The beginning of this piece, Primary and Secondary Sources, was first published in March 2008. Since then, two professional genealogists have been hired to locate the origin of the Bell line somewhere in the Palatinate, but with no results. Separately, I have pursued the quest for Bell ancestors through a fairly tedious examination of village registries in the area near Strasbourg in present day France. No results yet. The second part, Documentary Sources, has been widely reproduced in various genealogies. Hopefully, the publication of all this material in one place will help put to rest replicating errors in Peter and Anthony Bell research.
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES
1. Marriage Name: Peter Bell Year: 1765 Place: Annapolis, Maryland Source Publication Code: 321 Primary Immigrant: Bell, Peter Annotation: Marriage, birth and death notices taken from Maryland newspapers. Names 139 persons who must have arrived as ship passengers. Source Bibliography: BARNES, ROBERT W. Gleanings from Maryland Newspapers 1727-1775. Lutherville, Md.: Bettie Carothers, 1976. 72p. Page: 5
In the form appearing above, the citation came from a popular genealogical search engine. The compilation authored by Robert Barnes was also available in the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Library, a few blocks from my office at the symbolically apt address of 1776 D St. NW. The book does not identify the newspaper from which the information was "gleaned" or explain how the author deduced the date of marriage, the place or that Peter Bell "must have arrived as a ship passenger." You are thinking, no doubt, "Well, how else did he get here? Swim the Atlantic? Walk the Siberian land bridge?" Not likely, I suppose, but I want to know exactly what Robert Barnes found in what issue of what paper that warranted the assignment of a marriage date and the conclusion that he arrived through Annapolis.
2. The following is excerpted from History of Leitersburg District, Washington County. MD, Herbert C. Bell (1898) 3rd Ed. 1985, Caslon Press, Waynesboro, PA 17268, pp193-95:
Captain Peter Bell was probably a native of Germany and emigrated to America in early manhood. Definite information regarding his personal history begins with the year 1767, when he purchased from Peter Shiess a tract of 248 acres, part of the larger original survey called All That's Left, to which he gave the name of Bell's Choice. Its location in the northern part of the District adjacent to Mason and Dixon's Line and the Hagerstown and Waynesboro turnpike; the present owners are Daniel S. Wolfinger and Joseph M. Bell.
Although a secondary source, the beginning gets immediate attention and respect. It's a cautious start, alerting the reader that Peter Bell was "probably a native of Germany" and then transitioning to "definite information regarding his personal history." From other parts of the book we know that that author is a direct descendant and also that he reads German and that German was the language of the church and schools that the children of Peter Bell attended, all pretty good grounds for surmising that Peter Bell was probably a native of Germany as it came to be by the time the book was written. The definite information arises from a land record which the author had researched up to the time of writing. Confidence in the author increases when the land record is easily located in the Maryland Archives and when the stone house described is viewed and photographed at the location adjacent to the Mason-Dixon line.
Near the turnpike on the Wolfinger farm there are several springs and here at the first settlement of the District there was a marsh, south of which on the slope of a hill near the line that separated his land from his brother Anthony's Peter Bell erected the improvements that constituted his residence. The main road from Hagerstown to Nicholson Gap passed through his land and the travel over this thoroughfare doubtless gave him advantages not enjoyed by his more isolated neighbors.
About the year 1775 he removed to Hagerstown, where he owned the lot at the corner of Franklin and Potomac streets now the location of the market house in that city. It is probable that he engaged in merchandising here, as the settlement of his estate shows that 225 persons were indebted to him in sums ranging from 1s. 3d. to 65 pounds.
Once again a primary source, the land record, is invoked followed immediately by another primary record, the estate inventory, both of which are located in the Maryland archives.
On the 25th of November, 1776, he was elected a member of the Committee of Observation for Washington County, and during his connection with this body he served as a member of a subcommittee of seven appointed for the purpose of "licensing suits." It appears that the judicial functions of the Committee were intrusted to this sub-committee. On the 30th of December, 1776, the Committee ordered the militia of the county to march to the assistance of General Washington. Some who had served in the Flying Camp claimed exemption from this order, and it is entered in the minutes of the Committee under date of January 4, 1777, that "On motion of Captain Bell it is resolved that the Flying Camp are by no means exempt from marching with the militia." The following entry occurs in the minutes for January, 6, 1777: "On motion, Resolved, That Matthias Need serve as a committeeman in the room of Captain Bell, who hath resigned." His resignation is not difficult to explain.
In a letter from Colonel John Stull to the Maryland Council of Safety, January 11, 1777, he says: "The militia of my battalion have marched almost generally. * * * There are some of the former commissioned officers who have gone in the German battalion whose places are vacated in the militia; others have been elected to serve in their room, viz., Captain Peter Bell in the room of Captain William Heyser," etc. He requested the Council to forward commissions for these officers to Philadelphia. The following entry occurs in the minutes of the Counsil of Safety under the date of January 15, 1777: "Commissions issued to Peter Bell, appointed captain, Jacob Ott, first lieutenant, Michael Ott, second lieutenant, and William Conrad, ensign, of a company of militia in Washington County."
Their commissions were duly forwarded to Philadelphia, and Thomas Johnson, the first Governor of the State, writing from that city on the 29th of January informed the Counsil of the arrival of Stull's battalion. There can be little doubt that it proceeded to New Jersey, then the scene of Washington's operations. [The facts regarding Captain Peter Bell's military record have been obtained from the minutes of the Committee of Observation for Washington County, now in the custody of the Maryland Historical Society, and from the published Archives of Maryland, Journal and Correspondence of the Counsil of Safety, 1777, p. 42, etc.]
Once again, Herbert Bell has accurately quoted from source documents.
No roster of Captain Bell's company is known to be in existence. The names of the commissioned officers have been given; John Eyerly was the drummer, and many years after the war with Private Black, Schultz, and Lock he visited Peter Bell, Jr., the Captain's second son. Eyerly was then living at Green Spring near Bath, W. Va. Frederick Bell, the Captain's oldest son, used to relate that he rode in front of his father on his horse when the militia marched from Hagerstown. It was called out to serve until the 15th of March, but probably continued in the field beyond that date.
Since the writing of the History of the Leitersburg District, several muster rolls have come to light and are now held at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore Maryland.
Captain Bell did not long survive the hardships of the campaign. He died at Hagerstown in the spring of 1778, probably in February, as his will is dated January 21st and was admitted to probate on the 2d of March. The inventory of his personal property was the first to be entered upon the official records of Washington County.
All true and corroborated by the source documents cited.
Peter Bell married Elizabeth Leiter, a member of the family that has given its name to Leitersburg District. Their children were Juliana, who married Francis Bittle; Frederick; Elizabeth, who married Peter Krauth; Margaret, who married Barnhart Lowman; Peter, and Daniel. Bittle and Krauth removed to the Shenandoah valley in Virginia; Lowman located at Middlebrook, Augusta County, Va., in 1880, and there he was engaged in business as a tanner until his death in 1846. He has numerous descendants in Shelby County, Mo. Peter and Elizabeth Bell were members of St. John's Lutheran Church at Hagerstown, and here the baptisms of several of their children are recorded. He was buried in the graveyard adjacent to the old church building; his grave is unmarked and its exact location cannot be determined, but it is supposed to be under the west wall of the present church edifice.
The first line of this paragraph has led many amateur and professional genealogists into error by identifying Peter Bell's wife as the daughter of Jacob Leiter. No primary document supports that conclusion. Jacob Leiter does not refer to a daughter by the name of Elizabeth in his will. Johann Friederich Vogeler, on the other hand, names all of the children of Peter and Elizabeth Bell as his grandchildren and beneficiaries in his will.
DOCUMENTARY SOURCES
1. Marriage
Name: Peter Bell
Year: 1765
Place: Annapolis, Maryland
Source Publication Code: 321
Primary Immigrant: Bell, Peter
Annotation: Marriage, birth and death notices taken from Maryland newspapers. Names 139 persons who must have arrived as ship passengers.
Source Bibliography: BARNES, ROBERT W. Gleanings from Maryland Newspapers 1727-1775. Lutherville, Md.: Bettie Carothers, 1976. 72p.
Page: 5
Name: Peter Bell
Year: 1765
Place: Annapolis, Maryland
Source Publication Code: 321
Primary Immigrant: Bell, Peter
Annotation: Marriage, birth and death notices taken from Maryland newspapers. Names 139 persons who must have arrived as ship passengers.
Source Bibliography: BARNES, ROBERT W. Gleanings from Maryland Newspapers 1727-1775. Lutherville, Md.: Bettie Carothers, 1976. 72p.
Page: 5
2. The following is excerpted from History of Leitersburg
District, Washington County. MD, Herbert C. Bell (1898) 3rd Ed. 1985,
Caslon Press, Waynesboro, PA 17268, pp193-95:
Captain Peter Bell was probably a native of Germany and
emigrated to America in early manhood. Definite information regarding
his personal history begins with the year 1767, when he purchased from
Peter Shiess a tract of 248 acres, part of the larger original survey
called All That's Left, to which he gave the name of Bell's Choice. Its
location in the northern part of the District adjacent to Mason and
Dixon's Line and the Hagerstown and Waynesboro turnpike; the present
owners are Daniel S. Wolfinger and Joseph M. Bell. Near the turnpike on
the Wolfinger farm there are several springs and here at the first
settlement of the District there was a marsh, south of which on the
slope of a hill near the line that separated his land from his brother
Anthony's Peter Bell erected the improvements that constituted his
residence. The main road from Hagerstown to Nicholson Gap passed
through his land and the travel over this thoroughfare doubtless gave
him advantages not enjoyed by his more isolated neighbors. About the
year 1775 he removed to Hagerstown, where he owned the lot at the corner
of Franklin and Potomac streets now the location of the market house in
that city. It is probable that he engaged in merchandising here, as
the settlement of his estate shows that 225 persons were indebted to him
in sums ranging from 1s. 3d. to 65 pounds.
On the 25th of November, 1776, he was elected a member of the Committee of Observation for Washington County, and during his connection with this body he served as a member of a subcommittee of seven appointed for the purpose of "licensing suits." It appears that the judicial functions of the Committee were intrusted to this sub-committee. On the 30th of December, 1776, the Committee ordered the militia of the county to march to the assistance of General Washington. Some who had served in the Flying Camp claimed exemption from this order, and it is entered in the minutes of the Committee under date of January 4, 1777, that "On motion of Captain Bell it is resolved that the Flying Camp are by no means exempt from marching with the militia." The following entry occurs in the minutes for January, 6, 1777: "On motion, Resolved, That Matthias Need serve as a committeeman in the room of Captain Bell, who hath resigned." His resignation is not difficult to explain. In a letter from Colonel John Stull t0 the Maryland Council of Safety, January 11, 1777, he says: "The militia of my battalion have marched almost generally. * * * There are some of the former commissioned officers who have gone in the German battalion whose places are vacated in the militia; others have been elected to serve in their room, viz., Captain Peter Bell in the room of Captain William Heyser," etc. He requested the Council to forward commissions for these officers to Philadelphia. The following entry occurs in the minutes of the Counsil of Safety under the date of January 15, 1777: "Commissions issued to Peter Bell, appointed captain, Jacob Ott, first lieutenant, Michael Ott, second lieutenant, and William Conrad, ensign, of a company of militia in Washington County." Their commissions were duly forwarded to Philadelphia, and Thomas Johnson, the first Governor of the State, writing from that city on the 29th of January informed the Counsil of the arrival of Stull's battalion. There can be little doubt that it proceeded to New Jersey, the the scene of Washington's operations. [The facts regarding Captain Peter Bell's military record have been obtained from the minutes of the Committee of Observation for Washington County, now in the custody of the Maryland Historical Society, and from the published Archives of Maryland, Journal and Correspondence of the Counsil of Safety, 1777, p. 42, etc.]
No roster of Captain Bell's company is known to be in existence [Contra, see note 11 below]. The names of the commissioned officers have been given; John Eyerly was the drummer, and many years after the war with Private Black, Schultz, and Lock he visited Peter Bell, Jr., the Captain's second son. Eyerly was then living at Green Spring near Bath, W. Va. Frederick Bell, the Captain's oldest son, used to relate that he rode in front of his father on his horse when the militia marched from Hagerstown. It was called out to serve until the 15th of March, but probably continued in the field beyond that date. Captain Bell did not long survive the hardships of the campaign. He died at Hagerstown in the spring of 1778, probably in February, as his will is dated January 21st and was admitted to probate on the 2d of March. The inventory of his personal property was the first to be entered upon the official records of Washington County.
Peter Bell married Elizabeth Leiter, a member of the family that has given its name to Leitersburg District. Their children were Juliana, who married Francis Bittle; Frederick; Elizabeth, who married Peter Krauth; Maragaret, who married Barnhart Lowman; Peter, and Daniel. Bittle and Krauth removed to the Shenandoah valley in Virginia; Lowman located at Middlebrook, Augusta County, Va., in 1880, and there he was engaged in business as a tanner until his death in 1846. He has numerous descendants in Shelby County, Mo. Peter and Elizabeth Bell were members of St. John's Lutheran Church at Hagerstown, and here the baptisms of several of their children are recorded. He was buried in the graveyard adjacent to the old church building; his grave is unmarked and its exact location cannot be determined, but it is supposed to be under the west wall of the present church edifice.
On the 25th of November, 1776, he was elected a member of the Committee of Observation for Washington County, and during his connection with this body he served as a member of a subcommittee of seven appointed for the purpose of "licensing suits." It appears that the judicial functions of the Committee were intrusted to this sub-committee. On the 30th of December, 1776, the Committee ordered the militia of the county to march to the assistance of General Washington. Some who had served in the Flying Camp claimed exemption from this order, and it is entered in the minutes of the Committee under date of January 4, 1777, that "On motion of Captain Bell it is resolved that the Flying Camp are by no means exempt from marching with the militia." The following entry occurs in the minutes for January, 6, 1777: "On motion, Resolved, That Matthias Need serve as a committeeman in the room of Captain Bell, who hath resigned." His resignation is not difficult to explain. In a letter from Colonel John Stull t0 the Maryland Council of Safety, January 11, 1777, he says: "The militia of my battalion have marched almost generally. * * * There are some of the former commissioned officers who have gone in the German battalion whose places are vacated in the militia; others have been elected to serve in their room, viz., Captain Peter Bell in the room of Captain William Heyser," etc. He requested the Council to forward commissions for these officers to Philadelphia. The following entry occurs in the minutes of the Counsil of Safety under the date of January 15, 1777: "Commissions issued to Peter Bell, appointed captain, Jacob Ott, first lieutenant, Michael Ott, second lieutenant, and William Conrad, ensign, of a company of militia in Washington County." Their commissions were duly forwarded to Philadelphia, and Thomas Johnson, the first Governor of the State, writing from that city on the 29th of January informed the Counsil of the arrival of Stull's battalion. There can be little doubt that it proceeded to New Jersey, the the scene of Washington's operations. [The facts regarding Captain Peter Bell's military record have been obtained from the minutes of the Committee of Observation for Washington County, now in the custody of the Maryland Historical Society, and from the published Archives of Maryland, Journal and Correspondence of the Counsil of Safety, 1777, p. 42, etc.]
No roster of Captain Bell's company is known to be in existence [Contra, see note 11 below]. The names of the commissioned officers have been given; John Eyerly was the drummer, and many years after the war with Private Black, Schultz, and Lock he visited Peter Bell, Jr., the Captain's second son. Eyerly was then living at Green Spring near Bath, W. Va. Frederick Bell, the Captain's oldest son, used to relate that he rode in front of his father on his horse when the militia marched from Hagerstown. It was called out to serve until the 15th of March, but probably continued in the field beyond that date. Captain Bell did not long survive the hardships of the campaign. He died at Hagerstown in the spring of 1778, probably in February, as his will is dated January 21st and was admitted to probate on the 2d of March. The inventory of his personal property was the first to be entered upon the official records of Washington County.
Peter Bell married Elizabeth Leiter, a member of the family that has given its name to Leitersburg District. Their children were Juliana, who married Francis Bittle; Frederick; Elizabeth, who married Peter Krauth; Maragaret, who married Barnhart Lowman; Peter, and Daniel. Bittle and Krauth removed to the Shenandoah valley in Virginia; Lowman located at Middlebrook, Augusta County, Va., in 1880, and there he was engaged in business as a tanner until his death in 1846. He has numerous descendants in Shelby County, Mo. Peter and Elizabeth Bell were members of St. John's Lutheran Church at Hagerstown, and here the baptisms of several of their children are recorded. He was buried in the graveyard adjacent to the old church building; his grave is unmarked and its exact location cannot be determined, but it is supposed to be under the west wall of the present church edifice.
3. Archives of Maryland, Volume XVI. "Journal and
Correspondence of the Council of Safety, January 1, 1777" and "Journal
and Correspondence of the State Council, March 20, 1777- March 28,
1778." www.mdarchives.state. Hardcopy at DAR Library, 1776 D St., Washington, DC
p. 42: Gentn Washington County January 11th 1777.
The militia of my Battalion have marched almost generally.
Colo Smith's Battalion are now ready, there are some of the
former Commissioned officers who have gone in the German
Battalion whose places are vacated in the Militia, others have
been elected to serve in their room, viz. Capt. Peter Beall in
the room of Capt. Wm Heyser, Jacob Ott, 1st Lieut. Michael Ott
2nd Lieut. and William Conrad, Ensign: likewise the following
Gentlemen were advanced in Capt. Fackler's company, viz.
Leonard Shryock to 2nd Lieut. in the room of Adam Smith and
Michael Tomer, Ensign.
It is earnestly requested that Commissions may be made
out for the foregoing Gentlemen, each respectively and sent
by the Bearer Melcher Belsheever, who will meet the Bat-
talion at Philadelphia. The men are spirited in the defence
of Liberty, and hope no delay will be made in forwarding
their Commissions, otherwise I doubt confusion may arise in
their companies as they are agreeably elected, and have
pledged my honour to be assistive in procuring their respec-
tive Commissions, and send an express for that purpose. I
hope my request will be comply'd with, and am,
Gentlemen,
Your most obedt & Humbl Servt
The Honble Council of Safety John Stull.
of Md at Annapolis
The militia of my Battalion have marched almost generally.
Colo Smith's Battalion are now ready, there are some of the
former Commissioned officers who have gone in the German
Battalion whose places are vacated in the Militia, others have
been elected to serve in their room, viz. Capt. Peter Beall in
the room of Capt. Wm Heyser, Jacob Ott, 1st Lieut. Michael Ott
2nd Lieut. and William Conrad, Ensign: likewise the following
Gentlemen were advanced in Capt. Fackler's company, viz.
Leonard Shryock to 2nd Lieut. in the room of Adam Smith and
Michael Tomer, Ensign.
It is earnestly requested that Commissions may be made
out for the foregoing Gentlemen, each respectively and sent
by the Bearer Melcher Belsheever, who will meet the Bat-
talion at Philadelphia. The men are spirited in the defence
of Liberty, and hope no delay will be made in forwarding
their Commissions, otherwise I doubt confusion may arise in
their companies as they are agreeably elected, and have
pledged my honour to be assistive in procuring their respec-
tive Commissions, and send an express for that purpose. I
hope my request will be comply'd with, and am,
Gentlemen,
Your most obedt & Humbl Servt
The Honble Council of Safety John Stull.
of Md at Annapolis
4. Archives of Maryland, Volume XVI. "Journal and
Correspondence of the Council of Safety, January 1, 1777" and "Journal
and Correspondence of the State Council, March 20, 1777- March 28,
1778." www.mdarchives.state. Hardcopy at DAR Library, 1776 D St., Washington, DC
p. 50: C. S. J.
Wednesday, January 15, 1777.
Council met. Present as on yesterday.
Council met. Present as on yesterday.
Commissions issued to Peter Beall appointed Captain,
Jacob Ott, first Lieutenant, Michael Ott, second Lieutenant,
and William Conrod, Ensign of a Company of Militia in
Washington County.
Also to Leonard Shryock, second Lieut. and Michael
Tamer, Ensign of a Company in said County.
Also to James Smith first Lieutenant of Captain William
Brown's Company of Matrosses.
Copy of Letter No 106 was sent to Col. Stull, and Copy of
No 107 to Plummer Williams.
Ordered That the Western Shore Treasurer pay to Mrs
Sands (of John) three Pounds five Shillings.
That the said Treasurer pay to Oliver Whiddon four
Pounds ten Shillings.
Whereas the odious Practice of forestalling and Ingrossing
is more particularly at this Time prejudicial to the State by
enhancing the Price of Provisions, so that neither the Army,
on which the Fate of America depends, nor Individuals can
be supplied on reasonable Terms, and the honorable Congress
having recommended to the executive Powers of this and the
neighbouring States to limit the Price of Provisions, It is there-
fore earnestly recommended to all Committees of Observa-
tion, and other well disposed Persons, Inhabitants of this
State, to enquire after and take notice of such as are guilty of
the Offences aforesaid, and return their names, together with
the names of the Witnesses who can prove the Charge, to the
Council of Safety, or to the Justices of the several County
Courts, that such Delinquents may be proceeded against
according to Law.
Adjourned till next Day 10 O'Clock.
5. Colonial Maryland Naturalizations, Jeffrey Wyan and Florence L. Wyand, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, (Baltimore), p. 49:
253. September 12, 1764 September 4, 1764 DD- 6,281
Bell, Anthonius of Frederick County, German
Cammerer, Ludwig German, Communion only
Giesert, Frederick of Frederick County, German
Huber, Adam of Frederick County, German
Kohler, Geroge of Frederick County, German
Mong, Nicklas of Frederick County, German
Ritter, Jacob of Frederick County, German
Stephan, Andreas of Frederick County, German
Vogler, John Frederick of Frederick County, German
Lutheran, Frederick County
Schwordfeger wit Conrad Hogmire, Ludetig Funk, Dewald Scheffer
Bell, Anthonius of Frederick County, German
Cammerer, Ludwig German, Communion only
Giesert, Frederick of Frederick County, German
Huber, Adam of Frederick County, German
Kohler, Geroge of Frederick County, German
Mong, Nicklas of Frederick County, German
Ritter, Jacob of Frederick County, German
Stephan, Andreas of Frederick County, German
Vogler, John Frederick of Frederick County, German
Lutheran, Frederick County
Schwordfeger wit Conrad Hogmire, Ludetig Funk, Dewald Scheffer
6. Colonial Maryland Naturalizations, Jeffrey Wyan and Florence L. Wyand, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, (Baltimore), p. 57:
299. September 11, 1765 August 28, 1765 DD- 9,3
Bell, Peter of Frederick County, German, communion only
Huber, Adam of Frederick County, German
Huber, Peter of Frederick County, German
Stephan, Leonard of Frederick County, German
Lutheran, Frederick County
Schwordfeger wit Caspar Wagoner, Berhard, Lickhard
Bell, Peter of Frederick County, German, communion only
Huber, Adam of Frederick County, German
Huber, Peter of Frederick County, German
Stephan, Leonard of Frederick County, German
Lutheran, Frederick County
Schwordfeger wit Caspar Wagoner, Berhard, Lickhard
7. Colonial Maryland Naturalizations, Jeffrey Wyan and Florence L. Wyand, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, (Baltimore), p. 60:
317. September 13, 1765 August 28, 1765 DD 9,17
Bell, Peter of Frederick County, German
Keeler, George of Frederick County, German
Wacker, Jacob of Frederick County, German
Lutheran, Schwordfeger wit Ludetig Funk, Johan Stefan Bell
317. September 13, 1765 August 28, 1765 DD 9,17
Bell, Peter of Frederick County, German
Keeler, George of Frederick County, German
Wacker, Jacob of Frederick County, German
Lutheran, Schwordfeger wit Ludetig Funk, Johan Stefan Bell
7A. History of Frederick County Maryland, T.J.C. Williams and
Folger McKinsey (1910 reprinted in 2005 Clearfield Pub.) Vol. I at 8:
Among the curiosities of the Colonial times was the purchase of a
pastor by a Lutheran congregation at York, Pa. This pastor subsequently
came to the Lutheran church in Frederick, having been sent by the
Pennsylvania Synod. He was the Reverend Samuel Swerdfeger.
Schwerdfeger was raised an orphan in Neustadt, in Bavaria and was a
graduate of the University of Erlangen. He studied law and theology.
Being very poor he was desirous to go to the New World and fell into the
hands of "emigrant runners" who shipped him as a redemptioner to
Baltimore. He arrived there in the spring of 1753 and was offered for
sale for a term of years to pay his passage. He was advertised as "a
studious theologian." The Lutheran congregation at York, being at the
time in a contest against their old pastor, the Rev. Mr. Schaum, hearing
of this bargain, concluded to buy Mr. Schwerdfeger as their pastor,
which they did.
7B. Journals of Muhlenberg. The three volumes contain 29 separate entries that mention Rev. Schwerdfeger:
Vol. I, 450, October 1760: Pastor Handschue then read a letter from a young preacher named Schwerdtfeger in which he rebuked us sharply for not having invited him [to a meeting the night before with Pastor Caspar Stover]. He was married to the daughter of a well-meaning elder in the Lancaster congregation who was present. He came into this country without a call and willfully had himself ordained by a couple of men like himself. This astonished and grieved the provost.
In this fashion the present conference ended in love, peace, and unity. It was closed with prayer and thanksgiving.
Vol. I, 529-530, Friday June 25, 1762: Visited by Mr. Schwertfeger [preacher in Canestoga], who arrived today. He was quartered at Mr. Berge's. In the afternoon I bade welcome to Mr. Gerock and his wife, of Elisabeth Furnace [where Pastor Kurz has a congregation], who arrived for the conference. After four o'clock I rode out to the provost's with Mssrs. Gerock and Schwertfeger, but the provost had meanwhile been at my house and arrived afterwards. We asked Mr. Schwertfeger whether he was willing to undergo an examination [for we could not otherwise receive him into our ministerial fellowship]. Answer: Yes. Thereupon I requested the provost and Mr. Gerock to examine him tomorrow morning [and give their opinion of it in the public meeting]. I left Mr. Gerock at the provost's and rode with Mr. Schwertfeger to his quarters. ****
Saturday, June 26, 1762: ....(4) Mr. Gerock read a report of Mr. Schwertfeger's examination on Saturday [in Wicaco. Result: Good]. (5) The Reverend Ministerium [the entire Ministerium of the Swedish and German nations] was asked by the president if Mr. Schwertfeger was to be received as a member. Answer: Yes, without exception.
Vol. I, 634, Monday, May 30, 1763: In the meantime Mr. Hartwich also came and asked whether some men from Friedrichstown had not been with me, Answer: No. He said that the congregation must be supplied. He asked whether I had appointed anybody to go there. Answer: I had left the matter in Mr. Gerock's hands, who had recommended Mr. Schwertfeger to the place. I asked whether he himself wanted to go there. Answer: No, but he nevertheless wanted the place filled.
Vol. II, 271, Saturday, September 21, 1765. In the afternoon I conducted preparatory service, preaching on the first chapter of Isaiah, and then conducted confession. In the evening I received a vist from Mr. Schw [erdfeger], the Lutheran preacher in Friedrichstown, Maryland, who is to be naturalized this coming week. I asked him whether he would not preach for me tomorrow afternoon, God willing. In the evening I meditated as much as my physical and mental powers would permit.
Vol. I, 450, October 1760: Pastor Handschue then read a letter from a young preacher named Schwerdtfeger in which he rebuked us sharply for not having invited him [to a meeting the night before with Pastor Caspar Stover]. He was married to the daughter of a well-meaning elder in the Lancaster congregation who was present. He came into this country without a call and willfully had himself ordained by a couple of men like himself. This astonished and grieved the provost.
In this fashion the present conference ended in love, peace, and unity. It was closed with prayer and thanksgiving.
Vol. I, 529-530, Friday June 25, 1762: Visited by Mr. Schwertfeger [preacher in Canestoga], who arrived today. He was quartered at Mr. Berge's. In the afternoon I bade welcome to Mr. Gerock and his wife, of Elisabeth Furnace [where Pastor Kurz has a congregation], who arrived for the conference. After four o'clock I rode out to the provost's with Mssrs. Gerock and Schwertfeger, but the provost had meanwhile been at my house and arrived afterwards. We asked Mr. Schwertfeger whether he was willing to undergo an examination [for we could not otherwise receive him into our ministerial fellowship]. Answer: Yes. Thereupon I requested the provost and Mr. Gerock to examine him tomorrow morning [and give their opinion of it in the public meeting]. I left Mr. Gerock at the provost's and rode with Mr. Schwertfeger to his quarters. ****
Saturday, June 26, 1762: ....(4) Mr. Gerock read a report of Mr. Schwertfeger's examination on Saturday [in Wicaco. Result: Good]. (5) The Reverend Ministerium [the entire Ministerium of the Swedish and German nations] was asked by the president if Mr. Schwertfeger was to be received as a member. Answer: Yes, without exception.
Vol. I, 634, Monday, May 30, 1763: In the meantime Mr. Hartwich also came and asked whether some men from Friedrichstown had not been with me, Answer: No. He said that the congregation must be supplied. He asked whether I had appointed anybody to go there. Answer: I had left the matter in Mr. Gerock's hands, who had recommended Mr. Schwertfeger to the place. I asked whether he himself wanted to go there. Answer: No, but he nevertheless wanted the place filled.
Vol. II, 271, Saturday, September 21, 1765. In the afternoon I conducted preparatory service, preaching on the first chapter of Isaiah, and then conducted confession. In the evening I received a vist from Mr. Schw [erdfeger], the Lutheran preacher in Friedrichstown, Maryland, who is to be naturalized this coming week. I asked him whether he would not preach for me tomorrow afternoon, God willing. In the evening I meditated as much as my physical and mental powers would permit.
7C. Pastors and People: German Lutheran and Reformed Churches in
the Pennsylvania Field, 171-1793, Charles H. Glatfelter, Vol. I, Pastors
and Congregations (The Pennsylvania German Society, 1980 Breinigsville,
PA), pp. 130-131:
John Samuel Swerdtfeger, Luthern. Born June 4, 1734 at (8801)
Burgberheim, Bavaria. Son of a pharmacist. Matriculated as a student of
theology at Erlangen, April 17, 1751. Left after a short time, possibly
for financial reasons and possibly because he was advised to change his
career plans. May have been counseled to become a scrivener. Went to
England, where to obtain passage to America he apparently became an
indentured servant. Arrived in Baltimore in 1753.
There is evidence that some members of the York congregation, dissatisfied with with Helrich Schaum, bought Schwerdtfeger's release from the terms of his indenture and brought him -- a nineteen year old -- to York as their pastor. Whether or not this account is true, he served in the York area (1753-1758). Preached to part of the York congregation (1753-1754) and at Canadochly and Kreutz Creek (1755-1758).
Served on the Earltown parish, including Bergstrasse (1758-1763), Earl township (1758-1763), and Muddy Creek (1759-1763). About 1759 married Anna Dorothea Schwab (born 1735), whose baptism is recorded in the Earltown register. They had nine children, one of whom married Guenther Wiegandt.
In 1760 wrote to the reconvened ministerium, complaining that he had not been invited to attend. *** [See Muhlenberg cite above]
Was pastor of the Frederick parish, including Beard's and Loudon congregations, from 1763 to 1768. During these years returned to Philadelphia to be naturalized there during the September-OCtober 1765 session of the Supreme Court, (NFP, p. 99) Resigned somewhat abruptly in 1768 and went back to Europe. Upon his return to America in 1769, found it all but impossible to obtain a parish. Tried to reinstate himself in Frederick, whose members clearly did not want him back. Several other vacant congregations were likewise uninterested in him. The ministerium in 1770 recommended a charge on the Berks-Lehigh county border. He lived in Lynn township, Lehigh county, for several years, but was soon without a position. In 1773, according to Muhlenberg's journal, the ministerium took up "the necessary provision for Pastor Shwerttfeger, who has no position, has a wife and five children, and lacks the wherewithal for a living." (MJ 2:547)
In the following year, Schwerdfeger found his :wherewithal" in New York. Served Albany (1774-1784) and Hosek, or Feilstown, (1777-1788). During the revolution he espoused the British cause, although moiderately enough so that he was allowed by his congregation to continue preaching. In 1786 he was one of the founding members of the New York Synod.
In 1790 accepted a call from a congregation made up of loyalists who had established the town of Williamsburgh in what became Dundas county, Ontario. Later that year he dedicated what has been called the first Protestant church in Canada. Two years later, became pastor of a second congregation, at Matilda. During the 1780's and 1790's he tried to improve his still poor financial situation by claiming land grants from the British government on the strength of his stand as a loyalist during the revolution.
Died in 1803 at Williamsburgh and was buried there.
Sources: Information received from the Landeskirliches Archiv, Nuernberg; Arhibald F. Bennet, A Guide to Genealogical Research (Salt Lake City, 1951), PP 116-126; Beale M. Schmucher, "The Lutheran Church in York, Pa."; Lutheran Quarterly (18 (1888): 493-494; MJ; DH; James Croil, Dundas: or a Sketch of Canadian History (Belleville, Ontario, 1972), pp. 250-252, 313, reprint of an 1861 edition: Ontario Historical Society Publications 26:317-318 and 31:33.
There is evidence that some members of the York congregation, dissatisfied with with Helrich Schaum, bought Schwerdtfeger's release from the terms of his indenture and brought him -- a nineteen year old -- to York as their pastor. Whether or not this account is true, he served in the York area (1753-1758). Preached to part of the York congregation (1753-1754) and at Canadochly and Kreutz Creek (1755-1758).
Served on the Earltown parish, including Bergstrasse (1758-1763), Earl township (1758-1763), and Muddy Creek (1759-1763). About 1759 married Anna Dorothea Schwab (born 1735), whose baptism is recorded in the Earltown register. They had nine children, one of whom married Guenther Wiegandt.
In 1760 wrote to the reconvened ministerium, complaining that he had not been invited to attend. *** [See Muhlenberg cite above]
Was pastor of the Frederick parish, including Beard's and Loudon congregations, from 1763 to 1768. During these years returned to Philadelphia to be naturalized there during the September-OCtober 1765 session of the Supreme Court, (NFP, p. 99) Resigned somewhat abruptly in 1768 and went back to Europe. Upon his return to America in 1769, found it all but impossible to obtain a parish. Tried to reinstate himself in Frederick, whose members clearly did not want him back. Several other vacant congregations were likewise uninterested in him. The ministerium in 1770 recommended a charge on the Berks-Lehigh county border. He lived in Lynn township, Lehigh county, for several years, but was soon without a position. In 1773, according to Muhlenberg's journal, the ministerium took up "the necessary provision for Pastor Shwerttfeger, who has no position, has a wife and five children, and lacks the wherewithal for a living." (MJ 2:547)
In the following year, Schwerdfeger found his :wherewithal" in New York. Served Albany (1774-1784) and Hosek, or Feilstown, (1777-1788). During the revolution he espoused the British cause, although moiderately enough so that he was allowed by his congregation to continue preaching. In 1786 he was one of the founding members of the New York Synod.
In 1790 accepted a call from a congregation made up of loyalists who had established the town of Williamsburgh in what became Dundas county, Ontario. Later that year he dedicated what has been called the first Protestant church in Canada. Two years later, became pastor of a second congregation, at Matilda. During the 1780's and 1790's he tried to improve his still poor financial situation by claiming land grants from the British government on the strength of his stand as a loyalist during the revolution.
Died in 1803 at Williamsburgh and was buried there.
Sources: Information received from the Landeskirliches Archiv, Nuernberg; Arhibald F. Bennet, A Guide to Genealogical Research (Salt Lake City, 1951), PP 116-126; Beale M. Schmucher, "The Lutheran Church in York, Pa."; Lutheran Quarterly (18 (1888): 493-494; MJ; DH; James Croil, Dundas: or a Sketch of Canadian History (Belleville, Ontario, 1972), pp. 250-252, 313, reprint of an 1861 edition: Ontario Historical Society Publications 26:317-318 and 31:33.
7D. Records of Pastoral Acts at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran
Church, New Holland, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1730-1799,
Translated and Edited by Glenn P. Schwalm, M.D., and Frederick S. Weiser
(Breinigsville, Pennsylvannia, The Pennsylvania German Society 1977)
Writing placed in the cornerstone of the Evangelical Lutheran God's
House in Earlstown dated 21 Apr 1763 bearing the signature of Johann
Samuel Schwerdtfeger, V.D.M., Johann Siegfried Gerock, Min Evang. and
Johann Nicholas Kurtz, V.D.M.
8. To Maryland from Overseas: A Complete Digest of the Jacobite
Loyalists Sold into White Slavery in Maryland and the British
Continental Background of approximately 1400 Maryland Settlers from 1634
to the Early Federal Period with Source Documentation, Henry Wright
Newman (Published by the Author Annapolis 1982), p. 21:
Peter Bell, a native of Germany and member of the Lutheran Church
of Frederick Co., subscribed to the Oath of Abjuration on Sept. 13,
1765, and became a subject of the King of England. Ref. Provincial
Court Judgement, Liber DD No. 9 Folio 20
9. Revolutionary Patriots of Washington Co., MD 1776-1783, Henry C. Peder, Jr. (1998) Family Line Publications, p. 20:
BEALL, Peter. Served on the Committee of Observation for the
Elizabeth Town District (now the Hagerstown area of Washington County)
in December, 1776 [Ref: Q-340]. Captain, Militia, 2nd Company, 1st
Battalion, January 15, 1777] Ref: C-42, C-50, M-240, which also listed
the name as "Peter Bell"] Took the Oath of Allegiance before the Hon
Rentch March 7, 1778 [Ref: O-52, J-15, which listed the name as "Peter
Beala"]
10. Revolutionary Patriots of Washington Co., MD 1776-1783, Henry C. Peder, Jr. (1998) Family Line Publications, p. 23-24:
BELL, Peter. Rendered patriotic service by providing "rashons" for
the use of the military in July, 1775, as recorded by the Committee of
Observation at Elizabeth Town on November 4, 1775 [Ref: Q-150].
Rendered patriotic service in Hagerstown by providing Sundries to Capt.
John Nelson Company, continental service, Maryland line, April 1776
[Ref: Q-162]. ****One Peter Bell died intestate before July 14, 1792
(date of balance entry in Washington County), leaving a widow (no name
given in this account) and equal shares to J. Uliana (Juliana?),
Frederick, Elizabeth, Margaret, Peter, and Daniel Bell [Ref: J-31]. One
Peter Bell was born in Germany circa 1744, married Elizabeth Leiter,
served as captain of Maryland during the Revolution, and died on May 15,
1778 [Ref: Y-I:219]. [DAH Note: Much of this entry is wrong. Peter
Bell's will appears in the Washington County Register. However, the
original manuscript is not in the Maryland Hall of Archives. Peter
Bell's Wife was Eisableth Fogler, not Elizabeth Leiter.]
A= Revolutionary War Military Collection, Manuscript MS.1146 (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, Manuscript Division)
B=Archives of Maryland, Volume XII. "Journal and Correspondence of
the Maryland Council of Safety, July 7, 1776 - December 31, 1776"
(Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1893)
C=Archives of Maryland, Volume XVI. "Journal and Correspondence of
the Council of Safety, January 1, 1777-March 20, 1777" and "Journal of
Correspondence of the State Council, March 20 1777-March 28, 1778"
(Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1897)
D=Archives of Maryland, Volume XVIII. "Muster Rolls and other
Records of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution,
1775-1783" (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1900)
E= Archives of Maryland, Volume XXI. "Journal of Correspondence of
the Council of Maryland, April 1, 1778-October 26, 1779" (Baltimore:
Maryland Historical Society, 1901)
F=Archives of Maryland, Volume LXIII. "Journal and Correspondence
of the State Council of Maryland, 1779-1780" (Baltimore: Maryland
Historical Society, 1924)
G=Archives of Maryland, Volume XLV. "Journal and Correspondence of
the State Council of Maryland, 1780-1781" (Baltimore: Maryland
Historical Society, 1927)
H=Archives of Mayland, Volume XLVII. "Journal and Correspondence of
the State Council of Maryland, 1781: (Baltimore: Maryland Historical
Society, 1930)
I= Archives of Maryland, Volume XLVIII. "Journal and Correspondence
of the State Council of Maryland, 1781-1784" (Baltimore: Maryland
Historical Society, 1931)
J=Clark, Raymond B Jr. Washington County, Maryland Records: Oaths
of Allegiance, 1778, and Balance Books (Distributions) on Estates,
1778-1801 (St. Michaels, MD: Maryland and Delaware Genealogy, 1989).
K=Revolutionary War Military Collection, Manuscript MS.1814 (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, Manuscript Division)
l=Carothers, Bettie. 9000 Men Who Took the Oath of Allegiance and
Fidelity in the State of Maryland During the Revolution (Lutherville,
Maryland: Privately Compiled by the Author, 1978)
M=Clements, S. Eugene and Wright, F. Edward. The Maryland Militia
in he Revolutionary War (Silver Spring, Maryland: Family Line
Publications, 1987)
N=Newman, Harry Wright. Maryland Revolutionary Records (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980 reprint)
O=Hodges, Margaret Roberts. Unpublished Revolutionary Records of
Maryland, Volume 3, Oaths of Allegiance and Fidelity taken in Washington
County in 1778 (compiled by the author circa 1939).
P=Papenfuse, Edward C., et. al An Inventory of Maryland State
Papers, Volume I, "The Era of the American Revolution, 1775-1789"
(Annapolis: Hall of Records Commission, 1977)
Q=Proceedings of the Committee of Observation for Elisabeth Town
District [Washington County]," Maryland Historical Magazine, Volume 12
(1917) and Volume 13 (1918)
R=Maryland Pension Rolls of 1835: Report from the Secretary of War
in Relation to the Pension Establishment of the United States
(Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1968 reprint)
S=Scharf, J. Thomas. History of Western Maryland, Volume II (Baltimore: Regional Publishing Company, 1968 reprint)
T=Burns, Annie Walker. Maryland Soldiers of the Revolutionary, 1812
and Indian Wars ho Drew Pensions While Residing in Kentucky
(Washington, DC: Privately Compiled by the Author, 1939)
U=National Genealogical Quarterly (as cited)
V=White, Virgil D. Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War
Pension Files (Waynesboro, Tennessee: The National Historical Publishing
Company, 1990, 4 volumes)
W=Williams, Thomas J.C. A History of Washington County,Maryland (Baltimore: Regional Publishing Company, 1968 reprint)
X="Some Little Known Data Regarding Maryland Signers of the Oath of
Fidelity," by Richard B. Miller, Maryland Genealogical Society
Bulletin, Volume 27, No. 1, pp. 101-124 (Winter, 1986)
Y=Calender of Maryland State Papers, The Red Books, No. 4, Part 1 and Part 2 (Annapolis: The Hall of Records Commission, 1950)
Z=Wright, F. Edward. Marriages and Deaths from the Newspapers of
Allegany and Washington Counties, Maryland 1820-1830 (Silver Spring,
Maryland: Family Line Publications, 1987)
AA=Brumbaugh, Gaius M. Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary,
County and Church, Volume II (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing
Company, Inc., 1985 reprint)
BB=Directory of Maryland State Society, Daughters of the American
Revolution and Their Revolutionary Ancestors, 1892-1965 (Published by
Maryland Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1966)
CC=Maryland Society, Sons of the American Revolution, Approved and
Documented Applications Identified by Maryland Society membership
number (original records in he Langsdale Library at the University of
Baltimore)
DD=Brown, Helen W. Marriages and Deaths, 1830-1837, Washington
County, Maryland, Recorded in The Republican Banner (College Park,
Maryland: Privately Compiled by the author, 1962)
EE-Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin (as cited)
FF=Saffell, W.T.R. Records of the Revolutionary War (Baltimore:Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969 reprint)
GG=Retzer, Henry J. The German Regiment of Maryland and
Pennsylvania in the Continental Army, 1776-1781 (Westminster, Maryland:
Family Line Publications, 1991)
HH=Red Books (Original Records at the Maryland State Archives, Annapolis, Maryland, Accession No. mdHR4590)
II=The Minutes and Proceedings of Washington County Court Held in
Elizabeth Town, 1776-1810 (Typescript by Gerald J. Sword in 1965, copied
from the original books that were stored in the basement in the old
part of the Washington County Court House in Hagerstown)
JJ=More, Dale W., ed. Washington County, Maryland, Cemetery
Records. Recorded by Samuel Webster Piper between 1935-1936 and typed
and presented by the Conococheague Chapter, NSDAR, o f Hagerstown in
1942 (Westminster, Maryland, Family Line Publications 1992-1994), 7
volumes
KK= Papenfuse, Edward C., et al. A Biographical Dictionary of the
Maryland Legislature, 1635-1789 (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University
Press, 1979), 2 volumes
LL=Wright, F. Edward. Western Maryland Abstracts, 1786-1810 (Silver
Spring , Maryland: Family Line Publications, 1985-1987), 3 volumes
MM=Russell, Donna Valley, ed. Western Maryland Genealogy (New Market, Maryland: Cactoctin Press, Inc.)
NN=Annals of the Swiss and German Pioneers of Pennsylvania (1917), H.F. Eshleman
11. The Maryland Militia in the Revolutionary War, S. Eugene
Clements and F. Edward Wright LOC 87-81636 (1987) Family Line
Publications
Copy in Reference Section Maryland Hall of Records 305 Rowe Street, Annapolis, MD
Copy in Reference Section Maryland Hall of Records 305 Rowe Street, Annapolis, MD
p. 51 Peter Beall, Capt. 15-01-77 WA AM-16-50
Ref AM = Archives of Maryland 72 vols. Maryland Historical Society, 1883-1973
p. 240 Muster Roll for First Battn. Capt. Bells Compy. No. 2
A List of Capt. Peter Bells Compy. as now Classd.
Capt. Peter Beall; 1 Liet. Jacob Ott; 2 do. Michael Ott; Ensign William Conrod; 1 Sergeant Frederick Roser; 2. do John Stonecyfer; 3. do Martin Fifer; 4. do Peter Sailer; 1 Corporal Simon Househalter; 2. do Peter Hout. 3. do John Conn; 4. do Jacob Fisher Junr
1st Class: Adam Dile; Nathaniel Morgan; Jonas Emerick; William Bishop; Martin Funk; Peter Smith; Peter Hess; Francis Cryley
2d Class: Rudolf Pligh(?); Dewalt Celhoffer; Jost. Wyant; William Muffet (Mussett?); Henry Wykell; Thomas Leveings(?); Peter Hoak; Peter Croft
3d Class: Abraham Bower; John Oster; Phillip Hornish; Martin Harry; Jacob Craver; Andrew Miller; Peter Hefley; Frederick Croft
4th Class: Jacob Harry; Micahel Fesler; Jonathan Harry; Jonathan Hayer [DAH: probably Hager]; Balzer Gull; George Arnold; John Sailer; Henry Mull
5th Class: Peter Woltz; Jospeh Kline; Henry Bowert; Phillip Reefnaugh; Martin Stake; Harmon Criley; Isaac Cnady; John Funk
6th Class: Melchar Bellhover; Francis Wagoner; David Harry; Jacob Nicholl; Thomas Rinehart; John Snyder; Phillip Oster; John Howard
7th Class: Jcaob Rozer; William Scott; Henry Tootwiler; John Rage; Earnst Ditz; Adam Ott; John Parks; Phillip Creeybam(?)
8th Class: Joseph Hindman; Thomas SHoeman; John Onsell; George Dill; George Rinehart; Jacob Wirey; John Wise. [Militia Lists of Daus. of Founders and Patriots, held by Md. Hist. Soc.]
Capt. Peter Beall; 1 Liet. Jacob Ott; 2 do. Michael Ott; Ensign William Conrod; 1 Sergeant Frederick Roser; 2. do John Stonecyfer; 3. do Martin Fifer; 4. do Peter Sailer; 1 Corporal Simon Househalter; 2. do Peter Hout. 3. do John Conn; 4. do Jacob Fisher Junr
1st Class: Adam Dile; Nathaniel Morgan; Jonas Emerick; William Bishop; Martin Funk; Peter Smith; Peter Hess; Francis Cryley
2d Class: Rudolf Pligh(?); Dewalt Celhoffer; Jost. Wyant; William Muffet (Mussett?); Henry Wykell; Thomas Leveings(?); Peter Hoak; Peter Croft
3d Class: Abraham Bower; John Oster; Phillip Hornish; Martin Harry; Jacob Craver; Andrew Miller; Peter Hefley; Frederick Croft
4th Class: Jacob Harry; Micahel Fesler; Jonathan Harry; Jonathan Hayer [DAH: probably Hager]; Balzer Gull; George Arnold; John Sailer; Henry Mull
5th Class: Peter Woltz; Jospeh Kline; Henry Bowert; Phillip Reefnaugh; Martin Stake; Harmon Criley; Isaac Cnady; John Funk
6th Class: Melchar Bellhover; Francis Wagoner; David Harry; Jacob Nicholl; Thomas Rinehart; John Snyder; Phillip Oster; John Howard
7th Class: Jcaob Rozer; William Scott; Henry Tootwiler; John Rage; Earnst Ditz; Adam Ott; John Parks; Phillip Creeybam(?)
8th Class: Joseph Hindman; Thomas SHoeman; John Onsell; George Dill; George Rinehart; Jacob Wirey; John Wise. [Militia Lists of Daus. of Founders and Patriots, held by Md. Hist. Soc.]
12. Provincial Court Judgements, 53 Judge,emts DD9 1765
Original examined by DAH on 19 Oct 2006, Maryland Hall of Records, 305 Rowe Street, Annapolis , MD Photocopy on file.
Original examined by DAH on 19 Oct 2006, Maryland Hall of Records, 305 Rowe Street, Annapolis , MD Photocopy on file.
p. 17 George Keeler, Peter Bell and Jacob Wacker of Frederick
County German Protestants come into Court here between the hours of nine
twelve of the Clock in the Forenoon of the thirteenth Day of September
One in the pursuance of an Act of Parliament made and [???] in the
Thirteenth Year of his late Majesty King George the Second Instituted
"An Act for the Naturalizing such foreign Protestant and such others
therein mentioned as are Settlers or shall Settle in any of his
Majesty's Colonies in America" pray to have the Several Oaths appointed
by the said Act Administered to them they having produced the following
Certificate of their having received the Sacrament //to wit// These is
to certify all Mon where these presents shall concern that George
Keeler, Peter Bell and Jacob Wacker Natives of Germany but now residents
in Frederick County in the Province of Maryland did in the 20th day of
August in the Year of our Lord [p.18] Lord
13. "The Morning Herald", newspaper December 17, 1963.
Shown above is the old stone dwelling on the east side of the
Leitersburg Waynesboro road, near the Mason-Dixon line, known popularly
as the Captain Peter Bell house. Now owned by Mrs. Don Wolfinger, or
Waynesboro, the house is believed to be well over 175 years old, though
there is no datestone to definitely set the year of its erection. [See,
History of Leitersburg District at p. 196: "In 1812 [George Frederick
Bell ] erected the substantial stone house near the turnpike , one of
the most attractive residences in the District, and here he reared a
numerous family, for whom the various operations connected with a large
farm at that period furnished ample employment."]
As in the case of so many of the older structures in our county, existing historical records are too scant to give an accurate picture of this house's beginnings. The Capt. Peter Bell known to have built it is presumably the son of the Peter Bell who, in 1749, leased a tract of land on Conococheague Manor (the vast acreage retained by Lord Baltimore for himself, portions of which were leased to selected tenants for agreed numbers of years). History does reveal, however, that this Peter Bell was 76 years old when le leased the Conococheague Manor tract, which would have made him old enough at the time to be Capt. Bell's father - even though no family records exist today to prove the lineage. [HLD at page 193 has Peter Bell emigrating to America in young manhood. In 1749 he would have been 13 years old. Anthony Bell's wife, Maria Schneeberger, arrived at Philadelphia aboard the Queen of Denmark in 1751. Anthony Bell "learned his trade in Wiesbaden according to HLD at page 213. These facts make it very unlikely that Capt. Bell's father was the Peter Bell of Conococheague Manor.]
Captain Peter Bell (though not a captain at the time), in 1767 purchased a 248 farm, in what is now known as the Leitersburg District, which he named "Bell's Choice." The farm was a portion of Peter Sheiss' original survey of "All That's Left," and it is interesting to note that in the same year Peter's brother, Anthony, bought 105 acres of this same tract from Peter Sheiss. Shortly afterward Peter Bell married Elizabeth Leiter [see Friederick Fogler will] , of his own neighborhood, and Anthony married Maria Snowberger, who had recently come to this country from Switzerland.
In view of the fact that he bought his farm in 1767, and since it is doubtful that there were any buildings on it at the time, it can be reasonably assumed that Peter was buying the land. It is known that lived on the farm until he moved to Hagerstown a number of years later, in 1775. In this city, he had a residence on the site of the present City Hall. (The property was sold to the city in 1821, more than forty years after Captain Bell's death, by two of his sons. Shortly afterward, the former City Hall and Market-house were erected on he site.)
At the start of the Revolutionary War, Bell was appointed to the important Committee of Observation for Washington County, in 1776. On the following January 15, he was commissioned a Captain, immediately prior to the local militia departure for New Jersey. According to family history, [no corroborating source] Capt. Bell was with General Washington at Valley Forge. In fact, after-effects of the severe campaign of 1777 are believed to have brought about the untimely death of Capt. Peter Bell in February of the following year. His will was dated January 21, 1778, made out apparently when he recognized the imminence of death, and was probated on March 2, just a little more than five weeks later, at the Washington County Court House -- where it may be seen today.
Both Capt. Bell and his wife, Elizabeth, were members of St. John's Lutheran Church in this city. They had six children, several of whom were even to outdo their parents in bringing recognition to the Bell name, as history has shown. A son Peter Jr., and his sons in turn, John and Samuel, were to become famed as potters, in Winchester, Waynesboro and Strasburg, Virginia, respectively. Capt. Bell's other two sons, Frederick and Daniel, also became well known in trades -- the former as a cabinetmaker later retiring as a farmer on Bell's Choice) and the latter as a hat maker. [HLD at page 196: It does not appear that [Frederick Bell] ever followed this occupation [cabinet maker], for, having married soon after attaining his majority, he returned to the farm where he had passed his early childhood and there he resided until his death.]
The Capt. Peter Bell house is a 2 1/2 story, limestone structure, with a wing of the same height extending to the rear at the northwest corner. The east side of the wing, where it forms an "L" with the main house, has both upstairs and downstairs galleries, with the stone work on the upper porch being plastered over (rather characteristically) with smooth mortar.
As in many early county homes, the portion of the building which appears structurally to be an addition, or wing added to the main house, is actually the older, as can be seen particularly in the interior of this house. The main part of the Bell house was so ingeniously incorporated with the original wing, however, that no line of demarcation can be found between the earlier and later stonework. The wing boasts a large exterior chimney and the characteristic early type door and window frames. The main house is faced on the south with large, smoothly finished stones.
The interior of the wing, downstairs, consists of one large, rectangular room, which once contained an immense fireplace, now concealed. Access to the wing from the main house is through an unusually deep door frame, further evidence that the partition was formerly an exterior wall. The early wood trim in the wing is unchanged, with the simple molding on door frames and over arched cupboards being especially noteworthy. The main house has been obviously remodeled extensively in the past century, since all woodwork is of comparatively recent design and workmanship.
A small frame structure, embracing a one-room stone building of very early date, will stands near the house. While a spring is no longer in evidence, the present owner, Mrs. Wolfinger, says that old deeds refer to the building as "the spring house." Of special interest is the heavy, paneled door on this structure.
As in the case of so many of the older structures in our county, existing historical records are too scant to give an accurate picture of this house's beginnings. The Capt. Peter Bell known to have built it is presumably the son of the Peter Bell who, in 1749, leased a tract of land on Conococheague Manor (the vast acreage retained by Lord Baltimore for himself, portions of which were leased to selected tenants for agreed numbers of years). History does reveal, however, that this Peter Bell was 76 years old when le leased the Conococheague Manor tract, which would have made him old enough at the time to be Capt. Bell's father - even though no family records exist today to prove the lineage. [HLD at page 193 has Peter Bell emigrating to America in young manhood. In 1749 he would have been 13 years old. Anthony Bell's wife, Maria Schneeberger, arrived at Philadelphia aboard the Queen of Denmark in 1751. Anthony Bell "learned his trade in Wiesbaden according to HLD at page 213. These facts make it very unlikely that Capt. Bell's father was the Peter Bell of Conococheague Manor.]
Captain Peter Bell (though not a captain at the time), in 1767 purchased a 248 farm, in what is now known as the Leitersburg District, which he named "Bell's Choice." The farm was a portion of Peter Sheiss' original survey of "All That's Left," and it is interesting to note that in the same year Peter's brother, Anthony, bought 105 acres of this same tract from Peter Sheiss. Shortly afterward Peter Bell married Elizabeth Leiter [see Friederick Fogler will] , of his own neighborhood, and Anthony married Maria Snowberger, who had recently come to this country from Switzerland.
In view of the fact that he bought his farm in 1767, and since it is doubtful that there were any buildings on it at the time, it can be reasonably assumed that Peter was buying the land. It is known that lived on the farm until he moved to Hagerstown a number of years later, in 1775. In this city, he had a residence on the site of the present City Hall. (The property was sold to the city in 1821, more than forty years after Captain Bell's death, by two of his sons. Shortly afterward, the former City Hall and Market-house were erected on he site.)
At the start of the Revolutionary War, Bell was appointed to the important Committee of Observation for Washington County, in 1776. On the following January 15, he was commissioned a Captain, immediately prior to the local militia departure for New Jersey. According to family history, [no corroborating source] Capt. Bell was with General Washington at Valley Forge. In fact, after-effects of the severe campaign of 1777 are believed to have brought about the untimely death of Capt. Peter Bell in February of the following year. His will was dated January 21, 1778, made out apparently when he recognized the imminence of death, and was probated on March 2, just a little more than five weeks later, at the Washington County Court House -- where it may be seen today.
Both Capt. Bell and his wife, Elizabeth, were members of St. John's Lutheran Church in this city. They had six children, several of whom were even to outdo their parents in bringing recognition to the Bell name, as history has shown. A son Peter Jr., and his sons in turn, John and Samuel, were to become famed as potters, in Winchester, Waynesboro and Strasburg, Virginia, respectively. Capt. Bell's other two sons, Frederick and Daniel, also became well known in trades -- the former as a cabinetmaker later retiring as a farmer on Bell's Choice) and the latter as a hat maker. [HLD at page 196: It does not appear that [Frederick Bell] ever followed this occupation [cabinet maker], for, having married soon after attaining his majority, he returned to the farm where he had passed his early childhood and there he resided until his death.]
The Capt. Peter Bell house is a 2 1/2 story, limestone structure, with a wing of the same height extending to the rear at the northwest corner. The east side of the wing, where it forms an "L" with the main house, has both upstairs and downstairs galleries, with the stone work on the upper porch being plastered over (rather characteristically) with smooth mortar.
As in many early county homes, the portion of the building which appears structurally to be an addition, or wing added to the main house, is actually the older, as can be seen particularly in the interior of this house. The main part of the Bell house was so ingeniously incorporated with the original wing, however, that no line of demarcation can be found between the earlier and later stonework. The wing boasts a large exterior chimney and the characteristic early type door and window frames. The main house is faced on the south with large, smoothly finished stones.
The interior of the wing, downstairs, consists of one large, rectangular room, which once contained an immense fireplace, now concealed. Access to the wing from the main house is through an unusually deep door frame, further evidence that the partition was formerly an exterior wall. The early wood trim in the wing is unchanged, with the simple molding on door frames and over arched cupboards being especially noteworthy. The main house has been obviously remodeled extensively in the past century, since all woodwork is of comparatively recent design and workmanship.
A small frame structure, embracing a one-room stone building of very early date, will stands near the house. While a spring is no longer in evidence, the present owner, Mrs. Wolfinger, says that old deeds refer to the building as "the spring house." Of special interest is the heavy, paneled door on this structure.
14. Frederick County Land Record Abstracts, Liber N 189-191:
Lawrence O'Neal recorded land commission and depositions, June 25,
1770. To Daniel Heughs, William Beard, Henry Snavely and Samuel Hughes,
wheras Lawrence O'Neal is seized of a parcel called Great Rock, did on
16 August in 19th year of our dominion enter his petition before Thomas
Prather and his associates to perpetuate the memory of the bounds of the
tract...Petition granted. The boundary a large white oak being
destroyed there is set up a stone at the same place. Signed William
Beard, Daniel Hughs. Peter Bell deposed regarding location where stone
was placed. Anothony Bell, sworn and deposed same. Peter Sheas sayeth
as above and no more.
15. Frederick County Maryland Land Records, Liber K Abstracts,
1765-1768. p. 99: 1269-1271. Peter Bell Recorded 29 May 1767, made 2
May between Peter Sheas of FC, for L70 sells tract of land called All
That is Left, beginning at part called Bell's Choice, containing 248
acrea. Signed Peter Sheas by mark before Jas Smith, Jos Smith.
Receipt. Ack. and Elizabeth wife of Peter Sheas released dower. AF paid.
16.5. Patriots Oath of Fidelity: The Worshipful Andrew Rentch
1.Bell, Anthony
2.Benedict, Bowman
3.Beala, Peter
1.Bell, Anthony
2.Benedict, Bowman
3.Beala, Peter
Copy of Original obtained from the Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore Maryland.
