The family of John Phillip Clapp 1731-1798

 This Clapp family is just a little bit easier to trace and track.  There are always questions, of course, and I should state that some sites show some of these children as belonging to another Clapp family.  The constant repetition of the same names in each family makes it difficult to be sure of the parentage of some, but the preponderance of the evidence I've seen leads me to believe this list is pretty much correct, although of course it may well be incomplete.  If you have differing or additional information, I'd like to hear from you!

Phillip is the son of George Valentine and Anna Barbara Steiss, born in Germany and came to America with his family in 1727.  They settled in Berks County, Pennsylvania, where Phillip married Barbara, believed to be Barbara Clapp, the daughter of John Ludwig and Anna Margaret Strader Clapp (this is still the subject of debate).  Phillip and Barbara had at least 10 children, all mentioned in their father's will.  There may be other children who did not survive to adulthood, of course. Phillip died in 1798 in Whitsett, Guilford County, North Carolina, where the family had lived for many years.

Phillip identifies Valentine, also known as Felty, as his eldest son, so he was probably born about 1752.  Several of these families left North Carolina as adults, and Felty was no exception.  He died in 1835 in Charlestown, Clark County, Indiana.  He married Marie or Maria Rogers, the daughter of William or Wilhelm Rogers, mother unknown at this time.  Their children are Jacob, Elizabeth, Ludwig, Valentine, Tobias, Henry, Samuel, John David, and Maria.  

John was born in 1753 and died in 1813 in Alamance County, North Carolina, so he did not travel far from home.  He married Judith Foust, the daughter of Johannes and Anna Barbara Albright Faust.  (Note: We have seen the Albright name in earlier posts and will see it again in this post.  I have not attempted to figure out the relationships involved but there were some, we can be reasonably sure.)  John and Judith's children are Barbara, Susannah Sophia, John, Catherine, and another John.  It is possible that John married a second wife after Judith died, Sarah Stowe.

Adam was born in 1754, and died in 1841 in Union County, Illinois.  He is a Revolutionary War veteran, having served at least three different times, and received a pension late in his life.  He married Emma Ruth Marley, the daughter of Adam and Rosanna (unknown) Marley.  Their children are John Isaac, David, Mary, William, and Abel.  His second wife is Ruth Lawrence, the daughter of Adam and Susannah Mason Lawrence.  Their children are Catherine, Elisha, and Nancy.  

I would imagine that Barbara, at least, was glad when Anna Christina was born in 1756.  She died in 1817 in Lewisburg, Preble County, Ohio.  She also married an Albright, Philip, the son of Johann Ludwig and Anna Maria Keller Albright.  Their children are John Ludwigg, Catherine, Elizabeth, Adam, William, Jonas, and possibly Simpson.   

There seems to be a gap of several years, before Mary Barbara was born in 1762.  She married Johan Matthias Swing, the son of John Ludwig and Maria Eva (not known) Swing.  Their children are Conrad, Susanna, Phillippina, Elizabeth, Phillippina, Catherine, Maria Barbara, Susan, and Ludwig/Lewis.  She died in 1797 in Guilford County, North Carolina.  

Magdalena, known as Molly was probably born between 1762 and 1767, although I haven't located a firm date for her.  She died in 1845 in Whitsett, Guilford County, North Carolina.  She married Conrad Hagy, the son of Hans Jorg and Anna Eva Frey Hagi (various spellings of that last name, obviously).  Their children are Catherine, Barbara, John, Jacob, Adam, Sarah, Christine, Lewis, and Maria Sophia.

Catherine was born in 1767 and died in 1834 in Preble County, Ohio.  She married John Adam Brown, known as Adam, who possibly was the son of Frederick Brown or Braun.  I have not yet found proof of that relationship, if it is correct.  Their children are Peter, Polly, John, Frederick, George, Catherine, and two more daughters who I have not yet been able to locate names for.  (Guesses would be Barbara, Sarah, or Elizabeth, but guesses are a waste of time.

Ludwig Lewis was born before 1770, but just when I don't yet know.  He was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, and a minister in the German Reformed Church.  He died in 1836 in Callaway County, Kentucky, but what became of his widow is a fascinating story.  First, though, the basics: He married Margaret Ann Loy, the daughter of George and Catherine Tilghman (various spellings) Loy.  Ludwig and Margaret's children are William, Mary, Joel, Sarah, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Benjamin.  

It's that last name, Benjamin, that makes the story interesting, because it's an outlier for our family.  Sometime, hopefully after Ludwig died, Benjamin and his family, as well as Margaret Ann, converted to the Church of the Latter Day Saints.  They lived in Nauvoo, Illinois for a time, apparently were part of the group that went to Iowa, and in 1850 joined the Edward Hunter Pioneer Company and went by wagon train to Salt Lake City, Utah, which was just a few years old.  Margaret was 77 years old at the time, and lived until 1855.  Benjamin Lynn Clapp was one of the early leaders of the church, apparently practiced polygamy, and ended up being excommunicated from the church for reasons not clear to me.  I cannot help but wonder what Ludwig, a German Reformed pastor, would have thought about the change in religion of his widow and his son.  

Anna Maria, known as Mary, wa born in 1770 and died in 1845 in Guilford County, North Carolina.  She married Jacob Shaver/Schaffer/Shepherd, the son of William and Catherine Thompson Shaver or Shepherd.  Their children are Barbara, William, Jacob, Mary Elizabeth, John, Adam, Elizabeth, and Daniel.

And finally, there was Eva or Eva, born in 1774 and died in 1851 in Shelbyville, Bedford County, Tennessee.  She married Ephraim Burrow, the son of Phillip and Martha Littlefield Burrow. Their children are Jesse, Letha, James, Frances, Solomon, Ephraim, Alfred, Madison, Hester, and Nancy. 

These Clapp children, whether they stayed in North Carolina or moved on, all have interesting stories to tell, and I'm sure I have only scratched the surface here.  But we can see that they were raised by God-fearing parents; we know their father provided for them in his will, and we know that several were involved in the Revolutionary War.  Likely some were in the War of 1812, also but I haven't researched that aspect.  We can be proud of this family.