NOVEMBER 1991 NEWSLETTER Here are a couple of photos that you may or may not find interesting. The first is of Henry Mower Sr. (1798-1878) and two of his sons. Can you name the sons? We believe the tallest is Michael Mower, son of Henry and Almira Jane Wheeler. We believe the second is Andrew Mower, also the son of Henry and Almira Jane Wheeler. You probably know this already, but Henry Mower Sr. was the father to 25 children:
By Mary AMICK: Catherine 1818 Mahala 1820 Leah 1822 Henry 1824 John 1826 Susan 1829 Mary 1830 Ezra 1833 George 1836 Hannahette 1841
By Lucretia HUPPER: Matilda 1848 Orson 1849 Oscar 1852 Lucretia 1854 Eliza 1854 Delilah 1858
By Almira Jane WHEELER: Brigham 1857 Heber 1857 Henry 1858 Almira 1861 Joseph 1863 Hyrum 1863 Michael 1865 Andrew 1868 William 1870
Thank you for your support this month, and the many letters. We have been heavily involved in the records of Hornbach, Germany. I have located some very interesting records. I have identified many BRILL and MAURER families from surrounding villages, and some who actually lived in Hornbach and Boeckweiler. I am searching for Michael and Elisabetha MAURER who are the parents of Anna Maria (MAURER) BRILL---wife of Martin BRILL. Anna Maria MAURER was the 2nd great grandmother of Henry Mower Jr. through Mary AMICK's line, and the great grand aunt of Henry MOWER Sr. through the MAURER line. (See enclosed pedigree chart).
Michael and Elisabetha MAURER of Hornbach were having children around the 1700 time frame. We know they had a daughter named Anna Maria, who married Martin BRILL, and I believe they also had a son also named Michael MAURER (father of our Andrew MAURER). I am searching for a MAURER family living in Hornbach about 1700-1725 who had children named Anna Maria and Michael. They may have had additional children named Henry, Andrew, and Jacob.
I have located Swiss Emigration records of 15 May 1676 that list a Michel MAURER who immigrated to Hornbach from Austria in that year. His wife at that time was Susanna SCHULENG. This very well could be the Michael we are searching for who immigrated with a first wife. This in itself is not sufficient evidence, and we need to locate additional evidence such as a death and/or subsequent marriage to an Elisabetha to tie them into our line.
I have located dozens of BRILL families living in the Boeckweiler area which is just a couple of miles from Hornbach. I have also learned some interesting things about the area of Zweibruecken, Hornbach and Boeckweiler, Germany. This was a intense battle zone in World War II and French artillary destroyed much of the area. Some church records were lost, some have been reconstructed, and some were in archives at other locations. Not all of those records are on file at Salt Lake City.
I have written to a Michael MOWRER (mentioned in previous Newsletters) who is living in Germany. He is helping me locate a genealogist who lives in the Zweibruecken area who would be willing to work for our family in traveling to local archives, reading German script on the site, and searching the many possibilities for family information in land, deed, and tax records, etc. of the area.
Our cousin, Dorothy FOLK, wife of Karl FOLK, has written me from Olympia, Washington and has volunteered her husband to help in the work. I am writing letters that say exactly what I need said, and Karl is translating these into German for us. This is saving us money. Even though I speak and write some German, I do not possess the skills to communicate intelligently in complex genealogical matters.
Karl can also read German script and I will gladly put him to work translating Church records of towns in the vicinity of Hornbach and Boeckweiler. These also must be searched for our ancestors and this is an extremely valuable help to Tedi Jeen and I who are spending large amounts of time working through records, writing letters, and traveling to Utah to research.
I continue to marvel at how various people have come into our life--- such as Michael MOWRER and Dorothy FOLK--- at just the right time to help us in our search for our ancestors. Just coincidence right?
The following is a partial list of MAURER families identified to date as immigrants to the Hornbach area from Switzerland and Austria:
Into Hornbach in 1664: Melchior MAURER from Rudt in the Bern area. Wife is Anna Catharina, the step-daughter of FRANKENTHALER.
Into Boeckweiler in 1680: Otto Philipp BILL (BRILL), the son of deceased Johannes BILL from Switzerland and wife Maria Barbara KUHN, the daughter of deceased George KUHN.
Into the area in 1681: Samuel MAURER, a linen weaver, from Switzerland and his wife Margretha GARDIN from the Bern area.
Into Hornbach in 1689: Niclass HOPPLER son of deceased Christian HOPPLER from Wattenweyl and his wife Margaretha GARDIN from the Bern area, the widow of deceased Samuel MAURER from Switzerland.
Into the area in 1691: Johann Ulrich MAURER, linen weaver, the son of deceased Samuel MAURER, linen weaver mentioned previously, and his wife Anna Barbara Seegmueller.
Into Hornbach on 1 June 1693: Andreas LEINER, a carpenter son of deceased Andreas LEINER, a carpenter from Woelfingen, Bern area and his wife Anna Otillie MAURER the daughter of deceased Samuel MAURER mentioned previously.
FHL #1676553 Extractions of Hornbach area villages and cities:
Dannenfels Balthasar MAURER 1817 Ludwig MAURER 1724
Hornbach Ludwig BRILL Ulrich MAURER (Living in Hornbach in1704) Paul Daniel BRILL b. 1765 Ludwig BRILL b. 1773
Ixheim (Mittelbach) Christian BRILL Heinrich MAURER 1888 Jacob MAURER 1729 Samuel MAURER 1656