The family of Adam Kemery

I thought that tracing the family of Adam Kemery would be a little easier than I found it to be.  One difficulty turned out to be that several of the children have been incorrectly identified in on line trees, and one is that some of the daughters, especially, seem to have slipped through cracks.  I hope further research will help locate some of the missing information, but still, there's a lot here that I hope will help someone.  Once again, I'm indebted to Dawna Morton's tree for the framework, and much of the information, in this post.  Sometimes, I have veered from her information, basing my decision on census data, analyzing other records, and recognizing that additional information may have come to light since that tree was worked on. 

Adam was born April 15, 1849 in Whitley County, Indiana, the son of Daniel and Susannah Essig Kemery.  He married Nancy Fannie (known as Fannie) Buchtel, the daughter of Benjamin and Barbara Burkholder Long Buchtel (later Kemery) and together they had at least seven children.

Feba/Pheba was apparently the first born daughter, in 1872.  She remained at home her entire life, and died in 1920, at the age of 47.  I don't know whether she stayed at home because of health issues, or out of a love for her parents, or simply because no other opportunities were available.  

Next born was Avelina, who is a little confusing.  Census records indicate she was born in 1875, and it appears that her name was actually Sarah Avelina, who married first Samuel Eber, the son of John and Martha Cole Eber.  They had one child, Earl, before the couple divorced in 1898.  Sarah next married Frank Walter in 1904, the son of John and Mary Shinbecker Walter.  I have not been able to locate any children for them.  Sarah Avelina died in 1961.

Cora is apparently the next born, She was 6 months old at the time of the 1880 census, so probably born in 1879.  She died in 1890.

Della (middle name Clyde-was that a thing for girl's names, then?) was born on Christmas Day in 1882.  She married William H Withers, son of William A and Barbara Cook Withers.   They have two daughters, Sue and Goldie.  Della died in 1969.

At last, there was a son born, Harvey in 1886.  He married Ada Bailey, the daughter of Sherman and Nancy Huffman Bailey.  I have not located any children for them. Harvey died in 1870. 

The last known child was Benjamin, born in 1887.  I am somewhat confused as to his marriage.  Various records seem to show his wife as Lily Shaw, Lillie Mae Fleck, and Mrs. Lillie Mae Shaffer.  Part of the problem is that this Benjamin is reported to be Benjamin B Kemery, and some of the records seem to pertain to Benjamin F Kemery, who may or may not be a different person.  If he is the Benjamin F found often in Ft Wayne newspapers, he has a very interesting story.  But since I am not sure it is the same person, I shall refrain from posting it.  This needs to be researched further, but as far as I can tell, there were no children born to this marriage.  Benjamin died in 1938.

Adam and Fannie had at least six children.  There may have been another Sarah, but if so, I am unable to locate her.  Some trees show a son Earl, but he was actually the son of the woman identified as Sarah Avelina, through her marriage to Samuel Eber.  (The census taker make a mistake and listed him as a son when he was in reality a grandson, living, along with his mother Sarah, in the Kemery household in 1900.) There may have been other children or other pregnancies, but they are not noted in any records I could find.  I suppose somewhat sadly, Adam and Fannie were grandparents to just three, a grandson and two granddaughters.  I would be delighted to learn that there were more.

Most of these children had an eighth grade education, and most stayed in Whitley County, Indiana.  There are at least 7 Kemery families listed in the 1950 census in Whitley County, and it's likely there are still families there who bear that name.  

This is the last post in the confusing Kemery family line, as Della is the one our family descends from.  We're "daughtered out".

 

 

The family of Daniel Kemery

This post is about Daniel Kemery, the probable son of Jacob and Ann Marie Reed Kemery.  As I mentioned in my last post, Daniel is not mentioned in Jacob's will, and I've found little in the way of documentation to cement the relationship.  However, based on the location of the men in Stark County, Ohio, and some of the same first names being used over and over, I'm going on the assumption that this is correct, while continuing to look for confirming information.

We're on firmer ground with Daniel's wife and children, however.  Even though the children's information is lacking in some aspects (names of in-laws, primarily), there are death certificates, marriage records, and census records that tie this family together.  Dawna Morton, a Kemery descendant, has ferreted out much of this information, and I am grateful to her.

Daniel was in Whitley County, Indiana by 1846.  By then, he had married Susannah Essig, daughter of George and Catherine Shollenberger (or possibly Hillenburger) Essig, and their family was well started.  

Based on the 1900 census, Solomon seems to be the first born, reporting a birth date of 1841.  The census also says he was born in Indiana, which would put the Kemery family there earlier than I can substantiate.  Solomon married Catherine Shook when he was about 46 years old.  She is the daughter of George and Margaret Pontius Shook.  Their children are Ervin, Chauncey, Anna, Chestia and Elmer.  (Chestia married, as her second husband, Logan Harshbarger, the brother of Grover Harshbarger.) The 1850 census, it should be noted, gives Solomon an age of 1, indicating a birth date of 1849, which would mean he was in his early to mid 30's when he married, which seems to be more likely.  Perhaps the 1900 census is incorrect as far as the dates go.

Joseph Kemery was 10 years old in the 1850 census, so born about 1840.  I have been unable to locate him in subsequent census or other records.  Dawna's information shows him dying in 1883, but I haven't been able to substantiate that.  

Mary Ann, the first daughter, was born in 1841.  She married George W Mosher, the son of Israel and Jerusha Salisbury Mosher.  Their children are Rubin, Emma, Albert, and Alsetta.  Mary Ann died in 1888.

Next was Daniel, born about 1844.  He married Deborah, who may be Deborah Ward, the daughter of George and Eliza Roberts Ward.  (Other trees show a possibility of Deborah Helms, the daughter of Joshua and Mahala Chritman Helms. I can find a marriage record for Adam and Deborah Ward in 1866, so this seems more likely to me.)  Their children are James, William, Mary Alice, Jacob, Benjamin (who used the name Frank, for his middle name of Franklin), and Carina. Daniel died about between 1875 and 1880.  

Harriet was born about 1846 and had died before her father wrote his will in 1876.  She married William Cox, and they have at least one child, a daughter named Maliza.  

Alexander was born in 1847.  He married Margaret Buchtel, the daughter of Benjamin and Barbara Burkholder Long Buchtel.  Their children are Barbara, Elizabeth, Anna, Lora, Nellia, John, Bertha, and Via.  Alexander died in 1922.

Adam Kemery was born in 1849.  He married Fannie Buchtel, also the daughter of Benjamin and Barbara Burkholder Long Buchtel so brothers married sisters.  (It gets more complicated: Barbaraa Burkholder Long Buchtel late in life married Daniel Kemery, the subject of this post, after her divorce from Benjamin. So Margaret and Fannie's mother was also their step mother in law!) Adam and Fannie had at least 7 children: Phebe, Avelina, Cora, Della, Benjamin, Harvey, and Sarah.  I will write more of this family in my next post.  Adam died in 1926.

Albert was born the following year, 1850, or, according to the 1910 census, 1841 or possibly 1846.  (I have located him in just the one census, which is strange.)  He married Lydia Ward, the daughter of Joseph and Susanna Roberts Ward.  They have one known child, Charles.  Albert died in 1919.

Lydia was born about 1855. Her death date is given as April 14, 1924..  She married a man named Hammond, but that is all that I have found about her.  I cannot locate her in a census or find a record of her death.  I don't know whether she had children.  She is the biggest mystery of this particular family.

Amanda was born in 1858 and married Lewis T Jones, the son of David and Margaret (maiden name not yet located) Jones.  Their children are Edith, MaryEtta, Myrtle, Lois, Bertha, Dessa, Ralph, Raymond, and James.  Amanda died in 1901.

Maranda was born in 1860, and married James T Mosher, the son of Orrin and Lucinda Smith Mosher.  Their children are Dorothea, Ransom, Millard, Erma, Delphia, and Garnet/Gertrude/Gertin, depending on which census you are looking at.  There may also have been a child Harriet. Maranda died in 1925.

Finally, there is John, born in 1862.  He married Sadie May (Sarah) Powers, who was about 16 years younger than he was, apparently late in life as he was single in the 1900 census.  As far as I can determine, there were no children born to this marriage, but I'm willing to be corrected.  John died in 1948.

Most of this Kemery family were farm workers or day laborers, in and around Whitley County, Indiana.  Most of them could not read or write.  They raised their families as well as they could, and left many, many descendants in the Whitley County area.

Another Jacob Kemery or Kemmerly

I admit that this family is giving me fits.  Not only am I not positive that this Jacob, born between 1786 and 1794, is the son of Hans Jacob Kemmerly who was the subject of last week's blog post, not only am I not positive that he is the son of Martha Punch, but I am also not positive that he is the father of Daniel Kemery, who will be the subject of next week's post.  I also appear to have mis-identified his spouse, and other trees say he was in a different location that I've placed him.  So, is Jacob, or is he not, the father of Daniel?  I hope someone reading this will know "for sure".  

As I currently see it, Jacob Kemery, formerly Kemmerli or Kemmerly, was the son of Hans Jacob Kemmerli and possibly Martha Punch.  I am unable to locate reliable dates or parentage or location for her, so this is only a suggestion.  Jacob was one of two children mentioned in the will of Hans Jacob in York County, Pennsylvania, although he was not shown as a minor and it is possible that this isn't his family at all.  

I decided in writing this post that Jacob did not marry Ann Maria Laber, as I'd thought earlier.  The only documentation I could find for a couple with those names was in Germany, and earlier than our Jacob.  I did, however, find a Jacob Kemery in Stark County, Ohio who was married to Ann Marie Reed, the daughter of George Adam and Magdalene Mountz Reed.  They were married March 12, 1811 in Stark County, Ohio.  

I'll digress here a little to talk about locations in helping us identify Jacob.  Some trees show him as having died in Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio, with the same death date as that of his wife.  (Ann Marie's headstone is in Stark County, with the same date of death as that attributed to the Jacob of Brown County, if there was one.)  The family names associated with Jacob and most of his immediate descendants are Stark County names, and that's why I currently think that this is more likely to be our Jacob Kemery.  He didn't die until 1872, still in Stark County.  I hope someone can prove me right, or wrong!

The final problem is that his supposed son, Daniel, is not listed on most of the family trees I looked at, nor is he mentioned in his father's estate papers.  It could well be that when Daniel moved to Whitley County, Indiana, prior to 1850, his father had given him money in lieu of a later inheritance.  Jacob was relatively well-to do, based on real estate and personal property values in the 1860 and 1870 US census, so it was certainly possible.  

Here, then, is a suggested but not totally proven list of the children of Jacob and Ann Marie Kemery:

Adam was born April 10, 1811, just a month after his parents married.  he married Anna Marie Reed, the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Bordner Reed.  Their children are Lucinda, Rosanna, Aaron, and Sarah.  Adam died in 1888. I have not yet established a connection between the two Ann/Anna Reeds, but it is more than possible that there is one.)

Daniel was born about 1812, and married Susannah Essig, daughter of George and Catherine Shollenberger (varying spellings) Essig, in Medina County, Ohio.  (Medina and Stark County share borders so they possibly lived near each other.)  Their children are Mary, Daniel, Harriet, Adam, Alfred, Solomon, Alexander, Lydia, Amanda, John, and Maranda, with several born in Whitley County, Indiana.  I will write more of this family in my next post.  

Jacob was born in 1815 and married Mary Bordner, the daughter of Philip and Catherine Roedel (various spellings) Bordner.  (Again, I haven't established a connection between Mary and the Elizabeth who was the mother in law of Adam, but I wouldn't be surprised to find one.)  Their children are Mary, William, Amanda, and Heman.  Jacob died in 1900.

The first daughter was Elizabeth, born in 1819.  (From the dates of the children, it is possible that another pregnancy or birth occurred maybe around 1817, but I haven't located information about that. Elizabeth married Jesse Whitmer, the son of Johannes Peter and Maria Catherina Phillips Whitmer.  Their children are Jacob, Rosanna, Monroe, Catherine, and Herby.  Elizabeth died in 1887.

Mary was born another four years later, in 1823.  She married Hugh Snyder, the son of Daniel and Susanna Shroyer Snyder.  Their children are James, Jacob, Anna, George, Newton, Henry, and William.  Mary died in 1896.

The final daughter born to this couple as Anna, who was born in 1830.  She married first Solomon Schreffler, the son of Conrad and Catherine Bordner (that name again!) Schreffler.  Solomon died in 1872 and she married Daniel Keehn in 1876, the son of Johannes and Elizabeth Trull Keehn.  I believe the children were Solomon's.  They are Priscilla, Solomon, Ann, Malinda, John, and Conrad.

I have seen trees that also named John, George, Philip and William Kemery as sons of this couple.  I can find nothing that ties these names to this family, although it's possible that they were short=lived sons who were born and died between census reading.  Again, I'd love to see any evidence that could prove or disprove any of these names as belonging to this family.  

When Ann Marie died in 1847, Jacob married, about 4 months later, Catherine Carbaugh, who is still a mystery.  Catherine had at least one child with the last name of Carbaugh, per census records, so Carbaugh is likely not her maiden name.  Jacob and Catherine are said to have had at least two children together.  

Louis or Lewis Kemery was born about 1849 and died in 1903.  He married another Whitmer, Sarah, again one I have not yet identified.  They had Alfred or Alphaeus, Hugh, Melville, Margaret, and Clara. 

Jacob's final child, as far as we know, was Frederick, born in 1853.  He married Frances Streb or Strasse, again not yet identified, and their children are Minnie, Mary, Bertha, and Ida.  He was one of the few Kemery children who moved west, all the way to Kansas, but returned to Ohio and died sometime after 1920.  

I have also seen Levi as a child of Jacob and Catherine.  I can find no supporting evidence and wonder if someone misread a document as Levi rather than Lewis.  So he is a question mark, along with several other people mentioned in this blog post.  

Please, please contact me if you know anything about this family.  I really would like this post to be documented, one way or the other. 

 

Harshbarger line: The family of Hans Jacob Kemmerly 1734-1791

I know this man existed, and came to Philadelphia in 1753. I know he died, and I know the names of two of his children, but that is all that I am reasonably sure of.  So this will be a short post.

Hans Jacob Kemmerly or Kemmerli is said to have been born in 1734, or in 1721, in the Netherlands or in Germany, but I've found no records to support that.  His wife is said to have been Martha Punch, who is said to have been born in 1745 and whom he is said to have married in October of 1754.  But the children supposedly weren't born until later-in the late 1780s, mostly.  Obviously, there are problems here.  Martha would not have been 9 years old when she married, and if she was born prior to 1745, she would likely not have been having children as late as 1791.  So we may have the wrong couple here, or at least the wrong mother.  

The information from an abstract of Jacob's will, written in 1791 and probated in 1792, in Windsor Township, York County, Pennsylvania, mentions two children, Jacob and Margaret.  

Jacob was born about 1789, if there isn't a generation missing here, and was married to Anna Maria Lauber or Laber, whom I've not yet identified.  They had 8 children: Adam, Daniel, John, Jacob, George, Philip, William, and Mary.  I will write more of this family in my next blog post.  

The will also mentions a daughter Margaret, who was married to a (first name unknown) Towbenberger, and a granddaughter Margaret, daughter of the above Margaret, who was married to a Peter Schoenberger. The idea that Margaret was old enough to have a married daughter makes it seem unlikely to me that Jacob, born 1789, was the son of this Jacob, although of course there could be two different wives involved here.  

And to add to the confusion, some trees list Christian, Daniel, and Jacob Joseph as sons of this Jacob.  I know there was a Christian Kemmerli paying taxes in York County in 1789, and I'm wondering if Christian might actually be the younger Jacob's father.

Obviously, there is much more work to be done on this family.  I hope this post won't mislead anyone, but I also hope it will point out some of the flaws that are on on-line trees, so we can start to untangle this mess.   Please help if you can!