Holbrook line: The family of George Marsh 1592ish-1647

George Marsh, our immigrant ancestor, has unknown origins and unknown parents.  He was almost certainly from England, as at some point he was associated with people in Rev. Peter Hobart's congregation that went to Hingham, Massachusetts.  Rev. Hobart and his group arrived in 1635, as did George, Elizabeth and their children.

Elizabeth is another mystery.  There is a George Marsh who married an Elizabeth Key in 1623, which doesn't fit the birthdates shown for the children, unless an unknown Elizabeth died and George married Elizabeth Key second.  We also don't know if the four children I will mention below are their only four children.  If they are the only children, then perhaps George is the son of a Thomas Marsh or an Onesiphorous Marsh, as those are the two masculine names used.  That is just speculation, however.

George died in 1647 in Hingham, Massachusetts and his widow, Elizabeth, married Richard Bowen.  There are no known children from this second marriage, but Elizabeth would be stepmother to at least six children.

Thomas was the first born son, with a loosey-goosey birthdate of 1622.  He married Sarah Beal, the daughter of John and Frances Ripley Beal.  Their children are Sarah, Thomas, John, Ephraim, and Mary.  Thomas died in 1658 in Hingham, Massachusetts.  I will write more of this family in my next post.

Some say that Mary was born before Thomas, and I can't confirm or refute the year of her birth.  She married John Page, the son of John and Phebe Paine Page.  Their children are Onesiphorous, Benjamin, Cornelius, Sarah, Mercy, John, Joseph, Abraham, Elizabeth, Ephraim, and a still born child.   Mary and John Page are also our ancestors, and I hope to write more about this family at a later time.  Mary died in 1697.

Elizabeth was born about 1625 and died in 1647 as a result of childbirth.  She had married John Turner, but which John Turner it was has not yet been determined.  They had one daughter, named Elizabeth.

Finally there was Onesiphorous, thought to have been born about 1630.  He married Hannah CUtler, the daughter of John and Mary Woodmansee Cutler.  Their children are Onesiphorous, Hannah, Mary, John, Thomas, Sarah, and Abigail.  It seems that after the death of Hannah, Cutler, Abigail was adopted by Mary and John Page (see above).  Abigail would have been about 15 at the time so this seems a bit unusual, but I haven't researched this aspect enough to have an opinion.  After Hannah's death, Onesiphorous married Elizabeth Parrott Wooster, the daughter of Frances Parrott, and then Sarah Travers Wallingford, the daughter of Henry Travers.  I've found no further children for Onesiphorous.  

I have not found records indicating military service for either Thomas (who died before King Philip's War, so it would have been an earlier battle, if any) or Onesiphorous.  That may just mean we need to look harder and dig deeper, as most men of this time service were at least in a militia unit. 

 

 

The family of Conrad Mentzer 1799-1880

 This is the last of the posts I plan to write about the Mentzer families.  Conrad is of the fourth generation to live and die in the United States, and his daughter Catherine married into the Harshbarger family, which I've already written about.  Not so coincidentally, this is the first generation that I have a high degree of confidence in writing about.  I may have missed a child or added a child that doesn't belong, but at least I have solid documentations for birth, marriages and deaths.  Again, some of this is due to the sleuthing of Anne Caston, for which I am grateful, and some is due to a clue given me by Vicki Hutchinson.  I am grateful for their work and their generous sharing of information with me.

Conrad was born to John and Margareth (very possibly Scherb or Sharp, but not proven) Mentzer on March 25, 1799 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  He married Elizabeth Tullapen or Dulibon (and other various spellings) on August 29, 1819.  Elizabeth is the daughter of Henry and Catherine Laber Dulibon/Tullapen, and she died sometime in the 1830s.  Conrad then married Elizabeth Balmare Trisch, who had been the wife of Peter Trisch.  I have not located her parents.  All of the children were from Conrad's first marriage.  

At least five children were born to this couple, and they were probably all born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  The first was Leah, born in 1819.  She married Henry Caston, the son of Hanry and Nancy Crim Caston.  Their children are Simon, Levina, Aaron, Louisa, Mtilda, Uriah, Harried, Nancy, and Hiram.  Leah died in 1892 in Summit County, Ohio.

Next was Caroline, born in 1822.  She married William Conley, the son of William and Elizabeth Williams Conley.  Their children are Urias, Rohanna, Elizabeth (or possibly Eliza), Frances, Frank, Mary, and Lydia.  Caroline died in 1912 in Cass County, Michigan.

Joel was their only known son, born in 1824.  He married Sarah Benner, the daughter of Michael and Hannah Rex Benner.  Their children include Mary, William, Moses, Joel, Joseph, Sophie, Nathaniel, David, and Urias.  There may possibly be a John, also.  Joel died in 1885 in Marshall County, Indiana.

Susan was born in 1827 and married David Coleman, the son of Jacob and Maria Barbara Emmerich Coleman.  Their children are Alveia, James, Lucinda, Jacob, Emeline, David, and Eva.  Susan died in 1899 in Cass County, Michigan.

Catherine was their last child and daughter, born in 1830.  She married Lewis Harshbarger, the son of George and Mary Kepler Harshbarger.  Their children are Milo, Emmanuel, Levina, Matilda, Henry, Catherine, and Mary Ellen.  She died in 1914 in Columbia Township, Whitley County, Indiana.  I have written of this family previously. 

While Leah and her family stayed in Stark/Summit County, the other four Mentzers moved west.  Caroline, Joel, Susan, and Catherine lived within 100 miles of each other, but we don't know whether they were able to visit or not.  I like to think that they did have the occasional reunion, which must have been quite an occasion.  

Oh, and to make it fun for other researchers, most of the family was using the spelling "Menser" in this generation.  Catherine, however is "Mancer". Have fun with this!

 

The family of John Mentzer 1767-1821

 John Mentzer is often seen as Joh. or as Johan Michael Mentzer, with, of course, various ways to spell the last name, because why not?  Certainly family historians 250 years later would have fun trying to think of and search for all the different name possibilities.  And while we're at it, let's not tell anyone the maiden name of his wife.  Let them guess!  (Her first name is Margaret or Margreth and years of research and sleuthing by husband's distant cousin Anne Caston strongly suggest that her last name is Sherb or Sharp, but there's no smoking gun at this point.)  Oh, and let's have several children who leave no clues as to whatever might have happened to them. Let's give most of the children the same names that have been used in the family for generations, too.  Good plan, John and Margaret!  It's worked, fairly well. But we have found records of some of your children and some of their spouses, and of some of your grandchildren, and we may yet find more.  I apologize for the sarcasm, a little bit...But surely someone who reads this will understand the feeling!  

We are confident that John is the son of Conrad and Catherine Elizabeth Hibshman Mentzer, born November 23, 1767 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  He died November 29, 1821 also in Lancaster County.  Most of his children lived and died in Lancaster County, which makes me a little suspicious about one who died in Lebanon County, but somehow some of the grandchildren made it to Stark County, Ohio, so Lebanon County is as good a place as any to rest for a few years, I suppose.  

John and Margaret seem to have had at least eleven children, perhaps more.  There are four of whom I know nothing except a birth/baptism date, and a couple of others with very negligible information.  Perhaps someone reading this post will know something about some of these mysterious Mentzers.  

The first child was Conrad, born in 1788.  He was likely their first child.  He was also the first child to disappear completely from any records that I have been able to locate.  I think it's possible that he died young, because another child (see below) was also named Conrad.

Elizabeth was born in 1790.  Again, I have located nothing further about her.  She died young, or she married in a church for which I've not found records, or she didn't marry but was a common law wife to someone (not likely,; this seems to be a fairly strict Lutheran family).  She is mystery number three, after the wife of John and the life of Conrad.

Susanna is the first daughter who left traces in records.  She was born in 1793 and died at the young age of roughly 25, in 1818.  She married Christophel Scherb/Sherb/Sharp, the son of Jacob and Maria Catherine Glassmeyer.  This couple had at least three children before Susanna's early death-Susanna, Jacob, and Elizabeth.  It is possible that Susanna's death was related to childbirth, but we can only guess at this time.

Catherine was born in 1797, and is mystery #4.  Nothing further is known of her.

Conrad, the second one, was born in 1798.  He married Elizabeth Tulipan/Dulibon, the dauther of Henry and Catherine Laber Tulipan/Dulibon.  Their known children are Leah, Caroline, Joel, Susan, and Catherine.  Conrad died in 1880 in Stark County, Ohio, and I will try to follow this family in my next blog post.  

Samuel was born in 1800 and died in 1865.  The only name I could locate for his wife is "Maria Susanna", with no maiden name.  They had at least two children, William and Anna, and perhaps an Eliza.  

Christine or Christina was born in 1804, and earns the designation of mystery number five.  I know nothing more of her.  

Jacob was born in 1808 and died in 1865 in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.  He may have been the first child to leave his home county.  The death certificates for several of his children give their mother's name as Mary Wise, but that is all that I know of her. Their children are Mary, Jacob, Henry, William, Sarah, and possibly Caroline.  

George was born in 1810 and died in 1876.  He married Catherine Dissinger, the daughter of John and Eva Dissinger.  I have located just one child for this couple, George Washington.  There may well be more.  There are a lot of Civil War records for George Mentzer in Pennsylvania, and it is possible that some may apply to either the father or the son.  

Joseph is the last born child, born in 1813.  He does not seem to be the Joseph who married Maria Hollenback, so he is major mystery number 6.  

As Anne Caston reminded me, Margaret Mentzer's 1830 census shows three other people living in her home in Elizabeth Township, Lancaster County.  The ages shown correspond to the ages of Christine, George, and Joseph, but this is the last glimpse we have of them, if indeed these are her children.  Additional minor mysteries are the spouses whose parents we don't know, the question of the Civil War George, and whether or not we really have identified all the children of these children of John and Margaret.  There's enough here to keep a family digging for a while!

The family of Conrad Mentzer 1734-1781

 The Mentzers are another family that loved to confuse their descendants by using the same names over and over.  My first post about this family was John Mentzer, who has both a brother and a son named Conrad.  I believe both Conrads also used John and Conrads as names for their children, and the pattern continues, along with various other given names thrown in and also used time after time.  But family historians love challenges, right?

Conrad Mentzer, the son of John and Anna Catherine Weyl Mentzer, was born in 1734 in Hagsfeld, Germany, and immigrated with three of his siblings (two were half siblings, actually) and his parents to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1751.  Conrad was just 17 at the time, so those trees showing him as being married in Germany are mistaking him for another of the Mentzers.  Our Conrad married Catherine Elizabeth Hibshmann (various spellings) about 1754.  Her parents are Johann Gebhardt and Anna Elizabeth Hubschmann.  

Conrad and Elizabeth (this family used what we consider their middle names as the name they were known by) had at least seven children.  There is a space of several years between some of the children so it is possible that there are more that have not yet been identified, possibly due to losses during childbirth or childhood diseases.  

Their first child was Anna Maria, born in 1755 and died in 1819.  She married John Michael Oberlin, the sin of Johann Adam and Catherine Agatha Stober Oberlin.  Their children are George, Michael, Susanna, Adam, Catherine, Christina, Jacob, and possibly another Susanna.  She died in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania as did most if not all of her siblings.

Catherine was born in 1759, a New Years' Day baby, and married Joannes (John) Schnierer, the son of Jacob and Anna Catherine Schnierer.  I have been able to locate just three children for them-Christina, John, and George.  Since John lived until 1805 and Catherine until 1828, it is more than possible that there are other children.  The name of Schnierer has many spelling variations and mutations, making it difficult to search for them.  

Verona/Veronica/Fronica was born in 1764 and married Mathias Druckenbrod (various spellings), son of Mathias and Elizabeth Druckenbrod.  Their children are George, Elizabeth, Susanna, Isaac, Johannes, Anna Maria, Jacob, Joseph, Samuel and Hannah.   She died in 1820 in Elizabeth Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Frederick was born in 1766 and married Christina Snyder, the daughter of Philip and Dorothea Miller Schneider.  They had at least two children, John and Susanna, and probably more. His death date isn't known, although he doesn't appear to be the Frederick who died in 1843.  This family needs more research!  

John was born in 1767 and died in 1821.  His wife was Margaret or Margreth, quite possibly a member of the Sherb or Sharp family but not proven.  Their children are Conrad, Elizabeth, Susanna, John, Catherine, another Conrad, Samuel, Christina, Jacob, George, and Joseph.  I will write more of this family in my next blog post. 

Conrad was the last known son.  He was born in 1772 and married Hannah Nees, daughter of Adam and Anna Margareth Oberlin Nees.  Their children are Anna Maria, Samuel, Susannah, Johannes and Jacob. Conrad died in 1848.

Lastly, there was a daughter Christina, born in 1776. Nothing further is known of her except that she must have died young.  

This gives a total of about 39 grandchildren for Conrad and Elizabeth, and there may be more.  By sheer numbers, the Mentzers must have had an impact on their communities in Lancaster County, Pa.  One mystery I have yet to solve about Conrad is that several trees list him as "Captain".  He may have served in the Revolutionary War, but the French and Indian War is also a possibility, as is a militia position against some indigenous peoples.  Lancaster County was frequently attacked for quite a few years and the history there is remarkable. 

 

Harshbarger line: The family of John Mentzer 1701-1781

 There is a good deal of confusion about this man and his wife/wives on line.  I am using the basic information found on a document from Hogsfeld, Karlsruhe, Baden-Wuerrttemberg, Germany and signed by John Frederick Bohm, the minister at Hogsfeld (Hagsfeld) on May 11, 1751.  In this document, prepared to help John migrate to Pennsylvania, the pastor states that his parents were John George Menter and Anna Maria von Heyen (Heim).  His first marriage, on March 3, 1722 was to Anna Marie Mayer von Buchig.  They had three children together, John, George, and Anna Maria.   On August 11, 1733, he married Catherine (Anna Catherine) Weyl, the widow of the late John Spirpi (Spirgi).  They had two children, Conrad and John Michael, the last born in 1741.

I've tried to trace John's children but am not completely successful.  In fact, I am not even sure that I have included all his children.  There may have been other children born in Germany who died and thus were not mentioned in this document.  There also may have been other children born after the Mentzers left Hagsfeld in 1751, but I haven't yet located records for them.  

John the son was born in 1723 and was married by 1751. I don't know who he married, whether he came to America, or what became of him at all. The only thing I can say is that he lived to adulthood.

George was born in 1727 and married Christina Renninger, the daughter of Johann Wendel and Margaret Heynlen Renninger.  Their children are Julianna, Johann, Maria, Jacob, Michael, and Simon.  He died in 1800 in New Holland, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and there is a Revolutionary War marker at his gravesite.  

Anna Maria was born in 1729 and reportedly died in 1783 in Rockingham County, Virginia.  She is said to have married Christoph Hauer but I can't substantiate that.  If this is the correct Anna Marie, there were several children born to this couple, but the records I'm finding show that Christoph married Anna Marie Lesslie.  I leave this an open question.

Conrad was the first child born to John and Catherine, in 1734.  He married Elizabeth Hibshman, the daughter of Gebhardt and Anna Elizabeth Hibschmann.  Their children are Catherine, Frederick, John, Conrad, Christina, Veronica, and Anna Maria.  Their are records for Conrad Mentzer, presumably this one, serving in the Pennsylvania militia during the Revolutionary War.  He died in 1781 in Lancaster County.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.

Johann Michael was born in 1741 and died in 1801.  He married Anna Marie Breidenstein, the daughter of Leonhardt and Anna Maria Buengel Breidenstein.  They had 14 children together: Michael, John, George, Catharine, Conradt, Samuel, Mary Polly, Elizabeth, Christopher, Barbara, Jacob, Sarah, an unnamed baby, and Susanna.  

I have seen three other names for children of this couple, which I can find no source for.  They are Anna Margaretha, Johann Philip, and Albertina Wilhelmina.  Since none of these names are used in the other Mentzer families, and they seem to have used each other's names frequently, I view all of these with a very healthy skepticism.  However, I wanted to mention them in case someone reading this blog post knows more about these "children" and is willing to share their information.  

As always, I welcome additions and corrections to these family posts.