Betty's Genealogy Wish List for 2010 Part Two

Here are a few more brick walls that I wish to break through during the New Year:

1) ALBERT MARTINE born Dec 28, 1800 Clarkstown, Rockland Co NY as per records of the Clarkstown Dutch Reformed Church, son of ISAAC MARTINE (b Aug 26, 1766 Clarkstown, Rockland Co NY d abt 1813 NYC? ) and GEERTJE/CHARITY CAMPBELL ( b Jan 17, 1776 Clarkstown, Rockland Co NY d April 17, 1851 Spencerport, Ogden twp, Monroe Co NY). At this time, I know only that ALBERT's wife's name was "MARY", as per the Civil War Pension records of their two sons, ISAAC MARTINE b 1824 NY and JOHN F MARTINE b 1831 Spencerport, Monroe Co NY (my gg grandfather). I have been able to document this family up to 1800 in Clarkstown, Rockland Co NY, but after that the trail goes cold. They possibly may have moved to New York City by 1810, as there was a census record for an ISAAC MARTINE there, Ward 8, mid-aged couple with two sons, one daughter, but only for that year. I have not been able to find a marriage record for ALBERT MARTINE & MARY unknown. I can't find definitive census records for this family between 1800 and 1840, when CHARITY MARTINE, elderly woman, is listed in census as head of household in Spencerport, Ogden twp, Monroe Co NY, with an adult female (MARY), a young female under 15 (MARIA B MARTINE b 1829) and a young male under age 10 (JOHN F. MARTINE b 1831). The two older children RACHEL MARTINE b abt 1820 and ISAAC MARTINE b abt 1824 were already out of the house by 1840. It appears , from this record, that ALBERT MARTINE died before 1840. He may have been working on the Erie Canal, which runs through Spencerport. He may have died in the Cholera Epidemic of 1832, which hit New York City very hard. I suspect that his wife MARY's maiden name may have been EDSON, as my gg grandfather JOHN F MARTINE named one of his sons JOHN EDSON MARTINE (b Jan 10, 1875 Kansas City, MO). There was a JOHN EDSON living in nearby Genessee Co NY, and he did have daughters born around 1800, but records are frustratingly scarce for this branch of the Edson family. Curiously, ALBERT MARTINE & wife MARY named their youngest daughter MARIA B MARTINE, for Maria (Brown) Brooks, wife of Presbyterian minister Rev Lemuel Brooks of Monroe Co NY. I am not sure why. Perhaps there was some kind of connection on MARY's side with the Brown, Willey or Brooks families. MARIA B MARTINE b 1829 was living in household of William & Clarissa Brown by 1850 census, and married George Tarbox whose mother was Clarissa Willey, and also related to the Brown family of Monroe Co NY. MARIA B MARTINE TARBOX died in childbirth April 22, 1858 Spencerport, Monroe Co NY. She was buried next to her grandmother CHARITY MARTINE, (who died April 17, 1851 Spencerport, NY) in the Tarbox Family Plot, Fairfield Cemetery, Ogden twp, Monroe Co NY. The surname MARTINE is another one that is commonly misspelled in early records and frequently transcribed incorrectly. I have seen it as Martyn, Martin, Martain, Martyne, etc.

2) JONATHAN DIBBLE b abt 1747 Fairfield Co CT, died aft 1820 Pound Ridge, Westchester Co NY. I have not been able to find JONATHAN's parents, or connect him with any of the documented Dibble families in Fairfield Co CT or Westchester Co NY. I don't think I'm alone in this effort; seems as though some folks have been working on JONATHAN DIBBLE for years!! He married RACHEL SLOSSON/SLAWSON/SLASON (b 1740s Stamford, Fairfield Co CT, daughter of ELEAZER SLASON & SARAH RAYMOND) on Aug 20, 1767 in New Canaan, Fairfield Co CT. The 1767 marriage record indicates that he was "of Pound Ridge", Westchester Co NY (which apparently wasn't very far at all from Stamford & New Canaan CT). JONATHAN DIBBLE was a Private in the Revolutionary War, Westchester Militia, 3rd Regiment, under under Capt Stephen Delavan. JONATHAN gave an account of the attack on Ward's house by Major Campbell to J.M McDonald, which was subsequently quoted in Bolton's "History of Westchester" and later in Otto Schufeld's "Westchester During the Revolutionary War". JONATHAN DIBBLE b 1747 is in census records from 1790 through 1820 in Pound Ridge, Westchester Co NY. There was an older JONATHAN DIBBLE b abt 1711, of Stamford, Fairfield Co CT who married SARAH JESSUP, but no indication in wills, birth records or published genealogies that they ever had a son JONATHAN b 1747. Perhaps he was illegitimate, and we will never know his parentage. Very frustrating!!!

3) RANDOLPH MILLER b abt 1650 probably Lancaster Co VA, married KATHERINE (maiden name likely ACRE/AKER/ACREE), died 1721 Lancaster Co VA, as per his will. I have a great deal of documentation on the life of RANDOLPH MILLER. He was a prominent landowner, a gentleman, and quite wealthy at the time of his death. He may have been a cloth merchant, judging from the large amount of fabric listed in his estate inventory. However, I have never been able to discern exactly who his parents were. They were likely immigrants from England or Ireland to Virginia, and definitely acquired land in Lancaster Co VA once they arrived in the New World. I have never been able to find a will, land deed or other records which might indicate the names of his parents. Which is very strange.

4) JAMES SANDERS/SAUNDERS Sr b abt 1700 VA; died May 1776 Orange Co NC. For many years I labored under the delusion that my ancestor THOMAS SANDERS/SAUNDERS (b abt 1727 VA or NC; d Nov 28, 1812 Davidson Co TN as per his will; Rev War in NC) who married MARY MITCHELL was the son of WILLIAM SANDERS/SAUNDERS & AGNES ADAMS. This information came from a book, "Early Settlers of Alabama Vol II" by James Edmond Saunders. I can now definitively say that THOMAS SANDERS/SAUNDERS was NOT the son of WILLIAM SAUNDERS & AGNES ADAMS, a couple whom I have never been able to trace. THOMAS was definitely the son of JAMES SANDERS/SAUNDERS Sr b abt 1700 and an unknown first wife; JAMES Sr married second to CASSANDRA HAIDEN/HAYDEN in Orange Co NC, and had several more daughters with her. JAMES SANDERS/SAUNDERS Sr had four sons by his first wife: CAPT WILLIAM SAUNDERS / SANDERS b abt 1735 who married HANNAH MITCHELL; MAJOR RICHARD SAUNDERS / SANDERS b abt 1740s, d aft 1832 Wilson or Sumner Co TN, who married unknown; COLONEL JAMES SAUNDERS / SANDERS b 1733 who never married; and THOMAS SAUNDER / SANDERS b abt 1727 who married MARY MITCHELL. All four of them fought in the Revolutionary War in NC. One of the sons, CAPT WILLIAMS SAUNDERS & HANNAH MITCHELL, had several children before moving to TN; one of their sons, ROMULUS MITCHELL SAUNDERS, was raised after 1803 in Orange/Caswell Co NC by his uncle COLONEL JAMES SAUNDERS/SANDERS b 1733.

ROMULUS MITCHELL SAUNDERS obtained a fine education and went on to become a prominent judge & statesman in NC. The book "Biographical History of NC from Colonial Times to the Present" edited by Ashe, Weeks & Van Noppen pub 1906 on page 386 has a biography of Hon Romulus Mitchell Saunders which clearly states that ROMULUS MITCHELL SAUNDERS was the grandson of JAMES SAUNDERS Sr , not WILLIAM SAUNDERS & AGNES ADAMS:

" ...his (Romulus Mitchell Saunder's) grandfather was JAMES SAUNDERS of Orange County, who had four sons, among them COL JAMES SAUNDERS , a patriot in Revolutionary times, who represented Orange County in the Provinical Congress of 1776.... and CAPT WILLIAM SAUNDERS." (p 386).

The bio goes on to say:
"Capt WILLIAM SAUNDERS, a son of JAMES SAUNDERS....shortly after peace was won.... was married to HANNAH MITCHELL, by whom he had two sons, FRANKLIN and ROMULUS MITCHELL, the subject of this sketch. Mrs SAUNDERS dying, her husband and two sons moved to Sumner County TN, where he married Miss (Nancy) CUNNINGHAM, a sister of Major Cunningham, who was a member of General Washington's staff, and who moved from the Dan River to Sumner County, Tennessee. By this lady WILLIAM SAUNDERS had three sons and two daughters. On of these sons was Judge LAFAYETTE SAUNDERS of Baton Rouge, Louisiana....." ( p 386-387)

So JAMES SANDERS/SAUNDERS Sr b abt 1700 was indeed the father of THOMAS SAUNDERS & his three brothers. But this is where things get a bit sticky. Who was JAMES' first wife? Where was he born? When did he come to Orange Co NC? Why did he only mentions three of his four sons in his 1776 Orange Co NC will?? My ancestor THOMAS SANDERS/SAUNDERS and his offspring are not mentioned at all. JAMES SAUNDERS Sr also neglected to leave property to several of his daughters by his first wife and their offspring. They were certainly still alive at that time. One has to surmise that the omission must have been deliberate.

I say this because in the July 6, 1825 Caswell (previously Orange) Co NC will of COLONEL JAMES SAUNDERS (b 1733, son of JAMES SAUNDERS Sr b 1700), THOMAS SAUNDERS was noted as deceased, and several of his children were named as COL JAMES' nephews & nieces, with property left to them. COL JAMES SAUNDERS specifically mentioned the children of his brother RICHARD SAUNDERS, named RICHARD's children as nephews & nieces, and left property to them also. Likewise, ROMULUS MITCHELL SAUNDERS was named as a nephew, and was left a parcel of land near the Dan River, and was named executor of the will. One or two of COL JAMES' sisters, their offspring, and the children of nieces & nephews were also mentioned as well.

So the 1825 will of COLONEL JAMES SAUNDERS b 1733 clearly connects & documents the sons and daughters of JAMES SANDERS/SAUNDER Sr b 1700 d 1776 Orange Co NC. But many, many questions remain.

And I haven't even discussed the fact that the family of THOMAS SAUNDER's wife MARY MITCHELL is a complete mystery. Yes, there will be much more research to come on this family!!

As always, your comments are appreciated! Betty

Betty's Genealogy Wish List for 2010 Part One

The coming new year marks the tenth anniversary of my genealogical research. While I have learned a great deal about all branches of my family, there is always more to discover. Here in no particular order are some of my biggest brick walls that I hope to break through in 2010:

1) DANIEL BOLTON b abt 1794 Maine, died before 1860 Westbrook or Gorham, Cumberland Co. ME; married THANKFUL MORTON, daughter of EBENEZER MORTON & SUSANNAH IRISH of Standish, Cumberland Co ME. My maternal grandmother, Ruby Bolton Brown, has a genealogy that has been a joy to research, since the majority of her ancestors were emigrants from England, were the first and original settlers of Massachusetts, and were thus very, very well documented. In fact, DANIEL BOLTON b abt 1794 is the only weak link in an otherwise very solid family tree. Because DANIEL BOLTON b 1794 named his only son HOLLIS R BOLTON (b abt 1833 Cumberland Co ME), I strongly suspect he was descended from the Bolton family of Reading, Middlesex Co, MA (see books "Bolton Families of Ireland" and "Boltons of Old & New England, Including Descendents of William Bolton of Reading Massachusetts" by Charles Knowles Bolton). The only member of this Bolton family from the Reading, MA line who ever settled in Maine, so far as I have been able to research, was DANIEL BOLTON b abt 1747 Reading, MA who went to Hallowell, Lincoln Co ME in the 1760s and after fighting in the Revolutionary War, married RELIANCE PRATT, widow of EBENEZER HOVEY. My ancestor DANIEL BOLTON b 1794 could have been their son. However, my DANIEL BOLTON b 1794 also lived in Windham, Cumberland Co ME before 1846, and his marriage record to THANKFUL MORTON indicates that he was "of Windham"--which is where the family of THOMAS BOLTON & MARY McLELLAN CRAIG first settled (see book by Hugh Davis McLellan "History of Gorham, Maine"). So far I have not been able to find a definitive, documented link between my DANIEL BOLTON and either Bolton family in Maine. But, as I said, because of the DANIEL's only son being named HOLLIS R BOLTON, my best guess is that DANIEL BOLTON was descended from the Reading, MA Bolton family, likely from DANIEL BOLTON b 1747 Reading, MA, whose nephew EBENEZER BOLTON Jr ( b 1778, married LINDAY LELAND), and niece ELIZABETH BETSEY BOLTON (who married NATHAN TAFT) both named a son "Hollis".

2) JACOB HUBER Sr b abt 1740-1750 PA? Germany? married MAGDALENA unknown, died 1803 Berlin, Somerset Co PA as per his will. Only one son, WILLIAM / WILHELM HUBER (b abt 1779 possibly VA, married ANNA ELIZABETH KEFFER b Jan 2, 1780 Berlin, PA) and wife MAGDALENA are mentioned in the will. JACOB HUBER Sr was a member of the German Reformed Lutheran Church in Berlin, led at the time he was a member by the Reverend Henry Giese. According to his will, JACOB owned several lots and a house on the north side of North & Beck Streets in Berlin, Somerset Co PA, but was not living there before 1797, according to tax records and church records. See previous post on this blog for full discussion.

3) JOSEPH ISAAC THOMPSON b abt 1797-1800 probably Burke Co NC married JANE unknown; likely son of ISAAC THOMPSON (b abt 1754 VA; d June 9, 1838 Burke Co NC) and an unknown wife; ISAAC fought in the Revolutionary War as per his pension record, and was a prominent landowner and justice of the peace in Burke Co NC. I have not been able to find any marriage records or a will for ISAAC THOMPSON; neither have I found a marriage record for JOSEPH THOMPSON & wife JANE, which is odd since his likely father ISAAC was justice of the peace around the time they married!! JOSEPH THOMPSON is present in the 1820 & 1830 Burke Co NC census; he had an extremely large family, at least 15 known children (poor JANE!), with many girls. The 1820 & 1830 census records match correctly the approximate birthdates and sex of their offspring. According to Burke Co NC military records, JOSEPH took part in the war of 1812 and in the Cherokee Removal of 1838. Apparently JOSEPH took his family with him in 1838 and then deserted or mustered out upon reaching Tennessee. One of JOSEPH's eldest daughters, Melvina Priscilla Thompson b abt 1821 married James Mowery in Roane Co TN Oct 4, 1838. Another daughter Mary Lucinda Thompson b abt 1825, married Thomas Gaspaway Goodwin before 1840 in TN. All three families were living next to each other in the 1840 Bradley Co TN census. JOSEPH THOMPSON also sold land in Burke Co NC to his brother-in-law Joseph Baker in 1821, but the deed wasn't transferred until 1843, and by then the signatures had to be verified by Elrod Poteet, which suggests that JOSEPH was no longer living in the area (Likely father ISAAC THOMPSON is also mentioned in this record; the land probably originally belonged to him). By 1856, nearly the entire Thompson family moved from Bradley Co TN to Carroll Co Arkansas, leaving only a few family members back in Bradley & Hamilton Co TN. After the Civil War nearly the entire Thompson family in Arkansas moved again to Christian, Douglas & Taney Co, Missouri.

4) MOSES WHITECOTTON b abt 1804 Knox Co KY; died before 1840 Bledsoe Co TN & HAPPY unknown b abt 1804 VA? TN?. MOSES was the son of ISAAC NEWTON WHITECOTTON (b abt 1774 Stafford or Hampshire Co VA; died aft 1830 Jackson Co AL) and ELIZABETH STUMP (b abt 1779 Hampshire/Hardy Co VA now W VA; died aft 1860 Madison Co AL). MOSES is present in the 1830 Jackson Co AL census, living next to his father ISAAC, and near his brother JAMES "JIM" WHITECOTTON b 1811 Knox Co KY who married LOUISA TURNER. In 1840 census, HAPPY WHITECOTTON, widowed wife of MOSES, was living alone with her children in Bledsoe Co TN. HAPPY can be found in the 1850 Decatur, Morgan Co AL census with her children, living near her son JAMES MONROE WHITECOTTON b Oct 1825 AL (my gg grandfather). Another son LINDLEY M. WHITECOTTON, married and remained in Bledsoe Co TN before moving on to Arkansas. I have not been able to find a marriage record for MOSES WHITECOTTON & HAPPY in Alabama, or a death record or will for MOSES in TN. Never have been able to discern a maiden name for HAPPY, although several have postulated that is is either "Happy" or "Lindley". I have not been able to prove or disprove either of them. It is likely they were married in Jackson Co Alabama around 1822. Would like to find a will for ISAAC NEWTON WHITECOTTON who died after 1830 in Jackson Co AL.

5) JAMES BRUTON/BREWTON b abt 1720 Lawnes Creek Parish, Surry Co VA, who possibly married MARY BRANCH, daughter of FRANCIS BRANCH and ELIZABETH NORWOOD. JAMES BRUTON/BREWTON was the son of WILLIAM BRUTON (b abt 1690 d Lawnes Creek Parish, SurryCo VA) and an unknown first wife, and the grandson of JAMES BRUTON (b abt 1660 d 1735 Lawnes Creek Parish, Surry Co VA) who married MARY SEWARD and who mentioned grandson JAMES son of WILLIAM BRUTON in his will. I strongly suspect that JAMES BRUTON/BREWTON b abt 1720 was the father of my ancestor DAVID BRUTON/BREWTON Sr (b abt 1736-1740, died 1816 Spartanburg, SC) and his brothers GEORGE BRUTON/BREWTON Esq (b abt 1742, died 1815 Spartanburg SC ) and CAPT JAMES BRUTON/BREWTON (b abt 1743-1745, died 1816 Madison Co AL) all of whom lived in Spartanburg, SC from the county's inception until their deaths or in Capt James' case, removal to Alabama. These three gentlemen were literate and possibly well-educated, especially GEORGE, and all were involved in the judicial system in Spartanburg SC, GEORGE being a grand juror and justice of the peace, and DAVID & JAMES being jurors, grand jurors and gentlemen arbitrators on various cases in the courts. They were all landowners; letters, land deeds and wills show an obvious kinship between the three men. One sticky wicket is the fact that the area in which they lived in Spartanburg SC was previously Anson Co, Tyron Co and Mecklenburg Co NC before becoming the Ninety Six district and then Spartanburg Co SC. Another problem is the propensity for transcribers to mistake the surname for "Burton" rather than "Bruton" in records. The biggest problem is attempting to trace JAMES BRUTON/BREWTON b 1720 Surry Co VA, who is mentioned in his grandfather's will, but not his father's; who was in line to inherit land from his grandmother MARY SEWARD BRUTON in Surry Co VA, but no record can be found of the dispersal of the land; who likely went to North Carolina before the Revolution, but can't be traced there; who is absent from Spartanburg SC records except for one tantalizing land deed in 1786 indicating that JAMES BRUTON and his wife MARY sold land on Ferguson's Creek near the Tyger River, the very same area where DAVID Sr, GEORGE Esq and CAPT JAMES BRUTON/BREWTON all lived. Unfortunately, there is the possibility that the JAMES and MARY of this land deed may be CAPT JAMES BRUTON/BREWTON and a first wife; in his 1816 Madison Co AL will he names his wife as ELIZABETH, but she may have been a second wife. Clearly much more research needs to be done, and more records need to be found. Brian Nilsson has organized a DNA project for the Brutons/Brewtons, and one of the latest tests shows that DAVID BRUTON Sr, CAPT JAMES BRUTON and another, different GEORGE BRUTON of Montgomery Co NC all stemmed from the same male ancestor. I personally believe that all North & South Carolina Brutons/Brewtons descended from the immigrant ancestor JOHN BRUTON/BREWTON (b 1600-1610 England, died 1669). His descendents lived for several generations in Lawnes Creek Parish, Surry Co VA. They were first indentured servants and then tenant farmers, and then the family owned the land in Surry Co VA that had been bequeathed to MARY SEWARD, wife of JAMES BRUTON b 1660, from her uncle ROBERT CAULFIELD's estate. Fascinating but frustrating family history!!!!

6) FREDERICK WILLIAM SHRIVER b abt 1770s Adams Co PA, son of LEWIS SHRIVER b abt 1750 Maryland & MARY SHEETS; wife's name unknown. There were several "Frederick William"s down through the generations in my branch of the Shrivers. This particular F. W. is listed in the 1815 Adams Co PA will of his father LEWIS SHRIVER, who fought in the Revolutionary War. I have not been able to trace my F. W. in MD or PA records after 1815. He is NOT the same F. W. that married Catherine and died 1840 in Tiffin, Senaca Co Ohio, as was indicated in the publication "The History of the Shriver Family with Particular Reference to Jacob Shriver (1714-1795), son Lewis Shriver (1750-1815) and Descendents" by Harry C Shriver published privately 1962. The FREDERICK WILLIAM SHRIVER that I am researching likely had at least two sons, the first possibly the above-mentioned Frederick William Shriver b abt 1786 who married Catherine unknown and ended up in Tiffin, Seneca Co OH; and second, my ancestor LEWIS SHRIVER b abt 1790 who married SUSANNAH LUCKHART/LUKEHART, and ended up in Ross / Hocking Co OH, where he died April 1831 as per his will. LEWIS SHRIVER b abt 1790 & SUSANNAH LUCKHART named one of their sons Frederick William Shriver; he was born 1810 Hocking Co OH and married Elizabeth Schreckengaust. The surname can be spelled Shriver, Shrivour, Schreiver and Schreiber in records.

As usual, your comments are appreciated! Happy New Year!

Betty

Some Random Observations on Genealogy Research

I get a lot of requests from fellow genealogy researchers asking for help, or ways to overcome the "brick walls" in their research. I don't claim to be particularly wise. However, over the last ten years that I have been researching my family tree, I have learned a few things from the process. Here are some random observations for you to enjoy.

1) YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S TREASURED FAMILY STORIES ARE NOT GOSPEL.

I am probably going to step on some toes here, but here goes.

A few years back I was at a meeting with several women, all of whom are well-educated, and family history somehow came up in the discussion. Several of the women expressed the opinion that the best, most wonderful way to learn one's family history would be at grandmother's knee, listening to her recount the stories of her life and her ancestors' lives. Everybody nodded sagely (except me; I was preoccupied with biting my tongue), and a warm fuzzy glow descended over the group.

The truth is, your grandmother's treasured family stories are just that--stories. It IS wonderful to spend time with our elders and hear them talk about their lives. But consider this: memory does not serve us well, at any age, and the older we get, the more it is "out of service."

(I have seen a great deal of misinformation passed on as gospel truth by well-meaning relatives)

Besides, you may not be getting the whole story. You are getting one person's view. Someone else in the family may have a completely different perspective. There are many many reasons why people omit, sanitize, embroider or even fabricate what they tell their children and grandchildren. Embarrassment over illegitimacy is one of the most common I have found.

I have spent years trying to verify stories from parents, grandparents and other relatives. Often there is a kernal of truth--sometimes barely even that. And you have to be careful WHO you ask. When I approached one family member, who was particularly gifted as a "story teller", I was told the tall tale that one of my great grandmothers was a Cherokee Princess (not true), her father a renowned Cherokee chief who was arrested & imprisoned for selling bootleg whiskey while attempting to cross the Mississippi River (not true), and that my great grandmother and her sister were orphaned at a very young age and raised in an orphanage (only a teensy weensy bit true). It made a great story, but most of it wasn't true!!

So go ahead, enjoy Grandma and her stories. Sometimes those stories are all we have to go on. Just be ready to play detective and find out "the rest of the story".

2) YOUR ANCESTORS ARE NOT SOLELY YOURS. Maybe you have already noticed this. It was one of my first big realizations when I began researching, and it is especially true the farther back you delve into your family tree. Your great great grandmother-- who you may have come to think of as your own, somehow a distinct part of YOU-- may have had ten siblings. She may have had ten children, and each of them may have had ten children. You get the picture. There are probably multitudes of people related to her, and thus to you. This is something you can use in your research. Perhaps there is someone out there who knows far more about your great great grandmother than you ever dreamed. The Internet has been very very helpful. Find a way to publish your family tree or genealogy research online. You might be surprised at the response.

3) YOUR ANCESTORS DID NOT EXIST IN A VOID. This goes along with number two. Sometimes beginning researchers tend to view ancestors & their families as tidy little domestic units, somehow distinct & separate from the rest of the world. The thing is, our ancestors lived lives nearly as complex as our own. Think of how many friends, acquaintances and relatives you yourself have at any given moment, how many clubs or organizations you are active in, how many jobs/careers/occupations you have held during your lifetime, what military service, which schools you have attended, which churches you have attended. Perhaps you have even been married more than once. Well, the same can be applied to your ancestors. So if you get stuck, consider this: Who did your ancestors live near when they settled in a particular region? Was there extended family living nearby? Did they have strong church affiliations? Fight in any wars? I have gone so far as to research ALL the families in a particular community, because I discovered that nearly all the families had come from the same place originally, were deeply intermarried, and had all migrated together, along with my ancestors.

4) CONSIDER THE LARGER HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE. PLEASE. Several years ago, a fellow researcher contacted me with the exciting information that he had just found the name of the wife of my great X 4 grandfather Isaac Thompson. I had been looking for this information for a very long time! But when I examined the marriage record that he sent me, I was sorely disappointed. My great X4 grandfather Isaac Thompson lived in the mountains of western North Carolina, and was a soldier in the Revolutionary War in NC. This marriage record had him marrying a woman in England in 1780. Clearly the man who sent me the record did not even stop to consider the historical ramifications of that marriage record. For starters, the Revolutionary War was not officially over until 1783. And the idea that a Rev War soldier in the mountains of western North Carolina would drop everything during the middle of the war, make his way to the coast, sail across the ocean to ENGLAND (!!) in order to take a bride, then sail back and resume his fight against the British is, well, just plain ludicrous!

Besides, I'd already seen Isaac Thompson's Rev War Pension papers. He had other things on his mind in 1780.

Which is what I told the other researcher. Politely, of course.

5) YES THERE ARE MISTAKES IN PUBLISHED GENEALOGIES AND RECORDS. Even US census records. There is no holy grail in genealogy. Unless it's the DAR. I'll have to check with them.

6) DON'T GET TOO HUNG UP ON EXACT SPELLING IN RECORDS. Especially if your family had an unusual surname. Or a German, Swiss or Dutch surname. I have a Siegfriedt that was anglicized to Saferight. Van Arsdale was transformed to Vanosdall in Kentucky. Huber can be found as Hoover, Hoober, Hover & Huver. Lueckhardt morphed into Luckhart, Lukehart, Lookhart and even Lockhart. You get the picture. It's tedious, I know. But it helps to be tenacious and check out all variant spellings.

7) THERE WEREN'T THAT MANY PEOPLE LIVING IN THE US COLONIES IN THE 1600s.

You'd be surprised how many people just don't get this. Sometimes it's hard for us, living in the 21st century, to realize that the first North American settlements were very very small. And pretty well documented, historically speaking. So if your ancestors weren't mentioned in available records or lists of original first settlers living at Plymouth MA, or Jamestown VA, or on the Mayflower, then, for goodness sakes, they PROBABLY WEREN'T THERE. No matter what your Aunt Mabel says

OK. enuff said for now. Maybe you have more observations to add to this-- your comments appreciated!

Betty

Tacky Bookseller Scam: The Good News and...the Bad News

Updating my previous post: The good news is that Thriftbooks aka Atlantic Book Company aka Motor City Books aka Green Earth Books did actually issue me refunds on my credit card.

The bad news is that I have fallen prey once again to the tacky bookseller scam. After not receiving, in over 30 days, the expensive out of print book I ordered from edies_editions , I emailed them on Friday Aug 14 through Amazon.com and indicated that I wanted an immediate refund, and that if by some strange chance (fat chance!) the book should arrive, that I would return it immediately, unopened. So far--no response.

So then--silly me--I went back on Amazon, and found a DIFFERENT independent bookseller bookshelf12 and ordered the book from them--at a higher price than the original order, much to my chagrin. bookshelf12 indicated on the Amazon website that they ship from TX. edies_editions indicated that they ship from LA. So I thought I was safe. HAH.

This morning while I was perusing my order from Amazon.com through bookshelf12 trying to find out where exactly in TX they ship from, I noticed to my HORROR that the wording on the bookshelf12 seller profile IS EXACTLY THE SAME as the wording on edies_edition's seller profile. They are the EXACT SAME SELLER, just with different names. Amazon.com Marketplace vendors are independent businesses or sellers, so what would be the likelihood that two different individuals would use the EXACT SAME WORDING to describe their business?????!!!??? (if you can call it a business--more like a SCAM).

This morning I cancelled the second order to bookshelf12 via the Amazon.com website, and contacted my credit card company to see if I could stop or dispute payment on this order (I can).

So now I have $400 in charges on my credit card for two items that I will likely never receive. And this was supposed to be my birthday present!! Some birthday! Some yahoo in LA/TX is having a great weekend on my dime and I get nothing but grief! Sheesh!!

If I don't receive refunds as requested, I may contact the FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center, the Interstate Trade Commission and anyone else I can find that may be able to do something to stop the creeps. Amazon.com seems to have a completely hands-off attitude toward it's independent Marketplace vendors.

While I don't dispute a seller's right to use more than one name on such websites as Amazon or Alibris, I DO have nothing but disdain for this tacky practice of completing a transaction with an unsuspecting buyer, then relisting the same item under a different seller name at a higher price.

I need to go do some deep breathing now.....

Betty

BUYER BEWARE: TACKY BOOKSELLER SCAM

Lately I have been having great success using Google book search to find genealogy references and sources that I would never have come across in my lonely little corner of the world. If you haven't used it yet, this is a truly wonderful tool for genealogists, as you can type in the name of your ancestor or any other phrase that you select, and Google will search across all available volumes, showing you snippets of books, or even scanned whole copies of books if it's in the public domain, or providing you with links to booksellers who have copies of the books for sale.

And this is what today's blog is about, really--booksellers--not Google book search.

In the past month (July 2009) I have had , in my opinion, highly unsatisfactory experiences with independent booksellers who sell on Amazon and Alibris. Not once--but TWICE in the last month.

It works like this: some unsuspecting customer (me in this case) orders a scarce, out-of-print, but highly desirable genealogy book from an independent bookseller listing on Amazon.com or Alibris.com. All goes well, and the order seems to go through. Then low and behold, days or even weeks later, the book is either lost in shipping, they send you the wrong item by "mistake", and/or they inform you that they no longer have the book you ordered in stock. A refund is issued. And all that would be perfectly acceptable--except for the fact that the same independent bookseller immediately turns around and re-lists the scarce, highly desirable, out-of-print genealogy book-- the very same item you ordered-- at a much higher price!!

So here is my WALL OF SHAME, the booksellers I have recently encountered who appear to have indulged in this tacky & dubious practice, and whom, in my humble opinion, you should AVOID at all costs:

-- It is my opinion that buyers should avoid THRIFTBOOKS of Auburn, WA aka ATLANTIC BOOK COMPANY aka MOTOR CITY BOOKS aka GREEN EARTH BOOKS, selling on Alibris.com. I ordered a $35.00 hardback book (Colony of North Carolina Abstracts of Land Patents 1735-1764 by Margaret Hofmann) from Thriftbooks, and after a long wait, they sent me a crappy old yellowed paperback fiction book worth about fifty cents at your local yard sale. When I notified Thriftbooks of the error, they apologized, told me to keep the paperback (!), and gave me a refund (or at least they said they did, I haven't received my credit card statement yet), indicating that they no longer had the book I had ordered in stock. So I reordered the same book at same price from Atlantic Book Company (which I didn't realize at the time was actually the same vendor as Thriftbooks), and they cancelled and refunded my order right away with no explanation at all. Just days later, the same book I had ordered for $35.00 was subsequently listed for sale on Alibris from Motor City Books (exact same vendor as Thriftbooks & Atlantic Book Company) at $55.00, and it's still listed as available from that vendor at that price on Alibris as of today Aug 2--even though I was informed that the book was no longer in stock. One has to wonder if this is really a legitimate business --or some kind of scam. Thriftbooks does have its own website--not that that means anything. I have already complained to Alibris, and for sure I'll be watching my credit card statements very very carefully in the coming weeks.

--It is my opinion that buyers should avoid edies_editions (ships from Louisiana), selling on Amazon.com. In mid July, I ordered a scarce, out-of-print volume of records from South Carolina by Brent Holcomb, which I discovered on Google books, and which has information on several different families that I have been researching without much success for many years. I was absolutely THRILLED to find this book!! However, it was VERY expensive ($170.00), and I really had to think twice about ordering it. Now I wish I hadn't. As of today Aug 2, nearly three weeks later, I have not received the book, and this morning I contacted the vendor to get some answers, BECAUSE...(drum roll)...... I noticed that edies_editions as of today Aug 2, has the very same book I ordered listed on Amazon.com for $226.00, a fifty + dollar increase in price over my purchase price in mid-July. One might conjecture that edies_editions had multiple copies of this book to sell, but because the book in question is so scarce & out-of-print, this seems HIGHLY UNLIKELY. I am waiting for edies_edition to contact me to explain why I have not yet received my order.

(UPDATE Aug 3rd: edies_editions contacted me and they maintain that the book was sent mid July when I placed my order. Seller indicated that they had two copies to sell, and both sold, although at the time of my purchase, I saw only one was available from this seller. I can't prove otherwise, one way or another, but the second more expensive Amazon listing did disappear right after I contacted seller indicating that I had noticed the price increase. Seller told me it sometimes take up to 30 days for buyers to receive their items after purchasing (!), which is just plain ridiculous--I occasionally sell on Ebay and have never had items sent by me via media mail take that long, even items sent from my West Coast home to the East Coast. Also I have never had items lost in the mail when sent by me, although I have had items lost in the mail that I have purchased. Seller indicated that I should contact them if I don't receive the book within the next week. A quick look at the Amazon feedback shows this seller's items are chronically late in arriving, and a couple people had their items "lost in the mail". We shall see how this plays out. I am not at all convinced that I will ever receive the book I ordered.)

On the flip side of the coin, so to speak...here is a list of reputable booksellers that I have ordered genealogy books from in the past with excellent results:

ELDERS BOOKS Nashville TN (I was finally able to get the Margaret Hofmann book through them, and they sent it right away)

POWELLS BOOKS Portland OR

AMAZON.COM (when purchased from their in-stock books, NOT from the independent vendors who sell on their website)

MOUNTAIN PRESS Signal Mountain, TN

GENEALOGICAL.COM website

I'm sure there are other reliable genealogy booksellers, and I would appreciate comments, especially if anyone else out there has had a similar problem with the booksellers mentioned on my Wall of Shame.

Betty

P.S. If you already have a subscription to Ancestry.com, it pays to search their card catalog before ordering & purchasing any genealogy book. Ancestry.com can be labyrinthine and seems designed to make the easy impossible (my love-hate relationship with Ancestry.com--now that's definitely a subject for another blog entry on another day), but their card catalog search is helpful, and they may already have scanned copies available of the book or reference that you are seeking.

Mystery Women in My Family Tree

I'd like to think that after ten years of researching I'd be pretty good at finding information, but the following women in my family tree have pretty much stopped me in my tracks!

--MARY MITCHELL, b 1727-1730 VA or NC, wife of THOMAS SANDER/SAUNDERS born probably 1727-1728 probably Middlesex County, VA, who lived probably Orange/Caswell Co? NC (or at least other family members did), was a soldier in the Revolutionary War in NC as per DAR index, and who died Nov 28, 1812 Davidson Co TN. Some researchers have indicated that THOMAS & MARY were wed in New Bern, NC, but I have never been able to ascertain that. Can't seem to connect MARY with any MITCHELL family living in NC or VA. Records show that THOMAS & MARY were living in Tennessee possibly as early as 1800, when their son EDWARD T. SANDERS married LOCKEY TRIGG. THOMAS SANDERS/SAUNDERS died Nov 27, 1812 Davidson Co TN, as per his will. Two of his daughters married two brothers, landed gentlemen from Buckingham Co VA. JULIET/JUDITH SANDERS/SAUNDERS married PETER GUERRANT MOSELEY, and MARY POLLY SANDERS/SAUNDERS married WILLIAM FRANCIS MOSELEY (my ggg grandparents). The rest of the sons & daughters lived in Sumner, Wilson or Davidson Co TN after 1800. You'd think there would be some record of MARY MITCHELL's parents, but no.

--NANCY WALKER allegedly born 1790 VA?, wife of SIMON VAN ARSDALE (alt. spelling Vanarsdall, Van Orsdol, Van Ausdal, Van Alsdale and a million other spelling variations) also born 1790 probably Bucks Co PA. They were married Sept 21, 1814 in Corydon, Harrison Co IN, after SIMON's service in the war of 1812. SIMON died May 1828 as per a handwritten will by his father JOHN VAN ARSDALE, which was later registered at Corydon. Unfortunately NANCY and all but three of her children perished in the 1832 Cholera epidemic. The three surviving daughters were HARRIET VAN ARSDALE b 1818 who married SAMUEL ENFIELD ; MARGARET VAN ARSDALE b Feb 18, 1823 who married NATHAN CALDWELL, and NANCY VAN ARSDALE b March 31, 1828 who married a Quaker, ELI BRANSON FRAZIER (my gg grandparents). The three girls were raised by family in Montgomery or Boone Co IN. I have never been able to find the names of NANCY WALKER's parents, or connect her with any Walker family in Harrison Co IN. Some descendants have indicated that she may have come from Elizabethtown, Hardin Co KY, which is just across the river from Corydon, Harrison Co IN. Two of NANCY & SIMON's sons were ALEXANDER VAN ARSDALE and WILLIAM H VAN ARSDALE, names which do not appear in previous generations of the VAN ARSDALE family. One daughter was named JULIA ANN VAN ARSDALE, and the name "Julia Ann" was used by two of the surviving daughters, but did not appear in previous generations of the VAN ARSDALE family.

--HAPPY (maiden name unknown, possibly LINDLEY) born about 1804, census indicates VA, wife of MOSES WHITECOTTON who was born about 1804 Knox Co TN, and who died before 1840 census in AL or TN. MOSES WHITECOTTON is present in the 1830 Jackson Co AL census as a couple age 20-30, three sons under 5, one son 5-10, one elderly male age 60-70 probably HAPPY's father; no slaves; listed right next to his father ISAAC NEWTON WHITECOTTON who married ELIZABETH STUMP, and very near his brother JAMES "Jim" WHITECOTTON b 1811 KY who married LOUISA TURNER. The census record is very difficult to decipher, and the surname was mistakenly transcribed as "Wilcolton". Then HAPPY appears alone with her children in the 1840 Bledsoe Co TN census, and in 1850 as a widow with children in the Morgan Co AL census, Decatur division 11, which shows her born in Virginia. One of her sons, Harrison Whitecotton, appears to have been born at least two years after the death of her husband! Several researchers have postulated that HAPPY's maiden name was LINDLEY, since she named one of her eldest sons LINDLEY M. WHITECOTTON. But I have never been able to connect her with any LINDLEY family in the south, and beyond that there are few clues to her origins. Family members have maintained that there was Cherokee blood in this family, but I have not been able to prove that, either.

--JANE (maiden name unknown), born 1797-1800 VA or NC, wife of JOSEPH ISAAC THOMPSON b 1797-1801 Burke Co NC. After leaving NC, they lived in Bradley Co TN, Carroll Co AR and ultimately Christian Co MO. JOSEPH came from a landed family in Rowan/Burke Co NC, but was listed as a solder in the 1838 Cherokee removal. Apparently he deserted when reaching TN, and by 1840 was settled in Bradley Co TN. A land deed later shows him selling his land in Burke Co NC in absentia. No marriage bond or record exists for JANE & JOSEPH ISAAC THOMPSON in Burke or Rowan NC. I am wondering if they just never got hitched legally, which apparently was not uncommon in NC during that time period, and actually seemed to be the status quo for some of their children. JANE & JOSEPH ISAAC THOMPSON had 15 children (!), ten girls and five boys, and most made the trip from TN to AR to MO, and can be found in census. Family members sometimes refer to JANE as VIRGINIA JANE, but she is always listed in census records as JANE. She is supposedly buried in Green Forest, Boone Co AR.

--ELEANOR or SARAH BUSHROD born 1730-1750 supposedly in Maryland, wife of JOHN WOFFORD born 1730-1750 supposedly Prince George's Co MD. JOHN settled in Spartanburg, SC along with his brothers JAMES, BENJAMIN, WILLIAM & JOSEPH WOFFORD, and all fought in the Revolutionary War--except BENJAMIN who was a Tory-- as per DAR Patriot Index, and "A History of Spartanburg County " by Dr J B O Landrum. JOHN died in 1813 in Spartanburg, but did not mention his wife by name in his will. I have been unable to connect ELEANOR / SARAH with any of the BUSHROD families in VA, and have had no luck tracing them in Maryland.

--SARAH HOSEA/HOSEY born about 1710 supposedly Maryland who married ABSALOM/ABSOLOM WOFFORD, father of the five brothers listed above. ABSALOM was supposedly born 1703 in either PA or MD, and supposedly died about 1755 in Rock Creek, Montgomery Co MD. I have never been able to find any records of any kind for these two individuals in Maryland, and yet numerous researchers have cited them as ancestors.

Comments appreciated!!

Betty T

Photo Postcard of Eliza Ernest, Wife of D. Eugene Ernest, Royalton NY

My Genealogy Good Deed for the Day:

I am both a postcard collector and an avid amateur genealogist. Recently I bought an estate lot of antique postcards and found an amazing item. It is a one of a kind postcard, a real photograph, and the writing on the back identifies the woman as "Mrs Eliza Ernest" of Royalton, NY.

The photo was probably taken around 1910. It shows a stately looking woman sitting in her parlor next to a table. On the other side of the table stands a boy about 14 years old.

A quick check of Royalton burial records & census 1900 & 1910 shows Eliza as the wife of D. Eugene Ernest born 1853 died 1907 Royalton, Niagara Co NY. Eliza was born 1858 and died 1944 Royalton NY.

The young man in the photo is likely their adopted son George Reed Ernest, whom they adopted sometime around 1900. He is in census with them. I do not know if they had any other children previous to 1900, as I was unable to find more records. There were other Ernest families in Royalton. Eliza & Eugene were in their 50s when they adopted George. He too is buried in the Royalton cemetery and records indicate he died 1957.

I am not at all related to the Ernest family. If you are a descendent, or know of any descendents, please contact me,  I am going to hold on to this postcard in the hopes of returning it the family. 

I have sent a scan of this postcard to the Niagara Co NY Genweb site coordinator, but have not heard back. Also have posted this info on Genforum for Ernest family & Niagara Co NY.

Betty

Correction: Daniel Bly & book "From the Rhine to the Shenandoah" Vol II

Daniel Bly sent me this correction in a email:

"A minor correction regarding your citation of my book.  I am retired from teaching history at Bridgewater College in Virginia. I never lived or taught in West Virginia, and the name of the book with the Brumback-Hotsinpillar and Hoover chapters is From the Rhine to the Shenandoah Vol III (2002), not Rhineland."

My apologies, Daniel!!

Betty T

How Many " Jacob Hubers or Hoovers" born 1740-1755 Were There???

To answer my own rhetorical question: MULTITUDES. Especially in Pennsylvania. And  in Maryland, too. Not to mention Virginia / West Virginia.

Apparently the surname "Huber" or "Hoover" was the Swiss / German equivalent of "Smith". Or so it would seem.

Yes, I have been researching my great x 4 grandfather JACOB HUBER Sr who died 1803 Berlin, Brother's Valley Township,  Somerset Co PA.  While I do have some facts, his ancestry previous to 1793 remains a mystery. 

First off:  the facts.  JACOB HUBER Sr first appears in records of the German Reformed/Evangelical Lutheran church in Berlin, Somerset Co ( Bedford Co previous to 1795), PA, when he witnessed June 10, 1793 the baptism of David Ritchy, son of Daniel Ritchy & Catherine "on their way to Kentucky", witnesses signed as "Jacob Huber, Elder" along with "George Frey, Deacon". 

JACOB can be found on tax lists and on other German Reformed/ Evangelical Lutheran church records from 1793 until the time of his death in 1803.

JACOB was not living in Bedford or Somerset Co PA in 1790 or before, as per census & tax list records.

The 1800 Berlin, Brother's Valley Township, Somerset Co PA census shows him as "Jacob Huber Sr", couple over 45, no children in household, but next door to his adult son WILLIAM/WILHELM HUBER, young  married couple with one daughter.  Also in Berlin in 1800 census was JOHN HUBER Sr, another couple over 45, no children in household. 

If JACOB was over 45 in 1800 census, he would have had to have been born 1755 or before.

JACOB HUBER Sr's will, written 1802 and proved Aug 1803 shows that he was quite wealthy for the time period, owned a number of lots in the town of Berlin,  had a wife MAGDALENA, and apparently only one child, his son WILLIAM /WILHELM HUBER, who, judging from baptism records of his children,  was likely born in the 1770s. 

Since I have copies of JACOB HUBER's original 1803 will, and his son WILLIAM /WILHELM HUBER signed the estate inventory, I was able to compare the signature on JACOB'S will to the one on  WILLIAM /WILHELM HUBER's original 1835 Hocking Co Ohio will. They are identical, so the Hocking Co Ohio WILLIAM / WILHELM HUBER is most certainly my great X 3 grandfather, father of my great great grandfather ELIJAH HUBER b abt 1808 OH who was living next door to WILLIAM HUBER in the 1830 Salt Creek Township, Hocking Co Ohio census.

WILLIAM /WILHELM HUBER married ANNA ELIZABETH KEFFER b Jan 2, 1780 Berlin, Brother's Valley Township,  Bedford/Somerset Co PA, daughter of JOHANN JACOB KEFFER, one of the founders of the town of Berlin.

Now for the complicated, speculative part.

When I first started researching back in year 2000, I was contacted by Keffer family researchers who indicated that JACOB HUBER Sr of Berlin, PA was the same person as JACOB HUBER/HOOVER Sr who was living in or near Capon Springs, Hampshire Co VA 1780s-1790, and who married ELIZABETH HOTZENBELLA / HOTSINPILLAR / HATZENBUHLER, daughter of STEPHEN HOTZENBELLA/HOTSINPILLAR/HATZENBUHLER & wife ELIZABETH BRUMBACH of Frederick Co VA. 

This made some sense at the time, as a later biography of WILLIAM WILHELM HUBER's son JACOB, b abt 1812 of Montgomery Co IN, indicated that his father WILLIAM was born in Virginia.

 JACOB HUBER/HOOVER Sr of Hampshire Co VA seemed to disappear from that county just after 1790 census.  Since many German/Swiss settlers from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia did migrate to Bedford, Somerset & Huntingdon Co PA, it seemed to me  quite possible that JACOB HUBER/HOOVER Sr of Hampshire Co VA could have moved northward to that area of Pennsylvania.

Another factor was the 1776 Frederick Co VA will of STEPHEN HOTZENBELLA.  The language used in the will (in the transcription at least) seems to suggest that his daughter ELIZABETH HUVER was dead by 1776 and that he was leaving part of his estate to her children, and the children of another daughter CATHERINE HOTZENBELLA KERN, who was deceased before 1776.  

If JACOB HUBER's wife ELIZABETH HOTZENBELLA was dead by 1776 in Hampshire Co VA, then he certainly could have remarried to MAGDALENA before he moved north to Pennsylvania. 

Other pertinent factors:  No death record, will or tombstone can be found for JACOB HUBER/HOOVER Sr in Hampshire or Frederick Co VA.  No death record, will or tombstone can be found for ELIZABETH HOTZENBELLA HUBER, either.  

Now to make things even more complicated & confusing.  About  year ago, I was contacted by Daniel Bly, a professor of history in West Virginia and author of the book, "From the Rhineland to the Shenandoah".  He believes, as per land deed records that he recently found, that JACOB HUBER & wife ELIZABETH HOTZENBELLA were both alive  as late as 1823 in Frederick Co VA.  While I think 1823 might be just a bit late considering the likely age of JACOB HUBER Sr of Hampshire Co VA, who helped found the town of Capon Springs in the 1780s,  it is not outside the realm of possibility.  Also the deeds specifically mention wife ELIZABETH and other individuals who were listed as heirs of STEPHEN HOTZENBELLA, as per his 1776 will and subsequent estate distribution in the 1790s. 

Daniel Bly cites the church records of the Hebron Lutheran Church in Hampshire Co VA as one other source for his theory that  JACOB HUBER & ELIZABETH HOTZENBELLA remained in Hampshire Co VA after 1790 until moving to Frederick Co VA before 1823. 

JACOB HUBER/HOOVER Sr of Hampshire Co VA apparently did have a son JACOB HUBER/HOOVER Jr who would have been born about 1760s  as per tax lists & census; my theory is that Junior also had a wife named ELIZABETH, and that they were the couple who were living in Frederick Co VA in 1823.  But I have not been able to prove this, either. 

So this new development has forced me to to take a closer look at my assumptions about JACOB HUBER Sr of Berlin, Somerset Co PA.  He may not be the same person as JACOB HUBER Sr of Hampshire Co VA. But I'm not discounting that theory completely. Not yet, at least.

JACOB HUBER Sr of Berlin, Somerset PA was a member of the German Reformed church.  He seems to have had a close connection with the REV HENRY GIESE, b 1755-1757 Hessisch Lichtenau, Germany,  a German Reformed preacher who emigrated in 1776 and soon after moved to Frederick Co MD.  By 1782/1783 Rev GIESE was living in Loudon C0 VA, serving numerous German Reformed Congregations all over the Shenandoah Valley.  He came to Berlin, Somerset Co PA by 1795, and became pastor there after the residing pastor, Rev Spangenberg, murdered a member of his congregation, Jacob Glessner. 

So--(I'm thinking out loud here)--previous to 1793 JACOB HUBER Sr of Berlin could have been living in Pennsylvania, in Frederick or Washington Co, Maryland, or in any of the places in Virginia that Rev HENRY GIESE served: Winchester, Staunton, Lexington, Pickett Mountain/ Peaked Mountain, Frieden's Church, German Settlement (Lovittsville), Short Hill, Goose Creek and possibly more.

But at this point, I have not found any records pinpointing JACOB HUBER Sr in any of these areas.

What I have been able to do is to winnow out other Huber/ Hoover families who migrated to or through Bedford/Somerset PA who are NOT related to JACOB HUBER Sr of Berlin (or as far as I can prove ):

1) CASPER HOOVER of Brother's Valley Township, Bedford/Somerset Co PA and his father MICHAEL HUBER/HOOVER of Ayr / Air Township, Bedford Co PA, as per research of Richard Hayden, National Genealogical Society Quarterly Vol 91 #4 Dec 2003

2) WILHELM HUBER/ WILLIAM HOOVER who died 1779 Shenandoah Co VA  & wife MARGARET. This WILLIAM had a son JACOB HUBER/HOOVER who was born before 1755. Some researchers believe that this JACOB is the same as JACOB HUBER/HOOVER of Hampshire Co VA, but Daniel Bly indicates that this is not so.  

WILLIAM & MARGARET HUBER did have a daughter ELIZABETH HUBER who married JACOB HOTZENBELLA/ HOTSINPILLAR /HATZENBUHLER, son of STEPHEN HOTZENBELLA & ELIZABETH BRUMBACH. This JACOB HOTZENBELLA had some land dealings with JACOB HUBER of Hampshire Co VA.

3) PHILIP HUBER / HOOVER  & his brother HENRY (JOHANN HEINRICH) HUBER / HOOVER of Frederick Co VA; Philip lived in Winchester.  Daniel Bly believes  that JACOB HUBER Sr of Hampshire Co VA was likely from this Frederick Co VA family, but wills from this family and tax list & census records make this seem highly unlikely (no Jacob). 

4) Family of  JACOB HUBER & ANNA CHRISTINA GUTH / GOODE (Mennonites)

5) Family of HANS HUBER & MARGARET KOCH, including grandson MATHIAS HUBER/HOOVER who died in Rutherford Co, TN (Mennonites)

6) Family of JACOB HUBER & PHEBE ANNA MARIA BOERSTLER; they migrated through Berlin, Somerset Co PA from Hagerstown, Washington Co MD; this JACOB HUBER is supposed to have been the son of Lt JOHN HUBER Revolutionary War in Lancaster Co PA--not the same person  as JOHN HUBER Sr of 1800 census Berlin, Brother's Valley twp, Somerset PA;  JOHN HUBER Sr was living in Brother's Valley twp, Bedford/Somerset Co PA as early as 1776. 

To see my Rootsweb Worldconnect online family  trees on these families & individuals, please see my website

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bettysboneyard/

Betty T

UPDATE 12/12/2012:

Finally, with the testing of a male HUBER relative, I now know the Y-DNA haplogroup of JACOB HUBER Sr  who died Oct 8, 1803 in Berlin, Somerset Co PA.

His Y-DNA haplogroup is I2b1*  which has recently been renamed  I2a2a.  

Please contact me if you are researching ancestors with the HUBER or HOOVER surname who have this Y-DNA haplogroup.

© Betty Tartas  2012