NEWSLETTER JUN 1996
I will be sending a Trudy Schenk report as soon as I get one. This letter is being written as she is still in Germany researching for us.
I have had much success and good fortune researching on the Internet and I thought I ought to report some of that. The Information Super Highway is what the Internet is called. For those of you from a non-computer generation (most of us) let me explain how it works.
If you have a computer you can purchase a service provided by an internet provider. This service lets you link your computer into the phone system and via a modem you link up into a computer network which covers the entire world. You pay a monthly fee and for that fee you link into a trunk line which takes your phone call to a server. The server sends your electronic mail anywhere on the Internet. This is e-mail. All of this is covered for your monthly fee. My monthly fee is $11 and that covers unlimited time, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 366 days per year. I don't spend that much time on it however. I try to spend about one to two hours per night doing genealogy and about 50% of that is dealing with e-mail.
My children spend about 2-4 hours per night on the Internet doing homework, researching, playing video games, talking on chat lines and sending their cousins e-mail. 4 of Tedi Jeen's brothers and her sister have e-mail and everyone can write a letter once or however many times per week and send it to the other family members over e-mail (at no mailing costs). This service has saved us over $11 per month in long distance phone bills!
Chat lines are great for kids. They can get on and link up to someone at the same time and type letters and responses to each other while both they and their pen pal share the same time on the computer. Just like a phone call, only you type to each other and it appears on your computer screen. Right now my son, Chris has a pen pal in Australia and they chat each day and send e-mail each day. What a great cultural experience for an 8th grader.
I use the Internet for joining genealogy bulletin boards. You can sign up for a bulletin board service and get your messages posted each day to everyone else who is signed up for the service. I have joined bulletin board services (they are no cost to join) in Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania. I receive a copy of all e-mails posted each day on the board. I get over 25 e-mail messages per day. Each message has a subject heading so I can quickly scroll through the messages and delete 90% which do not pertain to me and then read and study those that might relate to me.
What is the result? Well, I have linked to several GEISSINGER relatives including Paula GUISINGER of Golden, Colorado. I have linked to Hal AMICK of California and we are collaborating virtually 3 or 4 times per week on AMICK descendants. I have found many Virginia families to whom we are related and received some BRILL information and related line information. I have also been able to help many other people researching their relatives because I have people in my files to whom they are related.
I will now continue the story of the MOWER family as I left off in the last newsletter:
We next learned that Andrew MOWER had also purchased land in Bedford Co., Pa. FHL #1028695 Andrew MOUR requests to purchase 400 acres in Bedford County, 8 May 1794. His daughter, Phoebe was probably born in Va or Md and was still single and living at the time of Andrew's Will.
In 1797 the family moved to Bedford, Pennsylvania and appears on the tax rolls in Bedford that year (FHL # 1449355) His name is listed as Andrew MOURER, having no land, no horses and 1 cow. In 1798 he is listed as Andrew MOURA, mason, having no horses and 1 horned cattle, value $8. (FHL # 1449356) [That just goes to show you that the price of cattle hasn't changed much in 200 years!] He is also listed in 1799 and 1800 as Andrew MOURA, mason, living in Bedford Twp.
The family of Andrew MOWRER appears on the Bedford Co. Pennsylvania Census Records of 1800. 1 male 0-10, 1 male 10-16, 1 male 45 or over, 1 female 0-10, 2 females 10-16, 1 female 45 or over. In 1802 Andrew is listed as Andrew MOURA of Bedford Borough. Also living in Bedford Twp. is John Moura. (FHL #1449357) This could be a brother. In 1804 Andrew is listed as Andrew MOWREY of Bedford Twp. Also listed is a George MOURY, Samuel MOURY, and Michael MOURY of Colerain. Andrew is listed as owning unseated land in Colerain.
In 1805 Andrew is listed as Andrew MOURA in Bedford Twp. Also listed is John MOURA. He is also listed as non-resident owner in Colerain. (FHL # 1449358) In 1806 Andrew is listed in Bedford Borough as Andrew MOWER (FHL # 1449358) and in Colerain Twp. as Andrew MOWER. In 1807 Andrew is listed as Andrew MOWRA, mason with 1 house and lost 1 horse and 2 cattle. Also listed in Bedford Twp is John MOWRA, who owned a gristmill, sawmill and 4 horses, 4 cattle and was a farmer. Samuel Mowra is listed as blacksmith. (FHL # 1449358) In 1808 Andrew is listed as Andrew MOWER in Bedford Twp. on 18 Jan 1808. (FHL # 1449359) He is also listed as Andrew MOWER in 1809 and 1810.
The Census of 1810 for Bedford, Bedford, Pa lists Andrew MOWER with 1 male 0-10, 1 male 10-16, 1 male 26-45, 1 male 45 or over, 1 female 0-10, 1 female 10-16, 1 female 26-45, 1 female 45 or over. In 1811 Andrew is listed as Andrew MOWRY with 1 house and lot and 1 cow. (FHL # 1449360) John MOWRY also listed with gristmill and sawmill 2 horses and 2 cows.
Andrew's children then start showing up in Bedford County, Pa: John Michael MOWER and his wife, Catherine GEISSINGER moved to Bedford sometime after the birth of their child, Henry MOWER Sr. and before 1800. Jacob MOWER (MAURER), Michael's brother, and his wife Elizabeth also moved to Bedford, Pennsylvania. About 1800, Molly MOWER, Andrew's daughter, married Michael EMICK (AMICK) and Sarah married Samuel DIEHL. Molly and Michael had 7 children in Bedford,. Sarah and Samuel had 7 children.
Andrew died in Bedford in 1813 and left a Will under name, Andrew MOURA. Michael MOWER, father of Henry MOWER Sr. died in Bedford in 1829 and left estate papers, but no Will. Jacob, a brother to Michael, died around 1830, also in Bedford. Henry MOWER, Sr., the son of Michael and Catherine, did baptismal work for the dead in Nauvoo on 22 Sept 1842. (FHL #25163 SL Temple Records LH 6314 part 8) FHL #182378: Pre-Nauvoo Baptisms for the Dead 11 Sep 1842- 12 Aug 1843: Henry MOWER, was baptized on 22 Sep 1842 in the Mississippi River for and in behalf of: Andrew MOWER, his grandfather; Michael MOWER, his son; Jacob MOWER, his uncle; Andrew MOWER, his uncle; Charles GUYSINGER, his grandfather, Catherine GUYSINGER, his grandmother; Charles GUYSINGER, his uncle.
This tells us who was dead by 1842. It appears that Molly, Sarah and Phoebe---the daughters of Andrew MOWER (MAURER) were still alive. Why he was not baptized for his grandmother--Margaret, I do not know. I think she died about 1824, because Jacob brought a suit against Andrew's estate at that time, probably occasioned by his mother's death.
1813 Andrew MOURA Will mentions: Wife, Margaret; sons: Jacob, Michael, Andrew; daughters: Molly, Phoebe, Sarah. Bedford County Pennsylvania Wills. Death date: FHL #331357 page 1, Bedford County Wills and Probate Index lists name as Andrew MOURA with Michael MOURA as executor.
Bedford Co., Pennsylvania Archives 974.871 D29b v.1 pg 4 Court Docket: 1 May 1813 Letters of administration with Will annexed to Michael MOWER and Michael EMICH, estate of Andrew MOWER, dec'd Bedford Twp. Bondsmen: Leonard MAY & Oliver KINGSBERRY. This verifies Andrew MOWRA is Andrew MOWER. Census of 1820 Bedford Co., Pa lists Margaret as having 3 females 0-10, 1 female 26-45, and 1 female over 45.
The evidence shows that the Andrew MOWER who died in 1813 in Bedford County, is the Andrew MAURER christened in Bucks County in 1752. The linking evidence is that a comparison of Bedford County census ages found in the 1800-1820 Census Records, for his children: Michael, Jacob, Sarah and Molly, and those records match the christening records found in Bucks County. Also the BRILL connection in Bucks County showing Andrew's sister, Margaret witnessing a christening of Andrew MOWER's child and then also living years later in Virginia near Andrew and then in western Pennsylvania in Bedford County with Andrew. She and Andrew show the same people as parents, linking the family together. There is not doubt. Andrew MOWER was born in 1752 in Bucks County, Pa the son of Michael MAURER and Anna Elisabetha. Now we know her name was Anna Elisabetha KOLB.
Now, let us consider another Michael MOWER--- the father of Henry MOWER Sr.
He was christened John Michael MAURER on 25 Sept 1774 (birth recorded as 17 Sept 1774) in the St. Lukes Union Church, Nockamixon, Bucks, PA, the son of Andrew and Barbara MAURER. Sponsors: Christopher BRIEL and Margaret. (FHL #1029738). Very little is known of this man until he shows up in Bedford, Pa in 1800. By 1800 he was 26 years old and a father of 2 sons under 10. 1800 Census Colerain and Providence Twsp. Bedford Co., PA lists Michael MOWER 16-26, wife 16-26, 2 sons under 10.
These three children MAY belong to Michael and Catherine: John George son of Michael MAURER and Catherine born 27 Feb 1794 FHL #975.291 K28w Washington County, Maryland Church Records of the 18th Century, page 107
Maria, dau. of Michael MAURER and Catherine, born 18 Apr 1799, bap 13 May 1799 FHL #975.291 K28w Washington County, Maryland Church Records of the 18th Century, page 111.
Catharine of Michael MAURER and wife Catherine, born 12 Feb 1801, bap. 15 Mar 1801 Wit: Philippina Reitenauer FHL #975.291 K28w Washington County, Maryland Church Records of the 18th Century, page 112.
Why do I think they belong to our Michael? Well, we find them living just a skip and a jump away from Bedford County, Pa just prior to the time when he shows up as living in Bedford County. Also, that same Michael MAURER disappears from the Washington County, Maryland records about 1800, but on the tax roles is listed as an absentee land owner. If he had moved to Bedford County, Pa as the record indicates, then he would have been an absentee landowner in Washington County, Maryland. The next reason is because of the many GEISSINGER family members living in Washington County, Md, and Michael MAURER's association with them in Church and at christenings. I will share that in July.
Thanks for all the support, financial and otherwise. We are making progress.