Johan Franz Hilgert (Hilliard) (1721 - 1797)

Johann Franz Hilgert who was born February 1, 1722 in Germany immigrated to America in September of 1751.  Records show that he was from a town called Argental in the District of Simmern, west of Mainz.  He arrived in Philadelphia aboard the  Ship  Edinburgh along with  others from Germany.  Pennsylvania  German Pioneers, pgs. 460-462 (List 167 C) "At the courthouse in Philadelphia, on Monday, the 16th September 1751.  Present: The Worshipful, the Mayor, Joshua Maddox, Esqr.  The Foreigners whose names are underwritten, imported in the Edinburgh,  James Russell, Master, did this day take the usual Qualifications & subscribed them."   The name  Frantz Hihgert  appears.

Twenty years later a record of him is found in Williams Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania.  The 1772 property tax list  shows that France Hilgert  was a farmer  who paid 1.12.0  pounds tax on his property. Williams Township is to the  south of Easton, Pennsylvania.

Some time after this he relocated to Mount Bethel, north of Easton, Pennsylvania.  On July 30, 1778 Francis Hillyard took the Oath of Allegiance  in Mount Bethel under the direction of Justice of the Peace, Judge Benjamin Depui.  His sons Isaac and Peter had signed the Oath declaring their allegiance to the support of war against England one month earlier on June 29, 1778.

His name is found on the 1781 tax list for Mount Bethel: Hilliard, Francis, 3.10 pounds.
He settled in the area of Centerville, Upper Mt. Bethel Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. 

Johann Franz Hilgert service in the Revolutionary War is evidenced by his having signed the Oath of Allegiance.  The DAR  application names him as Von Johann Franz Hilgirt.  He is Ancestor #: A056226 also known as Francis Hilliard and recognized for Patriotic Service.

He married Christina Mauny/Mohney   Johann Franz and Christina Hilgert had nine children (six sons and three daughters).  His will, written on May 16, 1797, was probated September 21, 1797 and provides us with the names of his children.  Hilgert, Francis, Upper Mt. Bethel, yeoman: wife Christina, sons  Peter,  Isaac, John,  and George, Ann-Mary, wife of Abraham Houck,  son Jacob, Catharina, wife of Adam Mauny,  and son Abraham who was deceased and  his widow and 4 children.

The inscription on his gravestone in the Old Union Cemetery in Upper Mt. Bethel, Pennsylvania is in German. It says,  "Hier ruhet der leib Van Johann Franz Hilgert  Er ward zur welt geboren den 1st February 1722 Ist gestorben den 19 August 1797 Alter 75y 6m 4t

Her  gravestone, also in German  reads: "Hier ruhet der leib Christina Hilgertin   Sie war  geboren den 7 Ma..."  and the rest is buried in the ground.





His gravestone translation is: Here lies the body of Van Johann Franz Hilgert   He was born into this world Feburary 1, 1722 and died August 19, 1797. 75 years 6 months and 4 days.   Her gravestone translation is: Here lies the body of Christina Hilgert  She was born on May 7...   However it is known that  she died on June 9, 1797, at the age of 73.

Johann Franz and Christina had a son named Peter,  who also fought in the Revolutionary War.  He  married Elizabeth Emrich.  Peter and Elizabeth's daughter Christine married  Jacob Eilenberger.  Their daughter Catherine Eilenberger  married John Correll.  They had a daughter named Josephine Correll who married Henry Good and had a son named George.  George Good was the grandfather of Dorothy Alice Good Smith.


Sources:
Eyerman, John, WILL ABSTRACTS OF NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, PA; 1752-1802. Vol. 2,   1897, p108.
Eyerman, John. THE OLD GRAVEYARDS OF NORTHAMPTON.

                      Please see this list of all My Revolutionary War Ancestors.

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This page  © 2014, Cynthia H. Smith


Send email to chsmith47@yahoo.com

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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.

                                               Copyright

This page  © 2014, Cynthia H. Smith


Send email to chsmith47@yahoo.com

This site may be linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent. The copyright on this page must appear on all copied and/or printed material. 

Michael Schmeyer (1745 - 1800)

                                       Michael Schmeyer died in prison!  

What?   In prison?  Yes, but Michael was a true patriot to the end.  After the Revolutionary War, in which he served several terms, the Federal Government imposed a tax to support an anticipated war with France. This tax,  known as the Direct House Tax of 1798 or the "Window Tax"  was "for the valuation of lands and dwelling houses and the enumeration of slaves within the United States."  Assessors traveled around the countryside counting the number of windows in each house to determine the value of the house.  Michael, as well as  other German farmers, in the Macungie area didn't like the idea at all.  Opposition arose with many protesting what was thought to be an unfair taxation.   Soon Michael joined forces with  John Fries who lead the Rebellion.  The government responded with Militia enforcements  and the protesters were arrested and taken to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for trail. Michael  was fined 400 dollars, given a sentence of 9 months and sent to prison with 27 other men.  These men were later taken to Philadelphia.   Among the  Macungie  residents who were active participants in Fries Rebellion, as it came to be called, was  Michael Schmoyer, who was  held prisoner in Norristown, Pennsylvania, contracted yellow fever and died on the 5th of November, 1800.   Read  more about Fries Rebellion.

http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-28E

Schmeyer, Schmoyer, Schmyer, Shmeyer, Shmyer,  Smeyer, Smyer, Smier, Smior ... his name is found with all of these spellings in different documents.  In the Daughters of the American Revolution index, he is ancestor # A100895, Michael Schmeyer.  Michael Shmeyer signed the Oath of Allegiance on August 6, 1777 and thereafter served terms for the duration of the Revolutionary War.   On May 14, 1778 the name Michael Shmyer appears in the 6th class of  5th company, 2nd Battalion Northampton Co. Militia under the leadership of Colonel George Breinig, Lt. Col. Stephen Bolliet and Captain Traxler.   In 1781 Michael Smyer is a 6th class private in the 6th company of the 1st Battalion under Captain John Trexler.  Michael Smier served 48 days in the company of John Jacoby as 2nd class private in the 1st Battalion in 1782.

Michael married Maria Magdalena Kuchel. He  became a farmer and in 1772 Michael Shmeyer  paid taxes on his property in Macungie where he eventually owned somewhere near 400 acres of land.  Their children were Catherine, who was born in September of 1769 and married Conrad Fehnel; Elizabeth, who was born in 1770 and married Frederick Fehnel;  Gertrude, who was born July 28, 1772 and married Abraham Schwartz; Maria Loves, Gertrude's twin married Adam Brouss;  John Jacob, veterinarian, born in Macungie  on June 25, 1774, married Maria Susanna Nein;  Magdalena, who married  Jacob Stephan was born April 22, 1778;  Abraham,  born July 10, 1783 married Susanna Stephen;  Rachel was born  October 19,  1789 and  married Samuel Yeager.

Michael, the son of Johan Phillip Schmeyer and Maria Salome Stefen,  was born in Lower Macungie Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania on New Years Day, 1745.  He died in Norristown on November 5, 1800.  His wife, Maria Magdalena Kuchel  was born March 18, 1748 and died October 23, 1814.  They are buried in the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery in Alburtis, Lehigh Co., Pennsylvania where his grave is honored with an American Flag and a  Revolutionary War Veteran bronze plaque.  A new memorial was erected to replace the original stones in 1979.

Find A Grave Memorial# 35968767

As I get more of these tributes to Revolutionary War Veterans completed I am able to show links and connections to stories already blogged.  Here I am showing the links back to the ancestors of Estella Kunkle Smith as she is the direct line descendent of Michael and Catherine Schmeyer.    Michael's daughter Catherine married Conrad Fehnell, son of Frederick Fennell, another Revolutionary War Veteran.  Their son Daniel married Sarah Lilly, a granddaughter of Andreas Lilly.  Daniel and Sarah had a son Samuel who married Eliza Marsh, a great granddaughter of Peter Laufer.  Sarah Jane Fehnel, daughter of Sam and Eliza Fehnel, married John Henry Kunkle, the great, great grandson of John George Kunkle.  Estella May Kunkle married Arthur Smith and was the great grandmother of my husband Ron Smith.  Now you know the rest of the story.

Sources:

• PA Archives, 5th Series, Volume 8, pages 45, 55, 58, 63, 68, 104, 112.
• "The Schmoyer Family (Schmeyer, Schmeier, Schmyer, Smoyer) Descendants of Philip Schmeyer of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania" compiled and privately published by Elmer Dickson, Chico, CA, 1986.
• Find A Grave Memorial# 35968767, Michael Schmoyer

                         Please see this list of all My Revolutionary War Ancestors.

Copyright

This page  © 2014, Cynthia H. Smith


Send email to chsmith47@yahoo.com

This site may be linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent. The copyright on this page must appear on all copied and/or printed material.