Estate Records – A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy

A Father for Catharine Parsons? DNA Match Suggests the Bowerman Family of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Kris Hocker on 19 Apr 2018

A new AncestryDNA match recently popped up in my account. While our shared ancestral names included Harmon, Yeager and Lenhart, I found a possible match through the Bowerman family.

According to her family tree, this cousin traces her ancestry back to William and Maria Elisabeth (Schott) Bowerman. William was born about 1786 in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania and likely died about 1810-11 in Dauphin County. William’s brother John was born about 1784 in Northumberland County and died in April 1816 in Dauphin County. Their father Johannes was born about 1756-1761 in Northampton County and died about 1835.

Online family trees show that all three—William, John, and Johannes—had daughters named Catharina. Two of the women—William’s daughter and sister—are identified as the wife of Anthony Parsons in various trees. These two women were born about twenty years apart.

Which woman, if either, was the wife of Anthony Parsons (1793-1834)?

Anthony and Catharine (Bowerman) Parsons

What do I know about this couple? Not too much.

Anthony Parsons died intestate in Perry County, Pennsylvania on 24 March 1834. On 7 January 1835, his children, George, Anthony, Sarah, and William, petitioned the Orphans’ Court for a guardian.¹ The court appointed George Parsons, most likely their uncle. George Varns’, the administrator of Anthony’s estate, presented a copy of his administration account to the court for confirmation on 4 April 1836.²

Anthony was the son of James Parsons (1752-1825) and Elizabeth (___) (1765-1835). He had brothers William (1788-1842), James (1795-1873), and George (1798-1848), and a sister, Elizabeth.

James Parsons Sr. wrote his last will and testament in 1823. In it, he mentions his son Anthony specifically. “I devise to my son Anthony Parsons the Fifty-Two Acres that I bought from John Thompson be it more or less for his use & support of his wife and & children during his life and when his oldest son comes of age ‘if after the death of his father’ if he be sober & industrious to have forever, but if he be not sober & worthy of the same then the same to be sold by my Executors and the proceeds equally divided amongst his Anthony’s children the disposal to his eldest son being at the discretion of my Executors, to whom I devise the said Estate in trust for the use of the aforesaid.”³

James’ will raises some questions regarding Anthony. James, it seems, had some reason to doubt that Anthony’s eldest son would be “sober & worthy” in 1823. To the best of my knowledge, Anthony did not have any children in 1823.⁴ Which makes me wonder if James deemed Anthony sober & worthy of any inheritance.

Anthony appears in the 1830 United States census for Buffalo Township with one male under five, one male 30-40, and 1 female 10-15.⁵ The young male was James and Catharine’s son George, born in 1826. Anthony was the male aged 30 to 40. Who was the 10 to 15 year-old female? It is unlikely his wife was aged 10-15 (at least I certainly hope not!). Perhaps she was marked in the wrong category?

Anthony and Catharine had at least four children, as follows:

George Parsons (1 Jun 1826-12 Jan 1860)
Anthony Parsons Jr. (28 Jun 1830-29 May 1912)
Sarah Parsons (29 Feb 1832-13 Dec 1926)
William Parsons (ca 1834-?)

Catharine Parsons died sometime after 7 January 1835 and before 23 March 1842.⁶ Her son George petitioned the Orphans Court on 10 January 1851 for the administrator of her estate to settle her account.⁷ There had been a delay because the original administrator William Parsons, her brother-in-law, had died. William’s estate administrator had also died in the meantime, and the subsequent administrator had not settled Catharine’s estate.⁸ Benjamin Parke, the administrator, answered the Court’s citation and refused to file an account. I could find no more records regarding her estate.

I have very little information about Catharine. The one census record I’ve been able to locate that should include her, either doesn’t or shows incorrect information. I have no birth date. If I assume she was at least 18 years-old at the birth of her first known child, then she had to have been born by 1808 at the latest. I have no date of death and with current sources can only narrow my estimate down to a seven year period.

If she is one of the two Bowerman girls, she was born either about 1788⁹ or in 1808.¹⁰ Anthony was born in 1793; a wife five years his elder is not that much of a stretch. However, given James’ will, I can easily picture Anthony as a lazy, intemperate soul, and that man, I think, would be more inclined to marry a younger woman.

Furthermore, the elder Catharine would have been 38 years-old at the time of George’s birth, the younger 18 years-old. Of the two, it makes much more sense to me for Anthony’s wife to have been the woman born in 1808. If the elder Catharine had been previously married, then the timeline would make sense. But I’ve found no evidence of another family.

If she had older children, they would have been old enough to pursue her estate much earlier than 1851 and may have even been named as the administrator along with William Parsons. That it was 25 year-old George Parsons who petitioned the court makes me believe that there weren’t older interested parties.

Conclusions

Ancestry places my relationship to this Bowerman cousin between fourth and sixth cousins. Catharine (Bowerman) Parsons was my fourth great grandmother. A match through her proposed parents William and Maria Elisabetha (Schott) Bowerman would be a fifth cousin match. Because this cousin is one generation closer to William than I am, our exact relationship would be fifth cousins once removed.

This relationship is one of a number of possible relationships given our shared amount of DNA (24.1 centimorgans). The average shared centimorgans for this relationship is 21 centimorgans (cMs) with a range of 0 to 79 cMs. The average for sixth cousins—our match if Johannes Bowerman is our common ancestor—is also 21 cMs. So, the amount of shared DNA doesn’t exactly help predict the relationship.

If we share a relationship through this Bowerman line, I’m inclined to believe that our most recent common ancestor is William Bowerman, not his father Johannes. However, at this point in time, I do not have any data beyond this DNA match to suggest this relationship, let alone prove it.

Genealogical Serendipity How I Found the Maiden Name of One Many Times Great Grandmother While Trying to Find Another's

Kris Hocker on 13 May 2015

Recently, I was going through Dauphin County Orphans Court books researching those of a specific surname, hoping to locate clues to the family of one of my many times great grandmothers. The information I have for her is sketchy and gives her name as the same as her mother-in-law’s. So, I’d really like to create some clarity around the identities of these two women.

While the records didn’t yield anything, I kept seeing a familiar name in nearby records. When my 5x great grandfather, Michael Krehl, died in 1818, the administrator of his estate was named John Steiley.¹ So, when I kept seeing the Stehley surname crop up again and again, my interest was piqued.

Jacob Stehley of Harrisburg died intestate in Nov 1793, leaving a widow Elizabeth, three young children, and property in Harrisburg.² George Stehley, “eldest son and heir at law of Jacob Stehley late of Harrisburg… Brewer,” petitioned the court for an inquest to partition his father’s property in 1800.³ His petition named the seven children of Jacob Stehley: George, “Margaret, Wilhelmina the wife of Michael Krehl, John, Martin, Philip and Elizabeth (now decd).” John, Philip, and Martin were yet minors under the age of 21.

Because I have so little information on the family currently, it’s possible that Elizabeth was a second wife, and therefore not Wilhelmina’s birth mother. So, I haven’t yet added her in as such. As I gather more information—hopefully including a marriage date for Jacob and Elizabeth—I’ll be able to build a more complete picture of this family. Jacob is now one of the earliest of my ancestors to live in Harrisburg. He purchased his Front Street property for £120 on 15 Jun 1791.⁴ (The Hocker boys bought land there in 1785.)

Following up on the Stehley name gave me the maiden name of my 5x great grandmother, Wilhelmina (Stehley) Krehl, and presumably the names of my 6x great grandparents, Jacob and Elizabeth (___) Stehley.

52 Ancestors: George Hocker (1794—1873) Will

Kris Hocker on 26 Feb 2014

George Hocker, of Swatara Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, was the son of Johan Adam and Sophia Maria (Hershey?) Hocker Jr. He was born 21 January 1794¹, most likely in Harrisburg, and christened at Salem Reformed Church.² He died 6 November 1873 and was buried at Churchville Cemetery in Oberlin.

He wrote his last will and testament on 13 September 1873 and it was proven one month later on 14 November.³ George named his youngest children—daughter Margaret Hocker and son George Hocker Jr.—as his executors. His will also names his widow Catharine and elder children: daughter Isemiah, wife of Henry Wagner, and son Levi Hocker. Not named in the will was his son David who died 4 November 1862 of Typhoid Fever in Jeffersonville, Indiana after enlisting in the Union Army during the Civil War.

[page 353]
“Last Will and Testament of
George Hocker dec^d }
In the name of God amen.
I George Hocker of Swatara town-
ship Dauphin County Penn^a
being of sound mind and memory thanked be God for the same
do hereby make the following as an for my last will and testament
Item. I give and bequeath to my widow Catharine all my household and
kitchen furniture in the house at my decease except what belongs
to my Daughter Margaret or son George she to have her choice of two
cows and two hogs and I give her five hundred dollars in cash out of
my Government bonds to by paid in one month after my death Item
I devise to my widow during her lifetime the house and buildings gardens
&c where I now live in Swatara township in said county adjoining
my farm and the land of Josiah Espy including the small potato
pach east of the garden containing in the yard &c all about one acre
more or less with the right to go into the adjoining fields to put on
weather boarding and repair her buildings I also give her the Interest
on five thousand dollars to be paid her yearly out of my farm [illegible]
after the payment of my debts and funeral expenses I give [illegible]

[page 354]

out of my personal estate as shall be necessary with the crop of the
year to pay for the cattle and farming implemments lately purchased
and I give the balance of my bonds notes stocks &c. to my daughter Margaret
and I devise to her during her lifetime and after her mothers death the house
grounds and buildings where I now live and after Margarets decease
I give and devise the fee simple in said house lot of ground and
buildings to my son George and his heirs / Item. I give and devise all
my farm in said township adjoining the Harrisburg and Ephrata
thrnpike [sic] lands of Josiah Espy G. Snavely Samuel Gray and others
containing except as above devised about one hundred and seventeen
acres to my son George Hocker Jr. and his heirs and assigns with the
right to the water at the pump where I live he paying half the ex-
penses of keeping the pump in good repair. Item. I hereby charge the
sum of Five thousand dollars on said farm for the use of my widow
and I direct that George or whoever holds the said farm shall pay
to my widow yearly the Interest on said five thousand Dollars at six
per cent / Item I direct that my share in the crop of this year and
all my cattle and farming implements except the widows shall belong
to my son George Item / At the death of my widow I direct that the five
thousand dollars charged on my farm shall be paid out in the following
manner. One year after the widows death five hundred Dollars to be paid
to my daughter Isamiah Wagner wife of Henry Wagner the next
year five hundred Dollars to be paid to my son Levi the third year
alike sum to Mrs. Wagner and then five hundred dollars a year
to be paid to Levi until he gets two thousand dollars and then the
remaining two thousand Dollars to be paid to my said daughter
Margaret in payments of five hundred Dollars each yearly and
additional payments shall also be made by George our of said farm
to Margaret to make her share out of my whole estate seven thousand
dollars in payments of five hundred dollars a year after the other payment
of five hundred dollars a year after the other payments made as aforesaid /
Item I direct and intend all said payments to be without interest
Item I order that George shall furnish his mother sufficient grain for
her use this year and feed for her hogs and cows for this year and also
that he furnish her off the farm yearly the pasture for two hogs and
two cows four tons of hay two load of corn fodder and as much straw as
necessary for bedding purposes during her lifetime and at her death George
to give the same yearly to Margaret during her lifetime Item I hereby
give and devise to my son Levi Hocker and his heirs and assigns my
piece of mountain land in West Hanover township in said County
containing about ten acres Item I have given to my daughter Isamiah
and son Levi Hocker in this will less than I have my other children
because I have given them heretofore what I consider their full share in
my estate Lastly I nominate and appoint my daughter Margaret and
my son George to be the Executors of this my last will and testament
hereby revoking all former wills by me heretofore made In witness
whwereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this thirteenth day
of September Anno Domini Eighteen hundred and seventy
three
George Hocker Sr.

[page 355]

Signed sealed executed declared & pronounced
by the testator in presence of us.
George Metz
Herman Alrick } Sworn Nov. A.D. 1873 before me
Simon Duey Register

Margaret Hocker & George Hocker sworn as executors of the last will
and Testament of George Hocker sen. dec^d according to law
and Letters Testamentary granted to them Nov. 14^th A.D. 1873
by Simon Duey Register

Recorded Nov. 14th 1873

George Hocker was my 4x great grandfather.

This post is part of an ongoing, blogging challenge entitled 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, created by Amy Crow of No Story Too Small. Participants must write about one ancestor every week. This is my ninth 52 Ancestors post and (catching up) part of week eight, but will show up in week nine.

Will: Jacob Teysher (1804)

Kris Hocker on 20 Feb 2014

In trying to trace my Deisher ancestors, I followed a path to Jacob Teysher (aka Deischer) of Maxatawny Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. He wrote his last will and testament on 17 December 1803 and it was proven on 6 January 1804. Here is a transcript.¹

[page 209]

In the name of God Amen I Jacob Teysher
of Maxatawny Township in the County of Berks & State of Pennsylvania Yeoman being
very sick and weak in body but of sound mind memory and understanding Blessed be God for
the same do make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form follow
ing, to wit, _ Principally and first of all I command my immortal Soul into the hands of
God who gave it, and my body to the earth to be buried in a decent and Christian like man
ner at the discretion of my Executors hereinafter named and as to such worldly estate where
with it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life I give and dispose of the same in the following
manner, to wit, I give devise and bequeath unto my Daughter Magdalena who is intermarried
with Michael Weaver as her & their full share & dividend of my real and personal estate in
addition to what they have already received & had four Spanish mill’d Dollars. Igive
devis and bequeath unto my son Daniel in addition to what he has already had and
received four Spanish mill’d Dollars I give devise and bequeath unto my said son Daniels
children, to wit, Jacob, Maria, John, Esther, Peter, Catharine, Deborah & Elizabeth and to
their Heirs and assigns forever as Tenants in Common and not as joint tenants a certain
messuage or tenement & Plantation situate & being in Hereford Township in the County of Berks
aforesaid adjoining lands of Casper Yeakel Leonard Grisemer and others containing two hun
dred and fifteen acres more or less, and the said Daniels eight children before named are to
pay unto my Executors seven hundred pounds lawful money of Pennsylvania in manner
following, twenty five pounds in one year from the day of my death and twenty five pounds
annually thereafter untill the whole is paid, and further they are to provid sufficient meat drink
apparel lodging and washing for the said Danial their father and their Mother during
their or either natural lives. I give devise & bequeath unto my daughter Esther who is
intermarried with Henry Romich as her & their full share & dividend of my real & personal
estate six hundred and fifty pounds gold or silver money in manner following one
hundred and twenty five pounds in one year from the day of my decease and the like
sum every succeeding year untill the whole is paid. I give devise and bequeath unto
my Daughter Deborah intermarried with Philip Miller as her & their full share and
dividend of my real and personal estate seven hundred pounds gold or silver money in
manner following one hundred and twenty five pounds in one year from the day of my

[page 210]

deceased and the like sum every succeeding year untill the whole is paid. I give devise
and bequeath unto my son Jacob two Spanish mill’d Dollars. I give devised & bequeath unto my
son John and to his Heirs and Assigns forever A certain Messuage and Plantation situate
and being Maxatawny Township aforesaid adjoining lands of Jacob Sweyer, Jacob Kutz
Kutztown lots & others containing one hundred eighty acres more or less my son John is to pay
unto my Executors seven hundred pounds lawful money in manner following, one hundred
pounds in one year from the day of my decease and the like sum yearly untill the whole is
paid. I give devise and bequeath unto my Daughter Maria intermarried with Daniel
Bitting as her & their full share and dividend of my real and personal estate seven hundred
pounds lawful money in manner following one hundred and twenty five pounds in one
year from the day of my decease & the like sum every succeeding year untill the whole is paid, and
as touching all the rest residue and remainder of my estate real and personal of who him or
nature soever the same may be in the County of Berks aforesaid or elsewhere, I give devise &
bequeath the same unto Peter (except therefrom one acre of Ground lying on the road leaving
from Reading to Kutztown adjoining lands of Jacob Baldy Adam Kutz and said Road, as
also a certain tenement & piece of land situate in Greenwich Township & County of Berks
aforesaid adjoining lands of John Hildenbrant John Witrant and other containing three
acres Together also one hundred pounds lawful money) they sever sums to be paid by my sons Daniels
children, Joahn, and are to be in full as consideration money for the several Plantations or
pieces of land that I have bequeathed unto them & the said several sums are to be paid
unto my Daughters as Legacies I bequeathed unto them or as much therefrom as is
necessary to be paid by my Executors, the Grain in the Ground on the several plantations
are to be and remain with the plantation. And lastly I nominate and appoint my
son John & my son Peter to be the Executors of this my last Will & Testament hereby
revoking all other Wills Legacies & bequests by me heretofore made and declaring this to
be my last Will & Testament. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal the
seventeenth day of December Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and three.—
Jacob [his mark] Teysher (seal) ~ Signed Sealed published pronounced & declared by the said Testator as
his last will & Testament in the presence of us who in his presence and at his request have subscribed
as Witnesses. Jacob Humbert, Jno M. Hyneman ———

Registers Office Reading in Berks County January 6th, 1804.
Then appeared Jacob Humbert & John M Hyneman the subscribing Witnesses of the foregoing
Wil who being duly swor did Depose and say that they were present together and did
see and hear Jacob Teysher the Testator sign (by making his mark) seal publish pronounce
and declare the same writing as and for his last Will and Testament and that at the
time of the doing thereof he the Testator was of sound mind memory and understanding to the
best of their knowledge & as they verily believe and further that the names Jacob Humbert &
John M Hyneman are of the Witnesses own hand writing thereto subscribed in the presence of
each other and in the presence and at the request of the Testator.
loram Me PFrailey Register

Registers Office in Berks County January 6th AD 1804
Letters Testamentary in common form under the seal of said Office on the afore written Will were
granted to John Teysher and Peter Teysher, the Executors therein named, they being first duly
affirmed thereto Inventory to be exhibited on or before the 6th day of February next, and
an amount of their Administration when thereto legally requested.
Registered & examined by

PFrailey Register

Jacob specifically named the children of his son Daniel—Jacob, Maria, John, Esther, Peter, Catharine, Deborah & Elizabeth—and places them in Hereford Township by 1803. So, his son Daniel is most likely the Daniel Teysher/Deisher/Tisher in Hereford Township in 1790², 1800³ and 1810.⁴ Thus, the Jacob Tisher/Deisher in Hereford in 1810⁵ and 1820⁶ is most likely Daniel’s eldest son. And the John and Peter also listed in Hereford in 1820, Daniel’s other two sons.

So, in all probability my 4x great grandfather Peter Deischer was the son of Daniel Deisher, grandson of Jacob Teysher, and, I believe, quite likely the great grandson of Johannes Teisher of Richmond Township.

The fact that Jacob left the land in Hereford Township to his grandchildren and instructed them to care for their mother and father for their natural lives makes me believe that there’s a story there. Why didn’t Jacob leave the land to his son Daniel as he did with the property he bequeathed to sons John and Peter? Was Daniel not capable of providing for his family? Was he a wastrel, a spendthrift? Disabled? I wonder what I can find out.

Admin Bond: Jacob Huber, decd (1743/4)

Kris Hocker on 16 Jan 2014

Going through a stack of documents to file, I found an administration account I wanted to scan. Lo and behold there were actually two documents—I’d forgotten that I’d ordered the second. It was the administration bond for Jacob Huber of Martic Township.

Jacob Huber arrived in Lancaster County before 1718 and settled on land adjoining Pequea Creek in Conestoga Township. His land was adjacent to that of Hans Ulrich Huber, who was also arrived in 1718. He may have died prior to 23 Nov 1739. Hans Boyer, a neighbor, patented his land on 26 Nov 1739.¹ Boyer’s survey refers to Jacob Huber’s tract as belonging to the Widow Hoober.

An administration bond was filed for Huber’s estate on 26 January 1743/4,² as follows:

Know all men by these presents that we John Huber Henry Huber and
Samuel Byor ~~yeomen~~ __ __ __ yeoman all of the County of Lancaster
& province of Pennsylvania are held and firmly bound unto Peter Evans
Register General for the probate of Wills & Granting Letters of Administration
in & for the said province & the counties of New Castle Kent & Sussex on Dela
ware in the sum of Two Hundred & fifty __ pounds Lawful money of the said
province to be paid to the said Peter Evans or his Lawful attorney Executors
administs or assigns To which paymt well & truly to be made we bind ourselves
our Heirs Executors & Administratr^s Joyntly & Severally firmly by these presents
sealed with our Seals & Dated this twenty sixth day of January an^o dom 1743/4
The Condition of the above Obligation is such that is the above Bound
John Huber ___ administrator of all & singular the Goods Rights
& Credits of Jacob Huber — Deceased Do make of cause to be made a true and
perfect Inventory of all & singular the Goods Rights & Credits of the s^d Decsd
which have or shal come to the Hands possession of Knowledge of the said
John Huber —— or into the Hands or possession of any other person
or persons for him and the same so made Do Exhibit or cause to be Exhibited
into the Registers Office in Lancaster County on or before the twenty sixth day of
February — next and the same Goods Chattels & Credits of the said Decsd^t
at the time of his Death or which at any time after shal come to y^e hands
or possession of the said John Huber —— or into the hands or possession
of any other person or persons for him Do well & truly administer according
to Law and further Do make or cause to be made a true & just account cal
culation or reckoning of the said Administration on or before the twenty sixth day
of January — which will be in the year of our Lord 1744/5 and all the rest
and residue of the s^d goods Chattels & Credits which shal be found Remaining on
the said administrators accounts (the same being first examined & allowed
of by the orphans Court of the s^d County) shal Deliver & pay to such person
or persons Respectively as the s^d Court by its Decree or sentence shal Limit and
appoint and if it shal hereafter appear that any last will or Testament was
made by the s^d Decsd^t and the Executor or Executors therein named shal Exhibit
the same into the Registers office making Request to have it allowed accordingly
if the said John Huber ___ being thereunto Required shal Render and
Deliver up the said Letters of Administration approbation of such Testament being
first had & made in the s^d office then this obligation to be void or Else to be d[?] re
main in force & virtue       John Huber
Sealed & Delivered }
in the presence of }           Henry Huber
John Morris
Samuel Blunston               Samuel Boÿer

I’m fairly certain that John Huber was Jacob’s son. He eventually patented Jacob’s tract, and warranted and patented an adjoining tract in Martic Township. Samuel Boyer was most likely a neighbor, possibly the son of Hans Boyer who owned the tract to the west of Jacob’s in Conestoga Township, or the Samuel Boyer who owned land just up the Pequea, or maybe the Samuel Byer who warranted property down the Pequea in Martic Township in right of Owen O’Neal. I’m not certain as to the exact identity of Henry Huber, but he may have been a son or other relative, possibly one of the two Henry Hubers who lived on Pequea and Beaver Creeks somewhat east northeast of Jacob’s property.

Deed: Samuel McAfee to John Funk Dec’d Executors (1833)

Kris Hocker on 19 Dec 2013

Trying to find the descendants of a target person can sometimes feel like a game of “six points of separation” when you have to widen your scope to research family and friends. However, the indirect path can yield results—as in a series of deeds I found for John Funk of Strasburg Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania which gave me the names of the grandchildren of his sister Anna Maria (Funk) Hoover. This deed is one example of what I found.¹

MC AFEE SAMUEL }

“TO }

JOHN FUNK DECD EXORS }

KNOW ALL MEN by these presents that I Samuel McAfee of Bertr township in Lincoln county in the province of Upper Canada intermarried with Sophia only child of Henry Hoover one of the seven children of Mary Hoover a sister of John Funk late of Strasburg in Lancaster county in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania deceased do hereby acknowledge that I have and received of and from Ann Funk Jacob Hoover and Jacob Newswanger executors of the last will and testament of the said John Funk deceased five hundred and seventy seven dollars and sixty eight cents lawful money in full satisfaction and payment of all monies legacies and bequests to which I am entitled in right of my said wife Sophia due and coming toher [sic] in right of her deceased father Henry Hoover aforesaid as one of the seven children of the said Mary Hoover deceased under and by the last will and testament of the said John Funk deceased of in and to / [the following written interline to be inserted:] all and singular his estate real and personal whatsoever and wheresoever according to [resume text] the said executors account filed in the Registers office at Lancaster. Therefore I the said Samuel McAfee in right of my said wife Sophia do by these presents release acquit and forever discharge the said Ann Funk Jacob Hoover & Jacob Newswanger executors aforesaid their heirs executors and administrators of and from all monies legacies bequests aforesaid and of and from all dividends shares and parts of and in all the estate of the said John Funk deceased and of and from all actions suits payments account reckonings claims and demands for or by reason thereof.

In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals the twenty ninth day of April Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and thirty three.

Samuel McAfee (SEAL)

Sophia McAfee (SEAL)

Sealed and delivered in the presence of us:

‘and the said Sophia’ interlined before signing: Charles L. Hall Alex Mackie

Lincoln county

Province of Upper Canada to wit:

Personally appeared before me James Muirhead Esquire chairman and preciding Judge of the court of quarter sessions for said county the above named Samuel McAfee and Sophia his wife and acknowledged the above release to be their act deed and desired the same to be recorded as such according to law.

In Testimony whereof I havehereunto [sic] set my hand and seal the twenty ninth day of April Anno Domini 1833.

J. Muirhead Chairman (SEAL)

Upper Canada District of Niagara

Lincoln County to wit:

I Charles Richardson of the town of Niagara in the district of Niagara Esquire Clerk of the peace in and for the said district do hereby certify that the within names James Muirhead is chairman and presiding Judge of the court of Quarter Sessions in and for the said district and is authorized to Bar Down and within that there is no court of common pleas in the province of Upper Canada that the signatures of the witnesses to the release are known to me as well as the chairmans and that they are just and true. Given under my hand and seal of office this twenty ninth day of April Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and thirty three.

Charles Richardson (SEAL)

Clerk of the Peace

Recorded June 25th 1833

Per

Jacob Peelor Rec.”

Ulrich and Anna Maria (Funk) Hoover had the following children:

Catharine married Christian Hershey
Jacob married Susanna Miller
Henry
Anna married Leonard Anwater/Awerter
Abraham
Christian
Mary married Nathaniel Dodge (also of Upper Canada)

The Jacob Hoover who served as one of John Funk’s executors was most likely the son of Jacob and Susanna (Miller) Hoover of Strasburg as all of Anna Maria (Funk) Hoover’s children were deceased before 1833.

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 of York & Adams Counties, Pennsylvania

Kris Hocker on 6 Jan 2013

Ulrich Hoover of York and Adams counties became of interest to me because of a possible connection to Christian Hoover of Heidelberg Township, York County. Ulrich had come up in the data I’ve been compiling on Hoovers of Pennsylvania and Maryland, but since I’ve been focusing on Lancaster County Hoovers, I hadn’t researched him.

Most of what I know about Ulrich came from a Hoover mailing list posting by Richard Smallwood. However, his estate records have been enlightening.

Ulrich’s estate records—from both Adams and York counties—are consistent in the names of his children and, for the most part, list them in the same order. Based on these records alone, I would list his children as:

Johannes “John” Hoover
Susanna Hoover, m. Johannes “John” Rohrbach
Michael Hoover
Catharine Hoover
Eve Hoover, m. George Werley
George Hoover
Henry Hoover
Peter Hoover
Elizabeth Hoover
Mary Hoover
Barbara Hoover
David Hoover
Sarah Hoover
Magdalena Hoover, dec’d., m. to Philip Keller

Johannes is consistently named as Ulrich’s eldest son.

When he died in 1805, Ulrich Hoover owned property in York County spanning the border between Manheim and Codorus townships and in Adams County in Reading and Latimer townships.¹ Henry Hoover— “fourth son of Ulrich Hoover”—took 132 acres on the border of Manheim and Codorus townships in York County that included the merchant and saw mills.² His brother George— “third son of the intestate”—took a tract of 300 acres in Codorus Township.³ Eldest son John initially refused to take any of the York County land, but eventually accepted a third tract of 111 acres in Manheim Township, adjoining the other tracts.⁴

According to Adams County Orphans Court records, John also accepted land in Reading Township, containing 223 acres.⁵ John accepted the second Adams County tract, containing 105 acres in Latimer Township, acting as Michael Hoover’s assignee.⁶

While I did not find any warrants for Ulrich Hoover in Adams County, I found several for “Ulrich” in York County. The first warrant was for John Ulrich Hoober for 50 acres in Codorus Township, dated 18 Dec 1751.⁷ I believe Ulrich sold this tract to Conrad Supinger on 4 Nov 1760.⁸ At the time of the land warrant, this tract adjoined land that had recently belonged to Christian Hoober. While this tract picques my interest the most, I’m not entirely convinced that it applies to this Ulrich Hoover.

Ulrich received another land warrant on 30 Apr 1765 for 50 acres in Codorus Township, adjoining Stephen Peter and Johan George Werley.⁹ It was noted on the warrant that the interest and quit rent were to be from 1 Mar 1758.¹⁰ This tract was surveyed on 14 Jul (5th month) 1766.¹¹ Ulrich received a warrant for 200 acres, adjoining land of Philip Miller, George Keller, Francis Hoff, Anthony New/Neu, and Jacob Lingefelta on the same day.¹² This warrant, too, noted that the interest and quit rent were to start from 1 Mar 1758. It was originally surveyed on the same day as the first tract, but two surveys were recorded for this tract—one in the name of George Hoover¹³ and one for Jacob Keller.¹⁴

A third warrant was issued for Ulrich Huber on 13 Sep 1774 for 100 acres, adjoining his other tracts.¹⁵ It was surveyed on 12 Sep 1794 for 108 acres and 12 perches.¹⁶

Based on these land warrants, Ulrich was probably living in York County by 1758, and possibly as early as 1751. This means he was probably living in York County from the time he was a young adult, so his children were likely born there. Check back next time to see what records I was able to find for them.

How to Use the Pennsylvania Probate Records on FamilySearch

Kris Hocker on 26 Dec 2012

The FamilySearch website includes a collection entitled “Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994.” While it isn’t indexed and doesn’t include every county, it’s pretty easy to use once you figure it out.

Probate records can provide quite a bit of family information on your ancestor. A will may tell you how the decedent wanted his property divided and who was to get which pieces. You can get the name of a spouse, children, and associates—as the executor and witnesses were usually people the individual knew and trusted. A will may also point you to other documents. For instance, if the individual ordered that their real estate be sold, you might be able to locate deeds for the sale.

Intestate records may provide the names of the individual’s spouse and children, especially if they were minors and required guardians for their estate or if the decedent’s property needed to be partitioned. In the latter case, you should be able to find deed records for the transfer of ownership to the heir who accepted the property. Later deed transactions may also help you prove family relationships between individuals where there may not be other evidence.

Using this collection is not difficult. Navigating your way through it reminds me a lot of the “old days” of sitting down at a microfilm reader. There are no quick links directly to the information for which you’re looking. So, you’ll need to bounce around until you get to the right page.

Let’s take a look at the Lancaster County probate records.

FamilySearch Pennsylvania Probate Records collection

The available records for Lancaster County include indexes for Letters of Administrations 1730-1830, Orphans’ Court records 1742-1755, and Wills 1729-1947, and Will Books 1730-1908, volumes 1A through 2R. To find a will, you need to start with Will indexes.

Let’s try to find a will for Henry Huber of Martic Township. I start with “Will Index 1729-1949 A-K.” Clicking on the link pulls up the first frame.

Next I’ll need to try to locate the page(s) that include the Huber surname for first names beginning with the letter “H.” You could scroll page by page, but I usually estimate a starting point and go back/forth from there until I locate the page. I guestimated about image 200 and came up short with the Daub surname and jumped forward until I landed in close proximity to my target, then scrolled image-by-image until I hit the right page. All in all, I’d say it only took a few minutes to find the entry for Henry Huber.

As you can see from the image (click to enlarge), Henry Huber is the first entry. His will was dated 1757 and is located in Will Book B1, page 202. Since the book is online, I can go to find a copy of the will.

Click on the word “Lancaster” in the breadcrumb trail above the image to open the list of links to available books again.

I clicked on “Wills 1730-1773 vol A-B.” Book B is the second book in this series, so I need to jump forward until I’ve reached it. If there are two books, I go forward about half the number of images and adjust from there. Each image for a book contains a two-page spread, so jumping forward 10 images will jump you ahead 20 pages.

A little back and forth and ta-da! Henry Huber’s 1757 last will and testament.

The various counties in Pennsylvania have different records available to view. For instance, York and Adams counties not only have wills, but also the orphans court records. That means that you can find proceedings for intestates and guardianship petitions. The format of the indexes may also vary from county to county. Instead of a strictly alphabetical and chronological list, some of them use the Russell key indexing system. It uses key letters within the surname to index the names in groups which are then separated out by first name.

If you have Pennsylvania ancestors, give the collection a try and let me know what you find! If you have questions, you can let me know those, too.

A Theory Regarding Christian Huber’s Sister Ann

Kris Hocker on 24 Dec 2012

A little while back I did a series of posts about Christian Hoover of Heidelberg Township, York County, including a transcript of his inventory and the clues—or lack thereof—found in his wife’s probate file. Yesterday while researching the estate of Henry Küny (aka Keuny, Kuny, Kiny, Keiny, Keny), presumably the husband of Christian’s sister Ann, I came up with a new theory.

Let’s start with Christian’s will. In it he states: “and whereas Johannes Keny son of my Sister Ann is Justly indebted to me in the Sum of Nine Pounds Ten shillings it is my Will that he pay unto my Executrix the Sum of six Pounds part there of and unto his Brother Henry Keny the sum of one pound fifteen shillings also part thereof and the remaining Sum of one pound fifteen shillings I do bestow unto himself.”¹

Christian does not name his sister’s husband, just her sons Johannes and Henry. Information I found online named Henry Keuny of Germany Township as the husband of Ann Huber. And indeed this Henry had a wife named Ann and sons named Johannes and Henry.² Seems like a match, right?

And here’s the rub. At an Orphans Court on 26 Mar 1782, Ann Keiny petitioned the court for guardians for her children “John Keiny aged thirteen and upwards and Anna aged nine years and upwards and Henry aged seven years and upwards, and Barbara aged four years and upwards, and Jacob aged about eleven months.”³ John, son of Henry and Ann Keuny, would have been three years old in 1771 when Christian wrote his will; their son Henry wouldn’t have been born yet! How can a three year old be indebted to his uncle? And was Christian a psychic to know Ann would have a son named Henry about four years after his death?

The answer, of course, is that it’s not really possible that Christian was referring to the children of Henry Küny of Germany Township in his will. Here’s where my eureka moment comes in. I believe that Christian was referring to Henry Küny of Germany Township as his sister’s son in his will. So, where’s Henry’s brother, Johannes Küny?

John Küny of Germany Township was named guardian of Henry and Anna Küny’s children Magdalena, John, Anna, Henry, Barbara, and Jacob. So, there was both a Henry Küny and a John Küny, most likely a relative and quite possibly his brother, living in Germany Township. Both John and Henry Kiny are listed in the 1779 and 1780 tax lists for Germany Township.⁴ Henry Küny died in 1781 and only John Kenney and the Widow Kenney are listed in the 1781 tax list for Germany Township.⁵

At an Orphans Court on 30 Nov 1790, “Henry Keeny aged fifteen years and upwards” petitioned the court for a new guardian, as did “Henry Danner, Executor of the Last Will and Testament of John Keeny deceased,” on behalf of Barbara and Jacob Keeny.⁶ So, John Küny died in 1790.

A search of the Pennsylvania probate records on FamilySearch.org shows John Küny of Germany Township wrote his last will and testament on 16 Jan 1790. It was proven on 4 Jun 1790. It named his wife Anna, only daughter Anna, wife of Adam Gissler, granddaughter Magdalena Gissler, grandson John Gissler, and niece and nephew, Barbara and Jacob Küny, children of his brother Henry.⁷ Henry Danner and John Kehr were named as his executors. The will was witnessed by George Miller, John Thomas and John Summer.

So, Henry and John Küny of Germany Township were, in fact, brothers. What else can we learn about them?

John Küny land survey

John Küny (as Kieny) warranted a tract of land containing 100 acres in Germany Township on 16 Jun 1763 and a tract of 50 acres on 30 Apr 1765.⁸ The tracts were surveyed on 10 Aug 1765.⁹ This means that John was in York County by Jun 1763 at the latest. I found no warrants or patents for Henry Küny though the tax lists indicate he owned 100 acres in Germany Township.

A Johannes Küny arrived in Philadelphia aboard the ship Brothers on 30 Sep 1754.¹⁰ Also onboard were a Jacob Huber and a Christian Huber—relatives, perhaps?¹¹ A Henrich Küny arrived aboard the ship Myrtilla on 21 Sep 1765.¹²

What does this mean for researching Christian Huber? To be entirely honest, I’m not exactly sure. I believe it makes it more likely that Christian—and apparently his brothers, too—were immigrants, not first-generation Americans. Although that’s always a possibility in colonial research, 1749 is late enough that Christian’s parents might have been early immigrants.

Since Johannes and Henry Küny were presumably immigrants, born in Europe, finding their parents in Europe may also provide the location of Christian Huber’s birth. That, in turn, may provide additional information on his brothers that helps me to identify them in Pennsylvania. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.

Tag: Estate Records

Anthony and Catharine (Bowerman) Parsons

Conclusions

What are Orphans Court Records?

How to Use the Index