Roots Trek: Lingenfelter

Showing posts with label Lingenfelter. Show all posts

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Conrad Ickes' Will

"I, Conrad Ickes of Pleasantville, Bedford County, State of Pennsylvania being of ill health and of sound and disposing mind and memory calling to mind the frailty and uncertainty of human life and being desirous of settling my worldly affairs and directing how the estates with which it has pleased God to bless me shall be disposed after my decease while I have strength and capacity to do so, do make and publish this my last will, and testament and as to my worldly estate and all the property real and personal or mixed of which I shall die seized and possessed or to whom I shall be entitled at the time of my death or decease, I devise bequeath and dispose thereof in the manner following, to-wit: 1st. I give and bequeath to my wife all the property she brot along with her at the time of our marriage and all the property she has bought and paid for since, namely one cow one sewing machine carpet in the parlor and marble top stand and one chamber set furniture one common bedstead and bedding for two beds set comm. On chairs and one table one bereaw and plated ware spoons, rocking chair (Kane bottom) also to have the cooking stove and pipe and the parlor stove and pipe the sink knives and forks and all such other things necessary for housekeeping also my wife to have the use of the house and lot in which I now reside in for one year after my decease free and also the use of the pasture lot. Lot adjoining my farm near Pleasantville for the term of one year free also the one third of the income of the farm near Pleasantville. Namely one third of the grain one third of the hay and one third of the fruit and one third of the potatoes same as y share of the proceeds of said farm for one year after my decease. And further at the expiration of one year after my decease my wife Mary can have her choice of taking the use of the house and lot in which I now reside and the pasture lot aforenamed. At the rate of sixty dollars per year and in case that she should not choose to do so at the expiration of one year after my decease she is to receive sixty dollars a year annually our of the farm near Pleasantville it being the interest at 6 per cent of one thousand dollars it to be paid to her annually as long as she remains my widow and then in that case the house and lot in Pleasantville and the pasture lot containing five acres more or less to be sold.

"2^nd I give and bequeath unto my son Richard W Ickes the mansion farm situated in King Township now in the occupancy of said Richard, he is to have said farm by paying thirty seven hundred dollars for the same. Richard is to pay my grandson Harry C. Wilt one thousand dollars when he becomes twenty one years of age and if Harry should not live then this share or amount to be equally divided between my sons, namely Adam and Richard, and further Richard is to pay at the rate of four per cent for this amount annually to my wife so long as she shall remain my widow and when Harry becomes of age Richard is still to continue paying my wife as long as she remains my widow Forty dollars a year in this farm. And further I desire my son Richard W to take charge of my grandson Harry Wilt and care for him after my decease until he becomes sixteen years or old enough to go to a trade, also give him a free school education.

"3^rd I give and bequeath unto my son Adam Ickes the farm near Pleasantville adjoining Riley B. Davis and others by paying twenty seven hundred dollars for the same and if Adam should not want the aforesaid farm at the price I have fixed upon it, then my Executor is to sell it to the best advantage in cash or in payments as he may think best and the amount to be paid to my son Adam and further if the farm should not sell for twenty seven hundred dollars, Adam and Richard then to have equal shares after settling up my estate, paying all expenses share and share alike. My personal property to be sold and all debts to be paid including a note that my wife holds against me at the present time for two hundred dollars.

"4^th. I also bequeath to the building of a new Lutheran Church in Pleasantville the sum of two hundred dollars to be paid in manner follows – each one of my sons to pay out of his share one hundred dollars provided the church be built inside of two years from the date hereof of this will.

Lastly I do hereby nominate and appoint my son Richard W Ickes my executor.

"In testimony whereof I the said Conrad Ickes have to this my last will and testament contained on two sheets of paper and to every sheet thereof subscribed my name and to this last sheet thereof I have here subscribed my name and affixed my seal this 21^st day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty five. signed Conrad Ickes

"This is to certify that I Mary Ickes wife of Conrad Ickes after having been duly informed of the contents of the foregoing will of my said husband do accept to take the same after his death in lieu of any other provisions the law might make (namely three hundred dollars law) and do so of my own free will and without any compulsion. In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name and affix the seal the 21^st day of February AD 1885. signed Mary Ickes

"P.S. June 27, 1885. Now I sold Richard W. Ickes my son a note against Geo. A. Wilt and Lida V. Wilt given June 27^th 1877 and Richard gave me one hundred dollars for it Feb. 21^st 1885. Now if Geo. A. Wilt don’t pay this note before Harry C. Wilt becomes 21 years of age Harry C. Wilt must pay Richard W. Ickes or his heirs one hundred dollars with interest from Feb. 21, 1885 for this note. signed Conrad Ickes

"Now, Jan. 26, 1899, I, Harry C. Wilt, the within named grandchild and legatee of Conrad Ickes, dec’d, having attained full age at twenty one years, acknowledge that I have this day received of and from Richard W. Ickes, devises of said Conrad Ickes, the sum of eight hundred and sixteen dollars and 41 cents which with the note of George A. Wilt and Lida V. Wilt this day amounting to $182.59 is in full satisfaction and payment of the special legacy of One Thousand dollars herein directed to be paid by said Richard W. Ickes to me. signed Harry C. Wilt

"I, Clarence A. Diehl, Register for the of Wills and granting Letters of Administration in and for said county, do hereby certify that the foregoing copy of the Last Will and Testament of Conrad Ickes, late of Pleasantville Borough, Bedford County, Pennsylvania, deceased, is true and correct, so full, perfect and entire as the same remains of record and on file in said office. Will Book 6, page 339. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the 14^th day of March A.D. 1936. Clarence A. Diehl, Register

_______________________

Wow! If you took the time to read it that's some kind of long, confusing will! No wonder his wife Mary decided to take a lump sum of $300 rather than doing all that math and jumping through all those hoops.

Several aspects of this will is really of interest to me. First, considering the fact that his grandfather started life virtually penniless, relying on government land grants in payment of his Revolutionary War service, I'm amazed at the wealth and assets Conrad amassed. If the value he placed on his farms was correct, in 2016 dollars they would now be worth over $170,000. That doesn't even include the value of his house in Pleasantville, his 5 acre pasture lot in Pleasantville, his livestock, his household goods, and his farm tools. Considering the size of his grave marker he was probably one of the wealthiest men in the small borough of Pleasantville. I am in awe as to what could be accomplished in just two generations.

Second, I hate being reminded of the second-class status of women. He left his wife, Mary, all the stuff she previously owned before they were married and all the things she bought. And then he had to mention the $200 loan she was required to pay back. Unbelievable.

Third, this will makes me feel like I personally know Conrad as he mirrors someone else I know very well - my dad. It seems to me that maintaining his influence and control over his property, assets, and family members as long as he can - even after his death - was important to him. Other very similar personality traits jump out at me as well. They both created a much more comfortable lifestyle than that of their parents. They both seemed quite ambitious and worked hard to improve their lives. They both valued education and provided needed resources so their children (or grandchildren) could be well educated. Although not explicit in his will, culture at the time Conrad lived would dictate a very patriarchal system. I'm sure Conrad, just like my dad, maintained complete power and autonomy within their respective homes.

Is it genetic or coincidental? Is it nature or nurture? According to the experts the jury is still out. (Click here for more info.) Ask me and I'll tell you genetics absolutely has to be part of the equation.

One more interesting thing about the will. I copied it from a transcription that was done by my Aunt Alle. The last paragraph she included, which certifies the validity and the recording of the will, was not found in the will book. I have no idea where that came from. The strange thing is that it was dated 1936. He died in 1887. Why would it take 49 years to finalize probating his will, especially since his two sons died in 1914 and 1917? Well, while I was searching out other records that might explain it, I came across a piece of history I never would have expected. You'll have to wait for the details, but let's just say it involves property foreclosure, eviction, unemployment, marital separation, economic depression, adultery, murder, and suicide. O. M. G.

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All original content, images, commentary, etc. copyright © by Joy Denison 2015-2016. All rights reserved. All writings, poems, speeches, essays, images, scans, likenesses, etc. by Adam Ickes (b 1845) as well as personal histories, images, and all other content by all persons referenced and discussed within the pages and posts in this blog may not be copied, shared, or reproduced in any way without expressed permission by the owner unless included here from other referenced sources or are historical records already considered to be in the public domain.

Conrad Ickes and Elizabeth Lingenfelter Ickes

Conrad Ickes was born in 1812, probably in the house located on the original homestead in Dutch Corner. His parents, Adam and Mary, and his grandparents, John and Mary (Elizabeth) were all living there together.

Various tracts of land were bought, sold, inherited, divided, sub-divided, etc. between John and Adam and Adam and Conrad. Until I dig deeper through all the land records including deeds, warrants, patents, surveys, and maps I can't state definitively who lived exactly where and when. I do know, however, that Conrad spent much of his adult life on a farm very close to the borough of Pleasantville and adjacent to George's Creek. Conrad also purchased a 2nd farm located in Union Township.

Conrad's farmhouse Near George's Creek, 1861 map

This house and barn sit on the exact location of Conrad's house

Farmland adjacent to the house

Conrad and Elizabeth's lives together were filled with heartache and loss. Their first child, Mary Ann, died when she was only 4 months old. Elizabeth became pregnant with her second child, Daniel Webster, just 2 months later. Daniel married when he was about 19 years old and relocated to Sandusky County Ohio. On 4 Oct 1868 (when Daniel was 28 yrs. old) their oldest son, George died. He was 8 1/2 years old. The very next day their 7 yr. old daughter Elmira died. Eleven days later, on the 16th of October, Daniel died, leaving his wife alone with their 21 month old daughter, Elizabeth. In December of that same year, daughter Elizabeth died.

Conrad and Elizabeth's son, William, came next. He died when he was 17 years old. Adam, my 2nd great-grandfather, was the next born and outlived both his parents. Daughter Mandilla was born two years after Adam and died at the age of 12. Her mother was buried right beside to her. John Clayton, born a year and a half after Mandilla only lived 11 months. He was followed by Richard Watson, the only other child to outlive Conrad and Elizabeth.

Their last child, Eliza Virginia, was married at the age of 17 and died at the age of 19, just 2 months after giving birth to her first child.

Conrad's wife, Elizabeth, died in January of 1868 (the same year son Daniel and all three of his children died) and is buried on a hill overlooking the farm.

Family Cemetery (now called Hoover Cemetery) overlooking Conrad's farmland

Elizabeth Lingenfelter Ickes' grave marker

A view near the cemetery. Conrad's house would have been just beyond the closest trees.

Shortly after the death of Elizabeth, Conrad purchased a house in the borough of Pleasantville. He married Mary Blackburn who outlived him. Eventually his Pleasantville home was demolished and in 1947 the Blackburn funeral home was built in its place. He also purchased a general store in Pleasantville from his son Adam.

Location of Conrad's house in Pleasantville, 1877 map

Conrad was described by his granddaughter, Allegra (Aunt Alle), as a "very strict church man". He was an Elder and a very active member of the Lutheran Church. He was a director and a member of the building committee for a new church building, St. James Lutheran Church, located in Pleasantville. It was completed in 1877. Conrad died 3 months after the church was dedicated and was buried in the Pleasantville Cemetery.

Conrad's grave marker in the Pleasantville Cemetery

Conrad's grave marker with St. James Lutheran Church in the background

Aunt Alle wrote of him, "He lived a quite, retired life after moving to town, owned two farms, spent his time hunting and looking after his farms."

Conrad Ickes 1812-1887

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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

John Lingenfelter and Elizabeth Wisegarver Lingenfelter

John Lingenfelter is one of those people that genealogists would say were dropped by aliens and then fell off the face of the earth. Some believe he was the son of Christian, who had a son named John, but I think that very well could have been an entirely different John Lingenfelter.

He first shows up in St Clair Township, Bedford County in the 1820 census and is consistently there through the 1870 census, although the person who indexed his 1850 census record thought his name was "Thos Tongafetter". I don't know - you tell me:

1850 US Census, John Lingenfelter "Thos Tongafetter" family

John was listed in the census records as a farmer, but per the 1861 map he had already moved to Pleasantville and was living in town.

1861 Pleasantville Map

John died in 1873, so the 1877 map shows "Mrs. Lingenfelter" living in the same location. This Mrs. Lingenfelter is not his wife, Elizabeth, as she had died in 1855. John remarried and had helped support and raise step children as his last wife, Rebecca, was significantly younger than he and brought several minor children with her.

We drove up and down that street many, many times while we were in Bedford County. Both Conrad Ickes, who was married to John and Elizabeth's daughter, and their son, Adam, (John and Elizabeth's grandson, obviously) had lived just a block or so north. By the time we got there the original Lingenfelter home was long gone.

1877 Pleasantville Map

John and Elizabeth had 12 children of their own, 4 of which died before reaching adulthood. There is no record (that I can find) showing where John was buried. Here is John's Will:

"The Last Will and Testament of John Lingenfelter Sr. of the Township of St. Clair in the County of Bedford PA. I John Lingafelter considering the uncertainty of this mortal life and being of sound mind and memory do make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form following: first I give and Bequeath unto my wife Rebeca Lingafelter all my household estate in the town of Pleasantville township and County aforesaid and as to my personal property I give and Bequeath all to my wife Rebeca Lingafelter whom I hereby appoint sole Executrix of this my last will and testament; hereby revoking all former wills by me made

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the fifth day of January One thousand eight hundred & sixty nine."

Based on the maps and his will I would speculate that his land had already been divided up among his children. Land records and deeds might be able to verify that.

Findagrave.com showed Elizabeth to be buried in the cemetery adjacent to the Horn United Methodist Church. It was on our list and map to visit. While we were trying to find an alternate route to the Adam Ickes homestead Brent saw on the map that the Horn church and cemetery we along our path. We stopped and began looking for Elizabeth's headstone. We looked and looked and found nothing.

Finally, in a section with other Lingenfelters, Brent noticed a broken headstone that was laying face down. He picked it up and sure enough it was Elizabeth's.

Horn United Methodist Church

Elizabeth's broken headstone laying down on the ground. If I remember correctly, Her daughter, Rachel,
who died at age 18, is buried just to the right of Elizabeth, marked by the other large headstone.
The small, unmarked headstones could be marking the graves of her other deceased children.

Monday, November 16, 2015

The Mothers

My great-grandmothers virtually had no voices. Most of them never owned property and they left no wills. If they were not the head of the household (which is the case for all of my great-grandmothers) their names were not listed on any US census records prior to 1850. Any information we would have about them would have come from family, church, or cemetery records.

All of my Bedford County great-grandmothers were farmers' wives, though a couple of the later ones were able to branch out of the farm life. We can't hear their stories from their mouths, but we can consider the words of other farmers' wives during similar times and in similar places:

"As a class, farmers’ wives are expected to do more work than any other housekeeper. We do our own washing, ironing, taking care of the milk, meat, chickens, which women of other callings do not. We do our own sewing, making over an infinite number of old clothes to save the expense of new ones."

"There are compensations to living on a farm anywhere, and particularly here, that I am sure no other hard way of earning one’s living brings; but it is hard, and oh! The needlessness of it is the hardest part to bear! It is not what money brings that I or any other sensible person wants, but just to do a reasonable amount of useful work and then a chance to lift one’s eyes and thoughts above the daily grind."

"I happen to be married to a man who considers it an unpardonable crime for a woman to sit down to read or study, or to take a minute to rest."

"I weigh 120 pounds. I milk seven or eight cows night and morning; run a separator (device which separates cream from milk); get breakfast, dinner, and supper; do all of the washing and cleaning; do most of the garden work and rake in some haying. I feel very good most of the time, only when I get too tired I have a headache and pain in back of my neck. I mend, read, and such, but I don’t have much time to rest."

"Many farmers’ wives are despondent. I think some are so despondent as not to care to put forth enough energy to even lift the head. What causes the state of affairs? Is it the treadmill? Is it lack of society? Is it poor food? Is it poor clothes? – good clothes are a moral support it is said. Is it unappreciated toil? Is the farmer so much among animals that he comes to regard his wife as a beast of burden? I have been five years trying to answer these questions. I hesitated years before consenting to marry a farmer because I saw that these things were so and I could not tell why."

"I will try and tell you some of my experiences and what a woman can endure. I was married when twenty years old, went to keeping house the first of July. [We soon] found plenty of bugs. Of course there wasn't much rest for many nights. I would take everything outdoors and'sweep it down from top to bottom and then scald the logs and then whitewash them and so on. We lived that way for nearly twenty years."

"I was married at nineteen and then my farm life began in earnest .. . I would always rise in the morning at four or half past, winter and summer, and have built my own fires, milked from four to eight cows, prepared the breakfast and had it at six. I always did my own churning, and many are the books of poems, histories, stories and newspapers I have read while churning .. . I have always done my own washing and weaving of carpets as I have a large house and it is furnished with rag carpets. . . . One summer I piled up one hundred cords of wood and did my own housework. . . . Not many modem wives would think they could pull flax, cut corn, dig potatoes and do all things on a farm as we used to."

"I used to say that I could select the farmers' wives from a crowd of women of all classes. They seemed to have a sort of hopeless spiritless look."

"Before leaving your bedroom, open [the] window and put your bed to air. Be sure to ask divine help to carry you through the day. Have your breakfast well on the way the night before. Clear the table and wash [the] dishes right off; don't let them stand to dry or call flies. Sweep and dust; clean lamps. Then do chamber work. Prepare dinner. . . . Can you tell me how to do this and at the same time crowd in the care of milk from five cows, churning twice a week, baking for seven in [the] family, attending to poultry, washing, ironing, mending, sewing, etc., etc.? I must confess I don't know how to do it and keep sweet-tempered as a wife and mother should. God alone knows I would like to be able to do it."

"I am a farmer' s wife, sixty years old today . Thirty-one years I have spent on an isolated hilltop, with work, work, work, and starved for something to read." (from http://tcpl.org/local-history/documents/ithaca-tc/women-roots/lifestylesp19-27.pdf)

And from another source describing the family life of early colonial America:

"By the mid-1700s, across the American colonies . . . travelers described Americans as coarse-looking country folk. Women and girls kept their hair covered with hats, hoods, and kerchiefs. Colonials made their own clothes from linen (flax) and wool; every home had a spinning wheel and a loom, and women sewed and knitted constantly, as cotton cloth would not be readily available until the nineteenth century. Plentiful dyes like indigo, birch bark, and pokeberries made colorful shirts, pants, dresses, socks and caps.

"Americans grew their own food and ate a great deal of corn—roasted, boiled, and cooked into cornmeal bread and pancakes. Hearty vegetables like squash and beans joined apples, jam, and syrup on the dinner table. Given the poor quality of water, many colonials drank cider, beer, and corn whiskey—even the children! As cities sprang up, cattle drank beer, yielding a disgusting variant of milk known as “swill milk” that propagated childhood illnesses.

"Infant mortality was high, and any sickness usually meant suffering, and often, death. Women, expected to bear between five and 10 live children, could anticipate a dozen pregnancies. Bodies wore out fast, and women aged rapidly. Overall life expectancy hardly tells the tale of the everyday life, where work was hard, the most minor sicknesses potentially life-threatening, and pleasures few.

"Despite the reality of this coarse life for common folk, it is worth noting that by 1774 American colonists already had attained a standard of living that far surpassed that found in even most of the civilized parts of the modern world." (from http://www.patriotshistoryusa.com/teaching-materials/bonus-materials/everyday-life-in-america/)

I calculated the average statistics of my 18 Bedford County great-grandmothers for whom I have information. They were an average of 21 years old when they gave birth to their first child. They had an average of 8 children each over a period of 17 years. This is actually a very generous estimate as odds are they had far more miscarriages, stillbirths, and cases of infant mortality than what was written down and recorded. Their average age of death was 69. By contrast, the average age of their husbands' death was 77.

They were tired. Overworked, Exhausted. And broken. Let's call it what it really was. Their primary roles were that of work horses and baby-making machines. They sacrificed themselves - their essence and very identity - for the welfare of others. Some appear to have had a few years of rest toward the end of their lives. Others worked hard every single day. And then they died. The more children they had, especially boys, the more farm help they provided their husbands. But more children added even more to their own overwhelming work load. I imagine they had no choice in the matter. The men owned everything else and probably claimed ownership to their wives bodies as well. Something meant to be tender, loving, and unifying could easily become one of these women's greatest sources of dread and loathing. And the heartache. The incomprehensible heartache with the premature death of a little one. It happened far too frequently, and I can't imagine the pain ever lessened.

Here's my tribute to my Bedford County great-grandmothers. As much as I appreciate and admire my great-grandfathers' contribution to colonization, the war effort, and evolving affluence, their commitment and sacrifice pale in comparison to the lived experiences of their wives. Help me honor them by thoughtfully reading each of their names as you carefully consider the implications of their life's statistics:

My 2nd Great-Grandmothers

Elizabeth Ellen Harbaugh Ickes

first documented child born when she was 20 years old

at least 8 births in 12 years

she died at age 75

Elizabeth Ellen Harbaugh Ickes
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California

son Sheldon Ross Ickes
died at age 2 1/2 months
Hoover Cemetery

son Harry Beecher died at age 2 days

place of burial is unknown

My 3rd Great-Grandmothers

Elizabeth Lingenfelter Ickes

first documented child born when she was 21 years old

at least 8 births in 19 years

she died at age 50

Elizabeth Lingenfelter Ickes
Hoover Cemetery

daughter Mary Ann Ickes died at age 4 months (her first born)

buried in an unmarked grave, Hoover Cemetery

son William Ickes
died at age 17 years
Hoover Cemetery

daughter Mandilla Ickes
died at age 12 years
buried next to her mother, Hoover Cemetery

son John Clayton Ickes died at age 11 months

buried in an unmarked grave, Hoover Cemetery

Daughter Eliza Virginia Ickes Wilt
died at age 19 years, 1 1/2 months after giving birth
Pleasantville Cemetery

Elizabeth Callihan Harbaugh

first documented child born when she was about 18 years old

at least 2 births in 4 years

her age at time of death is unknown

her place of burial is unknown

son George Wisegarver Harbaugh died at age 25 years (killed in Civil War)

place of burial is unknown

My 4th Great-Grandmothers

Mary Haverstock Ickes

first documented child born when she was about 21 years old

at least 12 births in 24 years

she died at age 65

Mary Haverstock Ickes
Old Union Cemetery

Elizabeth Wisegarver Lingenfelter

first documented child born when she was 21 years old

at least 12 births in 30 years

she died at age 60

Elizabeth Wisegarver Lingenfelter's broken headstone
Horn United Methodist Church Cemetery

son George Lingenfelter died at less than 1 year of age

Horn United Methodist Church Cemetery

daughter Rachel M Lingenfelter died at age 18 years

Horn United Methodist Church Cemetery

son David A Lingenfelter died at age 1 year

Horn United Methodist Church Cemetery

daughter Sarah Ann Lingenfelter died at age 6 years

Horn United Methodist Church Cemetery

Elizabeth Wisegarver Lingenfelter's broken headstone surrounded by
smaller, unmarked headstones which could be marking her
deceased childrens' graves

Rachel Hammond Harbaugh

first documented child born when she was 24 years old

at least 9 births in 16 years

her age at time of death is unknown

her place of burial is unknown

Margaret Reininger Callihan

first documented child born when she was 17 years old

at least 14 births in 27 years

she died at age 47, 2 1/2 years after her last recorded birth

Margaret Reininger Callihan
Mock Dunkard Church Cemetery

My 5th Great-Grandmothers

Maria Elizabeth Stambaugh Ickes

first documented child born when she was about 25 years old

at least 5 births in 10 years

she died at about age 73

Maria Elizabeth Stambaugh Ickes
Old Union Cemetery

Margaret Reighard Haverstock

first documented child born when she was about 18 years old

at least 8 births in 22 years

she died at about age 84

buried in an unmarked grave

Mount Eaton Lutheran Cemetery, Wayne County OH

Elizabeth Blackburn Wisegarver

first documented child born when she was 24 years old

at least 11 births in 17 years

she died at age 72

her place of burial is unknown

daughter Eve Wisegarver Griffith died at age 25 years (probably died giving birth)

her place of burial is unknown

Rachel Blackburn Hammond

first documented child born when she was about 25 years old

at least 8 births in 19 years

she died at age 70

her place of burial is unknown

Mary Proctor Callihan

first documented child born when she was about 28 years old

at least 6 births in about 14 years

she died at about age 84

Mary Proctor Callihan
Callihan burial ground

Mary Hine Reininger

first documented child born when she was about 21 years old

at least 11 births in 25 years

she died at age 71

Reininger Cemetery

My 6th Great-Grandmothers

Maria Imler Reighard

age at first documented birth is unknown

at least 3 births in about 6 years

age at death is unknown

place of burial is unknown

Mary Elizabeth Steel Wisegarver

age at first documented birth is unknown

at least 4 births in 12 years

age at death is unknown

place of burial is unknown

Elizabeth Griffith Blackburn

first documented child born when she was 24 years old

at least 9 births in 18 years

she died at about age 74

buried in an unmarked grave in Friends Cemetery

Deborah Dicks Hammond

first documented child born when she was about 22 years old

at least 6 births in 16 years

her age at time of death is unknown

place of burial is unknown

Rebecca Harlan Blackburn

first documented child born when she was about 18 years old

at least 13 births in 26 years

she died at age 44 giving birth to her 13th child

place of burial is unknown

"...no love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child." Jeffrey R. Holland

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Saturday, October 31, 2015

Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church

The Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church is located in Dutch Corner. It's in a beautiful valley surrounded by hills and farm land. It's one of the oldest congregations in Bedford County. You can read more about its history here.

Although the original building is long gone, the current building is in the same location where my ancestors went to worship. Here's a few pieces of history I've been able to uncover that show my ancestors' involvement in this church:

In Jan of 1760 Johannes Frederick Reighart and Maria Esther Imler (my 6th g-grandparents) were married there.

On 14 Apr 1812 Adam Ickes (my 4th g-grandfather) was confirmed there.

Recorded in an 1819 Record of Contributions: Adam Ickes $1.50, John Ickes Sr. $1.00, John Wisegarver Sr. $3.00, John Lingenfelter $1.00, [John] Frederick Reighert $3.00.

There were a few cars in the parking lot, so I went in to see if I could get a few questions answered about the Lutheran Church in Pleasantville while Brent captured a few images of the current church building. There were several church ladies there performing various acts of service. They were very kind and extremely helpful. One of them, JoAnn (I think) Hammond, is almost surely related to me through my Hammond ancestors.

The church is located at 741 Messiah Church Road Bedford, PA 15522

It may not be the same structure, but this would be the same scenery my ancestors saw
walking out the front door of the church.

Another view from the front door.

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My Bedford County Family

Adam Ickes (not to be confused with his grandfather, Adam Ickes) was born in Pleasantville, Bedford County, Pennsylvania in 1845. Here is his Bedford County ancestry:

Elizabeth Ellen Harbaugh, Adam's wife, was born in 1843, also in Bedford County PA. Here is her Bedford County ancestry:

All of their ancestors shown on the pedigree charts on a blue background lived in Bedford County. I have no evidence to believe that the names printed in blue with a blue border around them ever lived in Bedford County (but I included them just to balance out the pedigree charts). The names on Adam's pedigree in light blue still need more documentation to prove they actually fit in this line. More research is needed.

Friday, October 30, 2015

Pre-Trek Prep

Multiple generations of my dad's family lived in Bedford County Pennsylvania beginning in the mid 1700s. My direct-line ancestors left Pennsylvania in 1884, but many descendants of some of my early ancestors still live there today.

My 2nd great-grandfather, Adam Ickes, (born 1845) and his wife Elizabeth Ellen Harbaugh had a daughter named Allegra. She was their youngest child, born in 1873 in Pleasantville, Bedford County, Pennsylvania. She lived to be over 100 years old. I actually met her when I was a young girl. She was living in a nursing home in Fort Collins, Colorado at the time. It's hard to believe I actually met (and kissed on the cheek) the daughter of a Civil War soldier. At some point in her life she had become interested in genealogy. She handed over all of her research, documents, photos, keepsakes, etc. to my dad sometime back. Several years ago he passed everything on to me.

Allegra Ickes at age 18

Growing up I knew the basics about many of my identified ancestry: names, relationships, birth places, etc., but in order to take the most advantage of a trip to the homeland of this particular family line I needed to find out a whole lot more.

I've identified 39 direct-line ancestors that lived in Bedford County. The vast majority of them, I believe, were German and Irish immigrants. Several men were Revolutionary War veterans. Two of my 5th g-grandfathers were directly involved in the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794. There were active abolitionists in their families, risking their lives and freedom to help secure freedom for others. Most of the men were hard-working farmers looking to make better lives for themselves and their posterity. Many of the women experienced great heartache from the untimely death of young children. From my research of wills and historical church records, they all seemed to be very devout Christians from various denominations which included Lutheran, Quaker, Methodist, German Baptist, and Independent.

Many online resources were used to get as much information as I could prior to roots trekking in Bedford PA. I scoured findagrave.com for burial locations and any historical info attached to each person. I found historical accounts and stories in old local history books available on archive.org, google books, and familysearch.org (viewable at any local Family History Center). I looked for land records on the PA State Archives website and also found old maps from 1861 and 1877 (St Clair, Union/King, and Pleasantville) showing actual locations of houses and farms labeled with the occupants' names.

My great-aunt Alle's (Allegra mentioned above) research was extremely helpful to me. Many of my ancestral lines have been heavily researched with family research websites available online. Other websites specific to the history and early settlers of Bedford County were very informative as well. I'm sure I'm missing other key resources, but hopefully I'll remember to mention them in subsequent posts. (There was A LOT of incorrect information online as well, especially within ancestry.com family trees. Those are not primary sources and should not be treated as such.)

I sent emails; matched up old maps with Google Earth; compiled all the information I found by event, family name, and venue; printed simple pedigree charts to keep track of everybody; and made one custom google map showing every cemetery, church, parcel of land, and historical venue I wanted to visit. My husband, Brent, accessed my Google map on his phone while he navigated our way around Bedford County.

It was the third week in October, 2015. We actually flew into Columbus, Ohio where our daughter and son-in-law are attending grad school at OSU. We left the airport and headed toward PA, only having to return after 30 minutes on the road to exchange our rental car - a delay I was none to excited about - but we arrived with a couple of hours of daylight left on our first day. (From now on I think I'll do my best to avoid flying first thing Monday morning and I'll NEVER book on Travelocity again! But that's another story for another day.)

We finally got a rental car we KNEW we could trust!

We were blessed with awesome weather. We had just missed the peak foliage as the first freeze had happened the previous week, but it was still breathtakingly beautiful. The title image above (may not be visible on a mobile device) was taken from Barefoot Road near Pleasantville at dusk. I captured 484 images over 2 1/2 days.

All the people we met were incredibly friendly and helpful. The Bedford County phone book listed 63 people with the last name of "Ickes". I've never seen more than one or two "Ickes" listings - myself and/or my dad - in any other phone book. I actually met my first Ickes outside my own immediate family (excluding my dad's sister and great-aunt Allie).

After 3 days in Bedford County we made a quick side trip to Kirtland, Ohio to visit some historic LDS church sites, and we ended up in Columbus, Ohio where another son, his wife and 2 kids joined us for the weekend. The purpose and focus of our week spanned 11 generations. We had a great trip and a great time!