I finally made it to the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg, Pennsylvania last November when my husband and I went to hear my stepson give the Veterans Day address for the American Legion in Jefferson, Pennsylvania. Please read the previous blog post on The Jacob Bash and Dewalt Foringer Connection for background information. I suspected that Mary who was married to Jacob Bash and then Dewalt Foringer might be a daughter of George Clippenger/Klippenger of Hempfiled Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
Dewalt Fallinger and Mary his wife filed a petition in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania on 22 May 1820 to have George Clippenger's land valued and partitioned among the heirs if it could be done without spoiling the whole. The petition names George Clippenger's wife Mary who was still living at that time and their ten children:
1) Betty married to Philip Lucas
2) Catherine married to William Altman
3) Mary married to Dewalt Fallinger
4) John
5) Anthony
6) Susanah married to Brenerman
7) George Clippenger, Jr.
8) Peggy married to Israel Bigelow
9) Henry
10) Sally
Letters of administration were granted to Israel Bigelow and George Clippinger, Junior on 31 August 1818 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Bond was $1000 with Henry Henry and Adam Scheaffer as securities. More information is available on the Clippenger family in a book in the catalog on Ancestry.com, the Kleppinger-Clippinger Family History.
Mary Clippenger was married first to Jacob Bash who died in 1807 in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Jacob and Mary Bash's daughter, Anna Maria, was born and baptized in 1799 in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania:
Evangelical Lutheran, Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Anna Maria, born 25 Feb 1799, baptized 31 Dec 1799
Parents: Jacob Pesch and Anna Maria
Sponsors: Georg Klippenger and Anna Maria
Since Jacob Bash was living in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in 1799 and his wife's family was from Hempfield Township near Greensburg, Pennsylvania, it is highly likely that Martin Bash was Jacob's father since there were no other Bash families in Westmorland County, Pennsylvania at that time.
This post is about Christian and Samuel Himes who lived in Redbank Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. It is a continuation of the previous post titled "Who were Christian and Samuel Himes' parents?" Their parents were John George Himes who died in 1829 and his wife Susanna who later married Christian Shoffner.
I believe that Susanna's maiden name was Roth. The Himmel Church records in Northumberland County have the following baptisms: Maria Susanna, daugher of Christian Roth and wife Susanna, was born 20 March 1796 and was baptized 17 April 1796. Sponsors were Michael Roth and wife Susanna. Daniel Roth, son of Christian Roth and wife, was born 9 Nov 1799 and was baptized 1 December 1799. Sponsor was William Roth, single.
John George Heim and his wife Susanna were sponsors for Johann Georg Roth, son of Daniel and Rebecka Roth, on 25 January 1829 at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (Yeany's) in Shannondale, Redbank Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. Both Maria Susanna and Daniel Roth, children of Christian Roth and his wife Susanna, were baptized at the Himmel Church in the late 1790's and then Susanna and her husband John George Heim were sponsors in 1829 for a child of Daniel Roth. All the evidence seems to support the fact that Susanna Heim's maiden name was Roth.
Christian Himes, who was born about 1814, married Mary Ann "Polly" Miller about 1833. They appear in the 1840, 1850, and 1860 censuses in Redbank Township, Armstrong County. Christian died between 1 September 1864 and 8 September 1864. His will was probated 9 September 1864 but his estate was not settled until 1869. A petition filed in Orphans Court in Armstrong County in March 1866 to sell his real estate names his widow Mary and six children: Solomon Himes, Joseph Himes, Susannah intermarried with John Fetter, Samuel Himes, Rebecca Himes, and George Himes (the last two being minors). Petitions were filed in Orphans Court in March 1867 to appoint guardians for Rebecca and George who were minors. Chirstian's widow was remarried to Isaac Rettinger by March 1867 when she petitioned the Court for a guardian for her daughter Rebecca under 14 years of age. Petitons were again filed in Orphans Court in September 1867 since Christian had sold property to several people without making out deeds to them. These petitions name his widow Polly Rettinger who had remarried and his adult children and his daughter's spouses: Susannah and John Fetter, Elizabeth and John Kocher, Solomon Himes, and Joseph R. Himes. Samuel Himes does not sign the petitions. Elizabeth Himes who was not named in the March 1866 petition in Orphans Court is named in September 1867. The maiden name of Christian Himes' wife Mary Ann is from the death certificate of their son Joseph and their daughter Rebecca.
Christian Himes and Mary Ann "Polly" Miller had the following children:
1) Israel (1834-June, 1864) married Susannah Copenhaver (1835-1917). He died from a wound received in the Civil War.
2) Solomon (18 September 1837-31 August 1897) married Elizabeth Fetter (1837-1912).
3) Joseph R. (20 October 1839-21 April 1910) married Elizabeth Miller (1841-1926).
4) Susannah (born about 1840) married John Fetter
5) Elizabeth (1843-1896) married John Kocher (1831-1911)
6) Samuel (born about 1845)
7) Rebecca Jane (May 1853-4 January 1922) married Frank W. Kunselman (1849-1912).
8) George W. (born January 1855)
9) Valentine (born about 1857-before March 1866)
Samuel Himes was born 5 July 1817 and died 18 August 1865 according to his tombstone in the New Salem Cemetery in Armstrong County. His will was probated 29 August 1865 but his estate was not settled until 1869. His will names his wife Elizabeth and minor children: Sarah, Torney, Samuel, and Folton. He named his eldest son L. G. Himes as his executor. He married Susanna Elizabeth Ferringer about 1836. The maiden name of Samuel's wife Susanna Elizabeth is from the death certificates of their sons Valentine and Samuel and their daughter Sarah. The Orphans Court in Armstrong County appointed guardians for Valentine 19 years old and Sarah, Turney, and Samuel under 14 years of age in March, 1867.
Samuel Himes and Susanna Elizabeth Ferringer had the following children:
1) Caroline Suzanne Himes (3 February 1837-25 April 1893) married David Shick
(1830-1892)
2) Levi G. (July 1840-27 June 1910) married Christina O. Schreckengost (1839-1916). They moved to St. Joseph County, Michigan.
3) Susana (3 April 1843-25 August 1902) married John Rettinger (1840-1926)
4) Margaret "Peggy" Ann (18 October 1845-26 March 1925) married Jacob Kocher (1841-1922)
5) Valentine C. (about 1848-12 November 1922) married Emily Lindermuth (born 1865)
6) Sarah Magdalene (4 February 1857-29 March 1918) married Benjamin Franklin Troutman (1849-1901)
7) Wilson Turney (October 1859-15 January 1927) married Rebecca Hetrick (born 1859) and Mary E. McKelvey (born 1873)
8) Samuel H. (26 March 1862-11 February 1941) married Kathryn Michael (1865-1929)
9) Fulton (born between 1860 and 14 July 1865-died before March 1867)
Christian supposedly owned 1/6 of two stores and his brother Samuel and his son Levi owned 1/3 of the same two stores with Abraham Kunselman who owned the other half of the two stores. One of the stores was in New Salem but the location of the other store is unknown. Samuel was appointed administrator of Christian's estate after his death in September, 1864 and Samuel's son Levi was appointed administrator of Christian's estate after Samuel death in August, 1865. Thus, Levi was either administrator or executor of both Christian and Samuel's estates after their deaths. Samuel and Levi supposedly got the proceeds from the sale of one of the stores but it is not known what happened to Christian's share.
Although this blog is about the families that lived in Redbank Township, these families moved into and out of the Redbank area so it is necessary to see where they've been and where they go to trace their families. Such is the case with the Bash and Foringer families. The common connection between these families is Mary, whose maiden name may have been Clippenger/Klippenger. She was married first to Jacob Bash and then married Dewalt Foringer after Jacob died about 1807.
Jacob and Mary Bash first appear in Buffalo Township, Butler County in the 1800 census. They have a son and daughter under 10 in this census. Jacob writes his will in 1806 and it is probated in 1807 in Butler County. Jacob names his wife Mary in his will but does not name his children. Mary appears in Donegal Township, Butler County in the 1810 census with five children.
Jacob and later Mary are taxed in Donegal Township on 400 acres of land. A deed in Butler County (157:312) refers to the 150 acres that Jacob received as the settler's portion and states that there were five heirs. As a result of a 1792 Pennsylvania land law settlers that settled on 400 acre tracts in northwestern Pennsylvania received 150 acres from the patentee. The names of four of the five children of Jacob and Mary Bash are known.
1) John Bash (1795-1876) married Mary Snow (1805-1887) and moved to Grant County, Indiana about 1845.
2) Anna Maria was born 25 February 1799 and baptized at Evangelical Lutheran in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Jacob Pesch and Anna Maria. No further information is available regarding her.
3) Elizabeth born about 1804 married William Drips. Their only son Samuel W. Drips received money from William McCollough as an heir of Jacob Bash for the settlers portion referred to above since his mother Elizabeth had died.
4) Jacob (1806-1863) married Mary McKelvey and was living in Redbank Township in the 1830 census. He later moved to Indiana County, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Elizabeth and Jacob were both under 14 years of age in 1817 when they had guardians appointed for them in Butler County. The petitioners were "Dewalt Farringer and Mary Farringer, late widow of Jacob Bash." The marriage of Dewalt Foringer and Mary Bash about 1815 is the connection between the Bash and Foringer families. Dewalt's first wife Christina died sometime between 1810 when Dewalt and she appear in the census in Donegal Township, Butler County and 1815 when Dewalt and his second wife Mary had their first child.
Dewalt Foringer and Christina had eight children that are named in his will.
1) Jacob (1794-1854) married Elizabeth Wiles
2) Daniel (1796-1875) married Christena Wiles (1801-1840)
3) James (born about 1797)
4) Polly (born between 1800 and 1804)
5) Betsy (born between 1800 and 1804)
6) Dewalt or David (born 1805)
7) Catherine (1808-1878) married Joseph Wiles (1810-1878)
8) John (born about 1811) married Catherine Wiles
Two of Dewalt and Christina's children were baptized by the Reformed pastor, the Rev. John William Weber from Westmoreland County in 1796 and 1806. Dewalt is in Butler County by at least 1803 according to a proof of settlement that he filed in 1808 stating he had resided on his land for five years. He is living in Butler County in the 1820 and 1830 censuses but is in Redbank Township, Armstrong County in the 1840 census. He is living with his son Henry in Porter Township, Clarion County in the 1850 census. Porter Township was part of Redbank Township until 1839.
Dewalt and his second wife Mary were married sometime after 28 November 1814 when Mary is listed as a widow on a tax list in Donegal Township, Butler County. They had the following four children that are named in Dewalt's will.
1) Henry (1815-1905) married Susanna Delp (1819-1903)
2) George
3) Sally (1819-1896) married Nicholas Delp (1812-1874)
4) Joseph (1822-1892) married Hannah Barnhart (1833-1906)
Dewalt was born in December, 1772 and died 26 March 1859 according to his tombstone at Squirrel Hill Cemetery, New Bethlehem, Clarion County. His second wife Mary died sometime between 1838 when his will was written and 1850 when she does not appear with him in the 1850 census.
Hopefully this information will help someone researching these families. I believe Mary Bash/Foringer may be a daughter of George Clippenger/Klippenger of Westmoreland County based on an abstract of a partition filed after George Clippenger's death and the fact that he and his wife were sponsors at the baptism of a child of Jacob and Mary Bash. I plan on obtaining the actual partition filed after George Clippenger's death to see if it gives the names of Mary and Dewalt Foringer. Martin Bash from Westmoreland County has been named as a possible father for Jacob Bash. If Mary's family is from Westmoreland County and Jacob and she had a child baptized there, then that makes it more likely that Martin Bash was Jacob's father. If I find that George Clippenger is Mary's father, then I will edit this blog to reflect that.
I recently had an email asking me about George Blose who was a coal miner that lived in Redbank Township in 1930. In trying to help answer a question about what coal mine he may have worked in, I came across a site that I believe may be of interest to others since many people worked in the coal mines. This site lists the coal mines in each county in western Pennsylvania by communities: http://patheoldminer.rootsweb.ancestry.com/.
I've been feeling guilty since it's been a long time since I've posted on this blog.
Henry Schaffner/Shoffner is one of my ancestors that came from Switzerland and settled in Redbank Township, Armstrong County. He died in Redbank Township, Clarion County sometime between 3 April and 6 May 1850. There is a passenger record for he and his family showing their entry into the United States on 16 August 1816, in Philadelphia on the ship Broderschap. The passenger record is available on both http://www.ancestry.com and https://familysearch.org. Although Henry Schaffner left a will, it only names his wife Susanna and what she was to receive from his estate. Since he owned property at the time of his death that could not be divided among his heirs, the Orphans Court ordered that it be sold. The Orphans Court records are important since they list his children,the names of his married daughter's husbands, and the children of his daughter Eve who had died. The passenger's record is shown here. Barbara Schaffner may be another daughter who died after their arrival or another relative.
Henry Schaffner was married twice. His first wife was Salome Thommen. They were married 19 February 1799 in Sissach, Baselland, Switzerland. Their marriage record is available at https://familysearch.org. Nine of Henry and Salome's children were baptized at Anwil, Sissach, Baselland, Switzerland. Their birth and baptism dates were obtained from Family History microfilm 953,174 for the Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche Oltingen (Anwil). Henry was married to Susanna sometime after he arrived in Pennsylvania. His two youngest children were probably to Susanna.
His children were as follows:
1) Elizabeth born 4 September 1799, baptized 8 September 1799, married John Boozer
2) Ann "Annie" born 29 April 1801, baptized 3 May 1801, married George Himes
3) Henry born 7 February 1803, baptized 13 February 1803
4) Eva born 19 June 1804, baptized 24 June 1804, married Peter Himes
5) John born 20 January 1806, baptized 21 January 1806
6) Salome born 22 March 1808, baptized 27 March 1808, married David Himes
7) Jacob born 31 October 1809, baptized 5 November 1809, married Susannah Rhodes
8) Mary born 2 April 1811, baptized 7 April 1811, never married
9) Christian born 29 September 1812, baptized 4 October 1812, married Susanna
10) Jane born August 1819, married Abraham Rhodes
11) Catharine born about 1824, never married
The birth date on Salome's tombstone is for 1807 rather than 1808. Annie's birth date as calculated from her date of death and age given on her tombstone is not the same as the birth date in the church record. Salome's baptismal record is shown below:
Three of Henry Schaffner's children married three Himes brothers, children of John William Himes and Anna Barbara Hetrick.
Henry Schaffner was living in Mifflin Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the 1820 census and in Redbank Township, Armstrong County in the 1830 and 1840 censuses. He purchased 193 acres on 13 March 1838 in Redbank Township, Armstrong County and later sold 56 acres to Levi Clepper on 3 March 1845 in Redbank Township, Clarion County.
Susanna Schaffner does not appear in the 1850 census in Redbank Township, Clarion County after Henry died. She was living on 2 September, 1850 when the petition was filed in Orphans Court in Clarion County to sell Henry Schaffner's property.
There is no further record for her.
Hopefully the above information will be helpful to others looking for information on Henry Schaffner and his family. If anyone has information to share on any of his children, please contact me.
