John Dehart
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth: Abt 1750 - Amity, Berks, Pennsylvania
Christening:
Death: 23 Jun 1805 - Faulkner Swamp, Amity, Berks, Pennsylvania
Burial:
Cause of Death:
AFN #:
Parents
Father: Cornelius Dehart (1707-Bef 1779)
Mother: Maria Catherine ( - )
Spouses and Children
1. *Elizabeth Weidner (Abt 1750 - )
Marriage: Abt 1772 - berks Co, Pennsylvania
Status:
Children:
1. David Dehart ( - )
2. Jacob Dehart (Cal 1790-1834)
3. John Dehart (1764- )
Notes
General:
His first name may have been Elijah. (Middle name is call name.)
He was a weaver, and lived in Philadelphia for a time. SEemingly he was a quite prosperous weaver, as at one time he had two mansions in the best part of town across the street from the governor's house! His affairs may not have remained that prosperous, and he returned to Berks County.
b abt 1750 d 6/23/1805 Faulkner Swamp, Amity, Berks. m abt 1772 Elizabeth Weidner, b abt 1750 A Berks Co Soldier w Am Rev by Holienback in Fifth Company. Also Pen Archives 3rd Series Vol VI pp 288-9, 316. John and Elizabeth lived Amity TWP moved to Philadelphia 1781, bought two houses near Third and Spruce Sts Most fashionable part of the city. Acr street from splendid home of Samuel Powell, last colonial mayor and first mayor under Republic. In 1786, he joined w other weavers to settle area opened a few mi north of Philadelphia: Northern Liberties. 1785 city directory listed him w a weaving shop at 189 St Johns St now called American St. Later sold the house, his whereabaouts vague. 1790 census appears he was back in Berks Co. JOhn Sr died 1805, John Jr adm of his estate. John Sr listed as 55 yrs old at death per Faulkner Swamp Reformed Ch records his Ch in New Hanover, Montgom Co. A short distance from home.
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This may not be typical of John Dehart's life, but it is the way Pennsylvania Dutch farmers lived. It was written by Vee Housman and posted to the Pennsylvania Dutch Life list at Rootsweb in June, 1999.
In the process of researching our family history, I
found Casper’s will and copied it. I wanted to transcribe
the handwritten will so that it could be more easily read,
and in the process of typing it, I became intrigued and
fascinated by some of the unfamiliar words that obviously
had to do with the process of making linen thread from
flax. As a result, I found myself researching every source
I had at hand to understand the process.
During one of our family get-togethers, we talked
about the contents of the will and I shared with them what
I had learned about the hard and rigorous work that had to
be done in order to provide the family with linen thread to
weave into cloth for their clothes. As a result, we agreed
that because of the will, we had been shown a picture of
our ancestors' lives that we normally wouldn't have seen.
Later upon reflection, I felt the need to write a story
that would show more of the picture of the ordinary
everyday lives of our ancestors, and I was soon engulfed
in researching the history of the areas in which they had
lived. I imagined what their personal lives might have
been and under what circumstances they were living at the
time Casper died.
With the cold facts I had of the family--births,
marriages, children, deaths--and with an inspired
imagination, I wrote the following story.
I hope I have blown off some of the dust from
historical records and put some flesh on the bones of
those who have lived before us. They were our family
and they were very much alive.
We are their children.
THE READING OF CASPER’S WILL
APRIL 27, 1790
Ach! I'm so tired. Why can't we just get this over
without all this fuss? My Casper’s been dead almost a
month. He's dead and buried and now I guess all that's
left to do is to sit here and have his will read out loud.
Humph, just as if nobody knows what he wanted done
with his property! But I suppose if I have to waste my
time when I have better things to attend to, I should at
least be polite and listen. Humph!
In the name of God Amen. I, Casper Snar, of the
Township of Menalan in the County of York and State of
Pennsylvania, being weak in body but of sound memory,
blessed be God, do this thirteenth day of November in the
year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred eighty and
six . . .
Lordy, Casper! You had no business being that
weak of body that November. You were only 64 years
old then! I think what really happened was that you were
so shocked at Jacob Bender's sudden sickness in July that
same year, that when he made out his will and died soon
afterwards, you just kind of gave up yourself. You two
were such close friends for so many years and when our
daughter Catharine married his son John--why, I never
saw such a proud man as you! She was our first-born and
I knew from the start that she was going to be your
favorite.
. . . make and publish my Last Will and Testament
in manner following. That is to say, first I give and
bequeath my soul to God that gave it and my body to the
dust to be decently entered. . . .
Well now, Casper, you'd be fair pleased at where
we buried you in Bender's Church graveyard. I got you a
nice headstone and you're not far from Jacob Bender's
grave. It seems only fittin' that the two of you should be
buried there what with Jacob and Catharine donating the
land to build the church just a few years ago. Land sakes,
it's been almost nine years since they did that, wasn't it?
But that nice log church we all helped to build has been
such a special comfort to us these past years, hasn't it?
. . . Then, I leave to my loving wife, Madlen
Deringher, . . .
Oh, Casper, why did you have to have that written
down like that? You would think at a time like this you
would have used my given name instead of your pet name
for me. You know that my name is Maria Magdalena, but
I think it was sort of nice that you had them write in my
maiden name. I've been Madlen Schnerr for so long that I
kind of forget who I used to be!
. . . her natural life, my stove room and stove and the
use of the kitchen and fire and I allow her firewood
annually to be cut and laid in order at the door fit for
kitchen fire and stove. And I give to my wife the cellar
under the stove room. Also I leave to my wife her bed
and bedding, bedstead and hangings, and chest and table
that stands in the stove room, and two chairs, and all her
wearing apparel, and what cloth, yarn and flax I now
have. And I leave her my Bible and psalm book, her
spinning wheel and reel, her churn and buttertub, one
barrel and half barrel, and so many of the vessels in the
kitchen as she may have use for, and two pickling tubs. . .
.
Casper, you sure knew for certain just what things I
wanted for my own, didn't you? I declare! You're still
taking care of me, aren't you?
. . . And I leave her my bay mare and colt that is
now following her, and her saddle and bridle, and her
choice of two of my cows and two sheep, and those
creatures shall be kept in good order both summer and
winter, and the above fire wood all on and at the expense
of my real estate. . . .
I sure do prize that mare and her pretty colt, and the
rest of the critters will keep me in milk, and butter, and
cheese, and wool, and--oh thank you, Casper!
. . . And she shall have yearly of my real estate
during her life fifteen bushels of good wheat, and six
bushels of Indian corn, and three bushels of rye which
shall be taken to mill and brought home for her at the
expense of my real estate. And she shall have her choice
of one of the bee hives, and also her choice of one of the
hogs and privilege of keeping one, and she shall have the
privilege of a few fowls and the full benefit of them, and
she shall have half hundred weight of bacon and as much
good beef yearly. . . .
Lands sakes, Casper, I didn't know we could afford
all that!
Date: Wed, 02 Jun 1999 19:54:12 -0400
From: "Vee L. Housman" <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Subject: Casper's Will, II
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
. . . And she shall have forty shillings yearly paid to
her in gold or silver coin of my real estate, and ten
pounds of good flax ready for spinning, and twelve
pounds of good tow. . . .
Mercy, just the mention of the flax reminds me of
how hard you and the girls and me worked in growing the
flax. Along about May, the girls and me would be out
weeding the young plants in our bare feet so as not to hurt
the tender stalks. Then along about June or July when the
flax was ripe, you and the neighbor men would pull it up
by the roots and lay it out for a day or so to let it dry.
Then it had to be rippled. You would fasten a ripple comb
on the plank and draw the stalks of flax through it to break
off the seed bobs. The girls never seemed to mind helping
you save those bobs for seed for the next year's crop.
And after that, you would tie the stalks in bundles
(bates, you always called them) and stook them in the
fields. I always thought they looked like tents all lined up
with the stalks spread out that way. It was such hard, hot
work, but you never did complain, did you? But I must
say, you did grumble when it was time for dew retting.
You would have to spread the flax on the ground to let the
dew and rain wet the stems so the leaves would rot and
the fibers would soften. You always said it was "vile"
work! Isn't that what schlecht means?
But it was hard work too, once the flax was dried
and tied into bundles. Then you needed the help of the
neighbors’ strong backs to break it on the heavy flax
brake to separate the fibers. What a beating you gave the
flax with that contraption! But I also recollect your getting
your fingers caught in it that one time. I thought you'd
never use that hand again. Remember?
But the work never seemed to end, did it? You had
to scutch it to take out the small pieces of bark that was
left on it, and after more scutching and pounding, you
knew when it was finally soft enough to hackle. The girls
and I used to help you do that with our hackling combs,
didn't we? I'd wet the flax a bit, take aholt of one end of
the bunch and then draw it through the hackle teeth
toward myself. That pulled the fibers and laid them into
real long threads and it combed the short fibers out at the
same time. My, it was
dusty, dirty work! Then after we did it over again with
finer hackles, it was always a bit of a disappointment to
see what little thread we ended up with out of the huge
amount of stalks that we started out with.
But then, the girls and I knew how to make a nice
quantity of linen thread out of those fibers, even with the
shorter coarse and broken fibers of the tow. We'd sort the
fibers, spreading and drawing them, and then finally the
flax was ready for the wheel for spinning. But, oh, how
my mind is wandering, isn't it, Casper? Now what was
just being said? Oh, yes, he's continuing:
. . . And half bushel of coarse and half bushel of
fine salt given to her yearly of my real estate. And half of
my garden yearly made ready for planting, sowing, and
one eighth part of an acre of potatoes planted yearly for
her in good ground and raised and hauled up in the fall
for her, all at the expense of my real estate. And at my
wife's marriage or death, what goods she dies seized of
shall be equally divided amongst my children. . . .
Now, doesn't that beat all! He's taken care of
everything. Oh, now he's saying something about
Catharine.
. . . Item, I give and allow to my daughter Katrina
her horse that she hath had for some time past. I also
give and bequeath to my said daughter Katrina and her
husband John Bender all my real estate in lands in the
township and county aforesaid to them, their heirs and
assigns, forever, . . .
You'd think that he would have used her proper
name instead of his old German name for her, but that was
my Casper. I knew he had it in his mind to give the land to
Catharine and John but I wasn't sure until he said that he
had talked it over with Jacob, John's father, just before
Jacob made out his will that July. What with Jacob having
those five sons, it made more sense for Jacob to leave his
land to the two middle boys and for Casper to take care of
both his John and our Catharine at the same time. That
Jacob and my Casper were like brothers, they were.
. . . they paying so out of it to my other three
daughters six hundred pounds in manner as followeth. To
wit, two hundred pounds to my daughter Mary in gold or
silver and two hundred pounds of like money to my
daughter Ule ...
He gave Juliana that nickname himself!
. . . and Simond Essick, her husband, and two
hundred pounds money as foresaid to my daughter
Elizabeth to be paid in manner following. To wit, in one
year after my decease I allow fifty pounds to be paid in
real gold and silver to my daughter Mary and one year
after that payment, fifty pounds like money as above to
my daughter Ule and her husband Simond Essick, and
one hundred pounds of like money to my daughter
Elizabeth in one year after the last payment. Then fifty
pounds yearly to be paid to each of my three daughters,
beginning as before at Mary, and paid to them agreeable
to their age until each of them receives their two hundred
pounds out of the real estate as above. . . .
Land sakes, I hope somebody keeps track of getting
the girls paid the way he just said. It's more than I can
figure out.
. . . And I give and allow for John Bender all the
grain now in the ground, it shall go with the place and
John Bender shall have all the shingles that I have made
and the boards now on the place for his house. . . .
My, Casper , you did work so hard to make those
shingles with that beetle and wedge of yours and that
shingling mould contraption. But you should hear the
plans Catharine and John are making for their new house!
How long have they been married now--seven years? My,
they've wanted a proper house of their own for a long
time, haven't they?
. . . And I give unto my two daughters Mary and
Elizabeth each of them one cow and yearling heifer, my
two married daughters having received from me
theretofore an equivalent to this. And I give to Elizabeth
the feathers now in the house for a bed, and I allow the
remainder of my personal estate to be put to public sale.
And my daughter Mary shall have a feather bed and
bedding and bedstead out of the personal estate, and a
chest and her spinning wheel and a middling sized iron
pot. And my daughter Elizabeth shall have a bedstead
and a chest and her spinning wheel and a middling sized
iron pot out of my personal estate. . . .
My goodness, how the girls prize those spinning
wheels of theirs! Casper bought them for the girls from
the wheelwright who made them and went traveling all
over on horseback selling them. Many a day the four girls
and I would spend the entire day sittin' at our wheels and
spinning the fiber into thread. When our bobbins were
filled we would wind the thread off on the clock reel that
counted the number of strands in a knot and then ticked
when forty strands had been wound. And then we would
combine twenty of the knots to make a skein. Some days,
between the five of us, we would spin ten skeins of linen
thread. The girls were such hard workers. Casper always
said it gave him pleasure to listen to the buzz of the
footwheel and see the bunches of flaxen yarn hanging in
the kitchen and hear the snapping of the clock reel as the
girls and I would be singing a pretty little tune as we
worked together.
______________________________
------------------------------
From: "Vee L. Housman" <[email protected]>
Subject: Casper's Will, III
Date: Wed, 02 Jun 1999 19:54:31 -0400
The girls didn't complain too much either about the extra
work that was needed after the skeins were spun. We had
to bleach the skeins in warm water for days and had to
change the water many times and constantly wring the
skeins out. Then we washed them in the creek until the
water from them was clear. We then bleached them with
ashes and hot water in a bucking tub over and over and
then left them in clear water for more days. But then, after
they were finally seethed, rinsed, beat, washed and dried,
the thread was ready to be wound on bobbins for the
loom. The girls always did good work.
. . . And the remainder of my personal estate after
the payment of my just debts, which I allow my executor
faithfully to discharge, and I make and ordain Simond
Essick, my son-in-law, sole executor of this my will in
trust for the intent and purposes in this my will
contained, I allow to be equally divided in four equal
shares to my four daughters and their husbands, which I
allow to be in full of their shares not with any service
done by any of them heretofore for me, and I allow and
empower my executor if need be to make as good and
sufficient deed of conveyance to my son-in-law, John
Bender, for my land as I could have done in my lifetime.
In witness thereof I, the said Casper Snarr, have
to this my last will and testament set my hand and seal
this day and year above written. Signed, sealed and
delivered in the presence of us, Thomas McCashlen,
Jacob Grinenmeyer, and Christian Wirth. . . .
Oh, my, I had forgotten that Christian Wirth was
there that day when Casper had his will written up. When
was it that Casper and I were sponsors at the baptism of
Christian's and Maria Barbara's little baby. My goodness,
it's been four years now and the baby was named Maria
Magdalena, my namesake. Let me see, the last time we
were sponsors at a baptism was for our own daughter
Elizabeth's baby. That's right, when Casper wrote his
will, Elizabeth hadn't yet married that nice neighbor boy,
Henry Peter, and then they had the baby, Mary
Magdalena, just last year. Oh, my, and now Elizabeth
thinks she might be carrying another baby. Casper , how
many grandchildren do we have now? There's Juliana's
four--Polly, Elizabeth, John and Adam--and Catharine's
little ones--mercy, I can't keep count!
But what do I do now, Casper? Should I stay on the
farm with Catharine and John? It just won't be the same
without your being here. And then, Simon and Juliana
keep talking about picking up and moving further west
and they keep asking me to go with them. But could I start
all over in the wilderness again at my age?
Casper , you remember what we went through
when we were young and living in Heidelberg Township
in Northampton County, don't you? The Indians and all?
Ach, Casper , how long does it take a body to forget those
terrible days that we lived through? But Jacob and
Catharine Bender went through them too. Remember? But
oh there were good times there too! That was where the
Lutheran minister, Reverend Daniel Schumacher, baptized
way back in 1752 the daughter of Jacob's sister Maria
Elizabeth who married Philip Fidler. Who would have
guessed then that Philip would go on to be a trustee when
they organized the Heidelberg Church. That was around
1761, wasn't it? Then Reverend Schumacher baptized our
Juliana in 1765 and then our Elizabeth in 1768. Weren't
they the prettiest babies then? Remember?
But then that too was about the time the Indians
were at their worst and everyone was petitioning the
government to send soldiers to help us to defend
ourselves. But the savages continued their massacres. I
can still remember that day when one of the neighbors just
down the road was attacked by the Indians. A few of the
other neighbors were there to help cut corn that day and
the only ones to escape were two of the men, two women
and one of the girls. They killed and scalped six or
seven--men, women or children--it didn't make any
difference to those savages. And then they scalped some
others who took a long time to die afterwards. I shudder
just thinking about it.
And then that horrible time when a neighbor on the
other side of the road further down was working in his
fields along with his 13-year-old boy whilest his wife and
daughters were in the house tending to chores. When the
Indians attacked, the father was shot in the head and
killed, then the boy was captured and was forced to watch
while they scalped his father. The mother meanwhile had
been killed and then the two little girls were taken captive
along with their brother. The boy managed to escape
several days later but his sisters were never heard of
again.
We all went through those terrible times, didn't we?
Especially our friend Catharine Bender's family, the
Schneiders. They were living near the Egypt Lutheran
Church in Whitehall Township, closer towards Allen's
Town
--you know, that's around where some of your family were
living, too. There was that time when the Indians went to
the Mickley house first and killed their boy and one of the
girls and then scalped another of the girls. Then they went
over to the Mark's farm next to the Mickleys and to the
Schneider's farm next to that and set both places on fire. I
forget how those Schneiders were related to Catharine but
anyway, when they finally found Hans Schneider and his
wife in their fields, they found them dead and scalped and
then found their three children dead and then . . . Ach! I
can't stand to think about any more of that stuff. It was all
back in 1763 and I just want to forget it. So terrible, it
was!
. . . Sworn and subscribed at York the 27th day of
April A.D. 1790 before me, Jacob Barnitz, Register.
Signed, Thomas McCashlen and Christian Wirth . . . .
But we've have many happy years since then,
haven't we, Casper? You and me and the girls and the
farm, and all of our friends who came with us here to
York County afterwards. We've all had good lives, haven't
we, Casper? We have such nice memories, don't we?
***
Gott in Himmel, Katrina, you gave me a start!
What? Oh, have they finished reading that already?
I guess my mind had wandered off somewheres.
Yes, it was a nice will that your papa made. It
showed he loved us all and wanted to keep providing for
us even now.
Oh, yes I know that he worked so hard for every bit
of it. Yes he did. And he loved you girls more than you
could ever know--even though he probably didn't show it
so's that you'd notice.
Oh, Catharine, I miss him, too.
What? Would I like to visit his grave now? Oh,
Leibchen, that would please me very much.
It's so nice and pretty and peaceful up there this
time of year. It would give me great comfort. Now that
spring is here, it reminds me there is so much to look
forward to after even the worst of winters.
Vee L. Housman
January 15, 1991