Amanuensis Monday: Abraham Steinbruch will, 1801

This is the will of my 6great-grandfather Abraham Steinbruch (also spelled Stainbrook). I love how, reading it aloud, you can practically hear his German accent in his misspellings of various words. It does, however, make it somewhat difficult to read. In this transcription, I have added bracketed "translations" whenever it seemed a particular word might cause consternation. (Bracketed words or phrases followed by a question mark continue to indicate an uncertain transcription, as usual.) There are, I admit, still a few places where I remain puzzled. What, for instance, is meant by "one Hough the jois"? I suspect "Hough" may be a misspelling of "half," but that doesn't seem to quite work in the context of the passage. It doesn't help that I have no idea what "jois" could mean. Still, I think I have managed to make sense of most of this will.

Abraham Steinbruch's Will, In the name of God Amen I Abraham Steinbruch of Penns Town-
ship County of Northumberland in the State of Pennsylvania Yeoman, being, weak in Body but of
sound and perfect mind and memory considering the uncertainty of this mortal life Do make and pub-
lish this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following - ( that is to say first I Give
and bequeath unto my dearly beloved wife Eva my best bed and bed sted and one cow the Joise
in the Stock and however those come on my place to live is to find for said cow sufficient
and good food and baster [pasture] for said cow and one Sworm of Bees, one Iron pot her spinnen weel,
ten buchel of weed ten buchel of Rye fore Buchel of buckweed fore buchel of Indian corn
one Hough the jois one quarter of acer of flacks [acre of flax] to be sowed in good Ground the said
witto [widow] to find the sack one Protor tick fore Buter spones [Butter spoons] and also to live in my Dwell=
ing House to have and to hold all the above artigles ass long my said wife Remains
a witto & no longer _ Item I Give and Devise unto my son Jacob Steinbruch his Heirs and
assigns for ever one hundred and twenty five acres my land & allowance of six per Cent un=
divid being measured of from any plantation and to being the same he at present lives on, and
to be cut of in manner to begin at the corner of Philip Jordon then along miller's line and
then to the old place of said A. Steinbruch then a strate line to make up the [Cumparonent?]
of acres of Land as aforesaid and that to be cut of after my Desd. and further is my will that
my son Jacob is to have the above described land free and clear of all the rest of my Children
and in the rest of my Estate my son Jacob is to fall in with the rest Schare & Schare alike _
Item I Give and Devise unto my Son fridrig his Heirs and assigns forever the sum of thirty
pounds which is all he is to have and now more becose he went and dit live me fore years be=
fore his age _ Item further is my Will that my sons that is to say Aberham & Beter is
to have of out the rest of my Estate Share & Share alike _ Item further is my will that my
Dathers that is to say Barbara and Mery and Catharine is to have of out of the rest of my
Estate Share and Share alike to them or to their heirs or assigns _ And further I do appoint my
Dearly and beloved frands John Prentzius and John Herman my whole and sole Exeds. of this
my last will and Testament hereby revoking all former wills by me made and Gave
them bower [power] to act in my Estate the same as if I was present my self In witness whereof
I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal the fifteenth Day of April in the Year of our Lord
one thousand eight Hundred and on, 1801. Abrah Stein bruch (seal) Siened Sealed published & Declared
by the above named Abraham Stainbrook to be his last will and Testament in the presence of us
who have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses in the presence of the Testator [no at least?]
under tint the words forever before sinet [signed] Jacob Bishop Johannes Zoutour Johannes Herman
Northumberland County ss,, Be it remembered that on the fourteenth Day of may in the year of our
Lord 1801. before me Jeremiah Simpson Register for the County afsd personally cometh Jacob Bishop, John
Pontius & John Herman the three subscribing witnesses to the foregoing will who being duly sworn accor=
ding to Law, saith they were personally present & did see Abraham Stinebrook the Testator sign seal
and declare the foregoing writing to be his last will & Testament, and that at the time of his so pub=
lishing the said Will he was of sound and disposing mind & memory as the Deponents do believe accor=
ding to the best of their Knowledge._ And that they repectively subscribed their names as witnesses
at the same time in the presence of each other._ and further saith not Jacob Bishop Johannes [Pontius?]
Johannes Herman Sworn & Subscribed the day & year afsd; cer. Jacob Simpson Regr.
Be it remembered
that on the Fourteenth Day of May in the year of our Lord 1801. before me was proved
and approved the last will & Testament of the said Abraham Steinbruch Deceas'd, Of which the forego=
ing, Record is a true Copy, and Letters Testamentary issued in due and Common Form of Law to John Pontz=
ius and John Herman, Executors therein named, on the same Day, Witness my Hand._

Jeremh. Simpson Regr.

Source:

Northumberland, Pennsylvania, Wills, 1772-1907; index, 1792-1930, Abraham Steinbruch's will, p. 245-246, vol. 1 (image 143 of 811 "Wills, no. 1-3 1772-1845"); digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 30 Dec 2024).

William Wade in the Revolution

For this post, I owe a debt of thanks to my friend Debbie, who, while we were talking genealogy the other weekend, looked over my 5great-grandfather William Wade's WikiTree page. It had been quite some time since I have closely examined it, and she pointed out something I had not noticed.

"You've looked at his DAR info?" she asked.

"DAR?" I wondered. I had no notes or recollection of him serving as a patriot.

She clicked the link, and together we examined his entry in the Ancestor Database. Somehow, if it ever occurred to me that he had served in the Revolutionary War, I had long since forgotten. The revelation caught me by surprise. I noted that his entry provided a source for his service, and planned to research it soon.

Last weekend, I began to delve. These are just my initial ponderings and discoveries. I know that they are far from fully thought out, and, honestly, I am finding this research rather confusing. This post is less intended to share conclusions than it is to help me lay things out and make some sort of sense of them. So take any genealogical information in this post with a great big heap of salt. 

The Agreement

 

Following up on the source for William Wade's service cited in the DAR database, I located the following document transcription (hereafter referred to by me as "The Agreement"):

Agreement on the Part of Some of the Inhabitants of
Monongalia County to Submit to Future
Military Orders.
[Draper MSS., 51J59.--D.S.]
Hardins Mill Monongalia County
June 19th 1781.

We the subscribers being Accessary to a Riot in Suppressing a
draught in this county on the 12th Inst Being Sensible of our Error
and as a security of our future good conduct do hereby Engage to
Serve Ten months in the continental Service in case we should
be guilty of like misdeminor, Or acting against the Legal Laws
of any State or perticular Resolves of congress or saying anything
against the Genl Insterest of the country as witness our hands the
day & date above mentioned.

John Rorkley
Jesse his X mark Worthington
William Wade
Benjamin his X mark Deane
Daniel Robbens
John Lucas
William Robbens
John his X mark Harden
Peter his X mark Peekenpaugh
test B. W
Robert Harding
William his X mark Murfy
BW
Richd Lucas
John his X mark Worthington
Benjamin Brooke
Thomas Wade
George Robbens
Hezekiah Wade
George his X mark Wade
Isaac Robins
John Wade
Wenman his X mark Wade
Samuel Haily

As I understand it, William Wade (along with several other Wades, probably related, and a number of others) was involved in a riot on 12 June 1781 in Monongalia county, trying to suppress a military draft. They either signed this document as a promise of their good behavior, saying that if they should again be guilty of breaking the law or even just speaking against the country, they would serve ten months in the Continental service, or they signed it promising ten months in the Continental service to prevent them breaking any more laws. I find the language somewhat ambiguous.

At any rate, the idea that my 5great-grandfather participated in an anti-draft riot fascinated me, and my next step was to try (unsuccessfully) to find information on the referenced riot. That failing, I moved on to trying to find information on Hardin's Mill, the location cited on the document, as well as several of the other names signed, both Wades and some of the other surnames. I was finding such small bits and pieces of information, and so little that seemed relevant to my question, that I have utterly lost track of the sequence of research. This was not a case of one piece of information leading to another. Rather, it is like scattered pieces that may or may not belong to the same puzzle.

 

Pension File: George Wade

The Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters, an invaluable website for researchers of patriots in the southern states, notes that George Wade's "pension application was not found," but contains a transcription of a report by District Attorney W. G. Singleton. In it, George Wade provides a narrative in which he states:

I was nineteen years the month I first went into the service - I then resided in Fayette County Pensylvania [then claimed by VA] - was there drafted & marched under Capt Jno. cross... the second summer after I returned from the preceeding campaign, I served one month at Martin's Fort Mon'ga Cty... I cant tell in what year the preceeding service was done.

The part about Fayette county, Pennsylvania threw me at first, but I quickly discovered that the present Fayette county adjoins the present Monongalia county, which is currently in West Virginia, and was at the time of the Revolution in Virginia. The part about being drafted seemed at first blush to contradict what I had read in the Agreement, but then it occurred to me that perhaps he had rioted because he had been drafted.

The transcription goes on to refer to a suit for the recovery of money paid on false papers. First rioting, and now fraud? I am intrigued. Some notes follow:

Age 72 in 1833. Born in one of the lower counties of MD 25 Sept 1760. His father moved to Augusta Co. VA when he was 6-7 years old, and to Monongalia Co. when he was about 15. Drafted in 1777. Indian Spy guarding the frontiers 1779-83. His brother, Wenman Wade now lives in Monongalia Co.

Monongalia county was formed from part of Augusta county in 1776, when George would have been about 15 or 16, so, depending on where the family was living, the "move" to Monongalia may have required no actual moving at all. However, the other dates cause some confusion. The riot was supposed to have occurred on 12 June 1781. If he had already been drafted in 1777 and was drafted again in 1781, that might be some cause for rioting, but wouldn't working as an Indian Spy from 1779-83 preclude his being drafted? Why, then, would he be rioting?

I rejoice to see the mention of his brother Wenman Wade, who also signed the Agreement. It seems verification that this pension statement refers to the correct George Wade.

The notes continue,

Ensign Pearce, Capt. Cross.... Charged with false swearing and for recovery of money paid on false papers. Defendant died just prior to 4 April 1840

and later, dated 12 Sept 1840,

G. Wade, who purports to be deceased, is still living.

The intrigue increases. Rioting, then fraud, and now false death? Am I reading all of this correctly?

The transcription contains yet more, some letters apparently written after George Wade's real death. As I understand them, George's sons were claiming that George had received a pension for several years, and then the pension was withheld, "as they conceive illegally and unjustly." His pension had been approved on the proof of "a respectable citizen named Amos Morris." His name was later stricken from the pension list, along with Peter Haught and Zachariah Piles, who were "engaged in the same kind of service," and "whose names have been restored to the Pension List."

It seems that W. G. Singleton embarked on prosecutions against these three veterans which

were cruel, highly repulsive to public sentiment at the time, and resulted in nothing but the loss of thousands to the government to secure a few hundred dollars, and to the parties prosecuted to more sacrifice and loss than the arrears claimed by their heirs will reimburse.

W. G. Singleton "was the laughing stock of the legal profession and never even obtained a mediocre standing at the bar."

The final note at the conclusion of the transcription explains the entire situation:

Haught, Piles, and Wade, were pensioned, through an agent named John Brookover, assisted by a Mr Wilson or some other attorney in Morgantown. The parties refused to pay Brookover an exorbitant fee he demanded. Brookover took offence, visited Clarksburgh and informed W. G. Singleton, Esqr U. S. dist. attorney that the pensions were fraudulently obtained. Brookover was a cunning and unprincipled man, but very ignorant.

So it seems that the entire fraud accusation was untrue, based only in the petty revenge of a dishonest agent.

As fascinating as this pension statement was, it provided no evidence of George Wade's relationship to William Wade, let alone evidence that the William Wade who signed the Agreement is my William Wade. It did help slightly in fleshing out the relationships of some of the Wades who signed the Agreement, proving that George and Wenman were brothers.

 

Pension File: Hezekiah Wade

The Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters does not have any transcriptions for Wenman Wade or William Wade, but it does have one for Hezekiah. There are also transcriptions for men by the names of Thomas Wade and John Wade, but on reading them I am less certain they are the same men who signed the Agreement.

Hezekiah's record declares that he, too, served as an Indian spy, beginning in April 1776 at Augusta, Virginia, now Monongalia, West Virginia. After three months' service he was discharged, and then ordered out again in March 1777. This time he served eight months. He volunteered again in March 1778 for a period of five months. For each of these periods of service, some details of the action were given, but this third one includes a heartbreaking incident which also contains some genealogical information:

Upon one of his Spying excursions had discovered the trail of a large number of Indians... affiant hastened to Stradlers Fort on Duncard Creek, to alarm the people of what he had discovered... On his approach to said Fort the marks of distress was obvious - the night preceeding the enemy Consisting of one Hundred warriors discryed a number of about twenty Five men, a working some Corn &c... the Savages placed themselves in ambush on each side of the path leading from thence to the Fort, and on the passage of the laborers to the Fort... they were fired at, by the savages and Eighteen of their number, were killed dead on the ground amoung whom was affiants Father, Joseph Wade, Jacob Stradler... the Fort was kept closed, until time had proved their Departure, when affiant amoung others repaired to the ground upon which the bloody deed was committed, and intered the mangled limbs of those who fell at the Charge of the enemy.

So now we could possibly infer that Hezekiah Wade's father's name was Joseph, and that Hezekiah had to see what no child ever wants to see. However, Hezekiah's WikiTree page gives his father's name as George. It seems that "affiants Father" and "Joseph Wade" are two different people, the latter perhaps a brother or an uncle to Hezekiah. However, that George Wade's WikiTree page gives his death date as about 1816 in Maryland, so there is obviously some error to clear up.

At any rate, Hezekiah was "feeling himself so much aggrived at the distruction by the Savages and hurt at the loss of his Father" that he volunteered again in March 1779 for nine months. He was ordered out again in April 1780 for a month, and April 1781 for six months. This last period of time overlaps the Agreement above, making the Agreement even more confusing.

The transcription ends with lots of genealogical information, mostly regarding Hezekiah's wife and children and therefore of little relevance to my current investigation. However, there was one tidbit that could aid in my research:

A letter dated 22 July 1845 states that two brothers of Hezekiah Wade had died while living in Monongalia County within a week or two of each other.

I don't know exactly how this knowledge will help me, especially since it does not share the names of the brothers, nor when or how they died. It could have been in childhood, during the war, or after. Was it sickness, warfare, or mere coincidence?

Sources:

Daughters of the American Revolution, "Ancestor Search," database, DAR Genealogical Research Databases (https://www.dar.org/ : accessed 16 Nov 2024), William Wade, Ancestor #A202206.

 

James Alton James, editor, Collections of the Illinois State Historical Library, vol. 8, Virginia Series, vol. 3: George Rogers Clark Papers 1771-1781 (Springfield, Illinois: Trustees of the Illinois State Historical Library, 1912), online images, HathiTrust (https://www.hathitrust.org/ : accessed 16 Nov 2024), 568 (image 770).

 

Will Graves & C. Leon Harris, Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters (http://revwarapps.org/ : accessed 16 Nov 2024), Pension Application of George Wade S7829, transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris.

 

Will Graves & C. Leon Harris, Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters (http://revwarapps.org/ : accessed 23 Nov 2024), Pension Application of Hezekiah Wade W6387, transcribed and annotated by C. Leon Harris.

Amanuensis Monday: 13 Feb 1797 deed from the Heirs of Absalom Fox to David Fox

This deed immediately follows the deed presented in last week's post, and was created on the same date of 13 Feb 1797. Again, the heirs of my 6great-grandfather Absalom Fox were granting land to one of their own, this time to my 5great-grandfather David Fox.

 

[p. 682]

The Heirs of the

Estate of Absalom

Fox deced

To

David Fox

This Indenture Made this thirteenth Day of February

in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and Ninety seven

Between Christion Fox (widow) Charles Fox and Mary his wife Bonham

Fox and Temperance his wife, Sampson Sargant and Ivy his wife, David

Sutton and Anker his wife, Mary Fox, Jonathan Fox and Rebekah Fox all of the

County of Washington and State of Pennsylvania of the one part and David Fox

of the same place of the other part Witnesseth that the said Christion Fox (widow)

Charles Fox and Mary his wife, Bonham Fox and Temperance his wife,

Sampson Sargant and Ivi his wife, David Sutton and Anker his wife,

Mary Fox, Jonathan Fox and Rekah Fox has this Day Bargained Released and

[p. 683]

Confirmed unto the above mentioned David Fox his Heirs and assigns

for ever a Certain Tract of land Situate on the waters of Ten Mile Creek

Beginning at a Walnut Tree thence by land of Philip Friend North Sixty seven

Degrees East forty three perches to a white Oak thence by land of James Graham North

Twenty eight Degrees West One hundred and twenty two Perches to a Hickory

thence by land of Henry Shidler North fifteen Degrees West One hundred and

twenty perches to a Stake, thence by land of Henry Hash South fifty two

Degrees West Sixty one perches to a Black Oak Noth thirtyseven Degrees West

fifty nine perches to a Stake, South thirty seven Degrees West One hundred

and thirty two Perches to a Post, thence by land of Tobias Friend South

thirty four Degrees East Seventy six perches to a Post then by land of

David Fox South Twenty eight and a half Degrees East One hundred and

Sixty nine perches to a White Oak North fifty degrees East One hundred and

thirteen perches to a State & South fifteen Degrees East Twelve perches to

the Beginning Containing Two hundred twenty eight acres and seventy

one perches and allowance of [CPCent?] for Roads &ca which land was Survey

ed in pursuance of a Warrant Granted to Absalom Fox the Seventeenth Day

of November (1787) for which a Patant Issued for the Land Office of the State

aforesaid to Absalon Fox Dated the Seventeenth Day of January (1792) and

was Inrolled in the Rolls of for the State of Pennsylvania Patent Book No 18.

Page 329. To have and to hold the said Tract and parsel of land with

the appurtean thereunto belonging unto the said David Fox and his heirs

To the only proper use benefit and behoof of him the said David Fox his

Heirs and Assigns forever from us and each of our heirs and from any person

or persons Claiming or to Claim in under through or by us or any of our

Heirs shall and will Warrant and forever Defend In Witness whereof

the said Christion Fox (widow) Charles Fox and Mary his wife, Bonham Fox

and Temperance his wife, Sampson Sargant and Ivy his wife David

Sutton and Anchor his wife Mary Fox, Jonathan Fox and Rebekah Fox

lawful Heirs of the Estate of Absalom Fox deceased has hereunto Set their hands

and Seals this Day and year above written_ Christion her x mark Fox (seal)

Charles Fox (seal) Mary Fox (seal) Bonham Fox (seal) Temperance

Fox (seal) Sampson Serjant (seal) Ivy her x mark Sargant (seal) David

Sutton (seal) Anchor Sutton (seal) Jonathan Fox (seal) Mary

Fox (seal) Rebekah Fox (seal) _ Signed Sealed and Delivered in presants

of Isaac Leet jur _ Mary Sutton _ Isaac Leet

 

[p. 684]

Washington County Ss

(seal) This Day Personally appeared before me the Subscriber one of the

Justices of the Peace in and for the County of Washington Christion Fox widow

of Absalom Fox deceasd Charles Fox and Mary his wife, Bonham Fox and

Temperance his wife, Sampson Sargant and Ivy his wife David Sutton

and Anker his wife, Mary Fox, Jonathan Fox and Rebekah Fox and all

Ackowledged the within Indenture well knowing it to be a Deed of Conveyance

to be their Act and Deed the women being examined seperate and apart from

their Husbands each one for themselves acknowledged that they became a party

thereto of their own free will and accord without the controul of their Husband

or any other person and allowed the same to be Recorded as such In Testamony

whereoff I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal this thirteenth Day of

February 1797                                            Isaac Leet

Recorded and compared with the Original the 21st February 1797.

Samuel Clarke Recorder

 

As mentioned above, this deed was created on the same date as the one to Jonathan Fox presented last week. It was also witnessed by the same witnesses, so I will not repeat my comments.

Somewhat strangely, there is one more similar record I have found, created on the same day, but recorded not on a consecutive page, but actually in a different deed book. But that will come later.

Source:

Washington, Pennsylvania, Deed books, 1781-1886; deed index, 1781-1924, 1M-12: 682-684 (images #379-380 of 420), The Heirs of the Estate of Absalom Fox to David Fox, deed, 13 Feb 1797; digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, "Deeds v. 12, 1M 1796-1797," FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 29 Sept 2024).