Monday, August 25, 2014

Frederick Fennell (1740 - 1802)

Two of our family's Revolutionary War Patriots, Frederick Fennell  and Michael Schmeyer  had children who married each other: Fennel brothers married Schmeyer sisters.  Frederick Fennel's son, Conrad, married Michael Schmeyer's daughter, Catherine.  Another son, Frederick, Jr.,  married Catherine's sister, Elizabeth. It wasn't unusual for brothers  in one family to marry sisters in another family.  Young men had limited resources to travel very far from home for courtship and with such large families in the neighborhood it was very likely that finding a wife was a matter of walking over to the neighboring farm to woo the affections of a lovely young lady.

Their father, Frederick Fenneal enlisted May 14, 1778 as a private,  3rd class, 1st Company  of the  Second Battalion in the Northampton County Militia,  under Captain Joseph Koocken, Pennsylvania Archives Series 5, Volume 8, page 104.   Neighbors enlisted together.   The men  were divided into smaller groups called classes.  When troops were needed  each class was called in order to fulfill the requirements for the number of men needed.

 Pa Archives Series 5, Volume 8, page 104
One more record showing proof of service for Frederick Fennel is found on page 55 of the  Pennsylvania Archives, Series 5, Volume 8.  Private Fried’k Fennel  again enlisted in the First Battalion, 5th Company,  3rd Class from  November 1, 1781 through January 1, 1782, during the Revolutionary War  under Captain Peter Kooken. The Daughters of the American Revolution have a service record for him.  He is listed in their files as Ancestor #: A038712.

Frederick was born about 1736 in Northampton, Pennsylvania.  He died June 02, 1802 in Moore Twp. Northampton, Pennsylvania.  The marriage of  Frederick and  Elizabeth Meyer  on June 02, 1760  is said to be recorded in the records of  Old Swedes Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They became the parents of  eight children:  Christopher, who was born in 1760  and died in 1851 in  Westmoreland,   Pa.;  Eva, who was born  about  1763 in Northampton Co., Pa and died before 1802;  Elizabeth, born  about 1766 in Northampton Co., Pa.;  Conrad (mentioned above) was born about 1769 in  Northampton Co., and died in 1839  in Moore Twp., where he is buried in the Salem Union Church Cemetery, Moorestown;  Frederick, who was born about 1770 Northampton Co., and died in 1848  in Moore Twp., where he is buried in the   Salem Union Church Cemetery;  Katharina, who was born  about  1773 in  Northampton Co., Pa.;  Magdalena who was born  about  1776 Northampton Co., Pa.; and  Abraham who was born  about   1782 in Northampton Co., Pa. and died in 1857 and is also buried in the Salem Union Church Cemetery in  Moore Twp., Northampton Co., Pa.

Frederick Fennel must have lived most of his adult life in Moore Township, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania where his name appears on the 1800 Census there.  On October 12,  1764, Frederick Fahnel took out a warrant for 26 acres in Northampton Co.  He must have acquired additional lands, for in 1789 he was taxed 34.0.8.5 on  95 acres in Moore Township.  On December 13, 1792 we find a warrant to Frederick Fennell for 30 acres in Moore Township,  Northampton Co., for which payment  was made on February 21, 1814.  This last property could very well have been that of his son Frederick.

His burial place has not been found, but is assumed to be in Moore Township where several of his sons are buried and where the next several generations of the family lived. His son Conrad married Catherine Schmoyer.  Their son Daniel married Sarah Lilly whose grandfathers,  Andreas Lilly and Peter Laufer,  were also Revolutionary War Patriots. Samuel Fehnel, son of Daniel and Sarah Fehnel married Eliza Marsh.  They were the parents of Sarah Jane Fehnel who married John Henry Kunkle, the great, great grandson of John George Kunkle.  The Kunkle's daughter Estella married  Art Smith and they were the  parents of  Russell Smith, Ron's grandfather.

It is important when researching genealogy to understand why alternate spellings of the  family name occur.   Long ago few people knew how to read and write.  Therefore when a name was pronounced the scribe wrote it the way they heard it and we find a name  written in military, church, and government records with a variety of spellings. This is the case with the Fehnel family name.  The name is most commonly spelled Fehnel now, but in the past several variations of the name are  found which include: Fennel, Fenel, Fennell, Fenneal, and Fahnel. 

Sources:
Pennsylvania Archives, 5th Series, Volume 8
National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, online research,  at http://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search/.
"United States Census, 1800," index and images, FamilySearch.com.
Ancestry.com Pennsylvania 

                     Please see this list of all My Revolutionary War Ancestors.

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