Harshbarger line: Daniel Kramer 1743-1813

 It's confusing.  There are records for a Daniel Kramer in several places in Pennsylvania.  I am not sure whether there were two Daniel Kramers, or whether Daniel moved from place to place, or whether he really only moved once in his life and the other locations were just boundary changes.  I also don't know for sure who his wife was.  Nor do I know where he was born, for that matter.  But Daniel Kramer existed and left a will, so we know he lived.  This post will be more speculation than fact, I believe, but I'm hoping that by writing it someone will step forward with more knowledge and documentation than I've been able to gather.

Daniel was born in 1743, the son of Andreas and Maria Magdalene Birckel Kramer (Kraaemer, Creamer, etc).  His birthplace is usually given as Bethel Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania but that is mistaken because there was no Berks County at the time.  He may have been born in what became Bethel Township, or another source says he was born in Germany.  Since his father arrived in the Colony in 1732, I think it most likely that he was born somewhere in Pennsylvania.  His father applied for land in Bethel Township, Berks County in 1765, so the family was definitely there at some point but perhaps not in 1743.

Wherever he was born, Daniel likely grew up on or near the frontier.  He would have been 11 years old or so when the French and Indian War began, and we can reasonably suspect that the family may have gone to a fort or "back East" to a larger town during that time.  There were many attacks on settlers, some of them involving fatalities, and Daniel was probably lucky to be considered a child during the early years of that struggle.  By the time of the later attacks, he probably was old enough to be considered a soldier and may have helped defend the forts in the area.  I've found no indication that he actually went out on patrols, but it's possible.

Daniel married someone at some point.  Almost every tree says that he married Anna Marie Geise and that is quite possible.  The marriage to Ana Marie took place in November of 1766, so if this is our Daniel, he may have had an earlier wife, or the marriage was simply a legalization of the couple's already established relationship, because Daniel's first child, Andrew, was born in September of 1766. Daniel and Anna Marie had as many as twelve children together, arriving between 1766 and 1785,  At least three died after only a few days of life, and there are two more I've been unable to locate death dates for. The family seems to be Lutheran in religion, as some of the children were baptized in a Lutheran church (they could be Reformed, and still have records in the Lutheran church). 

There are two Daniel Cramers who served in the Revolutionary War.  One was from York County, and one was in the Pennsylvania Navy.  These don't appear to be our ancestor.  However, he is recognized as a patriot during the war because he paid his taxes, including the supply tax of 1780 (directly related to the War) and took the oath of allegiance as required.  He had a young family to support, and also likely some of his crops went to the war effort. 

In 1790 there is a census record for Daniel Kramer in Northumberland County, Pa and also one in Bethel, Berks County.  The one in Northumberland shows a household of 12 and the one in Berks shows a household of 4.  Although I can't account for all of the persons in Northumberland County, it is possible that there were daughters in law or a mother in law or other relatives living with them.  Some of the older boys had likely moved out by this time as they would have been in their early to mid 20s. 

Sometime between 1790 and 1813 the Kramers moved west, to Haines Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania.  There Daniel died sometime between March 20, 1813, when he wrote his will, and April 28, 1813, when it was probated.  His wife is not mentioned in the will.  I found one statement that she died just two weeks after he did, but it seems a bit odd that she wasn't mentioned.  (I should add, I have not seen the will, just an abstract.)  Several of his children were already in Ohio, and some of the daughter's names are familiar to our family-Buchtel and Kepler, especially.  I would love to find the will and an inventory, as that would tell us more about this ancestor.  

Daniel Kramer was a first generation American who lived through three major wars-the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, and part of the War of 1812.  It would be interesting to know his reaction to some of those events, but we know that he had a part in the building of the United States, and that is a good thing.

The line of descent is:

Daniel Kramer-Anna Marie Geise (probably)

Anna Maria Kramer-Andrew Kepler

Mary Kepler-George Harshbarger

Lewis Harshbarger-Catherine Mentzer

Emmanuel Harshbarger-Clara Ellen Harter

Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers

Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks

Their descendants

 

 

Harshbarger line: Isaac Whetstone 1714-1795

 Here's the long and the short of it.  I suspect there was more than one Isaac Whetstone, and I suspect that two or more of them are conflated.  I am not going to say much about Isaac in this post, except-help!  

The Isaac Whetstone (Wetstein and various other spellings) that I think I'm writing about was born in 1714 in Wartemburg, Germany.  I don't know when he came to America, and I'm not sure where he went when he did arrive here.  He apparently brought a wife with him, or she came later.  I've seen quite a few sources say that he settled near McKeansburg in what was then Berks but is now Schuylkill County.  His supposed son Jacob was surely there.  I'll get back to the "supposed" in a moment.

One of the first things I notice that raises my eyebrows is that Isaac is said to have married Anna Maria Maag.  Perhaps he did, but I don't know when or where.  I'm showing a birth date for his wife of 1729, which would make it difficult if not impossible for her to have given birth to Jacob in 1738.  So was Isaac married previously, or is Isaac even Jacob's father at all?

Other questions:  Who was the Isaac Whetstone in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia County, Pa in 1774?  He is on some tax lists without showing taxes owed, and he also seems to have had at least one indentured servant.  Was this the Isaac I'm tracing, or was this another Isaac?  And who was Capt. Isaac Whetstone of the Revolutionary War?  Who was the Isaac Whetstone that died in Coleman, New Jersey on the very date, February 25, 1795, that this Isaac was supposed to have died in Berks County?  Where is his will?

The information about Isaac comes mainly from volume V of Colonial Families of America.  This is information that was submitted by a family member (in this case, Hannah Catherine Whetstone Phelps born 1857.  It gives Isaac the title of "Captain", says he lived near McKeansburg in Brunswick township of Berks County and "he was one of the earliest settlers and original landowners in that section; served in American Revolution".   It goes on to name Jacob, born 1738 as Isaac's son.  I wish I knew where Hannah got her information.  Did it come from a family Bible of some sort?

One possible explanation for all this is that Jacob was not the son of Isaac at all, but the son of Isaac's brother, Heinrich.  That is how it is shown on a Geni web page.  That family also lived in Brunswick Twp, Berks/Schuylkill County.  That is a blog post for another day, if I can find information about him.  

I'd be thrilled to hear from anyone who can explain Isaac Whetstone to me, how many Isaacs there were, and whether Jacob is the son of Isaac or of Henry/Heinrich.  Please don't enter either man onto your tree yet!  Let's stop while we're ahead, with Jacob. 

Holbrook line: Thomas Mathewson 1673-1735

 We're back in Rhode Island, where a group of ancestors in the Holbrook line, starting with Roger Williams, lived for over one hundred years before the Eddy family moved onward.  I've written earlier of Thomas's parents, James and Hannah Field Mathewson.  Thier importance to this story, other than the obvious one of parenting Thomas, was that James left Thomas 41 acres of land in his will, even though Thomas was a minor at the time of James's death.  Thomas had the advantage of knowing he would have land when he came of age, and probably worked a little harder than he otherwise would have, to learn what he needed to know to use the land well.  

Thomas was born April 1, 1673 at Providence, in those days before the town was burned by native Americans during King Philip's War. (His parents likely left their home during that time, possibly going to Newport or to Aquidneck Island.)  Thomas was just two years old when the war broke out so likely had no recollection of it personally, although of course it would be remembered in family stories.  Thomas was one of nine children born to James and Hannah.  James had been something of a "big man on campus" although of course he lived in the shadow of the more well known founders of Providence.  

There is controversy concerning Thomas's wife.  Torrey identifies her as Martha Field; others believe she was Martha Sheldon.  I personally lean toward Martha Sheldon but would love to find a definitive answer.  Martha Sheldon is believed to be the daughter of Timothy and Sarah Balcom Sheldon. Which ever Martha he was married to, the marriage probably took place about 1704, as children started arriving in 1705. Thomas and Martha are thought to have had at least seven children.

We don't know very much about Thomas's life.  We do know that he received a deed of 4 acres of land from William Field on December 2, 1707.  This was located on or near what was then known as the "Great Pond", which became part of Scituate, Rhode Island when the town was set off from Providence in 1730.  Thomas died in Scituate, but we don't know whether this is where he had always lived or whether at some point he'd left Providence for a more frontier style life.  We also don't know what his religion was, although many of his neighbors were Baptist.  Was Thomas one of them?  I'm not finding his name on lists of men who served on military expeditions, although we can't rule that out.  He appears to not have served his community as part of any governing body, although he would have been expected to have been present at town meetings.  

Sadly, the inventory taken after his death on October 23, 1735 tells us most of what we know about Thomas's life.  From it, he appears to have been not a poor man; he may have been considered well to do, in fact.  Although the inventory is of his personal estate so does not list his land, the total value is over 719 pounds.  It's the number of animals that made me lift my eyebrows: two yokes of oxen, 13 cows, 6 calves, one bull, eight young cattle, two mares, 34 goats and 34 sheep, unspecified number of hogs but valued at over 22 pounds, and 6 shoats.   He also had 18 traps, which is not something I've seen often.  He had a gun and a small gun, and 12 shillings worth of books, along with a decent amount of household goods and farm equipment.  

At least three of the children were likely still living at home, so we can assume that Martha got at least 1/3 of the estate.  Unfortunately, I've not found a will, nor have a seen anything regarding an estate settlement,  The inventory is one that was posted on WikiTree; I've not seen it myself.  

I would love to know more about Thomas, including his religion, his military service if any, and how he acquired his apparent wealth.  I'd also like to know his relationship with any native Americans.  Was he afraid of them?  Did he ever "own" any?  Or did he follow in the path of Roger Williams and befriend them?  We do know this:  He must have been a hard worker, with that many animals to care for and so many traps to tend.

The line of descent is:

Thomas Mathewson-Martha probably Sheldon

Deborah Mathewson-Joseph Winsor 

Lillis Winsor-Nathan Paine

Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy

Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire

Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard

Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants

A side note:  This is my 800th blog post.  I still have a list of ancestors to explore, so there will likely be a few more before I'm "done". 

Allen line: Thomas Dewey 1639-1690

 To write a blog post about an ancestor, someone has had to pull hen's teeth.  Sometimes there just aren't very many teeth to pull, and an ancestor's life story can be given in just a few short sentences.  Sometimes, someone has managed to find so much information that for the purposes of my post, I have to pick and choose how much to present.  It's a happy problem indeed.  And yet, I'm always left with questions.

Thomas Dewey is a first generation American, born in Windsor Connecticut on Feb. 16, 1639 (I have seen the year given as 1638 and 1640 as well, so I'm steering a middle course here) to Thomas and Frances widow Clark Dewey.  He was the first of at least 6 children the couple would have, and his step-sister Mary Clark was also part of the family.  Our Thomas was just ten years old when his father died, and Frances later married George Phelps and had three children with him.  I like to think of all those little, and slightly larger, faces sitting around the table or gathered at the fireplace to hear the evening devotions.

Since Thomas was born in Windsor, I am not at all sure how he ended up marrying Constant Hawes, the daughter of Richard and Ann Hawes of Dorchester.  Had Thomas traveled there for work, or had Constant come to Windsor to work?  The marriage took place in Dorchester on June 1, 1663 according to Dorchester records.  

Thomas and Constant had eleven children together.  Their children married people with the same last names as many we have looked at previously in these posts, Nobles and Roots and Ashleys, among others.  

Thomas was granted land in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1662 on condition that he settle on the land within one year and stay for at least two years.  The land was sold so apparently Thomas held up his end of the bargain, but he and other families moved from Northampton to Springfield, where he owned several parcels of land, and then went on to what became Westfield.  Here he was granted 30 acres in 1666, on condition he live there within a year, continue there for at least 5 years, and help to settle a minister there.  

In Westfield, Thomas was a busy man.  He was a miller and a farmer by occupation, but he spent considerable time in public service, too.  He was a freeman, served on committees of the church when a new pastor was needed, and helped lay out town roads and boundaries.  He was representative to Boston (to the General Court, I suppose), from 1677-1679.  He helped defend the town during King Philip's War and it's hard for me to think he didn't go on at least one of the expeditions, as he was later appointed as cornet (similar to second lieutenant) of the Hampshire Troop, and it seems that this position was likely filled by someone with military experience.  He was also a constable, and he was given a license for a "house of entertainment", including a license to sell liquor.  

Thomas died April 27, 1690 and his mother died a few months later.  I know there was a smallpox epidemic in New England about this time but I don't know if it had yet reached Westfield.  Still, something killed him in his 52nd year.  I've not seen his will but it reportedly listed 8 different tracts of land, plus two mills, and 1/16 part of a ketch.  Thomas was doing rather well for himself.  Constant died in Westfield in 1702/03, as Thomas's widow.  Both are buried in the Old Burying Ground at Westfield, along with many other ancestors.  

The line of descent is:

Thomas Dewey-Constant Hawes

Elizabeth Dewey-Thomas Noble

Thomas Noble-Sarah Root

Stephen Noble-Ruth Church

Ruth Noble-Martin Root

Ruth Root-Samuel Falley

Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr

Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott

Edith Knott-Edward Allen

Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook

Their descendants

Holbrook line: Stephen Paine 1686-1745

 Stephen Paine, one of our Rhode Island ancestors, was born in several different places, apparently.  I've seen his place of birth listed as Glocester and Providence, Rhode Island and as Rehoboth and Swansea, Massachusetts.  We can eliminate Glocester because it wasn't formed until 1732, and our Stephen was born in 1686.  His parents didn't move to Providence until about 1718, so one of the Massachusetts towns will have to claim bragging rights for him.  Stephen was born June 3, 1686 to John and Elizabeth Belcher Paine.  

I've seen several genealogies attempting to give the Paine family French roots, way back when, and have always thought "Yeah, right".  However, my lack of documentation skills doesn't mean that there isn't a connection.  It seems a little more credible to at least consider the possibility when we learn that his wife's name was Sarah Valett.  That is quite probably a French name, so possibly Paine (seen in its most extreme form as de Payen) may be French, too.  That is outside the scope of my blog and beyond my research capabilities at the present time.  My tentative, unresearched tree puts the Paine family in England all the way back to 1350, so I'm not convinced.  

We know Stephen's childhood must have been filled with laughter and joy, as he had as many as ten siblings.  Stephen was the third child and second son of the family, so he would have had quite a bit of responsibility in helping his parents during his childhood years.  Stephen married Sarah Vallett, who may have been the daughter of Jonathan Vallett (or Vallette) on October 13, 1715 in Providence.  Stephen's father moved the family to Providence about 1718, so Stephen may have been assigned the task of scouting for a good location for them.  The most likely reason for folks to move from Massachusetts to Rhode Island would have been for religious freedom, but we don't know whether or not this was the Paine's reason, nor whether they were Baptists, or possibly Quakers.  We do know they were married by Richard Waterman, who was a grandson of Roger Williams and a kinsman to our family, so perhaps they had Baptist leanings.  

Stephen and Sarah had a least three children together, but she was dead by December 31, 1737 when Stephen married Martha Smith. Sarah's last known child was born in 1729, but that and the date us her husband's remarriage are our only clues to her date of death.  Stephen had apparently moved from Providence to Glocester at some point during his lifetime, as he died in Glocester, which is in the northwest corner of Rhode Island.  From this, we can guess that he didn't make his living from the sea.  He most likely was a farmer, but since his will if he had one is not recorded, nor is his inventory, we are left guessing.  

We don't know his religion, nor his occupation, so why should we expect to know whether he served in the military?  Again, I'm not locating records, and there were several military expeditions undertaken during his life time.  He was just 59 when he died.

I like to be able to give more facts about an ancestor when I write about him, but my sources are turning up empty.  So it's up to the few facts we have, and our imagination, to fill in the "dash" of his life.  I like to think of him as a hard working man who stayed out of trouble, and who spent time grieving the loss of his wife.  I like to think he had stories to tell of the events he lived, and I like to think he would have been proud of his son, who became an officer in the Revolutionary War.  I'll write about that another time.

The line of descent is:

Stephen Paine-Sarah Vallet

Stephen Paine-Sarah Thornton

Nathan Paine-Lillis Winsor

Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy

Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire

Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy

Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants

Holbrook line: George Bussey 1654-1693

As is often the case, we don't know much about this early Maryland ancestor.  That's why it's doubly important to capture the few things we can, and be glad for those few tidbits.  I'm finding different locations for George's birth, which basically means that documentation, if available, is not accessible.  We know that his parents were George and Anne Keene Bussey, and we know that George and Anne were in either Virginia or Maryland when George, the subject of this post, was born in 1654.  Most likely they were already living in Maryland, for there are records for George Senior at about the time George Junior was born, both land and court records.  

We know that George Senior had land on the North side of the Patuxent River, and that George Junior had at least 100 acres on the main branch of Parkers Creek.  Parkers Creek is in Calvert County, on the edge of Chesapeake Bay, and most of it is protected land.  So if we want to know what George's home was like when he lived there, current pictures of the location can give us an idea (and so could a dream trip to visit!).  The land was beautiful, and there would certainly have been an abundance of sea food available, but it was also marshy and it was frontier land so there would have been many wild animals about, which could be both bad and good. 

George married Anne Williams, daughter of William and Susan Wooten Williams, probably about the same time he had the land surveyed in 1679.   (Alert:  Some trees show what I consider a doubtful tree for William Williams; he was probably not of the Hugh Williams family to whom he is often attributed.  At least, I haven't found the connection.)  George and Anne had at least six children during their marriage.  I found one reference indicating that George was a Baptist, but he would have been required to support the nearest parish church (Church of England) which was Christ Church, in Port Republic.  It was founded in 1672, before George and Anne were married, and is still an active congregation.  

Like all of our ancestors, George lived in what to me is an interesting time and an interesting place. He died in 1692 and his wife remarried to a Mr. Evans.  We don't know whether the only land record I've located was his only land, or whether, like his father, he had one or more servants, or possibly he held slaves.  I'm hoping that the land he had was productive enough that he was able to support his family without help, but I don't know that.  His father had to pay a fine in tobacco, so it's possible that George Jr. also farmed that crop.

Again, we have more questions than answers about George, and Anne, and their lives.  What killed George at the age of 39?  Was it hard work, an epidemic, an accident?  We may never know, just as we may never know whether we went on any military missions.  But we know that he made a life in America and started a family that continues on to this day.

The line of descent is:

George Bussey-Anne Williams

Edward Bussey-Martha Evans

Edward Bussey-Mary, widow Pendergrass

Sarah Bussey-Benjamin Amos

Elizabeth Amos-Robert Amos

Martha Amos-Peter Black

Elizabeth Black-Isaac Hetrick

Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants

 

 

Harshbarger line: Thomas Wyatt of Virginia, died 1772

Thomas Wyatt leads us on a merry chase, although it's entirely possible that he never moved from his original location, or from where he first chose to live as an adult.  The records I've found are almost nil, and I'm afraid that much of what is "out there" is speculation and not proven.  There's a reason for that.

Thomas is believed to have been born sometime between 1695 and 1710.  His birth location is variously given as Westmoreland, Stafford, Prince William, Fairfax, and Loudoun County.  This is due to one county being formed from another, pretty much in the order I've given them here.  My best guess, lacking land records at the present time, is that he was born, or lived pretty much on the county line between Fairfax and Loudoun County.  This is the general area of what is now Washington, D.C, although he was born many years before that location was developed.

 Thomas's parents are often given as John Wyatt and Anna Keen Jones, but don't go filling in your family tree just yet.  I have no idea where those names came from, and I can't find death dates for either so I don't know if that's even plausible.  At this point, those names should be followed up, but the problem is that the church records for the early parishes have all vanished.  I have seen Thomas's birth location given specifically as Cameron Parish, Loudoun County.  However, Cameron Parish wasn't founded until about 25 years after Thomas was born, so I'm doubtful that this is correct.  Before Cameron Parish, there was Truro Parish, and before that, Hamilton Parish, and before that, Overwharton Parish.  

We can surmise that the Wyatt's attended whatever local church there was, or at least, they supported it with their tax dollars.  Churches in Virginia during the colonial period were almost exclusively Church of England, and residents were required by law to pay tithes or tax to the church.  We can't rule out the possibility that they were Presbyterians but we don't have records to check.  

Thomas married Susannah "Sukey" Edmondson, daughter of John and Mary Boughan Edmondson, before 1739, probably in Stafford County because Fairfax and Loudoun counties were not yet created.  The probability is that he was a tobacco farmer, but I've not found tax or property records to support that.  It's just what the people of that area in that time period did; tobacco was used as money in the local economy.  The couple is believed to have had at least ten children, but it is probable that there is a second wife, as his widow is called Margaret.  Some have identifie3d Margaret as Margaret Hanks, and their proposed marriage date is about 1752. 

In fact, Thomas's will, which was produced in the November Court of 1772, lists wife Margaret, Sons John and Edward Wyatt, daughters Mary Lynn, Elizabeth Hanks, and Sarah Cooper.  Then almost in a separate category are "young children" Thomas, Ruth, Abner, Margaret and Reuben.  These last five seem to be children he had with Margaret.  I have not seen the actual will, only an abstract, and although we know an inventory was taken I have not been able to locate it, either.  

Given where we think Thomas was living, it is more than possible that he knew, or had at least seen, a young George Washington.  Perhaps he was part of the group who watched him march off with General Braddock to the Battle of the Monongahela near Pittsburgh, in 1755, or the smaller expedition of 1754.  Thomas was likely too old to have been part of these battles, and his sons were too young, but the stories would have become part of their lives.  

Although we don't know much about Thomas, we do know that he was one of the relatively few non-German/Swiss ancestors in the Harshbarger line.  It's important to remember him, if only for that reason. 

The line of descent is:

Thomas Wyatt-Susannah Edmondson

John Wyatt-Alice Gordon

Jean Wyatt-William Farmer

Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett

Mary Bennett-John Harter

Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger

Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers

Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks

Their descendants

 

 

Beeks line: Jacob Wise 1767-1829

 I've had to work pretty hard to dig out information on Jacob Wise, partly because his birth name was Johan Jacob Weiss, and there are various combinations of the names that show up on various records.  By the time he arrived in Shelby County, Ohio, he was known as Jacob Wise so that is how we will refer to him in this post.

Jacob was born April 18, 1767 in Hamilton Township, Northampton County (now in Monroe County), Pennsylvania, the son of Felix and Anna Maria VanBuskirk Weiss.  He was one of at least five children born to the couple.  His brother, also Felix, is buried in the Christ Hamilton Lutheran Cemetery, and it is possible that this was the church that Jacob attended as a youngster.  There was a log cabin church built there in 1775. His father, Felix, died in 1779 so at the age of 12 Jacob may well have been apprenticed or hired out as a laborer to support himself.  He would have known both the German language, used at church and probably at home, and English, because his records in Shelby County, Ohio are not in German nor is there a note that they have been translated.  We don't know how proficient he was but he did speak it well enough to "get by" anyway, and to serve on committees and at least one jury.

Jacob married Charlotte Raub, daughter of Andreas and Maria Charlotta Weber Raub, about 1791 and it appears that the family stayed in Hamilton Township for some years.  Charlotta died in 1806, after giving birth to at least four children.  There is a record for a Jacob Weiss who was a private in the 1st Regiment, (Kennedy's) Pennsylvania Militia.  This may have been our Jacob (neighbors names, including Raub's, are on the same list) although he would have been 45 years old at the time, or it may be his son Jacob, who would have been 18.  I'd love to know more so we could determine whether Jacob had a military service record. It appears that Peter and Samuel Weiss, who were also sons of Jacob, served in the same unit.  

We don't know why, but Jacob sold land in 1813 to Jacob Schnyder.  It's possible that he was even then getting ready to move to Ohio, but the earliest records we can find for him are in January of 1818, in Montgomery County, Ohio, when he was sued by Samuel Finley for debt.  The case was dropped as "Jacob Wise lives in Miami County near Loramie" and was "not found".  At the time, Miami County included Shelby County (Shelby was formed in 1819) and so this would be our Jacob, as he settled near Loramie.  We can deduce that he may have been there for a year or more by January of 1818, in order to have accumulated debt that he couldn't pay at the time.  

This was to be a pattern for Jacob, having little cash to pay taxes.  He was late with his payments in 1821 and paid them several years later, in 1825,  Yet, he was clearly a good man and respected, because he was on a committee to lay out the school section in T 9 and appraise it.  He was allowed 50 cents for his service as an appraiser for Cynthian Township in 1823.  He served on a jury in Sidney, Ohio (county seat) in 1820.  His land included 55 acres at R5 T10 Sec 23 NW E.  

Jacob's son Jacob died in 1817 and our Jacob was appointed guardian of the three children of Elizabeth (Harshbarger Phillips) Wise in 1819, when he had to post a $100 bond as surety.  He didn't necessarily take the children into his home, but he was legally responsible to see that they were raised properly, got an education, and were able to learn a trade, work (or, for the girls, marry) until they reached adulthood. I've not found any indication that Jacob remarried after the death of Charlotte, so this was a pretty big responsibility.  

Jacob died in January of 1829 in Shelby County, likely at his homestead.  I am not sure whether the estate papers I've found are for his estate, or for his son Jacob's estate, or whether (I suspect this is the explanation) they are intermingled.  The estate that appears to be his son's wasn't settled until 1842, when the son had died in 1817.  Both estates showed modest valuations.  

There is the possibility that there are two lines of descent from Jacob Wise:

Jacob Wise-Charlotte Raub

Andrew Wise-Mary Serfass

David Wise-Matilda Martin

Elizabeth Wise-John Beeks

Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge

Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger

Their descendants

The second line is dependent on whether or not Mary who married William Beeks is a Wise.  She may have been adopted.  But if she's a Wise, that line would be:

Jacob Wise-Charlotte Raub

Jacob Wise-Elizabeth Harshbarger Phillips

Jackson Wise-Charity Botkin

Mary Wise-William Beeks

John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise

per above

Allen line: Captain James Morgan 1644-1711

 James Morgan was a pretty important man in his town (Groton, Connecticut).  He may not have been in the very top tier of citizens, but he was well respected and well known.  He left enough records that we feel like we know some of his story, and it's always good to put a little decoration on that "dash" that goes between the birth date and the death date of our ancestors.  We are descended twice from this man, so that makes him doubly important to our family.

James was the son of James and Margery Hill Morgan, and was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts on March 3, 1644.  His parents had arrived there about 1640, so James was a first generation New Englander.  He had at least three siblings, including a brother who died as a toddler.  The Morgan family moved from Roxbury to New London about 1650, probably with a group of people who were with Rev. Blinman.  James then spent his early life in New London, before moving to Groton, which wasn't formed as a town until 1705.  It was just across the Thames River from New London.   

His father, as one of the town founders, was a highly respected man and served the town well.  His son, this James, followed in his father's footsteps.  James was a church deacon, a captain of the training band, a town selectman, a principal magistrate, moderator of many town meetings, deputy to the General Court at least 12 years, and a commissioner to the Pequot Indians (what was left of them) in their affairs.  Have I convinced you yet?  

I don't know if you could call him "wealthy" or not, but he was generally taxed an amount that put him in the first half dozen of the men, as far as taxes owed, based on valuation of his property.  

James married Mary Vine, described as being "of Old England" in November of 1666, the daughter of John and Margery Winter Vine.  The couple had at least seven children together, before Mary died in 1689.  She was one of several people in the town who died of some sort of "throat distemper" within a two month period.  It must have been a frightful time for the town.  James then married Hannah Brewster Starr, the daughter of Jonathan and Lucretia Oldham Brewster (and grandson of Elder William Brewster of the Mayflower).  They were past child bearing age when they married, but were able to enjoy each other's company until 1711, when they died just a few days apart.  We don't know if it was a communicable disease or if it was coincidence that they died almost together.  James was 67 and Hannah was about 71.  

We are fortunate to have James's will and inventory preserved.  He wrote the will in 1708 and left provisions for Hannah, who of course was gone when the will was presented.  His two sons got all the land and his homestead, with James getting more than second son William,  and the daughters got the personal property and animals, to be divided among the four of them.  I don't trust the total that is shown on the inventory, and neither do I trust my colonial math, so I'll just say it appears to have been valued at over 400 pounds, when the inventory was taken in 1714.  He did have guns (also left to the sons), a Bible and other books, carpenter tools and some farm equipment as well as household goods.  It's interesting to wonder whether any of this was a Brewster heirloom.  

This family is interesting to study because it involves family names with which we are familiar, as Morgan women married Starr brothers, who were actually their step-brothers.  Through connections, this family had ties to many of the well known names of Groton and New London, such as Avery and Latham, and more names enter into the picture when we consider second marriages, Peabody and Applegate.  

Oh, and did I mention that he is also ancestor to General George McClellan of the Civil War, and to John D., Nelson, and Winthrop Rockefeller (yes those Rockefellers)?  We sure have some interesting cousins!  

Captain Morgan, we salute you for your hard work and your willingness to serve God, your colony, your town, and your family.  

The lines of descent are:                                                             Also:

James Morgan-Mary Vine

Mary or Mercy Morgan-Thomas Starr                             Jerusha Morgan-Nicholas Street

Mary Starr-John Chester                                                   Jerusha Street-Thomas Starr

Thomas Chester-Sarah Eldridge                                       John Starr-Mary Sharp

Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens                                John Starr-Betsy Havens

Betsy Havens-John Starr                                                   and so on

John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley

Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott

Edith Knott-Edward Allen

Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook