Harshbarger line: The family of Johannes George (Jurg) Riedt

Who, we might reasonably ask, is Johannes George Riedt (Reidt/Reed, etc.) and why haven't we heard about him before now?  The answer to the second part of the question is easy: I overlooked this family line.  The answer to the first part of the question is a little harder.  He was born about 1652 in Baalborn, in what is now Germany, the son of Hans George and Anna Margaretha Riedt..  He was a husbandsman and vinekeeper in Germany, apparently not entirely successful. He married Anna Catherina Anspach, or possibly Anna Catherina Sterf, in 1681 or 1689.  It's possible that he married one, that she died, and that he married again but I couldn't say which wife came first, if that is the case.  I have also seen her referred to as Anna Bern Sterf Riedt Anspach, indicating that she may be a Bern who married three times.  I'm totally unsure of anything except that is wife was Anna Catherina, at least at one point.

He and his children (9? 11?), along with his wife. left Germany in 1709 and went to London, where they were supported by Queen Anne.  The Palatines, for that is what they were, thought they had a guarantee of financial support and transportation costs to go to America, but Queen Anne didn't see it that way.  She finally sent them on to New York, all expenses paid, but the families were all considered indentured servants and were expected to work to pay off all that the Queen had "invested" in them.  George did not fulfill his end of the bargain, as he died on ship on the way to New York.  That left Anna Catherina a widow.  Fortunately, most of the children were now adults, or nearly so, but at least three were likely either kept at home or bound out to other families.  It was a hard life.  

 I've found at least 12 names for children of this couple.  One source says they had nine children, one says eleven but names just nine, and other family historians have varying numbers listed in their trees or information.  So this list may or may not be complete, but it's more than I knew when I started researching this family.  

Anna Maria is usually referred to as "Reed" for her maiden name.  She was born in 1681 and died in 1750 in Stouchsberg, Berks County, Pennsylvania.  Her husband is Balthasar Anspach, and he may be a nephew of Anna Catherine Anspach.  His parents are Jacob and Anna Dorothea Fischer Anspach.  Their children include Maria Barbara, Leonard, Johann Peter, Johannes, Anna Margaret, Joseph George, and Anna Catharina.   

Now there is an 8 year silence, which makes me wonder whether first wife, the mother of Anna Maria, died and George remarried sometime before 1689, when Johann Michael was born.   He married Maria Barbara Faeg, the daughter of Johannes and Anna Margaretha Becker Faeg.  Their children include Anna Catherina, Anna Margaretha, Elisabetha, Johan Michael, Daniel, and Catherine Christina.  Michel died in 1754 in Tulpehocken, Berks County, Pennsylvania.

Johann Leonhard was born about 1691 and died in 1747 in what is now Tulpehocken, Berks County, Pa.  Sadly, we know his cause of death.  He was a miller, and got caught in the cog of the machinery.  He married Anna Eliza Catharine Schaeffer, the daughter of Johann Philip and Martha Schrodt Schaeffer.  Their children are Johann George, Johann Nicholas, Johann Friderich, Mria Margaretha, Johann Peter, and Leonard.   

John George (not sure why his name is seen in the English form, but it often is) was born in 1692 and died in 1741 (probably) in Tulpehocken, Berks County, Pennsylvania.  He married Catherine Dieffenbach, the daughter of Johann Dieffenbach and his first wife, name not yet found.  Their children are Catherine Barbara, Johannes, George Peter, Marie Elisabeth, and John Casper.   

There may or may not have been a Nicholas Riedt, born in 1695 and died in 1754.  I have not located any actual documentation for this person, or for any children he may have had.

Johan Peter was born abot 1695 and died in 1747 in Tulpehocken, Berks County, Pa.  He married Anna Catherina Faeg, the daughter of Johann Peter and Anna Maria Risch Faeg (also seen as Veek).  Their children are Elizabeth, Peter, Johann Casper, Johann Jacob, Johann Leonhart, Anna Catherina, and John Heinrich.

It appears that two daughters, Anna Barbara born in 1697 and Anna Margaret born in 1699, died on the same voyage as their father.  Was there a communicable disease on board, or were these deaths the result of malnutrition caused by serious food shortages while waiting in England for the trip to begin? I wonder if we'll ever know.  One tree I saw stated that there was also a son, Johann, who died on the same voyage.  No birth date or location was given, so I don't know how much credence to put in that.  Regardless, our Anna Catherine had many sorrows to deal with as she arrived in New York.  

Johann Philip is a mystery.  The most detailed records I located conflated information with his brother Johann Casper (see below) and also with a later Johann Philip.  He is said to have been born in 1698 and died before 1755, but that is all that I can say.  I would rather post no information rather than mis-information, but would be thrilled to learn more, one way or the other.

Johann Casper was born in either 1702 or 1707.  Possibly there was a son born in 1702 who died, and our Casper was named for him.   He married Anna Margaretha Bart or Barth, the daughter of Hans Michael and Maria Magdalena possibly Breyler Barth.  Their children are Johann George, Johann Michael, Elisabetha Catherina, Maria Barbara, Johann Casper, Johann Fridrich, Johann Philip, Maria Margaretha, Christina, Frederick, and Johann Petrus.  After Anna Margaretha's death in 1760, he married Anna Maria Schirmer.  Johann Casper was the only one of the children to live through the Revolutionary War.  As I write about this family in my next post, I wonder if any of the children have a military record?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The family of William Lock 1779-1854

I've been writing about the Slot families in the Beeks family line, and this last one is a "Lock" surname.  What happened?  It seems that William Lock's father, Benjamin Slot, changed his name at some point (probably in Mercer County, Kentucky) and took the rough English translation, Lock, rather than the Dutch "Slot" as it had been for generations past.  It appears that most, if not all, of Benjamin's children also used the Lock name, as did all of William's known children.  

William was born in 1779, probably in Virginia as the Dutch/Low Dutch were making their way to another stop on their journey together, through Kentucky and into Indiana.  His parents are Benjamin and Sarah Demarest Slot.  He married Elizabeth Teague or Tague.  Her parents are a matter of conjecture; some say John William Teague and some same William Able Tague.  The answer may lie elsewhere.  Also a matter of disagreement is which children belong to which of William's wives.  He married Elizabeth in 1818 and married Nancy Keith in 1829.  But there are date discrepancies with some of the children and so some of these attributions are tentative.  

Sally (Sallie) seems to be the first child born to the couple, in 1797.  The location is shown as Switzerland County, Indiana but I wouldn't bet the farm on that location.  It may instead be Shelby County, Kentucky.  Sally married twice.  Her first husband is Jeremiah Folsom, who has not been further identified.  (Some trees show him as the son of Richard Folsom born in 1791.  Jeremiah was born about 1796 so while his father may very well be a Richard Folsom, it is not the one born in 1791.) Sally and Jeremiah's children are Rachel, Richard, Ellen, Leah, Jane, Mary Ann, and Hannah.  After Jeremiah's death, she married William Borden, whose parents I have not identified.  They seem to have had at least one daughter, Sarah. Sally did before 1850, likely in Decatur County, Indiana.

Leah, also known as Ellen, was born in 1801 in Shelby County, Kentucky and died after 1860, perhaps in Rush County, Indiana.  She married Austin Clark, the son of Joel and Phebe Squires Clark.  Their children are John, Nancy, Phoebe, Emma, Robert, Russell, James, Emeline, Archibald, and Mary.  

John was born in 1806 in Switzerland County, Indiana and died in 1889 also in Switzerland County.  He married Elizabeth Rogers, the daughter of Stephen and Nancy (maiden name not yet located) Rogers.  They also had a large family, including Rhoda, Nancy, Isabella known as Nellie, Henry, Peter, Loas, Ann, John, Elizabeth, Walter, Sibella, Henry, Daniel, Margie, and Abigail.

William was born in 1809 and died after 1880 in Switzerland County, Indiana.  He married Malinda/Melinda Evans, so far not further identified.  Their children are John, Thomas, Mary,  Lois, Lewis, Nancy, Sarah, Lucy, and Emily.  

Nicholas was born in 1811 and died in 1893 in Switzerland County, Indiana.  He married Nancy Bright, probably the daughter of William and Sibella Rogers Bright.  There is some confusion as to how many of his children were born to Nancy and how many to a subsequent wife or wives.  Josephine and Walter were Nancy's, and I think Nicholas and David also were.  A daughter named Gennette may have belonged to a second wife named Jane or Margaret.  I haven't found information on either proposed marriage, so Nicholas is still a mystery.  Another mystery about Nicholas is whether he is the Nicholas Lock who enlisted in the US Army in Madison County, Indiana and then deserted 10 months later, during the Civil War.  I've read that "many" soldiers were listed as deserters who later returned to their units, after leaving to tend to crops or illnesses or other situations that the soldier felt were more important than the war.  So it would be interesting to learn more about Nicholas's story, and whether he returned, if this is our Nicholas.

Samuel may be the child of William and Nancy Keith Lock.  He was born in 1822 and died in 1878, both in Switzerland County, Indiana.  He married Elizabeth Van Briggle, the daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Hawkins Van Briggle.  Their children are David, Arthur, and Ella.  He later married Mary Jane Lanham or Thiebaud, of whom I've found nothing further.  

Mary was born in 1826 and died in 1893 in Switzerland County, Indiana.  She married John Brindley, the son of William and Susannah McClannahan Brindley.  Their children are Loas, Nancy, Susan, Sarah, Eliza, Melissa, and Mary.   

Benjamin is probably Nancy's son, also. I have found no information at all about him.  He may or may not be the Benjamin who married Jane Perry.  

I also have names but little further information for Elijah, Isaiah, and Martin Lock, all supposed to be children of William and Elizabeth.  I don't have anything to support those names, but it's of course possible that they do belong to this family.  Once again, I am asking for help.  If you know anything about any of the people mentioned here, please contact me.   

 

The family of Benjamin Slot 1721-1796

Oh boy.  There are several men named Benjamin Slot in this time period, at least two born on the same day to the same parents.  Inevitably, children born to our Benjamin Slot are mixed with those born to another Benjamin Slot, even though a cursory look shows that the children are born in two distinctly different places and have birthdates that make it highly unlikely, if not impossible, for them to all belong to the same man.  To make things more interesting, most of the children in this family changed their name from Slot to Lock, although we only have records for William.  

Our Benjamin Slot was born about May 21, 1721 in Hackensack, New Jersey, the son of Jacobus and Maria or Mary Demarest Slot.  He married Sarah Demarest, the daughter of Samuel and Lea Demarest Demarest.  (Yes, there are a lot of intertwining relationships here, but this is about the Slot family so I'll stick to that focus.) Our Benjamin traveled with a group of people from the Hackensack area and lived for a time in Conewago Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania before moving on to Mercer County, Kentucky and eventually Shelby County, Kentucky, where the group was known as Low Dutch. Our Benjamin died in Mercer County (possibly Shelby County) in 1796.  Note that there is no room in this narrative for the Benjamin who went to Nova Scotia after the Revolutionary War and died there in 1820.  I have not researched that Benjamin at all, but it's quite possible that he was a Loyalist during the war.  

I have great difficulty in sorting out the children of Benjamin and Sarah, from a list of potentially 13-15 children.  These couples did tend to have a lot of children, but they also, at least in Benjamin and Sarah's case, usually left records of their birth.  I have not been able to verify many of them, but will list those that I think are most probable.

Samuel was born in 1762, and it makes sense that a child of the couple would be named Samuel, but I have not found records where I would expect to find them.  This is therefore a tentative identification.

By 1763, the family was on the move and Jacobus was born in Clarkstown, New York.  He apparently lived a short life, with one death date showing as 1764 but I've not found the source for that yet.

Benjamin was born in 1766 in Schenectady, New York, and like Jacobus, appears to have had a short life, with a death date in 1767.   

Petrus or Peter was born in 1770 and may be the Peter Lock who died in 1850 in Switzerland County, Indiana.  If so, perhaps he was married twice, to Hannah Bradley or Bradby, and to Rhoda unknown.   

John or Johannes was born in 1772 and died in 1841 in Decatur County, Indiana.  He married Rachel Knox, not yet further identified.  Their known children are Jemima, Phoebe and Cinthia.     

Finally, William was born in 1779.  (Note the seven year timing.  It is certainly possible that more children were born during the interim, but I am unable to confirm or deny any specific names.) William died in 1854 in Craig, Switzerland County, Indiana.  He married Elizabeth Tague or Teague, the daughter of John  and  Elizabeth (possibly Watkins but not verified) Teague.  Their children are Sally, Leah, Elijah, Samuel, and Catherine.  I will follow this family in my next post.  

Other names I have seen attached to this family are Gerardis and Polly, but I have no further information about either of them, and they are still to be researched more fully.

Sarah remarried after Benjamin's death, to George Admire, and died after 1804.  She and Benjamin had an eventful life, from settled homes in New Jersey to moving to New York, then Pennsylvania, possibly Virginia, and Kentucky.  The French and Indian War, and the Revolutionary War, and numerous battles with indigenous peoples were all fought during their lifetime, and it's not hard to think that at some point Benjamin may have participated in America's growth as a military, or at least militia, member.  More research needs to be done.   

 

The family of Jacobus Slot 1669-1725

If you are reading about the Slot family for the first time, be forewarned: It's a difficult family to research and understand, partly because of the many spellings of both the first and last names of most of the people I'm writing about.  For example, Marritje has about as many variations as you can imagine, before finally settling into Mary or Maria, sometimes in two or three generations and sometimes in the next generation.  Slot is also seen as Slodt, Sloat, Slott, and other variations.  By now, you've got the idea.  I make no claim that any of these names are technically correct; I'm choosing the ones that make sense to me.  And with that, I should also comment that there may be more children for this family than I am acknowledging, simply because some names are so similar that I've taken them for the same person, when there could have been, for instance, babies with the almost same name when the first one died young.  In addition, there is the challenge of assigning the child to the correct parents, as there were almost always more Slots of the same name and close to the same age that could be potential parents.  Having said all that, here's how I see this family at the moment.

Jacobus/Jacob/Jacobse Slot was born about 1669 in Bergen County, New Jersey, the son of Pieter Jansen and Maritje Van Winkle Slot. He married Maria Demarest, the daughter of Jan and Jacomina De Ruine Demarest.  Jacobus died in 1725 at Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey.  Jan and Maria had at least nine children.

Their first son, Petrus or Peter, was born in 1696. He married Maritje Leyne, the daughter of Conradt and Mary Margaretha Lein, who died about 1744.  Their children are Maria, Margaret, Jacobus, Abraham, and Johannes.  After Maritje's death, he married Molley Foord, not yet further identified.  Their children are Eva, Mary, Elizabeth, and Peter.

Johann was born in 1698 and died later the same year, which surely was a source of sadness for the young family.

Johannes was born in 1699 and died in 1783 in Montgomery, Orange County, New York.  He also was married twice.  His first wife is Willemtje (I found many, many variations for this name so keep your eyes peeled!) Van Voorhees,.  I can't identify her further at this point, but there were a lot of Voorhees families in and around Bergen County, it seems.  Their children are Jacobus, Stephen, David, and Cornelis.  Willemtje died in 1730 and Johannes next married Christenjen Ackerman \/Akkerman, the daughter of David and Gerebrecht Classe Ackerman.  Their children are David, Maretta or Marie (not sure whether this is one person or two), Petrus, Jonas, Daniel, Cornelius, Rachel, Benjamin, and Alexander.

Eva was born in 1711 and died in either 1741 or 1747 at Staten Island, New York.  She married Hendrick VanDerHoeven or Vanderhoof, the son of Cornelius and Dorothea Jans Vanderhoof.  Their children are Johannes, Gerard, Petrus, Marytje, Gerret, Iona, another Petrus, and an unknown infant.  

David was born in 1714 and died in 1715, the second early death to hit this family.

Sara was born in 1715.  I have not yet found a death date for her.  She married Thomas Outwater (other spellings, of course), the son of Thomas and Tryntje Brestede Outwater.  Their children are Sara, Thomas, Jacob and Annatje. I have seen Benjamin Ellen named as a second husband but have seen nothing to support that.  

Trintje was born in 1718 but her death date remains a mystery.  She married Joost Beam (different spellings, including Beon), the son of Anthony and Margreie Leyne Beam and they were associated with the Pompton Plains Dutch church, so apparently lived apart from many of her siblings. Their children are Margareth, Catherine, Sara, Maria, Anthony, Jacobus, Johannes, Angienetje (likely there is a different spelling), Eva, and Abraham. 

 Benjamin was born in 1721.  He died in 1796 in Mercer County, Kentucky, where many of the families from Bergen County, New Jersey had migrated.  He married Sarah Demarest, the daughter of Samuel and Lea Demarest Demarest (yes, a Demarest married a Demarest),  Their children are Samuel, William, John, Gerardus, Peter, and possibly Polly.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.  

I have seen other names mentioned as daughters of this couple, but I'm not convinced.  They are Maria, married to Peter Young, Mary, married to Garrett Van Allen, and Elizabeth, wife of Court Bevore.  At this moment, I think they are likely children of others in the Slot family, but not Jacobus and Maria.  I'd love to hear from anyone who can clarify this!  

Some of these men served in the Revolutionary War, either as patriots or soldiers.  It is possible that others were Loyalists, but perhaps they were just of that group of people who tried to stay neutral.  At any rate, Jacobus and Maria raised a large family, had many grandchildren, and were an important part of their community.   

 

The family of Pieter Jansen Slot 1639-1688

 This family is going to take us on a bit of a wild ride, I think, as there are several marriages with the Demarest family, and locations traveling back and forth between New York and New Jersey, and of course, many of the same names used over and over again.  Even though the family seems to have originated in Holstein, Denmark/Germany, the names are more like names from the Low Countries (Dutch) and they were associated closely with Dutch Reformed churches here in the Colonies.  I suspect  the identification for them might best be called Huguenots.

Pieter is the son of Jan Pieter and Antje Jans Slot, one of the two sons who emigrated with them in about 1650.  He married Maritje Van Winkle, the daughter of Jacob and Tryntje Jacobse Van Winkle.  They are supposed to have had seven children, but I am locating information for only six.  I am suspicious that I am missing grandchildren, too, as some of the couples seem to have had just two children, while others had rather large families.  Pieter died in 1688 in New York, and his wife in 1702 in New Jersey, after she had married Jan Demarest, the son of David and Maria Sohier Demarest.

Their first child is Jan Pietersen, born about 1665 because he was baptized January 1, 1666.  He died in 1704 in Monmouth, New Jersey (or possibly Bergen County).  His wife is Janneske Andriansse, the daughter of Andreas Cland Pryntje (is that a type for Tryntje?) Vreelen Classen.  They have just two known children, Maria and Johannes.  

Jacob was born next, in 1669, and died in 1725 at Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey.  He married Maria or Mary Demarest, the daughter of Jan and Jacomina De Ruine Demarest.  (Jan Demarest is the same man who married Maritje Van Winkle Slot as her second husband, so there's a complicated relationship here.) Jacob and Maria's children are Johannes, Petrus, Eva, Maria, Lea, Jonathan, David, Sarah, Tryntje, Benjamin, and Juna.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.

Tryntje was born in 1671 and died in 1708 at Hackensack, New Jersey.l  She married Klaas Lozier, the son of Francois and Jannetje (maiden name not yet found) Lozier.  I've located just two children for them, Johannes and Jacobus.  There may well be more.  

Antie or Annetie was born about 1676 and died in 1710 in Bergen County, New Jersey. She married David Demarest, the son of Jan and Jacomina De Ruine Demarest.  (See comments above.)  Their children include Jacquiementie, Lea, David, and Rachel.  Her second marriage is to Jonathan (Jonetan) Hart, son of Jonathan and Hannah Budd Hart.  Their daughter is Margrita (De) Hardt.   

Abeltie, also seen as Beltie, was born in 1678 and died in 1720 at Hackensack, New Jersey.  She married Adam Van Orden or Van Norden, son of Pieter (Surname not known) and Elizabeth Roos.  Their children are Elizabeth, Jan, another Jan, Peter, James, Albert, and David.  Her second marriage is to Cornelis Epke Banta, son oif Epke and Sitske Banta. (To keep things interesting, his first marriage was to Magdalena Demarest, connected to the Demarests mentioned above.)

The last known child is Jonas, born in 1681 and died in 1721, possibly in New York.  He married Jannetje Oosteroom, the daughter of Jan and Machteltje Roelofs Osteroom.  Their only known child is Martjen or Maria.  

I have seen reference to a Stryntje Slot, which another site reported as the same as Tryntje, mentioned above.  If this was a separate person, she apparently did not live long enough to leave records, but I'm mentioning it as a possibility because of the several references to seven children.

I've always found this to be an interesting family in the Beeks line.  We have several more generations to go, following them from New Jersey/New York eventually to Kentucky.  And there will likely be more Slot-Demarest marriages, because-why not confuse us further?  

 

 

Beeks line: The family of Jan Pietersen Slot 1620ish to 1688 or later

Dates on Jan Slot's birth, marriage, and death are not certain.  His birth date is given as anywhere from 1613 to 1624.  He apparently married in 1639 or possibly a bit later, and then, at last, one firm date, that of his second marriage.  His death date is given as 1688 or 1691.  And the locations are not much better.  He was born in Holstein, which is now part of Germany but was then part of Denmark.  We know he arrived in New Amsterdam in 1650, which of course became New York City.  He arrived with his wife and two children.  We know he remarried in 1665 but we're not sure when his first wife died.  And he died in New York City, probably in 1688.

At least we are more certain about names.  His parents are Pieter and Mary Baerts Sloat.  His wife is Aeltje Jans, who was born in what is now The Netherlands, but date, a more exact location, and her parents are all still to be identified. Another name we know is that of his second wife, Claartje Domenicus.  She was about 35 when they were married, and it's unknown whether they had children.

As far as is known, the two children that were with Jan and Aeltje when they arrived in New Amsterdam were the only two children they had, or at least that lived long enough to make a record of some kind.   

Pieter Janszen Slot was born about 1639 and died before 1692 in Bergen County, New Jersey. He married Maretje Jacobse, the daughter of Jacob and Tryntje Jacobse Van Winkle. Their children are Styntje, Jane, Arrentje, Jacobus, Tryntje, Abeltie, and Jonas.  I will follow this family (I hope!) in my next blog post.

The second son, Jan Jacobse, was born in 1650, but I don't know where, as his parents may have already started their trip to America.  He married Judike Elsworth, the son of Theophilus and Annaje Jans Elsworth.  Their children are Heyltje, Johannes, Theophilius, Batilye, Annetje, Hendrick and Judith.  He died after 1688. but the death and location are uncertain.

This is a hard family to research because of the various ways so many of the names are spelled.  Slot is also seen as Slodt and Sloat, and the first names all have variations.  Some of these variations likely come from different interpretations of hard to read ancient records. and are perhaps perpetuated by later hand-written copies.  I may very well have not chosen the most common spelling for some of the names, so researchers, this is a heads up!

It's interesting to me to think about why the Slots pulled up roots in Holstein and came to America.  The most likely causes are that family may have gone ahead, although since we don't know who Aeltje's family was, we don't know whether that's a possibility. or economic woes in Holstein and perceived opportunity in America.  The 30 years war in Europe had caused great disruptions and loss of life, and perhaps it was just time to start over.  Whatever the reason, Jan saw great change both before he left Holstein and after he arrived in New Amsterdam, as he would have been there when the English took the Dutch colony over.  What a fascinating time he lived in! 

 

Allen line: The family of John Moore 1741ish to 1816

 Once again, there is great confusion on line about John Moore.  He is stated as having been born in Dublin, Ireland in 1745, but it appears that his correct birth date may be 1741.  I regard his parents as "unknown" at this point, although some people say they are Thomas More and Christina Bishop.  I find a later couple with those names, but I haven't found any hints that even point toward someone with an appropriate birth date, let alone an actual document.  John first shows up in Greene County, Pennsylvania, married to Hannah Armstrong, the daughter of Adam and Elizabeth Olifer Armstrong.  The Armstrong family goes back to the Borderlands between England and Scotland, and their history is fascinating.  This blog post is about the Moore family, though.  I wonder if it is possible that John Moore is actually from the Borderlands also, not from Dublin as so many trees state.  More research needs to be done.

Of course, part of the difficulty in writing about this family is that there were at least two John Moores in Greene County, Pennsylvania when our John was there.  I am basing much of this post on material found in "The Ten Mile Country and Its Pioneer Families" by Howard Leckey, with the caution that he was not correct about everything in his valuable book. I have seen several wedding dates for John and Hannah, at various locations, but until I learn otherwise, I am going with the date of 25 September 1761 in Washington County, Pennsylvania, which at the time was Westmoreland County and which later became Greene County.  And of course, the Moores are credited with anything from 8 to 19 children.  Since Hannah Armstrong was born in 1744,  I am highly suspicious of anyone born after 1788 or so.  That leaves me with 8 children, most of who have at least some information available.

It may be that their first child was Catherine, born in 1764 and died in 1833 in Pike Township, Marion County, Indiana.  She married Alexis Jackson, son of Henry and Elizabeth Stump Jackson, and they had 13 children together.  They are John, Sally, Hannah, Edward, Israel, Mary, Alexis, Henry, Barbara, Thomas, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Eleanor.  Eleanor is our connection.

Jane was born "about 1770" and I know very little about her.   Her death date is given as 19 April 1854 in Kirby, Greene County, Pennsylvania, but I have not found records for that nor have I found any information regarding a spouse.  I would love to know her story, and I hope it's not a sad one.

Also born "about 1770" is son John.  It is possible that John and Jane are twins, but it is just as likely that we simply don't have accurate birth dates for them.  He died in 1859 in Greene County, Pennsylvania.  His wife is said to be Susannah Shriver, but I couldn't trace her any further.  Their children are Elsie, Armstrong, John, Abraham, James, Thomas, Jane, and Sarah.

Armstrong was born in 1775 and died in 1843 in Greene County, Pennsylvania.  His wife, sadly, is unknown at this time but he is believed to have fathered at least four children-Abner, Mary, Isaac, and Armstrong.

Margaret was born in 1778 and died in 1865 in Wetzel County, West Virginia.  She married James Morris, the son of Jonathan and Barbara Millard Morris and they are said to have had 21 children. Some died young, but Amos, Isaac, Anthony, Jonathan, James, Samuel, Nathan, Jesse, Moses, Miciah, Jacob, Mordica Lunkhorne, John, Hesekiah, Ruth, and Hannah liked to adulthood.  An article on Wikitree states that Margaret was a physician and a midwife and traveled through the country.  She would be a fascinating person to study further, the potential subject of a good novel!  

Anthony was born in 1782 and died in 1832 in Greene County, Pennsylvania.  He married Francis Elizabeth Steele, as yet not further identified.  Their children are Catherine, Elizabeth, Hannah, Margaret, Hughy (Huey), John, Isaac, and Mary.  

Finally, there was Sarah, born in 1785 and died in 1855 in Belmont County, Ohio.  She married John Vanner, not yet further identified.  Known children are John, Joseph, and Daniel.  Again, there is more work to be done for this family.

This is seven children and presumably there are eight.  I'm missing a daughter.  There may be a Hannah Moore, based on family names, or possibly a Martha.  The Martha Mahala Moore born in 1800 is not a candidate, as far as I can see, because Hannah would have been 56 when she was born.  Honestly, the missing daughter is still a mystery and I'd love to find her.

I should mention that this family lived in a very tempestuous time and place.  John served in the Revolutionary War and it is likely that the sons also served, in the battles with the natives that preceded and led into the War of 1812.  I don't know whether the family ever had to escape to a more fortified location but it is certainly possible.  Also, what became Greene County was right in the heart of the Whiskey Rebellion of 1787, which again was a troubling time.  Our ancestors and their children were not sissies!