Monday, November 21, 2016

Adam Trach (1749 - 1815)


Trach, Drach or maybe Trough, they are all the same Pennsylvania Dutch name. Our ancestor, Adam Drach was born about 1749 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania several years after his parents, Rudolph and Maria Elizabetha Drach arrived in Philadelphia on August  29th, 1730, aboard the ship "Thistle". In 1770 Adam inherited 300 acres from his father in Bucks Co., where he lived into his adult years when he gave service in the Revolutionary War in the Bucks Co. Milita under Captain William McHenry. After the war he lived in Cumberland County until his death May 10,1815.  His son Michael appears to have moved back to Monroe Co. with his older brothers where he married and reared his family. 

David Henry Keller included a memoir of Adam Trach and his descendants in his book, The Kellers of Hamilton Township.  His research presented here has stood the test of time for almost 100 years.
"The name Rudolph appears with such frequency in this family that it is difficult to tell one person from another. Fortunately this is not the case with the name Adam. There is only one Adam Drach on record and the agreement, will and deeds, show plainly that he was the son of Rudolph and had reached adult life prior to the Revolutionary War. In addition, the baptismal records of the Lutheran Church at Tohicken, Bucks County, show that he and his wife, Eva, had at least two children prior to the war. John Rudolph was born August 19th, 1770, and baptized on the 9th of October of the same year. The other son, John Peter, was born November 4th, 1772, and baptized January 3rd, 1773, the sponsor being Catharine Geres (single).

This church record giving the date of birth of Rudolph, son of Adam, as August 19th, 1770, corresponds exactly to the date of birth on his stone in the Hamilton Church yard, thus proving beyond a doubt that the Monroe County Trachs are directly descended from the Bucks County family.
Adam Trough (thus the name is spelled on the old muster rolls) was an Associator in Captain McHenry's company, Bedminister Township, Bucks County Militia. Satisfactory proof of his service is contained in the Pennsylvania Archives, Series 5, Vol. 5. It is believed that the information contained in this chapter is sufficient to permit any of his descendants to apply for membership in any Revolutionary Society. While some dates are missing, the line of descent is proven beyond cavile (without a doubt)."(Keller)

On  December 27, 1813, he drew up his will which was probated in Carlisle, PA where the family was living on May 10, 1815.  The will names all his children including Michael, our direct ancestor. "I give and bequeath the same to my children, to wit: Henry, Rudolph, Peter Philip, Michael, John, Elizabeth and Hannah, to be equally divided amongst them, and after the decease of my beloved wife, Eve..." (Keller)

Adam had a son named Michael who lived in Monroe Co., PA and had a son named Jacob. Jacob's  daughter Elizabeth married Edward Graver of Franklin Twp. in Carbon Co., PA. Ed Graver was the  Great Grandson of George Graver, another Rev. War Patriot.  Elizabeth Trach is named by Beatrice Graver Smith as her grandmother in the  family history notes that she so diligently kept.  These notes are in my files. Grammy Smith (Beatrice) always said that her family was from the Moorestown area, in Monroe County, and so they were! Elizabeth married Edward Graver when she was about 22 years old. The children  of Edward Graver and Elizabeth Trach were Oscar, Amanda,  David, Thomas, Carrie, Sarah and Wilson S. Graver, who married Jennie E. Lauer. Wilson and Jennie were the parents of Beatrice Graver Smith
Sources:
  • PA Archives, Fifth Series, Vol. 5,  numerous pages.
  • Revolutionary War Military Abstract Card File Indexes  http://www.digitalarchives.state.pa.us
  • Keller, David Henry, Kellers of Hamilton Township
,1922. page 106(available at the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society) 
  • Pennsylvania German Pioneers & Palatine Passenger Lists 1727-1808, Ralph B. Strassburger and William J. Hinke, 1934, Pennsylvania German Society, p.32
  • DAR Record of Service for Adam Trough, Ancestor #A116171. National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, online research, http://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search/
  • Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania: including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and many of the early settled families, by J.H. Beers & Co., 1900, page 567
  • Will Book 8, page 329, Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
  • Image http://mymilitaryhistory.blogspot.com/2007/07/morgans-revolutionary-ranger-riflemen.html.
                           Please see this list of all My Revolutionary War Ancestors.
                                                               Copyright
This page  © 2016, Cynthia H. Smith

Send email to chsmith47@yahoo.com
This site may be linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent. The copyright on this page must appear on all copied and/or printed material.
GENEALOGY IS A WORK OF HEART
Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. It is with pleasure that I am able to present this information here for you to see. If you discover a relationship here, I would very much enjoy hearing from you.    

Friday, November 11, 2016

Lt. Adam Hamscher (1736 - 1809)

I can not begin to count the number of times I have driven past this Historical Marker on my way home from Easton. And never did I think that a Smith ancestor played a roll in Sullivan's March. In the DAR Record of Service for Adam Hamsher, Ancestor #A050806, it is noted that he served in the Rear Party for the Sullivan Expedition in 1779.

There is no way I would have  known about our ancestor Adam Hamscher and his Revolutionary War service if it were not for one very important person, Ron's Grandmother, Beatrice Graver Smith.
She was our family historian. Beatrice recorded the names and vital statistics of relatives in the pages of her Smith family reunion notebook. She also recorded the linage of her Graver family.  How I wish she were still alive today so that I could ask her  more about these people, but I am thankful for the information that she did record. Because it is her family tree that contains so many of these Revolutionary Patriots about whom I have been writing.

Beatrice provided the name of her grandfather, Ed Graver, who married Elizabeth Trach.  This is where my own research began.  Using the Federal Census records of 1900, 1880, 1870, and 1860, I followed  Edward and Elizabeth Graver back in time until I found young Edward Graver in the 1850 census.  He is listed there as the 15 year old son of John Graver and his wife Bets of Weisport, Northampton Co., PA. Rechecking all of Gram Smith's notes I discovered that she had identified the father of Bets Graver as John Jacob Hower and that Bets was born, Elizabeth Hower.  An internet search for John Jacob Hower pointed me in the direction of the Dreisbach Family Association.  There, I discovered that John Jacob Hower married Magdalena Dreisbach. She was the daughter of John Adam Dreisbach and his wife Maria Margaret Hamscher.  Which brings us the the subject of this post, Adam Hamscher, the father of Maria Margaret Hamscher and a Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War.

In the Pennsylvania Archives, 5th Series, Vol. 5, page 163, Adam is listed in 1777 as a 2nd Lieutenant, 6th Company, 1st Battalion, Berks Co. militia in Ruscomb Manor and under the command of Capt. Peter Wanner.  Adam may have served in the Berks militia in 1776, 1778 and 1779 as well, documentation for those years has not been found. Since Adam does not appear in the tax records of Berks County after 1779 he may have moved to Northampton Co.  In 1780, 1781, 1782 and 1783 Adam was a Lieutenant in the 7th Company, 3rd Battalion, Northampton Co. militia according to the PA Archives, 5th Series,Vol. 8, p. 246, 254, 275, 287 etc.  This places him in Macungie Township.  In the PA Archives 5th Series,Vol. 4, p. 655 he is listed as a "Soldier of the Revolution" and he received Continental Line Depreciation Pay according to the PA Archives 5th Series,Vol. 4, p. 32-34. 

Record of his birth is given in the baptismal  records of Gau Heppenheim Evangelical Church in Germany. Adam Hambscher was born on April 18, 1736 and baptized on April 22.  He was the son of Bernhardt Hambscher and his wife Apollonia.  When he was 17 years old he traveled to the New World aboard the ship 'Edinburg' arriving in Philadelphia from Rotterdam on September 14, 1753. He found his way to Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and on November 7, 1758 married Maria Margaret Heckman at the New Goshenhoppen Reformed Church in Upper Hanover Twp., Montgomery Co, Pennsylvania. While his military service records place him in Berks Co., he eventually settled in Northampton County.

Besides farming he was also a weaver as the tax list for 1782 in Lehigh Twp,  Northampton Co.  shows Adam Hamsher, "weaver".   The 1790 Census shows Adam Hamshire in Lehigh Twp.  His household consisted of two males over 16, one male under 16 and three females.  The 1798 tax list in Lehigh Twp. shows us that Adam has a one story 40x48 stone house.  The 1800 Census shows Adam  in Lehigh Township; one male between the ages of 10 and 16; one male between 16 and 26 and one male over 45. Only one female over 45 is living in the household.

Adam Hamscher died in 1809.  His will was dated December 31, 1808 and was probated August 31, 1809 at Easton, Northampton Co., Pa.  He left an estate to his wife, Maria Margaret and equal shares to Daniel, Barnet, Anna Maria, Margaret and Adam, his children.

Sources:
  • Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Land Warrants and Applications, 1733-1952 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012
  • Recorder of Deeds, Northampton County, Pa.  Deed book C9 p. 756
  • John Humphery, Pennsylvania Gravestones, Northampton Co, PA , published Washington, D.C., 2000
  • PA Archives, Fifth Series, Vol. VIII,  numerous pages.
  • Revolutionary War Military Abstract Card File Indexes http://www.digitalarchives.state.pa.us
  • Paul Burdick, “Some Hamshers-Homshers of 18th Century PA,” 1965, Repository: LDS Film 525281. http://www.mertzgenealogy.com/reunion/Family_Tree/ps03/ps03_114.htm
  • LDS Film # 1474867, Church Records: Gau Heppenheim Evangelical, Alzey, Hesse, Germany, Baptisms, Marriages
  • The Dreisbach Family Association,  http://www.dreisbachfamily.org/ 
  • Pennsylvania German Pioneers & Palatine Passenger Lists 1727-1808, Ralph B. Strassburger and William J. Hinke, 1934,Pennsylvania German Society
  • Sullivan Campaign Historic Marker, Easton, PA., photo taken Nov.3, 2016, Cynthia H. Smith
                               Please see this list of all My Revolutionary War Ancestors.
                                                          Copyright
This page  © 2016, Cynthia H. Smith

Send email to chsmith47@yahoo.com
All Rights Reserved.This site may be linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent. The copyright on this page must appear on all copied and/or printed material.

Monday, September 12, 2016

Thomas Hughes, Pioneer to Northumberland Co. Pennsylvania

Thomas Hughes may have been born  in Windsor Twp., Berks Co., Pennsylvania about 1740.  His exact birth date has not been found. What is known is that he died September 16, 1807 in Northumberland Co., Pennsylvania.  As a member of the group of pioneers who settled in the  Catawissa area, it is known that Thomas was a Welsh Quaker. Therefore it is unlikely that he would have fought in the Revolutionary War and no evidence has been found to show that he did serve in the war.

Thomas  immigrated to  the area of Danville, Pennsylvania near Catawissa and was one of the  original settlers thereabouts.  A number of men named Hughes came from  the Maiden Creek area of Berks Co. to Northumberland County in this time period. He and several of his brothers,  who may have been George, John  and James, were involved in the early settlement of land along the Susquehanna River  near Northumberland.
 WPA Mural by John W. Beauchamp in the Muncy, Pennsylvania Post Office.
The year 1778 was known  as "The Big Runaway" when the Native Americans in the Pine Creek Area caused the pioneers to  flee their homesteads.   This painting is a mural of Rachel Silverthorn's ride to warn settlers along Muncy Creek of impending attacks.  These were turbulent times to be living on the edge of the Pennsylvania frontier.  

I have not been able to determine the parents of Thomas Hughes.
 Thomas Hughes, the father of Jeptha Hughes, pioneer ancestor in Tioga Co. PA,  died on  Sept. 16, 1807    Census records help to determine his whereabouts as an adult and of his birth year being prior to 1755.  (census 1800).  
Census Records 1790 - Thomas Hughes - Northumberland Co.; 1 male over 16 ; 3 males under 16;  4  females.
Census Records 1800- Thomas Hughes - Northumberland Co.;  4 males under 10, 1 male between the ages of 10 and 16, 1 male between the ages of 16 and 26, 1 male over 45. (therefore, Thomas born before prior to 1755)

Early land records show him living in the area of   Maiden Creek, near Reading, PA. Deed dated Aug. 17, 1773  (Vol. A 416 Bloomsburg, PA)  for a 300 acres tract on the west side  of the Northeast Branch of the Susquehanna  in what is now  Northumberland, Co.  "Thomas  Hughes, Maiden Creek twp. in Berks Co.,  carpenter."   From this source it can be determined that he  was a carpenter and that he was living in Maiden Creek Twp., Berks Co. PA.  Also a reference  to the same land is given in Vol. K 399, 1 Mar 1775, Northumberland CO PA, Sunbury  PA. "Thomas Hughes of Augusta Twp., Northumberland Co. Carpenter (original Purchase 1769) 1 and 1/2 miles from the mouth of Catawesy Creek on the Nescopeck Path." 


A petition was filed by Evan Hughes to settle the estate of his father for the sale of a tract  of land containing about two hundred and thirty two acres in 1809.  It stated that Thomas Hughes was the father of nine children: "Thomas Hughes died leaving a widow named Mary who is  yet alive and nine children to wit:Rebecca, intermarried with Jesse Doughtery; Sarah,  intermarried with Benjamin Prall; Evan Hughes, your petitioner; Mary  Hughes; Rachel Hughes; Isaac Hughes; Jeptha Hughes; Jesse Hughes; and Jonathan Hughes according to the order of their   birth and seniority..."

It would appear that Thomas' death was unexpected 
since he did not leave a will. This petition is the only record official of his children that has been located. In 1958, Phoebe Hughes Button, Hughes  family historian,  named  the children of Thomas and Mary Stevens Hughes as:  Sally Hughes (Sarah), Eben Hughes (Evan), Becky Hughes (Rebecca), Rachel Hughes,  Polly Hughes (Mary), Isaac Hughes and Jeptha Hughes. Sons Jesse and Jonathan are not  accounted for in Phoebe's records. Names in parentheses are as given in the Northumberland Co.  Orphans Court reference which named the children in the order of their births which is:  Rebecca, Sarah, Evan, Mary, Rachel, Isaac, Jeptha (born in 1791), Jesse, and Jonathan.  Rebecca and Sarah were married by 1809.  The petition says the  last four of  the children  were still minors.
 
"A Settler's Cabin"
Thomas Hughes married Mary Stevens around 1773.  Mary was born about 1755 and died after 1812.
 The parents of this frontier women are unknown. She lived on the edge of civilization in  the wilderness of Pennsylvania at a time when your very livelihood hung on a shoestring. Her husband, Thomas came to the area where the East and West  Branches of the Susquehanna River  come together to form the Susquehanna River.  He came to homestead as early as 1773 and it is likely that she  came with him from the Maiden Creek area. No official birth or death dates are known for her, but  it  is known that Mary Stevens Hughes out lived her husband.

Her death  date has to be some time after 1812, since the court  records indicate that she was alive when the  petition was filed to settle the estate. In addition there is a record,  Vol. Q 798, 21 April 1812, 7 Aug. 1812, abstract:  Release Hughs, Mary to James Laughead, lot of land to son Isaac Hughes, Mary Hughes relect  and widow of Thomas by Orphans court of Northunberland Co. PA.

Thomas and Mary Hughes were my great,great,great, great grandparents. I grew up learning the stories of their son Jeptha, who pioneered to Tioga Co.  And of their grandson Frederick and his wife Harriet Van Wey Hughes, who lumbered and farmed with the aide of his large family.  And of Simeon and his wife Fannie B. Westlake Hughes, my great grandparents, who dairy farmed in Tioga. All renowned and honored ancestors in the Hughes family tree.

Sources:
  • Mural "Rachel Silverthorne's Ride" (1938) by John W. Beauchamp in the Muncy Post Office, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. Online https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Runaway#/media/File:Rachel_Silverthorne_Mural_in_Muncy,_Pennsylvania.JPG. visited Sept. 10, 2016.
  • Meginness, John Franklin (1892). History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania , Chapter 8, (1st ed.). Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk & Co. 
  • Thomas Hughes. Will Book 2, p. 55, Northumberland Co. PA, Sunbury PA.
  • Petition to settle the estate of Thomas Hughes. 1809 Orphans Court of Northumberland Co. PA, Sunbury PA , p. 38 and others.  Researched and recorded by Cynthia Hughes Smith, July, 1993. 
  • "A Settler's Cabin", illustration, p.67. http://cran.nust.na/gutenberg/3/4/6/0/34600/34600-h/34600-h.htm. Visited 9.12.16
                                          Copyright This page  © 2016, Cynthia H. Smith

Send email to chsmith47@yahoo.com
This site may be linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent. The copyright on this page must appear on all copied and/or printed material.

GENEALOGY IS A WORK OF HEART
Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. It is with pleasure that I am able to present this information here for you to see. If you discover a relationship here, I would very much enjoy hearing from you.    

Saturday, September 3, 2016

John Good, Sr. (1787 -1872) Mystery solved

If I have said it once I have said it a thousand times: "Talk to the old forks before it is too late and never, never toss out any research you collect along the way."  Maybe I should throw in, "Leave no stone unturned." And "not every notation is fact until you can prove it so."
Here is a handwritten note given to me by Arvilla Good Stevens of Lower Mt. Bethel twp., Northampton Co., PA several years ago before she passed away in 2000.  The note was written by Henry Good (1841-1919), Arvilla's grandfather.   It is a wealth of information about the Good family.  First, Henry records that he believes his grandfather, John Good Senior, lived to the age of 87 years, 1 month and  29 days.  John, Sr. was born in Nockamixon on Feb. 2,  1787,  the son of Henry Good and his wife Catherine Schick. His birth is recorded in the Nockamixon, Bucks Co., PA  Church records.  Henry's note is a good place to start to learn more about Old John's demise.  What is missing is where he is buried, a fact I have been searching for for many years. 

Next, Henry put down the name "John Good, Jr."  who was his father and then he has written "Uncle Williamsport".   Under that Henry wrote "George Good  65 y - 1 mon".  This is John Good, Junior's brother George (therefore Henry's Uncle George) who was born Sept. 13, 1810 in Mount Bethel twp., and whose record of baptism is recorded in the Upper Mt. Bethel Church records.  Combining these facts, a death date of October 13, 1875 can be calculated for George. The rest of the persons listed on the little slip of notepaper seem to be members of the family of George and Polly, his wife.

Using this information I was able to find a cemetery record for George on Find A Grave.   And this is where the fun began.  George is buried at Wildwood Cemetery in Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pa.  The entry lists several children and the wife of George, Mary (who is listed above as Polly, a popular nickname for Mary back in the day). These are names that match what was written almost 100 years ago by Henry Good on this little torn off piece of paper.  Thank you Aunt Arvilla, for saving this and passing it on to me.  You trusted me that I would cherish it as you had done. Today, I am grateful to you for doing so. I have held onto it for over 16 years and now it has proven to be the key to unlocking the mystery of where John Good Senior is buried.

And how for the big reveal--- TA DAH...   Check out the first line on that tombstone!
"JOHN GOOD 1787 -1872"  Here's our Grandpa!  He must have gone to Lycoming Co. to live with his younger son George.  He had  out lived his oldest son, John Jr., who died November 10, 1871 at the age of 63 and is buried in Lower Mount Bethel, Northampton Co. PA.  Younger son, George, only survived old John by a few years.
Used with permission of Karin Randall, photographer.
John Good, Senior lived to be 85 years old, (I know Henry jotted down 87 years, but he was probably doing that from memory.)  This memorial is a great example of multiple family generations recorded on one stone.  Seen here, after John, is his son George and his wife Mary Smith Good.  Next is George's daughter, Josephine, who died at age 24 and her unnamed infant daughter.  Finally, Laura Good Johnson, another daughter of George and Polly Good.
                                                    
One last thing, I wrote to the Lycoming Co. Historical Historical Society in search of an obituary for the old boy.  They found his will which was probated on August 26, 1872, Will Book number 3, page 533.  Awesome!  In the will John provides for the children of his son John.  One more proof of the family relationship. The Historical Society also told me "we have an original copy of the "Sexton Records and Death Records" of Lycoming county.  In this book, it is detailed that John Good was buried on August 24, 1872 in Wildwood Cemetery in Section 6."

So there you have it.  Sometimes it takes years to put all the clues together.  But I have finally proven the birth and death dates for this ancestor. Here is the link to some early research I collected on John Good Sr. back in 1997.  This family is full of men named Henry, John and George.  I have told the story of  Henry Good (1764-1829) our Revolutionary War Veteran.  Here you have read about his son John, Sr. Our line of descent continues from John, Sr. to John, Jr. (1808-1871) of Lower Mt. Bethel.  From there we have another Henry (1841-1919) of Civil War fame, whose son George was Ron's Great Granddad.

Sources:
  • Saint Luke's Union Church, Ferndale, Nockamixon Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania : known as Nockamixon Church, Pa, B.F. Fackenthal, Jr., 1933
  • Church record of the Lutheran and Reformed congregations in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County, 1774-1833 / copied by Wm. J. Hinke, 1934. 
  • History of Lycoming County Pennsylvania, edited by John F. Meginness; ©1892. "George Good"  http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-54.html. visited Nov.3, 2004. 
  • Find A Grave Memorial# 114625864, George Good
  • Find A Grave Memorial# 114675452, John Good, Senior
  • Lycoming Co. Historical Historical Society, Williamsport, PA
                                                           Copyright
This page  © 2016, Cynthia H. Smith

Send email to chsmith47@yahoo.com
This site may be linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent. The copyright on this page must appear on all copied and/or printed material.

GENEALOGY IS A WORK OF HEART
Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. It is with pleasure that I am able to present this information here for you to see. If you discover a relationship here, I would very much enjoy hearing from you.    

Monday, June 27, 2016

Daniel Weidman (1758 - 1841)

Daniel Weidman is an ancestor in the Smith family tree whose trail has not been easy to follow.  Widman, Wideman, Weidman or Widmon are all spelling variations of the name found in various records. Daniel and his wife Margaret were the third great grandparents of Edna May Frey Good, Ron's grandmother.  Her parents were Isaac and Mary Alice Fangboner Frey.  Isaac's parents were Sam Frey and Sarah Immick, whose grandparents were Tobias Morey and his wife Margaret Weidman, daughter of  Daniel and Margaret. 

While an exact marriage date for Daniel Weidman and his wife Margaret Labar has not been found the Records of Christ (Stone) Church, Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County, PA, which include baptisms and communion lists, provide clues to when they were married.  They were both single on September 17, 1786  when Daniel Weidman and Margaret LaBar were listed as sponsors at the baptism of Elizabeth Beck, the daughter of Jacob and Maria Beck. The birth of Anna Maria, daughter of Daniel and Margaret Weidman is not recorded in these records, but her confirmation into church membership is. She is noted to be the 19 year old daughter of Daniel Weidman when she was confirmed on April 4, 1806 making her born in 1787.  Therefore, Daniel and Margaret must have been married circa 1786 / 1787.  The birth records of their other children are all contained in the Records of Christ (Stone) Church, Upper Mt Bethel Twp, Northampton County, Pennsylvania.

When Daniel was 30 his name appears on the 1788 Federal Tax List, Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton, PA.   He does not yet own land, horses or cattle, but is charged a tax of one shilling.  He didn't loose any time building up his estate to support his growing family.





                                                                                                 Land Warrant 
 
Daniel Weidman and Philip Weidman
20 Feb 1795
112 acres
Mount Bethel, Northampton

An additional 180  acres was purchased on February 24, 1797. Warrant # 418.



When he died on October 5, 1841 he did not leave a will, but during his lifetime he acquired a sizable amount of land which needed to be disposed.  According to the Recorder of Deeds, Northampton County, Letters of  Attorney, vol 4 pp 62 - 64, Daniel's heirs divided his estate in seven separate transactions. On April 1, 1843, the heirs of Daniel Weidman included his widow Margaret  Weidman; sons, Philip, Ludwig, Daniel and Joseph Weidman and  daughters Mary Ratzel and her husband Jacob,  Margaret Morey  and her husband Tobias,  Magdalena Zeisloft and her husband Jacob,  Catharine Reickert and her husband Samuel, Sarah Oyer and her husband John.  They appointed John Weidman their attorney with the power to convey title to the   property owned by Daniel Weidman.  Our ancestor,  Tobias Morey husband of Margaret Weidman, purchased 5 acres 25 perches, for which he paid $123.75 for a timber lot which was part of the  farm originally owned by Henry Weidman, Daniel's father. Daniel and Margaret lived long and productive lives.  At the time of his death Daniel owned considerable property in Northampton Co. as evidenced by the sale of his real estate in 1843. 

John Humphery, in  Pennsylvania Gravestones, Northampton Co, PA  records Daniel Weidman's birth dates as Oct. 26, 1752.   However,  Tombstones in the Old Cemetery at Stone Church, Penna, transcribed by Atchley and  Atchley in the 1930’s, where he is buried in the Old Union Cemetery gives his birth year as 1758. 
His tombstone is difficult to read, but the age  inscribed appears to be 82 years, which would  make the calculated birth year of 1758 more likely.   His gravestone is marked with a flag and medallion to commemorate his service in the Revolutionary War. 


Notice that here on Margaret's gravestone, the name is spelled Wideman.  Margaret was born September 29, 1766 and died December 20, 1844 at the age of 78 years.   She is buried in the Old Union Cemetery in Stone Church, Upper Mount Bethel, PA.  She was the daughter of Abraham LaBar.

Daniel Widmon's Revolutionary Service record is found in the company rolls of Northampton Co., PA.  His name appears as Daniel Widmon serving as an 8th class private in the 4th Company of the 5th Battalion under Capt. John Long, May 1, 1782.  Also serving are his brothers: Jacob, who served as a  2nd class private in the 4th Company of the 5th Battalion under Capt. John Long, May 1, 1782 and  Philip who served as a  4th class private in the 4th Company of the 5th Battalion under Capt. John Long, May 1, 1782. "The within is a true state of the Classes of Capt. John Long's Company in Mount Bethal ... this second day of May 1782. JOHN LONG, Capt."

The rest of the story:
Earl and  Edna May Good were the parents of Dorothy Alice Good who married Clarence Smith. 
Sources:
  • Inscriptions, Alphabetically arranged, of the Tombstones in the Old Cemetery at Stone Church, Northampton County, Pa., transcribed by Kathryn Atchley and William Atchley.  Published by W.E. Wenner in Pennsylvania. 
  • John Humphery, Pennsylvania Gravestones, Northampton Co, PA , published by Larjon & Company, Inc., Washington, D.C., 2000.
  • Recorder of Deeds, Northampton County, Pa.  Deed book C9 p. 756.
  • Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Land Warrants and Applications, 1733-1952 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
  • PA Archives, Fifth Series, Vol. VIII  page 396

Please see this list of all My Revolutionary War Ancestors.
                                                          Copyright
This page  © 2016, Cynthia H. Smith

Send email to chsmith47@yahoo.com
All Rights Reserved.This site may be linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent. The copyright on this page must appear on all copied and/or printed material.

Friday, February 19, 2016

Michael Remaly (1731 - 1793)

On  August 5, 1765 Michael Remilie took out a land warrent for 32 acres of farm land (Roberts, p719).  Michael's farm land was all of the upper part of Main Street in what is now Slatington, Pennsylvania  and included what was known as Spruce Hill, Victory Park, Remaley's Spring and Remaley's Hotel. He owned 190 acres when his will was probated on January 16, 1793 in the Easton, Pennsylvania Courthouse.  The Remaley's, Michael, George and John and their father Ambrose, were some of the hardy men who cleared and farmed the land of this newly settled area in Lehigh County.

Illustrated Atlas of Lehigh County, 1876
The birth record for Michael has been researched by many including genealogist, Raymond E. Hollenbach.   Michael's birth was recorded  in the church records at Weisenheim-am-Sand in the Rhenish Palatinate, Western Germany on March, 2l, l731.  He is listed as Johan Michael Remeli, son of Ambrosius Remeli.  The microfilm records from the "Vereingte Protestantische Evang.-Chrsitl. Kirche der Plflz" now the United Protestant Evangelical Christian Church of the Pfalz in the city of  Weisenheim am Sand; Province: Rheinland-Pfalz are located in Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Ambrose Remeli, father of Michael,  arrived in Philadelphia with his family on the ship Lydia and qualified on October 13, 1749.  Annette Burgert (p270) names his wife as Anna Catharina Schick and the following children: Peter;  Joh. Georg;  Johannes;  Joh. Michael; Maria Magdalena;  Anna Maria and Joh. Philipp.  By 1751 the family of Ambrose and his sons, Michael, George and John are found in various  census, tax, and land sales records in the Lehigh Valley of Northampton County. There is a land warrant for 25 acres issued August 14, 1751 for property in Heidelberg Twp., Bucks Co, PA. which later became Washington Twp. in Lehigh Co. This was near Slatington.  Speculation may be made that Ambrose arrived with enough money to acquire land and settle his family without going the route of indentured servant as so many immigrants from the Palatinate needed to do to pay for their passage.

Tax list for Heidelberg Twp.
 In 1762 the name of  Michael Remely appears on the Tax list for Heidelberg Twp., Northampton Co.  He owed a tax of 5 pounds. (Roberts, p719).  Later Michael Reemaly, George Reemely, and George Remaly, Jr. are found  on the 1781 Tax list for Heidelberg Twp.  (Roberts, p720).

How did he serve in the Revolutionary War? Michael Romely signed the Oath of Allegiance  on August 25, 1777 under the authority of Justice of the Peace, Peter Meyer, Esq.  Also signing that day were George Romely and George Romely, Jun.  By signing the Oath they pledged to support the cause for the fight for independence from English rule.

The DAR holds a service record for Michael as Ancestor #: A095286.  In this record his spouse is given as Anna Maria.   Michael (Remely) Remaley enrolled in the Northampton County, Pennsylvania Militia.  He is listed as private in Conrad Ritter (Reader) 5th Company of the 3rd Battalion in 1778   He is a private in the 5th Class.   He is also listed as a private in the 5th class of the 5th company under Capt. Conrad Reader the 6th Battalion, Northampton County Militia, Oct. 26, 1780 and again in 1782.  The  3rd Battalion was later changed to 6th Battalion,  Northampton County Militia during Revolutionary War.  Also in the Class were George Remley Sen'r and George Remley Ju'r.  There is a General Class Roll dated October 26, 1780 in the records of the Comptroller General at the Division of Public Records, Harrisburg.  The Michael Remaley  residence is listed as Heidelberg Township.

It is not known when he married Anna Maria Vautrin.  Their children were: George, Ambrose, Catherine, Christina, John Jacob, Michael, William and Johan Heinrich.  The 1790 Census shows family of  Michel Romaley (Michael Ramaley) of Heidelberg, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania has 4 males over the age 16, 2 males under the age of  16 and 3 females.

James Ramaley on his Blog, "Ramaley Genealogy" discusses the many spelling variations of the family name and estimates that there are thousands of descendants of our immigrant Ambrose Remeli living in the United States today. Among those descendants are my children and husband Ron.  Ron's grandmother Beatrice Graver Smith was the granddaughter of Jennie Ellen (Genevieve) Lauer Graver Moore.   Jennie was the granddaughter of Julia Remeli, who was  the granddaughter of Michael Remaley.

Sources:
  • Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Tax and Exoneration, 1768-1801 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
  • PA Archives, Fifth Series, Vol. VIII  page 234, 449
  • Charles R. Roberts, History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Vol.I, Allentown, PA., 1914
  • James Remaley, http://ramaley.blogspot.com/2014_01_01_archive.html
  • Burgert, Annette K., Palatine Origins of Some Pennsylvania Pioneers. Myerstown, PA
  • Illustrated Atlas of Lehigh County, 1876, online http://ancestortracks.com/LehighCo.Atlas,1876.html.
Please see this list of all My Revolutionary War Ancestors.

                                                          Copyright

This page  © 2016, Cynthia H. Smith

Send email to chsmith47@yahoo.com
This site may be linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent. The copyright on this page must appear on all copied and/or printed material.

GENEALOGY IS A WORK OF HEART
Your comments and suggestions are appreciated. It is with pleasure that I am able to present this information here for you to see. If you discover a relationship here, I would very much enjoy hearing from you.    

Monday, January 4, 2016

Eleazer Davis (ca 1735 - ca 1820)

There is evidence to suggest that the father of Rachel Davis Lloyd who married Henry Lloyd was Eleazer Davis (circa 1735 - ca 1820) of Bedford Co. Pennsylvania.  The rub is, I can't prove it because I have not found that one tidbit of evidence, like a birth record or a mention of her name and his on a document, that would show a relationship between them.  According to John  Simpson Africa, Henry Lloyd, (circa1756 -1820) "settled on the farm which was afterwards occupied by his son Eleazer and which is now the home of his grandson, Henry.  Mr. Floyd Hoenstine, well known genealogist and librarian of Hollidaysburg. Pa. states, "I have examined many Davis wills and biographical sketches, but no where is the name Eleizer found except in the Davis and Lloyd families. And there are at least six of those."   Those two items are the best evidence so far that Eleazer Davis is the father of Rachel.
I love the name Eleazer!  He has to be Rachel's father, and even if he isn't he deserves to be recognized for his time and service in the War for Independence.
He was a Ranger, a duty that I imagine he performed throughout the time of the hostilities on the Bedford County frontier.   He is listed on the Pay Roll of  men under the command of Michael Johnson of the  Pennsylvania Rangers in Bedford Co. for 7 months in the year of 1781.   The name of Elizer David is listed with Capt. Boyd's company of Rangers, 20th April, Ano dom. 1781.   The Rangers  were mustered to protect the frontier from frequent and merciless Indian attacks.  Like the minute men of New England they were farmers who answered the call when an alarm was sounded.  It was their job to patrol the perimeter and watch for the approach of the enemy into the settlement.


This Abstract Card shows that he was paid 11 pounds, 4 pence for service in the Bedford Co. Militia.
The Pa Archives, 5th series, Volume 8 mentions his name several times.   On the Class Roll of  Capt. Wm. McCall's Company of the  3rd Battalion, Eliezer David,1st Class, the 9th of May, 1775.
On the Muster Roll of Captain Samuel Davidson's Company, in Colonel Smith's Battalion of Bedford County Associators the name Eleazer David appears, March 22, 1776.

Eleazer didn't leave a large footprint for his descendents to follow, but we do know from tax records that he had property, animals, a house and family. The following tax assessment  records were found.  In 1783,  Eliazer Davis of Bedford was assessed with one horse, one  lot and one cow for which a  State tax of  0.1.3 and a  county tax of  0.0.3 were paid.  In 1784, Eleazer Davis on the return for Bedford Township is assessed for one dwelling and 3 inhabitants.   Elizer Davis of Bedford paid a state tax of  0.0.8 in 1789.  In the 1790 census for Bedford Twp., Eleazer Davis is listed as the  head of a household consisting of one adult over 16 (self) and three females. It is unknown who his wife was. Church records that would show the names of his children on the occasion of their baptism have not been found by this family historian. His final resting place or gravestone marker for him or his wife have not been located.  There are many unanswered questions regarding the life of Eleazer Davis.  If a reader has information to add to this narrative, I would be delighted to hear from you.

The time period that Rachel Davis  was born is the late 1760's.  She died somewhere between 1820 and 1830.  Birth and death dates for her husband, Henry Lloyd are just as elusive.  He was born about 1756 and died after 1820.  Rachel and Henry were the parents of Catherine Lloyd who  became the wife of William States, of McConnellstown.  Catherine and William States were the parents of Abraham who married Catherine Mumper and they became the parents of Ann Eliza States, my great, great grandmother.  Eliza States married Ben Heffner and had a daughter named Ella Mae who married Rev.  Howard Long.  They had a daughter named Eliza who married Homer McEwen, my grandparents.  Rachel, Rachel, Rachel, I just want to know who your father was. 



Source:
  • Revolutionary War Military Abstract Card File, http://www.digitalarchives.state.pa.us/archive.asp. 
  • PA Archives, 5th Series,  Volume V,  Muster Rolls and Papers Relating to the  Associators and Militia of the County of Bedford.
  • Revolutionary War  Military Abstract Card File, http://www.digitalarchives.state.pa.us/archive.asp
  • Africa, J. Simpson. History of Huntingdon and Blair counties, Pennsylvania.  Walker Township Pioneers. Published 1883.  https://openlibrary.org/books/OL24143417M.
  • Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Tax and Exoneration, 1768-1801.
Please see this list of all My Revolutionary War Ancestors.
                                                          Copyright
This page  © 2016, Cynthia H. Smith

Send email to chsmith47@yahoo.com
All Rights Reserved.This site may be linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent. The copyright on this page must appear on all copied and/or printed material.