Beeks line: Anthony Pierce (etc) 1611-1678

 This man is a direct ancestor in the Beeks line, and a collateral relative in the Holbrook line.  His sister, Hester, was married to Joseph Morse.  So I'm doubly glad to find a few nuggets about this man.  Anthony and Hester, along with eight other siblings, were born to John and Elizabeth Trull Pierce in Norwich, Norfolk, England. 

Anthony grew up in England, but in 1633 he came to America, ahead of his parents.  He was married at the time to Sarah, maiden name not known, but she died, perhaps in childbirth, perhaps in England.   He then married Ann, maiden name not known, in Boston or Watertown, probably during the first half of 1633.  (I found one tree that said her name was Moore, but there was no record or documentation to support that.)

Anthony must have been a respectable man for he was admitted as a freeman in 1634, meaning he belonged to the Puritan church and had property.  He was therefore allowed to vote in town meetings.  He was not listed with the honorific of "Mr." so he was probably not a college graduate. His father, John, was a weaver and as the oldest son, it is likely that Anthony followed his father's trade.  

Anthony and Ann settled in Watertown, near the border with Cambridge, and lived the rest of their lives there.  He is listed as a founder of the town, although Watertown had actually been founded in 1630, at least three years before his arrival there.  Anthony acquired considerable land, some when his father died, some apparently from grants, and some that he purchased.  It is clear that he farmed, whether or not he also was a weaver.  (Some men of this time period did their weaving during the winter, when there were no crops to tend and fewer demands from the animals, so he could well have had two vocations.)

Anthony and Ann had nine children together, and their household would also have included John, Anthony's son by his first wife, so both persons would have needed to be hard workers.  The book Divided We Stand, by Roger Thompson doesn't mention Anthony as having been a town or military leader, so we are left with the idea that he was busy raising his family and conducting his business, if there was one.  He would have been part of the training band, similar to a militia, but we have no indication that he was ever involved in battle.  

Anthony died May 10, 1678 and while I've not found a copy of his will, Thompson reports that his widow, Ann, insisted that Anthony had promised son Benjamin some of his real estate, (the homestead that had been Anthony's inheritance) and that was not to be part of the estate settlement.  The court didn't see it that way, and the estate was divided according to law. (Note: Ann intended to live with Benjamin so she was possibly not entirely objective, but it may be that she was correct.)  We do, however, have Anthony's inventory and that gives us some good clues into the life he'd lived.  The inventory, while not totaled, indicates considerably more household goods than most households had, tools in the shop that include looms, yarn, and finished fabrics, and several parcels of land.  I'm sure there is much more of interest in the inventory, but I'm unable to read more.  

I of course always want to know more about an ancestor, especially an immigrant ancestor who was in New England so early.  There is enough information here to lead one to the idea that he was an ambitious man, a family man, and one of those who made this country great.  

The line of descent is

Anthony Pierce-Ann

Daniel Pierce-Elizabeth Shedd

Elizabeth Pierce-Samuel Smith

Shubael Smith-Prudence Fitzrandolph

Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham

Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble

Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight

Samuel Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese

Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge

Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks

Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger

Their descendants

Holbrook line: James Longbottom 1702-1756

 I wish I had more information to share about our ancestor James Longbottom.  Hopefully, what I have found will help dispel some misinformation on some websites, and for that reason alone I'm happy to write about a man who seems to have not given us much to write about.

James was the son of Daniel and Elizabeth Lamb Longbottom and was born January 15, 1702/03.  The Longbottom Family Album says he was baptized on September 14, 1716 at Newent Church.  However, it appears that there was no meeting house there until 1723 so it is more likely that he was baptized at Norwich, Connecticut, the location of his parents. I've seen locations assigned to James (and some of his children) as being in Lisbon, Connecticut, but Lisbon was formed from Norwich in 1786 so anything prior to that would technically have been Norwich, even though the families probably lived in the area now known as Lisbon.  

We know little of James's upbringing except that it would have included religious services.  He had at least eight siblings, so there would have been plenty of chores to keep him busy, and hopefully enough time to learn to read and write, and perhaps to have some recreational time as well.  He probably didn't have to look far to find a playmate.  

James married Priscilla Lovett on March 22, 1729 in Norwich. Sadly, she had two children, James and Anna, and died on September 6, 1731.  James then married Elizabeth Jackson, daughter of John and Sarah Godwin Jackson on November 6, 1732, and they had eight children together.  Their first child, named Priscilla after his first wife, was born on July 30, 1733, followed by Betty, Pelatia, Mary, Amaziah, two Abigails (the first having died as an infant), and Amy.  Their records are found in the Newent Church records, so we can believe that this Longbottom family was a part of this (congregational) church.  

We can also think that James raised patriots, as at least two of his sons fought in the Revolutionary War. 

Many of the trees I've seen say that James married a Mary Farnum in 1753, but this was James Longbottom Junior, the son of James. 

I have been unable to locate a death record for James, other than "after October 30, 1756."  I've not found a will, or estate papers, or court records.  Elizabeth died January 11, 1773 at Norwich, so it seems odd that there wouldn't be a death record for him.  (For that matter, I am not locating estate papers for Elizabeth, either.) Of course, in 250 years records could have been destroyed or misplaced, but it seems odd.  

So we're left with a LOT of questions about James.  Did he serve in the military, in one or another of the colonial wars?  What was his occupation?  When did he die?  From what we can tell, he didn't bring attention to himself, but he did raise a family, and was one of the many men who contributed to our family genes.

The line of descent is:

James Longbottom-Elizabeth Jackson

Betty Longbottom-John Eames

Hannah Eames-James Lamphire (the elusive)

Susan Lamphire-Joseph Eddy

Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard

Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants

Beeks line: William G Beeks 1786 (or earlier)-1864

 I've written before of Christopher Beeks, the first known ancestor in America, who fought in the Revolutionary War.  He is one of the brick walls in the family history, as I am still unable to document who his parents may have been.  This post is about son, William George Beeks, who was born by 1786 and some say as early as 1776.  There don't appear to be any written records giving a definite date.  There are similar mysteries surrounding his death, but in between we can see a faint imprint of the man, and we need to capture these so he doesn't get lost to the family.

William's parents were Christopher and Catherine Barnes Beeks, and he was born in the area around Harpers Ferry, in what is now West Virginia, in 1786 or possibly earlier.  (Harper's Ferry is very near the border with Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, in what is considered the Shenandoah Valley).  He was one of ten children, and indications are that this family had more love than money, if there was any love at all.  Christopher failed at more than one business, because times were hard and money was scarce. William would have worked at the family farm or business, as the case may be, until he married.  

The most thorough notes I've been able to find say that he first married a Miss Puckett, and there were no known children with her.  Then it's confusing because his next marriage may have been to a Margaret Baker, or it may have been to Mary Elizabeth Nimerick, daughter of Johann Gottfried and Elizabeth Nimerick.  Children are assigned to each couple, but the birth dates of the children don't make sense as assigned in the report I've found.  What seems to be certain is that the Beeks-Nimerick marriage is noted in Augusta County Marriages as occurring on October 27, 1808, solemnized by the Rev. William Wilson, V.D.M.  Their first child, John, was born about one year later, in October of 1809, and that is the line we are following.  

So with one or two children, in 1811 William and Mary (known as Polly) packed their household goods and their dreams and moved to Xenia, Greene County, Ohio.  Christopher and Catherine also moved at the same time, and there may well have been other family members also. 

 No sooner had the Beeks family gotten settled (if indeed they were settled) when the War of 1812 broke out, and William was called to duty.   He is credited with about 3 weeks service in August and September of 1812, under Captain Ammi Maltbie, who was of Sugarcreek Township, Greene County.  Earlier in August there had been two battles with native tribes in Ohio, and presumably this unit was on patrol, or at least in a local blockhouse, to keep the natives away from their homes and families.  It is possible that William served for a longer time than this, but these are the only records I've found.  At any rate, it's enough to earn him our respect as a private in the War of 1812.  Like father, like son!

Several more children were born to the couple in the next 10 years, or possibly some were born to the Miss Baker mentioned above.  We have no record of Polly's death, so it's hard to figure this out.  Equally puzzling is why there is a census record for William in 1820. with six children noted, and previous and subsequent census records have not been located.  

And then, there is the confusion about his death.  Every tree and source I've found lists his death as occurring in 1864, when he would have been at least 78 years old.  However, some say he died in Xenia, one says in Greene Township, Adams County, Ohio, and one says in Worth County, Missouri, where he was thrown by a horse.  The last is hearsay from the grandson of one of William's brothers, and could easily have been mistaken.  There was more than one William Beeks in this family, and what would our William have been doing at that age, in that location?  

I've not located a will, an inventory, or an obituary for William, and as mentioned earlier, he's not located on a recent census.  So at this point, this is the story I've been able to find for William.  It's not much, but it gives us a sense of a man who helped build and protect Ohio in its early years, and who raised a large family while dealing with grief.  We can honor William for those contributions.

The line of descent is:

William G Beeks-Mary Elizabeth Nimerick

John Beeks-Mary Polly Carter

William Beeks-Mary Wise

John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise

Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge

Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger

Their descendants

Allen line: John Finch 1657-172?

John is believed to be the son of John and possibly Hannah Marsh Finch, and is supposed to have been born about 1657.  A John Finch died in 1657 in Stamford, Connecticut (there is documentation for that) and it is possible that this was John Finch's grandfather.  If this line is correct, then the grandmother would have been Martha Brett, and John the father was born about 1634 and died in 1685 in Huntington, Suffolk, Long Island. This puts our John born about 1657 within a good geographic area to have married in New York. 

Our John, the one born  in 1657 or thereabouts, is said to have been born in Stamford but town records don't confirm that.  A more likely location is somewhere in Westchester County, NY.  He is believed to have married Hester Davis in 1693 there.  Her parents were Samuel and Mary Mather Davis.  The couple is said to have had two sons, another John and James, and some also  give them daughters or possibly these were John's stepdaughters from his (second) marriage to Elizabeth Elleson.

Margaret Key of New York, widow, left to the two children of Captain John Finch, merchant, named Ann and Sarah, all of her estate.  Since she doesn't mention the sons of John, either this is the wrong John Finch or Margaret's connection was with the daughters only.  Captain John Finch was named executor.  This will was written September 11, 1713 and proved in July of 1714.  A year later, John was named as a witness in the will of John Price, of Turtle Bay, near the city of New York.

I've seen this John described as a mariner, which would explain the "Captain" designation, and as a merchant.  Those two descriptions aren't mutually exclusive.  He apparently spent most of his life in New York but is said to have tied in Stamford, Connecticut in 1726.  Again, I'm finding no death record or will there, nor am I locating anything in New York after his witnessing of the will in 1715.

John lived in interesting times, as the city of New Amsterdam became the city of New York.  There were several small wars he may have been involved in, King William's War and Queen Anne's War, but we don't have any records to indicate that.  It is intriguing to wonder where he went, if indeed he went to sea or even just sailed along the coastline of New England.  I have so many questions about this ancestor!  

The line of descent is:

John Finch-Hester Davis

John Finch-Sarah

Nathaniel Finch-Hannah Scofield

Jesse Finch-Hannah

Hannah Finch-John Bell

Hannah Bell-Thomas Knott

John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr

Edith Knott-Edward Allen

Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook

Their descendants 

Harshbarger line: Johan George Lindemuth 1688-1751 Immigrant

 I have very little information about this ancestor in the Harshbarger line, but I've never let that stop me from writing a blog post before!  I am always hopeful that someone will have more information and will stumble across this blog post.  I am also somewhat hopeful that these few facts will spark someone's interest, and they will enjoy finding more than I have found.  I want to write at least a little about each ancestor in our families, so here goes:

Johann George Lindemuth was born February 26, 1687 or 1688 at Bodigheim, Baden, or at Leibenstadt, also supposedly in Baden, although Google searches put it in Bavaria.  His parents are Johan and Rigina Muller Lindemuth,  Johan died when George was about five years old.  I haven't followed his mother, but she lived until 1729 so perhaps she remarried.  (Remarrying at age 30, as a female with four young children would have likely meant that she married a much older man, but I don't have any records to support that, it's just a general statement.)  

George married at a young age, barely 18 or 19, to Anna Katherine Baumann on November 23, 1706 at the Evangelisch in Bodigheim, Baden.  They had at least three children together, the last being Johann Sebastian in 1713.  Katherine likely died in childbirth or soon after.  Sebastian also died soon after birth.  

George next married Barbara Keller, at the same church, on Feb 2, 1714.  She died in 1732, after giving birth to at least three more children.  Please note, not all sources agree that George married twice, so we have to consider that there is a possibility that the George who married Barbara was a different George.  I cannot prove either thought, but perhaps someone else has records giving the death date of Anna Katherine.  At any rate, we do know that a wife, whether the first or the second, died in 1732 , still at Bodigheim.  

George came to Philadelphia in 1749, according to "Pennsylvania German Pioneers" by Ralph Beaver Strassburger.  He was over 60 at the time so would have likely been traveling with family members, and at this stage in emigration, most Germans came for economic reasons.  Sadly, George didn't live long in America, dying on August 11, 1751 in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  We have no will and no other records at this time, but that doesn't mean some won't show up at some point.

I would like to know so much about George:  Was he married twice? What was his religion? Was he able to pay his own way to America, or was he serving as an indentured servant when he died?  Did he consider that he'd made a good move to come to Pennsylvania?  Did he come because his grandchildren came?  So many questions...Regardless, he came, and contributed to the family line, and apparently stayed out of trouble, raising several children.  His name deserves a place on the Harshbarger tree.

The line of descent is 

Johan George Lindemuth-Anna Catherine Baumann

George Lindemuth-Anna Maria Drach

Maria Elizabeth Lindemujth-Bernard Kepler

Andrew Kepler-Anna Maria Kramer

Mary Kepler-George Harshbarger

Lewis Harshbarger-Catherine Mentzer (Mancer)

Emmanuel Harshbarger-Clara Ellen Harter

Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers

Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks

Their descendants

Holbrook line: Nathaniel Joslin 1627-1694 Immigrant

 Nathaniel qualifies as an immigrant because he arrived in New England in 1635, along with his parents, Thomas and Rebecca Jude Josselyn.  He was eight years old at the time, and was also accompanied by three sisters.  His oldest brother came separately, and two sisters apparently died as children in England.  

I wonder whether Nathaniel enjoyed the voyage.  A ship could be highly interesting to a young boy, but with three older sisters to keep an eye on him, and a younger sister that perhaps he helped care for, the ship may have become confining at some point during the trip.  He was likely either pestered or spoiled, as the only young boy of the family on that trip.

Nathaniel's parents lived first at Hingham, for about 19 years, but by 1654 they were in Lancaster, which is about 40 miles west of Boston.  Thomas had interest in several ships and in trade, so it's hard to imagine why the family went west, but west they went.  Likely they saw better economic opportunity there.  

Nathaniel was 27 years old, but we migrated with his parents, and married Sarah King, daughter of Thomas and (possibly) Ann Collins King, in 1656, in either Lancaster or Marlborough (home of Sarah and her family).  They settled in Lancaster and had a family of nine children, the first two dying young.  

I'd love to tell you how Nathaniel supported the family, but I'm not sure of the answer to that.  At his death, he owned at least 14 different properties in Lancaster and in Marlborough, so one answer would be that he farmed.  He may also have rented land to others.  

Nathaniel became a freeman in 1673, so he was a church-goer.  Becoming a free man meant he had the right and duty to vote in town meetings.  He also would have been expected, even before becoming a freeman, to join in protecting the town.  This became important as King Philip's War broke out.  I have not found him on any list of soldiers who fought in the war.  We know that much of Lancaster was burned to the ground in February of 1675/76, and we know the family fled to Marlborough, but we don't know whether they fled prior to the attack (there had been an earlier, less destructive raid) or afterwards.  We do know they didn't go back to Lancaster, but stayed in Marlborough, perhaps 12 miles as the crow flies.  Whenever they made the trip, it must have been a frightening time for the family, especially since Sarah was either pregnant or had a newborn baby with her.  

Nathaniel was nearly 50 years old when he "started over" in Marlborough.  His father in law, Thomas King, died that same year and perhaps Sarah received a bequest (I've not located Thomas's will, so far).  I wonder if the family ever felt physically or financially secure again, having lost so much in the war.

Based on his inventory, I think Nathaniel did at least begin to recover the financial security he apparently had in Lancaster.  When he died (April 3 or 8, 1694) he had fourteen different pieces of land, totaling several hundred acres, located in Lancaster and Marlborough.  The valuation for the land was about 150 pounds, and the personal property about 124 pounds, for a total of 274 pounds, 9 shillings and 8 pence.  This was enough that his wife, probably having received her widow's third, could live comfortably.  I've not found anything that says that Sarah remarried, and she lived another 12 years after the death of her husband.  Nathaniel's will includes guns and ammunition, as well as books, with the first being valued higher than the second.  Still, there was over 1 pound in books and that is a fair sum, indicating more than only a Bible and a psalm book.  

This is what we know of Nathaniel.  He grew from that 8 year old boy either pestered or spoiled on ship to a man who had raised a family and kept them safe during King Philip's War, to a man who could look back with perhaps a bit of pride on the financial blessings he was able to leave his children.  We are grateful for men like Nathaniel, who faced danger and hardships, but were faithful to their family and their community.

The line of descent is

Nathaniel Joslin-Sarah King

Nathaniel Joslin-Esther (or Hester) Morse

Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland

Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay

David Fay-Mercy/Mary Perrin

Luceba (Euzebia) Fay-Libbeus Stanard

Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy

Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants

Beeks line: John Simpson Aldridge Jr. 1798-1842

 I sure hope someone who knows this family reads this blog post, because I have a burning question in my mind.  Was John Simpson Aldridge Jr. married twice?  If so, who was "Elly Folsom"?  Was she the sister of Leah Folsom, who married John's son Darlington?  Those are significant questions, but first, a little bit of background.

John S Aldridge was born February 27, 1798 in Clermont County, Ohio, the son of John Simpson and Mary Lakin Aldridge.  His parents had not lived long in Clermont County, and the area was still a frontier land, with the Treaty of Greenville which gave ownership of the southern half of Ohio to the United States, having just been signed less than 2 1/2 years earlier.  John's father was a veteran of the Revolutionary War and may well have been in the area during that time, which could explain why the family had settled there.

Except, they didn't really settle for good in Clermont County.  John Jr. married Lucinda Wheeler, daughter of Jason and Patience or Palina (maiden name not known) Wheeler, on July 22, 1819 in Clermont County.  He may or may not have had an adventure before that, because there is record in Indiana of a John Aldridge who was a lieutenant in Indiana's early military in 1818, and there is a John Aldridge in Ohio in the war of 1812.  John would have been very young to have been in the War of 1812, and it is possible that these records refer to his father, or to a different man altogether.  Both of our Aldridge's frequently used the middle initial "S", and that is not listed on either of these records.

I am not sure that I've located John and Lucinda in the 1820 census records, but there is a couple of the right age, with no children, located in Posey County, Indiana.  They are listed directly above a William Simpson, whether by coincidence or not.  (I've never found a family connection with a Simpson family but that doesn't mean one doesn't exist.) 

John Sr was in what became Rush County, Indiana, but was then Fayette County, in 1822, and our John owned land there as of July 29, 1824.  Nathan had purchased land in 1823.  John Aldridge in shown on the 1830 census in Rush County, living near John Sr. and John Sr's son Nathan.  They are the correct ages, and they already have six of their ten children.  The 1840 census shows John with no spouse of the appropriate age, but nine children.  Lucinda had died in 1836, in Orange Township, Rush County.  Nathan is still living nearby and the there are two elderly people living with Nathan, who would be John and Mary.  So was it this John who had married Elly Folsom in 1838, and if so, what happened to her?  And was she Leah's sister? (If so, Leah's sister would have been her stepmother, which is a bit odd but not unheard of.)

John lived less than two years after the 1840 census, dying on February 22, 1842.  His father died before the end of the year.  John Senior had lived a good, long life but John Junior was a few days short of his 44th birthday.  I don't know his cause of death.  Was it an illness, heart disease, cancer, an accident?  I've been unable to locate a will, so I don't even know if he had time to write a will.  

Isaac Conde and Daniel Camerer were appointed administrators of the estate, and they advertised on March 10th, 1842 that people who owed John money, or to whom John owed money, should present their claims within one year.  Then on March 18, 1842, the same men advertised a public auction for the personal property of the deceased, "consisting of Horses, Cattle, Hogs,Corn, household and kitchen furniture, farming utensils, &c.  A credit of nine months will be given on all sums over three dollars, the purchaser giving his note with approved security". 

As it happened, there were only three items sold at a value of over $3- a side saddle, a bureau, and a clock.  Joseph, Nathan, and Darlington Aldridge bought several items each and Erasmus bought a box of gears.  These were brothers and sons of John.  Interestingly, Austin Clark purchased a bull plow and a lot of geese.  Austin was the guardian of the Folsom children, including Leah who became Darlington's wife.  

This is just a brief picture into the life of John Simpson Aldridge Jr.  I have questions beyond the possibility of a second (brief?) marriage.  Was he a religious person?  The 1840 census says there is one person above the age of 20 who couldn't read or write.  I'd like confirmation that this was John.  And I'd like to know whether he was in the war of 1812, and whether he was the Indiana lieutenant of 1818.  (I suspect this was another John Aldridge, as there were several in the state of Indiana by 1820, but I'd like to know for sure.

The line of descent is:

John Simpson Aldridge Jr-Lucinda Wheeler

Darlington Aldridge-Leah Folsom

Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham

Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks

Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger

Their descendants

Holbrook line: Matthew Griffin 1629-1691

I'm not sure that the birth year for Matthew Griffin is correct.  If it is, then he was probably born in Devon, Devonshire, England, according to a Geni entry.  But I've not found documents, and there is some reason to question whether this is the correct man.  The only clue to his identity is that he was called a "dear kinsman" in the will of Richard Griffin of Concord, possibly an uncle.  But Richard's ancestry is not traced, either, that I could find.

In researching him, I found a statement that he was in Saybrook, Connecticut by 1645.  I am not convinced this is the same Matthew Griffin, but if it was, then Matthew would probably have been older than 16, to have been noted as being there.  I'm suspicious of the Saybrook connection because Matthew spent most of his life in Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony,  and there weren't many cases of men traveling from Connecticut and going east to Charlestown.  Most Charlestown residents either went directly to Charlestown, or landed first in Boston.  

So we know virtually nothing of Matthew's early life.  We do know that he married several times, and there is more than a little information about his life in Charlestown.  We must be content with what we have, I suppose.  We know that Matthew's first wife was Jone (Joane, perhaps Jane) but there is no information about her to be found, so far.  We don't know whether the marriage took place in New England or in England, although Torrey lists it as New England.  Jone died before August 29, 1654, when Matthew married Hannah Cutler, the daughter of Richard and Rebecca Cutler, in Charlestown.  Richard was a selectman in Charlestown, and a deacon of the church, so he had some social standing.  

It's confusing, then to consider that I've been unable to locate Matthew as a freeman in Massachusetts Bay Colony.  He owned property, because in 1658 he was granted 14 acres of woods and 2 1/2 acres in the commons in a town distribution, which indicates he likely had a homestead.  Was he not a church member?  There are records for the birth of his children, at least some of them, in the First Church of Charlestown, but I've not located his name there.  

So it's possible that Matthew never had a right to vote in the annual town meetings, despite the fact that his father in law was a selectman, and despite the fact that Matthew paid taxes and served on at least one jury.  He was part of the jury that met in April of 1672, for an inquest into the death of "an Indian named Joseph", who, it was concluded, had frozen to death, "being overtaken in drink", if I am reading the record correctly.  

Matthew and Hannah had ten children together, before Hannah died on December 2, 1676.  It's possible that her death was childbirth related.  The last known child was born in 1674, and Hannah delivered babies about every 18 months to two years.  She was 42 years old when she died.  Matthew next married, by 1678, Deborah Norton Hill, the widow of Zachary Hill, and she outlived him.  

Matthew was taxed 3 shillings on the tax list of November 16, 1658, and is also on the tax list for 1688, when his "estate" was 2-0.  I'm not sure whether that is an estate (property value) or a rate (tax).  The 1688 list includes an estate for the "widow of Matthew Griffin Jr", which brings up an interesting question.  

The other major event of Matthew's life appears to be his participation in King Philip's War.  There are three different records for Matthew Griffin during that time period, none of which specify whether we are talking about Junior, who would have been 20 or so at the time.  John Griffin, who may have been Matthew's son, received land in Narragenset Township in Rhode Island in 1735, as the heir of Matthew, or he may have been a grandson since the wording for some of the other men indicates "son of" rather than "heir".  This land was given to the soldiers (or heirs) who had fought in the "Great Swamp Fight" of December, 1675. 

The inventory I found, which is dated January 16, 1691, is clearly labeled as being that of Matthew Griffin Jr., presumably our Matthew's first son, who was born in 1656. Our Matthew died December 29, 1691, and I show Matthew Jr's date of death as April 23, 1691.  Could this be a case of confusion, that the dates maybe should be 1691/1692?  And could the original record of Matthew Jr's inventory actually have read Senior rather than Junior?  What I have found is clearly not the original document.

For the record, Matthew's inventory was valued at almost 114 pounds, but I won't discuss the list until I'm convinced this belongs to our Matthew.  (If it belonged to the younger Matthew, he was apparently doing better than his father had done.)  

We have a few known facts about Matthew, and many questions.  Why was he not a freeman? Was he a church member?  Was he literate?  What was his occupation?  Whose inventory is it that we have?  And if Matthew Junior died in 1691, why is there a widow of Matthew Jr listed in that 1688 tax list?

The line of descent is

Matthew Griggin-Hannah Cutler

Hannah Griffin-Edward Lloyd

Elizabeth Llody-John Whittemore

John Whittemore-Lydia Clough

Josiah Whittemore-Lucy Snow

Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster

Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook

Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown

Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants

 

 

Harshbarger line: Jacob Fehler 1723-1760

 I like to wait to write a blog post until I have answers to at least some of my questions.  This ancestor, however, is basically one big question mark, or at least, his wife is.  

Jacob Fehler was born in 1723, probably in Germany, to Peter Jacob and Maria Olivia Weiler Fehler.  Some sources say that he was born in Rehrersburg, Pennsylvania, and his parents were residents of this area, but probably not in 1723,  So most likely Jacob was an immigrant, arriving on a ship with his parents when he was a young boy. His parents were in Oley Township, Berks County, Pa by about 1732. He would have grown up to be a hard worker, as he probably would have started doing chores at the age of three or four, and a good Lutheran.  He also would have learned to hunt and to use a rifle or musket not only to provide food for the table, but also to protect his family.  This knowledge may have come in useful later in his life.

Jacob married Anna Margaretha Lowengut (Liebenguth and other spellings) in 1743, probably in Tulpehocken Township.  She was born in Obermodern, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France, and it is possible that Jacob's roots were near there although we don't know for sure.  Jacob and Anna may have had a son, John, before their marriage, or it's possible that this was Peter Jacob's son.  At any rate, our couple had seven children during their marriage and there probably would have been more, but something happened.

This is where it gets confusing.  Anna Margaretha and two of her daughters seem to have disappeared, kidnapped by native Americans in early 1758 according to one report.  This is the same time period in which Anna Margaretha's parents, Hans Jacob and Margaretha Sands Lowengut, were killed by tribal members, so it's possible that Anna Margaretha and children were victims of that raid who were never officially reported as missing.  Tulpehocken township was the focus of more than one assault by the natives, who were at this time allied with the French, during the French and Indian War.  There is a letter in existence giving the disappearance as early 1758, and saying that neither she nor her daughters were ever heard from again.

But, there is also a record in 1747 of the marriage of Jacob Fehler and Hanna Weiss, and our Jacob's second marriage seems to be widely accepted.  There are several possibilities.  This marriage record could belong to a different couple.  The date of the marriage could be incorrect.  The date that Anna Margaretha and two daughters disappeared, as related in a letter written many years later, may be incorrect. 

Jacob would undoubtedly have been in the militia and been called to patrol duty during the worst of the attacks.  I've not yet found his name on any list, but unless he was physically challenged or refused to take up arms, he would have been in the militia.  He had a gun when he died, and Lutherans didn't generally refuse military service, so he was probably in some of the patrols and skirmishes that were all too common at the time.

Jacob farmed and other than the baptisms of some of the children, and his sponsorship of other babies at their baptism, there is little that I've found to tell us more about his life.  Church would have been important to the family and regular attendance at services, when safe, would have been important to them.  

We are fortunate to have a translation of his will, which was written in German.  It was written the 24th of March, 1760 and Jacob apparently died very soon after this.  At the bottom of the translation, it says "Litterally translated by J. Weiser",  In the will, he leaves a third to his loving wife Hannah Fehler, and later refers to her as "the woman".  He left 20 pounds to the children of his first wife, and his (current?) wife and child were to have no part of that.  He appointed George Emert and Jacob Lowengut as executors, to "do with my things and children as with their own".  The inventory was taken on April 9, 1760 and totaled 56 pounds, but by the time debts and expenses were paid there was little left.  Jacob was only about 37 years old when he died, which, considering the expense of feeding and clothing seven or eight young ones, didn't leave him a long time to build up an estate.  The most highly valued item he had was a weaving loom and tackling.  He had apple and peach trees valued, but there is no mention of land that he owned, so he must have been a tenant farmer. 

We don't know why Jacob died.  Since he was able to leave a will, he probably didn't die in battle, but he must have known he was ill or was seriously injured in some fashion.  

His is the story of so many families who emigrated from Germany/France, who made a home and raised a family on the frontier of America, who worshiped God with their neighbors who spoke the same language, and who were rewarded with the chance to better their lives and come closer to freedom.  

The line of descent is:

Jacob Fehler-Anna Margaretha Lowenguth

John Jacob Fehler-Anna Eva Behney

Christena Elizabeth Fehler-Johannes Harshbarger

George Harshbarger-Mary Kepler

Lewis Harshbarger-Catherine Mancer Mentzer

Emmanuel Harshbarger-Clara Ellen Harter

Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers

Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks

Their descendants