October 2013 – A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy

Jacob Behme’s Conestoga Tract

Kris Hocker on 27 Oct 2013

On 22 November 1717, Martin Kendig (Kendick, Kendrick, Cundigg) and John Herr (Heer) were warranted 5,000 acres in Lancaster County by the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania.¹ On 10 October 1731, John Taylor surveyed 381 acres, 50 acres of which had been surveyed on 20 June 1719.² This property was adjacent to tracts of Christian Prennaman, Henry Hoober, Christian Heer, Hans Hess, Robert Creage. Jacob Behme patented this tract on 12 August 1737. (See Patent Book A8:268)³

Jacob Behme’s Conestoga Township tract

Jacob & Barbara Beam sold 180 acres, adjoining Abraham Beam, Robert Creague, and Hans Hess, to their son Martin Beam on 6 March 1750.⁴ On 9 January 1755, the couple sold Henry Rech [Resh] also of Conestoga 100 acres northwest of Pequea Creek, adjoining land of Abraham Beam.⁵ On the same date, they sold 100 acres to their son Abraham Beam.⁶

On 10 January 1767, Abraham & Barbara Beam of Bart Township sold 100 acres northwest of Pequea Creek to Martin Beam.⁷ Several months later, on 25 March 1767, Martin & Eve Beam of Conestoga Township sold to Henry Rush of Conestoga Township 10 acres 40 perches, adjoining Henry Rush’s other land.⁸

Martin & Eve Beam of Conestoga Township sold to John Beam of Conestoga Township 96 acres 100 perches, adjoining land of Henry Rush and Martin Beam, on 20 June 1783.⁹ The next day, Martin & Eve Beam sold 174 acres 20 perches acres, adjoining Samuel Hess and Martin Beam’s other land, to Jacob Beam.¹⁰

Friday Find: Henry Hoover’s heirs to John Stauffer

Kris Hocker on 18 Oct 2013

I found a deed today that I believe relates to Henry Hoover of Strasburg Township who died before 18 Dec 1833, leaving heirs in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. According to one deed, Henry had eight brothers and sisters.¹ I was able to determine four of them:

Christian Hoover of Franklin County and children: John, Martin, Christian, Abraham, Samuel, Jeremiah, Catharine, and Martha
Feronica “Franey” (Hoover) Brand and sons Samuel and Christian
Elizabeth (Hoover) Zimmerman and son Jacob
Esther (Hoover) Beam

But I was still looking for the other four. I think I may have found three of them…

Know all men by these presents that whereas Henry Hoover late of the township of Leacock in the County of Lancaster in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States of America Carpenter and joiner deceased by his last will and testament in writing bearing the date the ____ day of ___ in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty did among other legacies therein contained give and bequeath unto us John Hoover, Martin Hoover and Daniel Hoover all of the township of Markham in the County of York in the Home District and province of Upper Canada yeomen the sum of four hundred and sixty one dollars and sixteen cents to be divided among us in three fair and equal proportions and of his said will made and constituted John Stouffer of the same township of Leacock miller executor, as in and by the said will may appear Now know ye that we the said John Hoover Martin Hoover and Daniel Hoover do and each of us does confess and acknowledge that we have had and received according to our respective shares of and from the said John Stauffer the legacy or sum of four hundred and sixty one dollars and sixteen cents as aforesaid given and bequeathed unto us by the said Henry Hoover and therefore do and each of us does by these presents aquit release and discharge the said John Stouffer of and from all legacies dues and demands whatsoever which we or any of us our or any of executors or administrators may have claim challenge or demand of or against the said John Stauffer his executors or administrators by virtue of the said last will and testament of or out of the estate of the said Henry Hoover deceased as aforesaid In witness whereof the said Legatees have hereunto respectively set their hands and seals at Markham aforesaid this first day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty six.

John his X mark Hoover
Martin Hoover
Daniel Hoover

In presence
Benjamin Oberholser
Johannes [in German]

Recorded April 1st Anno Domini 1837John Warfel, Recorder²

I need to follow-up to verify this information, but John Stauffer was the executor listed in all the deeds. Additionally, I found Daniel Hoover, Christian Hoover, and Martin Hoover in Peters Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the 1800 census.³ Only Christian is there in 1810 and 1820.

If you have information on this family, please leave a comment below or drop me a line.

John Smith’s Conestoga Tract

Kris Hocker on 13 Oct 2013

On 28 October 1728, the survey of Hans Line’s adjacent property indicates that this land or that warranted to Hugh Patten (or both) was of Christian Prenaman.¹ Five years later, John Goughnour had his adjacent land surveyed and his survey also indicated that this tract was of Christian Prenaman.²

John Smith’s Conestoga Township tract

John Smith was issued a warrant for 200 acres on Pequea Creek on 5 October 1734.³ Bartram Galbraith surveyed 167.5 acres for John Smith on 24 April 1759. Adjoining landholders included Jacob Coghnor, John Lyne, Abraham Beam, Henry Rush, John Hoover, Jacob Hover.⁴

Smith must have either abandoned the tract or sold his interest in it, because Jacob Hoover, owner of an adjoining tract of land, patented these 167.5 acres on 7 September 1759.(see Patent Book A20:346)⁵ Jacob’s son Christian inherited the land from his father on 12 September 1759.⁶

On 26 November 1761, Christian sold this tract to John Jacob Goughnour.⁷ Jacob Goughnour’s heirs—John & Elizabeth Kochenauer, Christian Kochenauer, Henry & Ann Kochenauer, Abraham Kochenauer, Adam Kochenauer, Tobias Kochenauer, Christian & Catharine (Kochenauer) Hess, Joseph & Esther Kochenauer—sold Jacob Gochenour, their brother, 167.5 acres from their father’s estate on 4 November 1780. It adjoined land of the Goughour heirs, John Line, land late of Abraham Beam, Henry Rush, John Hoover, and Jacob Hoover.

Friday Find: Benjamin W. Hocker’s 1920 Census Entry

Kris Hocker on 4 Oct 2013

Last week I posted a photo of Levi F. Hocker from his days in the Pennsylvania cavalry during the Civil War and mentioned that his brother Benjamin W. Hocker had supported his injury claim in his request for a pension in 1892. Going through the records I have on Benjamin W. Hocker, I realized that I’m missing a couple of census records—amongst other records—for him, including the 1900 and 1920 census enumerations. Fortunately, I was able to locate one of those records.

In 1880, Benjamin and his wife Margaret were living in Middlesex Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.¹ This household included:

Benjamin W. Hocker, age 33, Farmer
Margaret Hocker, age 32, wife, Keeping house
Minnie S. Hocker, age 11, daughter
Adam S. Hocker, age 9, son
Lora L. Hocker, age 7, daughter
Helen A. Hocker, age 3, daughter
Frank Hocker, age 6 months (born Feb), son
Adam Hocker, age 77, father

I haven’t found Benjamin in 1900, but his wife Margaret and three of their children—Mary [Minnie] S., Helen A., and Morris G.—were living with her brother Frank Beltzhoover in Carlisle.² In 1905, Benjamin received a patent for 160 acres in Berlin, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma and he can be found living there in 1910, working as a stock trader.³ He allegedly died in Berlin in 1925, but I did not find him there in the 1920 census.

Another check of the Bureau of Land Management records showed that Benjamin received a patent for 480 acres of land in Brown County, Nebraska on 13 April 1914.⁴ The land was located in the “south half of the southeast quarter of Section twenty-two, the east half of Section twenty-seven, and the west half of the southwest quarter of Section twenty-six in Township twenty-five north of Range twenty-two west of the Sixth Principal Meridian, Nebraska.” I looked at a map for the county and, based on the BLM’s plat map, determined that this land was likely in Chester or Calamus townships. Scrolling through the 1920 census for these precincts yielded a successful result:

Click to enlarge

B.W. Hocker is listed as a 73 year-old rancher on line 84. He was born in Pennsylvania, owned his own home, and was widowed.⁵ His youngest son was living in nearby Blaine County, Nebraska in 1910⁶ and 1920.⁷

Still looking for his 1900 census record. I’ve located his wife and all his children and he’s not with any of them. I haven’t found him through any of the census indices, so who knows how his name is indexed—if it is. I guess I need to locate all his siblings in 1900. He didn’t receive his land in Oklahoma until 1905, so it’s possible he’s still in Pennsylvania in 1900.

Month: October 2013