German Origin of Johannes Dinius of Brunswick Township, Berks County

GERMAN ORIGIN OF JOHANNES DINIUS OF BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIP, BERKS COUNTY James M. Beidler * F ew American records chronicle the life of Johannes Dinius, a Pennsylvania-German immigrant who arrived in Philadelphia on 9 September 1765 on the Chance during what was the twilight of the colonial German immigration to Pennsylvania,1 and died in 1778 as a resident of Brunswick Township, Berks County (now divided into East and West Brunswick townships in Schuylkill County). In addition to his Oath of Allegiance when he came to the New World,2 the only other references to Johannes Dinius are his will,3 a Berks County Orphans’ Court action regarding his estate,4 and his name on a daughter’s tombstone.5 One standard methodology for finding an unknown Pennsylvania German village of origin is to look at others who immigrated on the same ship. Unfortunately, no European origins could be found for the shipmates of Dinius in any of the standard published works6 or the International Genealogical Index. * James M. Beidler is former Executive Director of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. He is a descendant of Johannes Dinius through the immigrant’s daughter Elisabeth who married Johann Christian Biehl. 1 Aaron Spencer Fogleman, Hopeful Journeys: German Immigration, Settlement, and Political Culture in Colonial America, 1717—1775 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996) [hereafter cited as Fogleman, Hopeful Journeys]. Table I.1 examines eighteenth-century immigration of all ethnic groups to America. German immigration peaked in the 1750s. 2 Ralph Beaver Strassburger and William John Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, 1727—1808 (Norristown: Pennsylvania German Society, 1934), 1:705, 2:806 [hereafter cited as Strassburger and Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers]. 3 Will of Johannes Dinius, Berks County estate files, written 26 March 1778, probated 10 July 1778. 4 Berks County Orphans’ Court petition of Maria Christina “Denisin,” executrix of John Denius, seeking guardians for minor children under 14, dated 4 June 1779, in John Dinius estate file. 5 St. John’s Reformed Church, Kutztown, (now United Church of Christ) cemetery: row 3, grave 6, “Elisabeth Biehl, wife of Johann Christian and daughter of Johannes Dinius and Maria Christina, born 8 Mar 1770, died 20 Feb 1839.” 6 These include Annette K. Burgert, Master Index to the Emigrants Documented in the Published Works of Annette K. Burgert, FASG, FGSP (Myerstown, Pa.: AKB Publications, 2000), which indexes her publications; and volume-by-volume examination of pertinent words by Don Yoder and by Werner Hacker. Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 43 (2004) Final copy 26 March 2005 325 326 Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 43 Studying other immigrants of similar surname is also important. A few observations about German phonetic spelling should be made. D, T, and Th in German are nearly “soundalikes” and therefore are interchanged frequently in both German and American records. German vowels, especially when umlauted, can become “wild cards” that may shift depending on the dialect of the person recording the name. Hence, any search must be open to a variety of possibilities. However, neither Nicklas Dienius, who arrived in 1749,7 nor Jacob Tinius at Tulpehocken Reformed provided productive information. It was the documents concerning Dinius’s death that yielded information that became relevant in finding and proving his European village of origin. The documents were studied for any references to the Old Country or other data about Johannes Dinius that would make him distinctive. One item that did stand out was that he was a tradesman–in his will his occupation is listed as carpenter. He appears to have been illiterate.8 Another well-used approach for determining immigrant origins is to look at other individuals with whom the target ancestor had interaction, such as neighbors on unalphabetized tax lists, baptismal sponsors for children, adjacent signers on a petition, or witnesses to wills or deeds. The few records relating to Dinius provided a small number of names with which to work. Dinius not only named his children in his will, but also grouped them as the “child of my first wife” (Maria Elisabetha), the “three children of my second wife” (Catharina Barbara, Johann Jacob, Maria Catharina), and the “five children of my present wife” (Johannes, Michael, Elisabeth, Maria Christina, and Anna Catharina). He named his wife Maria Christina as executor; only family members are named in the body of the will. The witnesses to the will were Conrad Gilbert and Sebastian Bender. Gilbert was an itinerant school master who witnessed at least one other Brunswick Township, Berks County, will,9 so his presence as a witness is likely not genealogically significant. No information could be found connecting Dinius and Sebastian Bender. The name that led to the clue to Dinius’s European origin was in the subsequent Orphans’ Court action. In 1779 his widow Maria Christina petitioned for a guardian for their minor children.10 The petition uses standard verbiage for such documents, including the names of the minors–John, Michael, Elisabeth, and Maria Christina–and stating that they were “under the age of 14 years” (the age at which the children would have some say in who was granted guardianship over them). The petition 7 Strassburger and Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers 1:420. 8 Both his Oath of Allegiance and his will were signed by mark. They are somewhat distinctive–a bowed X on the ship list and an “HD” (Hannes Dinius) on the will–but do not match. There is no reason to believe these represent two different men, simply that he learned to sign a more sophisticated mark in the intervening years. 9 Jacob Martin and John P. Smith, Abstracts of Berks County Wills, 1752—1785, 125. Final copy 26 March 2005 2004 Origin of Johannes Dinius of Berks County 327 notes that the court granted the guardianship of the children to “Michael Christman of Maxatawny Township.” In terms of geographic expectations, this appointment could be termed somewhat unusual. Although both Maxatawny and Brunswick were at the time in the same county, several townships and the Blue Mountain ridge lay between the two.10 While this was a clue that there was some further relationship between the Dinius and Christman families, the nature of that bond was not apparent from the records. The card file of the Institut für Pfälzische Geschichte und Volkskunde (Institute for Palatine History and Folk Culture, previously known as the Heimatstelle Pfalz) was consulted for both Dinius and Christman.11 No card was found for Dinius; but one was found that showed a “John Michael Christmann” born on 29 September 1724 in the town of Weltersbach in the parish of Steinwenden near Kaiserslautern in the present-day German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Both Reformed and Lutheran church books for Steinwenden have been microfilmed by the LDS Church. The family would be found in the Reformed records.12 In 1779, four of the children of Dinius were under 14, thus born after 1764 (all but perhaps one in Pennsylvania), with the others born earlier, in Germany. From her tombstone, it was known that daughter Elizabeth was born in 1770. Dinius’s will also gave an approximate sequence for the births, based on his three wives. Searching backwards from the date of immigration, the initial baptisms found at Steinwenden Reformed as candidates for this family had a quite different surname, but was a reasonable match for one of the children. A confirmation was a better match for the surname and was from the same town as John Michael Christmann. 24 February 1762. Baptized. Unnamed child of Johannes Tönges and Anna Barbara 15 October 1758. Baptized. Johan Jacob, son of Johannes Tönges and wife Anna Barbara Easter 1758. Confirmands. Maria Elis., Johannes Tenius of Weltersbach’s daughter.13 23 February 1762. Baptized. Unnamed daughter of “Johannes Tenius of Weltersbach and his wife Anna Barbara. 10 Brunswick Township (now divided into East and West Brunswick townships in Schuylkill County) is separated from Maxatawny Township by more than 20 miles and the Berks County townships of Albany and Greenwich. 11 This card file is also now accessible at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. These cards document Palatine immigrants of all centuries and attempt to link information on immigrants both before and after the immigrant left Germany. 12 Steinwenden Reformed Church Records, FHL #488,733. 13 Other Steinwenden confirmation records that included ages show confirmation around age 14, placing Maria Elisabetha’s birth at about 1744. Final copy 26 March 2005 328 Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Vol. 43 The corroborating evidence came in Steinwenden marriage and repentance records, which identified three spouses for Johannes. Burial records completed the sequence. 8 April 1746. A “repentance” for living together without being married for Johannes Dönges and Maria Susanna. 14 October 1750. Buried, Maria Susanna wife of Johannes Tenius; died 13 October at Weltersbach. 15 November 1753. Marriage of Johannes Dönges and Anna Barbara Dietz. 8 December 1762. Buried, Anna Barbara wife of Johannes Tenius; died 7 December at Weltersbach. 15 November 1763. Marriage of Johannes Dönges and Maria Christina Cleres. Clearly, this is the correct man, especially given the name of the third wife, so the search turned to records about his birth. 1732. Confirmation. From Weltersbach–Johannes Tenius. 20 February 1718. Baptism. “Johann Jonas” Philipp Tenius, Zimmermann, von Katzenbach; Elisabeth Margareth, eheliche hausfrau (Philipp Tenius, carpenter, of Katzenbach [a neighboring village]; Elisabeth Margareth, legitimate wife). It will be noted that Philipp in Germany and Johannes in America shared the occupation carpenter. The Schatzenbuch (tax records) from Steinwenden adds the link confirming that Johannes Tönges/Dönges/Tenius of Weltersbach is the Pennsylvania immigrant. The tax record for Johannes Dinges shows him leaving Weltesbach for Hungary on 13 May 1765. 14 The date of departure of “Joannes Dinges” dovetails well with the arrival of “John Dinius” in Philadelphia four months later. It was not uncommon for emigrants to misrepresent their destinations, since it was more popular with officials to be moving east rather than traveling west.15 GENEALOGICAL SUMMARY 1. PHILIPA TENIUS was born by say 1694. He married by say 1717 in or near Katzenbach or Weltersbach ELISABETH MARGARETH –?–. Children of PhilipA and Elisabeth Margareth (–?–) Tenius: 2 i. JOHAN JONAS1 TENNIUS, born 20 February 1718 in Katzenbach. 2. JOHANNES/JOHN1 DINIUS/TÖNGES/DÖNGES/TENIUS was born 20 February 1718 in Katzenbach. In Germany he lived in the town of Weltersbach in Steinwenden, Palatinate (at that time owned by Bavaria), emigrating in 1765. He died between 26 March (will) and 10 July 1778 (probate) in Brunswick Township, Berks [now Schuylkill] County. 14 Weltersbach Schätzenregister, 1762—1793; FHL #247,873, item 3. 15 Fogleman, Hopeful Journeys, 187. Final copy 26 March 2005 2004 Origin of Johannes Dinius of Berks County 329 He married first MARIA SUSANNA –?–, who was buried 13 October 1750. He married second 15 November 1753 ANNA BARBARA DIETZ, who was born 25 May 1727 at Schrollbach16 and died 7 December 1762. He married third 15 November 1763 MARIA CHRISTINA CLERES of Reuschbach, with whom he emigrated to Pennsylvania, and who survived him. Children of Johannes1 and Maria Susanna (–?–) Dinius: i. MARIA ELISABETHA2 DINIUS, born say 1744 (confirmed 1758) probably in Katzenbach or Weltersbach; emigrated, as she is named in her father’s will. ii. JOHANN NICOL DINIUS, died 17 March 1748; emigrated, as he is named in her father’s will. iii. ANNA MARGARETHA DINIUS, born about May 1748; died 24 October 1750; emigrated, as she is named in her father’s will. Children of Johannes1 and Anna Barbara (Dietz) Dinius: iv. CATHARINA BARBARA2 DINIUS, born between say 1754 and 1760; emigrated, as she is named in her father’s will. v. JOHANN JACOB2 DINIUS, born 13 October 1758, baptized at Steinwenden; emigrated, as she is named in her father’s will. vi. MARIA CATHARINA2 DINIUS, born probably 23 February 1762, baptized at Steinwenden; emigrated, as she is named in her father’s will. Children of Johannes1 and Maria Christina (Cleres) Dinius: vii. JOHANNES2 DINIUS, born 7 September 1766 in Pennsylvania; died 4 December 1841 Turbot Township, Northumberland County;17 married 21 May 1789 at Schwartzwald Reformed, Berks County, SUSANNAH MARGARETHA MOHN of Exeter Township.18 viii. MICHAEL2 DINIUS, born after 1764. ix. ELISABETH2 DINIUS, born 8 March 1770 in Pennsylvania; died 20 February 1839; married JOHANN CHRISTIAN BIEHL. x. MARIA CHRISTINA2 DINIUS, born after 1764. xi. ANNA CATHARINE2 DINIUS, born after 1764. 16 Steinwenden Reformed Church Records, FHL #488,733. 17 Obituary, Reading Adler, 14 December 1841: “Johannes Dinius, aged 75 years, 2 months, 27 days . . . Formerly of Kutztown.” 18 F. Edward Wright, Berks County Church Records of the 18th Cent., 4 vol. (Westminster, Md: Family Line Publications, 1993), 1:149. Final copy 26 March 2005