Maternal Line – A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy

Exasperating Elias

Kris Hocker on 25 Jan 2020

I used to think that Christian Hoover (1825-1887) was my most frustrating and exasperating ancestor. No more. That title now belongs to my presumed ancestor Elias Schneider (1733-1779).

Finding records for Elias and his descendants is proving to be a challenge. So far, I’ve got:

12 Aug 1733: Elias born in Pennsylvania to Conrad and Eva Catharina (Betz) Schneider
24 Jun 1752: Elias confirmed at Old Goshenhoppen
15 Apr 1753: Elias took communion at Old Goshenhoppen
2 Sep 1753: Elias sponsored Johann Elias, son of Johannes & Anna Maria Weicker, at Old Goshenhoppen with his father and Maria Margaretha Derr
4 Feb 1756: Elias and Anna Maria Nuss sponsored Elias, son of Jacob and Eva Catharina (Schneider) Bender, at Old Goshenhoppen
7 Dec 1756: Elias married Anna Maria Nuss at Old Goshenhoppen
20 Jun 1758: Elias & Anna Maria’s son Conrad (b. 18 Nov 1757) baptized at Old Goshenhoppen, sponsored by Conrad Grimm (single) & Elisabetha Nuss (single)
10 Aug 1759: Leonard and Elias took out an administration bond on their father’s estate, Elias Lang & Henry Vanderslice submitted their inventory and appraisal of Conrad’s estate
8 Apr 1761: Leonard and Elias filed their account administration for their father Conrad’s estate
July 1764: Elias & Anna Maria’s daughter Anna Margaretha (b. 2 Jul 1764) baptized at Old Goshenhoppen, sponsored by George Gaugler & Anna Margaretha Nuss
1769: Elias taxed in Upper Salford Township
17 Nov 1771: Elias & Anna Maria’s daughter Catharine (b. 27 Oct 1771) baptized at Old Goshenhoppen, sponsored by Philip Gabel & Anna Margaretha [Schneider]
31 Mar 1779: Anna Maria Schneider, widow & relict of Elias Schneider, granted Letters of Administration on Elias Schneider’s estate, Oley Township, Berks County; takes out administration bond
5 Apr 1779: Daniel Guldin & Elias Waggoner filed their inventory and appraisal of Elias Schneider’s estate
1780: Widow Snyder & Conrad Snyder taxed in Oley Township
1781: Widow Snyder & Conrad Snyder taxed in Oley Township
1782: Widow Snyder & son taxed in Oley Township
3 Jan 1784: child born to Conrad Snyder & wife “Margreda” baptized at Oley (Salem) Reformed Church, sponsored by Elias Wagner & wife Eva
1786: Conrad Snyder taxed in Oley Township
10 Jan 1786: Margaretha Schneider married Jacob Reppert in Oley Township
1787: Conrad Snyder taxed in Oley township
17 Jun 1787: Conrad’s daughter Catharina (b. 7 Feb) baptized at Zion Spiess’ Reformed Church, sponsored by Jacob Dreher & wife Barbara
1788: Conrad Snyder taxed in Alsace Township
10 Mar 1789: Conrad and Margaretha sponsored Daniel, son of John Feger & wife at Zion Spiess’ Church
10 Mar 1789: Conrad’s daughter Catharina buried at Schwartzwald Church cemetery
4 Apr 1789: Conrad’s son buried at Schwartzwald Church cemetery
3 Aug 1789: Conrad’s son Daniel baptized at Schwarzwald Reformed Church, sponsored by Valentin Hartmann & Elisabeth [Schneider?]
1790: Conrad Snyder enumerated in Alsace Township
1791: Conrad Snyder taxed in Exeter Township
21 Aug 1791: Conrad’s daughter Catharina baptized at Schwartzwald Reformed Church, sponsored by Johannes Meyer & Catharina Papp
1792: Conrad Snyder taxed in Exeter Township
1793: Conrad Snyder taxed in Exeter Township
30 Jun 1793: Conrad’s daughter Anna Maria baptized at Schwartzwald Reformed Church, sponsored by Philip Lies & Anna Maria Kelchner
24 May 1795: Conrad’s daughter Elizabetha baptized at Schwartzwald Reformed Church, sponsored by Elizabetha [Schneider?] Seyer [Sayer/Sayre]

That might look like a lot of information, but it reveals relatively little about Elias and his family. Most of the records aren’t for him. They are for his presumed widow and son. I’m left with a number of questions that I can’t answer.

For instance, there are baptismal records for three children: Conrad in 1758, Anna Margaretha in 1764, and Catharina in 1771. There are 6-7 years between these children’s births. Were they the only children for this couple? If not, why weren’t the births of the others recorded at Old Goshenhoppen? Were they not born in Upper Salford? If not, where were they born?

If my 5x great grandfather Jacob Schneider was their son, he was born in one of those 6-7 year intervals. Why can’t I find a record of his birth?

The records—that I’d expect to find, but haven’t—raise additional questions. For example, Elias’ estate inventory was valued at about £1,100. That’s almost $190,000 today! When he died in 1779, his known children were 21, 15, and 8. Only one of them was of age, so there would have had to have been guardians appointed for his two daughters. Yet, I have found no Orphans Court record in Berks County for Elias Snyder and there absolutely should be.

The “Widow Snyder” and Conrad Snyder were consistently taxed on horses and cows in 1780 and part of 1781, but no land. But the third tax record from 1781 and the 1782 list show they were taxed on 200 acres. Where did the land come from? Was it part of Elias’ estate? If so, why were there no Orphans Court records regarding it? It should have been appraised and evaluated to determine if it could be divided between the heirs. I found no record of such.

Nor have I found evidence of a warrant, patent, purchase, or sale of land by Elias or his heirs in Berks County. By 1786, the Widow Snyder is not included in Oley Township tax records. But Conrad was and he was only taxed on his occupation (shoemaker) and 1 horse. No land. What happened to it?

See what I mean? Exasperating.

I honestly believe that Elias is the best candidate to have fathered my 5x great grandfather Jacob, but proving it may be very difficult—even with the DNA evidence. The generational distance between my mom and any DNA matches may prevent even the DNA evidence from actually telling us much about our degree of relationship.

But I’ll keep plugging away. Sooner or later, that exasperating man is going to yield up his secrets. At least, I hope so…

Searching for Maria Margaretha Barbara’s Maiden Name

Kris Hocker on 6 Jan 2020

I recently found that Eva Catharina (Betz) Schneider was the daughter of Maria Margaretha Barbara, not Eva as I previously thought. But her surname was not readable on the family page for Sebastian Betz in the Fürfeld church book.

Sebastian Betz family page title in Fürfeld church book — Johann Sebastian Betz and wife Maria Margaretha Barbara

Sometimes a maiden name is difficult, if not impossible, to find, but it always bothers me not to have it. So, I went looking for more information on Maria Margaretha Barbara.

Since searching Ancestry did not yield results, I went paging through the Fürfeld church book. The family page provides both the marriage date (16 August 1687) and her death date (10 December 1716) which allowed me to to search for specific records.

The death record did not provide a maiden name, simply named her as the wife of Johann Sebastian Betz. The marriage record, however, did provide what I was looking for.

Sebastian Betz and Maria Margaretha Barbara, daughter of Johann Leonhardt Langer or Loinger, marriage entry — Johann Sebastian Betz Fürfeld marriage record

1687 16 Aug: Johann Sebastian Betz, [first?] legitimate son of Wolfgang Betz, citizen of Fürfeld, married with Maria Margaretha Barbara, legitimate daughter of Johann Leonhardt [Loingen? or Langer?], citizen of [?].¹

It appears to me that there is a location given for Johann Leonhardt, but I can’t make it out. I don’t believe it’s Fürfeld. (If you can read it, please help me out!)

Based on this record I can add Hans Wolfgang Betz, Sebastian’s father, and Johann Leonhardt Loinger/Loingen/Langer, Maria Margaretha Barbara’s father, to the family tree.

Surprise! A New Mom for Catharina Betz

Kris Hocker on 3 Jan 2020

As you know from previous posts, my research has revealed that I am a descendant of Conrad Schneider and Catharina Betz of Upper Salford, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, through their grandson Jacob Schneider. I have not proven who fathered Jacob, though I do have a working hypothesis.

Conrad and family immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1732, arriving in Philadelphia onboard the ship Johnson on 19 September.¹ In 1751, Reverend Lucas Raüs, pastor for Old Goshenhoppen Lutheran congregation, recorded the names and information of the church elders and deacons.

Conrad Schneider's entry in Old Goshenhoppen Lutheran Church book, includes birth and marriage information from Germany and list of children with their birth dates — *Conrad Schneider’s entry in Old Goshenhoppen Lutheran Church book*

Conrad Schneider was the third entry:

“Conrad Schneider, age 52 years, born 1699 March 17, in Treschklingen, in Swabia, son of Conrad Schneider and Catharina, both Reformed. He came to Pennsylvania in 1732. He married anno 1724 Catharine, born 1700 daughter of Sebastian Betz and wife Eva, from Ferfeld.”²
Old Goshenhoppen Register of the Families and the Names of the Ministers

With the 50% off membership at Ancestry for new and returning subscribers (good thru Jan. 7th), I decided to upgrade to the World Explorer to see what I could find on my German, Welsh, and English ancestors. I spent yesterday looking through the church records from Fürfeld.

Much to my surprise, I found that Catharina Betz’s full name was Eva Catharina and that her mother’s name was not also Eva. Sebastian Betz’s family page showed that his wife’s name was Maria Margaretha Barbara.³

Now, I’m the first to admit that my German reading comprehension is not the greatest—especially when trying to figure out both the handwriting and German. But I can usually find my way through birth, death, and marriage entries in church records and village family books.

Johann Sebastian Betz family page title: Johann Sebastian Betz vater: Hans Wolfgang uxor (wife) Maria Margaretha Barbara married 16 Aug 1687 died 10 December 1716 — *Sebastian Betz family page*

The page for Johann Sebastian Betz shows his wife’s [uxor] name was ~~Anna~~ Maria Margaretha Barbara [illegible surname]. Their marriage date is shown as “16 8 1687” [16 August 1687]—confirmed from their marriage entry, as is her date of death: “10, 12, 1716” [10 December 1716]—confirmed through burial records.

Sebastian’s daughter Eva Catharina was born 8 April 1701.⁴ Even though as far as I can tell she is not named as such in the entry, given her date of death, Maria Margaretha Barbara must have been Eva Catharina’s birth mother.

Eva Catharina Betz's entry on Sebastian Betz's page showing she was born 8 April 1701 — *Eva Catharina Betz’s entry on Sebastian Betz’s family page*

But what about the Old Goshenhoppen entry? Was Conrad—since he most likely provided the information for the church book—just wrong about the name of his wife’s mother?

Nope.

Eva Strecker entry on Sebastian Betz's family page — *Eva Strecker entry on Sebastian Betz’s family page*

The entry (above) shows that Sebastian did marry a woman named Eva. It took a bit of sleuthing—mostly regarding the information written between her given name and date of death (28 November 1725)—but I determined that she was Eva Strecker of Zottishofen. Their marriage record—dated 23 November 1717—identifies her as the daughter of Johann Conrad Strecker, “bürger zu Zottisshofen” [citizen of Zotishofen].⁵

Therefore, when Conrad married Eva Catharina in 1724, Sebastian was married to a woman named Eva. Maria Margaretha Barbara had already been dead for almost eight years. When he provided the information 27 years later, he likely named the woman he knew when he married.

Is It Nichl or Michl Bender? Using Other Records to Solve a Census Dilemma

Kris Hocker on 15 Dec 2018

I used the 1820 United States Census for Osnaburg Township, Stark County, Ohio as a source for pinpointing Michael Bender’s likely location that year in my follow-up post on Michael Bender (1766-?). However, that census entry is indexed on FamilySearch and Ancestry as “Nichl Bender.”

So which is it? Is it Nicholas Bender or Michael Bender?

Is it Nichl or Michl?

Although I think it’s quite clear that it’s Michael, it must not have been to the indexer—or others who’ve attached the record to Nicholas Bender. Looking at it solely from this record, you can’t make a firm determination. However, if you look at it in conjunction with other records from this location, you most definitely can.

In my follow-up post, I also referred to an 1818 deed in which Michael Bender purchased land in section 12, township 18, range 7.¹ If we look at the deed, you can see it clearly says Michael Bender and gives the location.

Daniel Clark to Michael Bender Deed C-541

Stark County Deed Book C:541, Daniel Clark to Michael Bender

A Google search for “map stark county ohio range 7 township 18” turns up a map for the “Ranges and Townships based on the Pennsylvania Line and Ohio River.” Since I know I’m looking for Stark County, I can tell from the map that township 18 is just south and east of Canton—Osnaburg Township.

So, Michael Bender purchased land in Osnaburg Township in 1818. Was he living there in 1820? How can we find out? Any property owner knows the answer. Taxes.

If we look for Benders in the tax record for Stark County², we find only two: Michael Bender and Job Bender.³ Based on the column headings the 1820 tax record, it clearly shows that Michael was living in Stark County—township 18, section 12. Subsequent records show that Michael was in Osnaburg Township and “Job Burdon” in Lexington Township.⁴ No other Bender appears in the township until 1829 when Susanna Bender and Jonas Bender are listed after Michael.⁵

1829 Osnaburg taxes: Michael, Susanna and Jonas Bender

Additionally, if we look at the names of those enumerated before and after the Bender entry in Osnaburg Township in 1820, we can see some of the very names mentioned in the 1818 deed between Daniel Clark and Michael Bender: Adam Sholl and John Groul. In between Bender and Groul are two McInterfers. Michael’s son Daniel apparently married Susanna Mackendorfer, likely a relation of one of these two “McInterfer” families.

1820 US Census: Osnaburg, Stark, Ohio (page 184)

Looking at the 1830 census for Osnaburg, we can see Susan Bender is enumerated.⁶ John Groul and the Mackenterfers are also listed around her entry. Peter Anthony’s name can also be seen lower in the list. He’s the man who purchased four shares (4/8’s interest) of Michael Bender’s property from Jonas Bender,⁷ Susanna Weaver, and Benjamin and Rachel (Bender) Smith⁸ in 1836 and 1837. Even Henry Sholl, Henry A. Shull’s father, can be seen enumerated at the bottom of the page.

1830 United States Census: Osnaburg, Stark, Ohio (page 225)

Based on the totality of these records, who do you think the 1820 census entry refers to: Michael Bender or Nicholas Bender?

Michael Bender (1766-?): A Follow-Up

Kris Hocker on 11 Dec 2018

If Eva Catharina (Schneider) Bender’s son Michael didn’t die in Adams County, Pennsylvania in 1835 or 1850 as I suggest in my previous post, what happened to him? There are several possibilities.

He died in Adams County, but Ancestry, FamilySearch and Find a Grave don’t have a record of it
He died in Adams County, but record of his death is not online
He died somewhere other than Adams County

If there’s no record of his death online—and it’s likely there isn’t as most existing records are not online—then I’ll have to find another way to find out what happened to him.

Stark County, Ohio

Fortunately, a family researcher posted a couple deed extracts to their entry in an Ancestry Family Tree for Michael’s alleged son Daniel that point the way. According to the deed extracts, Daniel Bender of Plain Township, Stark County, Ohio sold his eighth interest in a tract of land formerly owned by Michael Bender, deceased, to Jonas Bender on 13 January 1832.¹

How can we tell whether or not this is the same person?

Based on the baptismal records from Benders Church, I know Michael and Susanna had a son Daniel born 4 June 1798 and baptized 19 August 1798.² Daniel Bender of Plain Township died 23 March 1868 and was buried in Harry Warstler Cemetery, in Plain Township.³ According to his gravestone, he was 69 years 9 months and 19 days old. If I use his date of death and age from the tombstone to calculate his birth date, the result is 4 June 1798.⁴ A perfect match.

The second abstract indicates that Michael Bender purchased the land on 31 March 1818 from Daniel Clark.⁵ The land was originally patented by Rudolph Bair Jr., assignee of Rudolph Bair Sr.⁶ It passed through several hands before Michael Bender purchased it, including: Rudolph Bair, Adam Shull, and Daniel Clark, who sold it to Michael. According to the deed, it adjoined land of John Groul and Rudolph Bair.⁷

This tract was in the northwest corner of section 12, township 18, range 7, placing it in eastern Osnaburg Township in Stark County. As one would expect, Michael Bender is listed in the 1820 census enumeration for Osnaburg.⁸ He was taxed on the 42 acres from 1820 through 1831 when the listing reads “Michael Bender heirs.”⁹ Based on these records, Michael most likely died in Osnaburg Township sometime prior to 1831.

However, he is not included as a head of household in the 1830 census. Instead, Susan Bender appears in the list among Michael’s neighbors from the 1820 census.¹⁰ This leads me to believe that Michael likely died sometime prior to 1830, most likely in 1829. The tax list for that year includes a listing for Michael, showing tax on 42 acres, and right below it Susanna Bender and Jonas Bender, who were both taxed on personal property—2 horses (Jonas) & 2 cattle (Susanna).¹¹ Michael Bender was taxed on 2 horses and 2 cattle in 1828, in addition to his real estate.¹²

Jonas Bender—“one of the legal heirs & representatives of Michael Bender”—and wife Polly sold his eighth part claim and that eighth part of Michael’s property he purchased from Daniel Bender to Peter Anthony on 10 July 1837.¹³ Based on this, it appears Jonas was likely one of the children—and eight heirs—of Michael Bender.

Susanna Bender most likely died sometime after 1842. She was once again the head of household on the 1840 census.¹⁴ On 28 April 1842, she completed articles of agreement with Henry A. Shull, giving him all her property at her death in exchange for agreeing to “keep the said Susan Bender widow during her life in health and sickness comfort her in clothing and in all other necessaries of life as she requires it and at her death burying her a deasant [sic] cristian like manner.”¹⁵ Henry A. Shull was apparently married to Anna Eliza Weaver, daughter of Henry and Susanna (Bender) Weaver.¹⁶ They married on 4 February 1841 in Stark County. He purchased land in Richland Township, DeKalb County in 1844, so it’s possible Susanna died sometime between 1842 and 1844.

Other Family Members?

What other evidence can we find in Stark County that indicates that this family is the family of Michael Bender and Susanna Schmoyer? There were several other Benders in the area.

A Samuel Bender, born 1776-1794, was enumerated in Plain Township in the 1820 census¹⁷ and Marlboro Township in the 1830 census.¹⁸ Michael and Susanna’s son Samuel was born on 21 June 1791, so he’s a potential match.¹⁹

Rachel (Bender) Smith, wife of Benjamin Smith, like Daniel Bender, was buried in Henry Warstler Cemetery. According to her gravestone, she was born 4 November 1802 and died 20 June 1884, aged 81 years 7 months and 16 days.²⁰ Her birthdate matches that of Michael and Susanna’s daughter Rachel from Bender’s Church records.²¹

Susanna Weaver and Benjamin and Rachel (Bender) Smith all sold their shares of Michael Bender’s 42 acres to Peter Anthony on 12 November 1836.²² This indicates that Michael had another child, Susanna who married a Weaver. A Susanna Bender, most likely this one, married Henry Weaver on 23 January 1821 in Stark County.²³ It was their son-in-law, Henry A. Shull, who completed articles of agreement in 1842 with Susanna (Schmoyer) Bender to care for her until she died.

Conclusions

Daniel Bender and Rachel (Bender) Smith, who both have birthdates matching those of children of Michael and Susanna (Schmoyer) Bender, were living in Stark County and as “legal heirs & representatives of Michael Bender” sold their shares of his property in Osnaburg Township after 1830.

Susanna Bender, a widow, appears in tax and census records in Osnaburg around the time of Michael’s presumed death and is connected to the son-in-law of one of Michael’s heirs through articles of agreement formed in 1842. These records are consistent with Susanna being Michael’s widow.

I don’t have explicit, direct evidence that Michael, son of Eva Catharina (Schneider) Bender, was the man who died in Osnaburg Township, Stark County, Ohio circa 1829. But there is consistent, circumstantial evidence suggesting that this is the case.

Hopefully, continued research will determine what happened to the rest of his children.

Researching Michael Bender (1766-?) of Menallan Township

Kris Hocker on 1 Dec 2018

In order to connect my DNA matches to the Conrad Schneider family of Upper Salford Township, I have been using reverse genealogy to build the family tree. I’ve had several descendants of Conrad’s daughter Eva Catharina (Schneider) Bender turn up in my Schneider cluster, so I’ve been tracing her family to see if I can find more.

Just recently, I’ve been working on her son Michael Bender’s family. Michael was born 15 October 1766 in Philadelphia County and baptized at Old Goshenhoppen Church in Upper Salford Township on 12 April 1773.¹ His uncle Michael Schneider was his sponsor. Michael moved with his family to Menallen Township, York (now Adams) County in the 1770s.

Based on baptisms in Bender’s Church, I know Michael married a woman named Susanna Schmoyer. I found online extractions for baptisms of Elias (1790), Samuel (1791), Jacob (1795), Magdalena (1796), Daniel (1798), and Rachel (1804).² Tax and census records place Michael in Menallen Township through at least 1800.

Ancestry’s hints provided information on two Michael Benders who died in Adams County in the early-to-mid 1800s: 1) Michael Bender of Hamilton Township who died in 1835, and 2) Michael who died in 1850 and was buried at Franklin Church Cemetery in Clear Springs.

Michael Bender of Hamilton Township left a will which names his wife Sophia and children: Daniel, Jacob, Susanna wife of George Myers, Sophia wife of Jacob Shunk, and Sarah, deceased.³ Michael died in 1835, aged about 70 years, and was buried in the East Berlin Cemetery.⁴ This family only partially fits the Michael I’m researching.

The gravestone of Michael Bender who died in 1850 states that he was 83 years 8 months and 22 days old when he died.⁵ He died 10 April 1850. Calculating a birthdate from that age tells us he was born 17 July 1766. This doesn’t match my Michael’s birthdate, though it’s only months off. So, again, close but not exact.

Now I have two Michael Benders born around the same time, living in Adams County, neither of which truly matches what I’ve found for Catharina’s son Michael. Poking around in online family trees wasn’t terribly helpful either. There is no consistency; most of them seem to be mash-ups of multiple families.

Wish I Had a Clue

But I did find a clue pointing to another Bender family from Lancaster County. Pulling out my handy-dandy Lancaster County resources, I did, in fact, find Benders in Lancaster County.

These Benders were members of the Moravian Church in Lancaster Borough. Going through the records, I found Michael Bender of Lampeter Township, son of Leonhard and Susanna (Farni) Bender, who married Sophia Kurtz of Manheim Township on 29 October 1793⁶ and the births of his children Sarah, Daniel and Jacob.⁷ I also located the birth record of Michael Bender born 17 July 1766, son of Michael and Maria Margaretha (Taubenberger) Bender.⁸

Based on this information, Michael Bender, son of Catharina (Schneider) Bender is neither the Michael of Hamilton Township, nor the Michael who died in 1850. Those men are from another Bender family which can be traced back to Johann Leonhard Bender of Kirchardt, Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.⁹

Lessons?

Sometimes the available choices don’t actually apply to the person you’re researching.
It pays to dig in and research the hints.
Most importantly, remember that there are options other than what Ancestry’s hints provide you.

Unfortunately, this new research complicated my work on building out the Bender family tree by adding another, unrelated family to the mix. But at least now I know these families and the potential for mixing ’em up exists and can watch out for it.

Three Michael Benders:

Michael Bender, son of Jacob Nicolas Bender and Catharina Schneider, was born 15 October 1766, Philadelphia County, and married Susanna Schmoyer.

Elias Bender, born 27 September 1789, baptized 17 January 1790 at Benders Church
Samuel Bender, born 21 June 1791, baptized sometime between 27/29 August and 25 September at Benders Church (no baptism date recorded)
Jacob Bender, born 10 October 1794, baptized 26 April 1795 at Benders Church
Magdalena Bender, born 3 September 1796, baptized 23 October 1796 at Benders Church
Daniel Bender, born 4 June 1798, baptized 19 August 1798 at Benders Church
Rachel Bender, born 4 November 1802, baptized 19 February 1804 at Benders Church

There may be other children for this family.

Michael Bender, son of Johann Leonhard Bender and Susanna Farni, was born 14 September 1765, baptized 15 September 1765 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster, and married Sophia Kurtz, 29 October 1793.

Sarah Bender, born 18 August 1794, baptized 14 September 1794 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster, died before 8 November 1835
Daniel Bender, born 9 November 1795, baptized 4 December 1794 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster, married Mary Spangler
Jacob Bender, born 9 August 1797, baptized 20 March 1798 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster
Susanna Bender married George Myers
Sophia Bender married Jacob Shunk

The children of this family were born in Lampeter Township, Lancaster County.

Michael Bender, son of Michael Bender and Maria Margaretha Taubenberger, was born 17 July 1766, baptized 20 July 1766 at Lititz Moravian Church, and married Elizabeth Ziegler.

George Bender, born 22 December 1791, baptized 25 Dec 1791 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster
Anna Maria Bender, born 7 May 1794, baptized 30 May 1794 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster
Catharina Bender, born 23 January 1796, baptized 11 Feb 1796 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster
Michael Bender, born 3 January 1798, baptized 20 January 1798 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster
Ludwig (aka Lewis) Bender, born 29 October 1799, baptized 16 November 1799 at the Moravian Church in Lancaster

Michael and Elizabeth resided in Manor Township as of 1799. There may have been other children born in this family after 1800.

Jacob Schneider’s Timeline

Kris Hocker on 19 Aug 2018

Last week I wrote about using tax records to fill in the details of Jacob Schneider’s life. I wrote about what I found; now I want to show you how I organized it.

Timelines are an invaluable tool for genealogical research. Not only do they help you organize what you’ve found and see what may be missing, they can also show you inconsistencies and overlaps that can point to potential identification mistakes.

There are three places I have created time-based lists of events: 1) in the miscellaneous notes field in Reunion, 2) Evernote and 3) Google Sheets (spreadsheet). Any one of these—or a combination of them—may work for you.

Reunion is my goto for any information pertaining to an individual; everything I find goes there.

I use Evernote when I want to be more organized and structure my research. I found a template from Colleen Greene that includes sections for biographical information, clues, tasks, and a research log. I added a timeline to the template and use it to keep myself focused during research, to try to adhere to standards.

My Google Sheets timelines I use for collecting data from specific sources. It allows me to compare data—census, tax, etc.—for a specific location or surname through time. I also use it to create compact timelines, a simplified version of my Evernote timelines. These are really helpful when trying to distinguish between multiple individuals with the same name in a given location.

Here is Jacob Schneider’s timeline from my Google spreadsheet.

Jacob Schneider timeline

This spreadsheet only includes records for Jacob Schneider and his presumed family members. I used color to differentiate between people, baby blue being for Jacob himself. Samuel Snyder’s entries are not colored in order to highlight them as I wrote up my proof argument for why I believed him to be Jacob Schneider’s son and Judith Ann Wolf’s husband.

I wouldn’t consider this timeline complete. The tax records need more specific dates and I’m still looking for additional records. For example, Henry received communion at New Goshenhoppen, so he had to have been baptized and confirmed. I’m hoping to find record of that for him and his siblings. Baptism sponsors—especially for the eldest children—can help find additional family members and identify parentage for Jacob and Catharine.

When I examined the records for Conrad and Jacob Nuss in conjunction with this timeline, it became clear that Jacob Schneider was likely working with Jacob Nuss as a saddler. They were both in Upper Hanover Township from 1791 through 1801. Conrad Nuss, Jacob’s presumed father-in-law only overlaps in Upper Hanover with Jacob in 1791 and 1793. Jacob Schneider, like Conrad, is later found in Hereford between 1805 and 1808.

I really like the way a narrative starts to appear when you examine these records. Jacob likely met Catharine while he was apprenticing, learning the saddler trade, and married his boss’s niece! I wouldn’t have thought of this scenario without seeing the occupations in the tax record and the location overlaps in the timeline.

Building a Timeline for Jacob Schneider Clues from Tax Records Help to Build a Life Story

Kris Hocker on 13 Aug 2018

Based on my genetic genealogy research and the paper trail I’ve built for Jacob & Catharine (___) Schneider, I’m fairly certain that they are the parents of my 4x great grandfather Henry Schneider. I’m also pretty certain that Catharina’s parents were Conrad and Anna Margaretha (Roeder) Nuss. But that hasn’t stopped the search for additional evidence. After all, I would like to know who Jacob’s parents were.

Tax Records

I was combing through Montgomery County tax records for other research when I decided to look for Jacob and Henry in the records. Tax records may not provide a lot of genealogical information, but they can give you residency for a person between census years.

They can also be matched up with other records for verification or provide information when those other records are lacking. For instance, many times our ancestors did not record deeds with the county recorder. It wasn’t required and it cost money. Having a deed for yourself was enough to prove ownership, so that’s all they did. Tax records can fill in that evidentiary hole when you don’t have the deed. They can tell you if your ancestor owned land, when they owned it, how much they owned, and what it was worth.

Jacob Schneider

In Jacob’s case, I have a deed, but it’s the years before his purchase I want to know more about. He first appeared in Upper Hanover Township tax records in 1791¹ as a single man.² He continuously appears in the available records, taxed on his occupation and 1 or 2 cows (his only property), through 1804 when his name was crossed out.³ At that point, I know he’s still alive, so he must have moved out of the township.

In 1810, he reappeared in Upper Hanover, taxed on 85 acres of land, 1 horse, 2 cows, and a dog.⁴ His occupation was listed as a saddler. Records show him in the township through 1829 when an entry consistent with prior records is attributed to “Jacob and Samuel.”⁵ This is consistent with the deed record which shows he purchased 85 acres from Henry Roeder on 2 April 1810.⁶ Jacob died sometime before 24 October 1829.⁷ His administrators, Henry and Catharine Schneider, reported to the Orphans Court during the January 1830 session that they sold Jacob’s land to Michael Gery and, indeed, Michael Gery was taxed on 85 acres in that year.⁸

So, Jacob Schneider worked as a saddler, even after he purchased his land in 1810. In order to learn this trade, he likely apprenticed as a young man with a saddler. Do you know who was also listed as a saddler in tax records?

His presumed father-in-law Conrad Nuss!

I found both Conrad and his brother Jacob listed in various tax records in Upper Hanover from 1774⁹ through 1793.¹⁰ Curious about the years Jacob was missing from Upper Hanover, I checked Hereford Township records in Berks County where Conrad wrote his last will & testament in 1808. I found Jacob Snyder (“sadler”) in Hereford from 1805 through 1809 and Conrad from 1806 through 1808.¹¹ It doesn’t seem like much of a stretch to argue that Jacob learned the saddler’s trade from one (or both) of the Nuss brothers and married Conrad’s daughter.

My 4x great grandfather Henry Schneider was taxed in Upper Hanover, too. He first appears in the records at age 25, taxed as a single man in 1817.¹² He was taxed on his occupation—cordweiner, aka shoemaker—and his property—one or two cows—until he purchased land from his father-in-law’s estate in 1830.¹³ Henry’s mother and siblings show up in the records, too:

mother Catharine in 1832-1834¹⁴
sister Catharine in 1831-1834¹⁵
Elizabeth in 1830 and 1832¹⁶
Jacob in 1819 and 1829¹⁷
Samuel in 1826-1840¹⁸
Daniel in 1831-1837¹⁹
Michael in 1832²⁰
John in 1832-1837²¹

Only Sarah and Jonas do not appear in the tax record, perhaps because they were too young for the records I looked at or they moved out of the township while still minors.

Conclusions

It seems to me that these records support the hypothesis that Henry was the son of Jacob and Catharine. The overlap in the tax record—at a time when there doesn’t appear to be another Snyder family living in the township—between Jacob and persons with the names of his children, each appearing shortly after they would have presumably come of age, is consistent with a familial relationship.

Several of these individuals also had money “at interest” according to the records in the early 1830s. This is consistent with payouts from an estate settlement. Henry and Catharine submitted their administration account of Jacob’s estate on 13 April 1831.²² There was a balance $1,232.21 to pay the heirs. Catharine would have received a third—$410, and the ten children would have divided the remaining $822.

The records also support my hypothesis that the Samuel Snyder who married Judith Ann Wolf, daughter of my 4x great grandparents Jacob and Magdalena (Brey) Wolfe, was the son of Jacob and Catharine (Nuss) Schneider. These tax records place Jacob’s son Samuel in the same location as the Wolfe family both directly before and after the marriage to Judith Wolf. They also note that he was a single man through 1831, but not after 1832, just about the time Samuel and Judith likely married.²³

All in all, these tax records improve my understanding of Jacob Schneider’s life and family and add evidence to the argument that he and Catharine are my 5x great grandparents and the descendant of Samuel and Judith (Wolf) Snyder, their descendants, too.

Climbing Esther’s Family Tree

Kris Hocker on 30 Jun 2018

Research has added a couple more generations of Schneiders to my family tree. And, no, they are not related—as far as I know—to the Jacob Schneider who married Catharina Nuss, father of my four times great grandfather Henry Snyder.

Up until recently I’ve had three known ancestors who were Schneiders and “tree-tops”¹ for their respective lines:

Jacob Schneider (ca 1756-1765–1829) who married Catharina Nuss
Eva Elisabetha (Schneider) Jäger (1728–1804) wife of Johannes Jäger (1721–1796), ancestors of my fifth great grandmother Eva (Yeager) Strassburger, wife of Johann Andreas Strassburger (1754–1825)
Esther (Schneider) Person (1801–1867), wife of Abraham Person (1797–1876) and mother of my three times great grandmother Helena (Person) Dillinger (1829–1894), wife of William Dillinger (1825–1896)

Recently, I decided to see what I could find on Abraham Person and his wife Esther Schneider now that deed records are online on FamilySearch. I got lucky and found Esther’s parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents.

Esther’s Parents

On 29 March 1861, “Anna Maria Schnyder, widow and relict of Jacob Snyder late of Upper Saucon township…, who died intestate, Samuel Snyder of Upper Milford Township…a son of said deceased and Catharine his wife, Abraham Person of Salisbury Township…and Esther his wife, who is a daughter of said deceased, Jacob Snyder of Lower Saucon township…another son of said deceased and Elisabeth his wife, and William Snyder of Warren County in the Commonwealth of New Jersey, another son… and Lydia his wife” sold 115 acres 10 perches in Upper Saucon Township to David Snyder (another son).²

Jacob Schneider was born 29 June 1778 and died 9 December 1860 in Upper Saucon Township.³ He was buried in Friedensville Cemetery. He married Anna Maria Shaffer, born 16 September 1780 and died 11 November 1863.⁴

The couple had five children:

Esther Schneider was born 21 September 1801 and died 14 January 1867, Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania;⁵ she married Abraham Person.⁶ Abraham was born 9 March 1797 and died 26 April 1876.⁷ He, too, is buried in the Union-West End Cemetery in Allentown.
William Schneider was born 30 March 1804 and died 1 July 1880, Washington Township, Warren County, New Jersey;⁸ he married Lydia Bogert.⁹
David Schneider was born about 1810.¹⁰ He married Sarah (___).¹¹
Samuel Schneider was likely born 17 September 1812 and died 8 May 1891 in Emmaus Borough.¹² He married Catharine (___).¹³
Jacob Schneider Jr. was possibly born 25 April 1816 and died 15 June 1905 in Hellertown.¹⁴ He married Elizabeth (___).¹⁵

Esther’s Grandparents

According to the deeds, Jacob Snyder received 48 acres of his father’s land from Henry Egner, and his wife Catharine, and John Snyder on 3 May 1813. This land had been left by David Schneider to his heirs: Jacob Schneider, Catharina Schneider wife of Henry Egner, and John Schneider.¹⁶

David Schnyder’s will named his wife Esther and children Jacob, Catharine, and John.¹⁷ His executors were Abraham Snyder and John Geisinger.

David granted his wife the right to remain on his property until his youngest child (John) was 21 years-old and to “take wheat Rye as much as she as she [sic] & my children shall want for their Died [sic]…four old hogs and four shoads [sic] and kitchen gardon [sic] as much she will take and she shall have the Hoise [sic] to choose three sheeps out of my stock for her use and she my said wife shall have her peacable abode on my Premises…”

David Schnyder (aka Taylor) wrote his last will & testament on 22 August 1785 and it was probated 1 October 1785. He most likely died sometime in September 1785. He left behind a wife and three underage children. On 16 June 1789, David’s uncle Abraham petitioned the Orphans Court for guardians to be appointed for his children: Jacob, Catharina, and John.¹⁸ Esther likely died sometime between David’s writing his will and her children dividing their father’s land in 1804.

David and Esther had children:

Jacob Schneider [see above]
Catharina Schneider was born 19 January 1780 and died 6 July 1861 in Upper Saucon Township.¹⁹ She married Henry Egner.²⁰ Some of Catharina’s children married into the same Wieder family that her brother Jacob’s great granddaughter Alavesta later joined. Their children were first and second cousins of Alavesta’s husband, E. J. Wieder.
John Schneider was born before 1783.

Esther’s Great Grandparents & Great Great Grandparents

On 25 June 1804, David’s children divided up between them the real estate that remained in his estate after the executors had sold a portion to pay his debts. Catharina and her husband received 65 acres of land as her full portion from the estate, Jacob received the rest of the remaining land, and John received £675.²¹

This deed records the history of the land from its first purchase from the Proprietaries of the province. The land was purchased by Heinrich Schneider on 20 June 1743, the patent recorded in Patent Book A11:187. ²² Henry Schneider and his wife Elizabeth granted the land to Mary Schneider, “widow the relict and administratrix… of there [sic] son Jacob Schneider late of the place abovesaid [Upper Saucon] yeoman deceased for the use of David Schneider and Elizabeth then a minor children under the age of twenty one years” on 18 May 1759.

Jacob Schneider and his wife Mary were both likely born sometime before 1738, possibly in Pennsylvania. Jacob died prior to 18 May 1759 and Mary sometime after that. More research is required to narrow those timeframes. Prior to his death, Jacob’s father sold 227 acres in Upper Saucon Township to him, but did not complete the deed. After his death, Heinrich and wife Elizabeth had the deed recorded and Mary gave them the second payment for the land.

Jacob and Mary had children:

David Schneider was born between 18 May 1738 and 1757 and died in September 1785.
Elizabeth Schneider was born between 18 May 1738 and 18 May 1759. No more is currently known.

Henry Schneider (aka Taylor) was living in Richland Township, Bucks County when he and his wife Elizabeth sold the land to their daughter-in-law Mary in 1759.²³ He patented the land on Saucon Creek on 20 June 1743 prior to the creation of Northampton County. The land adjoined that of Thomas Owen, Valentine Humil, Isaac Samuel, and John Pugh. He may have been the Henry Schneider who died 16 September 1761 and was buried in East Swamp Mennonite Cemetery in Quakertown.²⁴

Henry and his wife Elizabeth had at least two children:

Jacob Schneider [see above]
Abraham Schneider died after 16 June 1789. ²⁵

Esther (Schneider) Person’s ancestry

Based on this research Heinrich Schneider and his wife Elizabeth are my eight times great grandparents through their son Jacob and grandson David. Heinrich was most likely my immigrant ancestor on this line. Both Jacob and David died young, leaving behind widows with young children. Makes you wonder what their lives were like growing up.

Friday Find: Karl Greulich’s Birth Record

Kris Hocker on 12 Jan 2018

While putting together a picture book for my cousin’s daughter, I found records from the church book at Haag, Germany in the online collection of the State Archive of Baden-Württemberg. My Greulich ancestors were from this village.

1838 Karl Philip Greulich birth record from the Baden-Wuerttemberg Landesarchiv

1838 Haag church book entries from the Baden-Wuerttemberg Landesarchiv online records

Here’s a close-up of the actual entry for Karl Philip Greulich’s birth record from the Haag church book.

Close-up of 1838 Karl Philip Greulich birth record

The handwriting is difficult, but I can clearly make out his parents—Georg Philipp Greulich and wife Anna Margaretha (née Würzel). The document also names his baptismal sponsors but I’m not sure of all the names. I believe I see “Johannes Philipp Würzel” and maybe Hans Georg Würzel, too.

Karl Philipp Greulich, my 2x great grandfather, was born 13 February 1838 in Haag, Mosbach, Baden. He was the son of Georg Philipp Greulich and Anna Margaretha Würzel. Johann Georg Würzel and Anna Elisabetha Zimmerman were his maternal grandparents and Johann Adam Greulich and Maria Katharina Wilhelm, his paternal grandparents.

1856 Passenger list for the barque Dorette

1856 Passenger list (partial) for the barque Dorette from Bremen to New York City

He immigrated to the United States in 1856 on board the barque Dorette with his sister Eva Catharina Greulich (aged 21) and half-brother Georg Jacob (aged 33). Karl was only 17 years-old. The ship arrived at New York harbor on 21 January 1856. Catharina remained in New York (state) and married. Georg continued his journey on to South America. At least that’s the family lore.

Karl anglicized his name to Charles Philip Greulich and settled in East Greenville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. On 30 November 1861, he married Susanna Krauss Wolf. After her death in 1863, he married her sister, Caroline Krauss Wolf, on 7 August 1864. In all he had fourteen children, twelve who survived to adulthood, including my great grandfather Elmer Calvin Greulich.

Charles died in East Greenville on 2 February 1904 and was buried at the New Goshenhoppen Reformed Church cemetery.

Sites like Ancestry are great, but more and more archives are putting their holdings online. They can be a goldmine for locating records on your family. If they don’t have what you need today, keep checking. You just might find a treasure.

Tag: Maternal Line

Stark County, Ohio

Other Family Members?

Conclusions

Wish I Had a Clue

Three Michael Benders:

Tax Records

Jacob Schneider

Conclusions

Esther’s Parents

Esther’s Grandparents

Esther’s Great Grandparents & Great Great Grandparents