Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy

Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy Patricia Law Hatcher, CG* THE PROBLEM HE SEARCH TO IDENTIFY the correct place in the Lorah family of Berks County for George Lorah, husband of Mary K. Rhoads and father of Ellen Lorah who married Hiram Ludwig, proved to be difficult and frustrating. The highlights of the research process and the star¬ tling conclusions are presented here, followed by a genealogy of the Lorah family of Berks County, Pennsylvania. Southeastern Pennsylvania, especially Berks County, is rich in re¬ cords. Many of these have been abstracted and published, and a signifi¬ cant number of abstracts and publications are available in electronic form. Thus, an unusually thorough search for records relating to all spellings of a surname and for extensive collateral families can be done relatively efficiently. Early county records, including the original pro¬ bate packets prior to 1850, have been microfilmed and they provide a rich source of information. Unfortunately, the Lorah family seems un¬ der-represented in these resources. In 1850 Mary Lorah (age 40) and Ellen Lorah (age 9) were living in Amity Township with John Rhodes (age 63). In 1860 Mary Lorah (age 56, widow) was still residing in Amity with John Rhoads (age 72, bache¬ lor) ; the newly married Ellen (age 20) was living with her husband Hiram T — — © 2000 Newbury Street Press. *Editor’s Note: Patricia Law Hatcher is a Certified Genealogist. The Lorah article is derived from research conducted by Ms. Hatcher on the Rhoads and related fami¬ lies of Berks County, Pennsylvania, for a book to be published in 2001 by Newbury Street Press, special publications imprint of NEHGS. 217 218 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Ludwig. Analysis of the Rhoads family showed that John Rhoads was Mary’s never-married older brother.1 From these census records we would conclude that Mary was born about 1804 (her age was apparently truncated to 40 in 18502), that she probably married George Lorah by 1839 or 1840, that Ellen their only child was bom about 1840 or 1841, and that George Lorah died be¬ tween 1841 and 1850. However, no Lorah probate (for the elusive George or anyone else) could be found in this time period. Mary was widowed in her late thirties or early forties. Either George’s — — death was premature, or he was older than she, born before 1800. There is no obvious birth record for a George who fits this criterion. The 1840 census for Berks County lists three George Lorah households. None of them fit the desired profiles. Clearly, more information is needed. head of household George b. 17 90- 1 800 Township desired projile or Ruscombmanor Exeter Alsace George b. 1800-1810 50<60 George 40<50 George George 20<30 males females page 0000001 000001 02000001 0212001 10001 000001 000001 0011001 0111002001 01001 276 296 324 WHOLE FAMILY RESEARCH At this point, the search widened to encompass Lorah family members other than George. The most readily available church and probate records were .searched for Lorah/ Lora references to create this broader picture. It appears there were three Lorah immigrants, probably brothers, who con¬ siderately for us settled in different townships, and one of the three had only a daughter. The following family groups were suggested by the re¬ cords. They are presented here in abridged form (documentation and additional information will be found in the family section) . — Johannes 1 of Amity; b, say 1 705; m. An na Margretha — ; wrote his will in 1 768 naming two sons and three daughters: i. Katharine2 ii. Susanna2 ■ * # in. i Gertrude2 Generally, information is presented in abbreviated form and without citation in this section. Full information and citation will be found in the appropriate Lorah family genealogical summary (pp. 236-257). 9 Compared to other numerals on the page, the age clearly seems to be 40. Perhaps the enumerator took notes and simply misread his own handwriting. Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 219 iv. George2 Esq. of Amity; b. 1745; d. 1823, leaving a will naming three sons and three daughters: 1. George3; b. say 1765; had (probably) Anna Elisabeth (1790), Hannah (1802). 2. John3; b. 1769; m. 1799 Esther Bartolet; had Sarah (1800), Johannes (1801), and possibly more. 3. Susanna3; b. say 1775. 4. Elizabeth3; b. say 1777; m. Jacob Griesemer. 5. Daniel3; b. 1779; m. 1803 Hannah Knab. 6. Catharine3; b. 1783. v. John2; b. about 1747; no further information. George1 of Alsace, bom 1712; died 1792 (no will or estate): i. George2 of Alsace; b. say 1753; no information about his death. 1. Rosina Margreta3; b. 1779; d. 1792. 2. Heinrich Lorenz1; b. 1780. 3. Susanna Catherine3; b. 1781. 4. George3; b. 1785. 5. Anna Maria3; b. 1787; d. 1792. 6. Anna Elisabetha3; b. 1790. 7. Johannes3; b. 1800. 8. son3; b. 1802. 9. Sarah3; b. 1804; d. 1804. 10. Susanne3; b. 1806. 11. Abraham3; b. 1807, 12. Catherine3; b. 1809. 13. Lydia3; b. 1812. ii. Henry2 of Alsace; b. say 1756; m. 1) unknown; m. 2) 1801, Anna Maria Betz; d. 1817; administration mentions son Michael, son-in-law, minor daughter Mary. 1. George Michael3; b. 1782. 2. Maria Elizabetha3; b. 1786. 3. Jacob3; b. 1788. 4. Johannes3; b. 1791; d. 1792. 5. Catharina3; b. 1793. 6. Esther3; b. 1796. 7. Maria Magdalena3; b. 1798. 8. Daniel3; b. 1804. 220 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine * 4 # ill. Jacob2 of Alsace; b. by 1755; m. Catherine information about death. 1. Catherine Elizabetha3; b. 1783. _ ; no 2. Michael3; b. 1785, 3. Peter3; b. 1793. iv. Peter2 of Alsace; b. say 1757; m. Hannah Adam. 1. Catharine Elisabeth, b. 1783. 2. Michael Elisabeth, b. 1783. 3. Peter Elisabeth, b. 1783. Conrad 1 of Windsor; b. say 1 720; d. 1 791; wife Dorothea; administration named only daughter. i. Maria Magdalena2; m, Daniel Will, ASSIGNING WIVES TO GEORGE LORAH There were at least five men of the name George Lorah born before 1800.3 To complicate matters, there were at least six marriages and the burials of three wives for George Lorahs before 1800, A crucial task in constructing the whole family is to assign the marriages correctly. • George Lorah married 22 November 1768 Elizabeth/Lisabeth Rhoads, daughter of Jacob Rhoads of Amity. Jacob’s will, written 20 February 1785, gives £200 to his dauter Elisabeth, wife of George Lorah. Her given name is in the 1769 birth record for their son — — John. • Mrs. Georg Lora, born December 1746, died 9 July 1787, buried at Schwarzwald. George Lora of Amity married Magdalena Bahm 15 April 1788. George Lorah of Oley married Maria Borstler/ Boers tier of Oley 22 October 1793 at Schwarzwald. • Mrs. Georg Lora, bom August 1740, died 6 March 1798, buried at Schwarzwald. • George Lorah married Catharine Klein in Alsace 7 Apil 1799. They had children 1800 through 1804. • George Lorah of Amity married 16 March 1800 by Rev. William Boos to Dorothea/ Dorothy Dotterer. The unnamed wife of Esquire Lorah was buried at Amityville, age 76 years 6 months 0 days, 16 November 1821. George Lorah • • 3 George Michael was known as Michael, as revealed by later census records, Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 221 (1745-1826) was called Esquire on his tombstone and in court records in the early 1800s. George Lorah married Sarah Bartolet by 1801. Sarah is named as mother in an 1802 baptism. In the 1803 will of John Bartolet of Oley, Sarah is called wife of George Lorah. Sarah’s sister was married to John Lorah. We can readily hypothesize how to assign all of the marriages based on locality, reasonableness, and elimination. Locality. Most of the references name either Alsace or Amity as resi¬ dence. The records for Alsace are easily assigned. George2 (George1) of Alsace had children baptized between 1779 and 1785, so the 1799 mar¬ riage to Catherine Klein was probably a second marriage for him. Reasonableness. In his will George2 Esq. of Amity mentions wife Dorothy. It seems more difficult to separate the wives of George2 (Jo¬ hannes1) and George3 (George2, Johannes1) with surety until we look logically at the burial information for the three women. The birth years are 1746, 1 740, and 1745. We have only one George in Amity of an age to be a husband of these women, so all three can be assigned to him. And they fit very nicely, each previous wife being buried one or two years before the subsequent marriage. Elimination. Since George2 of Amity married Dorothy in 1800 and she survived him, Sarah Bartolet must have been the wife of George3 of • — Amity. The remaining question of where to place Maria Borstler of Oley (Oley adjoins both Amity and Alsace), bride of George Lorah of Oley I 1712-1792 Alsace 1745-1823 Amity unknown 1) 1769-85 Elizabeth Rhoads say 1 754- Alsace Oley Johannes ) say 1765George M.3 (Henry2, George1) 1782- Amity (1746-1787) 2) 1788 Magdalena Bahm (1740-1798) 3) 1800 Dorothy Dotterer (1745-1821) 1) by 1778 unknown 2) 1793 Maria Borstler 3) 1799 Catharine Klein 1 ) by 1801 Sarah Bartolet married after 1800 married after 1800 George 9 j George {Johannes ) [Esq.] 9 / George ( George ) 2 Georgeÿ ( George , 3 3 7 2 ( George George , George ) 1 1785- Alsace Alsace 222 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine in 1793, is also easily solved by elimination. There is no room for her to be the wife of George2 of Amity, so she must be the second of three wives of George2 of Alsace. Interestingly, each George2 married three times (see chart on previous page) . ELIMINATING POTENTIAL FATHERS Having sorted out the several wives of the several George Lorahs, we can return to seeking a George Lorah husband for Mary Rhoads and placing him in the correct family. We begin by looking to see if we can eliminate any potential family groups. Of the three sons of George2 of Amity, only Daniel3 left a probate. Daniel wrote his will in 1853, naming four sons and six daughters. The sons included an adult George, clearly eliminating Daniel as a potential father for George-husband-of-Mary. The will was helpful in another way. Daniel lists fifteen pieces of prop¬ erty. Many of them border on property owned by the brothers of Mary Rhoads, and two of them were purchased from a Mary Rhoads. We do not know who this Mary Rhoads was, but our confidence that we are looking in the right neighborhood increases.4 A detailed reading of the will of George2 written in 181 2 and probated in 1823 provides more interesting information. Daniel3 received George’s 200-acre home plantation in Amity, while sons John3 and George3 received “an undivided fourth part of 406 acres in Brunswick Township which I hold in partnership with Daniel, Jacob, and John Rhoads.” Mary had brothers of these names. Several other Rhoads family groupings also share these names, so identification is not immediately certain. But once again, we have added to our comfort factor that we are looking at the correct family. Two options remain for Mary’s husband (if his given name is George and he is from the Amity family):5 3 left , ( George2, ofjohn3 Johannes1) unknown son George4, an • John no probate and his family structure is incomplete. 4 This Mary Rhoads has yet to be identified. She sold one of the pieces of property to Daniel 27 Jan. 1832. In the deed she describes herself as widow. The property is described as that she purchased from Samuel Wiedner and his wife Christina 1 7 Jan. 1824. Berks Co. Deeds 46:429. 5 Although we do not have information on his death, we can eliminate as improbable George3 (George2, Johannes1), who would have been in his late seventies when Ellen was born. 223 Finding George Lorak: An Exercise in Genealogy • George4, an unknqwn son of Georgeÿ ( Georger,Johannes*) . Georgeÿ left no probate and his family structure is incomplete. BASIC CENSUS WORK Next, we will examine the whole Lorah family in terms of a fundamen¬ tal genealogical record group the decennial census. For most, possibly all of his life, George’s presence on the census was hidden as nameless tick marks. In order to place him in the right family, we need to study the Lorah census entries and figure out which tick marks might be George. We will use the same techniques used in assigning wives to George Lorah locality, reasonableness, and elimination. It seems most likely that he is of the fourth generation, a grandson of George2 of Amity. Although we will focus on the Amity families, we will not ignore the other Berks County Lorah families. As genealogists, we would like the mapping of census tick marks from one decade to the next to be a mathematical exercise in addition, ad¬ vancing each individual 10 years in age until they die. Alas, this is rarely true. People are not listed when or where we expect them to be, and new people suddenly appear whom we have never heard of. Neverthe¬ less, it is both a necessary and useful part of genealogical research. The 1790 census enumerates six Lorah households in Berks, repre¬ senting ten adult males. — — — — male 16+ 1790 Amity Oley Alsace George George Henry Heidelberg Jacob John Windsor Conrad 3 1 1 3 1 1 — * male females 2 6 1 4 3 1 7 3 3 7 1 These census records suggest that John of Heidelberg may be the son of Johannes1 of Amity, for whom we had no additional information, After a bit more probing we And that he had daughters baptized in Heidelberg and adjoining Marion townships in 1782 and 1789, a child (no sex given) baptized in 1791, and a son George baptized in 1787. While checking the map to determine the location of Marion Township, we observed that both townships were located on the border with Leba¬ non County. Chronologically consistent baptisms were found in that county for a daughter in 1772 and for sons Andrew in 1774 and John in 1779. 224 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine From our Lorah family construction, we would expect the census entries to appear thus (assuming single households and a wife in each): 1790 expected Amity Alsace George Esq George2 George5 male <16 females 9 2 9 4 1 4 9 9 9 2 4 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 Henry Heidelberg Windsor male 16+ Jacob John Conrad 1 Although the total number of adult males is ten, only the entry for the elderly Conrad matches the expected profile. In pre-1850 censuses, especially the early ones, households often contained more than one family group. Thus family units even well-established families with both parents and several children are often “hidden” in other house¬ holds. Additionally, single persons whether young or widowed are generally hidden in another household unless the elderly person is accorded the tide of head-of-household out of respect. As we attempt to map family units from our genealogical construc¬ tions onto the census, we cannot always identify the household of resi¬ dence for someone who is not a head of household, because it might be listed under a different surname, usually that of in-laws. However, we should always expect to map the census head-of-households (if not all the tick marks) onto our family construction. If we cannot do so, then our construction is likely flawed. (In other words, if the census has a Jehosephat Jones, we must have a Jehosephat Jones in our constructed family. We cannot simply ignore him as an inconvenient intrusion.) The household of Conrad of Windsor correlates perfectly with our family structure. George of Amity fits reasonably well; obviously there are some additional unknown children; the births of some of the sons might have been estimated incorrecdy, or this family unit might be a shared household. Henry andjacob of Alsace, with their young families, clearly seem to be the sons of George of Alsace; surely their father George is one of the extra males in Jacob’s household. But it does not seem possible to squeeze George2 into this household also. Therefore, George of Oley in 1790 is George2 of Alsace. In 1800 we find six Lorah families in Berks County. ——— — Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 225 1800 males females page profile for George b. 1790-1800 1 02101 2001 00301 02101 0001 00001 11001 10001 0101 11001 mi 0011 134 135 138 156 183 201 Alsace 45+ 26<45 45+ 45+ 26<45 45+ Jacob Peter George George Amity Brunswick Earl Heidelberg John John Three new townships have been added to the mix, as has a name: Peter. Peter was probably the hidden adult male in the family of Jacob in 1790, a son of George1 of Alsace. George in Amity is probably George2 of Amity (recall that his 1823 will referred to his home plantation in Amity) . George in Brunswick is likely George3 ( George2, Johannes1), resid¬ ing on the land that his father would will to him and his brother John. John in Earl is likely (based on both age and locality) the son of George2 of Amity. Only Peter of Alsace had sons under 10. (George of Brunswick’s sons were born before 1790, earlier than we would like.) Further investiga¬ tion showed that Peter had a son George, b. 13January 1796, a very nice fit for our problem, but this George was still living in 1850 and thus can be eliminated as a candidate for Mary’s husband, although we will ex¬ pect to see him in subsequent census records, Thus, George-husband-of-Mary was apparently born after the 1800 census, and was close to Mary’s age and simply died young. We should look at that possibility. In 1810, nine households, with twenty-nine males, were headed by members of the Lorah family. Twelve males un¬ der the age of 10 have appeared: sons of Daniel3, John3, and George3 of Amity, of George of Brunswick, and ofJacob (a generation younger than the man in the 1800 census) and Peter of Alsace. 1810 Amity George Esq Daniel John George junr Brunswick John George Alsace Cumru Jacob Peter Michael 45+ 26<45 26<45 45+ 45+ 26<45 16<26 26<45 26<45 males females page 00001 11110 20010 10111 00201 20010 31100 40010 00010 00001 22010 entries together 131 entries together 131 entries together 131 21010 31010 10101 00100 21100 20010 30010 132 142 142 631 630 119 226 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine — IDENTIFYING TICK MARKS USING CHURCH RECORDS As mentioned earlier, Daniel3 can be eliminated because he had an identifiable son George4. (Daniel married in 1803, thus it is clear that his household which contained five persons between 10 and 26— is an example of the mixed households discussed earlier.) To get the real details about the children of Daniel3, John3, and George3 of Amity, we must delve further into vital records in this instance church records. It is most likely that the family of Mary’s husband worshipped where she did, at St. Paul’s Reformed and Lu¬ theran Church, Amityville, St. Paul’s, like many Pennsylvania German churches, was a union church. Two congregations one Reformed, one Lutheran shared the building (and occasionally ministers) on alter¬ nating Sundays. They were likely to have separate communion vessels and almost always took the sacrament separately. Often each congrega¬ tion had its own church book, but if a minister kept his own book, it might contain records from any number of congregations at which the minister performed services of baptism, burial, and marriage for mem¬ bers both Lutheran and Reformed. Fortunately, many of the Germans had their children baptized and those baptisms were usually recorded. Unfortunately, only some of the church records survive. Fortunately, these include the baptismal records of Amityville church from 1799 to 1866. Unfortunately, there are no published abstracts of these records. Fortunately, they are microfilmed. Unfortunately (do we see a pattern here?), they are in German and written by more than one person, making deciphering a difficult task. Armed with a German handwriting guide and much patience, we found three baptismal records between 1800 and 1810, one each for children of Daniel, George, and John. Daniel (whom we had already eliminated) had a son; George and John both had daughters, — — — — — UNDERSTANDING THE RECORDS WE USE Records do not exist in a vacuum. It is important to understand the background of a record. For most of the eighteenth century, the Ger¬ man churches in the area did not have regular pastors, but were instead served by ministers who came to the congregation. Often the faithful had to seek out clergy to perform rites of baptism, marriage, or burial. Many ministers maintained their own pastoral records. The individual events recorded in these pastoral books are today sometimes inappro¬ priately identified as having occurred at the church in which the volume was finally deposited. Thus, we can find even at this later date vital — — Finding George Lorak: An Exercise in Genealogy 227 records for a single family that appear to occur in more than one loca¬ tion. George and John both had daughters baptized at Schwarzwald in this decade, and the burial of a daughter of John was recorded at Reading. Reading, Schwarzwald, and Spies Church in Alsace Township all pro¬ vided records for George of Alsace. No additional records for George of Amity were found. The search, however, turned up an interesting burial on 13 March 1832, of George Lorah, recorded at Reading. No information is given except his age, 27 years 9 months 17 days; thus he was born about 26 May 1804 (probably a few days earlier, as the date was the burial date). He is surely one of the tick marks for Lorah boys under 10, but we do not know which one, as there is no matching baptismal record, and no clue to the father’s name. This is unfortunate, as it would eliminate another family, since he cannot be the father of Ellen in 1841. Thus, we are left with three possibilities: George-husband-of-Mary could be any of the unidentified males under 10 in the households of George of Amity, John of Amity, or George of Brunswick. The first two possible solutions are the most likely. Ironically, if either is correct, we are left with the interesting situation of not knowing George's father or mother, but knowing his grandparents, since George and John married sisters. In either case he would be the grandson of George2 Lorah and Elisabeth (Rhoads) and of John Bartolet (probably grandson of the Swiss immigrantjean Bertolet), and great-grandson ofjohannes1 Lorah ) and of John Jacob Rhoads and Elizaand Anna Margretha ( ). beth ( Will further censuses resolve this problem? In 1820, only three households in Berks County appear to be headed by members of the Lorah family: 1820 Amity Alsace George ?jr George Sc Daniel Peter junr Michael 26<45 45+ 16<26 26<45 males 201110 111112 females 22110 32011 000100 100010 01 5201 page 133 133 210 210 These few names seemed to represent an extreme reduction from the seven households of ,1810, so we reexamined the 1820 census index, glancing at all names starting with “Lo.” Two additional sets of house¬ holds were identified Michael “Lorat” of Alsace (clearly “Lorah” on the original) and several “Lohra” households in Schuylkill County. — 228 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 1820 Amity Alsace George ?jr George Sc Daniel Peter junr Michael Michael Brunswick George John _ Jacob 26<45 45+ 16<26 26<45 16<26 26<45 45+ 45+ males 201110 111112 000100 100010 300100 410020 021101 000001 females 22110 32011 01 5201 1001 20010 3201 i 1001 . page Berks 133 Berks 133 Berks 210 Berks 210 Berks 213 Schuylkill 45 Schuylkill 107 Schuylkill 113 GEOGRAPHY AND POLITICAL DIVISIONS The tip-off that this latter family belonged to this study was in the name of the township: Brunswick. It will be recalled that George2 of Amity owned land in Brunswick Township of Berks County in partner¬ ship with Daniel,Jacob, and John Rhoads. The Pennsylvania Line, a stand¬ ard reference, lists no Brunswick Township anywhere in Pennsylvania. Schuylkill County was originally the northern portion of Berks, on the other side of the Blue Mountains. It became a separate county in 1811. Brunswick was one of the border townships. An examination of the township map of Schuylkill County in The Pennsylvania Line shows the modern townships of East Brunswick and West Brunswick. (Townships are listed in the table only under their current names. East Brunswick and West Brunswick were formed from Brunswick around 1854 or 1835. )6 In 1830, there were nine Lorah heads of household in Berks County and three in Schuylkill County: 1830 Amity Exeter George George Peter A Isace Daniel Jacob Michael Daniel Michael Cumru Brunswick George George Union West Penn Michael John 20<30 30<40 60<70 20<30 60<70 40<50 20<30 40<50 50<60 40<50 40<50 50<60 males females page 00001 010001 010110001 10001 001010001 1000001 20001 1001001 00120001 0022101 2112001 00001001 00001 0000001 00101001 00001 10001 1200001 01001 2031101 0111001 0111001 111101 0110001 Berks 340 Berks 428 Berks 428 Berks 387 Berks 387 Berks 387 Berks 388 Berks 388 Berks 488 Schuylkill 98 Schuylkill 114 Schuylkill 116 The Pennsylvania Line, A Research Guide to Pennsylvania Genealogy and Local History (Laughlintown: Southwest Pennsylvania Genealogical Services, 1983), various pages. Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 229 George might be old enough to head his own household, and we do find a good possibility what appears to be a young man and his new bride in Amity (suggesting that he was most likely the 16*to-18-year-old in the household of George junr in 1820). But remember what started this exercise there was no George Lorah in 1840 who fit the profile. We will examine the whole family, now, given what we have already seen. In 1840, there were ten Lorah heads of household in Berks and three in Schuylkill (and, again, the published index had misread names). There are only two Lorahs in Amity; from church records we can identify William as the eldest son of Daniel, and Daniel as the eldest son of George. Where has George-husband-of-Mary gone? Could he be the older George of Exeter after all? — — 1840 Amity William Exeter Daniel Daniel Oley Alsace Daniel George Henry Michael George Jacob Cumru Daniel B. Ruscombmanor George Union Imanuel Michael West Penn John 30<40 20<30 40<50 30<40 40<50 20<30 50<60 20<30 30<40 60<70 50<60 20<30 50<60 50<60 males females 200001 10102 2211001 ,222001 0212001 10101 01001001 10001 021001 000130001 02000001 10001 01121001 00001101 02001 000121 0000001 Berks 295 Berks 296 00001 Berks 296 0111002001 01001 Berks 298 00200001 Berks 298 01001 Berks 324 Berks 32 1 20101 00012001 Berks 371 Berks 276 0011001 10001 Schuylkill 137 loinooi Schuylkill 137 Schuylkill 145 10001 page Berks 312 Berks 312 By 1850, few of the early generation were still alive (only selected individuals shown below) . One of them is George of Exeter, definitely eliminating him as a possible husband of the widow Mary. 1850 Alsace Lower Heidelberg Amity Exeter page John Jacob Daniel George K. George Peter Henry Jacob Daniel Sarah , 35 50 40 28 55 93 36 49 44 66 with George with Henry 400 402 447 433 391 391 391 391 391 329 230 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 1850 (continued) Oley Page Elizabeth Mary Sarah 37 64 29 53 66 George 59 George Michael Reading Ruscombmanor with George with Rothermel 1 1 9 225 329 221 CREATING A CENSUS GRID Clearly, George must be hidden as a tick mark somewhere in 1840, and we will merely have to figure out which one by process of elimina¬ tion. How does one absorb this mass of census data? By making a very large grid, with rows for each male Lorah and columns for each census year. In each square the township and age were recorded. Filling in the squares was an iterative process, using substantial doses of common sense. Because the assignments changed several times, spreadsheet soft¬ ware proved a good way to record the information. (See “Sample Census Grid" on the following page.) Colored highlighting proved helpful in tracking families as they left home and moved. Then the spreadsheet was compared with the family construction. New family members that had become apparent from the analysis were added. Once that was done, it was necessary to incorporate a few new facts located during this research phase and some leftover facts from the original construction process, No LEFTOVERS ALLOWED As mentioned earlier, there were very few Lorah estates (any spelling) through 1850 seven in Berks County and one in Maryland. But among these was one for George Lorah of Reading who died intestate in 1832. His estate folder was thin. His widow Mary renounced administration, On 16 January 1833, she petitioned for a guardian for Sarah Ann who was under 14; Daniel Rhoads of Amity was appointed. Two years later, 6 November 1835, Abraham Rhoads was appointed. Daniel petitioned that he had been sick for some time.7 (Later Rhoads research estab¬ lished that he died between 1834 and 1839.) Clearly this was the George whose burial was recorded at Reading church, and who had been born in 1804. And surely he was the newly-married George of Amity township in 1830. One mystery solved, but not the solution we wanted. — n Estate file for George Lorah of Reading, Family History Library [hereafter cited FHL] #1,818,832, frames 2486-2505. 231 Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy bom George l 1712 died 1792 of Alsace George2 1754 of Oley Henry2 1749 of Alsace Jacob 9 1757 of Alsace Michael3 1785 of Alsace Jacob3 1787 2 Peter of Alsace 1757 i 1720 9 George Esq of Amity 1745 George3 1765 of Alsace Conrad of Windsor of Amity John3 1769 Daniel3 1779 of Amity of Amity 1747 John2 Heidelberg of 3 George of Brunswick 1787 1790 1800 1810 Alsace w/Jacob 16+ dec’d dec’d not found not found not found not found Alsace 45+ not found Alsace w/Jacob 10<16 not found Comru aft 1812 1817 Oley 16+ Alsace 16+ Alsace 16+ Alsace w/Jacob <16 1840 Alsace w/Jacob <16 Alsace w/Jacob 16+ 1791 Windsor 16+ 1823 Amity 16+ Amity w/ George 16+ 1838 Amity w/ George 16+ 1853 Amity w/ George <16 Heidelberg 16+ Heidelberg w/ John <16 Alsace 26<45 dec’d 26<45 Alsace 16<26 Alsace 26<45 dec’d Amity Amity 45+ 45+ Brunswick AmitY 45+ 45+ Earl Amity 26<45 26<45 Amity Amity 26<45 w/ George 16<26 Heidelberg Heidelberg 45+ 45+ Brunswick Brunswick 26<45 w/ George 10<16 Sample Census Grid LOOKING FOR ANSWERS IN LATER CENSUSES This search was really getting annoying. Mary (Rhoads) Lorah had brothers named Abraham and Daniel, who very likely would have been named as guardians. Is it possible that Ellen’s age was wrong? The cen¬ suses were rechecked. Her age in 1850 was clearly 9 (although her mother’s age was wrong); in 1860 it was clearly 20, What about later years? Can we find an answer about parentage by looking later rather than earlier? * 232 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Hiram and Ellen (Lorah) Ludwig are found in the household of Mary (Rhoads) Lorah in 1870. 1870 293/328 Mary Lorah 66 Hiram Ludwig Ellen Sarah Mary Emma Mary Richard 36 30 9 5 3 27 $5500 real estate, $1000 personal prop. farmer, $2000 personal prop. keeping house domestic8 In 1880 the Ludwig family and Mary Lorah are in adjacent house¬ holds. Mary Lorah is listed first in the family, but designated as motherin-law and boarder. Apparently the head of this combined household was Abraham Focht. He was 80, but his wife (presumably Mary Lorah’s daughter) was Sarah, age 58. Sarah was presumably his second wife, as his wife’s name in 1850 was Elizabeth. 1880 72/82 Hiram Ludwig Ellen SallieJ. Mary V. 73/83 46 40 18 15 12 farmer wife, keeping house daughter, dressmaker daughter, at home daughter, at school daughter, at school mother-in-law, widowed boarder Emma L. Annie L. Mary Lorah Daniel Oxenford Abraham Focht Sarah 15 80 58 servant Charles 33 son, farmer 8 76 farmer wife, keeping house WHEN PIECES FAIL TO FIT .... How interesting! Mary is apparently the mother of a daughter Sarah, born about 1822, when she was merely 18 years old. Mary, widow of George Lorah, in 1833 petitioned for a guardian for her daughter Sarah Ann. Is this Mary not the mother of Ellen? Have we been following the wrong woman? No, the age is correct. 8 Mary Lorah household, 1870 U.S. Census, Amity Twp., Berks Co., Pa., page 57, household 293/329; NARA M593, roll 1305. 9 Hiram Ludwig and Mary Lorah households, 1880 U.S. Census, vol. 12, E.D. 3, sheet 9, households 72 and 73, families 82 and 83, Berks Co., Pa., Amity Twp.; NARA T9, roll 1099. Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 233 The Rhoads family had numerous family heirlooms. The description list included a book of poetry. Suzanne (Rhoads) Millar had written the following note about it. The inscription in the book “Poetry of the Year,” Phila., published by E. H. Butler Co., 1857, is puzzling: Presented to Ellen L. Lorah by her brother, J. S. Livingood, Jan*y 1, 1858 Jay R. Rhoads grandfather was Hiram Ludwig, father of Emma Louise (Ludwig) Rhoads, and husband of Ellen Lorah Ludwig. Her mother was.Mary Rhoads Lorah The book includes poetry by Herrick, Coleridge, Keats, Tennyson, Wordsworth, Longfellow, Southey. Could this be a clue to Ellen’s real father? Or are we reading too much into the inscription? TECHNOLOGY INTRUDES We have not reached the end of the story. By chance, a family tree noted on the Internet concerned this family. Often such trees are repetitions of already-known information or, worse yet, an uncritical combining of several persons of the same name. In this instance the file contained several specific dates for births and marriages not found during this research some of which could not have come from the church books, which are known to be lost. The computer file was downloaded and examined. The sources included a family Bible.10 Although not all of the information fit with details that had been constructed for the Lorah and Ludwig families, it seemed to say that Ellen was indeed the daughter of George Lorah. Could the logic presented above be seriously flawed? — PUTTING EVERYTHING TOGETHER . . . The family submitting the information was contacted by telephone. The Bible was too old to open sufficiently to photocopy, but it contained only few entries, which were read over the phone. Marriages: George and Mary Lorah were married 29 August 1830 by Rev. A. L. Herman, Births; George Lorah was bom May 23, 1804, sponsors George Lorah and wife. 10 Informadon from the 1829 Ludwig family bible in possession of Mark Edward Ludwig, Lake Mary, Florida, cited in GEDCOM file dated 3 Nov. 1998 and submitted to Ancestry World Tree at www.Ancestry.com by his wife, Paula Robinson Ludwig. 234 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Mary Rhoads eve [ehe?=wife] to George Lorah was born September 16, 1803, sponsors Jacob Guldine and his wife Elizabeth. SarahAnna Lorah was born June 24, 1831, sponsors Fairvents [?E1tern= parents] [in a different column, different handwriting] Ellen Louisa Lorah was born May 10 AD 1840 Deaths: George B. Lorah departed this life March 1 1 , 1832, aged 27 years 9 months 17 days. Sarah Anne K. [R.?] Lorah departed this life March 1 AD 1853. The Bible had given the family almost as many questions as answers, too. But Ellen’s birth entry, recorded on a page alone when there was ample room to record it under the other births, supported the answer reached above. The B, in George’s death record confirms that he was likely the son of either Sarah or Esther Bartolet. The death of Sarah in 1853, however, was a real problem. The answer lay in an obituary sewn into the Bible. In romantic terms it lamented the early death at age 22 of Mrs. Sarah Ann Livingood, wife of Jacob S. Livingood, Esq. Another mystery solved the book of poetry was given to Ellen by her brother-in-law, husband of her deceased sister Sarah. But what about Sarah wife of Abraham Focht in 1880? She was a serendipitous error. Apparently the census enumerator wrote the dwell¬ ing and family numbers two lines too high; Mary was the mother-in-law of Hiram Ludwig. Oh, yes, that is another lesson of genealogy people made mistakes when they created records, even a century ago. — — REVISITING SOURCES ■ Beginning genealogists are often told to keep a research log to avoid checking a source more than once. This advice should be taken with a heaping teaspoon of salt. Rarely do we know everything about a problem the first time we examine a source. Names, dates, places, and relation¬ ships are as yet undiscovered. This is clearly shown by the results of rechecking the International Genealogical Index® (IGI) for Lorah. There was the entry for the marriage of George Lorah and Maria “Roths’’ on 29 August 1830 in “Berks, Pennsylvania.” This entry was initially by¬ passed for several reasons: the entry was patron submitted, not from a controlled extraction of a church record; the Roths form of the Rhoads surname was not found in other documents this late; the search had concentrated on finding the marriage of a couple whose only child was born in 1841; the location was vague, not even listing a church; it was Finding George Lotah: An Exercise in Genealogy 235 one of many IGI entries, examined at an early stage of research for clues, before the difficulty of the problem was understood. The microfilm for the submitted batch11 was checked in hopes that a source would be given; the batch included only marriages (not a family group) and several Lorah marriages that had been submitted. The source was identified as the Marriage Records of A. L, Herman at Berks County Historical Society. A new source! A source, in fact, that might contain helpful information on other pertinent families. Revisiting sources is not always wasted effort. LESSONS LEARNED Family historians too often believe that genealogical research is a straightforward two-step process Step 1: Pose the question. Step 2: Look for the answer. However, our search for the answer to the question, “Which George Lorah was the father of Ellen Louis (Lorah) Rhoads?” ultimately revealed that our question was invalid, The search demonstrated several important truths about the genea¬ logical research process: • The path is not always straight and clear; it is often characterized by potholes, dead ends and blind alleys, • There are often more persons of the same name living at one time than we ever imagined likely. * We must treat our research subjects as individuals, not names, or we are likely to assign an event incorrectly. • Often whole family research is required to identify same-name persons correctly. • Research on collateral lines often provides the leads to direct — ancestry. • A single source is inadequate. Sources must be used in conjunction with one another and with understanding of their creation. • Research cannot be sequential; it must be iterative. Earlier findings must be reevaluated in light of later findings, and sources exam¬ ined early in the process often must be reexamined. Sometime clues lie in what we do not find. • Preconceptions can blind us to what is before our eyes. • 11 Batch 7909305-10, submission by Mary Ann Martin, Cochranville, Pennsylvania. FHL #1,260,509. 236 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine — THE LORAH FAMILY GENEALOGICAL SUMMARY The name is occasionally spelled Lora or Lohra, and even Loara. It appears that there were three immigrants, possibly brothers, but surely related. Although they all settled in Berks County, they chose different townships. The descendants of Johannes, probably the eldest, are found primarily in Amity; those of George in Alsace; Conrad, who had no male descendants, lived in Windsor. ■i ~ ■ THE FIRST GENERATION 1. JOHANNES1 LORAH of Amity was born say 1705, if he was about the same age as his widow ANNA MARGARETHA According to her burial record, she was born 9 September 1707 and buried at Schwarzwald Church 1 September 1789.12 Johannes owned land in Amity as early as 174L,S In 1748 he was a witness to the will of Windle Andrews of Amity.14 He was superintendent of highways in 1767.15 John “Loara” of Amity made his will in July of 1768 and died soon thereafter. His will is a good example of the attempts many German farmers made to control their families and estates after their deaths. He gave his land to his son George, but specified that George could not sell it. George was also to provide for his mother, Margaret. Specifically, she was to have the little stove room in house with George with “free Sc uninterrupted liberty to pass and repass to and from her room with use of the kitchen fire to boyl brew and wash.” Son John was still under 21 12 Jacqueline B. Nein, Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records, Exeter Twp., Berks Co., Pennsylvania (Reading, Pa.: the author, 1987), unpaginated. [Hereafter cited as Schwar¬ zwald Reformed Church Records.] 13 Philip E. Pendleton, Oley Valley Heritage, The Colonial Years J 700-1 775 (Birdsboro, Pa.: The Pennsylvania German Society, 1994), 177. [Hereafter cited as Pendleton, Oley Valley Heritage.] 34 Will of Windle Andrews, Philadelphia Co. Wills G:354, abstracted in “Pennsylvania Wills, 1682-1834,” which contains the will abstracts for nine southeastern Pennsylvania counties. The CD-ROM is based on the abstracts as published by Family Line Publications. Their version for Berks Co, was based on the abstracts done in the late 1800s by Jacob Martin and John P. Smith. Jacob Martin, of Marshallton, Chester Co., transcribed the English records while John P. Smith, Deputy Register of Berks Co., translated the German records. The handwritten Martin/Smith abstracts were photoreproduced by the Genea¬ logical Society of Pennsylvania and a copy is at Dallas Public Library. In some instances that version was the source for the information. [Hereafter cited as Pennsylvania Wills, 1682-1834.] 35 Pendleton, Oley Valley Heritage, 1 44. 237 Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy at the time, but would receive £900 when he came of age; neighbors Jacob R[hoads] and John Deterd Griner were to advise him on the purchase of land. John’s three daughters were already wed. Katherine was married to Daniel Wenich “unhappily married” according to John, but whether that was from his point of view or hers is not known. In any event, he left £50 to her and £00 to her children when they came of age, with special provisions “in such case if she be in manifest woe.” His daughter Susanna, wife of Michael Black, received £140 and his daughter Ger¬ trude, wife of Stephen Kepher, received only £10, possibly because she had already received her portion. The witnesses included the immigrant Jacob Roads. John Loara signed with his “LO” mark.16 ) Lorah: Children of John1 and possibly Anna Margretha C i. KATHARINE2 LORAH, b, say 1735-1743; m. by 1768 DANIEL WENICH. ii. SUSANNA2 LORAH, b. say 1735-1743; m. by 1768 MICHAEL — BLACK * •* in. GERTRUDE2 LORAH, b. say 1735-1743; m. by 1768 STEPHEN KEPHER. iv. GEORGE2 LORAH, b. 1745. v. JOHN2 LORAH, b. after 1747; probably setded in Heidelberg . Twp.; m. BARBARA 4 5 2* GEORGE1 LORAH of Alsace is known only through his burial record. He was born 22 January 1712 and buried at Schwarzwald Church 8 October 1792.17 His birth year would suggest that he is the immigrant who arrived on the Queen Elizabeth on 16 September 1738, accompanied by Michael, apparently a younger brother who was born about 1718, and about whom nothing more is known. On the passenger lists their names are listed as Geo. Lorison and Michell Lorizen, but on the oaths the names with their “X” marks are Jeorick/ Georg and Johan Michell/ Michel h 16 Will ofJohn Loara of Amity, made 24Jul. 1768, probated 5 Sep., Berks Co. Wills 2:49. Executors were wife and son George. Witnesses wereJacob Roads,Jacob Weaver, andJacob Deibler. Estate file, FHL #1,653,593; frames 867-877. 17 Sckivarzwald Reformed Church Records. 238 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Loray.18 It seems reasonable that George and Michael were related to, possibly the brothers of, Johannes. Although no record names his wife, it is quite likely that she is the CATHARINE ELIZABETH LORA who died from apoplexy 29 December 1797, age 75 years 9 months 16 days (born 13 March 1722) and buried at Spies Ghurch, recorded by Philip R, Pauli at First Reformed Church, Reading.19 George did not leave a will, nor was an administration granted for his estate. His death was not the only one in the fall of 1792. Five other Lorah deaths, quite possibly his grandchildren, were recorded in Sep¬ tember and October of 1792, i ) Lorah, all of Alsace: Possible children of George1 and i. GEORGE2 LORAH, b. say 1754 (estimating age 25 at marriage); m. by 1779 1) unknown; m. 2) MARIA BORSTLER, both of Oley, 22 Oct. 1793 at Schwarzwald;20 3) CATHARINE KLEIN in Alsace 7 Apr. 1799.21 Children of George and first wife. 1. Heinrich Lorenz3 Lorah, July 1780 at Spies Lutheran. Church, Alsace Twp.; probably died young.22 2. Susanna Catharina3 Lorah, 8 Sep. 1781 at Spies Lutheran Church, Alsace Twp.23 io Ralph Beaver Strassburger and William John Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727-1803, 3 vols. (Birdsboro, Pa.: Pennsylvania German Society, 1934; Picton Press, 3 vol. reprint, 1992), 1:216-17, 220. [Hereafter cited as Strassburger and Hinke.] 19 William J. Hinke, Church Records of the First Reformed Church of Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, 1733-1820, copied 1840, typescript at Franklin and Marshall College, FHL #22,037 [hereafter cited as First Reformed Church, Reading]. 20 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Pennsylvania Marriages, 72. Frederic G. Paul and Jeffrey J. Howell, Berks Co., Pa., Marriages 1730-1880 (Reading: HP Publishing, 1986), 90. [Hereafter cited as Paul and Howell, Berks Marriages.] Marriage by Rev. William Boos. 21 Paul and Howell, Berks Marriages, 38. Marriage by Rev. Philip Pauli. First Reformed Church, Reading, 249. 22 John T. Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800,” based on Hum¬ phrey’s 13-volume Pennsylvania Births series, which contains birth and baptismal records for selected southeastern Pennsylvania counties prior to 1800. Broderbund CD-ROM (CD #196). [Hereafter cited as Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800.” 23 Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800.” Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 239 3. probably at least one daughter (1790 census) . 4. George3 Lorah, b. Feb. 1785; bapt. at Spies Lutheran Church, Alsace Twp.;24 possibly m. 17 Apr. 1814 Catherine Keller; both from “Elsass.”25 They appear on the 1840 and 1850 censuses in Ruscombmanor. Children of George and Catherine (Any or all of the first three children might belong elsewhere, most likely as children of George’s cousin George Michael.): a, possibly Barbara Lorah, b. about 1813; m, 12 Sep. 1830 Samuel Dautrich (b. about 1807); both of Alsace;26 residing in Alsace in 1850.27 b. possibly John Lorah, b. about 1815; m. 19 Apr. 1836 Maria/Mary Moyer; both of Alsace;28 residing near sister Mary in lSSO.2ÿ c. possibly Mary/Polly Lorah, born about 1817; m. 27 Oct. 1835 at Alsace John Reifschneider; she was of Ruscombmanor;30 they were residing in Alsace in 1850.31 d. daughter, b. 1820-25, enumerated on 1840 census. e. Elizabeth Lorah, b. about 1830. f. George Lorah, b. about 1832. g. Jeremiah Lorah, b. about 1835.32 24 Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800.” 25 First Informed Church, Reading, 290. 26 « Marriage Record of A[ugustus] L. Herman of Reading, Pa., 1825-1870” at the Historical Society of Berks Co., microfilmed by Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania; Historical Society of Pennsylvania microfilm XChl31, read for the author by Sandra M. Hewlett. [Hereafter cited as Marriage Record of A. L. Herman.] Samuel Dautrich household, 1850 U.S. Census, Alsace Twp., Berks Co., Pa., page 407, dwelling 202, family 216; NARAM432, roll 753. 28 Marriage Record of A. L. Herman, 29 John Lorah household, 1850 U.S. Census, Alsace Twp., Berks Co., Pa., page 400, dwelling 95, family 101; NARA M432, roll 753. 30 Marriage Record of A. L. Herman. John Reifsneider household, 1850 U.S. Census, Alsace Twp., Berks Co., Pa., page 400, M432, roll 753. dwelling 98, family 104; NARA i on George Lorah household, 1850 U.S. Census, Ruscombmanor Twp., Berks Co,, Pa., page 221, dwelling 111, family 199; NARA M432, roll 754, George’s age is an understated 59; he was a mason and owned $900 in real estate. QI t 240 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 5. Anna Maria3 Lorah, b. 6 Dec. 1787; bapt. 13Jul. 1788 at Schwarzwald Church; sponsors Ludwig Marburger and Anna Maria; d. 23 Sep. 1792; bur. at Schwarzwald Church.33 6. Anna EKisabetha3 Lorah, b. 20 Dec. 1790; bapt. 25 Apr. 1791 at Schwarzwald Church; sponsors Johannes Zimmerman and Anna Elizabeth.34 It is unclear whether she or her cousin married Jacob Beyer in Alsace 24Jan. 1804.35 Children of George Heinrich and Catharine: 7. Johannes3 Lorah, b. 5 Jan. 1800; bapt. 21 Apr. 1800 at Schwarzwald Church; sponsors Johannes Klein and Margaretha Lampen.36 8. son, b. 11 Oct. 1802; bapt. 15 Jan. 1803 at Schwarzwald Church; sponsors Henrich Lora and Christina.37 Possibly he is Jacob Lorah, b. about 1800; m. Elizabeth , residing in Alsace in 1840 and 1850, Children of Jacob and Elizabeth, living with them in 1850:38 a. Catherine Lorah, b. 1829, b. William Lorah, b. 1829. c. Charles Lorah, b. 1829. d Sarah Lorah, b. 1829. e. Harriet Lorah, b, 1829. f. Susan Lorah, b. 1829. 9. Sarah3 Lorah, b. 8 Nov. 1804; bapt. 23 Dec. 1804 at Schwarzwald Church; sponsors Thomas Gibene and Sarah; d. 29 Dec.; bur. at Schwarzwald Church.39 10. Susanne3 Lorah, b. 4 Jan. 1806; bapt. 19 Apr. at Reading; sponsors Michael Lohra and Susanne Kuntzman.40 33 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Only father named in record. 34 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Only father named in record, Pennsylvania Marriages, 85, Marriage is recorded at Schwarzwald. Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Only father named in record. 57 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Only rather named in record. 58 Jacob Lorah household, 1850 U.S. Census, Alsace Twp., Berks Co., Pa., page 402, household 133/140; NARA M432, roll 753. He had $1800 in real estate. Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records, Only rather named in record. 40 First Reformed Church, Reading, 44. Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 241 11. Abraham3 Lorah, b. 20 Dec. 1807; bapt. 15 Apr. 1808 at First Reformed Church, Reading; sponsors Abraham Klein and Marie HefFert;41 d. of convulsions 20 Mar. 1809, aged 1 year 3 months 1 day; bur. at Spies, recorded at First Reformed Church, Reading.42 12. Catherine3 Lorah, b. 31 Dec. 1809; bapt. 7 May 1810 at First Reformed Church, Reading; sponsor Catharine Klein,43 13. Lydia3 Lorah, b, 29 May 1812; bapt. 25 Jul. at First Reformed Church, Reading; sponsors John and Gertraut Hefer.44 ii. HENRY/HEINRICH2 LORAH, b. about Jun. 1749; m. 1) by 1778 wife unknown; m. 2) 19 Jul. 1801 ANNA MARIA BETZ, both of Alsace, at Schwarzwald;45 d. 8Jul. 1817, age 68 yearsl month; bur. recorded at First Reformed Church, Reading.46 Henry’s administration in 1817 was granted to his son Michael Lorah and son-in-law Jacob Lees,47 Children of Heinrich Lorah and unidentified first wifez48 1. Rosina Margaretha3 Lorah, b. 26 May or Mar. 1779; bapt. at Spies Lutheran Church, Alsace Twp.;49 d. 27 Sep. 1792; bur. at Schwarzwald Church.50 2. George Michael3 Lora, b. 30 Oct. 1782; bapt. at Spies Lutheran Church, Alsace Twp.; bur. 18 Sep. 1856, Schwarzwald Reformed Church, Exeter Twp.; cause of death: cancer;51 m. Hannah Kunsman, b. 15 Apr. 1789; 41 First Reformed. Church, Reading, 58. 42 First Reformed Church, Reading 222. 43 First Reformed Church, Reading, 79. 44 First Reformed Church, Reading, 105. 45 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Pennsylvania Marriages, 8 1 . 46 First Reformed Church, Reading 240. Administration of Henry Lorah of Alsace, granted 9Jul. 1817, Berks Co. Administra¬ tions, 8:134. Berks Co. Estates, FHL #1,818,833, frames 10-22. All Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records and/ or Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeast¬ ern PA 1680-1800.” 49 Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800” records the month of May; Schwarzwatd Reformed Chutch Records (which does not give daughter's name) says March. 50 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Only father named in record. 51 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Schwarzwald Church Cemetery, 13. ■ 242 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine d. 5 Feb. 1844, bur. Schwarzwald Church Cemetery next to husband.52 Probable children (any or all of the first three children listed under George Michael’s cousin George might belong here): a. daughter, b. 1800-1810, b. daughter, b, 1800-1810. c. daughter, b. 1800-1810. d. George Lorah, b.about 1813; m. Sarah b. about 1824. e. Lydia Lorah, b. about 1828. f. Ann Lorah, b. about 1828. (Michael age 64 residing with George, Sarah, Lydia, and Ann in Oley in 1850).53 3, Maria Elizabetha3 Lorah, b. 16 Feb. 1786; bapt. 7 May 1786 at Schwarzwald Reformed Church, Exeter Twp.; sponsor Maria Elisabeth Wicks. It is unclear whether she or her cousin m. Jacob Beyer in Alsace 24 Jan. 1804.54 4. Jacob3 Lorah, b. 4 Aug. 1788; bapt. 11 Feb. 1789, aged SVa months at Schwarzwald Reformed Church, Exeter Twp.; sponsorsjacob Koch and Magdalena; d. 9 Oct. 1792. 5. Johannes3 Lorah, b. 17 Nov. 1791; bapt. 24 Mar. 1792 at Schwarzwald Reformed Church, Exeter Twp.; sponsors Johannes Wicks and Elizabeth Krauss; d. 2 Oct. 1792. 6. Catharina3 Lorah, b. 14 Nov. 1793; bapt. 20 Jan. 1794 at Schwarzwald Reformed Church, Exeter Twp.; sponsors Adam Tripp and Catharina. 7. Ester3 Lorah, b. 13 Aug. 1796; bapt. 23 Sep. 1796 at Schwarzwald Reformed Church, Exeter Twp.; sponsors Johannes Wicks and Ester, 52 Schwarzwald Church Cemetery, 13. " George Lorah household, 1850 U.S. Census, Oley Twp., Berks Co,, Pa., page 1, dwelling 10, family 10; NARA M432, roll 753. 54 Pennsylvania Marriages, 85. Marriage is recorded at Schwarzwald. Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 243 8. Maria Magdalena3 Lorah, b. 28 Dec. 1798; bapt. 8 Aug. 1799 at Schwarzwald Reformed Church, Exeter Twp.; sponsors Stephanus Rosch and Maria Magdalena. Children of Heinrich/ Henry Lorah and Anna Maria: 9. Daniel3 Lorah, b. 30 Apr. 1804; bapt. 19 Aug. 1804 at Schwarzwald; sponsors Sal. Bayer and Suss. Hunerschutt;55 possibly m. 11 Nov. 1838 Lidia Keller, both of Alsace.56 10. daughter, m. by 1817 Jacob Lees; could be any of the previously named daughters. 111. JACOB2 LORAH, b. say 1757 (estimating age 25 at marriage); 1» *# . m. by 1782 CATHARINE Children ofJacob and probably Catharine, baptized at Spies Lutheran Church, Alsace Twp.57 1. Catharine Elisabetha3 Lora, b. 9 Aug. 1783; in father’s household in 1800. 2. Michael3 Lora, b. 13 Apr. 1785; m. 1) 4 May 1806 at Reading, Susanna Kunsman;58 probably m. 2) 10 Jan. 1813 by Rev. Philip R. Pauli at First Reformed Church, Reading, to Elizabeth Brautigam, from “Elsas.»59 Children of Michael and Susanne: a. Catharina Lorah, b. 21 Oct. 1807; bapt. 24 Nov. at Schwarzwald; sponsors Jacob Guthman and Catharina.60 b. Marie Lorha, b. 10 Jan. 1809; bapt. 19 Jun. at First Reformed Church, Reading; sponsors parents.61 c. Elizabetha Lorah, b. 21 Apr. 1810; bapt. 4 Aug. at First Reformed Church, Reading; sponsor Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Only father’s name in record. 56 Marriage Record of A, L, Herman. ' Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800.” Catherine named in record for third child. 58 Patron-submitted IGI entry. 59 First Reformed Church, Reading, 284. 80 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. 61 First Reformed Church, Reading, 69. 244 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Elizabeth Zerbi;62 also recorded at Schwarzwald, no sponsors.63 d, Susan Lorah (twin), b. 1 Mar, 1812; bapt. 6Jun. at First Reformed Church, Reading; sponsor Christian HofFmeister.64 e. Sarah Lorah (twin), b. 1 Mar. 1812; bapt. 6Jun. at First Reformed Church, Reading; sponsor Christian Hoffmeister.6ÿ Child of Michael and Elizabeth: f, Lidia Lorah, b. 28 Jan. 1816; bapt. 6 Feb, at First Reformed Church, Reading; sponsor Catherine Hoffmeister;66 poss. m. Joseph Hartman at Trinity Church, Tulpehocken, 13 Oct. 1840.67 3. Jacob3 Lorah, b. say 1787 (10<16 on 1800 census); appears on 1810 census in Alsace with a wife and several children. Jacob of Alsace left a German will, probated 8 Feb. 1840.68 4. Peter3 Lorah, b. 27 Dec. 1793. iv. PETER2 LORAH, b. about 1757 (1850 census) . Peter of Alsace married HANNAH ADAM of Alsace 26 Oct. 1795.69 He was living in 1850 in Exeter with George Lorah, presumably his son, who was born about 1795. Nearby were Henry Lorah (born about 1814); in his household was Jacob Lorah (born about 1801); Daniel Lorah [given name is obscured] (born about 1806),70 62 First Reformed Church, Reading, 69. Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. 64 First Reformed Church, Reading, 104. 65 First Reformed Church, Reading 104. 66 First Reformed Church, Reading, 1 32. 67 * Pennsylvania Marriages, 168. 68 Estate of Jacob Lorah of Alsace, proved 8 Feb. 1840, signed with mark. Berks Co. Estates, FHL #1,818,833, frames 23-28. 69 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Pennsylvania Marriages, 74. Paul and Howell, Berks Marriages, 95; marriage by Rev. William Boos. 70 Georg Lorah household, 1850 U.S, Census, Exeter Twp., Berks Co., Pa., page 391, dwelling 306, family 338; NARA M432, roll 753. He had $780 in real estate. Henry Lorah household is 310; Daniel Lorah household is 31 1. Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 245 Probable children of Peter and Hannah 1. Johann Georg3 Lorah, b. 13Jan. 1796; bapt. at Spies Lutheran Church, Alsace Twp.71 2. Michael 3 Lorah, b. about 1798. 3. Jacob3 Lorah, b. about 1801; apparently never married; living with brother in 1850, 4. Daniel A.3 Lorah, b. about 5 Oct. 1807 [calc.]; bur. 24 Apr, 1880, Schwarzwald; cause of death: heart;72 , b. about 1806; residing in married Leah Exeter in 1850. Children of Daniel and Leah: a. John Lorah, b. about 1831, b. Peter Lorah, b. about 1833. c. Henry Lorah, b. about 1836. d. Daniel Lorah, b. about 1838. e. Benjamin Lorah, b. about 1840. f. ? Moses Lorah, b. about 1842. g. Obediah Lorah, b. about 1844. h. Jacob Lorah, b. about 1848. 5. Catharina3 Lorah, b. 13 Mar. 1810; bapt. 29 Sep. at Schwarzwald; sponsor Catharina Dribel.73 , 6. Henry3 Lorah, b. about 1814; m. Rebecca probably Rebecca Reifsneider, as Sarah Reifsneider, age 61, was residing with them in 1850. Children of Henry and Rebecca: a. Peter Lorah, b. about 1841. b. Sarah Lorah, b. about 1848. 3. CONRAD1 LORAH of Windsor was bom about 1720. He may be a third immigrant brother. The family was in Berks by 1766 when his daughter married, thus he 71 Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800.” Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Parents’ names and age at death in record. 75 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. 246 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine may be the immigrant who arrived 23 October 1754 on the snow74 Good Intent accompanied by Johannes, who cannot be the Johannes de¬ scribed above, who was in Berks well before this date, and by Casper, of whom nothing more is known.75 Conrad married DOROTHEA . In 1780 he witnessed with his “X” mark — the will of Arron Frey of Windsor. His son-in-law Daniel Will was another witness.76 The 1754 immigrant also signed with an “X”. A majority of the German immi¬ grants could sign their names,77 so illiteracy is a significant factor. His administration was granted in 1791 to his son-in-law and daughter (his only child) Daniel and Magdalena Will. Probate file mentions his widow Dorothea.78 — Only child of Conrad1 and Dorothea (, ) Lorah: i. MARIA MAGDALENA2 LORAH, b. say 1745; m. 26 Oct. 1766 by Rev; Johann Andr. Krug DANIEL WILL of Windsor, oldest son of Gerhard and Maria Magdalene Lorah of Windsor, only daughter of Conrad.79 *7 A — The ships carrying German passengers to Philadelphia were of a variety of types Strassburger and Hinke, xxxii, noted billenders, brigantines, brigs, galleys, pinks, and snows, along with the more generic ships. They were careful to distinguish typographically between the type of vessel and name of ship (the name of the ship appears in italics). Unfortunately, other abstractors and compilers have not been as meticulous, interpreting the type of ship as part of the name. A snow is a “small sailing-vessel resembling a brig, carrying a main and fore mast and a supplementary trysail mast close behind the mainmast; formerly employed as a warship;” Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1933) 9:333. Howard I. Chapelle, The History of American Sailing Ships (New York: W. W. Norton, 1935) , 15-17 (illustration), describes both masts on a snow as square-rigged, with a spanker on the trysail mast; Chapelle’s illustrations show just how small these ships were. ' Strassburger and Hinke, 1:656, 657, 658. The names are given as Johannes, Johan Gaspar, and Conrad Lorey; Johannes and Johann Casper Loray and Conrad Lorey (who signed with his “X” mark); andjohannes Lory, Johann Caspa[r] Loray, and Conrad Lorra. 76 Estate file for Aaron Fry of Windsor, FHL #1,653,246, frame 360. *7*7 See volume 2 of the 3-volume original version of Strassburger and Hinke for examples. Administration of Conrad Lorah of Windsor, granted 20 Aug. 1791. Berks Co. Administrations, 4:203. Estate file, FHL #1,653,593; frames 856-65. Paul and Howell, Berks Marriages, 10. Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 247 THE SECOND GENERATION OF AMITY 4. GEORGE2 LORAH {Johannes7) of Amity, known as “E$quire”was born in June 1745. George Lorah married 22 November 1768 as his first wife ELIZARETH/LISABETH RHOADS,80 daughter ofjacob Rhoads of Amity.Jacob’s will, written 20 February 1785, gives £200 to his daughter Elisabeth, wife of George Lorah.81 Her given name is in the 1769 birth record for their son John: Mrs. Georg Lora, born December 1746, died 9 July 1787, buried at Schwarzwald.82 George Lora of Amity married 15 April 1788 as his second wife MAG¬ DALENA BAHM.83 Mrs. Georg Lora, who was born August 1740 and died 6 March 1798 was buried at Schwarzwald.84 George Lorah of Amity was married on 16 March 1800 by Rev, William Boos to his third wife, DOROTHEA/DOROTHY DOTTERER.85 The un¬ named wife of Esquire Lorah was buried at Amityville age 76 years 6 months 0 days on 16 November 1821.86 She has no tombstone. The tombstone of George Lorah, Esq. reads: In Memory of George Lorah Esq. who was born in the Year of Our Lord 1745 and departed this life the first of August in the Year of Our Lord, 1823, age 78 years. 80 Date from two patron-submitted IGI entries, both giving place as Philadelphia Co., although Berks had been formed by this date. HI Will ofjacob Rhoads, abstracted in Pennsylvania Wills, 1682-1834. on Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records, Paul and Howell, Berks Marriages, 71. Marriage by Rev. William Boos. 84 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. oc Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Paul and Howell, Berks Marriages, 105. Pennsylva¬ nia Marriages, 75. 86 Elaine D. Schwar, “Falckner Swamp Reformed Records,” records translated by Rev. Thomas Brendle, transcribed by Raymond Hollen bach, Jourroa/ of the Berks Co, Genealogical Society 16:2. Falckner Swamp was located in Hanover Twp,, Montgomery Co., but the burial records contained a number of Berks Co. references. [Hereafter cited as “Falckner Swamp Reformed Records.” “Old Graveyard at Amityville, Amityville Church Records, Berks Co., Pennsylvania (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1936), 77; typescript. As many stones as possible were verified by author on personal visit 15 Sep. 1999. [Hereafter cited as “Old Graveyard at Amityville.”] Visits by Suzanne Rhoads Millar and the author. * 248 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine He owned land in Amity by 1775.88 Between 1774 and 1810 he wit¬ nessed the wills of ten neighbors.89 George Lorah of Amity made his will in 1812; it was not probated until 1823. In it he named his wife Dorothy, sons Daniel, John, and George, daughter Susanna wife of Daniel Baum, daughter Elizabeth wife of Jacob Gresener, and daughter Catherine wife of Nicholas Yocum. He provided for Dorothy’s comfort. She was to have use of the clock and ten-plate stove.90 Children of George2 and Elizabeth (Rhoads) Lorah: 6 i. GEORGE3 LORAH, b. say 1765; m. 7 Apr. 1801 by Rev. Philip R. Pauli at First Reformed Church, Reading, to SARAH BARTOLET, from Oley;91 named in father’s will. 7 ii. JOHANNES/JOHN3 LORAH, b. 4 May 1769; bapt. at Reformed Church, Oley Twp.; m. in Amity 6 Apr. 1799 HESTER/ ESTER BARTOLET/BERTHILE; named in his father’s will; possibly moved to Ohio and died there in 1838. 111. SUSANNA3 LORAH, b. say 1773, m. by 1812 DANIEL BAUM; named in father’s will; she may have m. first 29 Dec. 1795 ■ ill 92 BORSTLER. JOHANNES iv. ELIZABETH3 LORAH, b. say 1777; m. 21 Oct. 1798 JACOB CRIESEMER of Oley93; named in father’s will. v. DANIEL3 LORAH, b. Amity Twp. 20 Feb. 1779; d. 13 Sep. 1853, age 74 years, 6 months, 23 days; bur. Amityville Church Cemetery; m. 2 Oct. 1803 in Amity HANNAH KNABB;94 named i- 8 in father’s will. 88 Pendleton, Oley Valley Heritage, 201. 89 Thomas Brumfield of Amity (1774), Ulrich Mohn of Oley (1786), Lorentz Strunck of Amity (1790), Henry Reiss of Amity (1792), Christina Gelbach of Amity (1794), John Bartolet of Oley (1803) Henry Dengler of Amity (1808) , Michael Loucks of Amity ( 1808) , and Nicholas Hoerner of Exeter (1810). 90 Will of George Lorah of Amity, made 29 Aug. 1812, probated 25 Aug. 1823. Estate file for George Lorah of Amity, FHL #1,818,832, frames 2470-85. 91 First Reformed Church, Reading, 249. 92 Pennsylvania Marriages, 75. Marriage is recorded at Schwarzwald. Paul and Howell, Berks Marriages, 96. Marriage by Rev. William Boos. QD Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Pennsylvania Marriages, 78. Paul and Howell, Berks Marriages, 102; marriage by Rev. William Boos. 94 Date and location from patron-submitted 1GI entry. Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 249 vi. CATHARINA3 LORAH, b. 23 Oct. 1783; bapt. 16 Oct. 1786 at Schwarzwald Church; sponsor Catharina Bohr;95 m. 14 Mar, 1801 NICHOLAS JOCHEN/YOCUM, recorded at First Reformed Church, Reading; they were from “Elsass” Twp.;96 named in father’s will; possibly married first HENRICH HAFER in Oley 25 Nov. 1806.97 5. JOHN/JOHANNES2 LOHRA/LORAH {Johannes1) was born soon after 1 747. He probably settled in Heidelberg Township and married 1) ANNA MARIA ; and 2) BARBARA . He was on the 1790 and 1800 censuses in Heidelberg, ) Lorah/Lohra: Children of John/Johannes2 and Anna Maria C i. MARIA BARBARA3 LORAH, b. 27 Aug. 1772; bapt Tulpehocken Reformed Church, Jackson Twp., Lebanon Co.;98 poss. m. 29 Nov. 1795 CASPER LOUX99 at Tulpehocken or at Reformed Church, Reading. ii. ANDREW3 LORAH, b. 2 Mar. 1774; bapt, Tulpehocken Reformed Church, Jackson Twp., Lebanon Co.100 iii. JOHN3 LORAH, b. 31 Jan. 1779; bapt. Tulpehocken Reformed Church, Jackson Twp., Lebanon Co.101 iv. ANNA MARIA3 LORAH, b. 20 Jan. 1782; bapt. at St. Daniel’s Lutheran Church, Heidelberg Twp.102 Children of fohn/Johannes and Barbara (m ) Lorah/Lohra: v. GEORG3 LORAH, b. 2 Mar, 1787; bapt. at Christ Lutheran Church, Marion Twp.103 vi. ANNE MARGRETH3 LORAH, b. 17 Apr. 1789; bapt. at Christ Lutheran Church, Marion Twp.104 95 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Only father named in record. 96 First Reformed Church, Reading, 248. 9' Pennsylvania Marriages, 89. Marriage is recorded at Schwarzwald. 98 Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800.” Mother named in record. QQ Patron-submitted IGI entries. 100 Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800." Mother named in record, 101 Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800.” Mother named in record. 102 Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800,” Only father named in record. Anna Maria is assigned to the first wife as the most consistent spacing. 103 Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800.” Mother named in record. 104 Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800." Mother named in record. The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 250 vn. _ LORAH, bapt. 13 Aug. 1791 Christ Lutheran 3 at Church, Marion Twp.;105 probably died young, only one son on 1790 census, none on 1800. THE THIRD GENERATION OF AMITY 6. GEORGE3 LORAH (George?, Johannes1) was born say 1765. He married SARAH BARTOLET. In 1803, John Bartolet of Oley made his will in which he named daughters Sarah wife of George Lorah and Hester wife of John Lorah. Note that this meant that brothers married sisters. Witnesses included George Lorah, Sr.106 The marriage probably took place by 1798, as there is a probable daughter over 10 on the 1810 census. Sarah is named in the baptism of Hannah in 1802. Children of George3 and Sarah ( Bartolet ) Lorah: i. probably a daughter, born say 1799, listed on 1810 census. ii. HANNAH4 LORA, b, 20 Jun. 1802; bapt. 24 Oct. 1802 at St. Paul’s Reformed and Lutheran Church, Amityville; sponsors John Lora and wife Ester.107 m. SARAH4 LORAH, b. 4 Nov. 1805; d. 7 Mar. 1806; bur. Amityville Church Cemetery.108 iv. probably a son, born 1800-10; listed on 1810 census; possibly the George Lorah who married Mary Rhodes. v. probably a daughter, born 1800-10; listed on 1810 census. vi. DANIEL4 LORA, b. 9 Dec. 1810; bapt. 9Jan. 1811 at St. Paul’s Reformed and Lutheran Church, Amityville; sponsors *t > * * VI 1. 105 parents.109 RA[C]HEL4 LORA, b. 1814; bapt. 26 Jun. 1814 at St. Paul’s Reformed and Lutheran Church, Amityville; sponsors parents.no Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800." Mother named in record. 106 Will of John Bartolet of Oley, made 17 Dec. 1803, probated 20 Feb. 1804. Berks Co. Wills, 2:1 14 in abstract 107 Second Record Book, St Paul’s (Reformed and Lutheran) Church, Amityville, Pa. from 1 799 to 1866.; original in German; unpaginated. FHL #1,671,337, item 3. [Hereafter cited as Second Record Book , Amityville.] Mother named in record. 108 u Old Graveyard at Amityville,” 80. 109 Second Record Book, Amityville. Mother named in record. no Second Record Book, Amityville. Mother named in record. Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 251 7. JOHANNES3 LORAH (George2, Johannes1) was born 4 May 1769 and baptized at Reformed Church, Oley Township. in He married in Amity 6 April 1799 HESTER/ESTER BARTOLET/BERTHILE.112 In 1803, John Bartolet of Oley had made his will in which he named daughters Sarah wife of George Lorah and Hester wife of John Lorah. Witnesses included George Lorah, Sr.113 It is possible that he moved to Ohio, as the Reading Adler carried a notice thatjohn Lorah, Esq,, formerly from Berks County, died in Ohio, aged 69 years 6 months and 11 days. This would calculate to a death date of 15 November 1838. The abstract is dated 16 November 1838. Usually this means the date the newspaper was published, but perhaps this was the date of the notice.114 Children of John3 and Ester/ Hester (Berthile/ Bartolet) Lorah: i. SARA4 LORAH, b. 30 Mar. 1800; bapt. 20 Jul. at St. Paul’s Reformed and Lutheran Church, Amityville; sponsors George Lora and Sara arlhlain.115 ii. JOHANNES4 LORAH, b. 4 Aug. 1801; bapt. 1 Nov. at Schwarzwald; sponsors Johannes Berthile and Susanna.116 in. MARIA ESTHER4 LORAH, b. 20 Mar. 1807 [calc.]; daughter of Johann died of scarlet fever 1 Feb, 1810; bur. at N[ew] Store, recorded at First Reformed Church, Reading.117 iv. probably a son, b. 1800-10; listed on 1810 census; possibly the George Lorah who married Mary Rhodes. v. probably a daughter, b. 1800-10; listed on 1810 census. _ 4 t 1 111 Humphrey, “Birth Index: Southeastern PA, 1680-1800.” Mother’s name is given in records as Lisabeth. 112 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. Pennsylvania Marriages, 78. Paul and Howell, Berks Marriages, 103; marriage by Rev, William Boos. 113 Will of John Bartolet of Oley, made 17 Dec. 1803, probated 20 Feb, 1804. Berks Co, Wills, 2:114 in abstract 114 Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 24:302. 115 Second Record Book , Amityville. 116 Schwarzwald Reformed Church Records. 117 First Reformed Church, Reading 222. 252 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 8. DANIEL* LORAH ( George2, Johannes1) was born in Amity Township 20 February 1779. He died 13 September 1853, age 74 years, 6 months, 23 days, and was buried at Amityville Church Cemetery.118 He married 2 or 20 October 1803 HANNAH KNABB, both of Amity, recorded at Schwarzwald Church.119 In 1823 he was named one of the executors of the estate of his ‘‘friend” 120 Hunter of Amity. Jacob He is probably the Daniel B. Lorah, aged 60 to 70 listed on the 1840 census as residing in Cumru. In 1850 he was residing in Amity next to his son William. His daughters Hannah and Amanda were still living at home, unmarried. Daniel’s property was valued at a substantial $15,000.121 Daniel’s will, written 6 September 1850, names ten children, but no wife.122 His published death record appears to name eleven living off¬ spring children, but the abstracter erroneously inserted commas be¬ tween Mary Amanda and David Augustus. Elizabeth is not named in the death record, as she died in February before her father.123 ■ Children of Danielÿ and Hannah ( Knabb ) Lorah:124 i. EUSABETHA4 LORAH, b. 21 Jan. 1805; bapt. 7 May at Schwarzwald; sponsors George Lorah and Dorothea [grandfather and step-grandmother];125 d. 4 Feb. 1853; m. 18 Dec. 1831 ABRAHAM RHOADS.126 After Elisabetha’s 118 Daniel’s birth and death dates, full names of parents and wife, and his children are named in his death record; Dalice Fadden, “Vitals: Deaths: 1752-1855: Berks Co., PA,” USGenWeb Archives, transcribed from records at the Berks Co. Courthouse. Many localities recorded vital statistics briefly in the mid-1800s as a result of an interest in statistics, especially causes of mortality. These records included full birth and death dates, age at death, place of birth and burial, plus names of spouse, parents and Living issue. [Hereafter cited as "Berks Deaths,” USGenWeb.] Daniel’s baptism is not recorded. Visit by author to cemetery; not in published abstract. 119 Sckwarzwaid Reformed Church Records and Pennsylvania Marriages, 84. 120 Will of Jacob Hunter, abstracted in Pennsylvania Wills, 1682-1834. 121 Daniel Lorah household, 1850 U.S. Census, Amity Twp., Berks Co., Pa,, page 434, dwelling 8 1 , family 88; NARA M432, roll 754. 122 Will of Daniel Lorah of Amity, Berks Wills 10:107-1 12, abstracted in Berks of Old 2, #3 (Nov. 1984) :9-10. 123 u Berks Deaths,” USGenWeb. 124 Named in Daniel’s death record and will; birth years from 1850 census. 125 Sckwarzwaid Reformed Church Records. l! Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 253 death, Abraham m. her sister Hannah, Abraham is buried between his two wives in Amityville Church Cemetery.127 Children of Abraham and Elizabeth, all baptized at St, Paul’s Re¬ formed and Lutheran Church, Amityville:128 1. Hannah Rhoads, b. 12 Oct. 1832; bapt. 17 Feb. 1822; sponsors parents; m. John F. Guldin. 2. Maria/Mary Rhoads, b. 27 Dec, 1836; bapt. 3Jul.; sponsors Johan Roads [paternal uncle] and Maria Lorah [paternal aunt]; d. unmarried. 3. Daniel Rhoads, b. 28 Oct. 1837; bapt. 30 May 1838; sponsors parents; d. 10 Oct. 1896 at his residence at Yellow House, Amity; m. Catherine E.6 Rhoads (Ezekiel5ÿ Samuel?, Jacob3, Jacob?, Jacob1), daughter of Ezekiel and Susanna K. (Bertolet) Rhoads. He became owner of the 130-acre Rhoads homestead and director and president of the National Bank of Boyer town. Child of Daniel and Catherine: a. Abraham Rhoads, d. at age three, 129 4. Amanda Rhoads, b. 23 May 1841; bapt. 19 September; sponsors parents; m. D. B. Brunner. ii. CATHERINE4 LORAH, m. GIDEON SNYDER. iii. WILLIAM4 LORAH, b. 15 Mar. 1809; bapt. 3Jan. 1811 at St. Paul’s Reformed and Lutheran Church, Amityville; sponsors William Kraft and Sally Knabb;130d. 11 Jun. 1889; m. 2 Mar. 1834 HENRIETTA/ HARRIET LUDWIG, 131 126 Pennsylvania Marriages, 75. Marriage is recorded at Falckner Swamp. 127« Inscriptions from Old Tombstones on West Side of Amity Church,” Amityville Church Records, Berks Co., Pennsylvania (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1936), 88; typescript. As many stones as possible were verified by author on personal visit 15 Sep. 1999. [Hereafter cited as “West Graveyard at Amityville.”] Their parents’ names are on their tombstones, 128 Second Record Book, Amityville. Both parents are named in all four baptisms. Additional information about children from “Rhoads,” History of Berks County, 1268. 129«Rhoads,” History of Berks County, 1268. Although this sketch is flawed in the earliest generations, Catherine (Rhoads) Rhoads was alive at its writing, so her direct ancestry is accepted. 130 Second Record Book, Amityville.. 254 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine daughter of Abraham Ludwig and Sarah (Miller); b. 18 Oct. 1812, d. 9 May 1893; both bur. Amityville Church Cemetery.132 In 1850 William was a farmer in Amity with $6000 in property living next to his widowed father. In his household were Mary Putz, age 20, and Elizabeth Miller, age 65 (Harriet’s aunt?). Children of William and Harriet, from 1850 census:133 1. Margaret Emelia/Amelia5 Lorah, b. 22Jul. 1835; bapt. 8 Nov. at St. Paul’s Reformed and Lutheran Church, Amityville; sponsors Adam Rhodes and Catherine Lorah.134 2. Ebenezer/Ef finger5 Lorah, b. 18 Sep. 1836; bapt. 26 Feb. 1837 at St. Paul’s Reformed and Lutheran Church, Amityville; sponsors William Eagel and Hannah.135 3. Mahlon5 Lorah, b. about 1840. 4. Charles William5 Lorah, b. 16 Mar. 1845, d. 13Jan. 1845; bur. Amityville Lutheran Church Cemetery.136 5. Daniel W.5 Lorah, b. about 1846. iv. ESTHER ANNA4 LORAH, b. 22Jun. 1811 (about 1802 from census is surely incorrect); bapt. 22 Sep, at St, Paul’s Reformed and Lutheran Church, Amityville; sponsors George Lora and Sara;137m. PETER MOSER, b. about 1800. In 1850 Peter, Esther, and 76-year-old Hannah Moser, presumably his mother, were residing in Amity.138 13] Marriage Record of A. L. Herman, both of Amity. “Henretta” in marriage record, Harriet on tombstone. 132 Visit by author; not in abstract. 133 William Lorah household, 1850 U.S. Census, Amity Twp., Berks Co., Pa., page 434, dwelling 80, family 87; NARA M432, roll 754. 134 Second Record Book, Amityville. Mother named in record. 135 Second Record Book, Amityville. Mother named in record. 136 Visit by author; not in abstract. 137 Second Record Book, Amityville. 138 Peter Moser household, 1850 U.S. Census, Amity Twp,, Berks Co., Pa., page 443, dwelling 201, family 219; NARA M432, roll 754. There is a marriage at Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading, for Esther Ann Lorah and Henry G. Moser. Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 255 v. JOHANNES/JOHN4 LORAH, b. 20 Oct. 1813; bapt. 13 Feb. 1814 at St. Paul’s Reformed and Lutheran Church, Amityville; sponsors Samuel PBaidman and Christina.139 b. about 1821; residing in Amity Possibly m. EMMA in 1850. Children of John and Emma, from 1850 census:140 1. Rebecca Lorah, b. about 1843. 2. Mary Lorah, b. about 1845. vi. HANNA4 LORAH, b. 2 Feb. 1816; bapt. 3 Mar. at St. Paul’s Reformed and Lutheran Church, Amityville; sponsors parents;141 m. after 1853 ABRAHAM RHOADS, widower of her sister Elizabeth. Abraham is buried between his two wives in Amityville Church Cemetery.142 Hannah and Abraham had no children. vii. SUSANNAH4 LORAH, b. 25 Apr. 1818; bapt. 16 Aug. at St. Paul’s Reformed and Lutheran Church, Amityville; sponsors William Reiter and Susanna;143 m. 11 Dec. 1848 at Trinity Church, Reading, JOHN ROTHERMEL.144 Vlll SARAH4 LORAH, b. 4 Nov. 1820, d. 13 Jun. 1847, age 26 years 7 months 9 days; bur. Amityville Church Cemetery.145 ix. GEORGE K.4 LORAH, b. about 1822, m. by 1850 WlLHELMINA , b. about 1826;146d. by 1892 when his estate was it* 139 Second Record Book, Amityville, 140 John Lorah household, 1850 U.S. Census, Amity Twp., Berks Co., Pa., page 432, dwelling 57, family 60; NARA M432, roll 754. He had $1000 in real estate. 141 Second Record Book, Amityville. 142 « West Graveyard at Amityville," 88. Their parents’ names are on their tombstones. 143 Second Record Book, Amityville. 144 Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading. Note that apparently there were two approximately contemporaneous couples John and Susanna Rothermel. One Susanna was the daughter of Daniel and Hannah (Knabb) Lorah, born in 1818 and identified in his will; the other the daughter of Jacob and Susanna (Knabb) Herbein, born say 1800 and identified in her mother’s will, 145 Visit by author; not in abstract. Parents’ names on stone. 146 George K. Lorah household, 1850 U.S. Census, Berks Co., Amity Twp., Pa., page 433, dwellin 60, family 64; NARA M432,roll 754. I 256 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine probated;147 they were residing in Amity in 1850.148 x. MARIA AMANDA4 LORAH, b. 18 Apr. 1825; bapt. Jul. or Aug. at St. Paul’s Reformed and Lutheran Church, Amityville; sponsors parents;149 unmarried by 1853. xi. DANIEL AUGUSTUS4 LORAH, b. Jul. 1828; bapt. 27 Sep. at St. Paul’s Reformed and Lutheran Church, Amityville; sponsors parents.150 Daniel was a school teacher; in 1850 he was single and apparently boarding in the household of mason Philip Miller.151 GEORGE LORAH (“George-husband-of-Mary”) was born 23 May 1804; baptismal sponsors were George Lorah and wife. He was the son of either George Lorah and Sarah Bertoletorjohn Lorah and Esther Bertolet, He died 11 March 1832 and was buried two days later from Reading Church, aged 27 years 9 months 17 days.152 He was married to MARY RHOADS on 29 August 1830 by Reverend A. L. Herman.153 Mary was the daughter of Daniel Rhoads and Magdalena Kerst. George’s widow Mary renounced administration of the estate. On 16 January 1833 she requested that a guardian be appointed for Sarah Ann, who was under age 14. Mary’s brother Daniel Rhoads was appointed, but he became fatally ill and her brother Abraham was appointed as a replacement on 6 November 1835.154 147 Berks Co. Estates, index on www.berksregofwills.com, the web page for the Register of Wills and Clerk of the Orphans’ Court of Berks Co, This is the form of the index used by the staff to access the records. Post-1850 estates must be ordered from the county. 148 George K. Lorah household, 1850 U.S. Census, Amity Twp., Berks Co., Pa., page 433, dwelling 60, family 64; NARA M432, roll 754. 149 Second Record Book, Amityville. 150 Second Record Book, Amityville. 151 Philip Miller household, 1850 U.S. Census, Amity Twp., Berks Co., Pa., page 434, dwelling 82, family 89/90; NARA M432, roll 754. The other apparent boarder was Charles Parks. 152 Jacqueline B. Nein, First United Church of Christ, Washington and Reed Sts., Reading, Pennsylvania (Reading, Pa.: the author, 1986), unpaginated. 153 Information from 1829 Ludwig family bible in possession of Mark Edward Ludwig, Lake Mary, Florida, cited in GEDCOM file dated 3 Nov. 1998 and submitted to Ancestry World Tree at www.Ancestry.com by his wife, Paula Robinson Ludwig, and Marriage Record of A L, Herman, both of Amity. 154 Estate file for George Lorah of Reading, FHL #1,818,832, frames 2486-2505. Finding George Lorah: An Exercise in Genealogy 257 Mary Lorah, widow of George Lorah, wrote her will 24 April 1867; she was of Amity when she died 7 April 1881. She had named Hiram E. Ludwig as her executor. In her will she describes her property as adjoin¬ ing Jonas Rhoads, George Lorah, late Abraham Rhoads now Daniel and Mary Rhoads, Samuel Filbert now Samuel Gulden and son, George Lorah late John Rhoads, and states that she got the property from her brother John Rhoads.155 This is clearly the land she received by his will. Child of George and Mary ( Rhoads ) Lorah: i. SARAH ANNA LORA, b. 24Jun. 1831; d. 1 Mar. 1853; m. 21 Nov. 1848 at Trinity Lutheran Church JACOB S. UVINGOOD.156 Her name is given as Sarah A. R. Lora in the marriage record. Child of Mary (Rhoads) Lorah, but not George Lorah: i. ELLEN LOUISA LORAH, b. 10 May 1840; d. 1926; m, 29 Sep. 1859 HIRAM LUDWIG. 155 Estate of Mary Rhoads of Amity, 1881. 156 Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading.