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146. William R ERASMUS was born in 1808 in Pennsylvania. DO NOT RELY ON THIS DATA. I have tried to reconstruct some info onthis family based on internet research and the following census data, but this isjust conjecture on my part. . . CENSUS YR: 1850 Columbia Co., BloomTWP, PA Page 283 lists children here named.

CENSUS YR: 1870 STATE: Pennsylvania COUNTY: ColumbiaDIVISION: Bloomsburg, E. Ward REEL NO: M593-1329 SHEET NO:41A. REFERENCE: Enumerated on the 24th day of June by Thos. J.Morris; Handwritten page # 26

30 201 211 Erasmus William 70 M W Fisherman Pa.
31 201 211 Erasmus Catharine 69 F W Keeping House Pa.
32 201 211 Erasmus Benjamin 47 M W Teamster Pa.

In another household, I found William T. Erasmus's children:
30 245 256 Erasmus Emma C. 13 F W At home Pa.
31 245 256 Erasmus Matilda A. 10 F W At home Pa.

1880 Emma C. is Step Daughter of G.B. Mutchler & wife Martha. Emma is23, single, born in PA & both parents born in PA.


This is the copy of a letter received from Wm. W Winch Fostoria, Ohio May16,1895 to Mrs A.E. Monasmith, Reading PA( I know who Winch is Not sureabout Monasmith, I think Monasmith is one of John Rasmus girls who marrieda Monasmith) From Micki Brisco:

Dear Colusin:
Your letter dated May 1st to hand and contents noted. You stated in yourletter that you were working again on our fortune, well I am glad for I believewe all need it, and ought to have it. You asked one to write you a good largeletter, surely I will try to do that.

I think I know smore about the case or its former proceeding that any one nowliving for I have done a great deal of my fathers writing and reading in the case,for my father said Winch had the power of attorney from all the heirs toprosecute and collect the claims of the Rasmuss estate in Amercia and WestIndies.
In the first place let me caution you about getting the givin names right, of theRasmuss heirs. Our late Grandfathers name was not John, it was Johnathan.You will have to state your case from Jans RaSmuss of West Indies. Heowned the Islands of St. Thomas and St. John, and the said Jans RaSmussbought the rights and claims of Wm. Penn in Pennsylvania which is fifty seventhousand(57,000) acres of land in Pennsylvania, and also over elevenhundred acres of land over Hop, New Jersey, and also seventeen hundred(1700)acres of land in Tuscarawas County Ohio and a large tract of land inNorth Carloina, the amount I do not recollect any more, but it can be found,After Jans RaSmuss bought rights and claims of Wm Penn in America, heleased the land to the Moravians of Bethlehem to Swinitz and Cuno andothers at Bethlehem. After Jans RaSmus leased this land to the Moravians,he put two of his sons there as a possession right to holdhis claims in America,their names and ages were as follows Johnathan,was nine years old andNathaniel was seven years old these sons were in care of the Moravians,they were to raise and educate them until they were of age.

The said Jans RaSmuss had four children namely Johnathan, David Nathanieland Judith. Three boys and one girl. All died without heirs except Johnathanour late Grandfather. Please let me know how or what course you are going totake. Are you going into lawsuit with theMoravians? I understand that theMoravians have nothing anymore that they are poor, they spent all themoney they had to buy off our lawyers.I know of five or six lawyers that gotindependent rich through our case namely Reader,Right, Shimer and DavidPaul Brown and Judge Mallery of Philadelphia, Brown and Mallery were thelast two lawyers he had employed. Then father went to Washington D. C. toplace our case in the hands of our goverment under James Buchanan. AtWashington a congressman said to father that it cost the Moravians ficehundred thousand dollars that year to buy off our lawyers to freeze us out andleave the case lay. All the lawyers he had employed claimed it did not requireany law suit, that according to our papers they could take the sheriff and orderthem off of the land. After father had placed the case in the hands of thegoverment in October 1859,there were three men as appraisers sent fromWashington to appraise everything under the jurisdiction of theMoravians,After the appraisers were through the Moravians was to payseven million dolllars till the first of April 1860. Half of this three million and ahalf was to be paid on Jan. 1, 1860 and the balance three million and a half onApril 1, 1860. if this money was not paid to the heirs by that time, the land andproperty was to fall back to it legal heirs. After this had all transpired, twojustice of the peace of the Moravians came to father and wanted to make asettlement. They offered to settle for what the land was worth at the time JansRaSmuss bought the rights and claims of Wm Penn at $1.25 per acre or atgoverment prices. Father told them no, that he could not settle with them thatthe goverment would settle the affair for the heirs, and that the heirs wanted forthe land what its value was then or now, they never denied that they did nothave the land, but claimed thatÊ Jans RaSmussgave it to them, if that wouldhave been the case, they would not have been compelled to pay lease rentas they did to my recollection.

You stated in your letter that you had quite a time in getting your papers froma lawyer. A. N Schmehl of Reading and that he refused to give you my letter,which I wrote to him, but Ithink the letter was not much to him nor would it be toyou, did not think much of his proceedings. He said I should send him allpapers I had and that he expected to go to the West India. You asked me tosend you all the papers I had, well I have none of the papers anymore. Afterfather died the bos sent me the papers, what they had but the best lot of thepapers were stolen from father when they were in lawyer Brown and Malleryshands at Philadelphia, the lawyers and the Moravians stole them.
Father seen three of them there the day he was to be there, and after theywere gone father went to Browns office but Brown did not give him anysatisfaction, this is the place where it cost the Moravians so much money, asstated before, and father was compelled to get a police officer to get themall,those papers which I have sent to Hiram Winch my brother soon after theywere sent to me, for they were going to Washington D.C. but after they gothere they did not know where to go to find anything. Those papers must bein Hiram Winches possession. He is or lives in Allentown PA I think I mustcome to a close for this time. Please let me know how you progress in th caseor what shape you got it. I might be able to give you some more information.You can count me in with that committee for I will help all I can
I remain sincerely
Your Cousin
Wm. E. Winch
Fostoria Ohio William R ERASMUS and Catherine were married.

147. Catherine was born in 1809 in Pennsylvania. 1850 Columbia County, PA Census p? lines 20 through 28 are distorted oninternet. Must view original copy for data. Children were:

i.

Benjamin ERASMUS was born in 1829 in Pennsylvania.

73

ii.

Sarah Ann ERASMUS.

iii.

William T ERASMUS was born in 1834.

iv.

Mary C ERASMUS was born in 1836 in Pennsylvania.

v.

Henrietta ERASMUS was born on 29 Dec 1839. She died on 12 Oct 1919 in Logan Co, AR. Cemetery transcriptions? - Thomas, (undreadable) 10-1886 2-2-1899 [I think this is the grave of Evan Thomas], Thomas, Henrietta 12-27-1889 10-15-1919, Thomas, Infant Son 1-15-1882 2-4-1882

Notes: Henrietta Rasmus was 1 of 7 children 3- girls and 4- boys ( 1850 census Bloom Township Columbia CO. PA. Henrietta Rasmus Grandparents on her fatherÕs side were JonathanRasmus and Maria Veronica Rentzheimer Erasmus/Rasmus. Henrietta and Evan married in 1857, Evan served an apprentice-ship in carpentry and furniture building at Berwick,PA. EvanÕs healthwas not in good health and he was advised by doctors to change climate; so in early 1865, he moved west into Illinois, searching for a place to settle. One or two years in Ill. And then he movedon to Missouri where he lived until after Joseph W. Thomas was born and then he moved south to Logan CO. AR. 3 and ? miles south east of Boonville, AR. There is where they settled andstayed the remainder of there lives There were 13 children born to this union. Many of the family are buried in the Cauthron Memorial Garden Cemetery.
1880 AR. Logan CO. Sugar Creek Twp Living with wife and7 children, farmer , both parents born PA.
1900 Arkansas Logan CO. Sugar Creek Twp Wife Henrietta listed as widow, head of household mother of 13- 7 living.

She lived 79y 9m 14d

vi.

A.I. ERASMUS was born in 1844 in Pennsylvania. Difficult to read 1850 Census image. Believe the initials are A.I. but could beA.J.

vii.

Martin ERASMUS was born in 1848 in Pennsylvania.