Maria Magdalena Summers (Sommer) is our 5th great-grandmother, and was the wife of Ernst Menge (aka Earnest Man). Over the past couple years, we've been able to piece together that Ernst came from Sodel, Hesse, Germany, arriving in Philadelphia in 1754 aboard the ship Edinburgh. We know that Ernst married first a widow named Catharina Klockner, and shortly after she died in 1766, Ernst married Maria Magdalena Summers. She would later be referred to in both her father's and her husband's will by her Americanized name, Mary.
But we have never known much of anything about Maria Magdalena (MM). We have no records indicating either when/where she was born or when/where she died. We have solely a marriage record in Philadelphia in 1766, and four subsequent baptismal records for 4 of her 8 known children with Ernst. In addition to her own children, she was also step-mother to a daughter from Ernst's previous marriage, as well as several young children from the first wife's previous marriage to Johann Georg Ernst. It's fair to say MM had her hands full.
Now that we think we're zooming in on the Sommer origins as Freistett, Baden, Germany, we've been using old church records from the village to piece together the story. We think we have established that her father, Johann Georg Sommer, married Anna Barbara Ruben in 1745. We have found baptismal records for three children born to them in Freistett, one of which was Maria Magdalena, born 11 Feb 1749. Great! So now we know when MM was born.
But wait. If MM was born in 1749, she was 17 years old when she married Ernst Menge, who was, according to our best guess, exactly twice that age, 34, at the time of his second marriage. There are plenty of examples of older men marrying younger women, especially during that era. But still, it seems rather young to me.
Then I noticed there was another Maria Magdalena Sommer born in Freistett. She was born 21 Aug 1740, the daughter of Georg's older brother Matthias. So here's that story. Matthias' wife, also named Maria Magdalena, died in 1741, a year after her daughter was born. It's not entirely clear whether or not Matthias remarried. But the idea suddenly comes to me that maybe the girl was adopted by Matthias' brother Georg and his new wife Anna Barbara. Well, maybe!
So now let's try this on for size. If MM was born in 1740, then she was 26 years old when she married. Let's add to that some new evidence we have found in Philadelphia church records. One record in 1762 says that MM was 21 years old and had been in the country for 11 years. The second record in 1763 lists her association with somebody named Mr. Hooks.
What might I conclude from these records? Well, the 1762 record confirms an arrival around 1752, which is when Georg Sommer arrived in PHL. And an age of 21 in 1762, means a birth year of about 1741, a date that is closer to 1740 than 1749! As for the 1763 record, I suspect that MM was a servant, and quite possibly a Redemptioner, meaning that she had to work to pay for her passage to America. Perhaps that obligation kept her from marrying until she was in her mid-twenties.
And what does all this mean for our family story? For one thing, it could mean that MM was not the daughter of Georg Sommer, but his niece. Certainly he referred to her as a daughter in his will, but I don't think he would refer to her any other way if he adopted her from his brother at an early age. Our family story would have to be rewritten slightly to say we are descended from Matthias Sommer rather than Johann Georg Sommer. And yet, does changing the family tree change the fact that Maria Magdalena Sommer came to America with Georg and Anna Barbara, and they were her only family? No, it does not.
We certainly have a long way to go to prove any of this theory, if indeed it can ever be proved at all. But it's once again amazing to me how our family stories continue to evolve the more we just keep being curious.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Sommer Marriage in Germany
There have been two major questions surrounding the marriage of Johann Georg Sommer. First is that his wife's name was Anna Barbara Longstreet. That her name was Anna Barbara, we have no doubt, but we have never found even the slightest clue about the surname Longstreet. Second, we have debated whether Georg married in America or in Germany. We think we are coming closer to an answer for both questions.
To address the second question first, we would need to know when Georg arrived in America. When he died in 1785, his obituary stated he was a member of the congregation for 42 years. This obituary was among records found for the St. James Lutheran Church in Greenwich, New Jersey. To be a member for 42 years, would mean he was in America from about 1743. Unfortunately, we've not been able to find any passenger records for that time that show his arrival. What we have found is a passenger list for the ship Brothers which arrived in Philadelphia in September, 1752. On board was Hans Georg Sommer, as well as Johannes Sommer and Hans Martin Sommer, names of younger brothers of our Georg. So we are leaning toward a 1752 arrival. Meanwhile we are still trying to locate the actual obituary to see if there might have been a transcription error. Even if there was not, Georg Sommer might have been a member of a Lutheran congregation that started in Germany. At this point, this investigation is still open.
But let's just go with the idea that Georg arrived in 1752. He would have been about 30 years old at the time. And given that we know his oldest son was born in 1747, this would most certainly suggest that Georg was already married when he arrived. So we started looking for a marriage in Freistett. Sure enough, on 19 Jan 1745, Johann Georg Sommer, son of Matthias, married Anna Barbara Ruben. And sure enough, on 23 Apr 1747 their son Georg Jr. was born.
So, wow. Georg Sommer WAS married with children when he arrived in America. And his wife, Anna Barbara, was not originally a Longstreet! How in the world did the name Longstreet ever get associated with her?? My current theory is that she remarried after Georg died in 1785. But so far, we've simply not been able to associate the Sommer family with the Longstreet name. And like so many of our women relations of this early time period, we have no idea whatever became of Anna Barbara from Freistett, Germany.
To address the second question first, we would need to know when Georg arrived in America. When he died in 1785, his obituary stated he was a member of the congregation for 42 years. This obituary was among records found for the St. James Lutheran Church in Greenwich, New Jersey. To be a member for 42 years, would mean he was in America from about 1743. Unfortunately, we've not been able to find any passenger records for that time that show his arrival. What we have found is a passenger list for the ship Brothers which arrived in Philadelphia in September, 1752. On board was Hans Georg Sommer, as well as Johannes Sommer and Hans Martin Sommer, names of younger brothers of our Georg. So we are leaning toward a 1752 arrival. Meanwhile we are still trying to locate the actual obituary to see if there might have been a transcription error. Even if there was not, Georg Sommer might have been a member of a Lutheran congregation that started in Germany. At this point, this investigation is still open.
But let's just go with the idea that Georg arrived in 1752. He would have been about 30 years old at the time. And given that we know his oldest son was born in 1747, this would most certainly suggest that Georg was already married when he arrived. So we started looking for a marriage in Freistett. Sure enough, on 19 Jan 1745, Johann Georg Sommer, son of Matthias, married Anna Barbara Ruben. And sure enough, on 23 Apr 1747 their son Georg Jr. was born.
So, wow. Georg Sommer WAS married with children when he arrived in America. And his wife, Anna Barbara, was not originally a Longstreet! How in the world did the name Longstreet ever get associated with her?? My current theory is that she remarried after Georg died in 1785. But so far, we've simply not been able to associate the Sommer family with the Longstreet name. And like so many of our women relations of this early time period, we have no idea whatever became of Anna Barbara from Freistett, Germany.
Some Great Research Tools
I wanted to make mention of a tool that was used to help us in our search for the home village of Hans Georg Sommer. His obituary said he as born in Freystadt, Elsas. The people at the international desk at the FHL immediately used the Fuzzy Gazateer:
http://isodp.hof-university.de/fuzzyg/query/
This site helped us investigate which of the matches that came up for Germany was closest to the Alsace region. Freistett in Baden was a Bingo!
I'd also like to make mention of some tools for helping in the rather daunting task of trying to read old German script. We had already run into some documents from early Pennsylvania written in German, but now that we're looking at actual German church records, the simple task of reading at times seems next to impossible to me.
So first I want to say I am currently using a great online tutorial for learning German script. It includes animations for how the letters are formed, downloadable practice pages, and reading tests. Considering how much I have been struggling with reading the German script, this is a lifesaver for me!
http://script.byu.edu/german/en/welcome.aspx
Assuming one can make out a word written in German script, there is then the job of translation. The best online reference I've seen is from familysearch:
https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/German_Word_List
So, as always, I deeply appreciate the internet for helping researchers like me. Without tools such as these, this line of my research would pretty much be over.
http://isodp.hof-university.de/fuzzyg/query/
This site helped us investigate which of the matches that came up for Germany was closest to the Alsace region. Freistett in Baden was a Bingo!
I'd also like to make mention of some tools for helping in the rather daunting task of trying to read old German script. We had already run into some documents from early Pennsylvania written in German, but now that we're looking at actual German church records, the simple task of reading at times seems next to impossible to me.
So first I want to say I am currently using a great online tutorial for learning German script. It includes animations for how the letters are formed, downloadable practice pages, and reading tests. Considering how much I have been struggling with reading the German script, this is a lifesaver for me!
http://script.byu.edu/german/en/welcome.aspx
Assuming one can make out a word written in German script, there is then the job of translation. The best online reference I've seen is from familysearch:
https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/German_Word_List
So, as always, I deeply appreciate the internet for helping researchers like me. Without tools such as these, this line of my research would pretty much be over.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Update On Catharina Menge
I had previously posted that Catharina Menge who married Peter Sommer was a sister of our Ernst Menge. But as our understanding of both the Menge's and the Sommer's has grown, I realize that Catharina was born too late to be a sister of Ernst. So - ooops! See how easily mistakes creep into the storyline? It must happen to everybody doing this work, I think...
So who WAS Catharina Menge, if not a sister? First we could go back and question whether she was a Menge relation at all, but then I revisit the fact that Catharina named her first child Johann Ernst Sommer and he was sponsored by Ernst Menge and his wife Maria. There was most definitely a connection. What I think now is that Catharina was a niece of Ernst Menge, and the daughter of Ernst's older brother Henrich. From the village genealogy we have of the Menge family in Sodel, Germany, we know that Henrich had a daughter named Anna Catharina who was born in 1751 - which is the exact right age for our Catharina Menge - so she must have made the journey to America as a very small child. Catharina's father Henrich died in April, 1773, just a month before the birth of her second child.
So there we have it, at least for now. It's not that this correction represents revised history because after all, the relationships and events of 260+ years ago are not different from what they were. Rather the story I tell about them is revised based on my ever-deepening understanding of who they really were and how they lived their lives. As it turns out in this case, the story of Catharina's life as I told it previously does not change greatly because I am realizing she probably had different parents than I thought she did. It remains that Catharina came from the same family group from the same area of Germany, and her life story continues to give us a wonderful view of the female experience in Philadelphia during Revolutionary times. Thank goodness.
So who WAS Catharina Menge, if not a sister? First we could go back and question whether she was a Menge relation at all, but then I revisit the fact that Catharina named her first child Johann Ernst Sommer and he was sponsored by Ernst Menge and his wife Maria. There was most definitely a connection. What I think now is that Catharina was a niece of Ernst Menge, and the daughter of Ernst's older brother Henrich. From the village genealogy we have of the Menge family in Sodel, Germany, we know that Henrich had a daughter named Anna Catharina who was born in 1751 - which is the exact right age for our Catharina Menge - so she must have made the journey to America as a very small child. Catharina's father Henrich died in April, 1773, just a month before the birth of her second child.
So there we have it, at least for now. It's not that this correction represents revised history because after all, the relationships and events of 260+ years ago are not different from what they were. Rather the story I tell about them is revised based on my ever-deepening understanding of who they really were and how they lived their lives. As it turns out in this case, the story of Catharina's life as I told it previously does not change greatly because I am realizing she probably had different parents than I thought she did. It remains that Catharina came from the same family group from the same area of Germany, and her life story continues to give us a wonderful view of the female experience in Philadelphia during Revolutionary times. Thank goodness.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Sommer Homes
Cousin Janice and I recently returned from a fun-filled week at the Family History Library in SLC. One of the highlights of our digging was finding the home village for our 6th great-grandfather, Johann Georg Sommer. Georg most likely came from the village of Freistett in Baden, Germany, just across the river and northeast from Strasbourg. His parents were Matthias Sommer, an innkeeper, and Anna Barbara Huebster. Georg had several other siblings, and we think two of his brothers, namely Johannes and Johann Martin, came with him to America. There is still some question about exactly when Georg came to Philadelphia, and specifically whether he married and had children before he emigrated from Germany or after. That part is still being researched.
Our second discovery was confirmation of something we already suspected, and that is that Hermann Sommer emigrated to America with five sons, namely Philip, Henry, Martin, Mattias, and Peter. There has been so much confusing and contradicting information on the internet about this line, but we believe we might have settled it! We did that by tracing this family to the village of Hoch-Weisel in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. A village genealogy we found clearly spells out the family of Hermann Sommer and his wife Anna Elisabetha Anschicks, and their six sons, one of whom remained behind in Germany. The youngest son, Peter Sommer, would end up marrying (and divorcing) Catharina Menge, thought to be the niece of our Ernst Menge.
So it appears, at least at this moment in time, that these two Sommer lines are not related except that they both married into the Menge family in America. This is all very exciting because it gives, finally, a much clearer picture of where these families came from and how their paths crossed in America.
See our article Differentiating Sommer Surnames, which can be found in the library on my research website.
Our second discovery was confirmation of something we already suspected, and that is that Hermann Sommer emigrated to America with five sons, namely Philip, Henry, Martin, Mattias, and Peter. There has been so much confusing and contradicting information on the internet about this line, but we believe we might have settled it! We did that by tracing this family to the village of Hoch-Weisel in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. A village genealogy we found clearly spells out the family of Hermann Sommer and his wife Anna Elisabetha Anschicks, and their six sons, one of whom remained behind in Germany. The youngest son, Peter Sommer, would end up marrying (and divorcing) Catharina Menge, thought to be the niece of our Ernst Menge.
So it appears, at least at this moment in time, that these two Sommer lines are not related except that they both married into the Menge family in America. This is all very exciting because it gives, finally, a much clearer picture of where these families came from and how their paths crossed in America.
See our article Differentiating Sommer Surnames, which can be found in the library on my research website.
Monday, October 22, 2012
A Visit to New Jersey
In September, I found myself in New Jersey with some time to kill. It's a long story about how that should happen in the first place, but all I can tell you in lessons learned is this: [A] When going on a research trip, expect the unexpected to happen. This would probably apply to life in general, but it was especially true on this particular research trip. [B] If you don't have a back-up plan, you must be willing to fly by the seat of your pants. Yes, m'am, time to make friends with your GPS.
So there I was in Phillipsburg, NJ which is just across the Delaware River from Easton, PA. From the research we've done to date, we know that the Mann's landed in Philadelphia and made their way up the Delaware, mostly settling on the New Jersey side. Having no plan whatsoever, I decided to drive around looking for old cemeteries. This was mostly inspired by knowing that we have no idea whatsoever where our original family are buried, which is to say Earnest Man and his wife Maria Magdalena Summers Man. So here's where I went:
1. The St. James Lutheran church was in Phillipsburg and the church is still there (whether it's the original, I'm not sure), and still operating. The cemetery is just across the street which is quite a busy road and very noisy, so not at all peaceful. The really old graves are right up to the fence where the road is - I can only imagine that they had trouble convincing authorities to preserve the cemetery at all. In any case, many many of the gravestones in there can no longer be read, and there was no apparent place to ask for locations. My guess is that maybe there is a church record saying gggggg-grandpa George Summers was buried there, but without the location and/or a stone we can read, we don't know where. And it's hard to say whether we have other relations in this cemetery, Summers or Mann's.
2. Next I drove north along the Delaware River to a place called Ramsayburg (the village is called Delaware I think within the township of Knowlton). In any case, I picked this cemetery because this is where Andrew Banghart is buried, a good friend of our Ernest Mann and husband of Maria Summers' sister Catherine. This cemetery was ALSO on a noisy road, which annoyed me for some reason - because this cemetery was chock full of people we know and the graves are all so old, it just seems like they should have a little peace and quiet! In any case, even though we already have pictures of all the graves I took pictures of, it was still very cool to see them in person. And lots of names we know: Banghart, Brands, Kirkhuff, Angle, Allison and more. Again, this cemetery does not have an office for locating graves, so I just wandered. Many stones here also can no longer be read, but not as many as are at the St. James Cemetery. In any case, if there are Mann's buried there, I did not find them. It was a very good try though!
3. From Ramsayburg, I drove back south, this time looping over to Washington township. Didn't see much there of any interest to speak of. So I set the car back toward Phillipsburg and a few miles out of town I passed a street sign that said Montana Road and screeched and veered until I was doing what? Yes, going UP the windy road of Scotts Mountain, the birth place of gg-grandma Sarah Mann - unbelievable! It is very densely wooded so the road is like going through a canopy of leaves, which are just starting to turn colors. I finally got to the top of the mountain where the view seemed to open up a bit, and I randomly turned left and immediately screeched to a stop again. I was sitting in front of the old Montana Methodist church and its old graveyard. Very small cemetery, but it is essentially full of names we know: Deremer, Fangboner, Rush, Beers, and even one of our own: Elizabeth Mann, the only one of the 2nd generation Ernest Mann family not to survive to have her own family or travel west to Michigan. I loved this cemetery. It is in such a beautiful location and it is wonderfully peaceful. It's worth noting that we are pretty darned sure that the first generation of Mann's were Lutheran, but that many of this second generation were Methodist. Or were they? I have in my tree that 2nd-Gen Ernest Mann was a trustee of the Scott's Mountain Presbyterian Church in 1815. I was told on this trip by a town historian that Presbyterians and Reformed churches often exchanged members, but those churches in particular frowned upon the Methodists. So what religion were the Mann's practicing?? I suppose it's fair to say God Only Knows.
So that was the extent of my cemetery-hopping. The next day, by a complete fluke, the research library operated by the Sussex County Historical Society was open in Newton, so off I went. What a wonderful place. The people were very friendly, and I spent two hours looking at a deeds database with one of their volunteer experts. What a treat. I came home inspired to account for all the Mann and Summers land deeds in hopes of coming upon more clues that might lead to a better understanding of their life in New Jersey. And as always, what I'm most watching for is some clue about the Knofts. Still looking for those pesky Knofts....
So there I was in Phillipsburg, NJ which is just across the Delaware River from Easton, PA. From the research we've done to date, we know that the Mann's landed in Philadelphia and made their way up the Delaware, mostly settling on the New Jersey side. Having no plan whatsoever, I decided to drive around looking for old cemeteries. This was mostly inspired by knowing that we have no idea whatsoever where our original family are buried, which is to say Earnest Man and his wife Maria Magdalena Summers Man. So here's where I went:
1. The St. James Lutheran church was in Phillipsburg and the church is still there (whether it's the original, I'm not sure), and still operating. The cemetery is just across the street which is quite a busy road and very noisy, so not at all peaceful. The really old graves are right up to the fence where the road is - I can only imagine that they had trouble convincing authorities to preserve the cemetery at all. In any case, many many of the gravestones in there can no longer be read, and there was no apparent place to ask for locations. My guess is that maybe there is a church record saying gggggg-grandpa George Summers was buried there, but without the location and/or a stone we can read, we don't know where. And it's hard to say whether we have other relations in this cemetery, Summers or Mann's.
2. Next I drove north along the Delaware River to a place called Ramsayburg (the village is called Delaware I think within the township of Knowlton). In any case, I picked this cemetery because this is where Andrew Banghart is buried, a good friend of our Ernest Mann and husband of Maria Summers' sister Catherine. This cemetery was ALSO on a noisy road, which annoyed me for some reason - because this cemetery was chock full of people we know and the graves are all so old, it just seems like they should have a little peace and quiet! In any case, even though we already have pictures of all the graves I took pictures of, it was still very cool to see them in person. And lots of names we know: Banghart, Brands, Kirkhuff, Angle, Allison and more. Again, this cemetery does not have an office for locating graves, so I just wandered. Many stones here also can no longer be read, but not as many as are at the St. James Cemetery. In any case, if there are Mann's buried there, I did not find them. It was a very good try though!
3. From Ramsayburg, I drove back south, this time looping over to Washington township. Didn't see much there of any interest to speak of. So I set the car back toward Phillipsburg and a few miles out of town I passed a street sign that said Montana Road and screeched and veered until I was doing what? Yes, going UP the windy road of Scotts Mountain, the birth place of gg-grandma Sarah Mann - unbelievable! It is very densely wooded so the road is like going through a canopy of leaves, which are just starting to turn colors. I finally got to the top of the mountain where the view seemed to open up a bit, and I randomly turned left and immediately screeched to a stop again. I was sitting in front of the old Montana Methodist church and its old graveyard. Very small cemetery, but it is essentially full of names we know: Deremer, Fangboner, Rush, Beers, and even one of our own: Elizabeth Mann, the only one of the 2nd generation Ernest Mann family not to survive to have her own family or travel west to Michigan. I loved this cemetery. It is in such a beautiful location and it is wonderfully peaceful. It's worth noting that we are pretty darned sure that the first generation of Mann's were Lutheran, but that many of this second generation were Methodist. Or were they? I have in my tree that 2nd-Gen Ernest Mann was a trustee of the Scott's Mountain Presbyterian Church in 1815. I was told on this trip by a town historian that Presbyterians and Reformed churches often exchanged members, but those churches in particular frowned upon the Methodists. So what religion were the Mann's practicing?? I suppose it's fair to say God Only Knows.
So that was the extent of my cemetery-hopping. The next day, by a complete fluke, the research library operated by the Sussex County Historical Society was open in Newton, so off I went. What a wonderful place. The people were very friendly, and I spent two hours looking at a deeds database with one of their volunteer experts. What a treat. I came home inspired to account for all the Mann and Summers land deeds in hopes of coming upon more clues that might lead to a better understanding of their life in New Jersey. And as always, what I'm most watching for is some clue about the Knofts. Still looking for those pesky Knofts....
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Three Sisters Knofts
Anybody who knows me and my cousin Janice knows that we're both rather obsessively dedicated to researching the Mann line. And why not? It's been so full of brick walls and if you're curious enough and stubborn enough (as apparently we are) then the challenge becomes invigorating. And see how invigorated we are??
One of those brick walls has been the wife of Ernest Mann II, Catherine Knofts. The Knofts name has been making us crazy for years. Nobody in America has or had that name, which might not be exactly true, but it's very nearly true. So what to do? Well, cousin Janice just keeps looking, day after day after day, even when it seems that surely we must accept never knowing. And what happens? The brick wall might be starting to wobble.
For the sake of keeping our research discoveries out for everybody to find, I am including here parts of a write-up posted by Janice on her MyFamily.com website. (If you're interested in seeing her tree there, let me know and I will put you in touch with Janice.)
This family has been a challenge as difficult to solve as the Mann family line has been. I found Knop, Knopeck, Knopf, Knoph, Knopman, Knopr, Knopp, Knops, Knopt, Kanoff and even Caganovsky listed as possible alternatives to the same name!
In New Jersey Marriages, 1684 to 1895, there were 3 Knofts women married between 1796 and 1797:
1. Wife: MARY KNOFTS [born about 1778 in Pennsylvania]
Husband: ABRAHAM FINEKBONAN [Abram Fangboner] Executor of his will was Earnest Mann.
Marriage: 25 Oct 1796 - Sussex, NJ [she was age 18]
2. Wife: DERNETHA KNOFTS [born about 1773 in Pennsylvania]
Husband: DAVID CUTCHOLEN [David Cutcheler]
Marriage: 6 Nov 1796 - Sussex, NJ [age 23]
3. Wife: CATHARINA KNOFTS [born November 15, 1770 in Pennsylvania]
Husband: EARNEST MAN [Earnest Mann]
Marriage: 1 Mar 1797 - Sussex, NJ [age 27-seems old for a first marriage]
All married by John Cline.
We've seen the original marriage documents, which is where we get the Knofts spelling. But it seems likely these women would not have known how their names were spelled because they were most likely illiterate. But the man who wrote the information down gave us a great clue by spelling the names exactly the same. These girls were sisters! All married within five months of each other! Two of them ended up relocating to the same area in Michigan, as did several of the children of the third.
The thing is we've always suspected these women were related. Janice's recent discovery was finding Dernetha (aka Dorothy) Cutchler in Waterford, Michigan! And now Janice is chasing the possibility that there was a fourth sister, Easter NOFE married to John NETCHEY/Nitchie on October 30, 1796 in Sussex Co., NJ, listed with the same marriage records as the other girls.
Finding Dernetha (for which Janice deserves all the credit!) has renewed our interest and resolve to figure out this Knofts surname. Even as we continue the research, we've ordered several death certificates of the descendants of these women thinking that one or all of them will list their mother's maiden name. I'm running out to my mail box every day with high hopes. So stay tuned - there might be light at the end of this tunnel yet!
One of those brick walls has been the wife of Ernest Mann II, Catherine Knofts. The Knofts name has been making us crazy for years. Nobody in America has or had that name, which might not be exactly true, but it's very nearly true. So what to do? Well, cousin Janice just keeps looking, day after day after day, even when it seems that surely we must accept never knowing. And what happens? The brick wall might be starting to wobble.
For the sake of keeping our research discoveries out for everybody to find, I am including here parts of a write-up posted by Janice on her MyFamily.com website. (If you're interested in seeing her tree there, let me know and I will put you in touch with Janice.)
This family has been a challenge as difficult to solve as the Mann family line has been. I found Knop, Knopeck, Knopf, Knoph, Knopman, Knopr, Knopp, Knops, Knopt, Kanoff and even Caganovsky listed as possible alternatives to the same name!
In New Jersey Marriages, 1684 to 1895, there were 3 Knofts women married between 1796 and 1797:
1. Wife: MARY KNOFTS [born about 1778 in Pennsylvania]
Husband: ABRAHAM FINEKBONAN [Abram Fangboner] Executor of his will was Earnest Mann.
Marriage: 25 Oct 1796 - Sussex, NJ [she was age 18]
2. Wife: DERNETHA KNOFTS [born about 1773 in Pennsylvania]
Husband: DAVID CUTCHOLEN [David Cutcheler]
Marriage: 6 Nov 1796 - Sussex, NJ [age 23]
3. Wife: CATHARINA KNOFTS [born November 15, 1770 in Pennsylvania]
Husband: EARNEST MAN [Earnest Mann]
Marriage: 1 Mar 1797 - Sussex, NJ [age 27-seems old for a first marriage]
All married by John Cline.
We've seen the original marriage documents, which is where we get the Knofts spelling. But it seems likely these women would not have known how their names were spelled because they were most likely illiterate. But the man who wrote the information down gave us a great clue by spelling the names exactly the same. These girls were sisters! All married within five months of each other! Two of them ended up relocating to the same area in Michigan, as did several of the children of the third.
The thing is we've always suspected these women were related. Janice's recent discovery was finding Dernetha (aka Dorothy) Cutchler in Waterford, Michigan! And now Janice is chasing the possibility that there was a fourth sister, Easter NOFE married to John NETCHEY/Nitchie on October 30, 1796 in Sussex Co., NJ, listed with the same marriage records as the other girls.
Finding Dernetha (for which Janice deserves all the credit!) has renewed our interest and resolve to figure out this Knofts surname. Even as we continue the research, we've ordered several death certificates of the descendants of these women thinking that one or all of them will list their mother's maiden name. I'm running out to my mail box every day with high hopes. So stay tuned - there might be light at the end of this tunnel yet!
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