Genealogy has become a hobby for me over the last 10 years. For me, it's like a puzzle, I love fitting the pieces together. But over the years, I've researched a lot that does not pertain to our family lines. Some for extended family, some for close friends, and some because I was trying to rule out lines to figure out where our line went exactly. I do not want these notes on my Heather's Genealogy Notes blog - because they are not our lines. But I do like to share all of my research, in case it benefits others. That is what this blog is for - research I have done that does not apply to our own family lines, but may be helpful for someone else.

Friday, April 14, 2017

#2 Johannes Schmeck 1717-1762

Johannes Schmeck
Born 1717
Died  Oct. 1762
married
Elizabeth Sheefer
Born 10 Dec 1709 
Died 28 Sep 1782

Children:
Henry
Valentine
Anna Clara
Anna Margaret
Jacob


purchased land 100 Acres 23 MAR 1734 Alsace Twp., Berks Co., PA
property and paid taxes BET 1752 AND 1754 Alsace Twp., Berks Co., PA

Will is on file in Berks Co Courthouse, Pa.

Last Will and Testament of Johannes Schmeck

The Will of Johannes Schmeck late of Alsace Township in the County of Berks and the Province of Pennsylvania Yeoman, By word of mouth made and Declared by him in the Time of his Last Sickness and in the Dwelling House of the said Johannes Schmeck on the twenty fourth Day of October non last past. In the Presence of Us the Subscribers, Who were d?????? and ??? by the same Johannes Schmeck to bear Witness that the following was his Will.
Imprimis
My Will is that my oldest son Henry Schmeck shall have, to him his Heirs his offspring forever. All that my Messuage or Tenement Plantation and Tract of Land with the Appurtenances shiale in Exeter Township and the Count of Berks aforesaid.
Item. My will is that my son Valentine Schmeck shall have, To him his offspring forever. All that my Messuage or Tenement Plantation and Tract of Land shiale in Alsace Township in the said County of Berks.
Item. My will is That my Beloved Wife shall have out of my Personal Estate the sum of three hundred Pounds lawful money of Pennsylvania. And it is my will also that my said wife shall have privilege to live in and occupy the Messuage or Tenement which is on my Plantation in Alsace Township of, for and during the Term of her natural Life.
Item. My will is That my Daughter Anna Clara shall have and Receive out of my Personal Estate the Sum of Three hundred pounds lawful money of Pennsylvania.
Item. My will is That my Daughter Anna Margaret shall have and Receive the Sum of Three hundred pounds lawful money of Pennsylvania out of my Personal Estate.
Item. My will is that my Executors herein after named and appointed shall lay out the sum of six or seven hundred lawful money of Pennsylvania of my personal estate, To purchase a plantation and tract of land to and for the use of my younger son Jacob his heirs and offspring forever.
Lastly My Will is that my Beloved Wife Elizabeth and eldest son Henry be the Executors of this my Last Will and Testament.
Reading, Berks Co
Nov 2 1762
Dieter Beikelman
Victor Spiess


Research:

Look in - Montgomery, Morton L.. Historical and Biographical Annals of Berks County, Penns

Name: John Philip Smick
Year: 1748
Age: 30
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1718
Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Source Publication Code: 9041
Primary Immigrant: Smick, John Philip
Annotation: Contains 29,800 names, with annotations written by Krebs (see no. 4203). Various references to the names in Strassburger will be found in other listings, mostly where authors have attempted to line up their information with that in Strassburger. This work
Source Bibliography: STRASSBURGER, RALPH BEAVER. Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808. Edited by William John Hinke. Norristown [PA]: Pennsylvania German Society, 1934. 3 vols. Vols. 1 and 3 reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1964. Repr. 1983. Vol. 1. 1727-1775. 776p.
Page: 387

OR - a Hessian Soldier?


Name: Johannes Schmeck
Year: 1779
Place: North America
Source Publication Code: 3067.31
Primary Immigrant: Schmeck, Johannes
Annotation: Hessian Troops in the American War for Independence: An Index According to Surname. Date and place of entry in unit books. Year of birth, place of origin, rank, unit, category of presentation, and archive code of the source are also provided.
Source Bibliography: HESSISCHE TRUPPEN IM AMERIKANISCHEN UNABHAENGIGKEITSKRIEG (HETRINA): Index nach Familiennamen. (Marburg: Archivschule) (Veroeffentlichungen der Archivschule Marburg, Institut fuer Archivwissenschaft, Nr. 10). Band II. Marburg 1976; Auflage, 1987.
Page: 141

#3 Johannes Schmeck 1781 - 1867

Not Direct Line - Sorting out the Johannes Schmecks

John Schmeck
tombstone at Spies Zion Church Cemetery

John Schmeck
Born 1781
Died 1867
Son of Valentine Schmeck and Catherine Keim
Married

Susannah Heckman
Born: Feb. 10, 1784
Died: Jan. 3, 1874
Daughter of
John George Heckman & Maria Magdalena Hamm


Children:
Hannah b.1816  M. Gideon Breidegam



1850 Census
Name: John Schmeck
Age: 68
Birth Year: abt 1782
Home in 1850: Alsace, Berks, Pennsylvania
Gender: Male
Family Number: 144
Household Members:
Name Age
John Schmeck 68
Susann Schmeck 69
Hannah Breitigam 24
Caroline Breitigam 4
Daniel Breitigam 3
John Hefner 18


1860 Census
Name: John Schmeck
Age in 1860: 78
Birth Year: abt 1782
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Home in 1860: Alsace, Berks, Pennsylvania
Gender: Male
Post Office: Reading
Value of real estate: View image
Household Members:
Name Age
John Schmeck 78
Susannah Schmeck 76

1870 Census

Name: Susan Schmeck
Age in 1870: 86
Birth Year: abt 1784
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Home in 1870: Alsace, Berks, Pennsylvania
Race: White
Gender: Female
Post Office: Reading
Value of real estate: View image
Household Members:
Name Age
Susan Schmeck 86
Lena Hartman 53




Sorting Out The Johannes Schmecks

Sorting out the John's
1. Buried in Paradise Cemetery (see records & photos below)
1776-1829

Our direct line ancestor

married Elizabeth Sheefer
 Buried in Alsace Cemetery
 Birth:  Mar. 16, 1782, Berks County, PA
Death:  Feb. 16, 1867, Muhlenberg, Berks County , PA
"Son of Heinrich Schmeck and Anna Smidt. Husband of Maria Magdalena Leinbach m. 27 OCT 1801 at the Swartzwald Reformed Church in Berks Co, PA. " -NOT ACCURATE  
See Research Notes from the Descendants book, on the bottom of this post

Buried in Spies Zion Cemetery
1781-1867,  he is recorded as the son of Valentine & Catherine Schmeck

=======================================================
The below seems to be a mix of "our" Johannes" with another Johannes? (See #1 & #2  under Sorting out the John's at the top of this post.)  Ours married Maria Magdalena Leinbach, ours has a son born in 1803 named Daniel, but ours has different birth and death dates, and was buried in Northumberland County, not Berks.  Also note in the children below, if Benjamin & Johannes are accurate, they must have been twins?  But I only see one record in 1804 in the Zion Spies Church Records:

on page 29
Henry Schmeck has "a son" 5/15/1804  Sp. Jacob Schmeck & Wife Susanna
no record of Johannes having any children, in those records, in 1804?
The will of John Schmeck (#2 ) shows some of the children included below.  I'm pretty sure there are two Johannes Schmecks, and that the book below has the two of them combined, but I cannot prove there are two, yet.  Both appear to have been born around the same time, both married a Maria (or Mary?)


The Descendants of Johannes Schmeck by Michelle Fegley Wahreberger


"Johannes Schmeck (son of Henry Heinrich) was born on 16 March 1782. He was baptized on 16 March 1783 in Spies Zion Church, Alsace Twp Berks Co, Pa.  He died on 16 Feb 1867 in Muhlenberg Twp, Berks Co Pa.  he was buried in Alsace Cemetery, Hyde Park, Muhlenberg Twp, Berks Co Pa. He was a farmer.


Maria Magdalena UNKNOWN was born in 1784 in Pa.  She died on 4 Jul 1851 in Muhlenberg Twp, Berks Co, Pa.  Johannes Schmeck and Maria Magdalena UNKNOWN had the following children:


Daniel Schmeck was born on 13 May 1803.  He was baptized on 10 Aug 1804 in Schwatzwald Reformed Church, Exeter Twp, Berks Co Pa.  He died before 1867


Benjamin Schmeck born in Aug 1804


Johannes Schmeck born 28 Aug1804 in Berks Co, Pa.  He died in 1845.  he was buried in Alsace Cemetery, Hyde Park, Muhlenberg Twp, Pa.  he was baptized in Spied Zion Union Church, Alsace Twp, Berks Co Pa


Maria Schmeck born on 29 Jul 1807; married George FUCHS on 9 Jan 1839, First United Church Of Christ, Reading, Berks Co PA


Catherine Schmeck born about 1808 married Adam Potteiger on 27 Sept 1829, First United Church Of Christ, Reading Berks Co Pa


Elizabeth Schmeck born on 6 Oct 1810, Reading Berks Co Pa, married John Fisher


Adam Schmeck born on 9 Jul 1813, Reading Berks Co Pa, married Hannah Wanner on 27 Oct 1833, First United Church Of Christ, Reading, Berks Co PA married Leah King about 1851, OH; died on 1 May 188, Fairfield Co OH.

===========================================

NOT our John in Berks in 1820.  Ages for our Johannes's family in 1820 would be:
John 44
Maria 39
Daniel 17
John Schmeck 16
Mary Schmeck 13



1820 United States Federal Census about John Schmeck
Name: John Schmeck
Home in 1820 (City, County, State): Alsace, Berks, Pennsylvania
Enumeration Date: August 7, 1820
Free White Persons - Males - Under 10: 3
Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 44: 1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 10: 2
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 25: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 26 thru 44: 1
Number of Persons - Engaged in Agriculture: 1
Free White Persons - Under 16: 6
Free White Persons - Over 25: 2
Total Free White Persons: 9
Total All Persons - White, Slaves, Colored, Other: 9

Ages also do not fit for this census in 1820
1820 United States Federal Census about John Schmeck
Name: John Schmeck
Home in 1820 (City, County, State): Alsace, Berks, Pennsylvania
Enumeration Date: August 7, 1820
Free White Persons - Males - Under 10: 1
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 15: 1
Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 18: 1
Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 44: 1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 10: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 25: 1
Number of Persons - Engaged in Agriculture: 2
Free White Persons - Under 16: 4
Free White Persons - Over 25: 1
Total Free White Persons: 6
Total All Persons - White, Slaves, Colored, Other: 6


Thursday, April 13, 2017

Mary Ann Schreffler 1853-

This is an attempt to solve who the "aunt" is in the 1900 census, with Mary Etta (Oberdorf) Huddleson.  Mary Etta's mother was Sarah Schreffler, wife of John Christian Oberdorf, and Heather's 3rd great grandmother.  If Mary Ann & Sarah were sisters, there is a 23 year age difference - so I'm not completely convinced just yet.  Not that it matters, since I can find little information on either woman!

Mary Ann Schreffler
Daughter of 
Born May 1853
Died




1870 - 
There's a Mary A. Shcreffler in the 1870 census, daughter of Frederick & Catharine Schreffler, in Northumberland County PA.  She was born in January of 1852 and married a Byerly, so this is NOT a match.


1900 - 
Name: Mary A Schreffler
Age: 47
Birth Date: May 1853
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Home in 1900: Mifflinburg, Union, Pennsylvania
Race: White
Gender: Female
Relation to Head of House: Aunt
Marital Status: Single
Father's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Occupation: View on Image
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Abraham Huddleston 58
Mary E Huddleston 45
Ethel M Huddleston 16
Cappie L Huddleston 14
Gertie G Huddleston 11
Sara A Huddleston 8
Mary A Schreffler 47


Abraham Huddleston married Mary Ettah Oberdorf, daughter of

Birth: 1844
Death: Dec. 8, 1924

Confederate soldier flag and flag holder on his grave site , he had a Union flag holder for a number of years, but we've corrected that. His confederate flag is stolen repeatedly and replaced each time. 
Mifflinburg Telegraph, December 11, 1924
ABRAHAM HUDDLESTON
Abraham Huddleston, one of the few remaining members of the GAR in Mifflinburg, passed away at his home on Market Street at 1:00 AM Monday, December 8 1924, after an illness of two months. He was born in Vernon County, Missouri.
He is survived by three daughters and one son, Mrs. Ethel Koons, Mrs. Gertrude Auman, of Mifflinburg, Mrs. Sarah Durr, Harrisburg, and C.L. Huddleston, Mifflinburg.
Military funeral services were in charge of the Thomas H. Clapham Post, 410, American Legion; Rev. Dubbs, of the Evangelical church, officiating were held from his late reisdence at 2:30 PM Wednesday, December 10th.
Burial, L.W. Strunk and Sons in charge, being made in the Fairview Cemetery. (Location area is actually the Stuck section of Mifflinburg cemetery) 

1910 - 
Mary is no longer found with the Huddlestons.