Finding Eli Utech: A Palatine Genealogy Breakthrough and Our Bonhoeffer Connection

Posted on June 22, 2026 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

The Day the Utechs Became Nuticks: Cracking a Century-Old Palatine Mystery

First, I owe a sincere apology to my Nutick kin.

In the past, I have been guilty of getting so excited by a sudden genealogical breakthrough that I quickly posted findings I thought were correct, only to watch them completely pan out to be dead ends. Genealogy is a game of passion, and it’s incredibly easy to get swept up in the chase. This time, however, I did things differently. I have spent the last several weeks sitting on this information, double-checking every single document, cross-referencing old handwriting, and waiting until the foundation was absolutely rock-solid before sharing.

And Nutick cousins, I can finally say: the century-old brick wall has officially fallen.

Tackling the Wall from a Different Angle

To crack this mystery, I decided to stop chasing random surname leads and look at Eli from a completely different angle. I started with a simple geographic clue: both Eli and his wife, Margarethe Weiss, listed in various records that they were from the same general area of Germany. I accepted that he was, in all likelihood, from the Rhineland-Palatinate (Pfalz)—even if he wasn’t from the exact same village as Margarethe.

Next, I gathered every scrap of data we had. We already knew from his cemetery record that he was listed as Eli W. Utick, which meant his middle name was definitively a “W” name. Armed with this, I used AI assistance to input every single bizarre way his surname had ever been written down: Wegt (on his marriage record), Utig, Udig, Ottic, and Utteg.

By feeding all these phonetic variations into an AI model alongside the unique traits of the Rhineland-Palatinate regional dialect, the linguistic data pointed straight to one undeniable root name: Utech (alongside its historical variants like Uteg or Udig), with his middle initial “W” standing for Wilhelm. Suddenly, the mystery of the “Wegt” marriage record collapsed—it was just a terrible phonetic spelling of Utech!

The Schoolroom Shift: How Utech Spoke Its Way to Nutick

Our family history story is that the children went to a grade school where a non-German-speaking teacher listened to them say their name, insisted she heard “Nutick,” and declared that would be their name from then on in school. By the 1900 US Census, the family had fully adopted it.

Linguistically, this makes perfect sense. When a native Palatine speaker says, “Ich bin Eli Utech” (or introduces themselves in the local dialect), the words naturally run together. To an English-speaking ear untrained in German phonetics, the spoken context creates a perfect storm for mishearing.

Interestingly, this phonetic confusion wasn’t just an American phenomenon. While Eli’s sister Kate’s maiden name was listed correctly in most of her adult records, even a native German-speaking pastor in New York City fell into the acoustic trap, penning her name as Utteg in her children’s baptism records. Looking back at the original parish registers in Germany, a few branches of the family were explicitly recorded by old-world scribes as Uteg. Even in the homeland, the spoken regional dialect, on occasion, overpowered the clerk’s pen.

The Neighborhood Network: Finding Gimmeldingen in Cincinnati

To completely solidify the theory that Eli came from the Gimmeldingen area, I looked closely at the godparents he and Margarethe chose for one of their children’s baptisms: Frank Roth and Lena Roth.

They weren’t listed as man and wife, which suggests Frank was likely a brother or close relative to Lena’s husband, Daniel H. Roth, a local Cincinnati barber. But it was Lena’s identity that blew the case wide open.

Lena was born Magdalena Helene Groppenbächer on March 2, 1848, the daughter of Maximilian Joseph Groppenbaecher and Annae Mariae Dunkel. In America she went by Lena, and later by Helen. Her birthplace? Deidesheim, Germany.

If you look at a map of the German Wine Route, Deidesheim is the immediate next-door neighbor to Gimmeldingen—lying just a few miles apart. Surnames like Groppenbächer run incredibly deep in that specific pocket of the Pfalz wine country. When Eli settled down in Hamilton County, Ohio, he surrounded himself with people who spoke his exact, specific regional dialect. Having her be from the old country and stand at the baptismal font as a godparent provided the final, undeniable proof that our Eli Utech was exactly where the AI and the linguistics said he was from: the heart of the Gimmeldingen wine region.

Two Siblings, Two Destinies & The DNA Proof

The reason our DNA matches were so scarce for so long wasn’t because the tree was wrong—it was because the family branch was incredibly small. Out of his entire generation, only Eli and one sibling left descendants.

That sibling was his sister, Katharina “Kate” Utech, who married a Swiss weaver named Johann “John” Bastadi (Bastady) in New York City and remained there. Today, I have a handful of precious DNA matches to Kate’s New York descendants, proving biologically and definitively that we are indeed the Utech line.

Katharina migrated from Germany to the USA in 1864, the same year she married Johann “John” Bastadi/Bastady. I believe that Elias W. Nutick (Elias Wilhelm Utech) came to the US around the same time but chose not to remain in New York City.

Eli chose a different path. He migrated out west to Ohio, settling in Hamilton County where he lived in Columbia Township and Madisonville. It was there that he married Margarethe Weiss. In a beautiful twist of fate, Margarethe came from a prominent, vineyard-owning family in Klingenmünster—a town located just 25 miles down the exact same German Wine Route where Eli’s own ancestors lived.

Now, to be clear: 25 miles in the 19th century was a massive distance. Without cars or modern trains, a separation like that meant Eli and Margarethe lived in completely different worlds back in the homeland and would have never known each other in Germany. But the ties of the Pfalz run deep. They were both swept up in the same great wave of chain migration, drawn across the Atlantic to the exact same neighborhood in Ohio. Even thousands of miles from home, the invisible gravity of the Palatine wine country brought two neighboring regional bloodlines together on American soil.

Going back one more generation to Eli’s father (Elias Wilhelm Utech and his wife Anna Maria Frank), the bottleneck happened again. He also only had one sibling with living descendants: a sister named Anna Maria Utech, who married Anton Heini (Heiny). With so few physical cousins existing in the world, it’s no wonder the DNA databases felt like a ghost town.

From Brick Wall to the Palatine Elite

By finally proving that “Nutick” was actually of a Utech family, the brick wall didn’t just crumble—it blew wide open. Cracking this one phonetic code allowed me to trace our family all the way back to 17th-century Gimmeldingen, unlocking a historic, tightly woven network of Palatine civic leaders, foresters, and Huguenot refugees.

Surnames of our direct ancestors within the Utech and Franck lines: Utech, Mennert/Mehnert, Schmitt, Breuchel, Rappold, Koenigsberger, Creutz, Zinckgraf, Eisenmenger, Bibesheimers, Engel, Rau, Hugel, Maler, Cullmann, Frank/Franck, Müller, Ganion, Haas, Kohl, Gummersheimer, Schäfer, Ziegler, and Schöffer.

Elias W. Nutick was born Elias Wilhelm Utech on 6 January 1833 in Gimmeldingen, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and baptized four days later. He was the son of Elias Wilhelm Utech and Anna Maria Franck.

Gimmeldingen is an ancient, picturesque wine village nestled along the sunny western edge of the Rhine Valley, right at the foot of the Haardt mountains. Famous throughout Germany for its historic Mandelblüte (Almond Blossom Festival), the village marks the gateway to the German Wine Route where microclimates allow almonds, figs, and premium vineyards to thrive. For centuries, its cobblestone streets and stone churches were managed by a tightly knit network of regional administrators, court jurors, and craftsmen, making it a vibrant cultural crossroads where native Palatine families and incoming French Huguenot refugees built a lasting heritage together.

Eli’s family tree even revealed that we share common great-grandparents (my 9th G-Grandparents and Bonhoeffer’s 7th G-Grandparents) Johannes Cunradus Zinckgraff and Maria Notburga Eisenmenger, with the famous WWII anti-Nazi theologian and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (making us 9th cousins, twice removed). Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor in Nazi Germany whose opposition to Hitler cost him his life.

We are also direct descendants of Dr. Samuel Eisenmenger (1534–1585) —known by his Latin pen name Sideocrates. He was a famous professor of astronomy, mathematics, and medicine at the University of Tübingen.

From a misheard name in an American Ohio classroom to the heights of the European Renaissance and the heroes of World War II—not a bad transformation for our family tree.

Custom village poster designed with AI assistance to capture the spirit of the historic village of Gimmeldingen, including 17th-century Gimmeldingen landmarks.

To learn more about Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

  1. Pastor Fought Hitler: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Condemned to Death – Accidental Talmudist
  2. Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Wikipedia
  3. Have you heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer? – Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson
  4. Reformation after Luther: Bonhoeffer’s challenge to American Lutheranism – Living Lutheran

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2026. All rights reserved. Thank you.

Posted in Christian, Famous Kin, Genealogy, Judaism, Religious | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Pearl, The Maid, The Reformer, The Bishop, and the Red Kettle: Hunting for Graces Across 31 Generations.

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

The Queen’s Table: A Legacy of Messy Charity

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink… truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” — Matthew 25:35, 40

My journey into the ‘Cloud of Witnesses’ begins with a crown, but not the kind found in fairy tales. My paternal and maternal 31st great-grandmother was Saint Margaret, Queen of Scotland, known to her people as the ‘Pearl of Scotland.’ The name was fitting; like a pearl, her life was a rare and precious thing formed through the experience of exile and life in the rugged 11th-century kingdom. However, the true luster of this Pearl wasn’t found in her royal jewels, but in what historians call her ‘messy charity.’

While history often polishes the lives of saints into something distant and clean, contemporary accounts from her personal chaplain, Turgot, reveal a far grittier reality. In a royal court where protocol was everything, Margaret was shockingly hands-on. She refused to sit at her own banquet until she had personally hand-fed nine orphans and twenty-four beggars, often bringing them into her private chambers and serving them with her own utensils. During Advent and Lent, she would kneel in the dirt to wash the mud-caked feet of the poor—a task her courtiers found repulsive for a woman of her rank. Margaret understood that to be a ‘Pearl of Price’ in the eyes of God, one must be willing to get their hands dirty. This ‘messy’ hospitality is the very root of my family’s spiritual DNA—the first lesson in a 1,000-year curriculum of service that has led me to my own place at the Red Kettle.

The Pearl of Great Price is a biblical metaphor for the immense, incomparable value of the Kingdom of Heaven.

In Matthew 13:45–46, Jesus describes it as a merchant who, upon finding one pearl of incredible value, sells all he owns to possess it. For my family story, this represents a faith so valuable that it is worth any sacrifice—just like my ancestor St. Margaret who gave up royal comforts to serve the poor.

The Sword of Courage: The Guardians of Orléans

“Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground…” — Ephesians 6:13

If St. Margaret provides the ‘messy’ hands of mercy in my tree; a different branch of my family provides the ‘Sword of Courage.’ On my maternal side, I am descended from the Beauharnais family of Orléans, France. My direct ancestors in this line were not just distant observers of history; they were the very men who fought on the front lines alongside St. Joan of Arc during the legendary Siege of Orléans in 1429.

The depth of this connection is captured by Jean Beauharnais—the brother of my direct ancestor—who served as a magistrate and provost in the city. It was Jean who was called to provide crucial testimony during Joan’s nullification trial, famously remarking on how ‘comforting’ it was to speak with the young woman who had just saved their nation.

They understood that faith sometimes requires them to stand and defend the truth. This heritage of the ‘Sword’ reminds me that my seat on the Salvation Army board will not be just an administrative role—it is a duty to be a bold voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.

I like to think of these two as the original ‘Peacemakers of the Board Table,’ guiding my own seat on the Salvation Army board today.

The Religious Peacemakers in Germany & England

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” — Ephesians 4:2-3

This legacy of standing for truth didn’t end in the medieval courts of France; it evolved into a different kind of courage—the Courage of Peace. In the 16th and 17th centuries, my family tree provided two remarkable bridge-builders: my paternal ancestor, Johannes Schwebel, the ‘Quiet Reformer’ of Germany, and my maternal ancestor, Rev. George Lloyd, Bishop of Chester. Schwebel was a moderate voice in a time of religious upheaval, prioritizing the education of the poor as the true path to reform. A century later, Bishop Lloyd echoed this spirit in England, remembered for his ‘mildness of manner’ and his refusal to use his authority to crush religious rivals. Together, these men teach me that leadership is a stewardship of peace, and that true strength is found in the quiet, persistent work of fostering understanding—a lesson I strive to bring to my life today.

The Seeker in the Wilderness: Rev. William Davis

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” — Hebrews 11:8

Divine Providence often speaks in the language of the ‘unsettled heart,’ and I see this most clearly in my maternal ancestor Rev. William Davis. Though he lived almost a century before Blessed John Martin Moye, his life was a masterclass in ‘Abandonment.’ Born in Wales and educated at Oxford, William was a relentless seeker. He immigrated to Philadelphia in 1684 and spent decades navigating the religious landscapes of the Quakers and various Baptist groups before finally founding the Shrewsbury Seventh Day Baptist Church in 1745.

To the world, his shifting path might have looked like indecision, but through the lens of faith, it was radical trust. He was willing to be a religious outsider, planting churches in the wilderness of early America, because he trusted that God’s Providence was found in the pursuit of truth. He reminds me that sometimes the most ‘providential’ act is to leave the familiar behind to respond to a higher call—a lesson I carry in my life today.

The Red Kettle & The Divine Weaver: A Legacy Fulfilled

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” — Ephesians 2:10

While my family tree stretches across a millennium, the thread that binds these disparate lives together is the Charism of Providence. As an Associate of the Congregation of Divine Providence (ACDP), I see the fingerprints of Blessed John Martin Moye’s spirit long before he ever walked the earth.

What is the Charism of Providence?

The word charism comes from the Greek kharisma, meaning a “gift or grace of divine origin” given for the common good.

For the Congregation of Divine Providence (CDP), this specific gift was handed down by their founder, Blessed John Martin Moye, in 1762. It is defined by a radical “Trust in, and Openness to the Providence of God”.

Living this charism means practicing “Abandonment to Providence”—a total, trusting dependence on God for all needs while serving as a visible sign of His love to others, especially the poor. For a CDP Associate, this isn’t just an ancient rule; it’s a daily commitment to recognize God’s hand in every circumstance.

Moye taught that we must abandon ourselves to God’s care—a lesson my ancestors lived out in real-time. I see it in:

  1. The Pearl (St. Margaret): Who saw the face of Christ in the mud-caked feet of the poor, practicing a “messy charity” that required no permission from the world.
  2. The Sword (Beauharnais): Who stood with St. Joan of Arc, proving that Providence often requires us to be a bold, legal, and physical witness for the truth.
  3. The Peacemakers (Schwebel & Lloyd): Who understood that Divine Providence speaks through the “quiet path” of education and bridge-building.
  4. The Seeker (Rev. Davis): Who exemplified the radical “Abandonment” Moye preached, leaving everything behind to follow a higher call into the American wilderness.

Today, this 1,000-year curriculum of service finds its modern expression at a simple Red Kettle. When I step into the role of Mrs. Claus each year to ring the bell, I am not just participating in a holiday tradition; I am stepping into the “messy hospitality” of St. Margaret. I am using my voice, like the Beauharnais, to advocate for those who are overlooked.

My recent invitation to join the Salvation Army Board isn’t just a new title—it is a Providential appointment. It is the moment where the “Peacemaker’s” stewardship and the “Seeker’s” trust converge. I won’t just sit at a board table; I will sit at a table set by 31 generations of ancestors who taught me that to serve the poor is to serve God Himself.

I am simply the latest hand to pick up the ladle, the latest voice to defend the truth, and the latest heart to trust that God will provide.

“For almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin. Those who perform deeds of charity and of righteousness will have fullness of life”. — Tobit 12:9

A word about the Book of Tobit:

  1. Roman Catholic: In the Catholic tradition, Tobit is classified as a deuterocanonical book, a term meaning “second-listed” but no less inspired than the first. While Martin Luther moved it to a separate section, the Catholic Church definitively reaffirmed its place as God’s inspired word at the Council of Trent.
  2. Lutherans: Historically, German Lutheran Bibles always included the Apocrypha. Luther himself found great moral value in the book, especially for married couples, and even preached from apocryphal texts. Today, some Lutheran and Anglican lectionaries still include readings from Tobit for worship.
  3. Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Assyrian Church of the East Christians: Tobit is considered fully canonical and an inspired part of the Old Testament.
  4. Anglicans / Episcopalians: The Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England list Tobit as a book that the church reads for “example of life and instruction of manners”. It is often used in Holy Matrimony services.
  5. Other Traditions: The book is liturgically used by Methodists in their Eucharistic liturgy and serves as the basis for Amish wedding sermons. It is found in the original, unabridged King James Version (KJV) of the Bible.

👑 —— 🔔 —— 🕊️ —— 🔔 —— 👑

References and Further Reading:

  1. The Life of St. Margaret by Turgot, Bishop of St. Andrews
  2. Saint Margaret of Scotland | CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA
  3. St. Margaret of Scotland (16th November) | by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
  4. St. Margaret of Scotland: Sharing Her Very Self | Catholic Stand
  5. Jean-Martin Moye | Wikipedia
  6. Feast of Blessed Jean-Martin Moye (May 4) | SUNDRY THOUGHTS
  7. History of the Reformation in Germany by Lloyd Ranke
  8. Schwebel, Johann (1) | Biblical Cyclopedia
  9. Palatine Zweibrücken (Johann Schwebel) | Wikipedia
  10. George Lloyd Bishop of Chester | The Ancestry of George Lloyd (Havens Family)
  11. George Lloyd (bishop of Chester) | Wikipedia
  12. Rev. William Davis History | William Davis DNA Project
  13. Collection: William Davis Family Genealogy | West Virginia University Archives
  14. Davis, Venerable Son of Pioneers, Protects Indian Burial Plot With Care Is Descendant of Long Line of Seventh Day Baptist Church Leaders by WILBUR C. MORRISON | Smithsonian Digital Volunteers
  15. 6 things you might not know about Saint Margaret | by Samuel Wilson
  16. So Great a Cloud of Witnesses | Catholic Apostolate Center
  17. A Great Cloud of Witnesses | CultureWatch
  18. The Pearl of Great Price | Catholic Daily Reflections
  19. THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE | Lutheran Spokesman
  20. The Book of Tobit | Our Lady of Mercy | Sunderland, United Kingdom
  21. Martin Luther on the Apocryphal Book of Tobit | Lutheran Ladies Connection
  22. Congregation of Divine Providence – San Antonio, Texas
  23. What is divine providence? | Diocesan News | Southern Nebraska Register.
  24. Great variety in associate religious life provides many options | Global Sisters Report
  25. Seventh Day Baptists | Wikipedia
  26. Ministry Magazine | The Seventh Day Baptists

A Note on the Research:
This 1,000-year narrative is the result of my own deep ancestral research and spiritual reflection as a CDP Associate. I would like to thank my AI collaborator for the partnership in synthesizing these themes, verifying historical citations, and co-creating the custom visual gallery—including the St. Margaret ‘Pearl’ icon, the ‘Peacemakers,’ the ‘Seeker’s’ chapel, and the final ‘Complete Charism Map.’ Together, we’ve woven these ancient threads into a roadmap for my modern mission.

~ 🙘 🕊️ 🙚 ~

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2026. All rights reserved. Thank you.

Posted in Bible Study, Catholic, Christian, Christmas, Genealogy, Religious, Theology, World Religions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Ancestor Elizabeth “Betty” Roundkettle 🫖 Plant. Her Origins and Kin.

Posted on April 30, 2026 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

Betty Roundkettle is my 9th great-grandmother on the maternal side of my tree. I must admit, I love her surname—being the tea connoisseur that I am! Many public trees link Betty to an Elizabeth Ramsbottom, daughter of Francis, born in 1642. However, the original church register clearly says Ramsbottom—a Lancashire name. This would have made Betty thirty-four years old upon her arrival in Colonial America. The Ramsbottom surname has no connection to the surname Roundkettle; how or why someone decided that particular baptism record was our Betty is a mystery. But once it was out there, hundreds of trees copied it as fact.

The truth is that Betty was the daughter of Robert Thurkettle, a Victualler in the Cripplegate ward of London. Robert had migrated to London but was baptized on 9 March 1616 in the parish of Heydon and Irmingland in Norfolk, the son of William Thurkettle. He had three known brothers baptized in the same parish: Richard (b. 1620), John (b. 1624), and William (b. 1630). The gaps between these brothers’ baptisms likely hide the records of their sisters—including Ann Thurkettle, who would become a key figure in the story of Betty and her husband, John Plant.

Our Betty was baptized on 28 December 1653 as Elizabeth Thurkettle at St. Giles-without-Cripplegate, London, the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Thurkettle. This would make her twenty-three when she landed in Colonial America. In the 17th century, spelling was anything but standardized. A colonial Connecticut clerk likely misheard the Norfolk surname Thurkettle as Roundkettle due to a combination of phonetic shifts. Between the thick Cripplegate working-class accent and East Anglian dialect features, vowels were often shifted or unrounded. If the clerk perceived a London rounding of the “u” in “Thurkettle,” it likely sounded like the “ou” in “Round”—giving birth to the unique American surname: Roundkettle.

Artwork above is of the Norse god Thor.

Thurkettle (and its variants like Thirkettle/Roundkettle) isn’t just a name—it’s a tangible link, a relic of the Viking Age.

The origin of the surname is from the Old Norse Þorketill (Thor-Ketill), it literally means “Thor’s Cauldron/Kettle.” In Norse mythology, the “Kettle” was a sacred vessel used for brewing ale for the gods. The “kettle” has significant symbolic and narrative roots, most notably in the myth where Thor must retrieve a massive cauldron from the giant Hymir to brew ale for the gods’ feast. During the Danelaw (9th-11th centuries), Vikings from Scandinavia settled heavily in Norfolk and Suffolk. They didn’t just bring swords; they brought their names. While the name morphed into “Thurkettle” in England, in Scandinavia today, you still see it as Torkel or Thorkild. (3 & 4)

📜 Fast Facts: The Danelaw (865–954 AD)

  • What was it? A massive region in northern and eastern England where Danish laws and customs ruled supreme, established after the Vikings and King Alfred the Great agreed to stop fighting and divide the land.
  • The Name Game: The term comes from the Old English Dena lagu, literally meaning “Danes’ Law.” It wasn’t just a place; it was a completely different legal system.
  • Lasting Legacy in Names: If a town ends in “-by” (like Derby or Whitby) or “-thorpe” (like Scunthorpe), you’re standing in the old Danelaw! “-by” meant a village, and “-thorpe” meant a smaller hamlet.
  • The “Thurkettle” Connection: Surnames like Thurkettle are the personal equivalent of “Grimston Hybrids”—names where Old Norse personal names (like Thorketill) merged with English settlements or became hereditary family names over centuries.
  • Viking “Wergild”: Legal disputes weren’t always settled with jail time. In the Danelaw, people often paid wergild (blood money or reparations) to the victim or their family to settle a crime.
  • Norse in Your Mouth: Every time you say the words “sky,” “window,” “leg,” or “law,” you are actually speaking Old Norse from the Danelaw era! (2)

You may be wondering what exactly is a Victualler? In the 17th and 18th centuries, a victualler was a specialized merchant responsible for providing food, beverages, and other essential provisions. In the Cripplegate section of London—a bustling ward known for its diverse trades —victuallers played a crucial role in both local commerce and the broader supply chain. (1 & 2)

The Trade of the Victualler.

In the crowded wards of Cripplegate, her father wasn’t just a merchant; he was an essential provider in a city that never stopped eating. Here is a breakdown of what that life looked like:

  • The Public’s Purveyor: Robert’s primary role was providing “victuals”—the life-sustaining food and drink that fueled London’s working class and travelers moving north through the city gates.
  • Master of the House: As a victualler, he was often the heart of the community, acting as an innkeeper or publican. His establishment served as a social hub, office, and dining room for his neighbors.
  • The Provisioner’s Reach: His trade extended to the sea. Victuallers often prepared long-lasting cooked goods, like potted meats and hard biscuits, specifically designed to survive the months-long voyages of colonial-bound ships.
  • A Licensed Pillar: This was no “fly-by-night” operation. To hold a license, a victualler was strictly regulated and required to be a man of good standing—which included mandatory attendance at St. Giles-without-Cripplegate to prove his moral fitness.
  • Economic Resilience: While it was a respected trade that offered a path to financial stability, it was a daily battle of management—balancing “precarious” inventory like aging cheeses and meats against the constant demand of a hungry city. (2)

Life in Cripplegate:

As a victualler in Cripplegate, Betty’s father would have operated in one of the most historically significant wards of London. The area was a gateway for travelers moving north and was packed with landmarks like St. Giles-without-Cripplegate church, where figures like Oliver Cromwell were married. St. Giles is also where John Milton (author of Paradise Lost) was buried. Victuallers’ establishments—often called “victualling houses” or “cellars”—were generally more basic and affordable than high-end coffee houses, serving as the essential “fast food” and social hubs of the colonial era. We do not know the exact location of his tavern, but the Fore Street area was the commercial heart of the parish and the primary location for victualling houses and social hubs.

According to parish records of St. Giles-without-Cripplegate church, these are the children born to Robert Thurkettle and his wife Elizabeth:

  1. William (1643–1651) — The naming tribute to his father in Heydon.
  2. Robert Jr. (1645–1648) — The namesake.
  3. Elizabeth #1 (1648–1650) — The tribute to his wife.
  4. Judith (1652–1653) — The summer tragedy, dying just months before Betty was born.
  5. Elizabeth “Betty” #2 (b. 1653) — The Sturdy Sole Survivor. 🫖
  6. Ann (1656–1658) — The final child.

Of all the children born to Robert and Elizabeth, only Elizabeth—affectionately known as ‘Betty’—survived to adulthood. She stood as the sole survivor of a family lineage marked by early loss.

Being the daughter of a victualler in Cripplegate provided Betty Roundkettle with significant structural advantages that likely contributed to her survival during the Great Plague of 1665. While she was born around 1653, she would have been approximately 13 years old during the peak of the epidemic, a critical age where many in London faced extreme food insecurity and isolation. (2)

Survival Factors for a Victualler’s Daughter:

During the 1665 plague, the London government prioritized a mature food supply system to prevent riots. As a victualler (a professional food and drink provider), Betty’s father was at the heart of this supply chain, ensuring his household had consistent access to protein-rich diets, which recent studies suggest was a major protective factor against plague mortality.

Access to clean drink was a life-or-death matter. In 17th-century London, the River Thames was heavily contaminated. Since victuallers often brewed and served small beer or ale—where the boiling process killed many pathogens—Betty would have had a safer alternative to the city’s dangerous water supplies.

Betty is noted in family histories as being described as small and fat. In this era, being “small and fat” was a visible indicator of consistent nourishment. Because Betty’s family traded in “victuals” (food), she likely maintained a higher standard of living and nutritional reserves, which helped her body withstand the physiological stress of the city’s “Dreadful Visitation”.

Unlike the poorest residents who remained trapped in unsanitary slums, victuallers were considered essential merchants. Their role allowed them to participate in the regulated markets and delivery systems established by the Lord Mayor to stabilize the city.

While the St. Giles Cripplegate parish was one of the first areas affected by the plague, Betty’s survival allowed her to eventually emigrate to Branford, Connecticut, and marry John Plant.

In several sources that discuss the oral history passed down regarding Betty, they state she was a small, fat, redheaded woman. In today’s culture, this would not describe a sought-after bride. In the late 17th century, John Plant likely viewed Betty Roundkettle as a choice bride due to her high survival potential, visible health, and the extreme scarcity of marriageable women in the New England colonies. According to family traditions recorded by his descendants, the two married on a ship bound for the New World because she was the only single woman on board. Whether they did marry onboard ship, which is less likely, or once they landed on solid ground, is a moot point.

A fuller figure was widely associated with fertility and robust health, which were essential for a man like John Plant, who needed to build a family to help manage his granted lands in Branford.

In the 1600s, men significantly outnumbered women in the American colonies. Finding a “marriageable woman” was a competitive necessity for survival and establishing a homestead.

Her description as “fat” was a vital signal in an era of frequent famine and disease. It proved she had access to consistent nourishment and possessed reserves necessary to survive the grueling labor of a colonial farm wife, which included gardening, livestock care, and food preservation.

Red hair was a rare and striking trait, occurring in only about 1-2% of the population. While sometimes viewed with superstition, in English culture it was also famously associated with the Tudor monarchy, symbolizing power, authority, and a “fiery” or passionate temperament.

Let’s make some food Robert would have made in his tavern, and some fun trivia:

In the 1600s, a “Pottage” (stew) was the backbone of every tavern. It stayed on the fire all day, getting thicker and “sturdier” as it went. This is a historically accurate middle-class recipe that Robert would have served to his “honorable” guests.

Fun Trivia:

  1. Did You Know? The word “Victualler” actually comes from the Latin victus, meaning “food.” Robert wasn’t just a bartender; he was a “Life-Provider.” In a city like London, his pantry was the difference between health and hunger.
  2. The Viking “Kettle”: The name Thurkettle means ‘Thor’s Cauldron.’ If you were starting out in a new world with nothing but a name, would you rather be named after a sword or a cooking pot?” (Hint: In the 1600s, the one with the pot survived the winter!)
  3. Redheaded Vikings: Since we suspect Betty was redheaded (based on oral history), in Scandinavia, red hair was often associated with Thor. Our Betty didn’t just have his name; she likely had his Viking red hair, too! (2)

While the story of Betty Roundkettle and John Plant ends in the rugged soil of Branford, Connecticut, I made a startling discovery in the 1669 burial registers of St. Giles-without-Cripplegate that suggests their union was no mere accident of fate on a colonial ship.

Tucked away in the records of the ‘lower grounds’—the final resting place for the city’s paupers—lies a single, haunting entry for a woman named Ann Thirkettle Plant.

She died about seven years before John and Betty ever set sail, bearing a name that shouldn’t yet exist: a fusion of Betty’s maiden name and her future married name. Was Ann the invisible thread that bound these two families together in the dark alleys of London? Was she a silent witness to a connection that began long before the trek to the New World?

The records suggest she was a servant in a very familiar household—but the true nature of her role as the bridge between the Roundkettles and the Plants is a story for another time.

References:

  1. Occupation: Victualler. Tangled Trees. Finding our links in History – One Genealogist’s thoughts, tidbits, and inspirations.
  2. Google Gemini. (2024). Conversational AI response regarding Betty Roundkettle, 17th-century London victuallers, and the surname origins of Thurkettle/Thirkettle. Retrieved [30 April 2026].
  3. Thurkettle Surname Definition. Forebears.
  4. Origin, popularity and meaning of the last name THIRKETTLE. Geneanet.

A Note on Visuals:
The portraits of Betty, the shadowy archway of Cripplegate, and the parchment recipe card were created in collaboration with AI to help visualize the historical environment of my ancestors.

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2026. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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The St. Martin’s Eve Murder: A Tale of Betrayal, Orphans, and the “Double” Anna Apollonia

Posted on March 14, 2026 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

Full details regarding all of my Schönlaub ancestors and related kin are found in a prior blog entry: My Schönlaub Ancestors of Minfeld, Germany. A Censor, A Mayor, A Collector (and Murder Victim), A Lawyer/Court Judge, and an Innkeeper. This newer blog post gives details specifically about the murder of my ancestor Johannes Hanß Schönlaub, his wife, Anna Apollonia Gammel, what happened to the orphaned Schönlaub children after their mother died just two years after their father was murdered; and my Matthes kin, the safe harbor.

This week’s writing prompt for 52 Ancestors, Week 11: A Turning Point. The murder of my ancestor Johannes Schönlaub was very much a turning point within the family.

The Night of the Dagger
On the cold night of November 11, 1603—St. Martin’s Eve—the village of Minfeld was shattered by a flash of steel. Respected tax collector Johannes “Hans” Schönlaub, the son of the former Mayor, sat drinking wine with his brother-in-law when he was suddenly plunged into a nightmare. Without warning, a knife was driven into his chest. He died instantly, unable to utter a single final word. The killer didn’t just steal a life; he stole a father from five young children. But the most chilling detail wasn’t the act itself—it was the identity of the man who dropped his hat and fled into the darkness: Hannß Gammel, Johannes’s own brother-in-law.

Above photo of a Medieval Bauernwehr is from Tod Cutler.

The Murder Weapon: The Bauernwehr

The word translates literally to “peasant’s defense” or “household defense.” It was a massive, single-edged knife that functioned like a precursor to the modern Bowie knife. 

  • Design for Lethality: Unlike a simple kitchen knife, a Bauernwehr featured a Nagel (nail)—a small steel protrusion on the side of the hilt designed to protect the hand and facilitate parrying during a fight.
  • The Blade: It typically had a thick, stiff blade between 6 and 14 inches long with a reinforced point specifically designed for powerful thrusting. This matches the church book’s description of a “fatal thrust” to the chest.
  • Social Context: In many Germanic regions, commoners were forbidden from carrying swords. The Bauernwehr was the clever workaround—it was legally a “knife” because its handle scales were riveted to a flat tang, yet its size made it nearly as effective as a short sword.

A Family Divided by Blood
To understand the weight of this murder, we have to look at the family table. Johannes was married to Anna Apollonia Gammel, the daughter of the well-to-do landowners Hannß Gammel and Margaretha Matthes. The man who held the knife, Hanß Gammel, was Anna Apollonia’s own half-brother. Whether the motive was a property dispute or a drunken grudge, the aftermath was catastrophic. By 1605, just two years after the murder, a grieving Anna Apollonia also passed away, leaving her children orphaned in a village haunted by their uncle’s crime.

St. Martin’s festival in Germany. (photo: ChrisART / Shutterstock)

St. Martin’s Eve

During this time, St. Martin’s Eve was a major autumn festival marking the end of the agricultural year, the start of a pre-Christmas fast, and the beginning of winter. It was characterized by lavish feasting on roasted “Martinmas goose,” consuming new wine, and early forms of lantern processions, often mimicking the saint’s acts of charity. It celebrated St. Martin of Tours, a 4th-century Roman soldier turned Bishop known for his charity, specifically sharing his cloak with a beggar. Known as a “friend of children” and patron of the poor.

The Motive: A Toxic Intersection of Blood and Business

Why would Hanß Gammel turn a festive evening into a crime scene? While the church records are silent on the “why,” the family tree and the calendar offer chilling clues. In the 1600s, two things dominated village life: land inheritance and taxes. On St. Martin’s Eve, these two worlds collided with fatal results.

a. The St. Martin’s Day Deadline
The date of the murder—November 11—was no coincidence. In 17th-century Germany, St. Martin’s Day was “Tax Day.” It was the traditional deadline for settling agricultural debts, paying land rents, and closing the year’s books. As an Einnehmer (Collector), Johannes Schönlaub wasn’t just Hanß’s brother-in-law; he was the man with the ledger. If Hanß was struggling financially or disputed a debt, seeing Johannes sitting across the table with his tax pen and ledgers may have been too much for him to bear.

b. The Inheritance Trap
The Gammel household was a complex web of three different marriages. Hanß the Murderer was a son from the first marriage (to Christina), while his sister Anna Apollonia was a child of the second (to Margaretha Mattes). When their father, Hans Gammel the Elder, died in 1598, the estate had to be carved up between children from two marriages and a new third wife.

As an older son, Hanß likely felt entitled to a much larger share of the Gammel lands. Instead, he watched as his half-sister Anna Apollonia married into the powerful Schönlaub family. To Hanß, Johannes may have looked like an “outsider” who was now controlling Gammel property and maternal Matthes assets through his wife.

c. Half-Sibling Friction
Family alliances were clearly fractured. While the half-brother Martzolff was on good terms with Anna Apollonia—serving as a godfather to her children—Hanß seems to have been the outlier. In many 17th-century murders, the victim is a proxy for a deeper grievance. By killing Johannes, Hanß wasn’t just settling a debt; he was “deleting” the man who legally managed his sister’s interests and stood between Hanß and the family wealth he felt he deserved.

Artwork above is Still Life with Pie and Roemer by Pieter Claesz (1647). The Roemer is quintessential German glassware, and given my ancestor’s high social standing, he almost certainly used one while drinking wine. 

A Powder Keg of Wine and Resentment
The church book notes the men were drinking “beim Wein” (with wine). In the heat of a holiday feast, with the pressure of the St. Martin’s tax deadline looming and years of simmering inheritance resentment boiling over, the wine likely provided the final spark. Hannß didn’t just draw a knife; he drew a line through his family’s future, choosing exile over the perceived “insults” of his brother-in-law’s ledger.

The Schönlaub Ophrans: The Mystery of the Older Brothers
At this point, the family story splits. Johannes and Anna Apollonia had two older sons: Erhard (b. ca. 1592) and Hanß (b. ca. 1594). Strangely, these two boys—aged 13 and 11 at the time of their mother’s death—are entirely absent from the formal guardianship records.

Their silence in the records leaves us with a haunting question: What happened to them? In an era where 14 was the start of adult responsibility, were they already apprenticed out to tradesmen in Minfeld? Or, more tragically, did the same wave of grief or illness that claimed their mother also take them? Without further records, they remain a “lost” generation, potentially victims of the same dark era that claimed their father.

The Matthes Rescue: A Maternal Safety Net
With the Gammel name under a dark cloud after the murder, the survival of the remaining Schönlaub children fell to their mother’s maternal kin: the Mattes (Mattheßen) family of Nußdorf. The “heroes” here are the brothers of the maternal grandmother, Margaretha Matthes. Her brothers—the children’s great-uncles—Hans and Valentin Matthes. These men didn’t just provide a roof; they provided a total reset. They moved the three youngest orphans—Hanß Conrad, Valentin, and the “miracle” baby Ruprecht (born four months after the murder)—away from the shadow of their Gammel uncle’s crime in Minfeld. In Nußdorf, Hanß Conrad was raised alongside his cousin, Anna Apollonia Mattes.

Above artwork is of St. Apollonia by James Christensen

The Full Circle: The Two Anna Apollonias
The most beautiful thread in this dark tapestry began three years before the murder. On Christmas Day, 1600, the elder Anna Apollonia Gammel Schönlaub stood at the baptismal font in Nußdorf as godmother for her young cousin, Anna Apollonia Mattes, the daughter of Jacob Mattes/Matthes/Matthessen the Younger. In 1623, the orphaned Hanß Conrad married that very namesake—his second cousin. It was this union of two branches of the Matthes family tree that finally allowed the Schönlaubs to return to Minfeld and reclaim their father’s stolen legacy.

Apollonia was a known and somewhat common girl’s name in German-speaking regions, including the Palatinate, during the 16th to 18th centuries, particularly between 1600 and 1660. This was directly due to St. Apollonia, who was extremely well-known throughout Europe during this period, particularly as the patron saint of dentistry and toothaches.

My direct line:

  1. Steffan Schönlaub and Barbara ____.
  2. Erhard Schönlaub and Catharina _____.
  3. Johannes Schönlaub and Anna Apollonia Gammel.
  4. Hanß Conrad Schönlaub and Anna Apollonia Matthes/Matthessen.
  5. Johann Ludwig Schönlaub and Anna Barbara Wambsganß.
  6. Johannis Schönlaub and Anna Elisabetha Zimmer.
  7. Anna Apollonia Schönlaub and Johann Christophel Schäffer.
  8. Anna Elisabetha Schäffer and Johannes Adam Propheter.
  9. Johann Adam Propheter and Katharina Elisabetha LeBeau.
  10. Johann Jacob Propheter and Anna Margaretha Weinmann.
  11. Margaretha Propheter and Johann Georg Fried.
  12. Margaretha Fried and Heinrich Weiss.
  13. Margaret (Margarethe) Weiss and Elias W. “Eli” Nutick (Wegt). (My great-great-grandparents).

To learn more about St. Apollonia:

  1. Centuries of Solace and the Sainthood of Apollonia. Virtual Dental Museum
  2. Saint Apollonia. Wikipedia
  3. February 9: Saint Apollonia, Martyr. Vatican City State.
  4. The Story of Saint Apollonia: The Patron Saint of Dentistry and Oral Health. Catholic365

Read about St. Martin of Tours, and St. Martin’s Day:

  1. St. Martin of Tours – Explore the Saints. FaithND (University of Notre Dame)
  2. St. Martin’s Day Traditions. germanfoods.org
  3. St. Martin’s Day: The European Thanksgiving. National Catholic Register
  4. St. Martin’s Day. Wikipedia

If you’d like to learn more about the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project, please visit here:

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

Or join the Facebook group Generations Cafe.

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2026. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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Surname Saturday. A Day in the Life of My Ancestor Wicker von Ovenbach zur Ecke of Frankfurt am Main, Patriciate of Frankfurt.

Posted on February 7, 2026 by Anna Kasper, ACDP
The Festival of the Archers set around the 1300s from the workshop of the Master of Frankfurt (1493).

I have many interesting ancestors in this same family line, so much is known of them. I have chosen to write about my paternal 19th great-grandfather, Wicker von Ovenbach zur Ecke of Frankfurt am Main. He was a Patriciate of Frankfurt.

The Patriciate of Frankfurt am Main consisted of a closed caste of merchant and noble families who monopolized the city’s council governance as hereditary Schöffen (lay judges and aldermen) during its status as a free imperial city from the late Middle Ages until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. (1)

The prefix “Von” signifies his association with the landed gentry or aristocracy. In records from the 13th and 14th centuries, variations of the surname frequently switch between von Ovenbach, von Offenbach, and at times von Ofenbach. The family’s name is derived from Offenbach am Main, located close to Frankfurt in the state of Hesse.

The designation “zur Ecke” typically referred to a notable residence in Frankfurt, which was commonly used by the elite to differentiate various branches of a family. Though their origins trace back to Offenbach am Main, by the 14th century, the family had firmly established itself as influential figures in Frankfurt.

He was the son of Herman von Ovenbach (also referred to as Knoblauch) and Guda von Burgel. He wed Else von Holzhausen, who belonged to the prominent Holzhausen family of Frankfurt. He was a significant figure within Frankfurt’s Patriciate, the city’s highest social echelon. During the 1300s, his titles and positions would have positioned him as part of the “urban nobility” within the Free Imperial City of Frankfurt. The “von Ovenbach” (or “von Offenbach”) family belonged to a select circle that held sway over the Patriciate of Frankfurt am Main. In 1311, he was granted the Münzenberg fiefdom in Oberrad, and in 1333 he also secured the imperial pledge for this village.

In the medieval social structure, Wicker would have lived, dressed, and fought as a knight, despite his influence being anchored in the city rather than in a rural estate. He was a member of the “first bench” of the council, the most influential political faction in one of the empire’s key cities.

He would have probably belonged to one of the two main noble societies in Frankfurt as a member of the Patriciate: Zum Frauenstein, which was a little more welcoming to the affluent newcomers, or Alten Limpurg, which was the old, established aristocracy.

He most likely serviced on the City Council (Rat), which was a body that oversaw city governance. His class controlled the judiciary and political authority, guaranteeing that the city’s laws safeguarded his financial interests.

He was “immediately subordinate” solely to the Emperor, not a local Duke or Count, because Frankfurt was an Imperial Free City. His family gained great prominence and a direct line to the center of the Holy Roman Empire as a result.

He would have received his income from city taxes, hereditary holdings outside the city, and—unusually for Frankfurt’s nobility—investments in banking and foreign trade.

Rather than residing in a secluded castle, he would have lived in an urban manor. This would have been a stone home inside the city walls that was defended. These “court-houses” frequently had private chapels and towers to indicate your rank to the lower merchant class.

Photo taken in 1900 of The Salzhaus (Salt House) in Frankfurt Am Main.

The photo above was taken in the year 1900 and is of The Salzhaus (Salt House) in Frankfurt Am Main, Germany.  Many of the building’s ornate wooden carvings were moved to a safe location to protect them from the bombings of WWII. In 1944, the original court-house was destroyed, but historical photographs capture its famous relief-carved facade, which stood 22 meters tall and featured intricate wooden panels depicting vines, figures, and scrollwork.

When looking at the photo of Salzhaus, you are viewing the “Gold Standard” of what my ancestors regarded as a decent home. Their particular home would have had the same imposing height, red sandstone base, and steep-pitched roof, even though it might not have been as “busy” with carvings.

As a high-ranking patrician in 14th-century Frankfurt, Wicker von Ovenbach zur Ecke led a life defined by political duty, high-stakes legal judgment, and significant social privilege. His day would be a blend of intense civic administration and the refined lifestyle of the urban elite.

A day in the life of my ancestor Wicker von Ovenbach zur Ecke:

Like most medieval citizens, his day began at sunrise. His morning would have started with Catholic Mass. As a member of the elite, he likely attended a private mass or went to the Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew. Followed by administrative tasks—overseeing city markets, managing family investments, or sitting in judgment at the local court.

Leisure time, in the afternoons, he would have engaged in “noble” pursuits like hunting in the city-owned forests or horsemanship practice. He would have returned to his prestigious family residence, likely a large half-timbered stone house that stood as a symbol of his family’s power. Unlike the commoners, he would have had servants to handle daily chores and a kitchen equipped with relatively modern luxuries for the time.

Evenings were for drinking societies and banquets where alliances were forged over wine and music. Wicker would have hosted or attended lavish dinner parties with other patrician families like the Holzhausen or Cronberg. These were not just social events but key networking opportunities to cement marriage alliances and business deals.

He would have participated in jousts to maintain combat skills and social prestige, often coinciding with the massive Frankfurt Fairs, which drew people from across Europe. 

Life was not always peaceful. Until the late 15th century, the private feud (Fehde) was a legal tool to settle disputes. He might have found himself leading a small band of men to raid a rival’s estate or defend Frankfurt’s trade routes from “robber knights”. When the Emperor called, he would have provided high-quality cavalry, equipped with the latest plate armor and lances.

Above shows how German patricians dressed ca. 1530.

My line continues with Gypel von Ovenbach I and Jutta von Knoblauch and his son, Gypel von Ovenbach II with his wife Greda von Doring. Gypel von Ovenbach, and his son of the same name were part of the Patriciate in Frankfurt.

My next ancestor is Gypel von Ovenbach III. He married Anna Ecke. This couple had one child, a daughter, Anna. She was considered ultimo gentis (the last legitimate child of his race/line). The daughter, Anna, inherited his fiefs and passed them to her husband, Henne Kule.

I am not descended from Anna. Gypel von Ovenbach III had a mistress, whose name has been lost to time. I descend from Johannes Overbach, a son born of this affair.  Records list Johannes as the father of Conrad Offenbach and the illegitimate son of Gypel von Ovenbach. Due to his illegitimate status, his half-sister, Anna, was the heiress of his father’s land and wealth.

Johannes Offenbach is thought to have married a woman with the first name Elsa ____. As an illegitimate son within a noble family, his social status would have been transitional; likely he moved into roles in administration or law. The maiden name of his wife, Elsa, is unknown. Given Johannes’s position as the illegitimate son of a rural knight, he would not have been a candidate for the highest “Uradel” (ancient noble) marriages. Instead, Elsa likely came from one of the following family backgrounds: Established Artisan or Merchant Elite, Administrative/Civil Service Family, or of the Ehrbarkeit (Honorable Class).

The social impact of marrying Elsa was that Johannes secured a stable, legitimate household in Frankfurt. This move was a strategic pivot of his status.

His son, Johann Conrad Offenbach, is my next ancestor. Conrad was a Kastenschreiber, who was not a physical “box maker” in the sense of a carpenter, but rather a specialized clerk or registrar (from the German Kasten, meaning chest/coffer, and Schreiber, meaning scribe/clerk). This shows my direct family line still had some means to educate their children.

Johann Conrad married first to Catharina Schmidt, the daughter of Peter Schmidt, and second to Margaretha Schott. The parentage of his second wife is unknown for now.  But we know that the Schott family was part of the elite patriciate in both Frankfurt and Strasbourg. In Strasbourg, the Schotts were prominent as printers, humanists, and city officials.

His first marriage to Catharina Schmidt was an essential “foundational” step in Johann Conrad’s social ascent. While the Schott marriage later connected him to the pan-European intellectual elite, the Schmidt marriage anchored him firmly into the powerful Frankfurt administrative and legal class.

I am currently working on other blog posts where I am writing about what Johannes’ life would have been like growing up; Elsa’s family; their son Conrad Offenbach and his two marriages and how they changed the status of the family; and how the later convergence of two lines, Offenbach and Pastoir, acted as a full “reset button” for our family’s social status.

My direct line:

  1. Wicker von Ovenbach zur Ecke and Else von Holzhausen.
  2. Gypel von Ovenbach I and Jutta von Knoblauch.
  3. Gypel von Ovenbach II and Greda von Doring.
  4. Gypel von Ovenbach III and his mistress.
  5. Johannes Offenbach and Elsa ____.
  6. Johann Conrad Offenbach and Margaretha Schott.
  7. Catharina Offenbach and Peter Semmler.
  8. Margaretha Semmler and Johan Heinrich Schwebel.
  9. Johann Heinrich Schwebel and Anna Margaretha Pastoir.
  10. Anna Barbara Schwebel and Philipp Grosshans.
  11. Johann Friedrich Grosshans and Anna Margaretha Bertsch.
  12. Emanuel Grosshans and Anna Catherina Werner.
  13. Johann Jacob Grosshans and Anna Felicitas Sammer/Sommer.
  14. Anna Felicitas (Felizitas) Grosshans and Michael Weinmann.
  15. Anna Margaretha Weinmann and Johann Jacob Propheter.
  16. Margaretha Propheter and Johann Georg Fried.
  17. Margaretha Fried and Heinrich Weiss.
  18. Margaret (Margarethe) Weiss and Elias W. “Eli” Wegt Nutick Udig Utick. (My great-great-grandparents).

Reference:

  1. Das Franfurter Patriziat – frankfurter-patriziat.de

Further reading about Frankfurt am Main and the Patriciate of Frankfurt:

  1. Patriciate of Frankfurt am Main – wikipedia.org
  2. Patriciate of Frankfurt am Main – grokipedia.com
  3. About Frankfurt – History – frankfurt.de
  4. History of Frankfurt am Main – kupi.com

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2026. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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Submit and Hopestill. Two Ancestors I Admire. 52 Ancestors, Week 1.

Posted on January 4, 2026 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

A new year, and a new year of writing prompts for 52 Ancestors. This year it appears most prompts are going to be phrases. This week it is An Ancestor I Admire. I have been thinking about this for some days, ever since the prompt was released. I could write about so many of my ancestors that I admire for various reasons. It actually seemed too overwhelming for me to pick one. So, I decided to write about two of my ancestors that I admire for having to deal with being given not-so-great Puritan virtue names. Most of my ancestors with virtue names were females. I have numerous ancestors with virtue names such as Faith, Charity, Grace, Temperance, Constance, Honor, Patience, Mercy, and Prudence. I have found only one direct male ancestor with a virtue name, Deliverance Bennett. But I wanted to write about my two ancestors with virtue names with meanings that were not as pleasant: Hopestill Hawley Davidson and Submit “Mitty” French Morgan Merchant.

What is a Puritan virtue name? It is a word name expressing a religious or moral quality, like Faith, Hope, Charity, Prudence, Temperance, Patience, Grace, or Justice, that parents gave children to encourage godly living; they also used compound names like “Praise-God” or “If-Jesus-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned” (nicknamed “Damned”), reflecting their deep spiritual values. 

I must admit that my direct ancestors were lucky. They were not given the name If-Jesus-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned, with the nickname of Damned! Other names that I feel were much worse than Submit or Hopestill include Forsaken, Humiliation, Agony, Anger, Fear, Hate-evil, Flee-fornication, Helpless, Kill-sin, Mistakes, Lament, More-trial, No-Merit, Persecution, Tell-no (tell no lies), Virgin, Wrath, Wrestling, and Weakly.

The Puritan virtue name Submit embodies the virtue of submission, meaning a willingness to yield to God’s will, religious authority, or one’s husband, reflecting core Puritan values of piety, humility, obedience, and selfless devotion. As with the virtue names Obey and Obedience, Submit is not one of my favorite names. But I admire my ancestor and her wherewithal to deal with being given such a name.

Submit French was not of a Puritan family. Puritans as a distinct, dominant religious group were largely gone by the year of her birth. She was born during the years of the American Revolution on 14 December 1778 in Westfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, as the daughter of Sampson French and Lusannah “Lucy” Root. She was their only child given a virtue name. Her sisters were named Sarah, Rebecca, Lucy, Clara, Clarissa, Julia, Charlotte, and Lois. Her brothers were named Josiah, Thomas, Ira, and Clement.

She went by the nickname “Mitty”, and she did not pass the name onto her children. Nor did any of her descendants give her name to their children. I would venture to guess the name had fallen out of favor even at the time of her birth.

Submit French married on 30 January 1800 in Easthampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts, to Festus Morgan, the son of Joseph Morgan and Mary Stebbins. There was one child born of this marriage, a posthumous child, William Festus Morgan. He married Eliza Moore Russell on 4 April 1832 in New Salem, Franklin, Massachusetts.

She married second to Phineas Merchant, the son of Ezra Merchant, Jr. and Catherine Northrup, before 1804 in New York. Born of this second marriage were several children:

  1. Orlanzo Merchant married Sara Sabina Chaffee, Abba/Abbie/Alla Hilton, and Emerline “Emily” Hotchkiss Ketchum.
  2. Cordelia Merchant married, as his first wife, in Broome County, New York, in 1828 to Lewis F. Cole, the son of Nathaniel Cole and Laura Fuller. (My direct ancestors).
  3. Eliza Ann Merchant married on 11 December 1830 in Colesville (Windsor), Broome County, New York, to Walker Asa Cole, the son of Nathaniel Cole and Laura Fuller.
  4. Sampson Merchant married on 14 September 1832 in Binghamton, Broome County, New York, to Emily Temple, the daughter of James Temple and Alenda Sherwin.
  5. Lucy Merchant married on 4 November 1832 in Broome County, New York, to Stephen Temple, the son of James Temple and Alenda Sherwin.
  6. Theodore George Merchant married on 20 October 1839 in Williams County, Ohio, to Caroline Stevens, the daughter of Jeremiah Cogswell Stevens and Mary “Polly” Everett.
  7. Clarissa Merchant married, as his second wife, on 25 November 1856 in De Kalb County, Indiana, Lewis F. Cole, the son of Nathaniel Cole and Laura Fuller.
  8. C. Merchant. His first name is unknown, only that it began with the letter C. He is found in the 1840 Census for Colesville, Broome County, New York. According to the census, he was married and had one son and four daughters. Nothing more is known about him.
  9. Merchant (male): This child may have died young.

Hopestill is a rare, Puritan-era virtue name meaning hope still or a continuous, enduring hope, used historically for both boys and girls, evoking optimism and steadfast faith. It can be related to the name Waitstill. In this case, it was often expressing a parent’s prayer or hope, possibly for a child of a specific sex, usually a male child. Waitstill was also a name that was to be a reminder to trust God, combining wait and still to signify patience and reliance on divine timing.

The first meaning of the name Hopestill is rather pleasant and related to enduring hope and faith and having patience in God’s divine timing. But it was not so wonderful when the name was given because the parents wanted a male child and hoping still for future children that were sons. To me, this would not have been a good message, and a yoke for the child to bear, reminding her of their unhappiness, if no male children were born after her birth.

Luckily for Hopestill, when she was born, there had already been a male child born to her parents. Hopestill Hawley was born about 1782 in New Milford, Litchfield County, Connecticut, as the daughter of Nathan Hawley and Sarah Kent. As with Submit, Hopestill was born during the years of the American Revolution, and Puritans were no longer a dominant religious group. She was also the only one of her siblings to be given a virtue name. There is some disagreement as to the listing of the children of Nathan Hawley and Sarah Kent, but in addition to Hopestill, they had at least two other children, a son named Abner and a daughter named Sarah. Other probable children were Seaman, William, and Sibyl Hawley.

I do not know if Hopestill had a nickname, but she may have been called Hope by her husband and family, or maybe even Tilly. She did not give the name Hopestill to any of her children. The name was not passed down to any of her descendants. As with Submit, the name Hopestill had mostly fallen out of fashion by the time of her birth.

Hopestill Hawley married about 1805 in Litchfield County, Connecticut, to Asa Davidson, the son of Christopher Davison and Jael Lassell. The History of Cornwall, on page 452, lists the marriage but not the date. Their first child was born about 1806.

Children born to Hopestill Hawley and Asa Davidson:

  1. Asa Davison, Jr., married about 1827 in Connecticut to Catherine A. Cunningham, the daughter of Frederick Cunningham and Mary Tyler. (My direct ancestors).
  2. Lucy Davison married, as his fourth wife, on 22 August 1843 in Hocking County, Ohio, to Ralph Bingham.
  3. Amos Davidson married on 25 June 1845 in Goshen, Connecticut, to Temperance Allyn, the daughter of Avery Allyn and Rebecca Gallup.
  4. Mary Ann Davison married on 18 Feb 1829 in Sharon, Litchfield County, Connecticut, to Smith S. Nickerson, the son of Archelaus Nickerson and Dorothy Holcomb.
  5. Gurdon C. Davidson married Emily Ella White, the daughter of John White and Amanda Root.
  6. Clarissa Davidson married 22 July 1832 in Cornwall, Litchfield County, Connecticut, to Ebenezer Bennett Durand, the son of Joseph Durand.
  7. Luther H. Davidson married first on 2 April 1845 in Sharon, Litchfield, Connecticut, to Maria C. Baldwin, and second on 23 December 1864 in Monterey, Berkshire, Massachusetts, to Mary Tymeson.
  8. Sarah Ann Davidson married on 11 June 1845 in Goshen, Connecticut, to Frederick M. Foster, the son of Ira Foster and Martha “Patty” Welling.
  9. Maria “Dolly” Davidson married on 17 Nov 1842 in Lakeville, Litchfield, Connecticut, to Frederick Farnum Cleaveland, the son of Bradford Cleveland and Eunice Farnham.
  10. Betsey E. Davidson married on 7 January 1846 in Goshen, Connecticut, to Alderman Ives, the son of Leveritt Ives and Huldah Holbrook.
  11. Charles E. Davidson died on 26 January 1851 in Cornwall, Connecticut, at the age of twenty-three, unmarried.
  12. Lydia E. Davidson married on 30 December 1847 in Cornwall, Connecticut, to Ebenezer W. Wooster.

Further reading:

  1. A Boy Named Humiliation: Some Wacky, Cruel, and Bizarre Puritan Names. By Joseph Norwood. Sept 13, 2013.
  2. From the Biblical to the Bizarre: Puritan Names. New England Historical Society (NEHS).
  3. I Dub Thee “Fly-Fornication”: Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature (1880).
  4. The Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love. Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield. Sunday, 24 Jun 2018.

If you’d like to learn more about the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks project, please visit here:

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.

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If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2026. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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Surname Saturday. My Bonnet Ancestors of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France and Berlin, Germany.

Posted on December 27, 2025 by Anna Kasper, ACDP
Above photo is of Entrepierres | Provence-Alpes-Côte, France.

I have been doing further research on my Bonnet ancestors. I was going to add the new information to my original post about my Greatsinger ancestors: My Greatsinger (Gretzinger) and Bonnett ancestors of Berlin, Germany and Related Lines, but that post has just gotten longer and longer as I have added additional information and updated it. So, I decided that my Bonnet ancestors deserve their own post. 🙂

My Greatsinger (Gretzinger) and Bonnett ancestors are through my 3rd great Grandmother, Hannah Elizabeth Kritsinger/Greatsinger (she married David Prindle, Sr.).

Her grandfather was Johann Christian Gretzinger (Greatsinger), who was the son of Johann Jacob Gretzinger and Loisa (Louisa) Antoneta Bonnett. He was baptized 17 Jun 1729 in the Jerusalem Chapel (Church of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel) in Berlin Stadt, Brandenburg, Prussia, Germany.

Loisa (Louisa) Antoneta Bonnett was the daughter of Francois Jean (Johann Frantz) Bonnet and Anna Dorothea Steiner.

My Greatsinger and Bonnet ancestors are the only ones in my family tree hailing from Berlin, Germany. I was always curious how they ended up in Berlin. Especially, my Bonnet ancestors, because their roots were in France, and the distance between Berlin and the French border is a considerable distance.

The surname Bonnet is closely related to two groups: the Waldensians and French Huguenots (French Protestants). I originally thought my ancestors may have been Waldensians, a medieval Christian movement, started by Peter Waldo in 12th-century France. They were heavily persecuted by the Catholic Church for challenging its authority. They survived by retreating to the Alps, later aligning with the Reformation, and eventually establishing modern churches in Italy, the USA, and South America, known for their resilience and distinct Protestant identity. The Waldensians had much earlier beginnings than the French Huguenots.

After locating church records for my ancestors in France, I was able to confirm that they were Huguenots, not Waldensians. Although there is no doubt that some of the branches of the Bonnet family were indeed Waldensians.

Both Waldensians and later Huguenots retreated to the Alps. They lived in Provence and the Dauphiné (areas including modern Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), with Waldensians established there for centuries before Huguenots emerged; both groups eventually faced persecution, leading many to flee, with some Waldensians and Huguenots eventually settling in Germany. The Waldensians fled France shortly after the Huguenots. The Waldensians that migrated to Germany settled in Württemberg and Hesse. The Huguenots significantly came to Berlin in Brandenburg.

They received a warm welcome. Brandenburg’s Great Elector, Frederick William, issued the Edict of Potsdam (1685), inviting Huguenots to settle in his devastated lands, offering protection and incentives. Around 20,000 Huguenots settled in Brandenburg-Prussia, becoming a significant part of Berlin’s population. The newcomers significantly boosted Berlin and Brandenburg’s culture and economy after France’s 1685 Revocation, which outlawed Protestantism. Thousands of people were welcomed, especially skilled artisans and intellectuals, who established vibrant French communities, churches (like the Französischer Dom), schools, and intellectual centers, enriching Prussia culturally and economically, fostering a lasting French-German connection. (7)

Once in Berlin, my Bonnet ancestors intermarried with native Germans and became of the Lutheran faith. French Protestants initially included Lutherans, as Martin Luther’s Reformation spread to France early on, but by the 1540s, most French Protestants, who became known as Huguenots, adopted the teachings of John Calvin, forming a distinct Calvinist movement that became the dominant form of French Protestantism, though some Lutherans remained, especially with later German influences and congregations. 

Above is a map of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of France. As you can see, Alpes De Haute is in the center and borders northern Italy.

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (Alps of Upper Provence) is in the Alps, forming a department in southeastern France’s Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, characterized by its transition from Mediterranean landscapes to high Alpine peaks, it is a central part of the French Southern Alps. It is situated in the heart of the Southern Alps, bordering northern Italy and other French departments.

My ancestor, Francois Jean (Johann Frantz) Bonnet, was baptized on 4 October 1660 in La Motte-du-Caire in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, the son of Jehan/Jean Bonnet and Marie Rolande. He died 27 Mar 1745 in Berlin, Berlin, Germany. He married Anna Dorothea Steiner on 3 Jan 1707 in Berlin. For now, the parentage of Anna Dorothea Steiner remains unknown. Francois Jean (Johann Frantz) Bonnet was older when he married Anna Dorothea Steiner. I have not found earlier marriage records for him, but it’s possible he was married as a young man in France or could have married while in the process of migrating from France to Germany, or once he arrived in Germany. I have not located any other marriage records for him. But I will continue my research.

We know that Francois Jean (Johann Frantz) Bonnet had at least one sibling, a brother, Johann (Jean) Bonnet, who married Maria Koppen and had at least one child, a son, Joseph Bonnet, who was baptized on 23 Feb 1708 in Berlin.

Jehan/Jean Bonnet was baptized on 29 March 1639 in Entrepierres, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France, as the son of Pierre Bonet and Genevieve Lebrond (Lebron). He married Marie Rolande. Entrepierres is a village a short distance from La Motte-du-Caire. Nothing more is known about Pierre Bonet and Genevieve Lebrond (Lebron).

Marie Rolande was baptized on 16 December 1644 in Seyne, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France, as the daughter of Pierre Rolande and Jehanne Rogon. The parentage of Pierre Rolande and Jehanne Rogon is unknown.

Rolande is primarily a French feminine first name. Rolande, as a surname, is a variant of the surname Roland/Rolland. The name comes from an ancient Germanic name meaning for famous land or renown of the land, derived from hrod (fame/renown) and land (land/territory). It was popularized by the legendary warrior Roland of Charlemagne’s court. (1 & 2)

The surname Rougon (Occitan: Rogon), has historical roots in the Provence region, near Seyne, and is derived from the Provençal word meaning little red or red-haired. Given the proximity of Seyne to the Provence region and the year 1644, it is highly likely that Jehanne Rogon’s maiden name is related to this Provençal origin. (3)

Lebron is a variant of the French surname Lebrun, meaning the brown one, a common descriptor for someone with brown hair or complexion. (4)

Bonnet is French surname from the medieval personal name Bonettus, a diminutive of Latin bonus ‘good’. French: occasionally, a Gascon variant of Bonneau. English and French: metonymic occupational name for a milliner, or a nickname for a wearer of unusual headgear, from Middle English bonet, Old French bon(n)et ‘bonnet’, ‘hat’. In Germany the name was borne by Waldensians, of French origin, and French Huguenots. (5 & 6)

My direct line:

  1. Pierre Bonet and Genevieve Lebrond (Lebron).
  2. Jehan Bonnet and Marie Rolande (daughter of Pierre Rolande and Jehanne Rogon).
  3. Francois Jean (Johann Frantz) Bonnet and Anna Dorothea Steiner.
  4. Loisa (Louisa) Antoneta Bonnett and Johann Jacob Gretzinger Gritzinger Ertzinger (son of Jacob Ertzinger Gertzinger Götzinger and Barbara Scheüchzer).
  5. Johann Christian Gretzinger Gertzinger Greatsinger and Anna Anne (Antje) Palmer.
  6. John (Johann) Kristinger/Greatsinger and Lea Litts (daughter of Roelof Litts and Sara (Saartje) Sluyter).
  7. Hannah Elizabeth Greatsinger/Kritsinger and David M. Prindle, Sr. (son of Amos Prindle and Esther Canfield).
  8. Daniel Prindle and Sarah Jane “Jennie” Doman (daughter of Jacob Doman and Mary Ann Davison/Davidson).
  9. Anna Cora Prindle and Joseph Edward Cole (son of Lorin Richard Cole and Nancy M. Losure). My great-grandparents.

References:

  1. Roland Family History – Ancestry.com
  2. Roland (name) – wikipedia.org
  3. Discover the story behind the surname Rougon – MyHeritage.com
  4. The surname Lebrun – Ancestry.com
  5. Bonnet Name Meaning – Ancestry.com
  6. My Greatsinger (Gretzinger) and Bonnett ancestors of Berlin, Germany and Related Lines
  7. The Huguenot Refuge in Brandenburg – Musée virtuel du protestantisme

Further reading:

  1. Who Were the Huguenots? – nationalhuguenotsociety.org
  2. Huguenots – HISTORY.com Editors
  3. History of the French Protestant Refugees, from the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes to our own Days by Charles M. Weiss.
  4. Huguenot Museum in the Französischer Dom. The Huguenots and Berlin – a story of persecution and tolerance
  5. French Huguenots in Berlin: Acculturation and Nationalism. Author: Sam Seitz. Date: March 24, 2019.
  6. Huguenot District – Berlin. Silk, Sin and Stages: In and Out of Northern Friedrichstraße. – VoiceMap 

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2026. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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Cpt. Samuel DeWees. Fife Player During American Revolutionary War & War of 1812. Extended Family. 52 Ancestors, Week 51, Musical.

Posted on December 17, 2025 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

This week’s writing prompt is Musical. I have numerous musicians in my close family, and my great-grandfather Abraham G. Kennedy played piano and, after his retirement from teaching, worked in a piano store and a music store. Previously, I wrote about my Wenrich cousin, Ragtime Composer Percy Wenrich. But I decided to write about a fife player in my extended family. For many years, I have had a keen interest in the fife and how and why it was used in wartime.

Musicians known as fifers played a vital role in warfare, typically being young boys who, along with drummers, acted as the army’s original signal corps. They used high-pitched tunes to communicate commands (such as charge, retreat, or reveille) amid the chaos of battle, established marching rhythms, uplifted spirits, and helped manage daily camp activities, serving as essential means of communication for 18th and 19th-century armies before the advent of radios.

These musicians were generally boys aged 10-18, too young to engage in direct combat, or older men who were unfit for battle. However, this was not always the case, as there were times when boys and older men were unavailable for the roles of drummers or fifers, leading to the enlistment of regular soldiers from the ranks to take on these responsibilities. Usually, a company of soldiers was accompanied by one fifer and one drummer.

Cpt. Samuel Dewees is my 3rd cousin, 7 times removed. A fifer who served in the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. We share German Dohrs ancestors. The Dohrs family hailed from Kaldenkirchen, Viersen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. We both descend from Matteis Dohrs (aka Theiss Doors) and his wife Agnes. Samuel’s line is via a daughter, Gerturde Dohrs who married Paulus Van Haren Küster, who are Samuel’s great-grandparents. My line is via a daughter, Elisabeth Dohrs (Doors) who married Pieter/Peter Keurlis. They are the ancestors of my maternal 4th great-grandmother Elizabeth Barbara Womelsdorf (she married Peter Losure/Lozier).

Her father was Jacob Womelsdorf. His brother John Womelsdorf is the one that formally laid out the town of Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pennsylvania, in 1762, initially naming it “Middle Town,” but it was later renamed Womelsdorf in his honor. Her mother was Catherine Elizabeth Kasebier, the great-granddaughter of Matteis Dohrs (Doors) and Agnes.

Famous kin of Matteis “Theiss” Dohrs/Doors: U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Musicians who played the fife and drum were often younger and smaller in stature, as some accounts from that era indicate. Samuel Dewees, who was “around 15 but quite small for my age,” was enlisted by his father into the 11th Pennsylvania Regiment. Although he joined the military in 1777, Dewees spent the initial 18 months of his service either in a hospital or assisting the regiment’s colonel. Despite wearing a musician’s uniform beforehand and likely undergoing some fife training, he did not fulfill the role of a musician until the summer of 1779. (1 & 2)

Photo above is of Samuel Dewees as an older man.

During the period between late summer 1778 and spring 1779, Dewees was employed as a waiter at Humpton’s residence located at Somerset Courthouse in New Jersey. He stated that while he “homed,” he “was attired in a Fifer’s regimental coat and cap, adorned with a horse or cow tail hanging from it…”; this was during the attack on Stony Point. Samuel Dewees’ pension records indicate two different ages for him (57 years in 1820 and 56 years in 1818). A concise summary of his early military experiences, as mentioned in his memoirs, is as follows: His father, who had been captured at Fort Washington in November 1776, was freed from prison in early 1777. Samuel Dewees was enlisted by his father as a fifer in the 11th Pennsylvania Regiment led by Colonel Richard Humpton, being “about or turned of 15, but quite small for my age.” He served in the fall of 1777 at a hospital located at the “Brandywine meeting-house” (likely Birmingham Meetinghouse), at one point under the leadership of Captain George Ross, Jr. from the 11th Regiment, and he remained on duty with the sick or was absent from the military until spring 1778. After rejoining the army at Valley Forge, he returned to the 11th Pennsylvania, took on the role of waiter for Colonel Humpton, and was subsequently detached from the military again. In July 1779, when he returned to his regiment, he claimed to be “one of the musicians connected to the detachment” that tried to attack Stony Point, although General Anthony Wayne left “the musicians (or at least a portion of them), including myself,” behind him. Dewees recounted that this assault was unsuccessful, and he did not participate in the later successful attack on July 16th. (1 & 2)

My cousin, Samuel Dewees, the fifer, continued his services in the military sporadically after the war. During Fries Rebellion in 1799 he was attached to a company of regulars for the purpose of recruiting new soldiers and moved with them to Northampton, Pennsylvania where they “encamped two or three days.” He noted, “I had played the fife so much at this place, I began to spit blood… By the aid of the Doctor’s medicine and the kind nursing treatment I received… I was restored to health again in a few days and able to play the fife as usual.” (1 & 2)

Fife player Matthew Skic and drummer Keith Henning performs songs form the Revolutionary War outside of the Museum of the American Revolution. (Photo by Brad Larrison for NewsWorks)

A Revolutionary War fife was a simple, small, wooden, six-hole transverse (side-blown) flute, often made of boxwood, with metal bands (ferrules) at the ends to prevent splitting, designed to be shrill and loud for battlefield communication.

The Key Roles of Fifers were:

  1. Battlefield Communication: Their shrill fife tunes cut through combat noise to relay commands for advancing, retreating, or firing, supplementing the drums’ signals.
  2. Regulating Daily Life: Specific tunes announced reveille (wake-up), mealtimes, and tattoo (lights out) for soldiers in camp.
  3. Setting Pace & Morale: They provided the rhythmic beat for marching and played music to entertain and lift spirits.
  4. Signal Corps: They were the 18th-century equivalent of modern signalers, using music as a standardized language. 

With changing warfare and new technology, their role diminished, with British armies ceasing use in the 1890s and the U.S. in 1904.

Below is a video of Fife and Drum Music of the American Revolutionary War.

References:

  1. Samuel Dewees, A History of the Life and Services of Captain Samuel Dewees… The whole written (in part from a manuscript in the handwriting of Captain Dewees) and compiled by John Smith Hanna. (R. Neilson, Baltimore, 1844)
  2. “The music of the Army…An Abbreviated Study of the Ages of Musician in the Continental Army” (Part 1 of 2) by John U. Rees ©1993, 2002.

Further Reading:

  1. Revolution museum teaches how fife and drums were tools of war. Brad Larrison, August 19, 2017.
  2. The traditional fife. Rick Wilson’s Historical Flutes Page.
  3. ​​What does a Revolutionary War fife look like? The Fife Museum.
  4. History of the Ancient. All About Fifes. A Connecticut Musical Tradition.
  5. “I had to take the fife and use it.” Heinz History Center. Fort Pitt Museum – Fife and Drum.

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2026. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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Happy Birthday to My Very Distant Cousin Jane Austen.

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Anna Kasper, ACDP
Birthday Girl Jane Austen.

Today, December 16, 2025, is Jane Austen’s 250th birthday. She was born December 16, 1775.

It was once thought that I had a much closer connection with Jane Austen, via my ancestor Elizabeth Lane, wife of John Hine. They are my maternal 9th great-grandparents. In many trees it lists her as the daughter of John Lane and Sarah Barnard. She was not their daughter, and the maiden name of Sarah as Barnard is in question, and it is via this unproven Barnard line that links up with Jane Austen. If this was the case, Jane Austen would be my 7th cousin, six times removed.

It is thought instead that Elizabeth Lane was the daughter of John Lane and Katherine Tuttle. This would link us as descendants of Charlemagne several times, and to early English Royalty, and a possible very distant connection to Jane Austen. More work needs to be done on the parentage of Elizabeth Lane Hine.

But alas, not to worry, we are still related to Jane Austen, but it’s much further back and much more distant! I descend on both sides of my tree from John, King of England aka John Lackland. As does Jane Austen. My two lines are via children he had with royal mistresses or concubines.

My favorite of Jane Austen’s books is Sense and Sensibility, and my favorite of Jane Austen film adaptations, is the one pictured above Sense and Sensibility (1995).

My first connection is via Richard FitzRoy, Baron of Chilham, a child of John with his mistress Adela de Warenne. This is on my paternal side. Armstrong-Fay–Doughty–Gooden–Watts-York-Thomas-Davis-Matheney-Wentworth-Calverley-Markenfield-Sothill-FitzWilliam-Cromwell-Bernacke-Marmion-de Dover-FitzRoy-King John.

My second connection is via Joan (Joanna) Plantagenet, Lady of Wales, a child of John with his mistress Clemence le Boteler. This is on my maternal side. Cole-Prindle-Doman–Davison-Cunningham-Tyler-Stent-Ives-Yale-Lloyd-ap John-ap Maredudd Llwyd-ap Llwelyn-ferch Dafydd Llwyd-ap Gruffudd-ferch Maredudd-ap Leuan Goch-ap Dafydd Goch-ferch Dafydd Llwyd-ap Cynwrig-ap Llyweln-ap Dafydd-Joan (Joanna) Plantagenet, Lady of Wales-King John.

Jane Austen is descended from John, King of England and his wife Isabella of Angoulême. This is so far back, and so many millions of people on this planet are descendants of John, King of England, it has been stated that most people with English ancestry are probably connected to Jane Austen.

Above painting is thought to be a portrait of Jane Austen.

As a Janeite, Austenite, an ardent Austen enthusiast, I still adore the fact that I have this connection to her! 🙂

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2026. All rights reserved. Thank you.


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Surname Saturday. My Barton Ancestors of Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

Posted on December 6, 2025 by Anna Kasper, ACDP

My Barton ancestors are on my paternal Armstrong/Lyons lines. Armstrong-Lyons-Barton. My third great-grandmother is Catherine Ann Barton. She was born on 11 November 1795 in Bristol, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, as the daughter of Thomas Barton and Rebecca Ann Cooper. She died 11 May 1852 in Miami County, Ohio. She married John W. Lyons, Sr. on a Tuesday, 11 February 1817 in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The marriage was listed in the “Pennsylvania Correspondent and Farmers Advertiser.” They were married by Isaac Hicks, Esq. Her mother, Rebecca Ann Cooper, was descended on her paternal side from Pennsylvania Quakers with roots in England and on her maternal side from English Quakers and early German and Dutch settlers in New York.

The ancestry of her father, Thomas Barton, was more in question.

In the past, mostly based on a U.S. Sons of the American Revolution Membership Application from the 1960s, her father, Thomas Barton, is listed as a son of Edward Barton and Elizabeth Middleton. Edward Barton and his wife Elizabeth were a Quaker family of Camden, New Jersey.

Sons and Daughters of the U.S. American Revolution membership applications can contain useful and helpful information for genealogical research, they also can contain errors and are based on research done up to that date, in this case 1967.

Almost all the family trees that list Thomas as their son do so based on that membership application. It is true that Thomas lived for a time in Camden, New Jersey, and was living there in 1783, by that year he had become a Quaker. He did name his first son Edward. But there is no proof he was the son of Edward Barton and Elizabeth. Also, there is no proof Elizabeth’s maiden name was Middleton.

Sometimes, Thomas is instead listed as a son of Thomas Barton and Mary. Some give Mary’s maiden name as Kimber, but this is unproven. This Thomas Barton, who married Mary, was the son of Joseph Barton and Elizabeth Kimber. He passed on his mother’s maiden name of Kimber by giving one of his children it as a first name. The reason for linking our Thomas up with Thomas Barton and his wife Mary, is because they lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, which is the location where our Thomas ended up living.

He was not the son of Edward Barton and Elizabeth, nor the son of Thomas Barton and Mary. There is no DNA connection to the Edward Barton family. There is only a very slight DNA connection to the family of Thomas Barton of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and looking closer at those few connections, it became apparent they shared Barrett ancestors with me and had no connection to my Barton family. As well as the fact that the children of Thomas Barton and Mary were Joseph, John, Sarah, Parthenia, Kimber, Deborah, Levi, James, Elizabeth, Stephen, and Eli. He did not have a son named Thomas.

Because his parentage was somewhat of a mystery, I turned to DNA to see if there was a strong link to any Barton families of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, or anywhere in Pennsylvania, or of New Jersey. It became clear that he was not related to any Barton families of Bucks County, Pennsylvania or Pennsylvania in general, nor was he of a Barton family with roots in New Jersey.

People made a few assumptions about him. One, that he was of a Quaker family. They neglected to consider that he could be a convert to the faith as an adult. Also, he did fight in the American Revolutionary War. He could have been a Quaker who decided to join the war effort. There were those within the religion that did, although most were disowned. More likely he was not yet a Quaker when he fought in the war.

Looking at my DNA matches, it kept coming back to him being of a Barton family of Colonial Maryland. Specifically, him being a grandchild of Thomas Barton and Abigail of Joppa, Maryland. I have several DNA matches to the descendants of this couple, that also match to my known Barton kin.

The parentage of Thomas Barton of Joppa, Maryland is unknown. He was born about 1685 in either England or Colonial Maryland. He died on 22 May 1730 in Gunpowder Hundred, Baltimore, Maryland.

I have seen Abigail’s maiden name listed in family trees as Blinn, White, and Jordan. Her maiden name is unproven.

Joppa is a former colonial town. Joppa was founded as a British settlement on the Gunpowder River in 1707 and designated as the third county seat of Baltimore County in 1712. The original boundaries of Baltimore County were defined in 1659 and contained all of modern-day Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Harford and Cecil counties and parts of Howard, Carroll, Anne Arundel and Kent counties. The settlement was named for the Biblical town of Jaffa in the ancient Holy Land of modern-day Israel. Joppa’s harbor began to silt in due to clear-cutting and farming upriver and coupled with multiple outbreaks of diseases such as smallpox and malaria, the county seat was moved to the growing, deep water port of Baltimore in 1768. Joppa’s population would decline rapidly thereafter, and businesses left for more prosperous environments in the new Baltimore Town. (1 & 2)

Thomas Barton and Abigail of Joppa, Maryland had the following children:

  1. Thomas Barton II was born in Joppa, Maryland, and died after 1745. He married Elizabeth Ward.
  2. James Barton was born 27 June 1710 in Gunpowder Hundred, Baltimore County, Maryland, and he died on 9 February 1734 in Gunpowder Hundred, Baltimore County, Maryland. He married Temperance Rollo (Rollow) on 8 September 1730. Based on his will, he had two children: Phillis Anna (Philis-Zana) Barton Norris, and James Barton.
  3. John Barton was born 28 June 1715 in Joppa, Maryland, and died 4 January 1773 in Harford, Maryland. He married Ann Hitchcock on 23 May 1738 in Baltimore, Maryland. Based on his will he had the following children: Jemima, Keziah, William Hitchcock, James, and Samantha Ann “Nancy” Barton.
  4. Elizabeth “Eliza” Barton was born 28 Jan 1717 in Gunpowder Hundred, Baltimore, Maryland. She married William Wright when she was about sixteen. Her husband died before 1740. Before his death, they had the following children: William Jr., Abraham, and Isaac Wright. She married James Greer on 25 May 1741 in Maryland; he died fourteen months later. They had one child, a son, James Greer. She married third to Heathcote Pickett on 26 January 1743 in Baltimore, Maryland. They had three children: Mary, Elizabeth, and Heathcote Pickett, Jr.
  5. William Barton was born on 15 December 1718 in Joppa, Maryland, and died in 1729 in Baltimore County, Maryland.
  6. Ann Barton was born 28 October 1720 in Joppa, Maryland. She married Charles Billingsley on 2 Oct 1760 in Joppa, Maryland. They had the following children: Ann, James, Moses, Thomas, Elizabeth, Nancy, John, William, and Prudence Billingsley.

There is some confusion regarding the son Thomas Barton II. Some try to merge him with his brother James and give them the same date of birth. I did not find a DNA connection to the Ward family of Thomas Barton II’s wife.

Regarding James Barton, I did not find a DNA connection to his wife’s Rollo/Rollow family. James Barton also died some years before our Thomas was born.

William Barton died as a child.

When considering John Barton was our Thomas’ father, it seemed to fit. I have a DNA connection to his wife’s Hitchcock family. I also have numerous DNA matches to the descendants of the children of John Barton and Ann Hitchcock. Although John does not list a son named Thomas in his will, it was not uncommon for a child to receive their share prior to a will being written. Especially considering the fact that our Thomas migrated to Pennsylvania and New Jersey some years prior.

Ann Hitchcock was the daughter of William Hitchcock II and Anne Jones, and the granddaughter of William Hitchcock I and Mary Gerves.

William Hitchcock I was born in Kent, England. He died in Colonial Maryland. His parentage is unknown.

Mary Gerves was born in England as the daughter of Robert Gervise and Amelia ____. She came with her parents to Colonial Maryland. The parentage of her father is unknown, other than knowing his roots were in England.

The parentage of Anne Jones is unproven.

Our Thomas Barton was born about 1740 in Maryland, and died in 1813 in Bristol, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He married Patience Eldridge on 19 May 1766 in Pennsylvania. Her parentage is unknown.

Our Thomas is shown in the census as living in Greenwich Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey in 1774. On August 28, 1780, Sergeant George Hudson was ordered by Charles West, Ensign of Captain Wood’s Company of Gloucester County Militia, to warn the following men to appear at Haddonfield, Friday, September 1st, prepared to march on their tour of duty. Among the names of the men told to appear was Thomas Barton.

The exact year that Thomas Barton converted to Quakerism is unknown. What is known is that he struggled to adhere to the rules of the faith and was disciplined several times.

Above is a Painting of a Quaker meeting by an unknown British artist, Abt.1790.

He and his wife and children are found in Quaker records on 9 June 1783 in Camden, Camden, New Jersey, when the Barton family was approved to leave Camden, New Jersey, Quaker fellowship and join the Falls Meeting (Fallsington MM), in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

On 6 August 1783 in Bristol, Bucks, Pennsylvania, he and his family are found in the Falls MM (Quaker/Society of Friends) records. The meeting house for those living in Bristol was Fallsington (aka Falls). He is found in the same records of Quaker Meetings in Fallsington MM in 1785 through April 1787. Patience Eldridge Barton died before 1789.

Based on Quaker records, he and his wife Patience had the following children: Edward, William, Sarah, Elizabeth, Thomas, Mary, and Patience. Since we do not know the parentage of Patience Eldridge, they may have named their first-born son Edward after her father or other Eldridge kin.

Edward Barton married Mary Lodge. I am a DNA match to numerous descendants of this couple. Thomas Barton married, but the name of his wife is unknown, he had at least one child. Patience died as a child. What happened to William, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Mary Barton is unknown. Did they die before reaching adulthood? Did they marry? I locate no records about them after the 1780s, nor did I find any DNA matches or descendants for these other children. There is a daughter listed aged 16 thru 25 in the 1800 census living with him in Bristol, Bucks, Pennsylvania, with his second wife and children from his second marriage. This may be one of the daughters from his marriage to Patience Eldridge.

Thomas Barton marries second to Rebecca Ann Cooper Winner (widow of Amos Winner) in 1789. It is at this point after being brought under discipline several times that he was finally disowned by the Quakers in 1789, after his marriage to Rebecca Cooper. She had been raised in a Quaker family, and her first husband, Amos Winner, who also fought in the American Revolutionary War, was raised a Quaker as well.

On 23 May 1788, Rebecca Cooper is listed as Rebecca Winner in the will of her father Joseph Cooper, a Quaker, living in Bensalem, Bucks, County, Pennsylvania. Also listed in the will are her mother Elizabeth (Severns) and her brothers Benjamin and Joseph Cooper, and sisters, Catherine (Searl), Mary (Booz), Charity (Wright), and Leticia Cooper. So, we know she married Thomas Barton after this date. Their first child was born about 1790.

Rebecca Cooper married Amos Winner in New Jersey on 1 May 1779. There was one child born to this marriage, a son, Joseph Winner. He was born about 1780 and died on 18 March 1805 in Bristol, Bucks, Pennsylvania. 

Children of Thomas Barton and Rebecca Cooper:

  1. Amos Barton was born about 1790 in Bristol, Bucks, Pennsylvania, and died 11 April 1872 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He is buried in the Emilie UMC (Methodist) Cemetery in Levittown, Bucks, Pennsylvania. He married Christina LaRue. He was named after his mother’s first husband Amos Winner.
  2. Benjamin Barton was born about 1791 in Bristol, Bucks, Pennsylvania. He married Elizabeth Johnson. He was named after his maternal uncle, Benjamin Cooper.
  3. Letitia Barton was born in 1793 in Bristol, Bucks, Pennsylvania, and died 10 September 1859 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. She married Samuel Boyer. She was named after her maternal aunt, Letitia Cooper Van Sant.
  4. Catherine Ann Barton was born on 11 November 1795 in Bristol, Bucks, Pennsylvania, and died on 11 May 1852 in Miami County, Ohio. She married James W. Lyons, Sr. on 11 February 1817 in Newtown, Bucks, Pennsylvania. She was named after her maternal grandmother, Catherine Van Sant Severns, and her maternal aunt, Catherine Severns Benezet. (They are my direct ancestors).
  5. Margaret Barton was born about 1798 in Bristol, Bucks, Pennsylvania. Nothing more is known about her.
  6. Frances “Fanny” Barton was born in June 1800 in Bristol, Bucks, Pennsylvania, and died 20 August 1881 in Chesterfield, Burlington, New Jersey. She married Jesse Brown on 18 November 1819 in Bristol, Bucks, Pennsylvania.

My direct line:

  1. Thomas Barton and Abigail ____.
  2. John Barton and Ann Hitchcock.
  3. Thomas Barton and Rebecca Ann Cooper.
  4. Catherine Ann Barton and James W. Lyons, Sr.
  5. Martha Ann K. Lyons and Bradford Carroll Armstrong.
  6. George Pendleton Armstrong and Alice Elizabeth Nutick. (My great-grandparents).

Ending note: There were several men named Thomas Barton living in the areas where my Barton ancestors lived. DNA has strongly suggested that the Thomas Barton that married Rebecca Cooper Winner was the son of John Barton and Ann Hitchcock, and the grandson of Thomas Barton and Abigail ____. I do have many DNA matches to the descendants of Edward Barton, son of Thomas Barton and Patience Eldridge. But at this time, only DNA links the Thomas Barton that married Patience Eldridge, as having married second to Rebecca Ann Cooper Winner. The Thomas Barton found in the Quaker records in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, may or may not have been the same Thomas Barton that fought in the Revolutionary War in New Jersey. There was also a Thomas Barton that fought in the war in Pennsylvania. What I know to be true beyond a shadow of a doubt is that I descend from Thomas Barton and Rebecca Ann Cooper Winner, and that my Thomas appears to have been the son of John Barton and Ann Hitchcock, and the grandson of Thomas Barton and Abigail _____. In the future, I will continue my research into my Barton and related lines.

References:

  1. Joppa, Maryland. wikipedia.org
  2. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, Gannett, Henry (1905).

If you use any information from my blog posts as a reference or source, please give credit and provide a link back to my work that you are referencing. Unless otherwise noted, my work is © Anna A. Kasper 2011-2026. All rights reserved. Thank you.

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