A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy

Michael Frantz of Lower Paxton Township

Kris Hocker on 13 Apr 2013

On 30 October 1860, Michael and Elizabeth Frantz of Swatara Township sold to Michael A Frantz 93 acres that had been part of a tract that Michael (the father) had inherited—along with his sisters Elizabeth and Mary—from their father Michael Frantz.¹ Michael Frantz Sr. died in Lower Paxton Township (now Swatara Township) Dauphin County sometime between 25 June 1793, when he and his wife Franny sold land to Susanna Eaglea, and 17 October 1797 when his administrators John Nissley and Christian Frantz settled his administration account.² Here’s what I found in the Dauphin County Orphans Court Book.

John Niesley and Christian France Administrators of all and singular Goods and Chattles Rights and Credits which were of Michael France late of Paxton Township deceased appeared in Court and produced their account upon the administration of the Estate of the said deceased duly passed before the Register from which there appears to be a balance in their hands of three hundred and seventy five pounds eleven shillings and eleven pence which account upon examination the Court do approve and allow and direct that the said balance after deducting thirteen shillings and two pence the expence of this Court be distributed according to Law

The Court appoint Christian France of Manheim Township in the County of Lancaster Guardian of the person and estate of Mary France a minor daughter under the age of fourteen years of Michael France late of Lower Paxton Township deceased during her minority.

Elizabeth France a minor daughter above the age of fourteen years of Michael France late of Lower Paxton Township deceased comes into Court and chooses Christian France of Manheim Township in the County of Lancaster Guardian of her Estate during her minority and the Court approve of and appoint the said Christian France her Guardian accordingly.

The Court appoint Jacob France of Manor Township in the County of Lancaster Guardian of the persons and estates of John France, Michael France and Veronica France minor children under the age of fourteen of Michael France late of Lower Paxton Township decease during their respective minorities³

I find it quite probable that Christian and Jacob Frantz—guardians of his children—were relatives, perhaps brothers, of Michael Frantz. John Nissley was likely the brother of Michael’s wife Feronica “Franny” (Nissley) Frantz.⁴

Michael and Feronica (Nissley) Frantz had children:

Elizabeth Frantz (28 Mar 1780—2 May 1850)⁵ married Rev. John Mumma (11 Mar 1776—3 Aug 1859)⁶
Mary Frantz (after 17 October 1783—?) ⁷ married Jacob Snavely
John Frantz (after 17 October 1783—before 1807).
Michael Frantz (22 May 1789—5 Jun 1866) married twice—first to Elizabeth Neidig, daughter of John and Mary (Bear) Neidig, and second to Elizabeth Walters, daughter of Jacob and Anna (Stauffer) Walters
Veronica Frantz (after 17 October 1783—before 19 May 1810).

Michael Frantz Jr. was the father of Anna Frantz, my 3x great grandmother and wife of Levi Hocker, who died mysteriously in 1876.

Surname Saturday: Emanuel John Wieder

Kris Hocker on 6 Apr 2013

My great great grandfather Emanuel John Wieder was born on 11 November 1855, most likely in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.¹ He was the youngest son of Saulus and Anna (Mechling) Wieder of Lower Milford Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.

Emanuel and Alavesta (Dillinger) Wieder, ca 1915

On 10 June 1878, he married Alavesta “Vesta” Esther Dillinger, daughter of Willam D. and Helena (Person) Dillinger of Lehigh County. She was born 19 Oct 1857, likely in Upper Milford Township.²

E.J. Wieder, Sr. was initially a teacher and a farmer, but—due to health concerns, I believe—became a bank cashier, working his way up to bank president by 1929.³ He built a house on main street in Pennsburg in 1902 and moved his family from the farm in Lower Milford Township into town.⁴

He died of stomach cancer on 26 July 1929 in Pennsburg and was buried in St. Mark’s Union Church cemetery on the 30th.⁵ Vesta had died on 11 January 1923 in Pennsburg of angina and Bright’s disease. She was buried in St. Mark’s Union Church cemetery on the 16th.⁶

E.J. and Vesta had the following children:

Edwin J. Wieder (29 March 1880—22 January 1960) married Mary Catharine Waage (27 October 1877—28 November 1970)
Cora Anna Wieder (June 1886—1964) married Vallandingham S. Trumbore (23 October 1883—August 1968)
John William Wieder (1 September 1887—November 1972) married Katherine Jane Gruelich (22 March 1887—September 1960)

Photo courtesy of John William Wieder Jr.

Wordless Wednesday: 1839 Democratic Ticket for Dauphin County

Kris Hocker on 27 Mar 2013

Martin Hocker of Derry Township as part of the 1839 Dauphin County Democratic Ticket

A Great Sickness at Harrisburg The Landis Mill Dam Incident

Kris Hocker on 20 Mar 2013

Yellow fever is one of those diseases that was of grave concern to our ancestors. About 1793, Philadelphia was experiencing an outbreak of the disease and when a febrious illness began to manifest in Harrisburg, there was great concern that it had reached them, too.¹

Efforts were made to protect the town and its inhabitants—the posting of guards on the roads, turning away travelers, etc. But the general feeling amongst the town’s inhabitants was that the disease was caused by the stagnant waters behind a dam on Paxton Creek. The mill was owned by Peter, John and Abraham Landis.

Articles of agreement were written between John Harris, founder of Harrisburg, and the three Landis men on 16 April 1790. Harris granted them “a mill seat on the waters of Paxton Creek the race whereof to be taken out of the said creek at any place between the two bridges now erected over the same opposite Harrisburgh aforesaid and to be dug or carried through the land of the said John Harris.”² The men paid £600, plus interest, and were required to provide a sufficient merchant mill within three years.

Then the sickness came.

On 5 May 1794, a meeting was held and a committee designed to meet with the Landis’ and offer them £2500 in exchange for the mill.³ They met with the men the next day. The Landis’ refused to sell.

By January 1795, the inhabitants were determined to take action. At a meeting on 16 January 1795, it was voted to pay the Landis’ £2600 for the mill, and that in case the Landis’ again refused to sell, they would “prostrate the dam erected… and pay our proportionate parts of all legal expenses and damages that may accrue on any suit or suits.”⁴ An assessment was made on all property in the borough in order to make up the amount of the offer.⁵ Amongst those assessed for property in town were John, Adam, and Christopher Hocker. A George Hocker—possibly their brother—was assessed as a single man, too.

Apparently, the Landis men were still not willing to sell and instead asked for £2000 for the water-rights alone. The committee apparently believed this was little more than extortion. They refused the counter-offer.

On Saturday, 18 April 1795, the committee and a number of inhabitants went to the dam and with four persons they had hired “opened the creek bed twelve feet wide.”⁶ This, for all intents and purposes, ruined the dam.

On 29 April 1795, with the dam all but destroyed and no other options, the Landis’ sold the mill property and equipment to a committee comprised of Stacy Potts, Moses Gilmore, William Grayson, Jacob Bucher, John Keen, John Dentzel and Alexander Berryhill.⁷

The Landis Family

Peter, John, and Abraham Landis may have been, I believe, brothers ~~and sons of Felix Landis~~.

Felix Landis of Derry Township died after writing his will on 25 Jan 1770.⁸ He left his property on Spring Creek to his two sons—Peter and Jacob. Peter, in particular, inherited that piece of the tract “whereupon the house and barn and mill is standing.” This indicates to me that the mill business was a family industry.

All three men were of Derry Township in 1790 when they purchased the water rights from John Harris.⁹ In 1795 when they sold out, Peter and Eva, his wife, were of Derry Township, John and Catharine, his wife, were of Londonderry Township, and Abraham and Barbara, his wife, were of Paxton Township.¹⁰

Will: Henry Landis (1785)

Kris Hocker on 18 Mar 2013

Henry Landis of Derry Township wrote his last will and testament on 26 April 1785 and it was proven on 29 November 1785. It was written in German. I found this translation in Dauphin County Will Book A, page 34.

1785 will of Henry Landis of Derry Township

The translation from the German of the last Will & Testament of Henry Lands

In the name of god Amen April 26th 1785.
I Henry Landis living in Derry Township Lancaster County am sick of the body but yet of Sound Knowledge therefore it is my Will where with the lord blessed me I dispose of as follows

First it is my last Will & Testament that my wife Anna shall have one bed and bedstead Two cows one Horse [Creative?] the Saddle and Briddle thereto and the horse on a ture[??] and Cows to be fed with their own & to be pastured with their own and the Third of the Personal Estate all that I have and to Live in my house or to have one built for her and well Finished out and Fire wood to be brought home and but short Short for her as much as She shall nead [sic] and the one half of the Kitchen Garden which is also to be Duly Dugned [dunged?] and Rowed, and apple as many as She shall Need or the Third Part of the Orchard and the Third Part of the Income of the Place of all they Shall Plant or Sow & two Sheep to be Kept and Fed for her Widowhood & not Longer; and him who Possesseth my Place Shall Deliver the Grain on the loft well clained [sic] the Meadow Shall belong to him whom hath the place but if he Doth not Feed the Horse and Cows well for my Said Wif [sic] She Shall have a Right to Take Fother [sic] as much as will be necessary for such Chattle [sic] as above mentioned

Item It is my will that my Son Felix Shall have my place which I now live on for eight Hundred Pounds Good and Lawful money and he shall pay every year Twenty five Pounds until the whole is paid and he Shall of What Remaineth have not more than one of my others and my Son Henry shall Draw the First Payment as much as Shall be coming to him for the Share of my Estate and my other Children Each of them Shall Receive Twenty-five pounds according to sincerity[?] yearly untill [sic] the Whole is Paid and my Said son Felix Shall have my PLace to him and his heirs as above specified or mentioned

Item It is my Last Will & Testament I nominate & coose [sic] for Executors Christian Stauffer and my Brother Son John Landis which I Acknowledge with my own hand in Present of these Presents

Christian Obre
Martin Bradnt[?] } Henry his X mark Landis (seal)

Proved this twenty ninth day of November one thousand seven hundred & Eighty Five

J Montgomery Reg^r¹

Henry Landis was my 6x great grandfather.

Friday Find: Henry Landis Renunciation

Kris Hocker on 15 Mar 2013

I’ve been working on the narrative for Martin Hocker (1768-1862) for my A Hacker-Hocker Family recently and I realized that I don’t have much information on his daughter Christianna, born 24 Nov 1808, who married Henry Landis.¹

Henry is a common first name in the Landis family; so I’m reviewing documents and trying to piece information together. In my search of Dauphin County deeds, I found the following document.²

In it Henry Landis refused to take the property his father—Henry Landis Sr. of Swatara Township—left to him in his will. A standard enough document. But what caught my eye were the witnesses—Benjamin and Martin Hocker!

Benjamin Hocker was most likely the youngest son of Johan Adam Hocker Jr. of Derry Township. His older brother George—my 4X great grandfather—married Mary Magdalena Landis, daughter of Henry Landis Sr. of Swatara township, on 2 Mar 1819.³

I thought at first that Martin Hocker was likely the son of Martin Hocker Sr. of Derry Township. But then I did the math. Martin Jr. would have been only 17 in 1829. It’s far more likely that he was actually Martin Hocker Sr. If so, then it’s quite possible that this is the Henry Landis who married Christianna Hocker, Martin’s daughter, on 18 Oct 1825.⁴

While this doesn’t actually prove that this Henry married Christianna Hocker—there’s no mention of her in the deed—it does prove that Henry Landis Jr. was associated with Benjamin Hocker and Martin Hocker by June of 1829.

Wordless Wednesday: Henry & Saraphine (Witmer) Snyder

Kris Hocker on 13 Mar 2013

A photo of Henry D. and Saraphine K. (Witmer) Snyder, possibly taken in front of the Greulich home in Landsdale, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, circa 1912. The Snyders owned and lived on a farm on School House Road just outside East Greenville, Pennsylvania near the New Goshenhoppen Church.

York County, Pennsylvania, Orphans Court Records, 1749-1840

Kris Hocker on 8 Feb 2013

I’ve been using the “York County, Pennsylvania Orphans Court Records index, 1749-1840” in researching the families associated with Ulrich Hoover of Adams and York counties. Since I’ve had to go back several times, I’ve been bookmarking the start of surname starting letter sections as I use them.

Randy Seaver suggested in one of his Follow-up Friday posts that bloggers who use the “browse only” databases on FamilySearch.org should “expose these records to the masses, and te[a]ch them how to use them.” So, I thought I’d share these bookmarks to help other York County, Pennsylvania researchers quickly start browsing the index. Then—since it’s a snowy afternoon and there’s nothing else to do—I thought I’d complete the list of links so that it includes each starting letter.

There are 128 film frames in this index. Here are links to the first frame for each surname starting letter:

What are Orphans Court Records?

Why should you care about the Orphans Court records?

Despite the name, these records don’t pertain only to orphans. The Orphans Court dealt with probate issues for those who had died intestate (without a will) and with the appointment of guardians for estate matters for minors. In these records you will find:

appointment of guardians,
petitions to partition real estate,
petition for valuation,
real estate returns—the report from the partition inquest,
valuation returns,
order of real estate sale, and
account administrations—although only the record of its being reported, not the full account details.

You may also find the details of who received the real estate owned by the intestate. This usually includes how much they were ordered to pay to the other heirs or legatees and the names of these heirs. All very useful information.

How to Use the Index

In order to use these records, click on a link above to go to the starting page for the first letter of the surname you want to research. Each individual volume—book A, book B, etc.—is indexed by name separately. The dates the volume covers are listed with each volume. Scroll through the pages to look for a volume that covers your target time frame, then look for your surname. Don’t forget to look at volumes for the years after your target. Estates can take years to settle.

Once you’ve found the volume you want to view, click on the county name—”York”—to view the list of books available. Volumes A through 2X are available for York County, Pennsylvania. Click on the appropriate link to pull up that set of volumes. (Sometimes it’s easier to open a second tab so you can keep the index pages available to view.)

You’ll probably need to jump through the images a bit to find the correct volume and page. Just remember, in these volumes one image covers two pages. To skip 100 pages ahead, you’ll only need to move 50 images forward.

Take some time to explore a bit. You’ll get the hang of it! And if you have questions, just let me know. I’d be glad to help.

Ulrich Hoover: Visualizing Connections

Kris Hocker on 5 Feb 2013

There are several questions that have come up in researching Ulrich Hoover of Adams and York counties. In a previous post, I suggested that there were two Ulrich Hoovers married to women named Anna Maria in this general area. Were there? If so, how do I determine which one records pertain to? Was there a familial relationship between them? If so, what was it? Were they related to any other families in the area? How?

I could go on and on with questions. But the next step—answering them—is not so clear. I have data I’ve found through Ancestry, but what does it really mean? Since I think better visually, I decided to create a diagram to show the links that I’ve found between Ulrich Hoover(s) and other individuals/families.

Connections diagram (click to enlarge)

I separated the two Ulrichs somewhat arbitrarily. Since I’m using mostly baptismal records, I split the overlapping records by source—Rev. Jacob Lischy’s private pastoral records vs. the records from St. Jacob’s (Stone) Church. There is some overlap in the births in the two families. For instance, I believe Johan Daniel Huber¹ was baptized the same year as Susanna Huber.² Ulrich Huber [1] and wife Anna Maria were sponsoring children after Ulrich Huber [2] was having children with his second wife Susanna.

In the diagram, I found the Keller name popping up repeatedly. Jacob and Esther (Sprenckel) Keller were sponsors for Jacob Huber, son of Ulrich and Anna Maria (__) Huber [1].³ Ulrich Huber [2] was one of the executors of George Keller’s estate.⁴ Ulrich Huber’s [2] son-in-law, John Philip Keller, was the administrator of Matthias Brodeck’s estate. Matthias Brodbeck was married to Catharina Keller, daughter of George Keller, for whom Ulrich was an executor.⁵

The Linckefelder (Lingenfelter) name also shows up. Jacob Lingenfelter was a neighbor of Ulrich Huber [2]⁶ for some years and Ulrich’s third wife was his daughter, Maria Eva.⁷ Görg Linckefelder, a possible sibling of Jacob, was a baptismal sponsor for Anna Maria Huber, daughter of Ulrich Huber [1].⁸ Abraham Keller, possibly father of John Philip Keller, was the sponsor for Elisabetha Barbara Linckefelder, Jacob’s daughter.⁹ Johannes and Magdalena (__) Keller were sponsors for Johannes Linckefelder, Jacob’s son,¹⁰ and also Anna Magdalena Runck, daughter of Peter and Anna Catharina (___) Runck.¹¹

The multiple connections between the Kellers and Lingenfelders was curious and made me wonder about the relationship. In 1774, Jacob Lingefelter was named as guardian for Valentine, Margaret, Magdalena, and Anna Maria Runck, children of Peter and Catharina Runck.¹² As guardians are usually relatives or people of standing in the community, this pointed to the possibility that Catharina was Jacob’s sister.

I believe that they most likely were siblings. An Anna Catharina Lingenfeldter, daughter of Michael and Maria Barbara Lingenfeldter, was born on 30 May and baptized 31 May 1722 in Rohrbach-Steinweiler, Pfalz, Germany.¹³ Michael and Maria Barbara Lingenfeldter also had a daughter Magdalena, born 30 Jan 1713,¹⁴ a son named Johan Jacob, born 5 May 1725,¹⁵ and a son Georg, born 13 May 1730,¹⁶ among others, all baptized in Rohrbach-Steinweiler, Pfalz, Germany.

Searching the FamilySearch Germany indexes, I also found a marriage between Johannes Keller, son of Hans Michael Keller, and Magdalena Lingenfelder, daughter of Hans Michel Lingenfelder, on 20 Jan 1736 in Rohrbach-Steinweiler.¹⁷ In the German births index, I found the following children of Johannes and Maria Magdalena (Lingenfelder) Keller:

Maria Margaretha Keller, born 27 Oct 1737, bapt. 1 Nov 1737¹⁸
Abraham Keller, born 3 Jul 1740, bapt. 3 Jul 1740¹⁹
Johann Philipp Keller, born 9 Nov 1743, bapt. 11 Nov 1743²⁰
Johannes Keller, born 12 Dec 1746, bapt. 16 Dec 1746²¹
Johann Michael Keller, born 1 Dec 1749, bapt. 3 Dec 1749²²

The sibling connection explains the multiple ties through the baptism records. Jacob, Görg, Magdalena, and Anna Catharina were all Lingenfelder siblings. John and Magdalena Keller’s son Abraham was the sponsor for his cousin Elisabetha Barbara Lingenfelder in 1760. Abraham’s brother Philip Keller was the sponsor for his son Johan Philip Keller in 1765.²³ This also explains the continued connection between Philip Keller and his nephew (and most likely namesake), John Philip Keller, who married Magdalena Huber, daughter of Ulrich and Anna Maria (__) Huber.²⁴

Conclusions

While I didn’t really learn a great deal about the two Ulrich Hubers, the diagram I created provided insight and research direction for those connected to them. I learned a great deal about the family of Ulrich Huber’s [2] third wife, Maria Eva Lingenfelder. And I’m very curious about the connections between the various Kellers.

Hopefully, if I expand this type of exploration to the other people connected to the two Ulrichs, I may make additional connections that tell me something about these families, their origins, and/or relationship to other Huber families in the area.

Lancaster County Hoover Families of the 18th Century

Kris Hocker on 28 Jan 2013

I‘ve just finished indexing my latest writing endeavor “The Huber-Hoover Families of 18th Century Lancaster County.”

This book is a compilation of raw data I’ve gathered and includes deed abstracts, warrant and patent lists, and last will & testament transcriptions for Hoovers across Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in records from 1729 through 1800.

It represents a large chunk of my Hoover surname research and the data has been instrumental in helping to build a clearer picture of these early families. I hope it will help you!

Stay tuned for the publication information or sign-up for the mailing list for the book “Hoover Families of Lancaster County.”