Perhaps I should start at the beginning, with the "who" of george Essig. He was the son of Simon and Juliana Margaretha Schneer Essig, and was born, some say in Adams County, Pennsylvania, on October 19, 1794. This would make some sense, as his father, Simon Essig, is believed to have been the only one of his family to have escaped an Indian attack, near Emmitsburg, Maryland, before the Revolutionary War. The two locations are near each other.
Simon and Juliana moved on to Stark County, Ohio, and raised their rather large family there. George was one of 14 children born to the couple. His parents were on the 1810 tax rolls for Stark County, and it is reported that Simon was in Plain Township, Stark County, planting an orchard as early as 1806. It appears that all but possibly one of the children in George's first family had been born before the move from central Pennsylvania to central Ohio was made. What a trip that must have been! george would have been eleven or twelve years old at the time, so he would have been old enough to help with whatever needed to be done. He would also have been old enough to remember both Pennsylvania and the trip.
There is a tradition that George served in the War of 1812 along with his brothers Jacob and Adam. I have not found any evidence of George's having served, but tradition says that he was injured by Indians (fighting on the side of the British) near Put-in-Bay, Ohio. Sometimes these stories are true and sometimes not, so take it with a grain of salt until records are found verifying this. It is beyond doubt that the Essig family would have felt threatened by the events of the war. Fort Meigs was not constructed until 1813, and it was 156 miles away from Canton, the nearest town to where the Essigs lived. If George wasn't a soldier in the war, he would probably have been in a local militia, and certainly would have been prepared to protect his family from stray Indian raids.
After the war was over, George married Catherine Shollenberger (various spellings), daughter of Peter and Susanna Shollenberger, on September 6, 1816. We can trace the couple in the 1820 census, when there were two children, and the 1830 census, when there were 7 children under the age of 20 (officially) or under the age of 14 (actually). We know George owned land in 1828 in Plain Township, Stark County.
Then George seems to go missing from the records. A George Essig purchased public lands in Dekalb County, Indiana in 1840 and up through 1852. I do not know whether this is our George or not. It is possible, whether or not this was our George, that the family was traveling somewhere in 1840 and thus was missed in the census. I found a George Essick in the 1840 census in Davidson County, North Carolina, but the ages were off and it doesn't seem likely this was our George. Some families just get missed, or are hiding within another family and so don't get named in the early censuses.
We do know that George and Catherine were in Whitley County, Indiana by 1850. That year's census shows them with 4 children still at home, ranging in age from 13 to 20. Some of the older children live near by, having started their own households. (According to his will, there were 11 children living at the time of George's death.) By 1860, George and Catherine are living in Columbia City, where he still is listed as a farmer. An eleven year old boy named Washington Payne is living with them. I don't yet know who he is, whether he is someone living there to help care for them or whether he is part of the extended family.
George died on April 11, 1866. Although he is not shown as having any land in the 1860 census, his will gives land to his son Joseph and to son David, after the death of his wife Catherine, and to each of his other children $35, which Joseph is to pay at the rate of $10 per year. Catherine lived until June 19, 1872. They are buried at Oakgrove Methodist (Redbrush) Cemetery near Larwill, Indiana, which was near the land they owned and farmed.
There is undoubtedly more to George's story. He left Pennsylvania, arrived in Ohio when it was basically frontier, helped build Stark County, and then came to Whitley County while it was still early in that county's history, probably again clearing land and farming as his father and his father before him had done. He would certeinly have stories of his own to tell!
The line of descent is:
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Essig. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Essig. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Friday, June 30, 2017
Harshbarger line: Wendell Essig: How did I miss him?
Actually, I don't think I missed him. In my more rational moments, I wonder if I should write about Wendell at all, because most of what we "know" about him doesn't seem to be proven. Some of it is in outright dispute. But these stories are so good I am going to write about them anyway, hoping that someone, someday, will be able to prove or disprove these family stories. If they are true, then this ancestor is worthy of honor and respect, and we need to at least pass the stories along. If they aren't true, let's determine that, too!
So...Wendell Essig was born in Bern Canton, Switzerland, the son of Wendell and Juliana Margaretha Trachsell or Troxell. At an early age he spent time in mining in "Rhine Phals". The story doesn't indicate whether he did this voluntarily or whether he was forced into it. Either scenario is possible, as he may have been trying to help support his family. The position seemed to work in his favor, because he later served 7 years in the Prussian army. Again, I don't know if this was voluntary or whether he has drafted. During at least part of that time, he was one of the imperial body guards, and was present at the coronation of Frederick the Great in 1740. (There should be records of his service, shouldn't there? As of now, I don't know how to research to find them.)
Here is where the stories diverge. The story, apparently from son Simon, is that his father arrived in Baltimore in 1750, and shortly thereafter married Anna Marie Matte. Not too long after that, they settled in the general area of Hagerstown, Maryland. I'll get to the rest of the story later.
The second version is that Wendell arrived in 1749 in Philadelphia and went to Northampton County, where he is on tax records in 1772 and church records (Dryland Union Church, Nazareth twp, Northampton County) through Easter of 1782. Jacob Essig and George Essig are also in the church records there, although there is nothing to prove relationships. So that is one story.
The "rest of the first story" is that Wendell and his family were massacred by native Americans in or before 1772, and Simon was the sole survivor. He would have been no more than 18 at the time. Simon survived because he was away from home at the time. Some family historians discount this tale because they haven't found evidence of native American massacres near Hagerstown I've read enough history to know that families in the Cumberland Valley were driven back many many miles before they found a safe haven like Hagerstown, so I tend to think the attack very well could have happened, even without any specific report mentioning the Essig name. Germans clearly were in the area, and the native Americans were active in trying to push the settlers back, during this time period. Still, some sort of proof would be nice to have.
If the story isn't true, why would someone make it up? Was it possibly a misunderstanding many years later of the experience of the family of Simon's wife's family? Her mother's first husband had been killed by the Indians, in Northampton County, Pennsylvania and if one of Simon's children was reporting this story, perhaps he or she had heard it as a young child and forgotten the details as the story was told. I'm not sure we will ever know.
Wendell and Eva Maria are said to have had four children, Simon, Adam, Jacob and George, not necessarily in that order. The 1772 or earlier death doesn't allow for a 1782 church record in Pennsylvania. Either there were two families with similar names and naming patterns, or one of these tales is incorrect. I don't believe anyone has located wills or estate papers in either location, so I will let you be the judge-two men, or one?
The line of descent is:
Wendell Essig-Anna Maria Matte
Simon Essig-Juliana Schnerr
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
So...Wendell Essig was born in Bern Canton, Switzerland, the son of Wendell and Juliana Margaretha Trachsell or Troxell. At an early age he spent time in mining in "Rhine Phals". The story doesn't indicate whether he did this voluntarily or whether he was forced into it. Either scenario is possible, as he may have been trying to help support his family. The position seemed to work in his favor, because he later served 7 years in the Prussian army. Again, I don't know if this was voluntary or whether he has drafted. During at least part of that time, he was one of the imperial body guards, and was present at the coronation of Frederick the Great in 1740. (There should be records of his service, shouldn't there? As of now, I don't know how to research to find them.)
Here is where the stories diverge. The story, apparently from son Simon, is that his father arrived in Baltimore in 1750, and shortly thereafter married Anna Marie Matte. Not too long after that, they settled in the general area of Hagerstown, Maryland. I'll get to the rest of the story later.
The second version is that Wendell arrived in 1749 in Philadelphia and went to Northampton County, where he is on tax records in 1772 and church records (Dryland Union Church, Nazareth twp, Northampton County) through Easter of 1782. Jacob Essig and George Essig are also in the church records there, although there is nothing to prove relationships. So that is one story.
The "rest of the first story" is that Wendell and his family were massacred by native Americans in or before 1772, and Simon was the sole survivor. He would have been no more than 18 at the time. Simon survived because he was away from home at the time. Some family historians discount this tale because they haven't found evidence of native American massacres near Hagerstown I've read enough history to know that families in the Cumberland Valley were driven back many many miles before they found a safe haven like Hagerstown, so I tend to think the attack very well could have happened, even without any specific report mentioning the Essig name. Germans clearly were in the area, and the native Americans were active in trying to push the settlers back, during this time period. Still, some sort of proof would be nice to have.
If the story isn't true, why would someone make it up? Was it possibly a misunderstanding many years later of the experience of the family of Simon's wife's family? Her mother's first husband had been killed by the Indians, in Northampton County, Pennsylvania and if one of Simon's children was reporting this story, perhaps he or she had heard it as a young child and forgotten the details as the story was told. I'm not sure we will ever know.
Wendell and Eva Maria are said to have had four children, Simon, Adam, Jacob and George, not necessarily in that order. The 1772 or earlier death doesn't allow for a 1782 church record in Pennsylvania. Either there were two families with similar names and naming patterns, or one of these tales is incorrect. I don't believe anyone has located wills or estate papers in either location, so I will let you be the judge-two men, or one?
The line of descent is:
Wendell Essig-Anna Maria Matte
Simon Essig-Juliana Schnerr
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
Friday, September 30, 2016
Harshbarger line: A newspaper article about Simon Essig, 1754-1851
I've written about Simon Essig before, but this find is just to good to not pass along. It was printed in the Canton Daily News of October 1, 1922 and was written by John McGregor. I found it reprinted in the History of Stark County by Herbert t. O. Blue, which was published in 1928. It's not usual to find evidence of a newspaper article for a man who died in 1851. I would love to see the original newspaper article, because it apparently included a picture of the original home of the Essigs, but it's wonderful to find this and to be able to share it with you.
"Simon Essig, Revolutionary Soldier"
" In the pioneer days of this county it was, of course, very sparsely settled, the families being few and far between.
This condition necessarily brought the pioneer families into close social relations and intermarriage was a natural consequence.
In writing of one of these families, it is necessary to write of three old pioneers whose intermarriage is such that we cannot speak of one without bringing them all into our story.
The first of these was the old Simon Essig family, among the earliest of our pioneer families. The original Essig family, so far as our record goes, was that of Wendell Essig, a descendant of whom, named Frederick Essig, was major of the Canton Bern, Switzerland, in 1890. This Wendell Essig was born February 7, 1700, and arrived in this country at Philadelphia September 17, 1749. He was recorded on the ship's books as a Palatine, and it has always been suggested he was a Royal Grenadier of Frederick William, King of Prussia.
Simon Essig, a descendant of of Wendell, came to Stark County from Cumberland County, Pa. in the year 1808 and settled on the farm later known as the Herbruck farm on the Harrisburg Road and now in the city limits.
The illustration above shows the old log cabin erected by Simon Essig on the bank of Middlebranch Creek. There were born to Simon Essig and wife six sons and six daughters and here in the wilderness did Simon Essig and wife rear a family of twelve children whose descendants now number many thousands. Simon Essig died on the farm at the age of 97 years.
His descendants are scattered across the entire United States and hold prominent positions of trust and honor. One of his great grandsons, Hon. Scott Wike of Illinois, was assistant secretary of the treasury under Grover Cleveland and also represented his district in the United States Congress two terms.
Simon Essig was born in 1754 and died in 1852. The last and youngest of Simon Essig's children was Rebecca, who died October 14,1896 at the advanced age of 96 years."
I also have notes under this source that say "Adam Essig and Jacob Essig, War of 1812 soldiers and Simon's sons, are also buried at Warstler's Cemetery."
I need to double check the date of Simon's death, as I show it as March 18, 1851. If my date is wrong, I need to correct it. The name of Simon's wife, mother of twelve children, is Julia Margaret Schnerr or Schneer. She also lived to a good old age, dying in 1844 at the age of 79. Simon's son George, the Harshbarger connection, also served in the War of 1812. He was wounded at Pu-in-Bay in one of the Indian skirmishes.
I've blogged about Simon before but I thought this article was interesting since it reflects some of the stories in the family history, and gives more details about the life of the family. I certainly wasn't expecting to find this when I picked up that particular book!
The line of descent is
Simon Essig-Julia Margaret Schnerr
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William H Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
"
"Simon Essig, Revolutionary Soldier"
" In the pioneer days of this county it was, of course, very sparsely settled, the families being few and far between.
This condition necessarily brought the pioneer families into close social relations and intermarriage was a natural consequence.
In writing of one of these families, it is necessary to write of three old pioneers whose intermarriage is such that we cannot speak of one without bringing them all into our story.
The first of these was the old Simon Essig family, among the earliest of our pioneer families. The original Essig family, so far as our record goes, was that of Wendell Essig, a descendant of whom, named Frederick Essig, was major of the Canton Bern, Switzerland, in 1890. This Wendell Essig was born February 7, 1700, and arrived in this country at Philadelphia September 17, 1749. He was recorded on the ship's books as a Palatine, and it has always been suggested he was a Royal Grenadier of Frederick William, King of Prussia.
Simon Essig, a descendant of of Wendell, came to Stark County from Cumberland County, Pa. in the year 1808 and settled on the farm later known as the Herbruck farm on the Harrisburg Road and now in the city limits.
The illustration above shows the old log cabin erected by Simon Essig on the bank of Middlebranch Creek. There were born to Simon Essig and wife six sons and six daughters and here in the wilderness did Simon Essig and wife rear a family of twelve children whose descendants now number many thousands. Simon Essig died on the farm at the age of 97 years.
His descendants are scattered across the entire United States and hold prominent positions of trust and honor. One of his great grandsons, Hon. Scott Wike of Illinois, was assistant secretary of the treasury under Grover Cleveland and also represented his district in the United States Congress two terms.
Simon Essig was born in 1754 and died in 1852. The last and youngest of Simon Essig's children was Rebecca, who died October 14,1896 at the advanced age of 96 years."
I also have notes under this source that say "Adam Essig and Jacob Essig, War of 1812 soldiers and Simon's sons, are also buried at Warstler's Cemetery."
I need to double check the date of Simon's death, as I show it as March 18, 1851. If my date is wrong, I need to correct it. The name of Simon's wife, mother of twelve children, is Julia Margaret Schnerr or Schneer. She also lived to a good old age, dying in 1844 at the age of 79. Simon's son George, the Harshbarger connection, also served in the War of 1812. He was wounded at Pu-in-Bay in one of the Indian skirmishes.
I've blogged about Simon before but I thought this article was interesting since it reflects some of the stories in the family history, and gives more details about the life of the family. I certainly wasn't expecting to find this when I picked up that particular book!
The line of descent is
Simon Essig-Julia Margaret Schnerr
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William H Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
"
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Harshbarger line: Kemery obituaries
When I did some research at the Whitley County Historical Society a couple of years ago, the fine curator located the obituaries of Adam Kemery and Nancy Fannie Kemery for me. These are from Columbia City, Indiana newspapers but I don't know which one, or ones.
The first is for Adam Kemery, and was printed November 10, 1926.
"Adam Kemery Dies at His Home Tuesday.
Death of Well Known Columbia Township Farmer Occurred at 9:15 Tuesday Evening -Funeral Services From Home Thursday Afternoon.
Adam Kemery, 79 years old last April 15, died at his farm home in Columbia Township at 9:15 o'clock Tuesday night of a complication of illnesses. He had been in failing health since 1917, but was able to be up and around most of the time. Mr. Kemery was up part of the day Tuesday. Before his death he suffered a hemorrhage of the lungs.
He was born in Columbia Township and was a son of Daniel and Barbara Burkholder Kemery. He resided in Columbia township all his life and on his farm for more than forty yers.
Fifty six years ago he was united in marriage to Nancy Fanny Buchtel who preceded him in death on April 22,1925. They have the unusual experience of living to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary.
Mr. and Mrs. Kemery were the parents of seven children, two of whom are dead. Those surviving are Phoebe and Harvey, at home Mrs. Sarah Walters, of Columbia City, Mrs. Della Withers, of Columbia township, and Benjamin Kemery, of Ft. Wayne. Two brothers, John Kemery of South Whitley and Solomon Kemery, of Columbia township, are living.
Funeral services will be held from the home Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. Rev. Wallace will conduct services and burial will be in the Eberhard cemetery."
This one knocks me for a loop. Adam's mother was Barbara Burkholder? Who was she? Why do so many trees state that his mother was Susannah Essig? Am I going to have to knock a whole huge branch of interesting people off this tree? Obviously, I need to go back to my sources and figure out where I went wrong, or why the obituary information is incorrect, whichever it turns out to be. Sheesh!
The obituary for Mrs. Adam Kemery was printed April 23, 1925.
"Mrs. Adam Kemery died at 3:30 o'clock Wednesday afternoon at her home in southwest Columbia township after an illness of two years due to complications during the greater part of which she was confined to her bed.
She was born in Ohio on April 15,1846 and was 79 years and 7 days old. She was formerly Nancy Fannie Buchtel and was a daughter of Benjamin and Barbara Buchtel. She came to Whitley county when a young girl and 56 years ago was united in marriage to Adam Kemery. They were the parents of six children, of hom five are living; namely Phoeve and Haarvey, at home, Benjamin and Mrs. Frank Walter, of Fort Wayne, and Mrs. William Withers of Columbia township One daughter, Cora, is dead. Two sisters, Mrs. William Vapner, of Coldwater, Mich. and Mrs. Margaret Kemery, of Columbia township, and one brother, Solomon Buchtel, of this city, survive."
I found another interesting obituary, for Alfred Kemery, printed at the same time. Alfred was a brother to Adam. However, he is clearly a son of Daniel Kemery and Susan Essig. When he died April 25, 1919 he was 75 years, 11 months, and 5 days old. My theory now has to be that Alfred was the son of Daniel and Susan or Susanna, but perhaps Adam was not. I need to go work on this, obviously. Boy, is my face red!
I would sure like to hear from some Kemery descendents who have this figured out already!
Update: Who was the informant for the newspaper, who identified his or her grandmother or possibly even great grandmother? Daniel had been married to Barbara Long Buchtel in 1872, and that was likely the "grandmother" the informant knew. I think that's likely, and I think the Buchtel name somehow got mangled to Burkholder. I followed Daniel and Susanna in the census from 1850 forward, and I've not found any other Daniel Kemery of the age to be Adam's father.
The line of descent is:
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
The first is for Adam Kemery, and was printed November 10, 1926.
"Adam Kemery Dies at His Home Tuesday.
Death of Well Known Columbia Township Farmer Occurred at 9:15 Tuesday Evening -Funeral Services From Home Thursday Afternoon.
Adam Kemery, 79 years old last April 15, died at his farm home in Columbia Township at 9:15 o'clock Tuesday night of a complication of illnesses. He had been in failing health since 1917, but was able to be up and around most of the time. Mr. Kemery was up part of the day Tuesday. Before his death he suffered a hemorrhage of the lungs.
He was born in Columbia Township and was a son of Daniel and Barbara Burkholder Kemery. He resided in Columbia township all his life and on his farm for more than forty yers.
Fifty six years ago he was united in marriage to Nancy Fanny Buchtel who preceded him in death on April 22,1925. They have the unusual experience of living to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary.
Mr. and Mrs. Kemery were the parents of seven children, two of whom are dead. Those surviving are Phoebe and Harvey, at home Mrs. Sarah Walters, of Columbia City, Mrs. Della Withers, of Columbia township, and Benjamin Kemery, of Ft. Wayne. Two brothers, John Kemery of South Whitley and Solomon Kemery, of Columbia township, are living.
Funeral services will be held from the home Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. Rev. Wallace will conduct services and burial will be in the Eberhard cemetery."
This one knocks me for a loop. Adam's mother was Barbara Burkholder? Who was she? Why do so many trees state that his mother was Susannah Essig? Am I going to have to knock a whole huge branch of interesting people off this tree? Obviously, I need to go back to my sources and figure out where I went wrong, or why the obituary information is incorrect, whichever it turns out to be. Sheesh!
The obituary for Mrs. Adam Kemery was printed April 23, 1925.
"Mrs. Adam Kemery died at 3:30 o'clock Wednesday afternoon at her home in southwest Columbia township after an illness of two years due to complications during the greater part of which she was confined to her bed.
She was born in Ohio on April 15,1846 and was 79 years and 7 days old. She was formerly Nancy Fannie Buchtel and was a daughter of Benjamin and Barbara Buchtel. She came to Whitley county when a young girl and 56 years ago was united in marriage to Adam Kemery. They were the parents of six children, of hom five are living; namely Phoeve and Haarvey, at home, Benjamin and Mrs. Frank Walter, of Fort Wayne, and Mrs. William Withers of Columbia township One daughter, Cora, is dead. Two sisters, Mrs. William Vapner, of Coldwater, Mich. and Mrs. Margaret Kemery, of Columbia township, and one brother, Solomon Buchtel, of this city, survive."
I found another interesting obituary, for Alfred Kemery, printed at the same time. Alfred was a brother to Adam. However, he is clearly a son of Daniel Kemery and Susan Essig. When he died April 25, 1919 he was 75 years, 11 months, and 5 days old. My theory now has to be that Alfred was the son of Daniel and Susan or Susanna, but perhaps Adam was not. I need to go work on this, obviously. Boy, is my face red!
I would sure like to hear from some Kemery descendents who have this figured out already!
Update: Who was the informant for the newspaper, who identified his or her grandmother or possibly even great grandmother? Daniel had been married to Barbara Long Buchtel in 1872, and that was likely the "grandmother" the informant knew. I think that's likely, and I think the Buchtel name somehow got mangled to Burkholder. I followed Daniel and Susanna in the census from 1850 forward, and I've not found any other Daniel Kemery of the age to be Adam's father.
The line of descent is:
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Harshbarger line: Maria Magdalena Kunkle abt 1725-
This post is intended as a tribute to all our female immigrant ancestors. It is much more difficult to trace them back. They usually leave no trace of themselves, and once they are gone from this earth it is up to the family to keep them in their memory. Once their memories are gone, they are gone.
So this story will be incredibly brief. Maria Magdalena Kunkle was born most likely in Germany, came to America, married Johannes or John Sensinger and then after he was killed by Indians, Johann Casper Schnerr. She had at least four children with her first husband and four with her second husband. Dates of the children are not clear so I am only giving her "credit" for children that were noted as born within 9 months of her first husband's death, or after the supposed marriage to her second husband. It it possible that there were more children.
We don't even know when she died, but it is thought she died prior to her husband, who died in 1790. We know that the family were Lutheran, that they lived through exciting times in the New World, with both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War during their lifetime, and we know that they were a good pioneer family. We know they lived in what became Adams and York County, Pennsylvania.
What we can't know or understand is the amount of hardships she, as all pioneer women, would have suffered. She likely associated only with other German speaking women, and may not have associated with those of the Reform church, as opposed to the Lutheran church. There are many stories of neighbors not speaking to each other for years because of their religious differences, but it must have been difficult to be so isolated. As the children grew and gradually moved away, it must have been a sad time.
I'd love to be able to talk to her, to hear her tell the story of her life. Maybe I am reading too much into the little that is known, maybe she had entirely different emotions than I, 250 years later, think she would have had. But most of all, I'd like to thank her, and all the other unknown women, for doing everything they did to raise their families and help their new country grow. They are all awesome!
The line of descent is
Maria Magdalena Kunkle-Johann Casper Schnerr
Julia Margaret Schnerr-Simon Essig
George Essig-Catherine Shollenbarger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery-William H Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
So this story will be incredibly brief. Maria Magdalena Kunkle was born most likely in Germany, came to America, married Johannes or John Sensinger and then after he was killed by Indians, Johann Casper Schnerr. She had at least four children with her first husband and four with her second husband. Dates of the children are not clear so I am only giving her "credit" for children that were noted as born within 9 months of her first husband's death, or after the supposed marriage to her second husband. It it possible that there were more children.
We don't even know when she died, but it is thought she died prior to her husband, who died in 1790. We know that the family were Lutheran, that they lived through exciting times in the New World, with both the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War during their lifetime, and we know that they were a good pioneer family. We know they lived in what became Adams and York County, Pennsylvania.
What we can't know or understand is the amount of hardships she, as all pioneer women, would have suffered. She likely associated only with other German speaking women, and may not have associated with those of the Reform church, as opposed to the Lutheran church. There are many stories of neighbors not speaking to each other for years because of their religious differences, but it must have been difficult to be so isolated. As the children grew and gradually moved away, it must have been a sad time.
I'd love to be able to talk to her, to hear her tell the story of her life. Maybe I am reading too much into the little that is known, maybe she had entirely different emotions than I, 250 years later, think she would have had. But most of all, I'd like to thank her, and all the other unknown women, for doing everything they did to raise their families and help their new country grow. They are all awesome!
The line of descent is
Maria Magdalena Kunkle-Johann Casper Schnerr
Julia Margaret Schnerr-Simon Essig
George Essig-Catherine Shollenbarger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery-William H Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Harshbarger line: Johann Kasper Schnerr 1732-1790 Immigrant
German immigrant, Lutheran, married to widow of a man killed by Indians, veteran of the French and Indian war and the Revolutionary War-what more can I say? This is the stuff of which heroes are made, and unfortunately, sometimes their stories are lost. I'd like to retell a little of his story here.
Johann Casper or Kasper Schnerr was born somewhere in Germany on April 21, 1732. It is possible he is somehow related to Peter Ulrich Schneer who was born in Bern, Switzerland in 1649 and died in Lancaster County, Pa in 1739, but the connection hasn't been found yet. So we know nothing of his early life, except that when he was about 21 years of age, he came to America on the ship Neputne. Pennsylvania Archives gives the date of his arrival as September 24, 1754, and Rupp gives it as September 24, 1753, so take your pick. He is found in the Pennsylvania Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index on Ancestry in Philadelphia in 1754, but I don't know what time of year the census was taken. We do know for sure that he was in Philadelphia sometime in 1754, though.
Again, the next five years of his life are pretty much a blank. He was apparently in Northampton County, Pennsylvania by 1759 or 1760, when he married Maria Magdalena Kunkle Sensinger. Her husband had been killed about the year 1756 in one of the many Indian attacks that were a regular part of frontier life of the time, and Magdalena was left with four small children to raise. Casper married her and raised the children right along with her, along with the several children the couple had together. We know they had daughters Catherine, Juliana Margaretha, Anna Maria, and Elizabeth, and there may have been more. With the four step children Casper had, this would have been quite a houseful, especially for since a young man.
Stan Follis reports on his wonderful website that Casper served in the French and Indian war. I haven't found the documentation for that yet, but since this was frontier country it is highly likely that, if nothing else, he stood guard duty. It would be interesting to know whether he actually went out on one or more expeditions. There is a memorial at the cemetery where Casper is buried that lists his name as a Revolutionary War soldier. We also have one document, found on Fold 3, that states that Philip Deily made an affidavit that he had enlisted in the war of the Revolution on June 5, 1775, in Heidelberg Township, Northampton County, Pa under Captain Casper Schneer. There must be other information somewhere, for a Captain would have been a respected man. The 1775 date indicates possibly this was an Associator's group, but that is yet to be discovered.
We know that Casper and his wife were Lutheran because they had daughter Elizabeth baptized in 1768 at the Heidelberg Union Church in Heidelberg Township, in what is now Lehigh County, and the record was clearly in the Lutheran, not the Reformed church. The two congregations kept separate records.
The last we know of Casper is his death. He wrote his will in 1786, and died March 30, 1790, At the time of his death, he lived in Menallen Township, York County, Pa, which later became Adams County. He was buried at Benders Church Cemetery, at the church he had helped found, Benders Evangelical Lutheran Church. His name is on the original Articles of the church. We don't know when he moved from Northampton County to York County, or why, but presumably it had something to do with land acquisition. It would be interesting to study the land records for these counties to trace his journey.
Once again, this is just a bare summary of a fascinating man who lived in fascinating times. He took on a ready-made family and added to it, helped found a church, fought in the wars that led to the founding of our country, and lived a good life, as far as is now known. His family should take pride in him!
The line of descent is:
Johann Casper Schnerr-Maria Magdalena Kunkel
Juliana Margareth Schnerr-Simon Essig
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery-William H Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarer
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
Johann Casper or Kasper Schnerr was born somewhere in Germany on April 21, 1732. It is possible he is somehow related to Peter Ulrich Schneer who was born in Bern, Switzerland in 1649 and died in Lancaster County, Pa in 1739, but the connection hasn't been found yet. So we know nothing of his early life, except that when he was about 21 years of age, he came to America on the ship Neputne. Pennsylvania Archives gives the date of his arrival as September 24, 1754, and Rupp gives it as September 24, 1753, so take your pick. He is found in the Pennsylvania Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index on Ancestry in Philadelphia in 1754, but I don't know what time of year the census was taken. We do know for sure that he was in Philadelphia sometime in 1754, though.
Again, the next five years of his life are pretty much a blank. He was apparently in Northampton County, Pennsylvania by 1759 or 1760, when he married Maria Magdalena Kunkle Sensinger. Her husband had been killed about the year 1756 in one of the many Indian attacks that were a regular part of frontier life of the time, and Magdalena was left with four small children to raise. Casper married her and raised the children right along with her, along with the several children the couple had together. We know they had daughters Catherine, Juliana Margaretha, Anna Maria, and Elizabeth, and there may have been more. With the four step children Casper had, this would have been quite a houseful, especially for since a young man.
Stan Follis reports on his wonderful website that Casper served in the French and Indian war. I haven't found the documentation for that yet, but since this was frontier country it is highly likely that, if nothing else, he stood guard duty. It would be interesting to know whether he actually went out on one or more expeditions. There is a memorial at the cemetery where Casper is buried that lists his name as a Revolutionary War soldier. We also have one document, found on Fold 3, that states that Philip Deily made an affidavit that he had enlisted in the war of the Revolution on June 5, 1775, in Heidelberg Township, Northampton County, Pa under Captain Casper Schneer. There must be other information somewhere, for a Captain would have been a respected man. The 1775 date indicates possibly this was an Associator's group, but that is yet to be discovered.
We know that Casper and his wife were Lutheran because they had daughter Elizabeth baptized in 1768 at the Heidelberg Union Church in Heidelberg Township, in what is now Lehigh County, and the record was clearly in the Lutheran, not the Reformed church. The two congregations kept separate records.
The last we know of Casper is his death. He wrote his will in 1786, and died March 30, 1790, At the time of his death, he lived in Menallen Township, York County, Pa, which later became Adams County. He was buried at Benders Church Cemetery, at the church he had helped found, Benders Evangelical Lutheran Church. His name is on the original Articles of the church. We don't know when he moved from Northampton County to York County, or why, but presumably it had something to do with land acquisition. It would be interesting to study the land records for these counties to trace his journey.
Once again, this is just a bare summary of a fascinating man who lived in fascinating times. He took on a ready-made family and added to it, helped found a church, fought in the wars that led to the founding of our country, and lived a good life, as far as is now known. His family should take pride in him!
The line of descent is:
Johann Casper Schnerr-Maria Magdalena Kunkel
Juliana Margareth Schnerr-Simon Essig
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery-William H Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarer
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
Monday, September 29, 2014
Harshbarger line: John David Mertz, immigrant
Oh, this is a happy genealogy dance day! While I was reviewing the meager information I had about John David, I was also googling him and I found there is a lot of new information about this man's ancestors that I had not yet found. In looking at some very exhaustive research done by Robert Mertz of Sarraguemines, Lorraine, France and shared online by another Mertz researcher, "Oakey" Mertz I was able to add 8 new ancestors and a few collaterals to husband's family. Wow! These names go back to the 1600's in Switzerland, and then Alsace, France or Germany depending on the time period. To see the full on line reports on these ancestors, go to mertzgenealogy.com, which is a wonderful website. I am grateful to these two gentlemen for working so hard to find and publish these records, which help tell more of the family story.
The ancestor I want to highlight today is John David Mertz, another immigrant. He was born in 1689 or 1690 in Hangweiller, Germany, the son of Peter Mertz and Barbara Zimmerman. He was one of 5 children of this couple. After Barbara died, his father married Susanna Braconnier, and there were four children from this family. John David appears to be the oldest. He married Veronica Schneider, daughter of Joseph Schneider, about 1714. We don't know John David's occupation, but the village appears to be very small so it is likely that he farmed. Apparently he had the skills he needed to support a family in the New World, so he may have served in, or at least observed some of the trades as he grew up. As the oldest son, he would have received a double portion of whatever his father was able to leave as an inheritance. His father died in 1728, and John David, Veronica, and three children emigrated in 1733. I haven't seen any indication of how John David financed the trip, but perhaps he sold his land or trade tools or whatever his father had left him.
John David, aged 44, Veronica, aged 40, Johann Nicholas, age 18, Johan Peter aged 13 3/4 and Christina, aged 3 3/4 arrived in Philadelphia on the ship Richard and Elizabeth. (There was another son, Johannes, who was born in 1722. He did not make the trip and it is possible that he had died before the trip.) David gave the oath of allegiance to King George II and his family would have then been allowed to leave the ship. For five years, there is a gap in the records. We know that in 1738 John David was able to buy 150 acres on Longswamp Creek in Berks County, Pa, and that the family stayed there for some generations. We can assume they all worked hard, and shared in the ups and downs of living on the frontier, with Indians who conducted raids and uncertain growing conditions for their crops.
They were members of the Longswamp Reformed Church of Berks County, which at the time the church was founded meant the area families were not particularly kind to the Lutherans (they settled in a separate area, for the most part). John David died in 1748, but the names of David and his sons Nicholas and Peter are listed as contributors to the first building. Veronica lived until 1760 and died also in Longswamp Township, Berks County, Pa. I've not located a burial location for either, but they are likely buried near or at the church they helped establish, and their gravestones are probably gone or not legible.
This is still meager information, but it is more than I started with this morning, and I am grateful for it. I'd like to know more about John David and Veronica and their lives, but I'm glad to have this much. The line of descent is:
John David Mertz-Veronica Schneider
Johan Nicholas Mertz-Margaret
Elizabeth Mertz-Johann L Schollenberger
Peter Shollenberger-Susanna
Catherine Shollenberger-George Essig
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
The ancestor I want to highlight today is John David Mertz, another immigrant. He was born in 1689 or 1690 in Hangweiller, Germany, the son of Peter Mertz and Barbara Zimmerman. He was one of 5 children of this couple. After Barbara died, his father married Susanna Braconnier, and there were four children from this family. John David appears to be the oldest. He married Veronica Schneider, daughter of Joseph Schneider, about 1714. We don't know John David's occupation, but the village appears to be very small so it is likely that he farmed. Apparently he had the skills he needed to support a family in the New World, so he may have served in, or at least observed some of the trades as he grew up. As the oldest son, he would have received a double portion of whatever his father was able to leave as an inheritance. His father died in 1728, and John David, Veronica, and three children emigrated in 1733. I haven't seen any indication of how John David financed the trip, but perhaps he sold his land or trade tools or whatever his father had left him.
John David, aged 44, Veronica, aged 40, Johann Nicholas, age 18, Johan Peter aged 13 3/4 and Christina, aged 3 3/4 arrived in Philadelphia on the ship Richard and Elizabeth. (There was another son, Johannes, who was born in 1722. He did not make the trip and it is possible that he had died before the trip.) David gave the oath of allegiance to King George II and his family would have then been allowed to leave the ship. For five years, there is a gap in the records. We know that in 1738 John David was able to buy 150 acres on Longswamp Creek in Berks County, Pa, and that the family stayed there for some generations. We can assume they all worked hard, and shared in the ups and downs of living on the frontier, with Indians who conducted raids and uncertain growing conditions for their crops.
They were members of the Longswamp Reformed Church of Berks County, which at the time the church was founded meant the area families were not particularly kind to the Lutherans (they settled in a separate area, for the most part). John David died in 1748, but the names of David and his sons Nicholas and Peter are listed as contributors to the first building. Veronica lived until 1760 and died also in Longswamp Township, Berks County, Pa. I've not located a burial location for either, but they are likely buried near or at the church they helped establish, and their gravestones are probably gone or not legible.
This is still meager information, but it is more than I started with this morning, and I am grateful for it. I'd like to know more about John David and Veronica and their lives, but I'm glad to have this much. The line of descent is:
John David Mertz-Veronica Schneider
Johan Nicholas Mertz-Margaret
Elizabeth Mertz-Johann L Schollenberger
Peter Shollenberger-Susanna
Catherine Shollenberger-George Essig
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
Friday, September 19, 2014
Harshbarger line: Johann Friederich Schollenberger 1703-1768
For some reason, I'm gravitating to posts about immigrant ancestors right now. Here is another one in the Harshbarger line. Maybe by the time I get done writing about these folks, I'll be better able to understand how so many people could leave behind the land of their birth, family members, and all that they knew, to go to a new land about which they knew very little, but which they could expect to be their final home on this earth.
Johann Friederich Schollenberger (known as Frederick) was one of those people. He was born on March 18, 1703 in Albig, Germany to Dietrich Schollenburger and Christine Kessenkopf. Albig is a small German village in the Rhineland-Palatinate, not far from France. Albig currently (as of 2008) has a population of slightly over 1600 people, so this would have been a small town where everyone knew everyone. The Schollenberger's would have known the Hoppach family, and in due time the marriage arrangements were complete.Friederich married Anna Katherina Hoppach on January 11, 1729. At least 8 children were born to this couple, 6 boys and 2 girls; the youngest was born after the family arrived in America.. As happened so many times, 2 of the boys died as toddlers. So as the Schollenbergers came to America, they were also leaving behind the gravesites of two of their children.
They arrived, along with his brother in law and other relatives, in Philadelphia on the ship "Loyal Judith on September 3, 1742, and soon marched to the local judge's office for the naturalization oath. This was when immigrants from whatever country swore allegiance to the British king, George II, to allay fears from English immigrants that the "new guys in town" would someday outnumber them.
We don't know whether Frederick served an indentureship or whether he had enough money to pay for the passage of his family. (His father, Dietrich, lived until 1746 so he didn't come to America on his inherited money). Most likely, he stayed in Germantown until he had his feet on the ground, so to speak, and then purchased land. We know that he obtained a land warrant for 100 acres of land in 1747, in what was then Philadelphia County, but later became Greenwich Township, Berks County, Pa. This property then grew to include 210 acres. We haven't found any indication of an occupation for Frederick other than farmer, and 210 acres would certainly have kept him busy.
We know little of the rest of his life, but based on the time frame and the location we can guess that there were tensions, or worse, with the native Americans. The French-Indian war took place when Frederick was approaching what was then old age, but Frederick would have been involved on at least a local level. He died about 1768, but we don't know where he is buried and I have not located a will. Of course, I'd like to know where he is buried, what will he may have left, and what church he attended. Was his home a log cabin? If so, did he later build another home, and was it made of stone? There's always more to learn, it seems.
The line of descent is:
Johann Friedrich Schollenberger-Anna Katherina Hoppach
Johann Lorenz Schollenberger-Elizabeth Mertz
Peter Shollenberger-Susanna
Catherine Shollenberger-George Essig
Susanna Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren
Johann Friederich Schollenberger (known as Frederick) was one of those people. He was born on March 18, 1703 in Albig, Germany to Dietrich Schollenburger and Christine Kessenkopf. Albig is a small German village in the Rhineland-Palatinate, not far from France. Albig currently (as of 2008) has a population of slightly over 1600 people, so this would have been a small town where everyone knew everyone. The Schollenberger's would have known the Hoppach family, and in due time the marriage arrangements were complete.Friederich married Anna Katherina Hoppach on January 11, 1729. At least 8 children were born to this couple, 6 boys and 2 girls; the youngest was born after the family arrived in America.. As happened so many times, 2 of the boys died as toddlers. So as the Schollenbergers came to America, they were also leaving behind the gravesites of two of their children.
They arrived, along with his brother in law and other relatives, in Philadelphia on the ship "Loyal Judith on September 3, 1742, and soon marched to the local judge's office for the naturalization oath. This was when immigrants from whatever country swore allegiance to the British king, George II, to allay fears from English immigrants that the "new guys in town" would someday outnumber them.
We don't know whether Frederick served an indentureship or whether he had enough money to pay for the passage of his family. (His father, Dietrich, lived until 1746 so he didn't come to America on his inherited money). Most likely, he stayed in Germantown until he had his feet on the ground, so to speak, and then purchased land. We know that he obtained a land warrant for 100 acres of land in 1747, in what was then Philadelphia County, but later became Greenwich Township, Berks County, Pa. This property then grew to include 210 acres. We haven't found any indication of an occupation for Frederick other than farmer, and 210 acres would certainly have kept him busy.
We know little of the rest of his life, but based on the time frame and the location we can guess that there were tensions, or worse, with the native Americans. The French-Indian war took place when Frederick was approaching what was then old age, but Frederick would have been involved on at least a local level. He died about 1768, but we don't know where he is buried and I have not located a will. Of course, I'd like to know where he is buried, what will he may have left, and what church he attended. Was his home a log cabin? If so, did he later build another home, and was it made of stone? There's always more to learn, it seems.
The line of descent is:
Johann Friedrich Schollenberger-Anna Katherina Hoppach
Johann Lorenz Schollenberger-Elizabeth Mertz
Peter Shollenberger-Susanna
Catherine Shollenberger-George Essig
Susanna Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren
Friday, April 4, 2014
Harshbarger line: Daniel Kemery will
When I started reviewing all the "deeds" that I collected at the Whitley County Recorder's office a few weeks ago, I realized that one of these was actually a will. Daniel Kemery was born about 1811 in Pennsylvania (per 1850 census records) and died before September 12, 1877 in Whitley County, Indiana. After his first wife, Susannah Essig died, Daniel married Barbara Long Buchtel, who was the mother in law to his son Adam. They were married on June 13, 1872, in Whitley County, Indiana. The will was filed April 12, 1878, with acknowledgements by Isaiah B McDonald that he had witnessed the will, signed December 14th, 1876. The acknowledgement was made on September 12, 1877, so Daniel would likely have died during the preceding 30 days or so. G. W. Hollinger was the other witness to the will. Here is the will:
In The name of God I Daniel Kemery of Whitley County - State of Indiana being of sound mind and memory and knowing the certainty of Death I do make and declare the following to be my last Will and Testament hereby and herein revoking any and all former wills by me heretofore made. Item first-I give my soul to God who made it. Item second It is my will that after my death all my proper funeral expense shall be promptly paid and all my just and legal debts be paid. Item Third After the payment of my funeral expenses and debts It my will that all my property both personal and Real shall go to my beloved wife Barbary Kemery to be her own absolute property in fee simple. I therefore will and bequeath to her the undivided third (1/3) Part of the following Real Estate in Whitley County and State of Indiana to wit The West half of the South west quuarter of section No sixteen (16) Township No Thirty one (31) north Range No nine (9) East the whole tract being and containing sixty three (63) acres the same more or less The same the said one third 1/3 of the above described tract to [not sure of word] in fee simple to the said Barbary Kemery for her own use thereof and control the same as though it were conveyed by Deed That the balance of said land belongs to my children and heirs at law of my late deceased wife Susannah Kemery to wit a minor child of my daughter Harriet Cox Mary Ann Mosher Lydia Kemery Amanda Jones Alexander Kemery Daniel Kemery Alfred Kemery Solomon Kemery. Alexander Kemery Adam Kemery and John Kemery and at my death my said wife Barbary Kemery shall pay or cause to be paid all my funeral expenses and debts as in Item second specified and in case she shall pay the same in a reasonable time no letters of Administration shall issue to any one in my estate. Witness my hand and seal this the 14th day of December AD 1876.
Daniel (his mark) Kemery (Seal)
Signed, sealed and declared by Daniel Kemery to be his last will and testament in our presence and that we have signed the same as witnesses at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other this Dec 14 1876.
Isaiah B McDaniel
G W Hollinger
There is following this the statement by Isaiah B McDaniel that he saw the signing of the will of Daniel Kemery on December 14, 1876, etc, so signed by James Krider, Clerk, and then certified by James Krider, Clerk, Whitley Circuit Court, dated 12th day of September, 1877.
I have tried to type this as it is written, with very little punctuation. The will seems to be contradictory to me in that Daniel appears to have given Barbary everything, and then seems to be giving her just 1/3 of the land he had, dividing the rest up among his grand children. Perhaps I should look for a court case about this. The land was in Columbia Township, on the northwest side of the Beaver Reserve, and adjoining railroad tracks that may be the old Nickel Plate RR. It is believed that first wife Susannah and several of the children are buried on land there, and it may be that Daniel is buried there also. It seems that this may be part of the area known as "Hell's Half Acre", an area alleged to be unsafe for travelers for many years. Daniel was in Whitley County by 1850 and may be the Daniel Kemery in the 1840 census in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pa.
Here is the line of descent:
Daniel Kemery-Susannah Essig
Adam Kemery-Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
children, grandchildren, great grandchildren
In The name of God I Daniel Kemery of Whitley County - State of Indiana being of sound mind and memory and knowing the certainty of Death I do make and declare the following to be my last Will and Testament hereby and herein revoking any and all former wills by me heretofore made. Item first-I give my soul to God who made it. Item second It is my will that after my death all my proper funeral expense shall be promptly paid and all my just and legal debts be paid. Item Third After the payment of my funeral expenses and debts It my will that all my property both personal and Real shall go to my beloved wife Barbary Kemery to be her own absolute property in fee simple. I therefore will and bequeath to her the undivided third (1/3) Part of the following Real Estate in Whitley County and State of Indiana to wit The West half of the South west quuarter of section No sixteen (16) Township No Thirty one (31) north Range No nine (9) East the whole tract being and containing sixty three (63) acres the same more or less The same the said one third 1/3 of the above described tract to [not sure of word] in fee simple to the said Barbary Kemery for her own use thereof and control the same as though it were conveyed by Deed That the balance of said land belongs to my children and heirs at law of my late deceased wife Susannah Kemery to wit a minor child of my daughter Harriet Cox Mary Ann Mosher Lydia Kemery Amanda Jones Alexander Kemery Daniel Kemery Alfred Kemery Solomon Kemery. Alexander Kemery Adam Kemery and John Kemery and at my death my said wife Barbary Kemery shall pay or cause to be paid all my funeral expenses and debts as in Item second specified and in case she shall pay the same in a reasonable time no letters of Administration shall issue to any one in my estate. Witness my hand and seal this the 14th day of December AD 1876.
Daniel (his mark) Kemery (Seal)
Signed, sealed and declared by Daniel Kemery to be his last will and testament in our presence and that we have signed the same as witnesses at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other this Dec 14 1876.
Isaiah B McDaniel
G W Hollinger
There is following this the statement by Isaiah B McDaniel that he saw the signing of the will of Daniel Kemery on December 14, 1876, etc, so signed by James Krider, Clerk, and then certified by James Krider, Clerk, Whitley Circuit Court, dated 12th day of September, 1877.
I have tried to type this as it is written, with very little punctuation. The will seems to be contradictory to me in that Daniel appears to have given Barbary everything, and then seems to be giving her just 1/3 of the land he had, dividing the rest up among his grand children. Perhaps I should look for a court case about this. The land was in Columbia Township, on the northwest side of the Beaver Reserve, and adjoining railroad tracks that may be the old Nickel Plate RR. It is believed that first wife Susannah and several of the children are buried on land there, and it may be that Daniel is buried there also. It seems that this may be part of the area known as "Hell's Half Acre", an area alleged to be unsafe for travelers for many years. Daniel was in Whitley County by 1850 and may be the Daniel Kemery in the 1840 census in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pa.
Here is the line of descent:
Daniel Kemery-Susannah Essig
Adam Kemery-Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
children, grandchildren, great grandchildren
Friday, March 7, 2014
Harshbarger line: In "deed", a happy genealogy dance day!
Last week, I went back to Whitley County, Indiana to the recorder's office, with a long list of potential landowners. I wanted to find as many deeds as I could during the two hours or so I spent there. I spent too much time in the first book of deeds, but once I figured out what the most efficient way to locate the deeds was, I made great progress. I am quite sure I didn't find everything, but here's what I found:
An 1837 deed filed in 1838 from George Harter and wife Elizabeth and John Geiger and wife Ruth, Joseph Geiger and wife Polly, William Rhodes and wife, and Reuben Gilliland and wife sell land to Anthony Geiger Jr and Thomas Geiger. Of the 10 people who signed the deal, only George Harter and Joseph Geiger signed their names; the others signed with an X. This involves land in Allen County, Indiana, and was filed in Licking County, Ohio.
An 1851 deed from Solomon Bennett and his wife Margaret to John Farmer
An 1843 deed from Solomon Bennett and his wife Margaret to James G Simcoke
An 1851 (I think) deed from Henry Cook and Catherine Cook his wife to Ephraim Strong (or Stroup?)
An 1843 deed from Henry Swihart, County Agent of Whitley County, to Henry Cook and Catherine his wife
An 1849 deed from George Essig and Catherine Essig to Lydia Feller. This may not be the George Essig that is directly an ancestor; I need to do more research on this one.
The 1837 certificate from the United States of America to Anthony Geiger
An 1848 certificate from the United States of America to Anthony Gigar (not sure if this is our Anthony, or son Anthony)
An 1856 deed from John A Essig and Mary his wife to John Crawford (not a direct ancestor, but of the family)
An 1856 deed from John Harshbarger and Julia Ann his wife to Lewis Harshbarger and Catherine his wife
An 1841 deed from Moses Thompson to Solomon Bennett
An 1860 deed from Solomon E Harris (or Kerns) and wife Emily to Benjamin Buchtel
An 1854 deed from Peter Snider and wife to William Cook
An 1870 deed from William Cook and Elizabeth his wife to Williams and Withers
An 1869 deed from Philip Knisely and Lydia his wife to Lewis Harshbarger
An 1854 deed from John L Cotton and wife to William Koch (not sure this is our William Cook)
A suit for partition involving Emanuel Harshbarger and Lavinia Harshbarger Gradeless vs. Catherine Harshbarger Sr., Milo Harshbarger, Matilda Harshbarger, Henry Harshbarger, Catherine Harshbarger Jr, and Mary Harshbarger (actually, all the names are spelled Harshburger) in 1879.
An 1878 deed from William Cook and Elizabeth his wife to Barbara Withers et al. This one is especially interesting because the Notary Public who signed it on October 28th, October 1878 was Thomas R Marshall, who later became governor of Indiana and then two term vice president of the United States.
So-I have 18 new deeds, only two or three of which I am not certain are ancestors of my children! I paid $23 for these, but they are priceless! The names above which are in the Harshbarger line, one way or another, are Harter, Geiger, Bennett, Cook, Essig, Buchtel, Harshbarger, and Withers. I am sure I missed some transactions, and I stopped mostly by 1880, so there is more to be done in Whitley County. It's a good thing that the room is so pleasant and the people there are so polite and helpful!
I just realized I have no Kemery deeds! I'll have to go back and look for that name, too!
If you have questions about any of these, let me know. I may not be able to read every word of a deed, but I will try to give you the gist of it, if you're interested.
An 1837 deed filed in 1838 from George Harter and wife Elizabeth and John Geiger and wife Ruth, Joseph Geiger and wife Polly, William Rhodes and wife, and Reuben Gilliland and wife sell land to Anthony Geiger Jr and Thomas Geiger. Of the 10 people who signed the deal, only George Harter and Joseph Geiger signed their names; the others signed with an X. This involves land in Allen County, Indiana, and was filed in Licking County, Ohio.
An 1851 deed from Solomon Bennett and his wife Margaret to John Farmer
An 1843 deed from Solomon Bennett and his wife Margaret to James G Simcoke
An 1851 (I think) deed from Henry Cook and Catherine Cook his wife to Ephraim Strong (or Stroup?)
An 1843 deed from Henry Swihart, County Agent of Whitley County, to Henry Cook and Catherine his wife
An 1849 deed from George Essig and Catherine Essig to Lydia Feller. This may not be the George Essig that is directly an ancestor; I need to do more research on this one.
The 1837 certificate from the United States of America to Anthony Geiger
An 1848 certificate from the United States of America to Anthony Gigar (not sure if this is our Anthony, or son Anthony)
An 1856 deed from John A Essig and Mary his wife to John Crawford (not a direct ancestor, but of the family)
An 1856 deed from John Harshbarger and Julia Ann his wife to Lewis Harshbarger and Catherine his wife
An 1841 deed from Moses Thompson to Solomon Bennett
An 1860 deed from Solomon E Harris (or Kerns) and wife Emily to Benjamin Buchtel
An 1854 deed from Peter Snider and wife to William Cook
An 1870 deed from William Cook and Elizabeth his wife to Williams and Withers
An 1869 deed from Philip Knisely and Lydia his wife to Lewis Harshbarger
An 1854 deed from John L Cotton and wife to William Koch (not sure this is our William Cook)
A suit for partition involving Emanuel Harshbarger and Lavinia Harshbarger Gradeless vs. Catherine Harshbarger Sr., Milo Harshbarger, Matilda Harshbarger, Henry Harshbarger, Catherine Harshbarger Jr, and Mary Harshbarger (actually, all the names are spelled Harshburger) in 1879.
An 1878 deed from William Cook and Elizabeth his wife to Barbara Withers et al. This one is especially interesting because the Notary Public who signed it on October 28th, October 1878 was Thomas R Marshall, who later became governor of Indiana and then two term vice president of the United States.
So-I have 18 new deeds, only two or three of which I am not certain are ancestors of my children! I paid $23 for these, but they are priceless! The names above which are in the Harshbarger line, one way or another, are Harter, Geiger, Bennett, Cook, Essig, Buchtel, Harshbarger, and Withers. I am sure I missed some transactions, and I stopped mostly by 1880, so there is more to be done in Whitley County. It's a good thing that the room is so pleasant and the people there are so polite and helpful!
I just realized I have no Kemery deeds! I'll have to go back and look for that name, too!
If you have questions about any of these, let me know. I may not be able to read every word of a deed, but I will try to give you the gist of it, if you're interested.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Harshbarger line: Hans Jacob Kemery and those darn facts, or lack thereof
One of the things blogging makes me do, which is a good thing, is look for weak links in the tree. It looks like Hans Jacob Kemery or Kemmerli may be one of them. He was born sometime in the 1780s (per 1840 census) in York County, Pa, and married Anna Maria Lauber. He died in Stark County, Ohio on October 8, 1847 and is buried in Sherman Church Cemetery there. The known children of Jacob and Anna Maria are John, Adam, Daniel, Jacob, and George. I suspect there are more children, especially girls, but I have not yet found them.
The 1840 census in Pike Township, Stark County, Ohio does show three females who could be his children. This is the only census record I've found that fits the family and the suspected locations they would have been, although there are records in Northampton County, Pa that may be the family in earlier years.
The reason I'm questioning the information on my tree is that I was looking for some names in a copy of a book edited by Don Yoder, called Pennsylvania German Immigrants. In that book there is listed a Johann Jacob Kuemmerle and wife Margaretha nee Heintzelman of Neckarlenzlingen, (Germany), along with a son Johann Jacob born 12/ 6/1744 and daughter Anna Margaretha born 12/27/1742. This family came to America on the Richard and Mary, landing in Philadelphia on September 17, 1753.
The information on the internet, unsourced, gives a birth date for our H. Jacob's father as 1734 and says he was born in Holland. I have found other ancestors who were listed as from Holland when their actual birth location was a German state or Switzerland. The families may have stayed in Holland for a year or two to raise money to come to America, but they weren't permanent residents there. I suspect this may be the case with this family. I would life to look at the "Kuemmerle" family in more depth to determine whether they could be ancestors of Hans Jacob born 1791. And if so, was the Johann Jacob born in 1744 the father of our H. Jacob, or the grandfather? Either would be a possibility.
Indications are that this family may have been in York County, Pa, possibly Windsor Township, so my next trip to the Allen County Public Library will include a search of the records there. In the meantime, I would love to hear from anyone researching this family. Maybe you've already found the answers I'm looking for, or maybe we can work together to solve this mystery.
This is the line of descent.
H. Jacob Kemery-Anna Maria Lauber
Daniel Kemery and Susannah Essig
Adam Kemery and Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery and William H Withers
Goldie Withers and Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger and Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger children and grand children-you know who you are!
The 1840 census in Pike Township, Stark County, Ohio does show three females who could be his children. This is the only census record I've found that fits the family and the suspected locations they would have been, although there are records in Northampton County, Pa that may be the family in earlier years.
The reason I'm questioning the information on my tree is that I was looking for some names in a copy of a book edited by Don Yoder, called Pennsylvania German Immigrants. In that book there is listed a Johann Jacob Kuemmerle and wife Margaretha nee Heintzelman of Neckarlenzlingen, (Germany), along with a son Johann Jacob born 12/ 6/1744 and daughter Anna Margaretha born 12/27/1742. This family came to America on the Richard and Mary, landing in Philadelphia on September 17, 1753.
The information on the internet, unsourced, gives a birth date for our H. Jacob's father as 1734 and says he was born in Holland. I have found other ancestors who were listed as from Holland when their actual birth location was a German state or Switzerland. The families may have stayed in Holland for a year or two to raise money to come to America, but they weren't permanent residents there. I suspect this may be the case with this family. I would life to look at the "Kuemmerle" family in more depth to determine whether they could be ancestors of Hans Jacob born 1791. And if so, was the Johann Jacob born in 1744 the father of our H. Jacob, or the grandfather? Either would be a possibility.
Indications are that this family may have been in York County, Pa, possibly Windsor Township, so my next trip to the Allen County Public Library will include a search of the records there. In the meantime, I would love to hear from anyone researching this family. Maybe you've already found the answers I'm looking for, or maybe we can work together to solve this mystery.
This is the line of descent.
H. Jacob Kemery-Anna Maria Lauber
Daniel Kemery and Susannah Essig
Adam Kemery and Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery and William H Withers
Goldie Withers and Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger and Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger children and grand children-you know who you are!
Friday, November 15, 2013
Harshbarger line: Peter Shollenberger
This is going to be a very brief sketch because as far as I can see, there is no good documentation for much of the information in this article. It is taken from copies of copies of information from a book or article by Marian E Shelenberger called "Shollenberger, Shelenberger, Frantz and Allied Families of Lehigh and Crawford Counties, PA and Stark Co."
Peter was the grandson of immigrants from Albig, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. His grandparents, Johann Friederich and Anna Katharina Hoppach had arrived in Philadelphia on the ship "Loyal Judith" in 1742. The timing of their arrival means they were likely coming for economic reasons rather than religious reasons. It was 5 years until Frederick obtained a Land Warrant for 100 acres in what was to become Greenwich Twp, Berks County, Pa. (This could indicate that he served for a time as an indentured servant, or it could simply mean it took that much time to save enough money to buy land.)
Frederick and Katharina's son Johann Lorenz would have been about 6 years old when the family made this trip. Johann Lorenz Schollenberger married Elizabeth Mertz on August 13, 1763. They had at least 9 children, of whom Peter was was in the middle, being born December 26, 1771. Just as his father may have been too young to remember much about his trip from Germany, Peter may have been young to remember the Revolution, at least the early years. He may have been apprenticed or indentured as a young man, becuase his biography states that he was a pipe organ builder in Philadelphia, Pa, a fine cabinet maker, and then later a farmer. One does not learn to build pipe organs or fine cabinets without some training.
His biography states that he lived in Hamburg, Berks County, Pa until 1810 when he moved with his two sons to Plain Twp, Stark County, Ohio. This was early to be moving to Ohio, because of course he didn't know that the War of 1812 was about to be fought. We don't know the maiden name of the woman he married, but she was Susanna and was born May 4, 1777. His (and presumably her) daughter Catherine was born September 6, 1796, and John and Joseph were born in 1798 and 1801, respectively. It is quite possible that there were other children, but no record of them has yet been found.
Peter probably fought in some capacity in the War of 1812, simply because most of the men in Ohio did fight, either in the militia, as part of the US Army or Navy, or as sort of a home guard. In any case, this would have been an uneasy time for Peter and Susannah.
Peter and Susannah were apparently good Christian people, because on June 7, 1817, Peter was among the signers of the Constitution of the Evangelical Lutheran and Germany Reformed Church of Plain Twp, Stark County, Oh. On June 17, 1826, Peter and Susanna sold land to the Lutheran and Presbyterian Churches for a building and burial ground. He later sold his land and moved to Marlboro Township, where he died July 27, 1844. He is buried at the St Peter's Curch Cemetery in Marlboro Township.
I haven't been able to locate Peter in any census, or in church records, or in any of the other "usual sources" so this story is to be continued, I hope. In the meantime, it's fun to think that a Harshbarger ancestor built pipe organs! It's fun to wonder how they made the trek to Ohio and how long it took, and it's fun to wonder about a lot of other of the unknowns in Peter's life.
Here is the line:
Peter Shollenberger and Susanna
Catherine Shollenberger and George Essig
Susannah Essig and Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery and Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery and William H Withers
Goldie Withers and Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger and Mary Margaret Beeks
Peter was the grandson of immigrants from Albig, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. His grandparents, Johann Friederich and Anna Katharina Hoppach had arrived in Philadelphia on the ship "Loyal Judith" in 1742. The timing of their arrival means they were likely coming for economic reasons rather than religious reasons. It was 5 years until Frederick obtained a Land Warrant for 100 acres in what was to become Greenwich Twp, Berks County, Pa. (This could indicate that he served for a time as an indentured servant, or it could simply mean it took that much time to save enough money to buy land.)
Frederick and Katharina's son Johann Lorenz would have been about 6 years old when the family made this trip. Johann Lorenz Schollenberger married Elizabeth Mertz on August 13, 1763. They had at least 9 children, of whom Peter was was in the middle, being born December 26, 1771. Just as his father may have been too young to remember much about his trip from Germany, Peter may have been young to remember the Revolution, at least the early years. He may have been apprenticed or indentured as a young man, becuase his biography states that he was a pipe organ builder in Philadelphia, Pa, a fine cabinet maker, and then later a farmer. One does not learn to build pipe organs or fine cabinets without some training.
His biography states that he lived in Hamburg, Berks County, Pa until 1810 when he moved with his two sons to Plain Twp, Stark County, Ohio. This was early to be moving to Ohio, because of course he didn't know that the War of 1812 was about to be fought. We don't know the maiden name of the woman he married, but she was Susanna and was born May 4, 1777. His (and presumably her) daughter Catherine was born September 6, 1796, and John and Joseph were born in 1798 and 1801, respectively. It is quite possible that there were other children, but no record of them has yet been found.
Peter probably fought in some capacity in the War of 1812, simply because most of the men in Ohio did fight, either in the militia, as part of the US Army or Navy, or as sort of a home guard. In any case, this would have been an uneasy time for Peter and Susannah.
Peter and Susannah were apparently good Christian people, because on June 7, 1817, Peter was among the signers of the Constitution of the Evangelical Lutheran and Germany Reformed Church of Plain Twp, Stark County, Oh. On June 17, 1826, Peter and Susanna sold land to the Lutheran and Presbyterian Churches for a building and burial ground. He later sold his land and moved to Marlboro Township, where he died July 27, 1844. He is buried at the St Peter's Curch Cemetery in Marlboro Township.
I haven't been able to locate Peter in any census, or in church records, or in any of the other "usual sources" so this story is to be continued, I hope. In the meantime, it's fun to think that a Harshbarger ancestor built pipe organs! It's fun to wonder how they made the trek to Ohio and how long it took, and it's fun to wonder about a lot of other of the unknowns in Peter's life.
Here is the line:
Peter Shollenberger and Susanna
Catherine Shollenberger and George Essig
Susannah Essig and Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery and Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery and William H Withers
Goldie Withers and Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger and Mary Margaret Beeks
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