The Internet Is Only the Start…

Kris Hocker on 29 Jun 2010

There’s an excellent article in the Broomfield Enterprise by Julie Miller—“Internet is resource, but not do-all genealogy tool.” She makes the argument that the internet is not the be all, end all genealogy resource, that if you only look at records online, you’ll miss the majority of your family history story. This point is all too easy to overlook in today’s online world.

There is so much more information available online today than there was even 10+ years ago when I started out. It’s so easy to focus only on what’s available online, because let’s face it you can learn a lot and the convenience is amazing! But as a family historian you need to also face up to two facts: 1) the information on the internet is only the tip of the iceberg and 2) much of what you find online is either incomplete or sometimes even wrong.

The offline world has probate records, deed records, tax records, town/county histories, church records, vital records, cemetery records, etc.—most of which you will not find online. If you skip these sources, you will miss out on a lot of information. Not to mention you’ll miss out on the thrill of the hunt and the absolute joy of finding that bit of information that puts your family history puzzle together!

Relying on GEDCOMs or family trees that others have put together online is also a mistake—especially if they don’t have sources or if their sources are only someone else’s work! Locating primary and secondary sources is the only way to verify someone else’s work and is absolutely necessary if it’s at all important to you to make the correct connections in your family tree. Mistakes are common, so do the work and think for yourself.

Take some time to visit genealogical and historical societies in the locale you’re researching. Visit courthouses, churches and cemeteries. And if you can’t get there in person, try something really old-fashioned—the mail. You’ll be amazed at what you can learn.

Lancaster Deed Book Index

Kris Hocker on 28 Jun 2010

I’ve written about how much I love deeds—and the great information you can find in them—and I’ve written about how great it is to find the Lancaster County Deed books viewable online. One thing that’s not so great is not having a deed index online, too.

I’m working on changing that! I’ve been going through the books and creating an index that I hope to share through my site. It started out containing the information found in the Grantor and Grantee indices that were created in book form—the standard grantor information, grantee information, book, volume, page number, deed date, date recorded, and location or type of record (mortgage, quitclaim, etc.) All the necessary information to find the deed you’re looking for.

But then I started thinking about what would be included in my ideal index. Here are some of the ideas I came up with:

  • Image Frame Number
  • The page number and frame number don’t correspond—and can be quite off—and the page numbers can sometimes be impossible to read.
  • Grantor/Grantee Location
  • Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between multiple men of the same name without a residence or occupation.
  • Spouse Name
  • For land sales, sometimes the wife is named. This also helps to identify the grantor among men of the same name.
  • Neighbors
  • Often deeds refer to the owners of adjoining property. This might help to locate an individual where others records don’t exist or can’t be found.
  • Others Named
  • There are also other people associated with a deed: witnesses, previous owners, family members when a deed is part of an estate settlement, etc. This may help to locate people who otherwise wouldn’t be found, especially where an earlier deed wasn’t recorded.

What would you like to see in your ideal deed index? Drop me a line or leave a comment and let me know. You just might see it in the final product!

Blood of my blood…*

Kris Hocker on 24 Jun 2010

I‘ve recently been reading An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, the latest in her series which started with Outlander. If you haven’t read the series, one of its main characters is James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser, a dashing young Scottish highlander. Once I’d managed to pull my head out of the book and back into the present, I started thinking about my Scottish ancestors—surprisingly enough I actually have some ancestors that weren’t German!

It’s been a while since I’ve done any research on them or posted anything to the blog. So, I thought I’d share what I have in case anyone out there is looking for the same people.

William Smith and Eliza Craig Bonnington

William Smith (25 Sep 1851—23 Feb 1905) and his wife Eliza Craig Bonnington (2 Oct 1866—18 Oct 1946) immigrated to the United States from Scotland in the 1880s. They were originally from the Edinburgh area. William had been an engineer with the White Star shipping line. He was discharged from his ship as 3rd engineer on the 22nd of January, 1882, after a voyage to Calcutta, India. He filed a declaration of intention to become a US citizen in Berks County, Pennsylvania on the 20th of September, 1886. He became a US citizen on the 12th of January in 1893 in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. William owned and operated an icehouse in Harrisburg.

William and Eliza Craig (Bonnington) Smith were married 12 Dec 1882 at The Manse in Uphall parish, Linlithgow, Scotland. 1 William was the son of James and Isabella (Aitken) Smith; and Eliza was the daughter of Peter Purvis and Elizabeth (Buchanan) Bonnington.

They had children:

  1. Elizabeth “Lizzie” Smith, born and died 17 Jun 1884, Liberton Parish, Lasswade, Edinburgh, Scotland 2
  2. James Smith, born 22 Jun 1885, Straiton, Liberton Parish, Edinburgh, Scotland 3
  3. Elizabeth “Bess” Marian Smith, born 31 Oct 1887, No. 3, Straiton, Liberton Parish, Edinburgh, Scotland and died 3 Jan 1973 in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania 4 5
  4. William M. Smith Jr., born 28 Mar 1892, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and may have died in France during or after World War I, under the name John Norwood 6
  5. Isabella Aiken Smith, born 4 Apr 1893 and died 21 Jul 1962 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 7 8
  6. Robert “Bobby” Thomas Alexander Smith, born 7 Apr 1899 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and died 12 Nov 1970 in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania 9 10

James Smith and Isabella Aitken

James Smith (ca 1812—8 Feb 1856) and his wife Isabella Aitken (ca 1810—1 Dec 1856) lived in Whitburn, Linlithgow, Scotland. The banns were proclaimed 13 Dec 1840 and they were married 25 Dec 1840 in Carnwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland.11 James was the son of Thomas and Agnes (Nimmo) Smith; and Isabella was the daughter of William and Marion (Brown) Aitken.

In 1851, the family lived at 51 Crossroads in Whitburn and James was listed as a coal miner. James’ 1756 death record lists his occupation as engine worker. 12 Isabella also died in 1856, leaving their children to be raised by James’ brother William and sister Margaret.13

James and Isabella had children:

  1. Thomas Smith, born ca 1844 in Whitburn, West Lothian, Scotland and died 9 Apr 1909? in Fauldhouse, West Lothian, Scotland 14
  2. Marion Smith, born ca 1844-1846, Whitburn, West Lothian, Scotland and died 11 May 1857, age 13, in Greenburn, West Lothian, Scotland 15
  3. William Smith, born 25 Sep 1851, Greenburn, West Lothian, Scotland and died 23 Feb 1805 at 1314 Howard Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 16 17

Peter Purvis Bonnington and Elizabeth Buchanan

Peter Purvis Bonnington (ca 1844—16 Sep 1891) and his wife Elizabeth Buchanan lived in Edinburgh, Scotland. They married on 17 Jun 1864 at Bloomyhall, Junipergreen, Colinton, Midlothian, Scotland.18 Peter was the son of William and Margaret (Purves/Fairborn) Bonnington; Elizabeth was the daughter of James and Sarah (Craig) Buchanan. Peter worked as a carpenter or joiner.

Peter and Elizabeth had children:

  1. Eliza Craig Bonnington, born 2 Oct 1866, Colinton, Midlothian, Scotland and died 18 Oct 1946, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, married William Smith on12 Dec 1882 19 20
  2. Margaret Bonnington, born 3 Nov 1868, Colinton, Midlothian, Scotland and died 16 Jun 1943, Prestonpans and Cockenzie, East Lothian, Scotland, married David Simpson on 31 Jan 1890 21 22
  3. William James Bonnington, born 3 Dec 1871, Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland and died 8 Mar 1945, Hillhead, Glasgow, Scotland, married Robina Wait 23 24
  4. Peter Bonnington Jr., born 2 Oct 1873, Whitburn, West Lothian, Scotland and died aft 1939, married Christina Isabella Graham Law 25 26 27
  5. Alexander Bonnington, born 16 Aug 1875, Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland and died Feb 1964 in Nebraska, married Christina Peace and Martha Krich 28 29 30
  6. Robert Bonnington, born 30 Nov 1878 and died 7 Oct 1879 in Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland 31 32
  7. Robert Bonnington, born 20 May 1881, Bathgate, West Lothian Scotland and died 1 May 1939, Canongate, Midlothian, Scotland, married Jessie Hunter Crawford Alexander 33 34 35
  8. Craig Bonnington, born 10 Sep 1885, Liberton, Midlothian, Scotland and died ca 1959 in Edinburgh, Scotland, married Isabella Mason Kinghorn 36 37

Thomas Smith and Agnes Nimmo

Thomas Smith (?—bef 1856) and Agnes Nimmo (?—bef 1856) were married sometime prior to 1804, quite possibly in West Lothian, Scotland. He was a farm laborer according to his son James’ death certificate and a farmer according to Margaret’s death certificate.

Thomas and Agnes had children:

  1. Margaret Smith, born ca 1804-1807, Whitburn, West Lothian, Scotland and died 26 Aug 1875 in Fauldhouse, West Lothian, Scotland 38
  2. William Smith, born ca 1806, Whitburn, Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland and died 7 Jun 1877 in Fauldhouse, West Lothian, Scotland 39
  3. James Smith, born ca 1812 and died 8 Feb 1856 in Whitburn, West Lothian, Scotland, married Isabella Aitkin 40 41

William Aitken and Marion Brown

I don’t have much information at all about this couple. William Aitken and his wife Marion Brown may have been married 29 May 1769 in Renfrew, Scotland. It seems a trifle early considering the children I have for them are two daughters: Isabella, born ca 1810 and baptized 24 Mar 1816 in Carnwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland; and Helen, born bef 19 Aug 1819 and baptized 19 Aug 1819, both in Carnwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

William Bonnington and Margaret Purves/Faiborn

William Bonnington (ca 1816—11 Jun 1885) and his first wife Margaret Purves/Fairborn (ca 1821—bet 1844-1847) apparently lived in Galashiels, Selkirk, Scotland. They likely married about 1838. Her surname is given as Purves on their son Peter’s marriage certificate and daughter Anne’s birth record and as Fairborn on William’s second marriage certificate and his death certificate. William married twice more after her death, first to Mary Reavely on 9 Jul 1847, and second to Elizabeth Thomson 16 Jun 1857.42 43 William was a Master Joiner and at one time an undertaker.

William and Margaret (Purves/Fairborn) Bonnington had children:

  1. Anne Bonnington, born 5 May 1839, Galashiels, Selkirk, Scotland 44
  2. Robert Bonnington, born 30 Mar 1841, Galashiels, Selkirk, Scotland
  3. Peter Purvis Bonnington, born ca 1844, Galashiels, Selkirk, Scotland and died 16 Sep 1891, Mayburn, Loanhead, Lasswade Parish, Edinburgh, Scotland 45

James Buchanan and Sarah Craig

James Buchanan (ca 1812/22—17 Apr 1888?) and his wife Sarah Craig (ca 1809—bet 1851-1861) lived in Cambusnethan Parish in Lanarkshire in 1851, living at 9 Barnhall Row.46 James was a coal miner. According to the record, James, his wife Sarah, two daughters Elizabeth and Sarah, as well as his mother were all born in Ireland. James may have married after Sarah’s death Margaret Tatlock and lived in Shotts, Lanarkshire. If so, he was the son of John Buchanan and Mary Irvine.47

James and Sarah had children:

  1. Elizabeth Buchanan, born ca 1845/47 in either Ireland or Chapellhall, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died 13 May 1928 in Crown Terrace, Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland, married Peter Purvis Bonnington.4849
  2. Sarah Buchanan, born ca 1847, possibly in Ireland50 51

* From a Scottish marriage rite: “Ye are the Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone. I give ye my Body that we Two might be One. I give ye my Spirit, ’til our Life shall be Done.” [from Outlander]

Don’t Forget Deeds!

Kris Hocker on 6 May 2010

Have I mentioned I love deeds? Well, even if I have, it bears repeating. I LOVE deeds! As I’ve mentioned before I’m gathering information on the Hoover/Huber families of Lancaster County. I’m currently reviewing deed records for these families and abstracting them with the ultimate goal of creating a volume of Lancaster County Huber/Hoover family data.

You wouldn’t believe the amount of information in some of these deeds. True enough, some of the deeds are simply—so & so Hoover sold or bought from so & so x amount of land in xyz township, bounded as follows… But some of the deeds list the land transactions for that piece of property back to the original grant from the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania, including references to the original patent (patent book, volume & page) and other deed transactions. They also name each owner and their wife and sometimes—as land was often transferred through families—children and their spouses. I’ve even come across deeds created during an estate settlement that include verbatim extractions from the will itself.

As I’ve been going through the deeds I’ve been keeping a list of persons and their locations, including their heirs as taken from the deed, and trying to make connections between persons. For some reason, I’ve become stuck for the moment on Christian Huber/Hoober/Hoover of Hempfield Township. One deed listed his heirs:1

  • Martin Hoover of Hempfield Township, wife Catharine
  • Jacob Hoover of Brecknock Township, wife Anna
  • Elizabeth (Hoover) Funk of Manor Township, husband Henry
  • John Hoover of Hempfield Township
  • Barbara Hoover
  • Magdalena Hoover
  • Anna Hoover
  • Michael Hoover
  • Christian Hoover Jr.

Later deeds reveal that Barbara Hoover married Christian Hoffman bet 1758 and 1764, Magdalena Hoover married John Hershey bet 1758 and 1767, and Anna Hoover married John Bossler (also Bassler, Basler, Bausler) between 1758 and 1769.2  Michael and Christian Hoover Jr. both died after their father in their minority without issue. Other deeds showed that John Hoover married Anna (possibly Hershey) and was a miller. He was also likely the John Hoover Esq. who was the executor of the estate of Johannes Hoover of Manheim Township.3

John Hoover Esq. and his wife Anna, according to his will, had children:

  • Elizabeth Hoover, wife of Peter Baughman (also Bachman, Bauchman)
  • Christian Hoover
  • Mary Hoover, wife of Jacob Stehman

Another daughter, Ann Hoover wife of Christian Stehman, although not named in the will abstract, is named in a deed where the heirs sign a release for property in Manheim Township that John left his daughter Elizabeth and her husband Peter Baughman.4 If I’d hadn’t found this deed, I wouldn’t have known about Ann.

I’ve also had success tracing Peter Baughman’s ancestry and other relatives through deeds. His brother Christian died without issue and there are deeds that name his siblings, some of their children, and in a couple of cases grandchildren. Deeds also provided the name of the son-in-law of Peter’s sister Ann (Baughman) Bear. Want to guess? Ann’s daughter Catharine married a Christian Huber. Think there’s a connection back to Christian Hoover of Hempfield? I don’t know, but maybe the deeds will tell us…

So, don’t discount deeds. They can be a veritable gold mine of information, especially when use in conjunction with other sources. Have you learned something valuable by researching deeds? Please share.

Huber/Hoover Map of Lancaster County, PA

Kris Hocker on 21 Apr 2010

Lancaster County Huber/Hoover land warrant tracts

I’m in the middle project on the Huber/Hoover family, specifically looking at Lancaster County and Fayette County, Pennsylvania and Washington County, Maryland—with the likelihood of branching out to additional areas like Somerset County, Bedford County, Franklin County, Dauphin County… A big undertaking!

I’ve started by looking at deeds and land warrants for Lancaster County. Being a visual person, I wanted some way of seeing spatial relationship between the locations from these records. I tried combining data from the warrantee township maps, but decided to try a simpler approach.

I put together a map of the original townships of Lancaster County that were within its current boundaries. Lancaster originally included much more land, including parts of Dauphin, Lebanon, Berks, Cumberland, York, Adams and Franklin counties. For my purposes I wanted to focus on a smaller area. On this map I plotted the approximate locations of Huber/Hoover tracts from the land warrants prior to 1800.

Lancaster County Huber/Hoover land warrant tracts

I can’t guarantee that I’ve got everyone correct. John Jacob and Jacob Huber in Conestoga (now Pequea) could have been the same man. The two tracts adjoin. Since the patents were for John Jacob Huber (from Martin Kendig, 1736) and Jacob Huber (from John Smith, 1759), I indicated them separately.

Also, I haven’t determined if all the tracts in Warwick and Manheim Townships were to the same Jacob Huber. Jacob Huber (ca 1708-1767), the founder and ironmaster of Elizabeth Furnace, did own substantial amounts of property. So, it is likely the same man.

I must caution that proximity does NOT necessarily always indicate a relationship. According to Harry Hoover’s book on the descendants of Hans Hoober of Earl Township, Hans’ son Jacob owned property in Martic Township—he was likely the John Jacob Huber—quite a ways away from his father’s land. Hans and Martin of Earl Township are, however, grandfather and grandson.

Update: 3 Revised Hoover Family Pages

Kris Hocker on 4 Apr 2010

I’ve finally added the revised family pages for George Hoover (ca 1766-1847) of Fayette County, son of Andrew and Catharine (___) Hoover and George Hoover (ca 1735/40-1813) of Armstrong county, son of Michael Hoover. These pages—especially George Hoover of Armstrong County—include some substantial changes from their prior versions, so descendants of  Christian Hoover, William Matthias Kern Jr., Johan Adam Waltenbaugh, Peter Kern, Peter Dedrow/Tedrow, Martin Kerbaugh, and Philip Weitzel/Whitesel please take note. I’ve also updated the Andrew Hoover Jr. of Fayette County page to include the new information regarding his wife.

I am currently expanding my research to include Hoovers in Frederick/Washington County, Maryland and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. There are at least three Hoover families in the same area in Maryland at approximately the same time of interest to me—Johannes Huber of Necessity (the Hoover vacuum family line), Andreas Huber (later of Fayette County), and Michael Huber (later of Bedford County) and several of his sons. Although it is unknown if there was actually a familial relationship between these groups, I find the possibility intriguing. After all, Andreas Huber named his first land purchase in Maryland “Cousins Obligation.” It makes me wonder who was the cousin and what was the obligation?

Do you have ties to the Hoover families of Frederick and Washington counties? If so, please drop me a line.

Update: George Hoover of Fayette County

Kris Hocker on 22 Mar 2010

I’ve recently discovered that George Hoover, son of Andrew and Catharine (___) Hoover, of Fayette County lived in Union Township his whole life. Therefore, he can not be the George Hoover who owned property in Westmoreland County from 1779 through 1799 and died in Armstrong County in 1813.

How Did We Get Here?

Before I get to what I’ve learned about Andrew Hoover’s son, George, let’s review. How did we previously determine that George Hoover of Armstrong County was the son of Andrew and Catharine (___) Hoover? What evidence led to that conclusion?

A biography of George’s grandson, Samuel Hoover of Indiana County, stated that:

“George Hoover, the grandfather of our subject, was among the early settlers of Westmoreland county. He was of German descent and came to that county when only fourteen years of age, with two brothers.”1

Looking at Westmoreland County records reveals the baptisms of two children—Maria Magdalina and Solomon—to George and Eva Elisabeth (__) Hoover at Good Hope Lutheran and Reformed Church that match two heirs named in George Hoover’s estate papers.2,3,4 Children of George’s son Christian and daughters Catharina and Julianna were also baptized at Good Hope Lutheran and Reformed Church.5 The couple were also sponsors at their grandson Samuel’s baptism.

George Hoover purchased land in Donegal Township, Westmoreland County on 10 Apr 1779.6 Available county tax records put George there from 1783 through 1799 when he and Christian were marked as “gone from the county.”7,8,9 From these Armstrong and Westmoreland county records we know that the George Hoover in Westmoreland was, in fact, the same man as George Hoover of Armstrong County.

This George Hoover was in the Fayette/Westmoreland county area by 1779; but he could have been there earlier. From the 1800 U.S. census, we can estimate George’s birth date as circa 1755 or before.10  Going by Samuel’s biography, his grandfather, therefore, came to the Westmoreland area about 1769. Andrew Hoover’s son Jacob was in the Fayette County area by 1770 when he was living on land that today is part of Greene County, Pennsylvania.11 Andrew’s son Andrew Jr. was also in Fayette County early. He and his brother-in-law were of “Manallin Township and county aforesaid [Westmoreland]” when they purchased land from John Waller in 1775.12 We also know that Andrew Hoover had a son named George because he named him and left property to him in his last will & testament in 1784.13 George and wife Rosannah sold some of the land George inherited to John Hoover, presumably his brother.14

So, it seems perfectly reasonable that George Hoover of Armstrong County was the son of Andrew Hoover of Fayette County. Right? Is this conclusion supported by the other facts we know or do they sow doubt?

In my page on Andrew Hoover Sr., I wrote:

“I find some of the birth dates of Andrew’s grandchildren to be problematic—their parents having to have become parents as teenagers.”

Several of George’s children are good examples. Based on census records, an estimated birth date for George’s first daughter Catharine (Hoover) Kern puts her birth ca 1760—1770.15 Her eldest son Solomon was born 30 Nov 1781, which is consistent with a birth in the early 1760s for Catharine.16  Census records for George’s second daughter Rosanna (Hoover) Waltenbaugh place her birth date bef 1765.17 Judging by these two children alone, a 1755 birth date for George is not feasible. While census records are known to be inconsistent and sometimes incorrect regarding age and “guesstimates” complicate the analysis, the likelihood of both of George’s daughters being at least 10 years off AND their children’s ages being off… You see where this is going. While it’s possible, there are significant problems to address.18

Consider also that there are baptism records for both a Catharine and a Rosannah Hoover which place their births on 10 Apr 1761 and 27 Mar 1763.19 These dates fit perfectly with the estimated birth dates from the census records of George’s daughters. These church records name the girls’ parents as George and Eva Elisabeth Hoover.

But George’s wife was Rosannah. Right?

The only mention of Rosannah as George’s wife is in the deed where she and George sell land to John Hoover.20 How do we know this deed refers to the son of Andrew Hoover Sr.? Although this deed is difficult to read, you can make out the following:

“…And whereas the said Andrew Hoover Senior in and by his last will and testament dated the twenty-fifth day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty four In the third section thereof did [?] [?] give unto his three sons Jacob Hoover [John] Hoover and George Hoover his whole estate… And whereas the said divisions have been [?] made and the [?] [?] [?] content? Now this indenture witnesseth the said George Hoover and Rosannah his wife do grant in consideration of the sum of sixty eight [pounds?] to them paid by John Hoover the receipt thereof to him by [?] [?] [?] granted bargained and sold  – And by these presents do grant bargain & sell unto the said John Hoover his heirs [?] assigns the following described part of these [?] [?] of the lands of Andrew Hoover Senr divided unto the said George by the above in part [?] last will and testament of the said deceased…”

Louella Schaumberg Hoover believed that George and Rosannah sold the land (and executed the deed) prior to leaving for Armstrong County, but that the deed was only recorded when John sold the land in 1811.21 The next deed in the county deed book is for John Hoover’s sale of the land to James Fletcher. So, her assertion is a possibility.

Where did George and Rosannah live at the time of the deed? The deed provides no location information for George and Rosannah. If they were of Saltlick or Donegal townships, one would expect that information to be included in the deed. Because it is not, the evidence connecting this deed to the George Hoover of Westmoreland is slim.22 The logical presumption in this case is that George and Rosannah were of the same township and county as the land that they were selling—Union Township, Fayette County. Further proof of this assertion comes at the end of the deed where there is the following:

“Fayette County Pa—The [seventh?] day of November Anno Domini 1811 Before me [?] [?] one of the Justices of the Peace in and for the said County Personally came George Hoover and Rosannah his wife…”

This means that this George and  Rosannah (___) Hoover were both alive and presumably living in Fayette County in 1811, most likely in Union Township. However, from the baptismal record of Maria Magdaline, daughter of George Hoover of Armstrong County, we know that George was married to Eva Elisabeth before 1787. We also know from deed, tax and census records that this couple had left the Westmoreland/Fayette County area by 1800.

Therefore, we must be dealing with two George Hoovers—one George of Fayette County, who was married to a woman named Rosannah and another George Hoover of Westmoreland and Armstrong counties, who was married to a woman named Eva Elisabeth. Furthermore, the deed records pertaining to the sale of land that Andrew Hoover left to his son George make it clear that the George Hoover of Fayette County, who married Rosannah, was the son of Andrew and Catharine (___) Hoover.

Look for more information on each of these men when I post their family group pages. In the meantime, if you have any questions, just drop me a line. And, as always, if you have more information, please shoot it my way…

Update: Andrew Hoover Jr. of Fayette County

Kris Hocker on 10 Mar 2010

One of the pieces of data I have for Andrew Hoover Jr. has intrigued and perplexed me. During her research in this Hoover family, Luella Schuamburg Hoover was sent a deed from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in which Andrew named Yost Herbaugh as his attorney to receive from Catherine Liebrich, relict of Nicholas Liebrich, late of Raffow Township (Rapho Township), Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, “three bonds due from John John [Hans] of Menallen Township… unto me two of which are for the sum of Twenty-five pounds.”1  I’ve always wondered who was Catherine Liebrich and what was her relationship to Andrew?

Today, I decided to poke around and see if I could discover more about the Liebrich family. I got lucky and found a site put together by David Hartzell Leebrick. From it I learned that Nicholas Liebrich, Andrew Hoover, and Philip Brown purchased land from John Hans in 1784, adjoining property of Christian Frederick, Ulrich Gingrich, Matthias Hoffart, Jacob Hoober, John Painter, and Andrew Hype.2 I also discovered that my speculation regarding Catharine Liebrich being the mother or mother-in-law of Andrew Hoover was NOT true. Both Nicholas and Catharina were contemporaries of Andrew and the marriages of all their daughters have been accounted for. So, if she wasn’t his mother remarried or his mother-in-law, who was she? Why did Andrew Hoover from Wharton Township, Fayette County purchase land with Nicholas Liebrich of Manheim Township, Lancaster County and Philip Brown? The mystery deepened.

Although the Liebrich site included source data for the birth dates of the Liebrich children—John, Philip, Daniel, George, Elizabeth, Catharine, Mary, and Salome (also called Sarah)—I decided to check John Humphrey’s “Pennsylvania Births: Lancaster County 1723-1777” and “Pennsylvania Births: Lancaster County 1778-1800” for their birth/baptism information. Instead I found Catharine’s maiden name. The listing for Nicholas and Catharine’s daughter Maria includes the names of her parents as “Nichol. Liebrich and Catharina Hansin,” the “in” being a suffix indicative of a female.3

Thinking that John Hans was perhaps, then, Catharina’s father, I searched for additional deeds for John Hans, hoping he died intestate and thus deeds might reflect the settling of his estate and name his heirs. Instead, I found a deed from John Hans in which he sold land that he had inherited from his father Henry Hans, that by its boundary definition, looked to be the exact piece of land that was sold to Nicholas Liebrich, Andrew Hoover and Philip Brown in 1784.4

So, I went looking for deeds granted by Henry Hans and got lucky. I found a deed from Henry Hans’ heirs to John Hans in which “Catharine Hans wife of Nicholas Liebrich of the Town of Manheim and the County of Lancaster, Maria Hans wife of Andrew Hoover in Fayat [sic] County, Mansion [sic] Township, Barbara Hans wife of Philip Brown in Paxton Township, Elizabeth daughters and Sons in Laws all of the deceased Henry Hans and Province of Pennsylvania” released their rights in the property to John Hans the “son of the deceased Henry Hans.”5 Additionally, there was another quitclaim for this property from Maria Huber to John Hans dated 1788, because although Andrew and Maria were included in the prior deed and Andrew signed it, “yet by Neglect or otherwise she [Maria] did not sign and execute the same.” 6 This quitclaim was witnessed by Alexander McClean and Silvester Gruber. McClean was a neighbor of the Hoovers in Fayette County.

Thus, after some sleuthing for the Liebrich and Hans families in Lancaster County, I now know that Andrew Hoover Jr. (Andrew1) of Fayette County married Maria Hans, daughter of Henry Hans of Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Next Steps? Andrew Hoover Jr. was allegedly in Fayette County, Pennsylvania by 1770 when his brother Jacob Hoover settled on land in Monongalia County, Virginia (now part of Greene County, Pennsylvania). He purchased land in Westmoreland County in 1775 with his brother-in-law John Hunsaker from John Waller. However, an estimated birth date for Andrew’s son George of 1775-1778 means that Andrew married about 1774. So, when and where did Andrew meet Maria Hans of Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania?

As far as I know, Andreas Huber Sr. and family never lived in Lancaster County. Did he perhaps move his family there between his sale of his old Frederick County, Maryland property in 1763 and his purchase of other property in 1772? 7 If, as I postulate in “Andreas Huber Origins: Trippstadt, Ellerstadt, or Ittlingen?,” Andreas’ brother was Johannes Huber of Manheim Township, did Andreas’ family, perhaps, spend time with him in Lancaster County? What other connections exist between the Fayette County Hoovers and the Lancaster County Hoovers?

All good questions for which I need to find answers. What answers, I wonder, can be found in documents I have yet to find?

Pennsylvania Genealogical County Map

Kris Hocker on 17 Feb 2010

If you do genealogy, then you’ve got to love maps. Maps can help get you oriented, organized and straightened out when the research—and all the little bits of data you’ve collected—gets confusing.  Say you find records under the same name, but in different townships. A map can help you to decide whether the records are likely to be for one man or more than one man.

What always trips me up, however, is that maps don’t stay the same over time. Records for one location may be in a different township or county—or even state—years or decades earlier or later. For instance, John2 Hoover’s (Andrew1) property in Greene County was originally part of land claimed by Virginia, so documentation can be found in Monongalia County, now West Virginia. But after Virginia and Pennsylvania settled their claims, part of John’s land was in Westmoreland County then Washington County, where the copied survey can be found, and finally Greene County.

Genealogical Map of the Pennsylvania Counties

Genealogical Map of the Pennsylvania Counties

What I love about the Genealogical Map of the Pennsylvania Counties from the Pennsylvania Land Office is that it shows the counties over time. You can see when certain parts of the Commonwealth were purchased. It also tells you when each county was created. For instance, the Fayette County area was part of land purchased in 1768. But Fayette County wasn’t created until 1783. It also shows you that Fayette was originally part of Cumberland County (#6), then Westmoreland County (#11).

The full map also includes little vignettes that show the counties for specific years. You can see how the jurisdictional landscape changed through the years. It also includes information on each of the 33 land purchases from 1682 through 1792 that established the boundaries of the state of Pennsylvania.

You should check out this valuable resource at the Pennsylvania State Archives website. And while you’re there, check out their other fantastic map resources!

Update 11/2012: If you would like a copy of this map, you can purchase it at the Pennsylvania State Bookstore – shoppaheritage.com. It’s a bargain at $2.00 for an 11×17 poster. The downloadable PDF is NOT printable.

Genealogy on TV

Kris Hocker on 15 Feb 2010

This spring is the TV season for the genealogy buff. There are two new programs for family historians to enjoy on television.

The first—Faces of America—debuted last Wednesday on PBS from 8 to 9 p.m. ET and will run through March 3rd. It features Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a Harvard scholar and will use the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 12 famous Americans:

We watched it last weekend and it made me ponder on the life experiences of my ancestors in a way I never really had before. Fascinating stuff!

The second—Who Do You Think You Are—is produced by Lisa Kudrow and will be airing on NBC for seven episodes on Fridays starting in March. This show is an adaptation of a popular English television series. It, too, features celebrities on voyage of discovery through an examination of their family histories, including:

Here’s a trailer for Who Do You Think You Are, featuring Brooke Shields and Sarah Jessica Parker (please excuse the commercial content…).