JUNE 1993 NEWSLETTER
Remember the MOWER family reunion for everyone related to the Fairview, Utah MOWER lines. Saturday, 10 July 1993 at the Lion's Park by the city offices in Fairview, Utah. We are planning on eating lunch at 12:00 noon. Bring your own food, etc. The park has things for the kids---also tennis courts. After visiting for a while and lunch, a trip will be made out to the Fairview cemetery and Jed MOWER will point out some of the pioneer MOWER graves. For those interested, a tour of the original home sites in Oak Creek can be arranged.
Every once in a while great things happen in this genealogical work and this month is one of those times. I will print the Research Report of Trudy SCHENK which I received regarding Charles (Carl) GEISSINGER, and then I will comment on it.
RESEARCH REPORT ON CHARLES GEISSINGER by Trudy SCHENK
"Dear Mr. MOWER: I'm positive I have found Carl GEISSINGER's birth and therefore his birthplace. As I stated, I know there are Catholic church records filmed for the Vorarlberg area of Austria.
The catalog shows these films, but because Austrian films are used seldom, they are stored at the vault and had to be ordered. I looked into some books for this area including an old address book of the district town Bregenz, where all of the surnames listed with Carl GEISSINGER are shown. I was encouraged.
Now the films for Goetzis have been brought to the Family History Library and I have searched them frontwards and backwards, not to overlook anything.
On 5 Nov 1740, I found the baptism for Josephus Carolus GISINGER. In this parish is also one Johann MAYER born about the same time, and the names ENDER and ROESCH. In Bregenz I find the Oberlaenders in particular. Now to prove I have the correct man I searched all deaths (index in parish). He did not die in Goetzis.
In 1774, a marriage of a Carolus Josephus GISINGER made my heart drop. If it was the man I found he would be 34 years old. To my surprise, I found no children born to a Carolus Josephus GISINGER, yet to Franz Josephus with the same wife's name. So obviously, the pastor made a mistake in his given name in the marriage.
In order to prove that there was no infant death I found his confirmation entry in 1754 where he goes by the name Caroly Joseph GISINGER. I searched out his siblings and he has at least one living brother, Johannes. His parents named their first three boys Johannes (the first two apparently died in infancy). The death entries do not include them as infants.
His parents are not recorded in the death record, could they have gone to America? There are so many GEISINGER/GISINGER entries in Goetzis. Perhaps all of them should be extracted.
The mother of Carl Joseph is Maria WALSER. The church christening record shows seven possibilities all born between 1700-1707. The marriages do not give parents' names, therefore it cannot be determined which one is the correct ancestor.
I have written a letter to the archive in Bregenz, maybe there is a listing of boys who joined the military between 1756-1766. At this point I have three generations of GISINGERS. I'm not sure if you want them put on PAF or if you want to do it yourself. I'll hold onto the names until I hear from you.
Copies of the christening and confirmation entries are enclosed. Perhaps we should wait with submitting the names until we get an answer. Although I am convinced these GEISSINGERs wanted to be found. Please let me know how to continue. Sincerely yours, Trudy SCHENK."
I have written to Trudy and asked her to proceed. We are going to extract all the surnames of GISINGER and put together all families in the town related to us. We are also going to proceed with finding the birth and parents of Mathias (Matthew) GISINGER, the father of Charles.
When Charles arrived in America in 1766 he probably came as a prisoner of the war from Portugal. Upon his arrival in America he was taken to the home of the Mayor of Philadelphia, which would be a good explanation for why he was taken to the Mayor. This is not normally done.
We have a list of the 8 men who arrived on the ship Cullodian in 1766 with Carl GEISSINGER. Trudy has identified all of the surnames of the individuals who appeared on that ship list with surnames that appear in the Goetzis, Austria area. It appears that in the early 1760's our Charles and some of the local boys of the Goetzis area joined some kind of military force and went to Portugal to fight in the local war there. There Charles and some of his friends very well might have been captured and brought to America as an indentured servants. He shows up 6 months later as a runaway servant from New Jersey. We found a newspaper account of his physical description and a request for his return.
Of course we are very excited with the news of this discovery. More research will unfold the tale of our grandfather, Charles GEISSINGER. Many thanks to those of you who so faithfully finance the work. The research time of Trudy SCHENK was purchased with your donations. The result will be many of our kindred dead will be able to have their temple work done. We are now embarking on a great field of research in Austria and hope to identify many ancestors.
Sidelight: Tedi Jeen has been researching her grandmother's SCHWEIZER family that lived in Rafz, Switzerland. She has many hundreds of ancestors identified as having been born and raised in Rafz, which is about 70 miles from Goetzis, Austria. Now, what are the chances of a descendant of the Swiss SCHWEIZER family (Tedi Jeen) marrying a descendant of the Austrian GEISSINGER family (me) several hundred years after both families came to America? Just another "coincidence" I'm sure. I'm enclosing a map so you can see where Goetzis, Austria is.
AMICK RESEARCH UPDATE We researched in early May at the FHL in Salt Lake and were led to significant information regarding the AMICK line in Bedford County, Pa. I had been working all morning in the microfilms getting nowhere and I decided to go downstairs to the book collection and see if I could find some information on Michael MAURER or Christopher BRILL in the Bucks County area. The library was packed with people and with a little difficulty I found a spot at a table where I could read and study. A lady sitting next to me was engaged in a discussion with another lady at the table and I heard her mention the word "Bedford". Well, that kind of perked me up and I asked her if she was studying Bedford, Pennsylvania. She replied that she was. Well, I was getting real interested now. When I told her I was studying the AMICK and MOWER lines in Bedford, she said that her line was the AMICK line. This wonderful lady is Naomi C. HITE from Lancaster, Pa.
Sister HITE is filling a family history mission at the Church Office Building where she works 5 days a week, and "just happened" on that Saturday to come and research on her line at the library. We "just happened" to sit by each other. She has made a connection between Bedford County AMICKs and York County, Pa AMICKs. She said she had brought her documentation with her and had it over in her missionary apartment just a few blocks from the library. We walked to her place where she let me view her files and make photocopies of anything I thought was valuable. The results prove the origins of one of four Bedford County AMICKs that I have been interested in for nearly 4 years.
We have identified these individuals as early settlers of Bedford, Pa: 1. Joseph EHMIK who died 1802 and whose goods were inventoried that year. 2. John AMICK who married Anna Maria BRILL who is the father of Mary AMICK who married Henry MOWER Sr. 3. Michael AMICK who married Molly MOWER (She is the daughter of Andrew MOWER. Andrew was the grandfather of Henry MOWER Sr.) 4. Peter AMICK, who married Eve BOWSER and lived in Bedford Co.
Henry MOWER Sr. married three wives, the first being Mary AMICK, then Lucretia HUPPER, then Almira Jane WHEELER. Since his Aunt Molly married Michael AMICK, YOU are related to the AMICK line no matter which of Henry Sr.'s wives you descend through, so this information should interest all of you.
>From Sister HITE we received this documentation from the York County, Pa Orphan's Court:
1798: "On application the court appointed Peter Ickes to be guardian over the persons and estates of John Emich, aged sixteen years, Elizabeth Emich, aged thirteen years, George Emich aged ten years, Jacob Emich aged eight years, and Peter Emich age five years. Minor orphan children of John Emich late of Berwick Township, deceased." (Berwick Twp. is today in Adams Co., Pa, but was York Co. in 1798)
Later Orphan Court records: "Came into court Margaret Emigh and Philip Maul, Administrators of all and singular the goods and chattles rights and credits which were of John Emigh deceased and produced an account of their administration settled with the register of this county.."
Evidence linking York Amicks to Bedford Amicks: Will of John Ickes 1829 BEDFORD CO., PA Willbook #2 page 290 Children of John Ickes named: Adam Ickes, Jacob Ickes, John Ickes, Henry Ickes, Elizabeth Ickes, Philip Ickes, Peter Ickes (deceased), Margaret Stambaugh (deceased)and her first husband's children: John Amick, George Amick, Jacob Amick, Peter Amick and Elizabeth Eyler. Susanna Cobler(deceased) and her children: Polly, Isaac, and Michael Cobler.
Land Deed dated 23 November 1829: Lot and house in Buckstown, Bedford Co., Pa sold from George BOWSER to Peter AMICK which Margaret STAMBAUGH (deceased) and husband Peter STAMBAUGH had purchased in 1822.
>From the Bedford County Cemetery book we know that Peter AMICK was born 17 Jun 1793 and died 29 Sep 1877. This birth day matches the Peter AMICK in the York Co. Orphan Court records who was 5 in 1798. All of the children in the Orphan Court records match the children listed in the will, the mother, Margaret matches, as does Peter Ickes who was the guardian in York County and also listed in the Will as a son of John Ickes. This proves the York County AMICKs are the Bedford County AMICKs for this family.
This evidence does not prove that our John AMICK who married Anna Maria BRILL is the John AMICK listed as an orphan with Peter. It does support the idea that our John may have come from York Co. York Co. AMICK records may later prove John's birth, Michael's birth. It does prove Peter AMICK came from York Co.
RESEARCH UPDATE FOR AMELIA AUGUSTA ANDERSON
For the branch of the family interested in the lineage of Amelia Augusta ANDERSON wife of John L. MOWER, there is good news. Jack RASMUSSEN and I have been working with Ingegard PERSSON of Frolunda, Sweden on this line. Ingegard has identified the correct ANDERSON family in Lindesberg, Orebro, Sweden and is making some progress. There will be names available at the temple later this summer or early fall for family members to work on. Ingegard, who is a history teacher in Sweden, doesn't have a great grasp of the English language and her letters are extremely entertaining and amusing to read. Bless her soul! Specific members of this branch of the family may want to designate funds for this research, otherwise funds donated to us are used for the GEISSINGER and MAURER researchers from which all of us descend.
Here is her letter to me reproduced here for your enjoyment exactly as written by her: "Dear Mr. Mower! I thank you for your check and I am very sorry missing to write to you. I am hardly working on your ancestors but it takes a lot of time because I have to order the informations from another place in Sweden. besides of that I have had so much to do with all my pupils. I have learning history. It is very nice for me with this places Lindesberg and Lyusnarsberg (before called Kasparberg) because I have lived there in my childhood and remember the small places very well. I have found your ancestors and try to come backwards some step. Very soon I am ready to receiving you what I have found. Best Regards, Ingegard Persson"
MICHAEL MAURER RESEARCH UPDATE from Jerry MOWER I may have found the European origin of Martin KALB (KOLB) who witnessed the christening of Michael MAURER's daughter. From correspondence received from Barbara AUGSPURGER of Neosha, Missouri, I have learned that a Peter KOLB of Wolfsheim, Baden, Germany had sons immigrate to America in 1729, although Peter himself did not immigrate. Peter did have a brother named Martin who immigrated to the U.S. in 1707. We are researching to determine if Peter named a son Martin who may be the Martin who immigrated in 1728 on the ship Albany. It is our hope that if Peter did have a son named Martin, that Martin may have had a daughter named Anna Elisabeth, christened in Germany sometime prior to Martin coming to America in 1728. This Anna Elisabeth may be the wife of Michael MAURER. Why do we think this? Because two of the witnesses to christenings of Michael MAURER's children in Pennsylvania were: Martin KALB, and his son, Andreas KALB. It is very possible that Martin was Anna Elisabeth's father and Andreas her brother. European records may prove this. This will be on my research agenda for my next trip to the library.
In the New Goshenhoppen Records, Montgomery Co., Pa 1762-1832 I found an interesting marriage entry that may prove a relationship to us: 20 May 1783 Samuel KOLB, a son of Melchior KOLB and Anna MAURER, a daughter of Peter MAURER were married. This Peter MAURER may be the Peter MOWER who shows up living near our Andrew MOWER in Loudoun Co., Va in 1787 and whose children attend the St. James Church of Lovettsville, Loudoun, Va. We suspect he is a brother to our Andrew MOWER. Here again we have a tie in to the KOLB line. We suspect that Andrew's mother (Anna Elizabeth) may have been a KOLB.
REPORT ON THE MAURER RESEARCH IN PENNSYLVANIA by Susan KOELBLE
12 MAY 1993: "Dear Jerry, Last week I spent several hours working on Philadelphia probate records. As you know until 1785 Montgomery County was a part of Philadelphia County and therefore all probate records prior to that time were filed in Philadelphia.
"I am sure you are surprised when I said several hours. The probate records of Philadelphia were not maintained very well over the years. Many are missing. There are several places that they are kept and only some have been microfilmed. In addition the Register of Wills Archives is only open on Mondays and Fridays. To add to all this it take from ten days to two weeks to get copies made... Enclosed is a report of what I found in the records. Where noted, I can have the actual records copied if you wish.
"Quite often I come across a name that I recognize while do research for another client. While searching Montgomery County for someone else, I cam across the enclosed. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania's reference is FC/S m/box 72:1. It was copied from the Pennsylvania Archives and I am not sure if you already have this information. I will search these records on your behalf in the future. I am enclosing a statement of account. Please do not send any more money until I get closer to a zero balance. I look forward to your comments and suggestions. Sincerely, Susan S. KOELBLE."
Susan sent various information on two individuals we have interest in: John MOWER of Bucks Co. Pa and Peter MOWER, son of Jacob MOWER of Montgomery Co., Pa. We are studying this information. I will get back to her and get her to focus more on these people. Thanks everyone!