I was originally working on a theory that the Berks Co Deharts were of a
different Dehart family who, like the family they actually are, came to
New York City from Holland in the mid 17th century. There were two,
unrelated, Dehart families who came from Holland to New York City, both in
the mid 17th century. One, called the Manhattan, Staten Island or
Elizabethtown NJ Deharts, had a tradition of French aristocratic huguenot
ancestry. They sent lines to New Jersey and Canada, and a descendant was
a member of the Continental Congress, and prominent in other ways.
Go to page on the Manhattan Deharts
My original principal source on Deharts was Montgomery's biographical
historyof Berks County. Montgomery has his Dehart history before John who
married Mary Polly Hoerner completely wrong. I am leaving his information
in this file; I don't yet have complete information about the entire
family, and so don't know where to put the other pieces of it.
The true story, from my cousin's notes, state;
"Elias and CAtherine lived on Simon's farm [in Brooklyn] for awhile,
later moving to Monmouth NJ. By looking at their children baptism
locations we see they were in NY, Flatbush, Six Mile Run Nj and Freehold.
Their sons were among the lst settlers of the portion of PA that became
Berks Co. Elias bough 600 acres of land in what was later called AMitiy
TWP in 1729. Elias and Simon were among the six taxables in the TWP bef
1734. Gilbert held 100 acres in Amity TWP by warantee. His land was then
surveyed in 1737. Elias adm'd the estate of Aaron who d ...1739. In
1742, Elias and his wife Catharine dold about 300 acres to Gilbert. They
are said to have moved with the DAniel Boone party south. Some resided in
Spartanburg. Elias died there leaving a son Elias to carry on the name.
The petition that led to the formation of Amitiy TWP in 1744 was signed by
Gilbert and Simon. In 1745, Gilbert bought more land adjoining his from
Simon and wife Mary. Gilber d in 1754, leaving his farm to sons, Samuel
and William. He made prov for [daughters], his widow Elizabeth Reed, and
his sister Charity. The land went from Gilbert to Cornelius and was
called Chestnut Flat in Amity. "Some of his c's were chr in New Hanvoer
Lutheran ch ...sometimes called "Swamp Church". This was the first GErman
Lutheran Congregation establ'd in the Colonies....." "Cornelius Dehart's
name appears on Berks Co tax lists for 1754, 1759,1767,1768. The widow
DeHart was taxed...in 1779 and 1780. "Most of what is known abou the
children and their families comes from theland deedsof property inherited,
bought and sold. John bought shares of brothers Jacob and Samuel. It is
written John son of Cornelius. 1783, Samuel bought the shares of his
brother Isaac and three of his sisters. "The sons of this family were
weavers"
The background of the story is given in an article "Oley
Valley Heritage" from Pennsylvania German Society:
"By 1708 the [Swedish first settlers] had been joined in
the Amity twp vicinity by the lst elements of a migration
from Monmouth Co and neighboring areas of central New
Jersey. These people incl Netherlanders (ie from the
Netherlands or Holland), Scots, and Anglo-Americans of
New England Heritage. Prominent in this group were the
DeHart, Winter, Bord, Sadowski, Campbell, Warren, and
Lincoln families.
"The next signif group of settlers was a large group of
acquainted or related families from the Platinate,
including some families of Swiss derivation and some of
a least partial French extraction. The first of these
people settled in the northern part of the Oley Valley
by 1712. Ist is likely that most or perhaps all of these
pioneers were members of the perfectionist "New Born"
sect. ..."
"Quaker fmilies from Gwynedd and Abington meetings outside
Philadelphia, led by the Boone family, composed the last
of the four identified settler groups. They began
arriving in 1718, choosing to settle along Monocacy Creek,
below the Oley Valley Proper. [Two Welsh families] were
also prominent among this group."
Montgomery cites a tradition, good for a good laugh, that the
ancestor of Deharts of lower Berks was Jacob Dehart. He
had a large family, left France during religious upheavals,
left seized estates in France, and two sons to look after
them. Another son, Samuel, went back to France to join
them. During Revolutionary war all three came over with
Marquis de Lafayette or with the army he sent. (Another
general, not him, was sent with that army.)
This is quite a tale. It isn't true. The Deharts as a whole
have more from France tales. I have a third cousin who insists
her mother said my John B's FATHER was from France! I don't yet
know why Debra Clear thinks the Deharts came from Brest of Heart,
France, but we do know it didn't happen later than that.
An Article on Oley Valley Heritage from Pa German Soc cites
presence of a small number of people of part French extraction
among all the Germans and Dutch in Berks Co and exaggeration of
proportion of French ancestry among the people contributed to the
French ancestry tradition.
According to cemetary, church, probate records dug up by my Berks
Co cousin, Susanna Dehart dau of JOhn Nicholas Knabb was b 7-12-
1783, d June 1853. C;s Mary Samuel, Sarah, Catherine, Susan,
Elizabeth, Harriet, Rebecca. jShe married Jacob in Oley, June 3,
1806. (Also BErks Co Gen. Soc. Publication).
So the following version of Dehart history cannot possibly
be true.
Jacob b. 1729 (?) m Susannah Knabb, dau Nicholas and Susannah.
owned land in Oley, Alsace, Exeter TWP's orig owned by
Nicholas Knabb. At one time wealthy, owned much real estate
d 1828
Elijah b 1747 of Exeter
Simon b 1749 of "
Gilbert b 1751 " "
Cornelius b 1753 " "
Samuel b 1755 " " the one who returned to France
Jacob b 1757 " "
Isaac b 1759 " " lived Alsacae TWP
John b 1761 of ____ My actual ancestor. married
Mary/Polly Horner/Harner. ACtually son of John
Dehart m Weidner son of Cornelius Dehart and
Maria Catherine son of Elias Simon.
Montgomery lists another founder as Cornelius, a large landowner
in Amity 1752, 1759. This man was actually my ancestor;
the son
of Elias Simon Dehart and Catherine Lane, b in New Jerse
or even Brooklyn, died in Berks County before 1/13/1779
and left a widow paying taxes there. The wife was Maria
Catherine.
Montgomery lists the following as the children of Cornelius. I
don't yet know who they actually were. The man did
actually have a son named Cornelius.
Cornelius Jr. m ?
a son left home at age 12, never heard from again
David b 1800 d 1865 weaver and butcher m Susan Gerber
lived in Earl TWP, buried Amityville.
Samuel d young
Charles G. Amityville
David G. b 6/18/1831 d 3/4/1904 Amity, a plasterer
Lutheran, Amityville Church, official in the
church. m 1859 Harriett Breidenbach (her f
had a shop) dau John and Hannah (Good).
William d age 3
Harriet m Amos Auman
Ann m J McGee (?)
Rachel m William Keppler
Susan d young
Montgomery lists as a third line that of Cornelius Dehart,
b Delaware 1/15/1777,
moved to Berks Co on reaching adulthood. Amity. A weaver.
d 7/8/1858 Robeson/ Amityville m 10/27/1795 Mary Miller
b 11/17/1779 d 7/17/1845
Noone yet knows who this is. I wonder if he is a
member of a line little is known of; son of a Peter whose
existence is only "supposed", b ll/15/1772 - in New
Jersey.
My fifth cousin believes he is the son of Jacob m ___ Warren, his
will lists about five minor children, at a date when someone
b 1777 would have been a minor, included Cornelius.
Montgomery says his children are:
Ann b 10/1/1797
Thomas b 8/21/1799
William b 12/16/1801
Margaret b 10/19/1817
Michael b 7/17/1804 d Reading 1893 m Harriett Bechtel dau
of Jacob Bechtel of Reading, b 1806 Reading
Tamsen
Angeline
Matilda
Maria
Amelia b abt 1835 m David Buxton
George
Ansom B b 1839
John b 2/23/1807 Amity TWP
Harriett b 3/20/1822
Charles M. b 5/30/1809 machinist Reading, Altoona, Nashville
m Mary W Davies dau Benjamin Davies of Farmers National
Bank of Reading, b 1807 Reading
William H machinist m Agnes Speir dau of John Speir,
Brooklyn
Agnes
Bessie B m Wm E Feger
Robert
Frederick
Alice
Helen m Harry Fox
Arthur a machinist
Davies (Philadelphia)/ David
Edward alive 1909 in Reading
Charles d Iowa b 1832 Reading m Mary W Davis, of
Reading, dau Benjamin Davis
Elizabeth of Reading
Emily/ Emma
Mary m George W Chaney of Lebanon Pa
Andrew b 9/14/1812 m Julia A.
Levi b 2/13/1815
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