The family of John Rockwood 1641-1725

 The family of John Rockwood is yet another family that leaves me with questions, doubts, and frustration.  But on the theory that my genealogy cup is half full, I will do my best to write about this family and explain which questions still need definitive answers.  For instance, John is the son of Richard Rockwood or Rockett and Agnes Anna Lovell, except that not everyone accepts Agnes as John's mother.  I think the dates work and there is a marriage record for the couple, so I'm going with it.  John was born in Braintree, moved to Mendon, and died in either Mendon or Medfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony.  Many trees will say he died in 1680 but the will wasn't probated until 1725 so I think it more likely that he lived until close to 1725.  Many of the children mentioned in the will weren't married in 1680; some were still very young then. 

John married Joanna Ford, thought to be the daughter of William and Hannah Eames Ford, although I've not found proof of her parents.  Together, John and Joanna (Johannah) had at least nine children, maybe and perhaps.  

Their first born son, John, was born in 1663 and died in 1676, killed during an attack on Mendon during King Philip's War, per James Savage's Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England.  He would have been about 12 years old at the time.  Records show that his parents never really recovered, financially, from losing everything they owned and their precious son or sons (see below) during the attack.

Priscilla was born in 1664 and married Robert Corbett, son of John and Anne Mainwaring Corbett.  She died about 1691, after giving birth to John and Joseph.  

Richard was born in 1665 and it's possible that he was also killed in the attack on Mendon.  His death date is given as July 14, 1675, which is also the date of the first attack on Mendon.  It appears that John may have been killed in the second attack, when the entire town was burned to the ground.  I don't know the source of the death date for Richard so it is possible that only one son was killed.  I am still trying to verify that.  

Next may have come Ann or Anna, in 1667, who may have married John Darling, the son of Dennis and Hannah Darling, as his second wife.  I say may have, because some information I've found attributed to Ann actually belongs to Joanna.  John and Ann had one daughter, Anna, before Ann died in 1690.  

Joanna was born in 1667 and died in 1710.  She is not the same as Ann, above, because she married Nicholas Cook , the son of Walter and possibly Catherine Brenton Cook.  (Walter and Catherine are our ancestors in another line.)  Their children are Josiah, Nicholas, Johanna, Mary, Ann, Seth, Daniel, David, Abigail, and Peter.

Joseph was born next, in 1671and died in 1718.  (There was a four year gap here...Are we missing a child, or was there an unsuccessful pregnancy?)  He married Mary Hayward, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Hayward.  (We have other Hayward's in our lines, but I have not yet found John and Elizabeth's connection, if any.) Joseph and Mary had a large family including Mary, Joanna, Joseph, John, Margaret or Margery, Samuel, Josiah, Trial, Richard, Susanna and Benjamin.  I will write more of this family in my next blog post.

Mercy was born in 1672 and died before 1700.  She married Isaac Thayer, the son of Ferdinando and Hulday Hayward Thayer.  Yes, Ferdinando and Huldah are our ancestors in another line.  Their children are Mercy, Isaac, Ebenezer, and Comfort.

There is another five year gap, and then Trial was born in 1677.  She died about 1704, having married Jonathan Hayward, the son of William and Sarah Butterworth Hayward.  It's possible that this is another Hayward connection, but I have not confirmed it.  Trial had four children before she died-Sarah, William, Jonathan, and David.

Finally, there is Deliverance, born in 1678 and died the same year.  The names of Trial and Deliverance may indicate the family's recent troubles during and following King Philip's War.  

Although John and Joanna faced many losses and ongoing hardships, they contributed children to the colony, and their story, and that of their children, should not be forgotten. 

The family of Robert Rockwood or more likely Richard Rockwood

I have serious questions about this man.  Did he really live for 100 years and die in Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1672? ? And was he the same man who came to Massachusetts by 1633?  And if these answers are both affirmative, who was his wife?  Some say she was Elizabeth Bachler, but I've not found any documentation for that.  There may have been a second wife, but see the next paragraph.  His first son, if our identification is correct, was born in 1602, and the next mention of children is in 1628.  Do all these "facts" apply to the same person?  I'm not reasonably sure of most of the things I will write in this post, but I am sure that this family deserves further study.

Our connection, if there is one, if through Richard Rockett, who was born in 1602 in England, possibly Weymouth, Dorset, and who died in 1660 in Dorchester, Massachusetts.   He may actually be the father of the next three children I will mention.  His wife is Agnes or Ann Lovell, the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Dunkley Lovell.  Or is she possibly the wife of Robert?  Richard's children are sometimes shown to be Robert's children, with the same birthdates used for each.  It's a mess.  

So Robert, if the father (I tend to lean toward Richard as the father) of the next children, has children named  Nicholas, Lydia, Phebe, John, and Hannah.  There is no Robert, and no Richard, that has been shown to be a son in this family, which is a bit unusual.

Nicholas was born in 1628 and died in 1681.  He married three times.  With Jane Adams, not further identified, he had Samuel, Benjamin, and Josiah.  With Margaret Holbrook, the daughter of John Holbrook who may be an uncle to our family, he had Elizabeth, John, Joseph Nathaniel, and possibly Isaac.  

Lydia born in 1634,is probably not the Lydia who is identified as Lydia Penniman.  She may have married Edward Adams, but I can find nothing further about her.

Phebe was born in 1639 and died in 1718. She married John Taylor, who identification is not yet proven.  I could locate only two children for this couple, Mary and John.

John was born in 1641 and died in 1725.  He married Joanna Ford, who may possibly be the daughter of William and Anna Eames Ford.  Their children are John, Priscilla, Johannah, Joseph, Mercy, Trial, and Deliverance.  I'll write more of this family in my next post.

I also have Hannah listed as a daughter, but have no information so at this time I would tend to say she is a myth until proven otherwise.  

This is mostly a placeholder post, about Robert or Richard's family, so far as I have been able to determine them.  I hope to do better with John Rockwood's family!  In the meantime, if anyone has answers to some of these questions, I would be delighted to hear from you.

The family of Andrew Kepler 1776-1855

 First, a bit of a clean up paragraph.  I've listed his parents in a previous post as Bernard and Maria Elizabeth Lindemuth Kepner, based on records in Berks and Schuykill counties in Pennsylvania.  Because so many of his siblings stayed in that area, I've thought it was correct.  I still am leaning toward this parentage.  However, I should mention that other trees, also with records, give him Bernhart Kepler 1736-1804 and Rebecca Zieber as parents.  I am not convinced of that yet, but I want to leave it in this post for anyone who is researching; perhaps records can be found to clarify this.  Also, this seems to be the first generation that almost exclusively is noted as Kepler rather than Kepner or various other spellings.  

So, Andrew was presumably born in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 1776.  He married Anna Maria Kramer, the daughter of Daniel and Anna Maria Geise or Geist Kramer, and the couple had at least 9 children together, some in Pennsylvania and some in Ohio.  Sometime about 1809 they moved to what is now Summit County, Ohio, and were perhaps the first family to settle in Green Township.  Andrew was a private in the War of 1812. Although I have not yet traced his military history, he is likely to have seen at least some action.  Andrew died in 1855 in Green Township, Summit County, Ohio.

The children of Andrew and Anna Maria have at least some documentation to them, although some is a bit sketchy.  Also, because Andrew's brother John settled in the same area, and used many of the same names for his children, it's possible that the names and dates are confused, between children of the two fathers.  I've seen two different birthdates for Elizabeth, one of 1800 and one of 1817.  It is possible that there are two Elizabeths, the first not surviving, but it's also possible that one Kepler is the father of one Elizabeth, and the other is the father of the other one.  I'm not sure about that.  

Elizabeth may have been the first born daughter, if she belongs in this family and if her birthdate is 1800.  She married Samuel Stover, the son of Emanuel and Susannah Price Stover.  Their children are Hannah, Leah, Zachariah, Samuel, Margaret John, Solomon and Amanda.  Elizabeth died in 1882 in Big Bend, Republic, Kansas.

Mary was born next, in 1801.  She was married three times-to Jones Coolman or Koolman, George Harshbarger, and John Palmer or Paulner.  Her only known children are with George, and they include Lewis, John, Andrew Jackson, Leah, and Milo.  I have written of this family in a post about the family of George Harshbarger, who was the son of Johannes or John and Christina Elizabeth Fehler Harshbarger.  Mary died sometime after 1881.

Catherine, born in 1803, married Peter Wilhelm, possibly the son of Abraham and Mary Wilhelm.  Their children are Abraham, Andrew, Margaret, Sarah, Hiram, and Catherine.  She died about 1861 in East Liberty, Summit, Ohio.

Sarah, born in 1805, married David Warner, the son of Henry and Catherine Schumaker Warner.  Their children are an unnamed girl, Andrew, Henry, Samuel, John, Sarah, Margaret, and David.  I have seen a "son" William listed, but Sarah would have been 54 when he was born.  It seems unlikely.  She died in 1892 in Summit County, Ohio.

I have no records for John, so this is basically heresay.  He was born about 1807 and died in 1885.  His wife was Mary Kintz, the daughter of John and Susanna Wisner Kintz.  Their children are Margaret, Sarah, Mary Ann, Elizabeth, Lucetta, John, Ephraim, Lovena, Martha, Simon, and possibly another Elizabeth. There is a family in the 1850 census in Green Township, Summit, Ohio that fits this list, but it would give John a birth date two years earlier, so I'm not sure it's correct.

Margaret was born next, in 1808. She married Lewis Haring, the son of Conrad and Christina Stroman Haring.  Their children are Mary, Hannah, Sarah, Leah, Samuel, Hiram, and Lewis. She died in 1892 in Summit County, Ohio.

Jacob was born in 1809 and married Christina or Christiana Harshbarger, the daughter of Johannes and Christina Elizabeth Fehler Harshbarger.  (She was sister to George Harshbarger, who married Jacob's older sister Mary.) Their children are Elizabeth, Adam, Solomon, William, and unnamed infant, and Sophia.  Jacob died in 1871 in Green Township, Summit County, Ohio.

There may or may not be a son Barnett.  He is mentioned in the will of Andrew Keplar of Green Township, Summit County, Ohio in 1851.  I'm not sure this is the same Andrew, because my death date for Andrew is 1855.  Perhaps my death date is actually the final settlement of an estate, so I am including him here.  Barnett is reported to having been born in 1812 in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.  Did the Kepler family go there for relative safety during the War of 1812?  I'm just not sure.  He married Hannah Woods, currently not further identified.  Their children are Lucius, Margaret, Elizabeth, Andrew, Amanda, and Eleanor.  This family lived in Hocking County, Ohio, so I'm not sure this is our family.

Andrew was born in 1815 and died in 1894 in Summit County, Ohio.  He married Sarah Kintz, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Cook Kintz.  I'm not sure whether Sarah, the wife of Andrew, and Mary, the wife of John, are related but it seems possible that they are cousins.  Their children are Mariah, Hiram, Isabella, John, Sylvester, Oliver, Annanias, Simon, and Llewellyn.  

Then there are no reports of children born for 7 years, during which there may have been unsuccessful pregnancies or still births.  Samuel was born in 1822 and died in 1854.  He married Margaret Warner, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Cook Warner.  Again, I don't know whether Margaret and David, who married Samuel's sister Sarah, are related but it seems at least possible.  Their children are John, Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah, Lucinda, Louisa, Seneca, Alfred, Catherine, Samantha, Rebecca, and Andrew.

Lastly, there may have been a daughter, Rebecca, born in 1823.  I have not located any information about her and it's possible that she did not live a long life. Her mother would have been 47 years old at the time of her birth, which is not impossible but is somewhat unexpected.  I have a question mark after her name, for the time being.

Many of the many grandchildren of Andrew and Anna Maria would have been of the correct age to have fought in the Civil War.  I have not researched them, but it would be a fun rainy day project! We can guess that this was a tightly knit family, since almost all of the children lived their lives in close proximity to their parents.  We can be grateful for their example of good citizenship and hard work.

The family of Bernard (or Benedict) Kepner Kepler 1741-1817. Maybe.

This is another family with confusing and much missing "information".  I have seen him shown as Andreas Bernard and as Benedict or Bernard Samuel. He's the son of Benedict and Maria Salome Weicker.  Although he was born in 1741, I have seen him assigned a marriage in 1755.  Clearly, the 1755 marriage to Eva Meyer is not our Bernard. He may have been married first to Maria Elizabeth Winters, not further identified.  She died in 1764, with no record of children to this marriage, if this is our guy.  However, he did marry Maria Elizabeth Lindemuth (or Lindemood in 1765, the daughter of Georg and Maria Anna Drach Lindemood.  And then it gets murkier still.  Maria Elizabeth died in 1788, and he then married Margaret (or some variation thereof) Kettery (or some variation thereof).  She was 26 years younger than he Bernard, and they also had a large number of children.  However, I am totally uncertain about which children belong to which mother, except for the first three.  It is also possible that this list includes one or more children who belong to another Kepner male.  There is a will that I have been unable to locate that apparently would give me answers, if I could only get my hands and eyes on it.

Benjamin was born in 1765, death date not located.  He married Maria Elizabeth Huebshe. Their children are Maria Elizabeth, Susanna, Catherine, Benjamin, Maria Magdalena, Andrew, Sarah, Henry, and Bernard.   I am not entirely convinced he is of this family, as it appears there may have been two Bernards, one in Berks/Schuylkill County, and one in Montgomery County.  He is noted as being in Montgomery County.

Bernard was born in 1766 and died after 1817.  He married Catherine or Kate Koenig.  They had at least four children, Mary Magdalena, Catherine, Bernard, and Samuel.  He is credited with Revolutionary War service, but based on his age, it must have been late in the war, perhaps in the British-inspired attacks by some of the indigenous tribes.  This is a bit confusing, because his birth records say his name was Benedict.  Two sons may be mixed here.

Maria Salome was born about 1771.  She married someone surnamed Koch, who was apparently deceased at her father's death in 1817. I would not be at all surprised to find that this man is part of the family of Adam Koch's (the immigrant) family, as all of these people lived in Berks/Schuylkill County and several ended up in Summit County, Ohio, where we know Henry Koch was at an early date.

Catherine Kepler was born in 1772, and may have married Henry or Heinrich Kehler.  I've found nothing further about her.

Maria Magdalena was born in 1774 and married Isaac Whetstone, the son of Jacob and Anna Maria Shaeffer Whetstone.  The Harshbarger family descends from Jacob and Anna Maria through a different line.

John Kepler was born in October of 1775 and died in October of 1833 in Green Township, Summit County, Ohio.  He married Magdalena Kramer, the daughter of Daniel and Anna Maria Geist Kramer.  Their children are Catherine, John, Jacob, Andrew, David, George, Henry, Samuel, and Lena.  

Andrew Kepler was born in 1777 and died in 1855 in Green Township, Summit County, Ohio.  He married Anna Maria Kramer, the daughter of Daniel and Anna Maria Geist Kramer.  Yes, brothers married sisters and apparently the two couples lived near each other their entire lives, moving from Schuylkill County to Centre County, Pennsylvania and then on to Summit County, Ohio.  Andrew's children are Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine, Sarah, John, Rebecca, Jacob, Andrew, and Samuel.  I will follow this family in my next pos

Henry may have been born about 1779.  His wife may be named Rosina.  Those are the only two clues I have about him at this time. 

Anna Maria was born about 1779 and married David Raudebusch.  The search for more information about this family continues.

George was born about 1785 and died in 1811.  His wife's name was Margaret.  Again, that is all that I know at this point. 

Margaret, known as Molly, was born in 1786 and died just 10 days later.  

Susanna, born in 1793, married John Adam Will, the son of Henry and Hannah Schweffel Will.  Their children include Mary, William, and Benjamin.

William was born about 1794. That is the current limit of my information about him.  

Tobias was born in 1795.  (There are also records for a Tobias born in 1812, but it seems unlikely that he belongs to this family.  Margaret would have been 45, so it's not totally impossible.  He married Eliza Weaver, and they had at least two children, Henry and Catherine.  He married secondly, Martha Winterstein, but there are no known children for this couple.  

Jacob is reported to have been born in 1770 but is also said to be Bernard and Margaret's youngest son, born in 1812.  It is possible that the second one was named after the first Jacob died in 1811.  As of now, I haven't been able to trace either man.  

Isaac was born in 1797.  He married first Mary Miller, and secondly Catherine Wiend or Wiand.  I have not located the parents of either of these women.  The children, who are Mary's, are  Moses, William, Benjamin, Valentine, Emanuel, and Sarah.   

Esther was born in 1803 and died in 1881.  She married John Hettinger, the son of Frederick and Maria Kleckner Hettinger.  There are just two known children, Washington William, and Martha, although it is likely there are more yet to be found. Mary is shown on the 1850 census, and she is possibly a child of Esther and John's also.  

Samuel is mentioned by name in his father's will, but I have been unable to locate anything at all about him.  

This post is meant only as a rough guide and is not to be taken at face value.  There are missing children.  One comment says that Bernard had 19 children, another says 25.   It's possible that one or more of the children named here are imposters, and belong to a different family.  As a clue, all the records I've found point to Berks/Schuylkill County in Pennsylvania, or Summit County in Ohio.  I'd be suspicious of anything else.  

If you know more about this family, please let me know!