When Was George Washington Born? A Lesson on Double Dating

Last week we remembered George Washington's birthday on February 22nd (which also happens to be my birthday). But was George Washington born on February 22nd? Extreme Genes, one of my favorite genealogy podcasts, discussed the uncertainty of Washington's birthday in this week's show.

Portrait of George Washington
Painted by Gilbert Stuart

After listening to the conversation, I decided to dig a little deeper and found his family Bible where he is listed as being born on the "11th Day of February 1731/2." [See "Washington Family Bible Page" at the Digital Collections site from The Washington Library.] If he was born on February 11th, why do we celebrate his birthday on February 22nd? And why is his birth recorded as 1731/2?

Actually, both the strange way of waiting Washington's birth year and his two birth days, February 11th and 22nd, have to do with the switch from the old Gregorian calendar to the new Julian calendar. Though this switch happened at different times around the world, in the colonies the switch happened in 1752 when Washington was a young man. Since different parts of the world made the switch at different times, in the colonies during the approximately 100 years before 1752, dates between January 1st and March 24th were given "double dates" like Washington's birth year of 1731/2. This is because the old calendar didn't start a new year until March 25th, while the new calendar started the new year on January 1st. So the two dates were indicating the years using both the old calendar, 1731, and new calendar, 1732.

As far as the day of his birth, Washington's family Bible shows he was born on the 11th of February. However, when we officially switched to the new calendar in 1752, our calendar "skipped" from September 2nd to September 14th. On February 11th, 1753, which should have been Washington's 21st birthday, he was actually 11 days short of being 21 years old. So, his birthday celebration was generally switched to February 22nd, though some celebrations still occurred on the 11th.

Land Warrant Application, David Beiler & Michael Cline, record number 463, 15 February 1748/9; digital images, "Pennsylvania, Land Warrants & Applications, 1733-1952," Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 13 February 2017).

I recently came across an example of double dating in my own research on a Land Warrant application of my ancestor, Michael Kline/Cline, and his neighbor, David Beiler. The document was dated February 15th of 1748/9. When I first saw the date, I didn't understand what it meant, which led me to researching double dating. Along with the research I did for Washington's birth date, I now feel I understand double dating fairly well.

The following is my transcription of this document:

By the Proprietaries

Pennsylvania SS

Whereas by consent and direction of then Commissioners of Property, a Survey was mad  in the year 1729, on a certain Tract of two hundred and thirty seven Acres of Land, Situate in

Warwick Township in the County of Lancaster, which is now in the Possession of David Beiler

[symbol] and Michael Cline of the said County who have requested that we would grant them

the said Land, and agreed to pay to our use for the said Tract the full Sum of Thirty six –

Pounds fourteen Shillings & seven pence Money of Pennsylvania with lawful Interest for the

Same, and the yearly Quit Rent of one half penny Sterling for every Acre thereof, both to

commence from the 1^st day of March 1732; These are therefore to authorize & require you to

accept and receive into your Office the Survey of the said Tract, and make Return thereof into our

Secretary’s Office for the use and behoof of the said David Beiler and Michael Cline in

order for further Confirmation, and in so doing this shall be your sufficient Warrant, which Survey

in case the said David Beiler and Michael Cline fulfil the above agreement within

One Month after the Date hereof shall be valid, otherwise the same is to be void. Given

under my Hand and the Seal of the Land Office by virtue of certain Powers from the

said Proprietaries at Philadelphia this Fifteenth day of February 1748/9-

To Nicholas Scull Surveyor General

James Hamilton [signature]

poor original [Stamped]

What Does "Interlined" Mean?

In the 1781 indenture of "Dorothea Kline & Al to Nicholas Kline," Nicholas Kline, a son of Michael Kline (my 6th great grandfather), bought land from the other heirs of his father for 400 pounds. This document was typed into a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania deed book.

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book X, page 414 (close up), "Dorothea Kline & Al to Nicholas Kline.
[Note the underlined word "perches" on the 4th line.]

In this typed version, there are two words which are underlined: "perches" on page 414 (see image above) and "share" on page 415.

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book X, page 4147(close up), "Dorothea Kline & Al to Nicholas Kline.
[Note the first few lines which describe the interlined words.]

Following the body of the document is the following comment: Sealed & delivered: written on two several sheets of Paper in the Presence of us: the Word Perches interlined between the eighteenth & nineteenth line & the word share between the twenty third & fourth line.

Random will showing an example of interlined words between lines 24 and 25.

What is "interlined?"

Merriam-Webster defines interlined as "to insert between lines already written or printed." The document above has an example of interlined words between lines 24 and 25.  [Note: The document has been numbered on the far right side of the document.] They are the words that have been squeezed in between the two lines. If you were transcribing this document, you should add a note at the end of this document noting the interlined words. These notes would be in square brackets. For example, you might write: [The words "the presence of us who have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses thereto in" was interlined between lines 24 and 25.]

Returning to my original document, the clerk's note means that, in the original document, the word "perches" had been interlined or inserted between the 18th and 19th lines, and the word "share" between the 23rd and 24th lines.

Platting Land in Pennsylvania, A State Land State

Since Pennsylvania is a state land state, the land was surveyed using metes and bounds rather than townships and ranges. This type of survey starts at a starting point which is a "bound" or some type of physical feature. Then, the survey gives a direction (such as north, south, east, or west) and the number of degrees (between 0 and 90) and then a distance. This is the "metes" part of the survey which includes a direction and a distance. At the end of that direction and distance, another "bound" is given.

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book X, page 414 (close up), "Dorothea Kline & Al to Nicholas Kline.

For instance, let's take the 1781 Lancaster County indenture example I used earlier this week. The description of the land begins as follows: "Beginning at a white oak corner of David Beilor's land by the same south seven degrees and a half west ninety seven perches and a half of a perch to a stone..." In this example, the "white oak" where this land touches David Beilor's land is the first bound and it is also the starting point. From there, the surveyor turned 97.5 degrees south west and traveled 7.5 perches. This is the first "mete" and you would draw this line if you were platting the land. At the end of this distance, you would come across a stone.

Here's another example from the same document: "...to a stone, thence by the same north seventy degrees west one hundred & fifteen perches to a post thence by George Kline's land..." So, continuing from the stone, you would turn northwest 70 degrees and travel 115 perches to a post and you would be bordering George Kline's land.

But, what's a perch? A perch is just one type of measurement that the surveyors used. Here are several and their equivalents in feet and/or inches from the FamilySearch "Metes and Bounds" Wiki:

• link: 7.92 inches
• perch or pole: 16.5 feet (or 1/4 of a chain or 25 links)
• rod: 16.5 feet
• chain: 66 feet 4 rods (or 100 links)
• furlong: 664 feet

After learning about how the survey was measured and written, I decided to try platting a survey for the first time. I was going to use the 1781 indenture I've been referencing, but one of the degree is missing! Perhaps I could eventually figure it out, but I decided to start with something easier.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) has surveys available online. From the home page (http://www.phmc.pa.gov), click on "land records" in the first column. From there, I scrolled down to "Images of all surveys." I chose several random surveys to plat, but I had my first success with "volume A-17" then "page A-17-105." This survey is for 100 acres of land granted to James Miller in Tyrone Township, Adams County, in 1745. The survey was done in 1809.

Deed Platter screenshot of data entered on genealogy tools

Using genealogy tools, I looked at the image (or you could use a description), chose a starting place, and entered the information. For the Miller survey, I started in the upper left corner and went around the image clockwise. So, my first "metes" was "S 33.5 E" and "79.5." I didn't know what units they used, but the shape comes out the same as long as you are consistent. I chose perches. 

Survey as drawn from data entered on genealogy tools

Although it's at a different angle, you can see that my plat is the same shape as the survey! From this site, you can also add title information along with marker such as the stone and white oak in my example from my 1781 indenture. You can also add the neighbors, such as John Stewart in this example. I believe there are other free, online platting tools, but this is the first one I found and tried successfully.

Using this example to plat a survey helped me to understand these descriptions which at first did not make a lot of sense to me.

Have you platted the land of your ancestors or their neighbors? What are some of the benefits? I'd love to hear! If you've written a post about it, please leave a link. Or you can leave a comment or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

Researching the Neighbors Leads to the Discovery of a 1749 Land Warrant Application

After the death of Michael Kline in 1781, his son Nicholas paid 400 pounds to the other heirs—Nicholas' mother, Dorothea, along with his siblings and their spouses—for two tracts of his father's land. Although I've blogged about this 1781 indenture before, today I am looking at the adjoining neighbors who were listed in the description of the first piece of land: David Beilor, George Kline (possibly a brother of Michael's), Thomas Falkner, and John and Jacob Snavely.

[Note: The relevant part of this 1781 indenture is transcribed at the bottom of this post. Also, though I believe the document is about two pieces of land, only only one is described in the document.]

On Ancestry, I searched for David Beilor in Warwick, Pennsylvania. I did not state a county because Warwick Township was in Lancaster County in the 1700s, but is now in Chester County. The only document result was from the database "Pennsylvania, Land Warrants and Applications, 1733-1952" which looked promising.

Land Warrant Application, David Beiler & Michael Cline, record number 463, 15 February 1748/9; digital images, "Pennsylvania, Land Warrants & Applications, 1733-1952," Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : accessed 13 February 2017).

I was surprised to see the document, dated 1749, was for both "David Beiler & Michael Cline."   Now, I am now eager to find out more about David Beiler. Were Michael Kline and David Beiler related? Were they friends who moved their families to Warwick Township from someplace else? [Note: I will share more about the other side of this land warrant application soon.]

Similar searches for Thomas Falkner and John and Jacob Snavely did not give any promising results. George Kline, however, had a lot of results in Warwick and I will need to research him further.

Below is both the image and transcription of the relevant sections of this 1781 indenture with words written in bold for emphasis by me.

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book X, page 414, "Dorothea Kline & Al to Nicholas Kline."

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book X, page 414, "Dorothea Kline & Al to Nicholas Kline."

...bargain sell alien remiss release confirm relinguish [sic] and forever quit claim unto
all that & those, two several tracts of land situate & being in the township of 
Warwick county of Lancaster & State aforesaid, the first whereof bounded & described 
as follows,  to wit, Beginning at a white oak corner of David Belior's land by the 
same south seven degrees and a half west ninety seven perches and a half of a perch 
to a stone, thence by the same north seventy degrees west one hundred & fifteen 
perches to a post thence by George Kline's land, south nineteen degrees west thir-
teen perches & three quarters of a perch to a post, thence by the same south west 
twenty three perches to a post thence by the same north fifty degrees west twenty 
two perches to a post, thence by the same north twenty two degrees east twenty 
perches & half a perch, thence by the same north seven perches to a post 
thence by the aforesaid David Bailor's land north eighty nine degrees west thirty 
nine perches to a post, thence by Thomas Falkner's land, south seven degrees & 
a half west seventy seven perches to a post, thence by John & Jacob Sneavly's [sic] land 
south eighty two degrees east one hundred & eighty eight perches to a small hickory, 
thence by land that was formerly vacant north seven degrees & a half east two hundred 
and thirty perches & a half of a perch to a white oak, thence north eighty 
two degrees west sixty five perches to a post, thence by George Kline's land south 
seven degrees and a half west seventy two perches & a half of a perch to a post, 
thence by said David Beilors land south seventy degrees and a half east sixty one 
perches to the Place of Beginning containing one hundred & six acres of land & 
the usual allowance of six acres P Ct for roads & highways,
       It being a part of a larger tract of one hundred & thirty seven acres 
& allowance of six P Ct granted to the above named Michael Kline deceased by a 
proprietary patent, bearing date the twenty sixth day of January in the year of 
our Lord one thousand seven hundred & forty nine as in & by the above recited pat-
ent recorded in the rolls office for the city & county of Philadelphia in patent 
Book A vol 17 page 386 bearing date the 14th day of November Anno Dom: 1753 
reference to the same being had may more fully & at large appear as also an 
undivided share of and in another tract of land held by warrant situate in Warwick 
Township aforesaid, adjoining the lands of John Simmon, be his share more or less 
than thirty five acres hereafter to be divided exclusive of any share of the meadow 
ground in thesaid [sic] tract.

Are you related to any of the people mentioned in this document? Do you have any questions or comments? Please leave a comment or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

What's a "Half Wagon?" (Dorothy's Will, Part 2)

Last week I shared about Dorothy/Dorothea Klein/Kline's "interesting will." I also shared about it at my local special interest group genealogy meeting on Friday. We all had some laughs, but a few things were pointed out to me.

What's a "half wagon?"

First of all, I shared how two of Dorothy's sons, Daniel and Nicholas, were each given a "half wagon." When I first read about this, I thought it must be a type of wagon. But, someone suggested to me that it was literally half a wagon. In other words, the two brothers were sharing a wagon. That made sense, so I shared on my blog and at my group about the two brothers sharing a wagon.

However, someone in our group spoke up and said a half wagon was actually a small wagon. Yikes! I needed to do more research. When I got home, I started the research and had a hard time finding anything. But, then I found an explanation on a genealogy.com webpage under "notes for General Marion Hooper." Regarding a half wagon, it explained:

General built several roads in Graham County and Tennessee with a shovel, axe, pick, and whatever tools he had. The roads were just wide enough for the wagon wheels to pass through trees and thickets. Once he had a horse and a half wagon made from pin oak. The half wagon was about half the size of a regular wagon and could go where regular wagons could not go. In 1897 several surveyors were surveying the mountain land and were stuck below the Hooper Bald with their supplies and equipment. General came upon them and used his yoke of oxen and his half wagon to haul their belongings to their camp site. He did the job in three trips.

So, it is likely the two brothers did not each inherit "half a wagon" that they had to share. Instead, they both inherited small half wagons.

P.S. Reader David Samuelsen posted a link which shows a photo of a half wagon—just scroll down to Nineteenth Century traps at this link. (Thanks, David!)

Five Pounds specie

I also discussed how three of the four granddaughters listed were receiving their five pounds "out of the money which their said father" was indebted to Dorothy, their deceased grandmother. However, I left off a word, because I didn't know what it meant. The will actually says each granddaughter will receive "Five Pounds specie." I kept thinking it meant "apiece" or each. But, someone in the meeting pointed out that the word is, in fact, specie, which is a type of money.

I just completed a little research about specie. Wikipedia explains that there were "three general types of money in the colonies of British America: specie (coins), paper money and commodity money." It also states that "cash in the colonies was denominated in pounds, shillings, and pence."

In light of this explanation, I believe the girls were each inheriting an amount of five pounds, and the five pounds was in coin, or specie, form. Do you agree? Am I still not understanding correctly?

No one had a good explanation about the money being out of the money "indebted to" Dorothy by her sons who were the girls' fathers. How were the girls expected to receive their five pounds? I still don't understand.

Dorothy to Her Namesakes

The last part of the will I discussed was about Dorothy primarily giving inheritance to her granddaughters who were named Dorothy or Dorothea. Three of the four girls listed were named Dorothy. I also have another will where a woman named Catharine only gave inheritance to her granddaughters who bore her name. I think this is a very odd practice, and I asked if anyone knew anything about it.

One person spoke up about German naming patterns, and yes, this family was German. But, although I understand she would have granddaughters named Dorothy, why would she primarily leave an inheritance to only them?

Another person suggested that Dorothea was likely the sponsor of these grandchildren named Dorothea/Dorothy, and would act as a godparent. It would make sense that, even in death, Dorothy would continue to take care of her godchildren. However, I have information on the baptism of Nicholaus' daughter, Dorothy, and her sponsors were did no include her grandmother. Instead, she was sponsored by William and Dorthea Gesell. So, it seems likely she was not named after her grandmother, but instead was named for Dorthea Gesell.

Have you had experience with a woman "only" (or mostly) leaving inheritance to her namesake? Do you know any background about this practice? Please leave a comment or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net.

Source

Will of Dorothy Klein of Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, signed 27 June 1794, proved 14 September 1799, provided by Lititz, Pennsylvania Public Library, 3 pages. [All images on this post are from this will.]

The Interesting Will of Dorothy Kline

Tomorrow is our monthly internet research group genealogy meeting and we will be discussing wills and probate packets. We were asked to pass along any "interesting" wills or probate packets we had in our files to discuss at our meeting. I chose one I recently received from a newly found cousin. The will, which was proved in 1799, is my 6th great grandmother's.

Will of Dorothy Klein of Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, signed 27 June 1794, proved 14
September 1799, provided by Lititz, Pennsylvania Public Library, page 1 of 3.

Highlights from the Will

I found this will to be both curious and entertaining. First of all, under "secondly" she gives her son Daniel the two blind mares and an half waggon [sic] and to her son Nicholas she gives the old black mare and the grey Colt and one half wagon. I hope the brothers get along as they share this wagon! And, I think Nicholas might have got the better deal with his old mare and colt versus his brother's two blind mares. [NOTE: Please see a follow up post which corrects this misconception!]

She also bequeaths five pounds each to the following grandchildren:

• Catharine, the daughter of George 
• Dorothy, the daughter of George
• Dorothy, the daughter of Lenohard
• Dorothy, the daughter of Nicholaus

The first three of these granddaughters are getting their five pounds "out of the money which their said father... is indebted to me." So, do they only get the money if their fathers are able to pay it to them?

Transcript of Dorothy Klein's will

Also, note that three of these granddaughters are named Dorothy. And, yes, the deceased is named Dorothy: Dorothy Klein or Kline. She is giving inheritance primarily to those who share her name! I have another will like this where the deceased grandmother, Catharine, is only giving items to those granddaughters who were named Catharine. Very interesting! I can't imagine this happening today. Can you imagine my putting in my will that my granddaughters named Dana would be the only grandchildren to inherit? I hope someone knows more about this practice, as I find it quite strange!

My Top 10 Genealogy Finds in 2016

As I did in 2014, I'd like to share my "top 10 genealogy find" for 2016...

Number 10: Finding myself in several newspaper articles as a young child was lots of fun! One article was about a city-wide contest where I won 3rd place in jumping rope. Another article was about a trip I took as a Campfire Girl where I fell off a statue and got a nasty bump on my forehead. (I think this picture is pretty pathetic, but it's the only one I could find with this injury!)

St. Joseph (German) Catholic Church,
Detroit, Michigan (Wikipedia image)

Number 9: Years ago, I received a copy of a torn 1895 wedding photo of my great grandparents, Frank & Anna (Adam) Kaechle. With some help from a Facebook group, I was able to locate the church where they were married. I also hired someone to look up their church marriage record!

Marriage record for Frank & Francisca (Holthoefer) Adam (Ancestry)

Number 8: Just a few weeks ago, I discovered the 1858 church marriage record for Anna (Adam) Kaechle's parents. Anna's parents, Frank & Francisca (Holthoefer) Adam, were married at St. Mary's Church in Detroit.

Henry W Wingert & others on a bandwagon

Number 7: Although the person in the photo isn't a direct ancestor, I absolutely loved receiving a copy of this photo of Henry W. Wingert who was a band leader on a bandwagon! What an incredible photo!

Me in Clinton County with a business card of A. L. Merrill (June 2016)

Number 6: On a trip to Pennsylvania this past summer, I was thrilled to find an actual business card for my great, great grandfather, A. L. Merrill, who was a candidate for County Commissioner! And, yes, he did actually serve as county commissioner. I also found a photo of him as commissioner, but I still need to get permission to post it.

Papers received from the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society
in regards to the Michael Kline family

Number 5: I "discovered" I had Mennonite ancestors, only to find out they weren't Mennonites after all! But, the information I received from Pennsylvania's Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society provided me with a lot of information about Michael Kline and his 14 children.

Number 4: Through work I did in Melinde Lutz Byrne's "Practicum in Genealogical Research," I determined that John M Boyers was likely the father of Eliza Ann (Boyers) Dickson. More research is still needed, but I made a lot of progress!

Me and two cousins at the tombstone of Robert & Frances (Quigley) Stewart
Clinton County, Pennsylvania (June 2016)

Number 3: One of the "genealogy" highlights of my year was meeting quite a few of my dad's Pennsylvania cousins that I had never met. Three of them went with me to Clinton County, Pennsylvania, where we spent a day visiting several cemeteries and the library. This is a photo of me with two of them standing next to the headstone of Robert and Frances (Quigley) Stewart's massive headstone. Robert and Frances are my 4th great grandparents and represent the furthest we've been able to trace our Stewart line.

Birth certificate showing my Werther family came from Berka

Number 2: Although I didn't know it, I actually had digital copies of the paperwork which showed where my Werther family had emigrated from in Germany! My Great Aunt Beulah, who got me interested in genealogy in 1998, had these papers in her files and I had copied them a couple of years ago while visiting an aunt and uncle.

Map made by JRS showing the immigration voyage of my Peters' family

Number 1: And, the top find for 2016 was locating the origins of my Peters family who emigrated from Germany in 1859. Though I wrote quite a few posts as I shared the steps to this discovery almost in real time on my blog, a summary can be found on my post titled "How I Traced My Immigrant Family to Germany."

Photo of Joachim Peters that belongs to my family, alongside a painting
of the photo that got handed down in a cousin's family.

BONUS: I can't believe I left this out of my "top 10" list! This year, I discovered my dad has hundreds of photos that I had never seen before! He has been emailing them to me, and we are working together to fill in the details. I have also received photos from other cousins. It's always exciting to find photos of the people we are researching! So, this is definitely one of my "top 10 genealogy finds" of 2016!

Estimating Birth Years for 14 Siblings

My last post was about Michael Kline of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, my 6th great grandfather, and a 1781 indenture which listed his 14 children. Finding estimated birth dates/years would be difficult since they were born in the mid-1700's and census records would not be of much help. So, how did I estimate the birth years for Michael's 14 children?

How I estimated the birth years for the 14 children of Michael and Dorothea Kline:

• used the birth dates of the two children I knew: Frenia, who was born in 1748, and Michael, who was born in 1764
• assumed Dorothea gave birth approximately every two years
• assumed the children were listed in order on the 1781 indenture listed on an earlier post which appears to match the births of Frenia and Michael and the fact that last four children were listed as minors

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book X, page 413, "Dorothea Kline & Al to Nicholas Kline."

List of the fourteen children and their estimated birth years:

• 1744 - George Kline
• 1746 - Leonard Kline
• 1748 - Frenia/Frances Kline m. Michael Quigley/Quiggle
• 1750 - Catharina Kline m. George Wilt
• 1752 - Magdalena Kline m. Adam Reist (or Treish?)
• 1754 - Margaret Kline m. George Bowman
• 1756 - Dorothea Kline m. John Bowman
• 1758 - Barbara Kline m. George Giger
• 1760 - Susanna Kline m. John Brown
• 1761 -Nicholas Kline
• 1763 - Daniel Kline
• 1764 - Michael Kline
• 1766 - Jacob Kline
• 1768 - Gertraut (or Gertrude) Kline m. Herman Morrett

(I had to slightly adjust these dates to have Michael born in 1764, and not 1766 as the method would suggest.)

Confirmation:

One of Ancestry's "shaky leaves" led me to a FindAGrave record for Gertraut "Gertrude" (Kline) who married Hartman Morrett according to other documents I received from the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. The memorial is by a 4th great granddaughter of Gertraut and Hartman. She explains that, although the tombstones in this cemetery have all been removed, someone made a list of all who were buried there sometime in the past.

I had Gertraut's birth year calculated as 1768. Her birth year according to this FindAGrave record: 1768. In fact, it says Gertraut was born on March 10th, 1768 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and that she died on July 17th, 1836, in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.

Although it is highly unlikely I have the correct birth year for each of these 14 children, I believe the example of Gertraut shows that my method worked pretty well. As I continue to research this family, these estimates will be useful.

Are we related? I'd love to talk to you! Please leave a comment or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net

What Information Did the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society Find?

When I got home from Christmas yesterday, a package from the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society was waiting for me! Earlier this month, I posted about finding my Michael Kline family on an Ancestry.com database called "Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Vital Records, 1750-2014." Surprised to learn that I had Mennonite ancestors, I sent the society $70 for two hours of research.

After opening the large envelope, I eagerly read the cover letter to see what records they found. The end of the letter, however, surprised me. It said: "We have many genealogical cards of persons who were not Mennonite. The book by Ruth Kline Lee would indicate that Michael Kline was Lutheran since their children were baptized by Lutheran pastors."

My Kline family were NOT Mennonite after all!

But, the historical society's letterhead includes the following at the bottom of the page: "Preserving and popularizing Mennonite and Pennsylvania German heritage, history and faith for 50 years." Thankfully, the society has records about families with German ancestors, too. And, that is why they had quite a few documents about my Kline family.

Although I still have a lot to read, I was thrilled to see several documents that list Michael Kline's fourteen children: six sons and eight daughters. A 1781 indenture is found in the Lancaster County Deed Book X on pages 413 through 47. The first two paragraphs read:

This indenture made the sixteenth day of November in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & eighty one. Between Dorothea Kline the widow relict & administratrix of all & singular the estate of Michael Kline late of Warwick township in the country of Lancaster & State of Pennsylvania deceased George Kline one of the sons of the said Michael Kline deceased & Christiana his wife) Leonard Kline another of the sons of the said Michael Kline deceased & Barbara his wife, Michael Quiggell & Frenia his wife (Late Frenia Kline of the daughters of the said Michael Kline deceased) George Wilt and Catharina his wife (Late Catharina  Kline, another of the daughters of the said Michael Kline deceased) Adam Reist & Magdalena his wife (Late Magdalena Kline, another of the daughters of the said Michael Kline deceased) George Bowman & Margaret his wife (late Margaret Kline, another of the daughters of the said Michael Kline deceased) John Bowman & Dorothea his wife (late Dorothea Kline, another of the daughters of the said Michael Kline deceased) George Giger & Barbara his wife (Late Barbara Kline, another of the daughters of the said Michael Kline deceased) John Brown & Susana his wife (late Susanna Kline, another of the daughters of the said Michael Kline deceased) of the one part, and Nicholas Kline (one of the sons of the said Michael Kline deceased) of the other part.

Whereas the said Michael Kline in his life-time & at the time of his death was seized of and in, inter alia [Latin for "among other things], several tracts of land situate in Warwick township county & State aforesaid and ordered his last will & testament to be wrote before he executed died intestate, leaving issues six sons and eight daughters including the parties, above mentioned, and Daniel Kline, Michael Kline & Jacob Kline sons & Gertraut [sic, but seen as Gertrude on other documents] another of the daughters of minor children of the deceased.

While I'd seen these 14 children listed before, it is wonderful to have actual evidence stating these are his children! As an added bonus, the spouses of all but one of the daughters are given, too!

Are you related to the Kline family? I'd love to talk! Please leave me a comment or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net.

My Mennonite Ancestors and the Revolutionary War

UPDATE: Records received from the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society show that my Kline family were NOT Mennonite after all. See "What Information..." post for more.

Mennonites are pacifists opposed to war and violence. So, I was surprised to find my Kline ancestors in a Mennonite database on Ancestry.com. On the card for the Michael and Dorothea Kline family, their third child is listed as Frenia [seen as Frances on other records]. She and her husband, Michael Quiggell [seen in other records as Quigley or Quiggle], are my fifth great grandparents. He fought in the American Revolution. I wonder what his pacifist in-laws thought of his service! And, I wonder if he was a Mennonite, too. If not, what did Frances' family think of their daughter marrying outside of their faith?

It is possible Frances' father, Michael Kline, also served in the Revolutionary War. Although DAR is now requiring future applicants to prove his service, there are 20 DAR members who have claimed him as a patriot through three of his children: Frenia/Frances, Nicholas, and Gertrude [seen on these cards as Gertraut].

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Vital Records, 1750-2014, card for Michael Kline family, card 1, front, (Provo, UT, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. : 2015), online database (accessed : 7 December 2016). 

Several years ago, I joined DAR, Daughters of the American Revolution, as a descendant of Michael Quigley. Previous DAR applications gave me the names of Frances' father: Michael Kline. These newly found cards also give the names of her mother and sibling and indicate the family was living in Warwick Township in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and were Mennonites.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Vital Records, 1750-2014, card for Michael Kline family, card 1, back, (Provo, UT, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. : 2015), online database (accessed : 7 December 2016). 

The cards appear to list 14 children for Michael and Dorothea Kline. Many of the children also have their spouses listed. But, where did this information come from? Is it reliable? And what else can I find out about this family?

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Vital Records, 1750-2014, card for Michael Kline family, card 2, front,  (Provo, UT, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. : 2015), online database (accessed : 7 December 2016).

Thankfully, the last card lists several sources including some references to land records. And, the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society offers a genealogy "research by mail" service. Today I am sending in my request for two hours of research, and I'm hoping they have some great records that will reveal more about my Kline family!

Do we share common ancestors? Do you know more about the Kline or Quigley families? Or do you know more about Mennonite research and/or their role in the Revolutionary War? I'd love to talk! Please leave a comment or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net