Yesterday afternoon as I was getting ready for work and then during my commute to work I listened to a free webinar by Cyndi Ingle about solving the issue the genealogical community has with incorrect online trees. This webinar is free for six more days and can be found HERE. It is well worth the listen! One of the things she suggests is to write proofs on our conclusions and put them on our blogs. I have a few proofs that a friend and I have worked on and written together. Her and I have discussed ways to get the word out on our progress and I am not sure why I never thought to add my blog to the places I posted them. I have them in the memory area at family search and have sent them to historical societies and libraries to be placed in vertical files. Now I will post them one a time here, every few days till I get them all up.
The Father Of Jacob Isaac Rohrer
It has been a long search but we believe that Martin Rohrer (1751-after 1783), the son of John Rohrer (1695-1771), of Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is the father of Jacob Isaac Rohrer.
Our theory is based on the land records of “Piney Hills” as found in the Maryland Archives. Sometimes is referred to as “Penny Hills”. It should be noted that Piney Hills border edge matched Samuel Rohrer’s land borders. Samuel was Magdelene’s grandfather. John of Lampeter’s purchase was made six months after Samuels.
On 3/7/1763 John of Lampeter, Lancaster, Pennsylvania bought “Piney Hills” from John Swearingen. The record of this purchase can be found in the Frederick County, Maryland land records Liber H – p. 314 as follows: 16 Mar 1763 Between John Rorer farmer of Lancaster County PA and John Swearningen farmer of Frederick County, MD, 350 PA money paid by John Rorer “Piney Hills Enlarged” being of the Elk Ridge Mountains and on the Draught of waters of the Little Antietam in the County of Frederick, 320 acres. Catherine wife of John Swearingen. John Rorer paid an alienation fine.
John of Lampeter, Lancaster, PA left “Piney Hills” to his son, Martin, in his will which was written 12/1/1768 and proved 12/7/1771 in Lancaster County PA.
When Martin Rohrer (1751-after 1783) died, his son John M Rohrer inherited “Piney Hills”. Martin Rohrer paid the taxes for Piney Hill in 1783. In 1792, there are land transactions that involved the land that had been John of Lampeter in Lancaster County Pennsylvania involving John’s son Jacob and the other children of John of Lampeter. These are in the 21397 Lancaster Co PA Deed Book 1790-1792 NN1791-93, NN-353-59 20 Mar 1789, NN-573-577-23 Mar 1789 and NN-573-578 3 Mar 1792. Martin’s name being included in these records seem to indicate Martin was still alive in 1792 but no record of him has been found in Washington County Maryland after the 1783 taxes record, and Abraham Smutz and John M Rohrer paid taxes for portions Piney Hills in 1803 – 1804.
John M Rohrer sold 56 ¾ acres of “Piney Hills” to Jacob Rohrer in 1810 for 527 pounds 10 shillings. The record of this can be found in the Maryland Archives for Frederick County land records Liber W p 366-368. The purchase was made 10/10/1810 and recorded 12/24/1810
Jacob Isaac Rohrer married Magdalene Rohrer in 1811 in Washington County, MD.
Then in 8/25/1817 in the Frederick County Maryland land records Liber CC 323-325, a clarification is recorded about “Piney Hills”. The deed of 1810 left out a piece of the land. And at this time the land is sold by Jacob Rohrer and John M. Rohrer to Frederick Rohrer for $4,420 US money. This land record states that Magdalene Rohrer, wife of Jacob Rohrer and Elizabeth Rohrer, wife of John M. Rohrer agree to the sale. At the time frame of the 1817 sale, the only living Jacob Rohrer with a wife named Magdalene was our Jacob Isaac Rohrer.
On 8/25/1817, Jacob purchased land in Holmes County, Ohio from his brother Frederick Rohrer for $1400. This sale can be found in Vol II transcripts Holmes Co., Millersburg, Ohio Probate Court p 46-47. (It was recorded 11/20/1817.) The dates of this purchase following his sale of the land in Maryland explains where he got the money to purchase his farm in Holmes County Ohio.
In addition to the land records we also took into consideration that Jacob Isaac Rohrer named his first son Martin which could have been conceivably after Jacob Isaac’s father who died at the age of 35.
While we continue to study and search for confirmation in early census records, administration records, estate records, land records, wills, marriage records and church records, it is our belief that we have found the father of Jacob Isaac Rohrer. In regards to the identity of Jacob Isaac’s mother – we have theories but the search continues for confirmation of these ideas. We hope that by obtaining some original records, as opposed to transcriptions of records, we will be able to clarify some details of who Jacob Isaac’s mother might be.
It should also be noted that, in early Rohrer records, just like there are many Jacobs, Fredericks, Johns, and Samuels, there are many Martins. Early Rohrer records repeat given names in different generations along with the same given name being in different lines in the same generation, sometimes in the same family unit. Various Rohrers married women with the same given name and various Rohrers married women with the same surname. Therefore, it is not surprising that several publications confuse the Martins. We would like to clarify that there is another Martin (1767-1845) who is the son of Samuel Rohrer (1728-1788). This Samuel was our Magdalene’s grandfather and this Martin (1767-1845) was the brother of John Rohrer, Magdalene’s father. It was this Martin who went with Capt. Lewis into Indian County. His identity can be verified with his military record, his marriage record, a land record, and his will, the latter two recorded in Muskingum County, Ohio. Another Martin who is frequently confused with the Martin who is the son of John of Lampter is John’s younger half-brother. This Martin had all daughters. Documentation can be provided to differentiate these Martin’s from the Martin who is Jacob Isaac’s father upon request.
Shirley Boyd and Mary Rohrer Dexter (November 2017)
No comments:
Post a Comment