A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy
the genealogy & family research site of Kris Hocker
The next installment in the Unidentified Pennsylvanians series features a photo of a young man in uniform. He may have lived in the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania area and may have been either a friend of or related to either the Greulich, Wieder, Waage, Snyder, or Witmer families. The photo was likely taken in the early 20th century.
For more photos visit the Unidentified People photo gallery.
William Hocker and Isabella Smith, 1914 Marriage Record
My great grandparents, William Hocker and Isabella Aitken Smith were married on 13 October 1914 in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. This is a transcription of their application for marriage license.
Application for Marriage License
No. 153 F3
County of Dauphin, SS
We, the undersigned, in accordance with the statements hereinafter contained, the facts set forth wherein we and each of us do solemnly swear are true to the best of our knowledge and belief, do hereby make application to the Clerk of the Orphans’ Court of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, for a license to marry.
William H. Hocker
Isabella A Smith
Statement of Male
Full name and surname: William Hocker
Color: White
Relationship of parties making this application, if any, either by blood or marriage: None
Occupation: Carpenter
Birthplace: Dauphin Co., Pa
Residence: Hbg, Pa
Age: 24 yrs
Previous marriage or marriages: None
Date of death of former wife or wives: —
Is applicant afflicted with any transmissible disease: None
Name and surname of father: Albert C.
of mother: Lillian
Maiden name of mother: Leedy
Residence of father: Cumberland Co., Pa
of mother: same
Color of father: White
of mother: white
Occupation of father: Farmer & Carpenter
of mother: Housewife
Birthplace of father: Dauphin Co, Pa
of mother: Perry Co., Pa
Is applicant an imbecile, epileptic, of unsound mind, or under guardianship as a person of unsound mind, or under the influence of any intoxicating liquor or narcotic drug? No
Has applicant, within five years, been an inmate of any county asylum of home for indigent persons? No
Is applicant physically able to support a family? YesSignature of application [signature]
Statement of Female
Full name and surname: Isabella A Smith
Color: white
Occupation: Telephone Operator
Birthplace: Dauphin Co., Pa
Residence: Hbg, Pa.
Age: 21 yrs
Previous marriage or marriages: none
Date of death or divorce of former husbands: none
Name and surname of father: William
of mother: Elizabeth
Maiden name of mother: Bonnington
Residence of father: Decd
Color of father: —
of mother: Hbg, Pa. – white
Occupation of father: —
of mother: Housewife
Birthplace of father: Scotland
of mother: Edinburgh, Scotland
Is Applicant an imbecile, epileptic, of unsound mind, or under guardianship as a person of unsound mind, or under the influence of any intoxicating liquor or narcotic drug NoSignature of applicant [signature]
Sworn and subscribed before me this 13th day of Oct A.D. 1914
[Seal][signature] Clerk of the Orphans’ Courtduly attested and acknowledged consent of
to this marriage filed.In accordance with the above application of a Marriage License was issued in due form of law, this 13th day of Oct A.D. 1914.
[signature] Clerk of the Orphans’ Court
duplicate Certificate signed by Rev. H. Everett Hallman certifying to the solemnization of said marriage at Harrisburg Pa on Oct 13-14, received and filed.
“Pennsylvania County Marriages, 1885-1950” @FamilySearch.org includes images from the marriage dockets from local courthouses. I’ve found some of my relatives, but not all of the records that I already have from the actual books.
The earliest established settlement in Lancaster County occurred in the fall of 1710 while it was still a part of Chester County. A small group of Mennonites made a deal for land with William Penn. He wrote to the Ambassador in the Netherlands in April 1710 telling him of a party coming to Holland in order to go to Pennsylvania.1
We know their names because this group wrote a letter to the Mennonite leaders in Amsterdam dated 27 June 1710 to thank them for their assistance. They were on their way to Pennsylvania, expecting to sail within a few days to Gravesend, England and from there to America.2 The letter was signed by Martin Oberholtzer, Martin Kendig, Christian Herr, Jacob Müller, Martin Meili, and Hans Herr. Their ship, the Maria Hope, arrived in Philadelphia 23 September 1710.
On 8 October 1710 land warrants were issued to Martin Kundig, Martin Meily, Christian Herr, John Herr, Wendell Bowman, John Bundely, Christopher Franciscus, and Jacob Müller.3 Martin Oberholtzer, an original member of the group, did not participate in the land purchase. Surveyor James Taylor was ordered on 10 October 1710 to survey 10,000 acres for the Colony of “Swissers lately arrived in this Province” at Pequea.4 The area they settled includes present day Willow Street, stretching across West Lampeter Township over Pequea Creek and into Strasburg Township and Strasburg village. The purchase was divided amongst these men on 12 April 1711.5
Original Pequea Settlement Land Warrants
About 1715 or 1716, Martin Kendig returned to Europe to convince other Mennonite families to come to Pennsylvania. On 22 November 1717, Martin Kendig & Co. (John Herr) were issued a warrant for 5,000 acres in Chester County (now part of Lancaster County).6 I found the following in the Copied Survey Books:
Pensilvania SS
(Seal) By the Commissioners of Property
At the Requests of Martin Kundigg and Hans Heer both of the Township of Strasburg in this Province that we would Grant them to take up Several Tracts among the late Surveys made on Conestoga and Paque Creek the quantity of ffive Thousand Acres of Land for which they agree to pay to the Proprietrs use ffive hundred pounds Mony of the said Province for the whole or in Proportion should there be Returnd upon the Survey thereof more or less and the Yearly quitrent of one Shilling Sterling for every hundred Acres These are to Authorize and Require thee to Survey or cause to be Survey’d unto the said Martin Kundigg and Hans Herr among the said late surveys according to the Method of Townships appointed in several Regular Tracts the quantity of ffive Thousand Acres of Land that hath not been already Survey’d nor appropriated nor is Seated by ye Indians and make Returns thereof into the Secretarys Office which surveys by thee mad by Vertue hereof in case the said Martin & Hans fulfill the above agreement by paying down the said sum of Mony upon the Returns of the said surveyes shall be Valid otherwise the same is to be Void as if it had never been made of this Warrant ever granted Given under our hands and Seal of the Province at Philada the 22d day of 9br [November] Anno Din 1717Richard Hill
Isaac Norris
James Logan
To Jacob Taylor Surveyr General
In Testimony that the above is a copy of the original remaining on file in the Department of Internal Affairs of Pennsylvania made conformably to an Act of Assembly approved the 16th day of February 1833, I have hereunto set my Hand and caused the Seal of said Department to be affixed at Harrisburg, this Thirtieth day of March 1909
Henry Hauck
Secretary of Internal Affairs7
The Chester County Old Rights Index notes a number of surveys associated with this warrant. They include:
I don’t know if these add up to 5,000 acres—some of the surveys are duplicates or overlap previous surveys; some include land from separate warrants. But they should be a good representation of the Kendig & Herr 5,000 acre warrant as divided amongst Lancaster settlers after November 1717.
If you’re searching for information on early immigrant ancestors who settled in Lancaster County, you can find land information at the website of the Pennsylvania State Archives. The warrant registers for Lancaster County will list warrants issued starting in 1733. For earlier records, try the Old Rights Registers for Philadelphia, Bucks and Chester counties—Chester is the best place to start for pre-1729 Lancaster records.
If you know who the land was patented to, but not who it was warranted to, try the Patent Indexes. That will give you the warrantee and warrant date. The warrantee township maps are also a good place to look if you’d like to see where your ancestor’s property was located. The files are listed by the modern townships, so you’ll need to know the relationship between the historical townships and the modern ones. If you don’t, try this map at the Lancaster Historical Society’s website.
Lancaster deeds for this period are also available online. You can read more on how to use the online reader and where to find images from the Grantors index. Unfortunately, the . Deeds and deed indexes are available through the Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds and FamilySearch.Grantees indexes are not online, so you may have to get creative to find what you’re looking for
Have you found a Lancaster County ancestor in online records? What did you learn about them?
I found Elizabeth Shown Mills’ Historic Pathways thanks to a post by Randy Seaver on Google+. Browsing her articles, I chose one almost randomly—“The Search for Margaret Ball”—and started reading. I was instantly engrossed. The search for Margaret Ball’s origins was quite the mystery, the research enlightening. Of course, I had to go on and read “In Search of ‘Mr. Ball’: An Exercise in Finding Fathers.” It, too, was eye-opening.
That’s the kind of genealogy I want to do—the kind I hope I am capable of. If you get a chance, stop by her website and read some of her articles. You won’t be disappointed.
On 13 February 1805, the Martic Township school board included:
They were all of Martic, Strasburg and Conestoga Townships, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. 1 Adam Kochenauer had allowed them to build a one-story, stone schoolhouse, fronting the public road. It sat on approximately 22 perches of land that he sold to the school board.
On 22 November 1717, Martin Kendig (Kendick, Kendrick, Cundigg) and John Herr (Heer) were warranted 5,000 acres in Lancaster County by the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania. They, in turn, transferred this land to their fellow immigrants. Among these was Hans Line.
John Taylor surveyed 200 acres on a branch of Pequea Creek for Hans Line on 20 8ber [October] 1728 in right of Martin Kendig and John Herr.1 Adjoining landholders at the time of the survey included: Jacob Boyer (formerly Christian Stone), Abraham Smith (formerly Martin Boyer), and Christian Prenaman. Hans Line patented this tract on 14 April 1735.2 (See lighter blue section on map below.)
On 21 December 1750, John Line was warranted 23 1/2 acres, adjoining the 200 acre Hans Line tract.3 This tract was surveyed 23 December 1750 and patented to John Line on 9 April 1753.4,5 (See dark blue section on map above.) At the time of the survey, this tract adjoined land of Henry Boyer, Ulric “Hower” [Hoober], and John “Hower” [Hoober].
The following spring, on 24 March 1754, John Lyne and Barbara his wife sold 200 acres to John Lyne Jr.6 John Lyne Jr. was apparently the son of John and Barbara Lyne. The deeds where John Lyne [Jr.] transfers this land state “…the said John Lyne the father…did grant…unto the said John Lyne (party hereto) by the name John Lyne Jr…”
Figure 2: Christian and Henry Line tracts
John Line Jr. apparently decided to retire from farming in 1785. On 8 Dec 1785, he divided the 200 acres his parents had sold him between Henry Line and Christian Line.7 (Refer to map above.) Neither of the deeds refers to John’s wife, nor did she sign either deed, indicating that she was already deceased.
Christian apparently took responsibility for caring for John Line as John sold him the additional 23 1/2 acres he’d patented in exchange for “good and decent boarding, washing, lodging, and apparel for him the said John Lyne Sr.” for the rest of his natural life. 8
According to the deed, Henry’s tract adjoined Jacob Boyers, Christian Brenneman, and John Lyne’s other property. However, by 1785 Jacob Boyer(s) had sold his adjoining tract to Jacob Boyers Jr.9 Jacob Boyers Jr., in turn, sold it in two tracts to Rudy Miller and Henry Boyers.10,11 The tract indicated for Christian Brenneman (if it’s the same as in the survey), was patented to Jacob Huber in 1759.12 He left it to his son Christian in his last will and testament.13 Christian then sold it to John Jacob Gochenour, whose heirs released it to his son Jacob in 1780.14
Christian’s adjacent neighbors were listed as Abraham Smith and Jacob Boyer. The transfers of Jacob Boyer’s property have already been mentioned. Abraham Smith’s tract, meanwhile, had passed to Henry Boyer by 1750.15 Henry Boyer’s heirs sold it to their new step-father Rudy Miller in 1776.16
John Line apparently passed away sometime shortly before 25 November 1805.17 The online will abstract lists as children: Henry, John, Jacob, Mary (wife of Jacob Warner), Ann (wife of Jacob Shallenberger), Christian, Abraham, Barbara (wife of Michael Shenk), and Elizabeth (wife of George Markley).18
On 21 July 1813, Christian and Feronica Line sold to their son Christian Jr. 23 acres two quarters nine perches, adjoining Henry Boyer, Henry Resh, the widow Brenneman and Christian Line Sr.19 This deed specifically outlines the passing of the land from John Line to his son John Line to his son Christian Line Sr. and then to his son Christian Line Jr., stating the tract was granted “…unto a certain John Line (Grandfather to the said Christian Line Senr.).”
Henry Line died sometime between 2 or 7 August 1815 and 11 November 1816.20 His property was passed on to his son John who sold five acres to Christian Hess on 16 April 1819.21 John is the only child mentioned in the will abstract. His wife is named as Anna, and his executors were Martin Funck and Henry Rush. Henry Rush was most likely a neighbor (see Christian Line’s deed above) and Martin Funck was most likely his brother-in-law. A deed pertaining to the settlement of a Martin Funk of Manor Township lists Anna, wife of Henry Line of Conestoga Township as his daughter and Martin Funck as his son (among others).22
I’m sure you’ve heard or read that learning about your ancestor’s neighbors can greatly assist your family research. None of our ancestors lived in isolation. They had family, friends and neighbors who often shared their language and customs. These social groups often intermarried, moved and settled together, and sold land to or purchased land from each other. They stood as witnesses to deeds and wills, served as administrators of estates or executors of wills, or lent money for mortgages so their children or those of their friends or family could purchase property. Learning about these relationships can provide important clues about your ancestor.
I’m starting a new series of articles that will trace land transfers on Pequea Creek from the original warrantee through 1800. Deeds can provide not only a place of residence and timeline of locations for your ancestor, but can also give you the names of heirs, maiden names for the women in the family, and an insight into the social groups and relationships of your ancestor. I started tracing deeds to try to get a clearer picture of the families who lived around the Huber/Hoover families I’ve been researching. I keep running into people who share the same name, but clearly—because of conflicting details—can’t be the same person. I’m hoping the deeds will help me start to identify individuals and align them with the correct families.
In the meantime, I’ve compiled quite a bit of information. I’m sharing it in hopes that it may also help another researcher. If it does, I’d love to hear from you.
The first article will feature Hans Line of Conestoga (now Pequea) Township.
The next installment in the Unidentified Pennsylvanians series features a photo of a young man. He may have lived in the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania area and may have been either a friend of or related to either the Greulich, Wieder, Waage, Snyder, or Witmer families. The photo was likely taken in the early 20th century.
For more photos visit the Unidentified People photo gallery.
Here’s another photo from the Unidentified Pennsylvanians series. It features a photo of a young man. He may have lived in the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania area and may have been either a friend of or related to either the Greulich, Wieder, Waage, Snyder, or Witmer families. The photo was likely taken in the early 20th century.
For more photos visit the Unidentified People photo gallery.