Don’t Stop at the Abstract

Here’s my bit of wisdom for a Wednesday: don’t stop your research at the abstract. Find the full document. Why, you ask, when the abstracter extracted all the genealogical information from the document? Ah! But what if they didn’t?

According to Abstracts of York County Wills from 1749 to 1820, Christian Hoover of Heidelberg Township, York County, Pennsylvania wrote his will 10 Feb 1771 and it was proven 21 Mar 1771. His wife Mary was his executor. The abstract lists no one else.

However, if you read the will, Christian stipulates that after Mary’s death there are to be 3 yearly payments of £100 pounds to be paid by her heirs or assigns “into the Hands of Johannes Hoover and Johannes Line in trust for the use of the Surviving Children of my three Brothers namely Jacob Hoover Ulrich Hoover and Henry Hoover…and whereas Johannes Keny son of my sister Ann…unto his brother Henry Keny…”^[1] That’s some important family information missing from the abstract.

I’ve seen this will referenced as evidence that Christian Hoover, son of Gregor Jonas and Anna Maria (Kreutzer) Hoover, died childless and left his estate to his brother Johannes Hoover of Manheim Township, Lancaster County and his children. From the will we can determine that Christian probably died childless—he doesn’t name or make any reference to having any—and he does leave his estate to his nieces and nephews. However, he lists his brothers as Jacob, Ulrich and Henry, and a sister Ann and her sons Johannes and Henry Keny [Kuny], making no reference to a brother named John. The money from his estate is left in the hands of a John Hoover, but he is not named as being a brother.

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