Roots Trek

Friday, November 13, 2015

The Whisky Rebellion of 1794

According to court records, two of my 5th great-grandfathers, Conrad Haverstock and John Wisegarver, were directly involved in the Whisky Rebellion of 1794. I'll try to summarize as best as I understand it.

Following the war, the brand new United States of America was considerably in debt. In 1791, one of the taxes imposed to offset the debt was a tax on spirits. It was considered to be a luxury tax since alcohol was not a necessity of life. It was also intended to limit its use as the effects of alcohol in loss of productivity and incidents of domestic violence was being more and more recognized. For the farmers west of the Allegheny Mountains it wasn't that simple.

A primary crop for them was rye. There was limited demand for it on their side of the mountains, but they could trade it on the other side of the mountains for salt, sugar, and other necessities their families needed. Transporting rye across a mountain range was time consuming and expensive. The most rye they could transport in one trip was 4 bales, and often the value of the grain couldn't offset the cost of the trip. If they used the grain to make whisky, however, they could transport the equivalent of 24 bales of rye in a single trip, making it exponentially more profitable. To those farmers, whisky was not a luxury but a primary commodity they needed to trade in order to provide basic necessities for their families. The tax was not really that high, but to the farmers who felt unfairly targeted it was all about the principle of the thing.

So why were John and Conrad so incensed? Obviously, we can't be sure, but we have at least two very compelling clues. First, we know from tax records that John's dad, George, and Conrad's dad, Tobias, were both distillers. The fair trade of whisky had been an important way their dads provided for their families. Second, John's dad, George, and Conrad himself both put their lives on the line in defending their new government against the oppression of Great Britain. Being over burdened with unfair taxes was exactly what they fought to get away from, and the very government they defended was now guilty of the same.

The task assigned the tax collector proved to be a very dangerous job. Not only would the farmers refuse to pay, they would retaliate against him any way they could. Tar and feathering was not uncommon. Several major altercations occurred in Pittsburgh and other areas of Western Pennsylvania, escalating the conflict even more. One thing the farmers would do in protest was to raise "liberty poles", showing the government and government sympathizers they weren't going to stand for this continued injustice.

Hoisted onto these liberty poles were flags with inscriptions such as, "Death to Traitors", "Liberty and No Excise", "Equal Taxation and No Excise", and "No Asylum for Traitors and Cowards".

Many angry farmers of Bedford County, John and Conrad included, gathered at the Jean Bonnet Tavern in late 1794 and there erected a liberty pole in protest of the excise tax. Being in violation of the law, they were ordered to appear at the Bedford County Court of general quarterly sessions, January term, 1795, "to answer to such bills of indictments as shall be then and there preferred against them for Riot and other Treasonable proceedings in assisting and setting up a seditious Pole in opposition to the laws of the United States". The men were ordered to pay fines ranging from £30 to £300 each.

Conrad was ordered to pay one of the stiffest fines. In a post on ancestry.com, one of his other descendants speculates that he must have been the one to actually raise the pole while others were there to riot and raise their voices in protest. He did, after all, serve in the same militia division during the war as the Bonnet brothers, so he could have also been one of the primary instigators of the entire protest. This proves to be a compelling scenario, but who really knows.

The Jean Bonnet Tavern is still open for business in Bedford County. We enjoyed a great lunch there. (The onion rings were exceptional.) Though you walk up vinyl composite steps onto decking of the same material, you can't help but be awed by the original stone facade and the large, historic fireplaces and features inside. It was . . . how do I put it . . . wa-a-a-ay cool to sit there and imagine two, count 'em, two of my 5th great-grandfathers meeting in that very same tavern 221 years earlier plotting and planning their protest against the injustices perpetrated against them. I greatly admire their tenacity and activism.

Jean Bonnet Tavern

We didn't make it to the lower level, but the restaurant/tavern is on the mail level and guest rooms
are located on the upper level.

To replicate authenticity a few farm animals and a small garden were located near the parking lot.

A small gift shop was added behind the tavern.

Placemat

I wanted Brent to capture an image of me next to the historical marker erected in remembrance of
the Whisky Rebellion. Oh well.

So how did it all end? President George Washington wouldn't stand for it any longer. He called out 13,000 troops to march to Western Pennsylvania and take on the traitorous farmers. He preceded the troops as a voice of warning to all those who dared come up against them. The farmers knew they were outnumbered and outsmarted, and consequentially were resigned to pay the tax they so strongly opposed. That particular tax law was ultimately repealed in 1801.

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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.

John Wisegarver and Elizabeth Blackburn Wisegarver

The union of John Wisegarver and Elizabeth Blackburn was quite a mix of culture and belief. John came from German immigrants. Elizabeth came from Irish immigrants. John was raised Lutheran. Elizabeth was raised Quaker. Historical records show that they had eleven children. Apparently their differences must not have affected their relationship too dramatically.

The Society of Friends (Quakers) didn't look too kindly on their members marrying outside the faith. Even though Elizabeth and her parents (Thomas and Elizabeth) had moved to Bedford County, a congregation had not yet been formed, so they traveled to the Menallen Mtg. in York County once a month. It was recorded in the church minutes on 9 June 1784 that the women of the Menallen Mtg. entered a complaint against Elizabeth Wisecarver, formerly Blackburn, because she had already accomplished her marriage "by a Justice to one not a member". She was consequently "disowned" by the Menallen Meeting on 11 Aug 1794.

John and Elizabeth actually show up on the membership records of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Greenfield Township, Bedford County. Apparently, as far as their religious life was concerned, they were able to find some neutral ground.

In 1798, around the time of the birth of their 3rd child, John is shown on the tax list as owning a 20x20 ft. house worth $60, a log barn, and 310 acres of land. By 1832 the tax list indicates that he owned 90 acres (patented), 150 acres (warranted), 130 acres (location), 1 grist mill, 1 saw mill, 1 fulfilling mill, 3 horses, and 4 cows, all at a taxable value of $1700. It looks to me he was working his way out of the farming business. It also appears from his will that much of his farm land had already been taken over by his sons and son-in-laws.

I would also conclude that John was quite an activist. He was involved in the Whisky Rebellion of 1794, was tried in court, and sentenced to pay a fine. Probably in reference to his involvement with the Whisky Rebellion , the following was attached to John on ancestry.com:

"According to a note from my cousin (Elizabeth), John had gone to Philadelphia to protest. He landed in jail and sent word to his wife to bring the money to pay the fine. She went, riding sidesaddle, hiding by day, traveling by night and bailed him out."

(Family stories passed down by word of mouth are always taken with a grain of salt, but interesting nonetheless.)

Here is his will:

"In the name of God Amen. I John Wisegarver Sen. Of St. Clair Township Bedford County and State of Pennsylvania, being weak of body but of sound and disposing mind memory and understanding do make & ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following say: First I order & direct that all my just debts and funeral expenses be first fully paid and satisfied out of my estate. Secondly. To my daughter Elizabeth wife of John Lingenfelter I give and devise the tract of land on which they reside which I bought of E. S. Anderson and I hereby direct that when the deed is made for the land by said Anderson, that it be made to her so as to secure the property to her and her heirs under the existing laws of this Commonwealth relating to the rights of married women and as her husband the said John Lingenfelter owes me a note for the sum of one hundred & eighty dollars it is my will & I direct that the same shall go to pay said Anderson the balance which I owe on said land provided it shall not be paid in my lifetime. Thirdly. To my daughter Margaret Crisman I give and devise 50 acres of land adjoining her husbands property now in their possession and I give her in addition the sum of four hundred dollars out of the judgments coming from Howser and Peeples. To my daughter Anna intermarried with Henry Waters residing in Ohio, I give and bequeath the sum of five hundred dollars to be paid out of the foregoing judgments to be paid to her as may be hereinafter specified. To my son John Wisegarver, I give and direct my executors to pay out of said judgments in the order hereinafter directed the sum of three hundred dollars being for his claim against me. But if the said $300 should be paid him during my lifetime, then he is to have nothing more out of my estate. To my son Thomas Wisegarver, I give and devise the tract of land on which at present he resides in St. Clair Township containing about one hundred and fifty acres. To have and hold the same to him and his heirs and assigns forever. To my son George Wisegarver. I give &

devise a tract of land situate in the same Township adjoining the place where he now lives, being the same land I bought from Jno. Wolf and containing about one hundred and forty acres. To have and hold the same, to him his heirs and assigns forever. and I also give & bequeath to and allow my said son George to have the obligation I hold against my son Daniel B. Wisegarver. And whereas my son George is indebted to me in the sum of three hundred dollars for a wagon & horses which I sold him which he by agreement was to pay to my two grandchildren Elizabeth Griffith daughter of my deceased daughter Eve Griffith & Henry Ickes son of my deceased daughter Mary Ann Ickes. I therefore give and bequeath the said sum of three hundred dollars to them in equal shares and direct my said son George to pay the same to them and I further give and devise to my said son George the

residue of the tract of land in the name of Francis Campbell, after first deducting that part sold to Howser and Peeples to hold the same to him his heirs and assigns forever. In addition to the devise to my son Thomas, I give & bequeath to him as compensation to him for my boarding & his care of me, all the moveable property I have brought with me to his house being a clock horse creature & other goods. As I hold sundry notes against my Grandson John son of my son John Wisegarver, I hereby give the same to my said son John Wisegarver. I also hereby order and direct the moneys thereof to be paid out of the foregoing judgments shall be paid as follows. First to George $500 stipend to him, second the $300 to John. Third the $500 to Anna Waters and lastly $400 to Margaret Crisman. It is also my will and I do hereby order and direct that whatever of my estate, real or personal may be left after the payment of the foregoing sums and devises aforesaid are satisfied, shall go to my children living at this time (excluding the forenamed grand Children) and I hereby direct my Executors to divide the same equally amongst them as it may come to their hands and I also hereby authorize and empower my executors to sell and convey any real estate that may be left undisposed of and to divide the same equally as before mentioned. It is further my will that whatever devises or bequests I have made to my daughters shall be held and enjoyed by them as their own separate property under

the present laws of the State relative to married women and their property. The property devised to Elizabeth Lingenfelter is to pass in fee simple. And lastly I hereby constitute and appoint my son Daniel B. Wisegarver and Jno. Hoover the executors of this my last Will &Testament declaring this and no other to be my last Will. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 30th day of September A.D. 1848."

If I can add a little commentary to the Will, I'm really impressed that he specified the land he left to his married daughters was to be their own property separate from their husbands. (It was the law in those days that a single woman could own property, but if she were married or got married any property she owned became the sole property of her husband. And by the way, in the case of divorce the children belonged to the husband as well.) Here's to an early act of women's equality! Way to go, John!!

John and Elizabeth are buried in the St. John's Church Cemetery near his father, George.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Thomas Blackburn and Elizabeth Griffith Blackburn

We usually think of Pennsylvania as having been settled by German Lutherans. But that wasn't exactly true. Some of the earliest settlers in Pennsylvania were actually Irish Quakers. Thomas Blackburn's parents, John Blackburn and Rebecca Harlan, were immigrants from Loughgall, Armagh, Ireland. They were Quakers. The Quakers kept very good historical records, many of which are now available online and which are extremely valuable to genealogical researchers. Thomas and Elizabeth met and were married in Adams County PA. They came to Bedford County from Adams County sometime in the mid 1770s. They had 9 children - 3 born in Adams County and 6 born in Bedford County.

Trying to locate the original homestead in Bedford County was a daunting task. Many of their 9 kids had the same names as Thomas' siblings, so when I looked at land records I couldn't tell if it was Thomas' sons purchasing land or Thomas' siblings. I do know his sister, Rachel, is also a direct ancestor of mine (which I'll talk more about in her post - it's a little weird) and I believe he had other siblings come to Bedford County as well. There is a land warrant in the name of "Thomas Blackburn et all" for 400 acres dated 8 November 1786. My map which shows the names and locations of family homes wasn't drawn until 1861 - 75 years later. So between the siblings, children, grandchildren, widowed daughter-in-laws, etc. I couldn't wrap my head around trying to determine which of all the Blackburns shown on the 1861 map could have been living on the original homestead.

Many, many Blackburn families in a very small portion of the 1861 map.

Most of the Quaker families settled in the Chestnut Ridge area of St Clair Township. Thomas' will, dated 1818, indicates that he was living on a plantation on Chestnut Ridge which was to be inherited by his son, Joseph. Near the center of the map (above) is a highlighted location labeled "Jos. Blackburn" which could have been Thomas' home when he died.

A lot of research has been done on the Blackburn family, mostly by the Blackburn Family Association. In the "fun facts" section of their website they've identified over 150,000 living descendants in 10 generations from John Blackburn, our first Blackburn ancestor to immigrate to North America. They have a huge genealogical database associated with the Blackburn family and lots of other interesting facts and pieces of history on their website. A book written by Evelyn D. Gibson (published in 1978) entitled Blackburn and Allied Descendants of John Blackburn, Sr., who came from Ireland to Pennsylvania in 1736 can be found in its entirely on the website. The history of the Irish Quakers is fascinating and begins at image 5.

Gibson's book also talks about John Blackburn's involvement in the Revolutionary War despite the Quaker's strict policy against the bearing of arms. You can read about that beginning at image 20.

Thomas, along with 3 of his brothers, also defied their religious dictates and contributed to the war effort to secure independence from Great Britain. He and his family are discussed in Gibson's book beginning at image 42.

Probably of interest to some of my family members would be a descendant of a parallel line, Elias Hicks Blackburn (g-grandson of our John Blackburn Jr.) who joined the LDS church in Ohio in 1845 and was directly involved in many well-known events in church history including building the Nauvoo Temple, the Mormon Battalion, and the Willie & Martin Handcart Company. You can read about him in an archived version of the Blackburn family quarterly newsletter beginning at image 32 and continuing at image 46.

Back to Thomas and Elizabeth. Gibson wrote, "Even the little we have discovered concerning Thomas, is sufficient to show that he was a man of adventuresome spirit and perseverance, a devoted father, a true patriot and with the one exception noted, a devout Quaker. His steady rise in Prosperity, though not spectacular, is not the less indicative that he applied himself diligently and successfully to his two trades - milling and farming." (image 47)

Elizabeth preceded him in death by about 4 years. Here is his will:

"In the Name of God Amen - Whereas - I Thomas Blackburn of St Clair Township, Bedford County and State of Pennsylvania Being of Sound Disposing mind memory and understanting, and Calling to mind the uncertainty of Life, Have thought proper to make Constitute and publish this my Last will and testament in manner and form following Disanulling and revoking all Will or Wills heretofore by me made acknowleging this and No Other to be my last will and Testament

First of all I Recommend my Soul to God who gave it me and my Body to desintly buryed at the discresion of my Executors herein after mentioned and Named -

Secondly - I Give and Bequeth to my Son John Blackburn the two Hundred Acres of Land that he Now Lives on and to his heirs and Asigns forever -

I Give and Bequeth to my to my Son Thomas Blackburns hair, and their hair and asigns forever all that tract or parsel of Land that the now live on to be divided according to his last Will and Testament - I Give and Bequeth to my Son William Blackburn Twelve Dollars to be paid out of my Personal Estate he haveing Been Already Advanced By me - I Give and Bequeth to my Son Anthony Blackburn six Dollars he haveing been Already Advanced by me - I Give and Bequeth to my Son Moses Blackburn's three Sons, namely John Moses and Thomas one Thousand Dollars to be Equally Devided to them or the Survivor of Survivors of them to be paid when the arive at the age of Twenty one years with what Intrust it may Bring the one third of the intrust of the above sum to be paid to their mother as long as she continues a widow - But in case my Son Moses Blackburn's children should all die or any of them Before the arive at full age then the above sum of one thousand Dollars shall be divided Equally Between all my children then living or such part of the thousand as might be coming to any one of them Dieing - I Give and Bequeth to my Son Joseph Blackburn all my Plantation that I now live on containing two hundred and Seventy five Acres with the apertenancy thereunto belonging with fifty acres on the Chestnut Ridge And to his heirs and asigns forever; and also give him all my Personal Estate he paying All my Just Debts and funeral expenses - I Give and Bequeth to my Daughter Eve Vore and Benjm Vore one Hundred and fifty Eight Acres which she now posess - he paying to me one hundred and fifty Eight Dollars for which we duly rec'd - I Give and Bequeth to my Daughter Rebecca Vore and Joseph Vore one hundred and fifty Eight Acres being Part of the Above tract which was divided Between him and his Brother Benjamin, for which he is to pay me one hundred and fifty Eight Dollars also - I Give and Bequeth to my Daughter Elizabeth Wisgarver one hundred and Sixty Dollars to be paid her out of the money which is to be colected from Benjamin and Joseph Vore -

And further I Constitute Nominate and apoint my Sons John Blackburn & Joseph Blackburn to be my Executors in this my last will and Testament -

In Witness whereof I have set my hand and seal this twenty ninth Day of December one thousand eight hundred and eighteen."

Thomas and Elizabeth are buried in the Friends Cemetery north of Fishertown on Quaker Valley Road.

The headstones of other members of the Blackburn family in the Friends Cemetery.
Thomas and Elizabeth's graves could be marked with un-inscribed headstones or they could be completely unmarked.

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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

George Wisegarver and Mary Elizabeth Steel Wisegarver

George Wisegarver, my 6th great-grandfather, was one of the earliest of all my ancestors to become a resident of Bedford County. He was a German immigrant. Some researchers show that he and Mary Elizabeth Steel were married in Bedford County in 1770, but with no attached sources I have no way to confirm that. A publication of the Historical Society of Bedford County indicates that he helped lay out a road in 1771, proving he was in Bedford County well before the Revolutionary War. He's also listed in the 1772 tax roll as owning 100 acres of land, 20 improved, 2 horses and 1 cow.

George is also a Revolutionary War veteran, having served in the Bedford County Militia. In 1781 he was listed as a private in Captain Charles Taggart's Company, 5th company, 1st Battalion. More research is needed to determine if he achieved a higher rank than that of private.

Rye was a profitable crop in Bedford County and this was probably a primary crop for George. Many farmers grew rye for the purpose of manufacturing whisky. Few of them owned more than one still, but George in listed in a 1792 historical record to have actually owned 2 stills.

By 1798, as shown on the tax list, he was quite a successful land owner. His own farm (or farms) consisted of of land at a value of $1282. In addition, he owned land in both Bedford Township and St Clair Township which he leased to 12 other farmers. The value of that land totaled $6,649, quite a tidy sum in the late 1790s.

George and Mary had at least 2 children, maybe 4, maybe even 5. The census records prior to 1850 only list the head of household's name, so the other household members are up for speculation and interpretation.

George was one of the original land owners in Dutch Corner. His initial purchase of land was not too far southwest of the John Ickes homestead. A listing in findagrave.com shows that George and other family members were buried on the Blair Ott farm. Lori at dutchcornerpa.org informed me that the Ott farm was the old Wisegarver farm and that the headstones, and maybe the graves (though doubtful) were either destroyed or moved as the new owners didn't want people coming and looking for dead ancestors. Another listing at findagrave.com shows that the headstones were located at St. John's Church near Cessna. I located what I thought would be the Wisegarver farm from the Dutch Corner land map on a current map. Sure enough, Ott Road (which would have been on Ott farm) ran right through the middle of it. It also happened to be just a little north of the church to which the headstones were moved.

The Wisegarver home was probably in the middle of this modern-day road.

Probably part of the original Wisegarver homestead (the land, not the building)

Another view of the Wisegarver homestead

The creek that ran through the Wisegarver farm. The house would have been very nearby.

Leaves turning color

The remains of an old bridge that crossed the creek

St. John's Church and Cemetery in Cessna.
There's only about 20 headstones in the cemetery.

I'm not sure where Mary Elizabeth is buried, but this may be her headstone, also in the St. John Church Cemetery.
The headstone is unreadable.

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Saturday, November 7, 2015

Aunt Alle

Allegra Ickes, 9 May 1873 - 9 June 1976

Aunt (actually my great aunt, but we all just called her "aunt") Alle's genealogy work was a HUGE asset to me. I know I've mentioned her before, but I really thought she deserved her own post. Because of the research she did, the records she kept, the photos she preserved, and the military insignia she maintained I really think she needs to be noticed - and appreciated.

Allegra Ickes was born in Pleasantville, Bedford County, PA in 1873 to Adam Ickes and Elizabeth Ellen Harbaugh Ickes. She had three older [living] brothers: John, Conrad, and Horace. Two other older brothers, Sheldon and Henry, born one year and two years prior to her birth, both died in infancy. Alle was the youngest in the family and the only daughter.

In 1884, when she was about 11 years old, she moved to Sidney, Nebraska with her parents and brother, Horace.This would have been quite a culture shock for her coming from a small, quiet, church-centered community brimming with extended family. Sidney, Nebraska was the closest shipping point to the gold discovered in the Black Hills and Deadwood. It was nicknamed "Sinful Sidney", home to gold-seekers, cowboys, soldiers, and desperadoes. Its streets were lined with saloons, gaming halls, and brothels. There were no churches. (She was eleven. Seriously, what was her dad thinking?)

Alle lived with her mother on a homestead near Potter, Nebraska while her dad and brother, Horace, spent most of their time in the town of Sidney engaged in business. She was able to complete the 8th grade. She worked as a stenographer for the Union Pacific Railroad.

Sometime during the 1890s Adam, Ellen, and Alle moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. They may have also lived in Genoa, Nebraska. Their last residence in Nebraska was in Wahoo where her father was the proprietor of the LaGrande Hotel. Prior to 1917 Horace returned to live with the family after a divorce and an illness. Horace's son, William, also came to Wahoo for a time following his service in the Navy.

Alle's father, Adam, died in February of 1917 and Horace died in September of the same year. Alle and her mother, Ellen, moved to Los Angeles, California, probably to be with John's former wife, Annie, and their two children, Harry and Georgia, who were all living there together. Ellen died in Los Angeles in August of 1919.

Alle's remaining brothers, John and Conrad, had both relocated to Fort Collins, CO. Alle moved to Colorado as well. There, in 1922, she married William H. Schreiber. She was 50 years old. He died within a few years of their marriage. She lived with her divorced brother, John, in Fort Collins until his death in 1935, at which point she was on her own. In a letter she wrote in 1958 she talked about having lived in Salt Lake City, UT under the care of Agnes. Agnes was probably her niece, the daughter of her brother Horace and Agnes Loftus Ickes. Agnes had arranged for a room for her at "Hillside Manor". Alle hated it. She wrote, "There was no window in my room, very small, curtains where window on wall should have been. I would have gone crazy if I had had to stay there any longer. I was out of my mind for a while. The Dr. said it was the best he could find. If I hadn't gotten phlebitis in my right leg I would have been out of there before I was."

According to the letter, she had returned to Fort Collins in 1956 and was very glad to be back with her friends. Her last remaining sibling, Conrad, died in 1955. Shortly after returning to Fort Collins she moved into the newly built Eventide Rest Home. There she remained until she died, more than 20 years later. She died 9 June 1977 at the age of 104.

Aunt Alle at age 94

Alle on her 100th birthday

Let the birthday festivities begin!

That's some cake! (and hair)

Party guests ready to "get down"

My dad would visit her from time to time. He was there for her 100th birthday celebration. A few months following her 100th birthday he received a letter from the Activities Director at Alle's nursing home (probably the same young lady in the cake picture). She wrote, "Alle is much the same as she was when you were here, happy and gay one day - grumpy and gloomy the next but all in all just sweet Alle."

I remember visiting her once with my family, probably sometime in the 1960s. At that time I never would have thought that I would be the one to pick up the genealogy work she started. I mean, yeah, when I was still in my single digits and she was quickly approaching triple digits I had no idea we would end up having so much in common.

Allegra. . . .h-m-m-m. As a pianist and a piano teacher, I am quite familiar with the Italian musical term "allegro", but I had no idea what "allegra" meant. So I Googled it.

Wow.

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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Adam Ickes and Mary Haverstock Ickes

Adam came to Dutch Corner in Bedford County PA with his parents, John and Mary, and a few of his siblings around 1792. He was about 19 years old. He worked on the family farm.

Mary and Adam probably met and were married at the Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church. Over the space of 24 years Mary gave birth to 13 children. All of them lived into adulthood except for two. Catherine, born in 1819, and Sarah, born in 1829, probably died in infancy.

In 1822 Adam's father, John, purchased farmland in what is now King Township in Bedford County. I know absolutely nothing about farming but having been there it appears to me that they relocated to a much better piece of land. The farm in Dutch Corner was not on any water that I could see and it was at a relatively high altitude on a steep slope. The new farm was adjacent to the Bob's Creek branch of Dunning's Creek and was much, much flatter. In 1823 (the year Adam's mother died) John sold the farm to Adam but he continued to live with Adam and his family until he died in 1829.

According to land records, over the next 14 years or so Adam continued to buy and sell portions of his original land purchase as well as adjacent parcels of land. It was surveyed and resurveyed multiple times over. The 1832 tax records indicated that he owned 190 acres of land, 2 horses, and 2 cows, all of which was worth $375.

Mary died in 1852. She would have been about 66 years old. After Mary's death Adam married Elizabeth Lingenfelter. Lingenfelter was her married name and no one (so far) has been able to identify her birth family. She was 15 years younger than Adam and lived 15 years past his death. She was buried in a family cemetery with one of her daughter's family which, according to findagrave,com is now "defunct".

The 1861 map shows Adam's house to be located right by Bob's Creek, making it fairly easy to retrieve water for cooking, cleaning, and bathing.

Adam's farm is labeled A. Ickes in the upper right portion of the map. (Click to enlarge.)

On a present day map, the farm is located between East Garman Road and West Garman Road.

Adam's farm from the end of West Garman Road where horses are grazing.
The creek is just behind the trees where the house would have been located.

Looking at the the farm through the trees from the end of East Garman Road.

The creek that runs adjacent to Adam's farmland near where his house would have been located.

It appears Adam may have suffered from cataracts in his old age.

Adam was active in the Lutheran Church and his will shows his love and gratitude to God:

"In the name of God. I, Adam Ickes of the township of Union County of Bedford and state of Pennsylvania, being in ? good bodily health and of sound and disposing mind and memory calling to mind the frailty and uncertainty of human life, and desires of settling worldly affairs and directing how the estate with which it has pleased God to bless me with shall be disposed of after my death while I have strength and capacity so to do make and publish this my last Will and Testament hereby revoking and making null and void all other wills and testaments by me heretofore made and First, I commend my immortal being to him who gave it and my body to the earth to be buried with reasonable expense by my Executors hereinafter mentioned or named, and as to my worldly estate and all the property real, personal and mixed of which I shall die seized and possessed of which I shall be entitled at the time of my decease. I devise, bequeath and dispose thereof in the manner following, viz: My will is that all my just debts and funeral charges shall by my executors hereinafter named shall be paid out of my estate as soon after my death as shall by them be found convenient. I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Elizabeth my mare, buggy and harnace, two cows, one bureau. It is further my will that my wife Elizabeth keep the farm and receive the proceeds thereof for one year after my death, also it is my will that my executors pay her the interest of one thousand dollars yearly and if she should get sick or helpless it is my will that my executors pay her more yearly, sufficient to keep her from suffering for want of necessary sustenance & at the expiration of one year after my death, it is my will that my farm that I now reside on shall be sold with my personal property to the best advantage by my executors and the proceeds thereof be equally divided among my children share and share alike. I do hereby constitute and appoint my sons Conrad and George Ickes sole executors of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year first above written.

Witness: T.H. Wright

Joseph Ickes

Codicil

Whereas, I Adam Ickes of Union Township, Bedford county have made my last will and Testament in writing bearing date 26 March A.D. 1864, now I do by this writing which I do hereby declare to be a codicil to my said will. I do hereby order that my will is that my personal property be sold by my executors as soon after my death as convenient, that is what may remain after my wife has taken a certain portion sufficient for her to keep house which am’t is to be left to the judgement of my executors and lastly it is my desire that this my codicil be annexed to and made a part of my last will and testament to all intents and purposes. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal 30 Day of March, 1864."

Adam died in 1870 at the age of 87. He would have had children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren attend his funeral service. Adam and his first wife, Mary, are buried next to each other in the Old Union Cemetery near his mother and father.

Haverstock, Reighard, Imler, & Hann

First off, I know absolutely nothing about Christina Hann and her family. I don't even know if she really belongs in my family tree, but her name kept popping on all the genealogy websites (which isn't unusual) so I decided to go with it. If I ever get a chance to research her and her family I'll edit what I've got here.

Also, I haven't done any research on the Imlers. The Imler family is highly researched and there are so many differing opinions I can't keep it all straight in my head. From what I can tell Maria's grandfather, or father, or both immigrated from Bavaria, Germany in the early 1700s. One of them maybe, or probably, served in the Revolutionary War. They were both named George - at least they were called George. Or maybe it was her father and her brother who were called George. See what I mean? It can make your head spin! I do know that George Imler bought land in Dutch Corner because I've seen the survey. I also know that Maria Imler married John Frederick Reighard in the Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church (discussed in an earlier post), but actually that information came from a book and not an actual historical record so maybe I don't "know" that after all. The Imlers appear to be one of the oldest families in Bedford County and their family is HUGE there even today. They certainly left their mark. If anyone is interested in finding out more about the Imler family, and Marie Esther Imler specifically, good luck! When you make sense of it all, please fill me in.

John Frederick Reighard was born in Germany in 1729. He was an early settler in Bedford County as he shows up in the tax rolls in 1777. He is listed in Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots, Vol. 3, so we know he is a Revolutionary War veteran but we don't have any details. He and Maria had at least 4 children.

The general consensus from the online community is that John and Maria Reighart are buried on the family farm in Dutch Corner. Land is bought and sold quite frequently, and subsequent owners are relunctant (to put it mildly) to let descendants of early homesteaders traipse around looking for headstones. According to a post (from a book, not from first-hand experience) on findagrave.com, the farm cemetery was once called Holderbaum Farm Cemetery but is "now" called Mattas Farm Cemetery. I didn't even attempt to try to locate it.

Tobias Haverstock, wife, and 3 sons emigrated to York County Pennsylvania via New York from Switzerland in 1765. I just realized I have no record of he and his wife, Christina, ever having lived in Bedford County. It looks like they both died in York County. Tax rolls show Tobias to be a distiller; in other words, he made whisky. This wasn't as controversial back then as it was during the Daisy Duke days in the South. Often it was hard to find water that was safe for human consumption, so something distilled was believed to be safer to drink than contaminated water.

Tobias and Christina's son, Conrad, is another Revolutionary War Veteran. He served in the York County Militia and worked his way up to the rank of Lieutenant. He left York County and went to Bedford County sometime after 1783. There he met and married Margaret Reighard. They had 10 children, maybe more. Conrad and Margaret eventually followed at least one of their children to Wayne County Ohio where they are buried.

Conrad was involved in the Whisky Rebellion of 1794 which is a fascinating piece of history. I'll write about it in a subsequent post.