Paternal Line – Page 3 – A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy

52 Ancestors: Martin Weidman (1698-1768) Will

Kris Hocker on 28 Apr 2014

Martin Weidman, my 7x great-grandfather, was born in 1698, in Gräben, Baden-Durlach. He died prior to 11 October 1768 in Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Martin wrote his last will and testament on 6 June 1766 and it was proven on 11 October 1768.¹

[page 301]
Martin Weidman dec’d
In the name of God Amen I Martin Weidman of Cocalico Township Yeoman calling unto Memory the Mortality of my Body do hereby make this my last will and testament whilst sound in Body and Mind To my beloved Wife Margaretha I give and devise the Interest of of one third Part of my Personal Estate during her Natural Life but if that should not suffice for her Maintenance she shall have a right to take so much of the Principal
[page 302]
as will be necessary for her Maintenance To my Eldest son Christopher I give and devise a Sum of Fifty Pounds Lawful Money of Pennsylvania wherein is included a Sum of Twenty five Pounds Money aforesaid which oweth to him the £75 this shall be instead of his two Shares and it is my Will, that he shall besides this have no other prerogative before my other Heirs The Residue of my Estate all my Heirs shall divide among themselves in equal Shares, and the Heirs of my son Wendel deceased shal in herit their Fathers share Farther I Ordain that my son Jacob Shall pay a sum of Nine Hundred Pounds due to me by him every Year after my Death the sum of Sixty Pounds to my heirs, until the whole is also paid and Satisfied, the first payment shall have my son Christopher 2 the second my Daughter Elizabeth Wife of Adam Haker the tird [sic] my Son Jacob the fourth my Daughter Margaretha Wife of George Haker the fifth my Daughter Barbara Wife of Bernhard Gartner the sixth my Daughter Catharina, Wife to George Wachter and so forth in this Wise, until the whole sum above mentioned is paid Finally I Constitute and Ordain Executors of this my last Will my two sons Christopher and Jacob In Witness whereof I have to these Presents set my hand & Seal this Sixth
day of June Anno Domini One Thousand Seven Hundred & Sixty Six ~
Signed sealed & acknowledged by the Testator to be his Martin Weidtman {seal}
last Will & Testament in the presence of us underwritten Witnesses who saw him Sign the same Jeremias Miller, Samuel Funk, Jacob Funk, Peter Miller ~
Memorandum I thought proper to Annix this by way of Inttorsement to this my last Will that my Wife shall have the use of my best bed and all my Linnen during her life Witness my hand this Thirteenth day of June 1766 added before sealing further she shall all the use of my best cow to by kept in fother by my son Jacob shall provice her with firewood during her life this thirteenth day of June 1766 aforesd. Martin Weidtman {seal}
Signed and acknowledged by the Testator to be his Indorsement in the Presence of Peter Miller
Lancaster County Ss On the Eleventh day of October Anno Domini 1768 Before me the Subscriber Personally appeared Samuel Funk and Jacob Funk two of the subscribing witnesses to the within Will and on their Solmn Affirmation did declare and Affirm that they were present and saw and heard Martin Weidman the Testator within named Sign Seal Publish pronounce and declare the within Writing as and for his Last Will & Testament and that at the doing thereof he was of Sound and well disposing Mind Memory & Understanding to the best of their knowledge observation & belief ~
Lancaster County Ss on the Thirteenth day of October Anno Domini 1768 Before me the Subscriber personally appeared the above and within named Peter Miller one of the Subscribing Witnesses to the within Will and Codicil and on his Solemn Affirmation According to Law did declare and say that he was present and Saw and heard Martin Widman the Testator within named Sign Seal publish pronounce and declare the above writing as Codicil to his Last Will & Testament and that at the doing thereof at the several times therein contained he was of sound and well disposing Mind Memory and Understanding to the best of his Knowledge Observation and belief ~
Be it Remembered that on the Eleventh day of October Anno Domini 1768 The Last Will and Testament of Martin Weidman late of Cocalico
[page 303]
Township in the County of Lancaster Yeoman deceased was proved in due form of law and Letters Testamentary thereon were granted to Christopher Weidman and Jacob Weidman the Executors therein named they being first duly Qualified well and truly to Administer the Estate of the said Dec’d & to Exhibit a true & perfect Inventory thereof into the Registers Office at Lancaster on or before the Eleventh day of November next and to Render a true and Just account of their Administration on the said Estate when thereto Lawfully required given under the seal of the said office ~ by me

Martin and his wife Margaretha had seven children, as named in his will:

Christopher Weidman
Maria Elisabeth Weidman
Wendell Weidman
Johan Jacob Weidman
Anna Margaretha Weidman
Maria Barbara Weidman
Catharina Weidman

Maria Elisabetha Weidman married my 6x great-grandfather and immigrant, Johan “Hans” Adam Hacker. Her sister, Anna Margaretha Weidman, married Adam’s younger brother Johan Georg Hacker. Both men settled in Cocalico Township on land near to Martin Weidman’s warranted tracts. While Adam and his family remained in Lancaster County, George eventually moved his family to Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, just north of Germantown.

I believe the Weidmans may have been from Graben. A 1709 list of inhabitants² of the town list “Christoph Weidtmann” and “Matthias Weidtmann,” possibly Martin’s father and uncle?

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 fourteenth 52 Ancestors post and part of week seventeen.

52 Ancestors: John Nissley (c1722—1789) of Donegal Township

Kris Hocker on 13 Apr 2014

I’ve fallen a bit behind with my 52 Ancestors posts. Hopefully, I can get myself back on track.

I’ve been able to trace my ancestry back to Michael Frantz and his wife Feronica “Fanny” Nissley, through their son Michael and his daughter Anna, who married Levi Hocker. Fanny, I’ve determined, was the daughter of John Nissley of Donegal Township, who died before 19 July 1789 in Donegal Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.¹

John Nissley

John Nissley of Donegal Township wrote his last will and testament on 8 June 1784 and it was proven on 19 July 1789.² The abstract names his wife Mary and children: Feronica, Michael, John, Jacob, Abraham, Samuel and Martin. John’s wife was likely Mary Segrist, daughter of Michael and Anna (___) Segrist of Hempfield Township.³

John Nissley is listed in Donegal Township tax records in 1750, 1751, and 1756.⁴ He bought and sold land in Donegal Township between 1743/4 and 1774, according to the deeds I reviewed. He warranted 100 acres in Donegal Township on 23 May 1743/4 and another 50 acres on 29 April 1749. Both tracts were patented together as 173 acres on 23 May 1754.⁵ On 20 March 1764, he purchased 209 acres from Philip Kloninger, adjoining his patented lands, and patented it on 18 November 1771.⁶ On 23 August 1765, John warranted 274 acres, neighboring Jacob Eversole, Michael Shank, and Jacob Good.⁷ He patented another 79 acres, adjoining these lands on 23 October 1766, and 76 acres on 15 May 1768.⁸

On 22 November 1771, John sold his neighbor Peter Ruth 104.5 acres.⁹ He sold him another 104.5 acres on 31 Dec 1772.¹⁰ On 17 October 1774, he sold his son Michael 137 acres and his son John 112 acres.¹¹

Based on John’s land purchase and tax records, he was born by 1722 at the latest.

Who Was John’s Father?

I found no record of John Nissley selling land previously owned by another Nissley—which may have helped me to identify his father. I’ve seen this “John” identified as “Hans Jacob,” son of Jacob and Maria (Funk) Nissley of Manheim Township in online family trees. However, I’m pretty sure that this is incorrect.

First the names are not a match. John ≠ Hans Jacob. According to German naming traditions, “Hans Jacob” would have been Jacob, and that is how Jacob, son of Jacob and Maria (Funk) Nissley is identified in records. Furthermore, Jacob’s wife was named Barbara, not Mary.

According to deeds regarding the settlement of his father’s estate, on 18 June 1752 Jacob (Jacob¹) purchased 211 acres of his father’s land from his siblings—Henry (eldest son), Martin, Abraham Whitmore and Frena his wife, Jacob Brubaker and Mary his wife, and Valentine Metzler and Ann his wife.¹² The next day, Jacob and Barbara Nissley sold Valentine Metzler 60 acres of the 211 Jacob had purchased.¹³

When Jacob Nissley of Manheim Township died in 1763, his last will and testament, dated 5 February 1763, named his two children Jacob and Barbara, and empowered Jacob to sell his lands.¹⁴ Jacob (Jacob², Jacob¹) sold two tracts—one of 120 acres and one of 16 acres—to Sebastian Graffe on 12 June 1776.

This deed explicitly states the inheritance of this land from Jacob Nissley, the original patentee, through his son Jacob to his grandson, also named Jacob, reading in part: “The said one hundred and twenty acres…being part of a tract of one hundred and fifty acres and allowance…confirm[ed] unto Jacob Nissley the grandfather of the said Jacob Nisely party hereto (by the name Jacob Nutt) in fee Who died seized in fee thereof intestate leaving several children…the eldest son Henry refusing to take and hold the premises… [they] were confirmed unto Jacob Niseley the second son.”

So, that’s a dead-end for determining the parentage of my ancestor. He may have been an immigrant himself or it’s possible he descends from Jacob¹ Nissley’s brother John. Or perhaps he’s related to the “Martin Neasley,” who warranted land nearby in 1741.

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 thirteenth 52 Ancestors post and part of week fifteen.

52 Ancestors: A Walk Down Memory Lane

Kris Hocker on 11 Apr 2014

When I went to Pennsylvania several weeks ago for my great-aunt, Betty Jean (Hocker) Wingeard’s memorial service, I had the good fortune to find my Grandmother on a talkative day. So, I took advantage of her good mood, asking questions and prompting her reminiscences of her childhood.

Hoover house at Pine Glen

My grandmother grew up in the mountains of central Pennsylvania, up in Centre County. The family was living in Lescontes Mills in Girard Township, Clearfield County, where her father Clyde supported the family farming and working as a lumberman, when she was born. They moved to Pine Glen, Burnside Township in Centre County before she was 10 years-old.¹

Clyde Leroy Hoover Sr. was born and raised in Pine Glen. So, with the move, the family returned to his childhood home. If you crossed the road and followed a path back through the woods, you’d eventually come out at the home of Samuel and Victoria (Walker) Hoover, Clyde’s parents.

The house they lived in²—while sizable enough for a family of 12 children—did not have electricity or running water. There was a well for water and an outhouse. Still is for that matter. When they needed water for cooking or washing, one of the children was sent either to the creek across the road or out back to the well. ³

When I asked about her favorite summer pastimes, she recalled that with chores there wasn’t a lot of free time. They baked their own bread, raised their own food—both animal and vegetable, harvested and preserved the food from the garden in the fall, and washed their clothes—and with 12 kids there was a lot of it—by hand. The girls worked in the house and gardens while the boys worked the farm and farm animals, hunted, and cut firewood.

But when there was time, she especially liked wood hikes (with her father, I believe), picnics, reading books from the library her mother ran from their front room, and splashing in the creek. The boys, she remembered, sometimes played baseball.

As she was talking, I realized the her childhood wasn’t so different than that of her parents and grand-parents and so on, even though she was raised in the 20th century. Even though I think of my grandmother as a “modern woman,” she gave me a close-up view of the lives of our ancestors, merely by taking a walk with me down memory lane.

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 twelfth 52 Ancestors post and part of week fifteen.

52 Ancestors : The Last of Her Generation

Kris Hocker on 7 Mar 2014

Yesterday was a sad day for my family. My grandfather’s last surviving sibling—Betty Jean (Hocker) Wingeard—passed away at the age of 90 years 4 months and 3 days.

Betty Jean Hocker, ca 1924-25

Betty Jean was born 3 November 1923 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She was the third daughter and fourth child (of five) of William Howard and Isabella Aitken (Smith) Hocker. She graduated from John Harris High School in 1941 and attended the Central Pennsylvania Business College.

On 24 April 1952, she was married by Reverend L. E. Barton at Epworth Methodist Church in Harrisburg to William Osbourne Wingeard Jr., son of William Osbourne and Edna May (Rudy) Wingeard. My great grandparents had concerns about Bill because he had been married and divorced previously, but Bill and Jean’s 46-year marriage was very happy. And Bill won the family over. Bill treasured Jean, calling her “the love of my live” in the blurb he wrote about her in his book on her ancestry, A German-American Hacker-Hocker Genealogy, which he also dedicated to her.

Betty Jean Hocker, Easter 1949

During their marriage, Bill and Jean lived in various locations around Harrisburg and for a time in Montoursville in Lycoming County. Bill worked for Pennsylvania Power & Light and Jean worked for a number of companies, including the YMCA, Allison Hill Trust Company, Market Street Trust Company, and the Dauphin County division of the American Cancer Society. She also volunteered with the Methodist churches they attended, Meals on Wheels, and the Divine Providence Hospital in Williamsport.

Bill and Jean never had children. But they always had time for and were interested in their nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews. To me, they were another set of grandparents.

All of my best childhood memories include Bill and Jean. Every summer when I was a child, my sister and I would spend part of our vacation with Grandma and Grandpa in Harrisburg. Grandma always saw that we got enough to eat—more than enough, actually (Is that a Grandma thing?). When Jean was there it usually included hot dogs—Jean loved hot dogs. And potato chips. And ice cream. A perfect meal to us children. Those meals brought back childhood memories for Jean of going to her grandparents’ farm in the summer and eating hot dogs and ice cream and riding in the wagon into town for treats.

Jean Wingeard, 3 Nov 2013 (photo © Karen Hocker Photography)

During those summers, Grandpa kept us entertained, taking us fishing and playing cards. Bill and Jean would come over for lunch or supper and we’d play cards for hours. It didn’t matter what the game was, at some point Bill would throw down his cards and complain that Grandpa—rapscallion that he was—was cheating again. Jean would just shake her head, long accustomed to Grandpa’s tricks.

On several occasions my sister accompanied Bill, Jean, Grandma and Grandpa on one of their summer trips to the Jersey shore—something Grandpa and his sisters had also done with their Aunt Bess—aka Elizabeth Marian (Smith) Lutz.

Since Bill’s death in April 1998, Jean had faced a number of health challenges. She faced them all—no matter the severity—with a grace and dignity that was both inspiring and humbling. She wasn’t one to whine or bemoan the unfairness of life; she just quietly did what needed doing. “Kris,” she’d say, “it is what it is.” And she’d move on.

Family was important to Jean and she was important to her family. We love her and we’re going to miss her very much.

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.

52 Ancestors: Levi Hocker (1824-1876)—A Sad & Mysterious End

Kris Hocker on 4 Feb 2014

Levi Hocker (1824—1876)

My 3x great-grandfather Levi Hocker was born on 17 January 1824, most likely in Swatara Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.¹ His parents, George and Maria Magdalena “Molly” (Landis) Hocker, had been married for five years² and had one other child, a daughter named Isemiah.³

His mother died the following winter on 22 February 1825.⁴ Her parents were also deceased,⁵ as was George’s father Johan Adam Hocker.⁶ Levi was likely raised by his father and, possibly, his grandmother Mary (Hershey?) Hocker, until George remarried. He married Catharine Cocklin, daughter of Jacob and Mary Margaret (Hoover) Cocklin, on 5 November 1835, when Levi was 10 years old.

Levi married Anna Frantz, daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Walters) Frantz, on 6 February 1851. He was a farmer and the family lived in Upper Swatara Township. Levi and Anna had at least 9 children:

Benjamin Franklin (17 Feb 1852—2 Dec 1919)
Francis Michael (26 Jan 1854—1919)
Mary Elizabeth (22 Aug 1855—25 Jan 1939)
Emma L. (29 May 1857—14 Jul 1942)
George Warren (8 Dec 1858—12 May 1868)
Albert Curtin (9 Sep 1860—24 Jul 1940)
Margaret A. (25 Jul 1863—1957)
Herbert Hershey (9 Jun 1865-25 Jun 1946)
John Edward (14 Oct 1869—1873)

On 31 October 1876, Levi mysteriously vanished from his home. Newspaper accounts state that he had gone to bed with his wife about 8 or 9 p.m., but when Anna woke around 2 a.m., he was nowhere to be found. One article stated:

Mr. Levi Hocker, a retired farmer of very considerable means, and unimpeachable character, well known in this city, disappeared mysteriously on Friday night. He retired with the family in good spirits about eight o’clock in the evening—no one having suspected anything, or noticed anything unusual in his conduct… No cause whatsoever is known for his very strange proceeding—no financial embarrassment. It is presumed that he is laboring under a slight aberration of mind.⁷

The writer described Levi as “about five feet seven inches, black hair and whiskers slightly mixed with gray, no moustache, dark eyes, about fifty-five years of age, wore a black soft felt hat, dark suit, no overcoat.”

His body was found the following April in the water at Fry’s dam, near Middletown.⁸ He died by drowning, a presumed suicide while “laboring under a fit of mental aberration.” He was buried 29 April 1877 in Churchville Cemetery.

I often wonder what happened. His family apparently saw no reason for his disappearance, no change in his behavior. But he’d lost two of his children—George and John—to early death, one just three years earlier.⁹ His father also died in November 1873.¹⁰ Would that be enough to drive him to suicide years later?

Or was there perhaps something else? His son Michael was listed as “idiotic” on the 1880 census¹¹, but not the 1870 census¹², perhaps indicating that his disability was not a lifelong condition. He would have been about 26—a few years younger when his father died—about the age when mental illness can emerge. Is it possible that Michael was having problems that impacted his father’s mental state? Without Michael’s medical records, I can’t be sure.

Regardless, Levi’s untimely death at the age of 52 was both mysterious—as we’ll likely never know what happened—and sad. He left seven children, the youngest only 11 years old, his wife and friends to try to understand his disappearance and apparent suicide, and to mourn his tragic death.

52 Ancestors: Rudolph Mulhollan (1766-1855)

Kris Hocker on 27 Jan 2014

My 3x great grandmother Susan L. (Mulhollan) Force was the daughter of John and Emily (Boileau) Mulholland.¹ She was allegedly—I haven’t proven the connection, yet—the granddaughter of Rudolph and Mary (Weirham) Mulhollan.

I didn’t have much information on Rudolph and Mary, just the following from The Commemorative Biographical Record of Centre County, PA:

Rudolph and Elizabeth (Weirham) Mulhollan, paternal grandparents of our subject, natives of Ireland and England, respectively, came to America in an early day, and settled at Wallace Run, Centre Co., PA, there remaining until 1832, when they removed to Ohio.²

Not much to go on. I remember several years ago getting curious about the couple. They are one of the very few non-German couples in my ancestry. But when I searched, I couldn’t really find out anything about them. Fortunately, there are more records online today.

In Pennsylvania

Starting in Pennsylvania—since that’s where my relatives lived and so, too, did Rudolph until 1832—I found Rudolph in Boggs Township, Centre County in 1830.³ He was aged 60-70, placing his birth circa 1760-1770. His household included:

1 male, 60-70 [Rudolph]
1 male, 20-30 [George?]
1 male, 15-20 [Hugh?]
1 female, 60-70 [Mary]
1 female, 15-20 [Nancy or Rebecca?]

Other Mulhollans in Boggs Township included John Mulhollan, aged 20-30⁴, and William Mulhollan, aged 30-40.⁵ I found James Mulhollan in Bellefonte.⁶ I believe they were sons of Rudolph and that John was the father of Susan (Mulhollan) Force.

On 24 September 1824, a land warrant was issued for Rudolph in Boggs township.⁷ A survey for him was completed for 173 acres on 25 September 1824. A note on the survey states “There is an improvement on this tract said to have been commenced about the year 1804.” Whether or not it was Rudolph who first improved the land, I do not know.

Rudolph and family are also in Boggs Township in 1820.⁸ The household included:

1 male, 45+ (b. bef. 1775) [Rudolph]
1 male, 26-45 (b. ca 1775-1794) [William?]
1 male, 16-26 (b. ca 1794-1804) [James, John?]
1 male, 16-18 (b. ca 1802-1804) [James, John?]
2 males, 10-16 (b. ca 1804-1810) [Rudolph & George?]
1 male, <10 (b. aft. 1810) [Hugh?]
1 female, 45+ (b. bef 1775) [Mary]
1 female, 10-16 (b. ca 1804-1810) [?]
2 females, <10 (b. aft. 1810) [Nancy & Rebecca?]

I did not find Rudolph in Spring Township—Boggs’ predecessor—in 1810.

Outside Pennsylvania

According to the history, Rudolph and Mary left Pennsylvania about 1832 and settled in Ohio. I believe I found them in the 1840 census for Perry Township, Wayne County, Ohio.⁹ Rudolph was 70-80, placing his birth circa 1760-1770, a match to the Pennsylvania Rudolph Mulhollan. His household included:

1 male, 70-80 (b. ca 1760-1770) [Rudolph]
1 male, 20-30 (b. ca 1810-1820) [Hugh?]
1 male, <5 (b. ca 1835-1840) [Alfred, Hugh’s son?]
1 female, 70-80 (b. ca 1760-1770) [Mary]
1 female, 20-30 (b. ca 1810-1820) [Mary, Hugh’s wife?]
1 female, 10-15 (b. ca 1825-1830) [?]
1 female, <5 (b. ca 1835-1840) [Hannah, Hugh’s daughter?]

Mary (Weirham) Mulhollan died on 9 February 1844 and was buried in Redhaw Cemetery, Ashland County, Ohio.¹⁰ She was 73 years and 6 months old, placing her birth circa August 1770.

Rudolph and family were located in Perry Township, Ashland County in 1850.¹¹ Rudolph, aged 81, was the head of household, but Hugh Monholin is listed as the farmer. Rudolph died 23 September 1855 and was likely buried in the West Carmel Cemetery in Charlotte, Carmel Township, Eaton County, Michigan.¹²

Hugh and family were located in Carmel township in the 1860¹³ and 1870¹⁴ census records. Hugh died 27 August 1870 and was buried in West Carmel Cemetery.¹⁵

A search for other Mulhollan family members revealed that Rudolph and Hugh were not the only ones to go west.

James Mulhollan was in Perry Township, Wayne County, Ohio in 1840¹⁶ and he was in Carmel Township, Eaton County, Michigan in 1850¹⁷ and 1860.¹⁸ He died in Eaton county in 1860 and was buried in Maple Hill Cemetery in Charlotte.¹⁹

George Mulhollan was in Canaan Township, Wayne County, Ohio in 1840²⁰ and Carmel Township, Eaton County, Michigan in 1850.²¹ By 1860, he was back in Canaan Township.²² George died 17 March 1867 in Canaan Township and was buried in Canaan Center Cemetery.²³

I think that’s a pretty good start on the family of Rudolph Mulhollan. It’s certainly not complete if I want to prove the family connections, but it certainly provides enough information to suggest further research.

What do you think?

This post is part of an on-going, 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 fourth 52 Ancestors post and part of week four.

52 Ancestors: James Benjamin Houdeshell (1842—1926)

Kris Hocker on 18 Jan 2014

I’ve heard family stories about an ancestor who fought on both sides during the Civil War, but I didn’t really believe it. Two brothers fighting on opposite sides? Yeah, okay. But one man fighting for both sides over the course of the war? Seemed a little far-fetched.

Benjamin and Phoebe (Mayes) Houdeshell

Wars are always justified as necessary to stand-up for our principals or our rights, or to fight evil, or protect the mother land. But it seems to me that when it came to joining up during the Civil War to fight for one side or the other, the reasoning was black or white. You either believed in the Rebel cause or you believed in the Union and the destruction of slavery. So, it doesn’t seem probable that one person would enlist in both armies—by choice—between 1861 and 1865.

And, yet, I think that’s exactly what Benjamin Houdeshell did.

According to Benjamin’s death certificate, he was born 13 March 1842 in Maryland and died 20 March 1926 in Rush Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania. He was 84 years old. His full name was James Benjamin Houdeshell.¹ His obituary read:

Recent Deaths: Houdeshell – Benjamin Houdeshell, Civil War Veteran, father of John Houdeshell, of Curtin, and well known resident of the Philipsburg community, passed away at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Thomas Passell, Saturday morning [20 March]. He had been in failing health for the past four years, death being due to infirmities of age. The funeral service was held Tuesday afternoon; internment in the Philipsburg Cemetery. Deceased, is a son of Adam and Mary Houdeshell, was born at Westmoreland, Virginia, on March 13, 1842, making his age 84 years and 7 days. He enlisted as a Private in Company I, Thirteenth Regiment of Maryland Infantry, February 24, 1865, and was mustered out at the close of the War. He was a woodsman and farmer, and for twenty years or longer has been residing in the Philipsburg region. The wife of the deceased was Pheobe Mayes, who died five years ago last August. Twelve children were born to the marriage. The surviving sons and daughters are: John, of Curtin; Mrs. Jacob Webb, of Windber; George, of Surveyor Run; Frank and Jacob, of Kato; Mrs. Thomas Passell, of North Philipsburg; Mrs. Daniel DeHaas, of Julian, and Mrs. Nora Blake and Mrs. Ernest Vinton, of Philipsburg.²

The military pension index card for “Benjamin Houdeshell” lists his death date as 20 March 1926 and place of death as Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania.³ So, it matches my 3x great grandfather’s death certificate. It also states that he served as a private in the 13th Regiment, Company I of the Maryland Infantry, mustering in on 24 February 1865 and out on 29 May 1865.

Benjamin Houdeshell Military Pension Index Card

Benjamin Houdeshell’s Military Pension Index Card

Fortunately, additional records for Maryland Civil War Soldiers are online at Fold3.com. Benjamin’s record for Company I, 13th Regiment includes his volunteer enlistment. He enlisted at Frederick, Maryland on 24 February 1865, stating that he was 19 years old, born in Hardy County, Virginia, and a laborer.⁴ The record also states that he was 5′ 6″ tall and had grey eyes, light hair and a fair complexion.

Benjamin Houdeshell Civil War Volunteer Enlistment

Benjamin Houdeshell’s Civil War Volunteer Enlistment

Neither the description nor his age on this record matches other information I have regarding Benjamin. Born in 1842, he would have been 22 years old, nearly 23, in February 1865. And the one photo I have of him shows him with dark hair. However, based on the information in his obituary and pension index card, this is the record of enlistment for my great great great grandfather.

So, there’s his Union service. What about his Confederate service?

The enlistment record states that he was born in Hardy County, Virginia. Census records for 1860 show Benjamin Houdeshell, aged 18, living in the household of Adam Howyshell (his father per his obituary) in District No. 1, Hardy County.⁵

1860 US Census for Adam Howdyshell’s family

The household included:

Adam Howdyshell, aged 69, Farmer, born in Virginia
Mary “, aged 64, born Virginia
John Wm “, aged 28, born Virginia
George W. “, aged 21, born Virginia
Benjamin “, aged 18, born Virginia

On the next page are the households of:⁶

Adam Howdyshell Jr., age 40, Laborer, born in Virginia
Mary “, age 42, born in Virginia
Daniel “, age 13, born in Virginia
Sarah C. ” , age 11, born in Virginia
John W. “, age 8, born in Virginia
William E. “, age 5, born in Virginia
Daniel Howdyshell, age 37, Laborer, born in Virginia
Jane “, age 24, born in Virginia
Elizabeth “, age 7, born in Virginia
Benjamin “, aged 5, born in Virginia
Joseph “, aged 3, born in Virginia
Virginia “, aged 1, born in Virginia
Isaac Howdyshell, aged 23, Laborer, born in Virginia
Dorothy “, aged 58, born in Virginia

Adam’s household in 1850 included:⁷

Adam Howdyshell, aged 63, Farmer, born Virginia
Mary “, aged 49, born Virginia
John W., aged 18, Laborer, born Virginia
Isaac, aged 14, born Virginia
Westfall, aged 10, born Virginia
Benjamin, aged 7, born Virginia

A search of the Confederate Civil War Soldiers on Fold3.com turns up records for the 14th Regiment, Virginia Militia for Adam Howdyshell Jr., J. Benjamin Howdyshell and Westfall Howdyshell.

All three men enlisted on 17 September 1861 in Wardensville, Hardy County, Virginia. The names, approximate ages, and place of enlistment seems to indicate that these three men may very well have been the sons of Adam Howdyshell of Hardy County. They enlisted for the period of six months and it’s entirely possible that is all they served.

If, in fact, they are Adam’s sons (and it seems likely), then my great great grandfather, James Benjamin Houdeshell, served in both the Confederate and Union armies during the Civil War.

Why would he do that?

First, I have to think that he did not have any great convictions regarding slavery. Based on the 1860 census, the Houdeshells were not wealthy land-owners and, as far as I can tell, not slave-owners either. Adam’s real estate was worth $1,000 and he did not list any personal estate. I searched the slave schedules for Hardy County in 1860. It did not include the 1st district. Whether this was because there were no slave-owners there or it has been lost, I do not know. However, the county supposedly has a “rich African American history, with many free African Americans living there before the Civil War.”⁸

Additionally, he may have been a member of the militia prior to the war, serving as a home guard. The militia was ordered into service with the Confederate Army on 10 September 1861 by the governor of Virginia. The 14th “played a roll in Jackson’s January 1862 Romney campaign after which the 14th was assigned to the ‘region of their homes’.”⁹ That may be how he came to serve in the Confederate forces, rather than a voluntary enlistment.

On 6 November 1864, Benjamin married Phoebe Mayes of Snow Shoe Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania.¹⁰ That’s nearly four months before he enlisted in the Maryland Infantry on 24 February 1865. It’s possible he enlisted because he needed the money to support his family. I don’t imagine that there were that many jobs available during the winter in the mountains of Centre County. The government bounty—for which the record indicates he was eligible—might have been tempting to a young man in his position.

I don’t know what happened to Benjamin between his enlistment in September 1861 in the Confederate Army and his marriage in November 1864 to a Pennsylvanian girl. So, it’s hard to say with any certainty why he enlisted twice—in two opposing armies. But I bet it’s an interesting story.

What do you think?

This post is part of an on-going 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 second post for 52 Ancestors and is part of week three.

52 Ancestors: #1 Nora Melinda (Houdeshell) Hoover (1891-1965)

Kris Hocker on 11 Jan 2014

For some reason, I’ve been thinking about my great grandmother Nora (Houdeshell) Hoover a lot recently. I never had a chance to meet her, but from the few stories I’ve heard, I think I would have loved her. So, I thought I’d start my 52 Ancestors series writing about her.

Clyde & Nora (Houdeshell) Hoover

Nora Melinda (Houdeshell) Hoover was the eldest daughter of George Westfall/Wesley Houdeshell and Lovina Caroline Force. She was born 25 October 1891 in Wooster, Cameron County, Pennsylvania.¹ She died of an acute myocardial infarction, possibly brought on by complications of diabetes, on 11 May 1965 in Pine Glen, Burnside Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania and was buried 3 days later in the Advent Cemetery in Pine Glen.

Great grandma was one of 12 children, 10 surviving to adulthood. She grew up in rural Pennsylvania where her father worked as a lumberman and also supported his family by farming. According to family stories, when she was 16, her father told her she was to either get married or get a job. So, she took a job as a cook in a lumber camp. Apparently, that’s where she met my great grandfather, Clyde L. Hoover. They were married 16 April 1908 in Dubois, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.² He was 21 (nearly 22) and she was 16. Clyde and Nora were the parents of 12 children—seven sons and five daughters.

Nora was a believer in education. She ran a small library from her home in Pine Glen. Today, it probably would be the equivalent of a small personal collection, but it provided an opportunity for Pine Glen residents to experience the world of books. She also wanted her daughters to wait until they were 21 before marrying, probably so that they would have a chance to fully grow-up, get an education, and experience life a bit before settling down to raise their families. My grandmother was married a month after her 21st birthday.

During the war—World War II, I presume—she planted a pine tree for every Pine Glen boy who went off to war, including four of her sons. I wonder what she thought as she watched those trees grow.

Family stories also allege that great grandma had Indian blood. I think that story arose mainly because she had straight dark hair as I’ve found no reason to believe her ancestry was anything other than northern European. Perhaps, one day one of my Hoover or Houdeshell relatives will have a DNA test and we’ll get proof one way or the other.

Photo: Christian Hoover Homestead

Kris Hocker on 22 Feb 2009

Christian Hoover homestead, Clearfield county, Penna.

Hoover homestead, view 2

The Christian Hoover homestead, possibly in Karthaus or Covington township, Clearfield county, Pennsylvania. The exact location is not known.

Tag: Paternal Line

John Nissley

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