NOTES & NAMES:
(By Fred
Coffey)
WHO WAS JACOB'S FATHER?
We long
believed that the father of Jacob was one “Frederich
ERNIGH. And Frederich did indeed have a son named
“Jacob”. But we now KNOW that Frederich’s son was a
DIFFERENT Jacob. We don’t know who was the father of our
Jacob Arney, but it was NOT Frederich.
Since some
readers may recall the old assumption, I have left the name above, with a
strike-through.
We DO,
however, now know the ancestry of Frederich’s Jacob. Here’s
a link to a paper on his family, just for our backup information:
www.coffey.ws/FamilyTree/Docs/ERNIGHFrederich(W).pdf
I exchanged
notes with three genealogists, Stan Arney, Tom Rider,
and Cherie Ohisson. And they (mostly Tom) made a very
convincing case that the Jacob Arney who was the son
of Frederich was an entirely different person
from the Jacob Arney who is our ancestor.
THE CURRENT
GENEALOGY:
Particular
thanks to Stan Arney (descendant of Jacob’s son
Peter), Cherie Ohlsson (descendant of Christian), and Tom Rider (descendant of
Henry) for their assistance. We have exchanged a huge number of notes about our
common ancestry, and the following reflects our analysis. And be aware we still
don’t agree on everything!
My notes
about this Jacob Arney are more copious than for most
of my ancestors, because there are a number of “mysteries” about Jacob and his
family that we are trying to solve. I beg your patience.
As part of
this, I have collected info about Werner Spönhauer
(with various spellings) and about a John Daub/Doub,
who both had significant interactions with Jacob and his family. Although a
“work in progress”, these notes will ultimately be in my family tree under
these names. Also see notes with Jacob’s father-in-law Lorentz Kron, at:
http://www.coffey.ws/FamilyTree/Docs/KRONLorentz(W).htm
Also look at
the following for info on the Spönhauer family:
www.muttenzdescendants.org
JACOB’S BIRTH:
We don’t
know exactly when or where Jacob was born. We know his wife was born in 1722,
so it may be likely that Jacob was born about the same time?
It is most likely he was born in Germany or Switzerland, and came to America in
the 1730’s or 1740’s.
Perhaps arriving from the same origins as the Spönhauer’s, or the Krons?
JACOB ARNEY IN YORK COUNTY, PA:
Understanding
the relatives and associates of our Jacob supports part of the story - by
placing Jacob and these people first in York County, PA, and finally in Surry
County, NC:
Stan Arney found “A List of Book Debts” from the estate of
Christian Croll, one of the founders of Yorktown. He
died 20 Aug 1758, and his son Michael handled his estate. The estate inventory
included this “List”. And on Page 23, Jacob Arney is
shown as having a “book debt” of 0 pounds and 8 shillings, in Christian Croll’s store. SO, we know that Jacob was there by no later
than 1758.
Tom Rider
writes that our Jacob Arney was in York County, PA,
in 1760 and 1761 (citations follow), where he was close to his brother-in-law
Werner Spainhour (aka Spainhower,
Spönhauer, Spoenhauer,
etc.). Werner moved to North Carolina in the mid-1760's, and Jacob probably
moved at about the same time. They initially settled in or near the Moravian
settlement in the area that became Surry County. Werner stayed there until he
died in 1787, while Jacob moved on to Tyron/Lincoln County. However
Jacob left connections is Surry County: His son (our ancestor) Henry Arney remained there, and when Jacob died his young
daughter Catharine was bound to one John Daub/Doub,
who still lived in Surry. John Daub's wife was Eve Spainhour,
a daughter of Werner.
Jacob's
first wife was Anna Ursula KRON, and Werner's second wife was her sister Anna Elizabetha KRON. Their parents were Lorenz and Anna Ursula
Kron, who settled in York County after their arrival in America in 1741.
Further,
Jacob's son Henry (full name Johann Heinrich), and Werner's son Johann Jacob,
also married two sisters they found in North Carolina – the daughters of my own
Moravian ancestor Andreas Fulk (aka Volk or Volck).
Further,
Jacob's son Christian, born in about 1750, served in the Revolutionary War, and
his pension application says he was born in Yorktown, York County, PA.
As evidence
of Jacob's presence in York Co., Tom Rider cites the "Minutes of the York
County Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas 1757-1761". For the period July
1760 to July 1761 there are 5 references to legal actions by Jacob Hunsinger vs. Jacob Erny/Erney. The fifth reference also names "Lorence Crone" who is almost certainly either Jacob's
father-in-law Lorentz Kron Sr., or his brother-in-law Lorentz Kron Jr.
Also
"York County Church Records of the 19th Century – Jacob Lischy Private Pastorial
Record" (available on ancestry.com) reports the baptism of Anna Elizabeth,
daughter of Jacob Erny and Anna Ursula, on 20 Mar
1761. Sponsors Wernhard Sponhauer
and Anna Elisabeth.
It also
reports the baptism of Michael, son of Werner Sponhauer
and Anna Elizabeth, born 4 Feb 1753, Sponsors Lorrentz
Kron and Anna Ursula.
So, we have
direct references that our Jacob was in York County in the period 1758-1761.
But it is highly probable that he was there by about 1750 – because his son
Christian reported he was born in Yorktown, York County in about 1750. Also there is direct evidence the Krons
were there no later than 1752.
MOVE TO NORTH CAROLINA:
Most seem to
believe that our Jacob moved his family to North Carolina in about 1767, and
purportedly settled near Bethania (part of the Moravian tract known as
"Wachovia", which is near present-day Winston-Salem, NC.)
I haven't,
however, yet seen any direct evidence that Jacob himself spent much time near
Wachovia. But he clearly had substantial connections to people who did
permanently settle in or near Wachovia - including his son Henry who married a
Moravian girl and settled there.
Stan Arney provided the first direct evidence I've seen of
Jacob's presence in North Carolina. In 1772 and in 1775 Jacob had land
transactions in Tryon County, in the part that became Lincoln County. However this is about 75 miles as the crow flies from
Wachovia, which would have been a few days' travel in the 18th
century.
Appears
Jacob got a Land Warrant on 19 May 1772, and began making improvements while
awaiting survey and paperwork? The final Land Patent followed this on the same
land on 2 Mar 1775. The patent read "JACOB ARNEY 2 March 1775 200 acres in
Tryon on the S. side of the S. fork of the Catawba River – Including Arney's own improvement."
Jacob died
in Lincoln County in about 1784. His orphan son Peter was bound to one John
Fullenwider in Lincoln County. However Jacob's
daughter Catharine was bound to John Daub, a resident of Wachovia. More on that
later.
MORAVIAN CONNECTIONS:
In this
discussion I will show that the people identified above in York, PA, later
became highly involved with the Moravians in North Carolina. And I will show
that this was a very easy transition for them.
The above
refers to York County Church records of Jacob Lischy.
That church would have been a German Reformed church, and one of his churches
(he had connections to several) still exists today as Trinity United Church of
Christ in York, PA. Jacob became their first pastor on May 14, 1745, in a log
church.
The
Moravians were also German/Swiss. Their main congregation was in Bethlehem, PA,
but they formed a major satellite congregation at Wachovia in what became Surry
County, NC. And the road the Moravians used to travel back and forth passed
right through York.
But the
roots of the connection between the "German Reformed" baptisms in PA,
and "Moravian" baptisms in Wachovia, can actually be found in Pastor
Jacob Lischy himself. Here are some highlights from
his biography:
Lischy adopted
Christianity under the Moravians at Basle, Switzerland, when 14 years old. He
was ordained a Moravian minister at Bethlehem in 1743. He described himself as
"preaching for the congregation of God in the Spirit", and used
different modes of worship, uniting the Moravian, Reformed and Lutheran faiths.
This got him into repeated controversies. He went to York, professed to be a
Reformed minister, and got the job there.
So, it would
likely be a very easy transition for members of his congregation to switch
between Reformed and Moravian, and to join the Moravians on a trek to NC.
With that
background, let's examine their involvement with the Moravians in NC. This is a
topic of particular interest to me, since I have other ancestral connections
with the Moravians and with Surry County, where the Wachovia tract was located.
I have spent a lot of time reading Court Records, and
examining the Moravian Diaries ("Records of the Moravians in North
Carolina", edited by Adelaide L. Fries).
(For
background on my other Moravian connections, and a discussion of the Moravian
travel routes, see:
www.coffey.ws/FamilyTree/FamilyNotes/MoravianRoads.htm
You were
introduced to Werner Spainhour earlier, in York, PA.
Werner moved to NC, and the Moravian Diaries have 3 references to Werner: A
passing reference proves he was present in the area no later than May 5, 1766.
And the last two references cover his death and funeral planning in 1787.
These last
two items show Werner had a Moravian funeral, despite his involvement with the
German Reformed church in PA. Further, the entries show that Werner had a
brother, Heinrich. And other diary references show that Brother Heinrich was
VERY active in the affairs of the Moravian Church.
Heinrich Spainhour's wife was named Elizabeth, and she was also
active by serving as a midwife for the community. And there was a
"Heinrich Jr.". (These three appear to have been in Bethania by no
later than the close of 1762. One entry reads "At the close of 1762 the
congregations in Wachovia consist of 148 souls, that is… in Bethania… Married
Couples… Heinrich Spoenhauer (and) Elizabeth… (and) 1
Older Boy… Henrich Spoenhauer.")
Werner's son
(by his first wife), Johann Jacob Spoenhauer, married
a Moravian. She was Anna Catherine Volck (Fulk), daughter of Andreas Volck,
and sister of Maria Magdalena Fulk (Volck), who became my Henry Arney's
wife. The Moravian Diaries tell us that the children of both Jacob Spoenhauer and Henry Arney are
being baptized into the Moravian Church.
Our Jacob Arney, however, is never mentioned by name in the Moravian
Diaries. Perhaps he was not a church member and/or not very active? Or perhaps
he didn't actually spend any or much time in the area before moving on to
Tryon/Lincoln County?
Actually,
Jacob's son Henry Arney is also never mentioned by
name – but we KNOW he was there because the records are covering the baptism of
HIS children. The diaries just identify who asked the Moravian Brethren to come
and baptize his children, and Henry was not the one asking. I kind of get the
impression the instigator was Grandpa Andreas Volck,
who was perhaps insisting, "MY grandchildren WILL be baptized into THIS
church!")
One of those
baptisms is of Henry's baby son Jacob Arney, born 18
Mar 1778 – and this Jacob is also my own ancestor. Hey – this Jacob was named
after his paternal grandfather. Could this be a family naming convention, and
would knowing the name of the first-born son of grandfather
Jacob tell us who HIS father was? (If so, Jacob’s father was named
“Christian”!)
Stan Arney reports that after the death of Jacob, Jacob's son
Peter (Stan's ancestor) was bound to one John Fullenwider in Lincoln County
(where Jacob died), to serve and learn until he reached maturity.
The really
interesting thing, however, is that Jacob's daughter Catharine was NOT bound to
someone in Lincoln, but to someone in Surry County, proving that Jacob and his
family still had Surry connections.
The Surry
County Court Minutes for 15 Nov 1786 read "Ordered Catharine ARNEY an
orphan age 12 years February last, be bound to John
DAUB til 18 years old."
I'm not
clear on North Carolina law, but I speculate the law might have held that Peter
was old enough to select his own guardian, but Catharine was too young; and the
court and/or her family made the decision. One possibility is that Jacob's son
Henry may have had a hand in the selection of Daub? Henry would have already
had six kids of his own, and perhaps couldn't make room for his half-sister as
well? Also, Daub's wife appears to have been Mary Eve Spainhour,
a daughter of Werner Spainhour by his second wife
Anna Elizabeth KRON.
Anyway, John
(Johannes) Daub has several references in the Moravian records. Most of those
refer to his occupation as a "tanner", or "leather dresser”.
There are also references to his son Joseph being baptized by the Moravians
after his birth on 8 Aug 1787. And later the Moravian diaries call him
“Preacher Daub” – because he became a well-known Methodist minister!
JACOB’S SECOND WIFE, ELIZABETH
We’ve talked
about Jacob’s first wife, Anna Ursula. But his will, which we will show later,
indicates that when he died his wife was “Elizabeth”. And many genealogists
have assumed that Elizabeth was the mother of some of the younger children.
At first I thought otherwise: With one line of argument,
Jacob’s daughter Catharine, the above discussed orphan bound to John Doub, is fundamental. IF Catharine were a daughter of his NEW
wife Elizabeth, then there would be NO BLOOD RELATIONSHIP to John Doub or to his wife, and Catharine’s bondage to that family
would seem strange – especially given that she had to move about 75 miles to
join her new family.
But if
Catharine is the daughter of Anna Ursula Kron, Jacob’s first wife, then that
bondage makes a bit more sense. Anna Ursula Kron’s sister Anna Elizabeth Kron
married Werner Spainhauer, and their daughter Mary
Eve Spainhauer married John Doub.
So Catharine would have been bound to the family of
her FIRST COUSIN, Mary Eve Doub.
But we now
have evidence that Anna Ursula, Jacob’s first wife, was born 13 Dec 1722, and
evidence that Jacob’s daughter Catharine was born Feb 1784. That would make
Anna Ursula 51 years old. That’s just too old – it can happen,
but is very rare.
Also there is a
gap in the sequence of children: The last clearly known child of Anna Ursula
was Anna Elizabeth, in Mar 1761. The next known child of Jacob was Peter, born
1772.
I also think
it likely that when Jacob’s first wife died, Jacob would be unable to raise
young children by himself and would promptly seek a new wife – and would
proceed to have children with her. So with Peter born
in 1772, I suspect that Anna Ursula died circa 1771, Peter remarried, and he
and Elizabeth had their first child, Peter.
JACOB’S WILL AND DEATH;
Only a
fragment of Jacob’s will has been found, and posted by
Stan Arney. It includes a sentence fragment
“hereafter named Elizabeth Arney” (context unclear),
followed by the will conclusion “…with all the furniture and the Lands
tenements horses cattle sheep that live about it and after her death the land
shall belong to my children Equally and this to be my last Will and testament
in witness where of I have here unto set my hand and seal fourth day December
In the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred eighty two.” Under “Jacob Arney his Mark” we see what seems to be a VERY shaky
attempt to print “J A C O B”.
From this I
conclude that Jacob was probably in poor health, and
conclude that his wife was still alive and named “Elizabeth”. However on my own I found something that suggested he did
survive until 1784: “Court of Pleas & Quarter sessions, Lincoln County, NC,
October Court 1784: ‘The Last Will & Testament of Jacob Arny
proved in Open Court by Michael Summey’.” (“Micle Sumy” appears to be the name of the witness on the
1782 will.)
His will
fragment, showing his “mark” is displayed below:
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