, but if you have documents indicating I'm not accurate, please let me know.   

Julia, Julianna, or Julia Ann (take your pick) was the first born daughter, in 1817.  She died in 1896 in De Kalb County, Indiana.  Her first marriage is to George Daily, the son of John and Rebecca Frederick Daily.  Their children are Andrew, Caroline, Mary, John, Elizabeth, Catherine, Julia, Harriet, George, a second Elizabeth, John, and Adam.  After George's death, she married George DeLong, the son of Johann Joseph and Elizabeth Snodgrass DeLong. and they had one daughter together, Rebecca.

Simon appears to be the first born of the children, in 1818.  He died in Medina, Ohio, in 1873.  His wife is Catherine Lee, the daughter of John or Jonathan and Sarah Lance Lee.  Their children are Sarah, Lucinda, William, Harriet, Mary, John, George, and Edward.   

Peter (sometimes seen as William Peter) was born in 1821 and died about 1885, in either Nebraska, Missouri or Texas.  I'm still trying to pin that down.  He was apparently in the US Army after the Civil War, and likely during the Civil War, also, although again, I've not yet found records.  It wasn't common for someone to be in the Army after the Civil War was over, as most men were discharged at the end of the war.  He married Sarah Ann Pierce, the daughter of Amasa and Orpha Hickok Pierce.  Their children are William Peter, Malinda, Mary, Joseph, Sarah, Catherine, perhaps another Joseph, Elizabeth, and Laura.  Their may also have been a "Mintie", or that may be a nickname for one of the other children.  I have seen Milton listed but he was born long after the other children, and I would not include him as one of Peter's children unless I had some documentation. Perhaps he is a grandson.

Margaret was born in 1823 and seems to have died before 1855, possibly in Wabash County, Indiana.  She first married George Koblin (various spellings, of course), the son of Matthias and Margaret Keifer Payne.  Their children are Reuben, Harriet, Simon, William, and Christian.  She then married James Payne, the son of James and Elizabeth Harris Payne, in 1848,  They had at least one son, George, and perhaps William.  James remarried in 1855, which is why I am thinking Margaret had died.  I have no documentation for this "hunch", though.  

Harriet was born in 1824 and died in 1899 in Richland Township, Whitley County, Indiana.  She married Christian Shank, the son of Christian and Nancy Gish Shank.  Their children are Milton, Christian, Lovina, and Sebastian.  There may be more children, based on a large gap in the 1860 census, between a twelve year old and an infant.  

Susannah was born in 1825, based on census records, although I also have noted "possibly 1821" in her file.  What woman doesn't want to be seen as a little younger than she actually was?  She married Daniel Kemery, the son of Jacob and Ann Marie Reed or Reith Kemery.  Their children are Mary, Daniel, Harriet, Adam, Alfred, Solomon, Alexander, Lydia, Amanda, Maranda, and John.  She died in 1872 in Whitley County, Indiana.

John, or Johann, was born in 1826 and died in 1907 in Princeton, Mercer County, Missouri, where he had lived since at least 1860.  The 1860 census shows that he and his family were living in a hotel and he was a laborer, so it sounds like they had recently arrived there.  He was a Civil War veteran on the Union side, and seems to have had a long term service record, .  He married Mary Eliza Burch, the daughter of William and Iva Shaw Bush.  Their children are Sophia, Susan, Phoebe, Miranda, Henry, Charles, Laura, Mary, Viola, Tiffin, Ulysses Grant, Sarah, and Myrtle.  (Because of the Ulysses Grant name, I'm wondering if he was part of the Army of the West, commanded by Grant before his promotion, and if so, his story would be fascinating.  I'd love to have time to research this, or to hear from someone who has!)

Lydia was born in 1827 and died in 1900 at the County Farm in Columbia City, Indiana.  It sounds like she did not have the best of lives, but perhaps by the time she needed care, there was no one alive to care for her.  Her son was in South Dakota, and her daughter had died in 1860. All but one of her siblings preceded her in death, and he was in Missouri.  She married twice, but seems to have had just one child by each husband.  Her first husband is Cornelius Feller, the son of Jacob and Magdalena Bachman Feller.  Their known child is Benjamin.  She next married Philip Knisely, the son of Abraham and Rachel Wolf Knisely.  They have a daughter, Phoeba.   

Son George was born in 1829 and died in 1890 in Whitley County, Indiana.  He married Mary Pollly Snyder, the daughter of Adam and Elizabeth Knopp Snyder.  Their children are Christian, Sarah, David, Lovina, Elizabeth, Ida, Lymon, and Melvon.  

Adam was born in 1831.  He was the only one of the Essig children, or at least the known children, to die before marrying.  His death occurred in 1850, most likely in Whitley County, Indiana.  

Sarah was born next, in 1833.  She married John Cramer, the son of Jacob and Mary Shook Cramer, and died in 1899 in Boyne Valley, Charlevoix, Michigan.  Their children are Lucetta, George, Mary, Harriet, Mix, Jacob, Samuel, Estella, Padie, Clarenda, David, Jenny, Frank, and John. 

Joseph was born in 1836 and died in 1892 in Whitley County, Indiana.  He married Sarah Ann Stamm, the daughter of Daniel and Mariah Emerich Stamm.  Their children are Leah, George, Melvina, Jane, Ida, Theodore, Florence, Charles, Ocie, Daisy, and Lilian. 

David was the last born, in 1837.  He died in 1882 in Whitley County, Indiana.  He married Elizabeth Cornelius, the daughter of Bernard and Catherine (don't yet know maiden name) Cornelius.  Their children are Anna, Harriet, Milton, Della, Catherine, Bertha, and Lewis.  

I should mention that there are at least three other children that pop up on family trees for George and Catherine.  I am not convinced that these are their children.  It seems more likely that they are the children of George and Margaret Spangler Essig, which is not this family.  However, do your own research, or let me know if I am incorrect.  The three "not likely" children are William or Wilhelm, Caroline, and Catherine.  

Just for the fun of it, I checked the 1950 census, which is about 100 years after most of the weddings of these children took place.  There was no one found by the last name of Essig in Whitley County, although there are some in Allen and in Huntington counties.  I don't know if any are descendants of George and Catherine, but it looks like the grandchildren who carried the Essig surname must have gone elsewhere.  Also for the fun of it, I added the number of grandchildren, and it looks like the number totals over 100.  George and especially Catherine, thank you!