Land Patents – A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy

Henry Line’s Conestoga Tract

Kris Hocker on 20 Jul 2014

Henry Line tract

On 20 May 1734, John Taylor surveyed 218 acres on Pequea Creek in Conestoga Township for Thomas Lindley, based on a warrant dated 21 January 1733.¹ Lindley must have abandoned or sold the rights to this tract, because Henry Line warranted it on 27 April 1751 and patented it 4 November 1751.²

Henry and Barbara (Boyer)³ Line sold 20 acres from this tract to Christian Shenk on 25 November 1759, along with the saw mill, boring mill, and a grist mill erected on the land.⁴ Several years later, Henry and Barbara sold 150 acres from this tract to Solomon Kaufman on 9 February 1762.⁵

Henry died sometime prior to 5 June 1764.⁶ On 30 October 1765, John Line and his wife Elizabeth released their share of the estate to his brothers Christian and Samuel.⁷ Christian released his third share of the estate to his brother Samuel four years later on 4 February 1769.⁸ Samuel Line and Barbara Line, Henry’s widow, sold the residue of this tract along with other land in Martic Township to Ulrich Huber.⁹

Solomon Kaufman and his wife Mary sold the 150 acres they’d purchased from Henry Line in 1762 to Christian Shenk on 8 April 1774.¹⁰ Christian Shenk, in turn, sold his two tracts—one of 20 acres and another of 150 acres—to Christian Shenk Jr. on 5 November 1795.¹¹

This is the twelfth entry for my Along the Pequea series. These posts trace land transactions for early Lancaster County settlers from the first land owner—the warrantee—through subsequent transfers up to 1800, using deeds, other land records, and estate records, as available.

David Hoober of Upper Canada

Kris Hocker on 19 Mar 2014

In his will written on 9 January 1793, John Huber Sr. of Martic Township named his eight children: “Henry, Mary, Jacob, John, Christian, David, Ann & Christina.”¹ He named his friend John Hoober and son Henry Hoober, both of Martic, as his executors.

David Huber of Upper Canada named Moses Byer of Bertie, Lincoln County, Upper Canada as his attorney to demand his inheritance from John Hoover of Martic Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, executor of his father’s last will and testament.² According to the deed, David Huber was a soldier in “his Majesty’s second Battalion of Royal Canadian Volunteers” at the time. The deed included a testimonial and signature of Alexander Stewart, a Notary Public at Niagara in the Province of Upper Canada.

Now, thanks to the Olive Tree Genealogy’s Searching Ontario Canada Land Records, eh?, I think I may have found record of David in Canada.

David Hoover Upper Canada Land Petition 1803

David Hoover’s 1803 Upper Canada Land Petition

On 22 January 1803, David Hoober of York, Upper Canada petitioned the Lieutenant Governor for 200 acres land.³ The petition included a note written by Capt. R. Ferguson, late of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Volunteers, certifying that David served “for three years and upwards” and that he was “an honest & Industrious man.” An Isaac Swayze also attested to David being of good family and ready to become a farmer.

The petition was apparently approved as David paid £5 sterling and £1 10s 6p to Peter Russell on 10 March 1803 for the patent and survey. According to the file, the transaction was recorded in Land Book No. 5, page 203.

David’s petition also provides additional information. He received 200 acres of land in Pelham Township on 16 July 1795, but sold it to Robert Hamilton in 1798 when he entered the Royal Canadian Volunteers. He served in his Majesty’s service until the “late Reduction in the Army” when he was discharged. And he had a wife and seven children at the time of the petition for an additional land grant (1803).

Based on his initial land grant of 1795 and the fact that he had seven children by 1803, I’m going to have to adjust my initial birth year estimate back a few years. My initial estimate was that he was born before 1780—aged 21 by 1801 when he assigned an attorney for the recovery of his inheritance from his father’s estate. Now, I’d estimate that he was born prior to 1771, likely even before 1768.

How did I get there? I’m estimating 1.5 to 2 years between the birth of each of his children, placing the birth of his first child between 1789 and 1792. If I assume—yes, I know the danger of assumptions, but we’re ballparking here!—that he was at least 21 at the birth, then he was born by 1771 at the latest, and quite likely earlier.

If the order John listed his children in his will is of importance—and it might be as Henry, one of his executors, is named first though he is not explicitly named as the eldest son—then David was most likely born before 1768. John’s daughter Ann married Abraham Gochenour.⁴ This couple is buried in Old Byerland cemetery and, I believe, her gravestone reads: “Hier Ruhet die Gebene von Anna Gochenauer begatten? von Abraham Gochenauer geboren den 16ten January 1768 and gestarben den 25sten Martz 1830, seines alter 62 jahre 2 monate und 9 tage.”⁵ Her age at death—62 years 2 months and 9 days—agrees with 16 January 1768 as a birth date. If David was the preceding child born, then he may have been born in early to mid 1766 (or earlier).

So, my next questions are: 1) Where were the 200 acres he was granted located? and 2) What were the names of his wife and children? I wonder what I can dig up… What do you think?

Abraham Smith’s Conestoga Tract

Kris Hocker on 27 Dec 2013

This 84 acre tract in Conestoga Township on Pequea Creek was warranted to Martin Kendig and John Herr as part of a larger 5,000 acre warrant.¹ It was surveyed to Martin Kendig and Hans Herr, one of four tracts labelled Hans Boyer, Jacob Hoober, Martin Boyer/Abrm Smith, and Christian Stone/Jacob Boyer.² On 24 October 1735, Abraham Smith patented 84 acres [Patent Book A8:55].³

Abraham Smith’s 84-acre tract in Conestoga (now Pequea) township

By 23 December 1750, this tract was owned by Henry Boyer.⁴ On 1 May 1776, Henry’s heirs—Jacob Boyer, Jacob & Anna (Boyer) Lehman, Henry & Margaret (Boyer) Hoover, and John Hoover and John Line, guardians of the minor children Barbara (Boyer) Leiaberger and Henry Boyer—sold their share of this 84-acre tract, along with two others, to Rudy Miller, husband of Elizabeth, widow of Henry Boyer.⁵

On 14 October 1780, Henry Boyer Jr., now of full age, and his wife Barbara sold their share of the three tracts to Rudy Miller, as well.⁶ Rudy Miller’s heirs—Rudolph Miller, Stephen & Mary (Miller) Rine, and Hugh & Barbara (Miller) Evans—sold their interest in Rudy Miller’s four tracts of contiguous land in Conestoga and Martic townships, including this 94 acres, to John Miller, another of Rudy Miller’s children.⁷

Samuel Boyer’s Conestoga Tract

Kris Hocker on 10 Nov 2013

Samuel Boyer’s Conestoga Township Tract

This 115 acre tract in Conestoga Township on Pequea Creek was warranted to Martin Kendig and John Herr as part of a larger 5,000 acre warrant.¹ On the 20th day of the 8th month [October] 1729, John Taylor surveyed the tract, adjoining John Goughnower, Christian Stone, and Jacob Hoober, for Samuel Boyer in right of Martin Kendig and John Herr.² On 27 November 1739, Samuel Boyer patented 115 acres on Pequea Creek. (See Patent Book A9:127)³

Nearly 50 years later, Jacob Boyer and John Barr, executors of Samuel Boyer’s estate, sold 16 acres to Henry Gochenour on 2 March 1786.⁴ On the same day, they also sold 82 acres from Samuel Boyer’s two tracts in Conestoga and Martic townships to Henry Resh.⁵ They also sold 97 acres from these tracts to Christopher Ord.⁶

Samuel Boyer’s tracts as divided in 1786

Tract A: Henry Gochenour’s piece of Samuel Boyer’s Conestoga tract
Tract B: Henry Resh’s piece of Samuel Boyer’s Conestoga tract and his Martic tract
Tract C: Christopher Ord’s piece of Samuel Boyer’s Conestoga tract and his Martic tract

Land below the purple line was part of Samuel Boyer’s Martic township lands.

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

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.

Jacob Huber’s Martic Township Tract

Kris Hocker on 1 Nov 2012

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 They, in turn, transferred this land to their fellow immigrants.

Jacob Hoober 1733 survey

John Taylor surveyed 210 acres from this warrant for Jacob Huber on either 24 or 28th January 1733.² The survey states: “Under a mistake John Taylor applied for a [Warrant] to the Secretary on the new terms wc^h was granted as afores^d But Jacob Hoober purchased the right of 210 ^as of Martin Kendrick & John Heer part of 5,000 ^as granted to them & it is accordingly Returned into the Secretary’s office the — day of December 1735.” You can see the warrant here on my site.

Jacob Huber patented this tract of 210 acres on 22 October 1736.³ He had, quite likely, been living on his father, Hans Huber’s property in Earl Township prior to this purchase. He patented several adjoining tracts as well: one directly to the south in 1745 [A3], containing 48 ½ acres,⁴ and one to the north in 1759 [A1], containing 167 ½ acres.⁵

Huber/Hoover/Hoober land patents

Jacob Hoover left 250 acres [A2 & A3] to his sons Jacob and Mathias. He also left about 150 acres in Contestoga (A1: the tract just north of this one) to his son Christian.⁶ A distribution from his estate was paid out to his heirs by 14 June 1765.⁷

Mathias Hoover quitclaimed ½ of the property left to him and his brother to Jacob on 20 November 1772.⁸ On 21 November 1772, Jacob and his wife Barbara sold 66 acres 40 perches from their piece of the tract to Mathias. By metes and bounds, this piece appears to be the top portion of the tract Jacob Huber patented in 1736, adjoining lands of Henry Huber, the tract willed to Christian Hoover, and Pequea Creek. Mathias took out a mortgage from Marcus Young of Martick on this 66 acres on 4 January 1773.⁹ Payment was acknowledged on 8 June 1776.

On 12 June 1776, Mathias and his wife Mary sold 10 acres of their land to Henry Resh/Rush.¹⁰ On 10 August 1776, Mathias and his wife Mary sold 19 acres from the 66 they’d purchased from Jacob Hoover to John Hart of Conestoga Township.¹¹

I’m not sure about the division of the rest of the property. Jacob Huber Jr. purchased additional land, as did his son, Martin Hoover Sr. However, at least a portion of the land Jacob and Barbara Huber sold to Mathias Huber, eventually found its way back to Jacob’s descendants. In the settling of Jacob Huber’s granddaughter Elizabeth Hoover’s estate, a deed was issued for the sale of her property. This deed stated that the 113 acres being sold was part of the “same premises of which Martin Huber Sen. [her father], died seized testate” which he will to his children equally and that it was “also a part of the same premises which Jacob Hoover & wife by their Deed of Indenture bearing the date the 21st day of Nov A.D. 1772…[granted] unto Mathias Hoover.”¹²

John Hoover of “Timber Hill”

Kris Hocker on 26 Oct 2012

In reviewing some information on John Hoover (Ulrich¹), I came across the following: “May also be the John [Hoover] who had 50 acres surveyed on May 10, 1768, in York Co. called “Timber Hill.”¹ It sounded familiar, so I looked it up. The tract was warranted to Andrew Hershey on 24 October 1738 and patented to John Hoover on 17 August 1772 for 146 acres and 80 perches, Patent AA13:193.²

I recalled seeing land transactions between Andrew Hershey and John Hoover—although in connection to another Hoover family—and decided to dig a little deeper. John is a very common name. Which John Hoover patented Timber Hill?

John Hoover’s Timber Hill tract in Manheim Township

John Hoover had 140 acres known as “Timber Hill” in Manheim township surveyed on 10 May 1768.³ This land was adjacent other lands of Andrew Hershey, Jacob Bollinger, Thomas Wilson and Mark Furney. Ownership of this land must have been contested at one point, because there were multiple surveys, including several in the name of Jacob Gotshalk.

Jacob Gotshalk had applied for a patent on this land in 1767, but apparently never lived on it according to several later surveys.⁴ In any case, John Hoover purchased the rights to the land from Gotshalk in 1771 for £35.⁵ In this deed John Hoover was of Hempfield Township, Lancaster County. John Hoover, Miller, of Hempfield and his wife Ann sold this tract and another that they’d inherited from her father Andrew Hershey to Jacob Burkhard in 1775.⁶

Andrew Hershey made his will on 9 December 1754, it was probated on 19 February 1755 and left his property—except for one tract left by name to his grandson Christian Hershey—to be divided equally amongst his heirs.⁷ In 1766, Andrew’s heirs—including John and Anna Hoober—quitclaimed a tract in Hempfield Township to Benjamin Hershey.⁸

While I don’t know for certain where John Hoover (Ulrich¹) was after he sold his father’s tract in Conestoga Township on 10 Oct 1767, I do know that at that time his wife’s name as Mary.⁹ Furthermore, John Hoover of Hempfield and wife Anna bought and sold property in Hempfield and Manheim Townships, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania from the 1760s through the 1780s—a period that overlaps John Hoover’s (Ulrich¹) life in and eventual disappearance from Conestoga Township.

From these records, I would conclude that John Hoover (Ulrich¹) was not the man who patented Timber Hill. Instead, it appears to me that John Huber of Hempfield Township was. This John Hoover was most likely the son of Christian Hoover of Hempfield Township who died prior to 27 November 1757. John lived his entire life in Hempfield Township. He wrote his will on 30 August 1798 and it was probated in Lancaster County on 17 September 1803.¹⁰

Added Old Lampeter Township Warrantee Map Index

Kris Hocker on 8 May 2012

I’ve added a warrantee map index for old Lampeter Township. It includes indexes for both present-day East and West Lampeter townships. This downloadable PDF file includes links to the online survey that for each specific tract. Get it now for the introductory price of $1.99. Good until 5/15/2012.

Hans Boyer’s Conestoga Tract

Kris Hocker on 16 Apr 2012

On 22 November 1717, the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania warranted 5,000 acres to Martin Kendig and John Herr in then Conestoga, Chester County.¹ I. Taylor surveyed 210 acres on the Pequea, adjoining Widow Hoober, Ulrich Hoober, and John Ffarrer, part of the 5,000 acres warranted to Martin Kendig and John Heer, to Hans Boyer on 10 May 1719.² Hans patented this tract on 26 November 1739.³

Hans Boyer’s Conestoga Tract

Hans Boyer and his wife Barbara sold 210 acres, adjoining John Forrer, Ulrich Huber, and the Widow Hoober, to their son Samuel Boyer on 27 March 1748.⁴ Samuel Boyer and his wife Mary solid 1 acre to the Mennonist Conegregation on 10 December 1755.⁵ This became the Byerland Mennonite Meeting house.

On 10 January 1758, Samuel and Mary Boyer sold 14 acres to Tobias Boyer.⁶ Two years later on 3 October 1760, Tobias and Mary Boyer sold two tracts—including these 14 acres—to David Worley.⁷ David and his wife Ann then sold these two tracts to Christian Line on 11 March 1769.⁸

On 10 August 1769, Samuel and Mary Boyer sold 195 acres to Abraham and Mary Hess.⁹ Several months later, Abraham and Mary Hess sold the 195 acres to Jacob Smith.¹⁰ In November 1770, Jacob Smith purchased two tracts of land—including the 14 acres—from Christian and Anna (Boyer) Line.¹¹

Jacob and Magdalena (Good) Smith sold two tracts—ten acres 126 perches and one acres 58 perches—to Abraham Kagey on 22 June 1776.¹² The couple sold 60 acres to John Funk.¹³ On 15 October 1780, John and Ann Funk confirmed these same 60 acres back to Jacob Smith.¹⁴ Then on 20 December 1784 Abraham Kagey’s executors—Abraham Kagey Jr. and Christian Shank—sold the two tracks totaling about 11 acres purchased from Jacob Smith to Andrew Sureus.¹⁵ Andrew & Catherine Surearus sold on 13 September 1790 two tracts to Christian and Peter Huber—one of 10 acres 126 perches and the other one acres and 58 perches.¹⁶

After Jacob Smith’s death, the 195 acres he owned were partitioned into two sections. The first, containing 125 acres 50 perches was granted to Jacob Smith [Jr.]. The other contained 72 acres 78 perches (not including the acre deeded to the Mennonists) and was granted to Christian Smith. Jacob Smith renounced his claim to the 125 acres, so it was awarded to Abraham Smith, the third son. However, Abraham then sold this parcel to Jacob on 11 April 1805.¹⁷ Then in May 1805, Jacob Smith sold to his brother Christian two tracts from the 125 acres—one of 40 acres 150 perches, adjoining land of Jacob Smith, Abraham Huber, Henry Zercher and Christian Smith, the other of three acres 140 perches, adjoining land of Jacob Smith, Christian Smith and Pequea Creek.¹⁸

Tag: Land Patents