It's supposed to get easier to trace the descendants of ancestors as we get to generations that are closer in time to us. I'm learning that is not always true. This family is better than some in that regard, but there are still questions for which I've found no answers.
George Essig was born in 1794 in Adams County, Pennsylvania and died in 1866 in Whitley County, Indiana. He is the son of Simon and Julianna Schneer Essig, and he married Catherine Shollenberger, the daughter of Peter and Susanna (maiden name not certain) Shollenberger. Again, there are various spellings for these names; I have tried to use the ones that appear to be the most common.
George and Catherine, like most of the Essigs in our earlier posts, had quite a large family. It appears, however, that some of the children listed as belonging to this family actually belong to another George Essig, who was married to Margaret Spangler, or to another George Essig altogether. I hope I'm including all the correct children, and omitting the incorrect ones, here, but if you have documents indicating I'm not accurate, please let me know.
Julia, Julianna, or Julia Ann (take your pick) was the first born daughter, in 1817. She died in 1896 in De Kalb County, Indiana. Her first marriage is to George Daily, the son of John and Rebecca Frederick Daily. Their children are Andrew, Caroline, Mary, John, Elizabeth, Catherine, Julia, Harriet, George, a second Elizabeth, John, and Adam. After George's death, she married George DeLong, the son of Johann Joseph and Elizabeth Snodgrass DeLong. and they had one daughter together, Rebecca.
Simon appears to be the first born of the children, in 1818. He died in Medina, Ohio, in 1873. His wife is Catherine Lee, the daughter of John or Jonathan and Sarah Lance Lee. Their children are Sarah, Lucinda, William, Harriet, Mary, John, George, and Edward.
Peter (sometimes seen as William Peter) was born in 1821 and died about 1885, in either Nebraska, Missouri or Texas. I'm still trying to pin that down. He was apparently in the US Army after the Civil War, and likely during the Civil War, also, although again, I've not yet found records. It wasn't common for someone to be in the Army after the Civil War was over, as most men were discharged at the end of the war. He married Sarah Ann Pierce, the daughter of Amasa and Orpha Hickok Pierce. Their children are William Peter, Malinda, Mary, Joseph, Sarah, Catherine, perhaps another Joseph, Elizabeth, and Laura. Their may also have been a "Mintie", or that may be a nickname for one of the other children. I have seen Milton listed but he was born long after the other children, and I would not include him as one of Peter's children unless I had some documentation. Perhaps he is a grandson.
Margaret was born in 1823 and seems to have died before 1855, possibly in Wabash County, Indiana. She first married George Koblin (various spellings, of course), the son of Matthias and Margaret Keifer Payne. Their children are Reuben, Harriet, Simon, William, and Christian. She then married James Payne, the son of James and Elizabeth Harris Payne, in 1848, They had at least one son, George, and perhaps William. James remarried in 1855, which is why I am thinking Margaret had died. I have no documentation for this "hunch", though.
Harriet was born in 1824 and died in 1899 in Richland Township, Whitley County, Indiana. She married Christian Shank, the son of Christian and Nancy Gish Shank. Their children are Milton, Christian, Lovina, and Sebastian. There may be more children, based on a large gap in the 1860 census, between a twelve year old and an infant.
Susannah was born in 1825, based on census records, although I also have noted "possibly 1821" in her file. What woman doesn't want to be seen as a little younger than she actually was? She married Daniel Kemery, the son of Jacob and Ann Marie Reed or Reith Kemery. Their children are Mary, Daniel, Harriet, Adam, Alfred, Solomon, Alexander, Lydia, Amanda, Maranda, and John. She died in 1872 in Whitley County, Indiana.
John, or Johann, was born in 1826 and died in 1907 in Princeton, Mercer County, Missouri, where he had lived since at least 1860. The 1860 census shows that he and his family were living in a hotel and he was a laborer, so it sounds like they had recently arrived there. He was a Civil War veteran on the Union side, and seems to have had a long term service record, . He married Mary Eliza Burch, the daughter of William and Iva Shaw Bush. Their children are Sophia, Susan, Phoebe, Miranda, Henry, Charles, Laura, Mary, Viola, Tiffin, Ulysses Grant, Sarah, and Myrtle. (Because of the Ulysses Grant name, I'm wondering if he was part of the Army of the West, commanded by Grant before his promotion, and if so, his story would be fascinating. I'd love to have time to research this, or to hear from someone who has!)
Lydia was born in 1827 and died in 1900 at the County Farm in Columbia City, Indiana. It sounds like she did not have the best of lives, but perhaps by the time she needed care, there was no one alive to care for her. Her son was in South Dakota, and her daughter had died in 1860. All but one of her siblings preceded her in death, and he was in Missouri. She married twice, but seems to have had just one child by each husband. Her first husband is Cornelius Feller, the son of Jacob and Magdalena Bachman Feller. Their known child is Benjamin. She next married Philip Knisely, the son of Abraham and Rachel Wolf Knisely. They have a daughter, Phoeba.
Son George was born in 1829 and died in 1890 in Whitley County, Indiana. He married Mary Pollly Snyder, the daughter of Adam and Elizabeth Knopp Snyder. Their children are Christian, Sarah, David, Lovina, Elizabeth, Ida, Lymon, and Melvon.
Adam was born in 1831. He was the only one of the Essig children, or at least the known children, to die before marrying. His death occurred in 1850, most likely in Whitley County, Indiana.
Sarah was born next, in 1833. She married John Cramer, the son of Jacob and Mary Shook Cramer, and died in 1899 in Boyne Valley, Charlevoix, Michigan. Their children are Lucetta, George, Mary, Harriet, Mix, Jacob, Samuel, Estella, Padie, Clarenda, David, Jenny, Frank, and John.
Joseph was born in 1836 and died in 1892 in Whitley County, Indiana. He married Sarah Ann Stamm, the daughter of Daniel and Mariah Emerich Stamm. Their children are Leah, George, Melvina, Jane, Ida, Theodore, Florence, Charles, Ocie, Daisy, and Lilian.
David was the last born, in 1837. He died in 1882 in Whitley County, Indiana. He married Elizabeth Cornelius, the daughter of Bernard and Catherine (don't yet know maiden name) Cornelius. Their children are Anna, Harriet, Milton, Della, Catherine, Bertha, and Lewis.
I should mention that there are at least three other children that pop up on family trees for George and Catherine. I am not convinced that these are their children. It seems more likely that they are the children of George and Margaret Spangler Essig, which is not this family. However, do your own research, or let me know if I am incorrect. The three "not likely" children are William or Wilhelm, Caroline, and Catherine.
Just for the fun of it, I checked the 1950 census, which is about 100 years after most of the weddings of these children took place. There was no one found by the last name of Essig in Whitley County, although there are some in Allen and in Huntington counties. I don't know if any are descendants of George and Catherine, but it looks like the grandchildren who carried the Essig surname must have gone elsewhere. Also for the fun of it, I added the number of grandchildren, and it looks like the number totals over 100. George and especially Catherine, thank you!
