Beeks line: Jonathan Dunham died 1724

 I have postponed writing this blog post many times, because I am not sure of much of the supposed "information" I'll be using, in writing of Jonathan's life.  I have two completely different and apparently well researched family histories, that each say Jonathan belongs in their family.  They cannot both be accurate, and as is often the case, I suspect that there were two men of the same name and their records have been conflated since early times.  So, I'll give the broad outlines of the two most likely possibilities and hope someday, someone can figure this out.  

The most common story is that Jonathan is the son of Richard Singletary and Susanna Cook Dunham.  Under this theory, Richard used both Singletary and Dunham as his last name at various times, and he is indeed an interesting character.  They did have a son named Jonathan, who was born in 1640 and died shortly after, but I've not found documentation for a second son by that name.  (That in itself is not so unusual, as sometimes later born children with the same name as a deceased child are not noted in the records, or the family historian has decided the second listing was a "mistake".)   Supposedly this Jonathan named a child Richard Singletary Dunham, but the birth date for this child, even using a 1640 birthdate for Jonathan (the date for the first Jonathan born to Richard and Susanna), the father would have been just 17 when he was born.  It doesn't seem likely.  This line says that Jonathan married Mary Bloomfield in 1660 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. 

But there are problems with the alternate theory, also.  Thomas and Martha Knott are said to be the parents of Jonathan, who was born according to this story in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1646.  According to this theory, Jonathan married Mary Bloomfield in 1669 in Hartford, Connecticut.  Torrey's New England Marriages before 1700 shows that Jonathan Singletery alias Dunham married Mary Bloomfield by 1661 in Salisbury, and that Jonathan Dunham married Mary Bloomfield by 1667 in Hartford.  Sigh.

So if Jonathan was the Massachusetts guy, he was pretty much a scoundrel, in court for various misdemeanors and not well respected.  He also helped found and lived in Woodbridge, New Jersey, and was respected there, but went to Massachusetts frequently where he apparently let off some steam.  If he was the Connecticut guy, then he may have been a Quaker or at least Quaker friendly, and spent some time on Long Island before moving to become a founder of Woodbridge, New Jersey.  So I will leave these speculations here, and move to what I think is firmer ground, regarding his life in New Jersey.  

Jonathan is not regarded as an early proprietor, yet we know he was in Woodbridge by 1670, when he built and was operating a grist mill.  He received 30 pounds from the town, and use of sod from the meadow to help with the damming.  He operated the grist mill for many years and it was regarded as one of the best mills known.  He received 1/16 of what he ground as a "toll", which is less than that of some of the other millers I've researched.  He had a grant of 213 acres of land in 1672 and was a freeholder of the town. 

Jonathan was quite active in the life of the town, particularly in the 1670s and 1680s,  At various times he was a ratemaker (assessor for taxes), an overseer of the highways, clerk of the court, and juryman.  He helped lay out lots for a town division in 1685 and was on some sort of vigilance committee in 1686.  In 1701, he was on a committee to ask Mr. Shepard to move to Woodbridge and be ordained as their full time pastor (apparently either a Presbyterian or an Anglican church), but he declined because his wife was not happy there.  

Meanwhile, Jonathan and Mary were busy raising their family, They had perhaps six children, although some lists show as many as 12.  I think that again, records for two men by the same name were mixed.  

I've not located anything showing Jonathan as a participant in any of the military wars of the era.  Maray died in 1705 and Jonathan on September 6, 1724, when he was a few years either side of 80.  He is buried at what is now the Trinity Episcopal Cemetery in Woodbridge.  I haven't located a will, although I've seen a transcription of a document in which Jonathan and Mary sell property to a Mary Ross, relationship if any not identified.  This was dated in 1689.

We may never know who Jonathan Dunham really was.  Was he a Singletary and a vagabond, or was he the son of Thomas and a well regarded citizen who is getting a bad rap by being confused with Jonathan Singletary?  What do you think? It's a fun mystery to round out the year!

The line of descent is

Jonathan Dunham-Mary Bloomfield

Benjamin Dunham-Mary Rolph

Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith

Samuel Dunham-Hannah possibly Ruble

Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight

Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese

Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge

Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks

Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger

Their descendants

Holbrook line: Zerubbabel Snow 1672-1733

One good thing about researching this ancestor:  With a name like his, there weren't many of the same name to try to sort out!  Zerubbabel is a Biblical name; he led the Hebrew people back to Jerusalem from their Babylonian captivity and helped rebuild the Temple after it's destruction.   I have seen a few other people with that name, but it wasn't wildly popular.  I wonder what kind of nickname the man had?

Zerubbabel, born on May 14, 1672, was the son of John and Mary Greene Snow, and was the grandson of the immigrant Richard Snow.  His grandfather was a founder of Woburn, Massachusetts and his father lived his whole life in that settlement, as did Zerubbabel.  He grew up in a household that included six children.  John was an important man in town but it's hard to find many records of Zerubbabel.  

He married Jemima Cutler, daughter of James and Phoebe Page Cutler, on September 22, 1697 and the couple had nine children, six of whom were included in the estate settlement.  At least two of the other three children had died young.  

For a while, I was a bit despondent because this is as much information as I could find about our ancestor.  Then, I found his estate papers, which tell us more about him and his life than we would otherwise know. 
He died November 20, 1733, without a will.  The first indication that there might be a bit of a story here is that his executors were required to post a bond of 500 pounds, which was higher than many I've seen (a more typical amount would have been 200 pounds, from what I've seen of other ancestors in this time period).  So perhaps he was a man of some degree of prosperity.  

It was not until early in 1735 that six men were appointed to appraise the real estate, to set off one third as dower for the widow Jemima, and to divide the rest of the real estate among the children, with preference being given to the sons.  There's an interesting itemization in the estate of the taxes that had been paid by Zerubbabel or his widow from the years 1731 to 1735.  None of the rates were as high as 1 pound individually, but some years the taxes did approach a total of one pound.  Sadly, I have nothing to compare this to, so I don't know whether this was an average amount, or more or less than average for the town and the time.

At the time of his death, he owned several plots of land, mostly less than 30 acres, and it took 5 men 4 days to appraise them, so they may have been widely scattered.  Or the men may have been less than diligent, or perhaps there was some difficulty in surveying them as required by the probate judge. The land and dwelling house were appraised, in total, at 714 pounds.  One interesting decision made by the appraisers was to give the widow a third of several pieces of land and part of the dwelling house, rather than trying to keep her third to one or two more manageable properties.  Zerubabbel's son of the same name received a double portion of the estate, and the rest was divided among the couple's other five children, with money that had been advanced to John and to Jemima being deducted from their share.  Most of the children received 48 pounds, 19 shillings, and 11 pence. I'm not sure how the money was raised, whether the land was sold or other arrangements were made.  I did not locate a personal property inventory, which was a bit surprising.  

The only possible clue to Zerubbabel's occupation that I found was that his namesake son was a housewright.  This could mean that was our ancestor's occupation also, since one of the properties mentioned a "shop".  The only church in Woburn was Puritan, and with a name like Zerubabbel's, it's probably safe to assume that he was a part of the congregation.  I did not locate his name on any list of militia or colonial soldiers, but that doesn't rule out the possibility.  We also don't know his cause of death at the age of 61.

But we do know that he must have been a hard worker, to acquire so many pieces of land, and to support his wife and family.  For that, we can be grateful.

The line of descent is:

Zerubbabel Snow-Jemima Cutler

William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens

Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore

Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster

Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook

Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown

Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants

Beeks line: John W Beeks 1867-1946

 Look who I've overlooked, in writing about Beeks family ancestors!  I think I am nervous about writing about him because there are still people alive (two granddaughters) who knew him.  I hope that what I write is correct.  At least, it's what the records seem to show.

John was born February 3, 1867 in Lagro, Indiana (possibly Lagro township and not the town itself) to William and Mary Wise Beeks.  William had returned from the Civil War in late 1865 and his marriage to Mary was just four years old at the time.  William was one of at least seven and perhaps as many as ten children, although it's possible that some of those who were older than he was are John's half siblings, or perhaps they even belong to a different William Beeks.  I haven't figured that part out yet.  

John lived in Lagro until sometime between 1900 and 1910.  He married Elizabeth Wise, daughter of David and Matilda Martin Wise, April 22, 1890, and they lived in Lagro as their three children were born.  At the time, John was a railroad laborer but later he was a section man for the interurban system.  As such, he was responsible for the upkeep of the tracks, and was awarded a prize for the best kept track section in a surprise inspection.  Some of his most exciting days were spent trying to keep the tracks open during floods, especially the flood of 1913, which was one of the worst the area had seen.  

By 1910, he and Elizabeth and were renting a home on North Jackson Street in Andrews, and besides their three children, a boarder was also living with them.  John continued working but World War I was surely on his mind as both of his sons went off to Europe.  Well, actually Chester went to Europe and Wilbur was sent to northern Russia, but that was the subject of a previous blog.  By 1920 he had moved to Main Street in Andrews.  Two of the "children', now in their 20s, lived with him as well as Elizabeth's (she was referred to as Lizzie) father, David Wise.  By now, David was 83 years old and needed care, but so did Elizabeth.  Sadly, she died of tuberculosis September 5, 1922.  John was a widower at age 55.

John remarried in 1928 to Winifred Knight Rowland.  Her first husband had died in 1904 and it appears there may have been another brief marriage to a man by the name of Gwinn.  If so, it must have ended in divorce because a child died at the Fort Wayne State School, and the mother had a different name.  At any rate, John and Winifred married.  They lived in Huntington, Indiana in 1930, and in 1940 they were at 1324 East Market St.  John in 1940 stated that he had had no income in 1939.  He should have been eligible for Social Security so I'm not sure what his situation was.  The 1940 census also tells us that he had a sixth grade education.  Possibly he left school to bring income into the family.

It looks like Winifred died in 1943 in Dayton, Ohio.  I am not sure why she was there.  Was she hospitalized there, or taken ill while traveling or visiting someone?  At any rate, she was buried with her first husband in Van Buren, Indiana.  

John died October 16. 1946. at the home of Wilbur and Cleo Beeks, just as his wife Elizabeth and her father, David had done.  He died of heart and kidney disease.  He is buried with his first wife at Riverside Cemetery in Andrews, although there is no stone there to mark his plot.  

Fun fact:  Apparently John was a euchre player, as his name is mentioned several times in the newspapers of the 1920s.  Elizabeth had played, also.  

The line of descent is:

John Beeks-Elizabeth Wise

Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge

Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger

Their descendants

Holbrook line: Samuel Wight 1639-1716

 Somehow, I ended up writing two blog posts about Samuel's father, Thomas Wight, one in 2018 and one in 2020.  I hope they are mostly in agreement with each other, that Samuel's mother was most likely Alice Roundy Wight, but I am not finding proof of that now, just as I did not find it in the previous two posts.

However, we do know a little more about Samuel, thanks almost entirely to the book "The Wights: A record of Thomas Wight of Dedham and Medfield", by William Ward Wight, which was first published in 1890.  According to this book, Samuel was born February 5, 1639, although I often see a non-specific date of 1640.  Likely this is because of the dual dating which should actually read February 5, 1639/1640.  He was baptized "ye 15th of ye 7th month 1640" in Dedham.  

Samuel made the move from Dedham to Medfield, a distance of about 10 miles, with his parents in 1650, and there he stayed for the rest of his life.  Medfield was formed from Dedham, and the Wights were original settlers, along with another of our ancestors, Ralph Wheelock.  Medfield was formed partly as a potential barrier to protect Dedham and settlements further east from potential attacks from native Americans, and was very much a frontier town.  Samuel, along with his seven brothers and sisters, likely had an interesting childhood, to say the least.  He also probably worked very hard, as even young children did in those times.

In 1662, when Samuel was in his early twenties, he was one of three men chosen to burn the woods on land they lived on, in order to clear brush away and make it easier to see if the village was coming under attack.  The next year, on March 25th, 1663, Samuel married Hannah Albee of Medfield, the daughter of Benjamin and Hannah (possibly Miller) Albee.  The couple had nine children together.  At least two and possibly three died young, but the rest contributed to their community for generations to come. Samuel became a freeman of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1672 and was the town constable in 1673.

Samuel and Hannah may have lived on North Street, as descendants of theirs lived there later.  If so, they may have either had a garrison house or lived near a garrison house, as the book "King Philip's War" by Eric B. Schultz and Michael J. Tougias state that it appears there was a garrison house on North Street, although no more information than that was available to them.   And yes, Samuel would certainly have been involved in one way or another in King Philip's War.  His home was one of the 32 that were burned in the February 21, 1676 attack on the town.  Hannah and the children were either in the garrison house, or had fled elsewhere for safety.  I've not found Samuel's name on any lists of soldiers during the war so it is likely that he was one of the townsmen assigned to a garrison to protect the women, children, and older people of the village.  

It took the town, and Samuel, about two years to begin rebuilding the settlement.  It's possible that they grew crops during this time, and traveled back and forth from wherever they were.  Or they may have stayed with some of those in the town whose homes were intact, until they could rebuild.  But rebuild they did.  There were of course financial repercussions besides the loss of their home and belongings.  Samuel had pledged a bushel of corn to the "college at Cambridge" and asked that the debt be forgiven, which request was granted.  He also, along with many others in the town, asked for forgiveness of taxes he owed in 1678, saying that if he could be forgiven those taxes, which he thought were three or four pounds, he could see his way clear to paying on time from that time forward.  The General Court agreed, as they did to other similar requests.  Even then, one could not squeeze blood from a turnip.  

We know that Samuel was a member of the Medfield parish church in 1697, which was about the time a new pastor came to the church.  This was a Puritan church and again, is believed to have been located on North Street.  Since the family was Puritan, and since we know that Ralph Wheelock and founded the first school in the town, it is more than likely that at least the sons had some education.  Hannah would likely have been responsible for educating the girls in the family.

Samuel is noted as being a proprietor of the "black swamp" of Medway in 1702, but there is no indication that he ever lived there.  

He wrote his will May 19, 1710 and died December 21, 1716. He left everything to his wife, even specifying that she was to receive five pounds in moveable estate (personal property) to be disposed of as she wished at her death, although he maintained control of all the real estate.  Unfortunately, the part that tells what our ancestor, Hannah, was to receive is taped over, but it was some amount of money.  I did not locate an inventory, which would of course have told us more about Samuel's life.  

I don't know his occupation if it was other than farming.  But I do know what I've stated above and I think we can be proud of this ancestor.  He raised his family, toughed it out to rebuild his home, and contributed to the life of his community.  

The line of descent is:

Samuel Wight-Hannah Albee

Hannah Wight-John Thompson

Joseph Thompson-Mary Holbrook

Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood

Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell

Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook

Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore

Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown

Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants

Harshbarger line: Adam Burkholder 1728-1800 Immigrant

 Adam Burkholder was an immigrant to Pennsylvania, coming here sometime before 1751, when he is known to have owned land.  Unfortunately, there is not much information about his early years.  He was born in 1728 in Oberdiessbach, Bern, Switzerland, a son of Adam and Anna Mellinger Burkhalter.  It appears that the family was either Mennonite or of another Anabaptist group, and since Anna died in Germany in 1761, they were likely religious and economic refugees from the Swiss persecutions.  

Adam likely came to America as a young man.  We don't know whether he paid his own way or whether he had several years of service as an indentured servant.  If the latter is the case, then that would put his arrival probably in the early to middle 1740's, given that he had enough money saved to buy land prior to 1751.  So far as I have been able to find, no records have been located that give details of his immigration, so the time of his immigration is speculation at this point.  

We know that his wife was Maria Gingerich, daughter of Yost (Joseph) and Anna Elizabeth Huber Gingerich, and it is likely that the marriage took place in Pennsylvania, perhaps about the same time as the first land was acquired.  Again, I'm not locating records.  He seems to have gone to what was the frontier of Cumberland County, which broke off into Franklin County in 1784.  So for roughly 50 years, he may have lived in the same location in what is now Greene Township of Franklin County.

Adam and Maria had as many as 12 children, with eleven living at the time that he wrote his will.  (More on that, later.  First there is more to tell.)

Adam would have been the right age and location to be involved in the French and Indian War, but his Mennonite upbringing may have prevented him from actively participating.  By 1780, though, he was a private in the Third Company, Fourth Battalion of the Cumberland County Militia, under Captain Joseph Culbertson.  (This should make him eligible for DAR recognition, but so far his service seems to have gone unnoticed.)  Culbertson had served earlier in the war and it is possible that Adam did also, but I've not found records stating so.  In 1780-81 the "enemy" would have been some of the native American tribes who were still trying to drive the Americans back to the east. Adam served as a wheelwright during the 1780-81 time period, so perhaps this was his way of supporting his family, neighbors, and country without taking up arms.  Again, that is speculation on my part.  

Adam seems to have been not a poor man.  He wrote his will in 1797, and when his will was probated February 5, 1800 (so exact date of death is unknown), his estate was valued at 3472 pounds.  (Currency was still in flux at this time and I haven't found a reference that would allow this to be converted to dollars.) One reason I think he was probably better off than many of his neighbors is that he had ten shirts in his inventory.  Either he was living comfortably, or he was a bit of a dandy, but based on the other items in the inventory, he lived a comfortable, hard working life.  Much of the inventory and other estate papers are damaged, but we know he had books, a gun, powder horn, and knives, and a number of farm animals, as well as land.  He left much to his wife and then passed most on to his children, although in the final settlement, Joseph's name is missing.  Adam does mention having given much to his children earlier, so perhaps Joseph had already received his entire inheritance, or perhaps he received it when he reached the age of 21.  

Maria died in 1813, and both of them were buried on their farm, now part of the Letterkenny Army Depot, which has a Chambersburg address, but is actually north of Chambersburg.  Unfortunately, their graves are unmarked.  

I'd sure like to know more about Adam, and about how the wars affected his family and his life.  Did they have to leave their home and go back to Carlisle or Lancaster or another larger settlement?  What led him to become active in the militia?  And was he still a Mennonite at the time of his death?  

The line of descent is:

Adam Burkholder-Maria Gingerich

Joseph Burkholder-Elizabeth Miller

Barbara Burkholder-Benjamin Buchtel

Nancy Buchtel-Adam Kemery

Della Kemery-William Withers

Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger

Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks

Their descendants

Holbrook line: Richard Seymour 1645-1710

 I was quite excited to find I've not yet written about Richard Seymour (usually Seamore in the old Connecticut records).  He's an interesting man, and I'm glad to share some of his story, although, as always, I wish I knew more of it.  

Richard Seymour was the son of Richard and Mercy Ruscoe Seymour, and was born about 1645 in Hartford, Connecticut, which at the time was still a small village on the Connecticut River.  He had at least 7 brothers and sisters, and they grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut, where the parents had moved in about 1650.  Richard Senior died in 1655 and Mercy then married John Steele, who would have been Richard's step father during his growing up years.  Our Richard moved to Hartford for a time, perhaps to learn a trade, and then went on to settle in Farmington.

Richard married Hannah Woodruff about 1674, probably in Farmington as that's where her parents, Matthew and Hannah (possibly Baldwin) Woodruff were living.  The couple stayed in Farmington for the rest of Richard's life and had at least five children together.   

We have a few documents about Richard, showing his admission to freeman status in 1669, and his membership in the church in Farmington in 1685, at a time when his children were young and likely needed to be baptized.  His wife had joined in 1679/80.  

We know he was referred to as "Captain", and we know he built a garrison house, surrounded by palisades, in about 1686.  This was really more of a fort, as there were several cabins built inside the walls, and our Richard was in charge of the site.  I have not found record that Richard was active during King Philip's War, but for him to have been "Captain" 10 years later, it seems possible, perhaps even probable.  I'm not sure what prompted the decision of the town to build the fort.  

We know he was involved in a land dispute in 1696/97 with Thomas Hancox, and that Thomas Hancox was involved in a dispute which may have been about the same land in 1702. (The area in question was 2 acres, more or less, and it looks like Richard may have lost his case).  The 1702 case included the name of Richard Seamor of Farmington as  plaintiff attorney against Thomas Hancox, but this could have been his son Reichard, or the son of John Seamor, I'm not sure.

Richard was killed in 1710 when a tree fell on him, in Berlin, Connecticut, which is a few miles south of Farmington.  Was there a storm, or was this an accident when he was possibly trying to clear land?

Richard was apparently well off by the standards of the day.  His probate papers are preserved but are damaged in some of the most interesting places.  His inventory was valued at over 416 pounds, and  this was divided between the widow and each of his five children.  

The same year that Richard died, one of his sons, Ebenezer, was charged (not for the last time) with counterfeiting Connecticut money.  I hope Richard didn't live to see that day, but Hannah surely did, for she died in 1713.  (As an aside, Connecticut had quite a problem with counterfeiters during colonial times.  I just skimmed a 256 page article about it, and noted that Ebenezer was apparently in cahoots with some Woodruff men, probably cousins of some sort.)  

I'd like to know more about Richard, including whether he had an occupation other than farming, whether he served in King Philip's War, and why the community felt the need for a fort in 1686.   But we can tell he was an upright and respected man, and we can be proud of him.

The line of descent is:

Richard Seymour-Hannah Woodruff

Hannah Seymour-Joseph Pomeroy

Medad Pomeroy-Hannah Trumbull

Medad Pomeroy-Eunice Southwell

Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stannard

Libbeus Stanard-Luceba Fay

Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy

Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants

Beeks line: Benjamin Slot Locke 1721-abt 1795

 Benjamin is a very difficult man to trace, not least because his name changed sometime between birth and death.  Much of what I have found is based on the research of Judith Rill, so she gets the credit for everything that's correct in this post and I get the blame for mistakes, and for my own speculation.  Benjamin is worth studying, not least because he was part of a vanishing subculture, the "Low Dutch" of Kentucky.

Benjamin didn't start out in Kentucky, though.  He was born probably in May (christening date is May 18, 1721 at or near the Dutch Reformed Church in Hackensack, New Jersey.  His parents were Jacobus and Maria Demarest Slodt (her name is seen as De Maree, but it's the same family as the Demorests), and he was one of at least 10 children born to the couple.  In general, these Dutch families, who in the Slodt case had been early settlers in New Amsterdam, were very hard workers.  Church and family were at the heart of their society, and most of them were contented and reasonably prosperous people.  Benjamin would have had a good childhood, we think.

That's why it's confusing that his marriage didn't take place until 1759.  I am certainly willing to be convinced, if someone has documents, that he was married prior to the April 17, 1759 marriage to Sarah Demarest.  She was 20 years younger than he, and it seems more likely that a (speculative) first wife had died prior to this marriage.  But there is no proof, so for now we'll just say that this was a marriage with a great age difference.  Sarah was the daughter of Samuel David and Lea Demarest, who were likely distant cousins.  These Demarest lines are intertwined to a great extent, due to the relatively small number of acceptable partners in their culture.

At some point, Benjamin and Sarah and their growing family (they're believed to have had at least five children) may have gone to Conewago Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania by 1772, with a group of the "Low Dutch".  It appears that the group may have been given its name in Pennsylvania, to avoid confusion with the "High Dutch" (Germans) who were already there.  Some sites say that Benjamin died in Adams County in 1772, but that must have been a different Benjamin, because this Benjamin died during 1795-1796 in Mercer County, Kentucky.  

We don't know when the group actually traveled to Kentucky.  There may have been prolonged stops along the way in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, Virginia, but they were in Kentucky by the early 1790s.  This was not long after the Revolutionary War, and about the time that Kentucky became a state.  Native Americans had contested control of Kentucky since the days of Daniel Boone, and memories of the deaths of about 1500 Americans were fresh, but the Low Dutch settled in Mercer County, anyway.  

It appears to be here that Benjamin, either officially or unofficially, changed his name to Lock, which was the English translation of Slot or Slodt.  He is on some tax lists through 1795, and the following year it is Sarah who is taxed, so it's believed Benjamin died during that time period.   We don't know for sure what attracted the Locks and other families to Mercer County, but for most settlers, it was inexpensive, fertile land.  

I've not been able to figure out whether Benjamin served in any of the military conflicts of the time.  He was certainly of the right age to be involved in the French and Indian War, and possibly in the American Revolutionary war.  Records in several states would need to be studied to determine any involvement, and of course many records, particularly of local militia, are missing.  If he didn't serve, he at least would have been following the news and keeping an eye out for the safety of his family. 

Much research remains to be done regarding Benjamin and his family, but there is enough here to be intriguing.  

The line of descent is"

Benjamin Slot Lock-Sarah Demarest

William Lock-Elizabeth Teague

Sally Lock-Jeremiah Folsom

Leah Folsom-Darlington Aldridge

Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham

Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks

Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger

Their descendants

Holbrook line: Walter Phetteplace of Rhode Island

 It's taken a bit of digging to find even a few bits and pieces that tell us about Walter's life.  I am grateful for each nugget but certainly wish we had more.  The man was a deputy to the Rhode Island Assembly for several years, and was referred to as "Mr.", indicating respect, and one would think that more information would be on line about him.  

Walter was the son of Philip Phetteplace and either Ann or Sarah, maiden name unknown at this time.  Some sites say his mother was Ann Pentelow or Pantlow but a later Walter married a woman by that name, so I think it is a case of mistaken identity.  If a reader can confirm his mother's name I would be most grateful.  

He was born somewhere in or near Providence Plantation in the 1676-1680 time period.  I tend to think he was born after 1676 because there were few families in Providence during King Philip's War, and it took a while to get the area built back when the war ended.   Walter was one of at least four children.  He may have been a Baptist, because his father died in Newport, where Baptists were active, and Glocester itself was a center for "New Light Baptists".  

Walter married Johanna (sometimes seen as Hannah) Mowry, daughter of Nathaniel and Joanna Inman Mowry, on August 4, 1709, at Providence.  A more specific location is not known.  Both Philip Phetteplace and Nathaniel Mowry were respected citizens of their towns and Walter, as noted above, was also an active and respected citizen.  He and Johanna were the parents of seven children, but he still found time to serve as deputy in four different years.  

In one tidbit, as deputy on September 29, 1746, he and three other deputies dissented from the vote of the Assembly for additional works at Ft George, saying basically that the proposed amount was too little to do any good and they did not wish to approve more until the Fort was attacked.  Ft. George was in New York and was the scene of conflict in several wars, at this time fighting native American tribes allied with the French.  It appears to be a short-sighted view, but it is quite possible that Walter was a pacifist, as many of his neighbors were during the Revolutionary War a quarter of a century later.  I've not found his name anywhere as a military soldier, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't a soldier or militia member earlier in his life.  He would have been in his later sixties by the time of the 1746 petition.

Walter had his own land, but also received 10 acres from his father in law's estate in 1718.  This may or may not have been part of the original Inman-Mowry land.  He had land in Providence in 1711, and in 1713 settled in Glocester.  

Johanna died sometime in 1750 and Walter died December 29, 1753.  I haven't located a will or inventory for him, which is disappointing.  There are probably still records to be found about this ancestor, and I will keep looking for his footprints in and around Glocester.  Walter's stories should be found.

The line of descent is

Walter Phetteplace-Johanna Mowry

Sarah Phetteplace-Elisha Eddy

Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown

Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine

Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire

Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard

Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants

Harshbarger line: Jacob Huber about 1696-1759

There seems to be a bit of confusion about Jacob Huber, probably because there were at least two men named Jacob Huber who were born in about the same time period, each in Germany, and who show up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania at about the same time.  I am following the research of Janet and Robert Wolfe for the most part, with a few speculations of my own added.  

Jacob was most likely the son of Hans and Barbli (Barbel, Barbara) Lier Huber, and was probably born about 1696 in the Palatinate region of what is now Germany.  Hans was a Mennonite, so he may have come from Switzerland originally, and settled in the Palatinate along with other Mennonite families who were forced to flee their homeland due to religious persecution.  Many of these families made their way to Pennsylvania in order to better practice their religion and also to secure land, which was seen as a necessity in order to support a family.  

It's not known for sure when the family arrived.  It may have been as early as 1710 or as late as 1728, or perhaps Hans had gone back to Germany sometime after 1710 and then returned in 1728.  Jacob was taxed in Conestoga Township beginning in 1718, for at least four years.  Jacob started acquiring land in 1728 and through the years, had at least 1700 acres warranted or surveyed, although not necessarily all at the same time.  He is noted as being in Earl, Warwick, and Martic townships at different times.  There is also the possibility that some of these tracts were for ironmaster Jacob Huber, who was apparently not the same man as our Jacob Huber, who farmed and owned a grist mill.

Jacob was married twice.  His first wife may have been named Anna, and she was the mother of six children. She is not yet identified, but she was the mother of our Anna Elizabeth.  She died about 1733 (her last child was born in 1733) and Jacob married again, to Anna Leininger.  They had at least five children together, so it was a large family that Jacob needed to support.  Like most Mennonite families, they would have worked together, long and hard, to do all that was needed to keep a farm and a family going.  

Although Jacob was raised a Mennonite, and probably remained one, he was apparently interested in what Count Zinzendorf, supporter of the Moravian movement, had to say because he hosted the Count at his home in 1742.  Two years later, Jacob signed a petition to find a teacher who could instruct in English, German, Greek, and Latin, so education was a priority in this household.  

The biggest mystery of his life to me is how he was affected by or involved in the various struggles with the French and native Americans during their several periods of conflict.  Lancaster County was the scene of several ambushes and massacres, and many of the residents fled to the larger towns and either lived with relatives or lived as refugees during the times of greatest danger.  Jacob may well have been a pacifist, but that may not have meant anything to those trying to drive the colonists out of what some tribes regarded as their land.  Also, he may not have taken up arms but may well have supplied local troops or built roads or held any number of other positions.  We just don't know.  If the family left during the difficult times, how long were they away, and was their farm destroyed?  Again, I've not found any records yet.

Jacob wrote his will on July 9 in Martic Township.  He mentioned two tracts of land, and left bequests to all eleven of his known children as well as to his widow.  The will was proved September 12, 1759.  

I'd sure like to clarify many of the details about Jacob's life, including when he came to America, who his first wife was, how many of these land tracts were his and if he moved often, why he did that.  I'd love to know what his life was like in relation to the conflicts with the native tribes and what role he played, or where he was, during that time.  And was he prosperous, or was he cash poor because he purchased so much land?  Jacob Huber left many questions as well as a large posterity.

The line of descent is

Jacob Huber-first wife

Anna Elizabeth Huber-Yost (Joseph) Gingerich

Maria Gingerich-Adam Burkholder

Joseph Burkholder-Elizabeth  Miller

Barbara Burkholder-Benjamin Buchtel 

Nancy (Fannie) Buchtel-Adam Kemery

Della Kemery-William Withers

Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger

Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks

Their descendants