On Nov. 19, 2008, via ancestry.com, we found a perfect Y-DNA 46-marker match between myself and Dwight Hartzell, a direct male descendent of Adam Hartzell's son John. In Oct. 2010 I learned of a perfect Y-DNA 46-marker match between myself and Robert Hartzell, a direct male descendant of Adam Hartzell's son Leonard. These DNA matches, coupled with this Evidence document, provides the final proof.

For my detailed "Life of David Hartzell (1805-1865)", go to www.jdhartsell.com/DavidHartzell, or http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jdhartsell/DavidHartzell.

Grave of David and Barbara Hartzell
at Ash Grove Christian Church, Windsor, Illinois.
On east side of church, looking west.

• was born in Virginia according to the 1850 and 1860 Fayette County Indiana Census.
• was born Nov. 20, 1805 according to his gravestone (died March 5, 1865, age 59 years, 3 months, and 13 days).
• married Barbara Nipp May 15, 1836 in Connersville, Fayette County, Indiana according to marriage records at the courthouse.
• was a shoemaker, according to the 1850 Indiana Census.
• named his firstborn son James Alexander Hartzell.
• had his father's family Bible, given to him by Daniel Hartsell.
• "made his way" from Ohio to Indiana, according to Bio Sketch for James A. Hartsell.
• according to a childhood memory, had a brother Frederick, and father named Ferdenand from East Prussia. (I now think Ferdenand was David's uncle Abraham, Frederick was David's uncle, and it was the Sinks who were from East Prussia.)

OBJECTIVES:

• Be truly objective with no bias. Investigate all discoveries.
• Find a Hartzell family in 1805 Virginia with a son David's age.
• Find that same family moving to Ohio before 1835, or some other reason for David to be in Ohio before 1835.
• Find how David came to be in Fayette County, Indiana by 1836.
• Connect David in Indiana to people from Adam Hartzell's area in Virginia.
• Find a reason why David named his first son James Alexander Hartzell.
• Find the Daniel Hartsell who gave a leather-bound Bible to David.
• Answer the Ferdenand Hartsell and Frederick Hartsell question in my family's folklore.
• Connect the family of George Hartzell of 1830 Union County, Indiana.
• Connect the family of Leonard Hartzell of 1832 Rush County, Indiana.
• Identify the William Hartsell who signed Leonard Hartzell's 1844 land sale record.

George Hartzell named his first son & daughter John & Catherine presumably after his parents, and his second son Adam. In 1837, David Hartzell named his first son James Alexander Hartzell. James & Catherine Alexander named their 4th son David (1845), and 5th son Adam (1848). Adam's son John named a son David.

The Y-chromosome is passed from father to son to son to son. It remains identical except for small mutations that creep in over a period of time (like in all DNA). The Y-DNA test looks at specific regions of the Y-chromosome. These regions contain a series of repeating segments, or markers. The test between myself and Dwight Hartzell was for 46 markers. If two males match exactly on all 46 markers, they share a common ancestor within 5 or 6 generations. See ancestry.com's DNA tab for more information.

No reliable record has been found naming David as a son of Adam Hartzell. There is wrong information out there that does, and it traces to "The Hartzell Ancestral Line" (See References), author unknown. It is also propagated through Paul Swan's "Hartzell Chapter". A long time ago, the author misread an 1830 Montgomery County, Ohio marriage record for David Hetzel and Margaret Nieval. (See "Margaret Nieval near the end of this web page.) He assumed this David must have been a son of Adam. Wrong! This wrong information has been propagated throughout the internet, including familysearch.org IGI & Pedigree Resource Files, and ancestry.com's Ancestry World Tree. I am ignoring this information and thus had to start with a clean slate.

The same author also misread the marriage of Adam Hetzel to Mary Spiekard in 1821 in Montgomery County, Ohio, calling this the second marriage of Adam Hartzell. Wrong! Thirdly, the author said the George who married Margaret Yaughey in Montgomery County, Ohio in 1834 was Adam's son. Wrong!

A single family note says that a Ferdenand Hartzell was David's father, and this wasted a great deal of time. A descendant of David Hartzell has an old leather-bound family Bible that has written in it "From Daniel Hartsell to David Hartsell to James Hartsell ...". Also written is "Property of Great Grand Father Hartsell".

The name "Ferdenand" came from Sarah (Hartzell) Walden, daughter of David Hartzell, in the 1920's, when Sarah was around 70 years old. Adam Hartzell died about 20 years before Sarah was born. Sarah was 10 when her father David Hartzell died in 1865. For someone with probably only a vague recollection of something she heard as a child, saying "Philip 'n Adam" sounds a little like "Ferdenand". Like "Philip 'n Adam moved to Virginia". Or, "Abraham" sounds a little like "Ferdenand". Adam had a brother named Abraham. Sarah also said David had a brother named Frederick, who we've never found, but there was a Frederick, a brother of Adam, near Indianapolis in 1828. There is a section on this Frederick below.

David's grandson William Webster Hartsell, a lawyer, surely knew about his sister's Bible, and knew that Daniel was not David's father because of his "Ferdinand" notes. All this has led me to believe that Daniel was a brother, uncle or cousin to David, or it was some other Daniel who was not a Hartsell, like David's Indiana neighbors Daniel Guise or Daniel Fiant.

There is more detail below on Ferdinand, and Daniel of the old Bible.

In my experience, errors in census records are not uncommon. I have seen wrong colums marked, and sometimes it seems the census taker guessed ages. For example, David Hartzell was 54 in 1860, but the census taker wrote 52. Also, some census takers were careless in their writing, not clearly writing a person's name. Farther down this web page is an image of a page in the 1830 census with several corrections. Also, with farm houses few and far between, census takers didn't always get everyone. Houses near a township border could also have been easily overlooked.

MORE HOUSEKEEPING: ABRAHAM HEARTSILL FAMILY

Right off the top, this is to eliminate the only alternate possibility for David Hartzell's parents.

The only other family beside Adam Hartzell found with children born in Virginia 1800-1810, was Abraham Heartsill/Hartsell. Abraham was born 1777 in Washington County, Tennessee. He married Mary Norton before 1804 (IGI records say about 1802). His first known child (Delilah) was born in 1804 in Washington Co., TN. His son Hyram was born Mar. 2, 1807 in Saltville, Smyth County, Virginia. His daughter Hannah was born in 1809 in Washington Co., TN.

Washington County, Tennessee is fairly close to Smyth County, Virginia. Washington County is in the eastern tip of Tennessee and is just south of Smyth County in the western tip of Virginia. Blount County is south along the eastern border of Tennessee.

If David Hartzell was part of this family, he would have (and could have) been born after Delilah (1804 Washington Co. TN) and before Hyram (1807 Smyth Co. VA). Sounds reasonable. But,

• This family was clearly "Heartsill". David was clearly "Hartzell".
• I have not found anyone in this family with the name spelled with a "z".
• Extensive familysearch.org searches show no David in this family.
• In 1830, my ancestor David was 24 & unmarried, and should be in this family's census.
• No sign this family ever went to Ohio. They stayed in Tennessee; Hyram went to Georgia.

There is also a George Hartsell born about 1809 in Virginia (1870 Census for Blount Co. TN), and has not been found in any other census year or any familysearch.org records. Hyram and George could have been brothers. George would have had to be a twin of Hannah.

The 1850 Census (Blount Co. TN) shows Hyram Hartsill born in Virginia in 1807.
The 1860 Census (Blount Co. TN) shows Hiram Heartsill born in Virginia in 1807.
The 1870 Census (Murray Co. GA) shows H Heartsill born in Virginia in 1807.
He was a school teacher.

An IGI record for Hyram Hartsell says he was born Mar. 2, 1807 in Saltville, Smyth County, Virginia, son of Abraham and Mary (Norton) Hartsell.

At www.familysearch.org, you can use the Search tab to search for Abraham Heartsill and spouse Mary Norton. Abraham was born in 1777. Click on Abraham Heartsill under Ancestral File. Then click the Family link for the list of children. Hyram is shown, but not George. I consider these records generally inaccurate, but this one seems reasonable.

Assuming David was a son of Adam, this chart shows how he was connected to George Hartzell and James Alexander of 1820's Union County, Indiana (bottom of chart), to the William Toney family (close neighbor of Philip & Adam Hartzell in Virginia), and to the Sink family in Virginia.

EXPANSION OF THE OVERVIEW GIVEN ABOVE:

David Hartzell went to Indiana from Ohio before 1836. He married Barbara Nipp in Connersville, Indiana, on May 15, 1836. This is our stake in the ground, our line in the sand. May 15, 1836 is the earliest known record of the whereabouts of David Hartzell (beside being born in Virginia and coming from Ohio). At this time, David was surrounded in neighboring counties by Adam Hartzell's brothers, sisters, cousins, children, and people from Franklin County, Virginia. We have not been able to fit David Hartzell into any other family.

David and Barbara were married by George Harlan, M.G. (regularly ordained minister of the gospel in the Church of Christ). Rev. Harlan lived in Connersville Township, so the marriage was probably at the Christian Church at what is now 5th and Water, in Connersville. David and Barbara named their first son James Alexander Hartzell, which is significant. By occupation, David was a shoemaker.

A big question is where & when they met, to be married in Connersville.

I don't know how long couples usually courted back then, but in the summer of 1834, Barbara Nipp was 18 years old, and David was 28. I would say this is about the earliest that David would take a shine to Barbara, considering their age difference and enough time to get aquainted. Barbara had arrived in Indiana in 1831, age 15, and surely lived with her uncle George Nipp. Barbara's father Phillip remained in Virginia, because records show he was under county welfare, and apparently too poor to care for her. Uncle George Nipp was living in Rushville Township, Rush County, just northeast of the town of Rushville. George Nipp was a shoemaker in the winter, and a farmer in the summer.

So now we have David somehow being in Rush County by 1835 to find Barbara. What could have brought him here?

In 1828, Adam Hartzell's brother Frederick settled in Marion County, Indiana (Indianapolis area).

Fifteen miles east of Connersville, Adam Hartzell's cousin George Hartzell was living in Harrison Township, Union County, Indiana, just east of the town of Kitchell. George was apparently a shoemaker because of "lots of" shoemaking tools in his estate when he died in late 1830. Could George be David's second cousin? George's daughter Catherine, lo and behold, married a man named James Alexander. James and Catherine named two of their sons David and Adam. This is extremely significant.

In 1830, Adam Hartzell and his sons John & Leonard were living near each other in Jefferson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio. In Adam's household were 2 males 20-29 years old (see census taker's presumed error below). One could be David, plus another unknown male who also shows up in 1810 and 1820, still at home with their aging parents (60-69 years old). I now think this other male was a brother of David, a Daniel Hartzell, the name in the old leather Bible, or William. See below at the heading "Daniel Hartzell, the name in the old Bible?".

In 1832, Leonard moved to Rush County, Indiana. Something must have happened in Ohio, like his parents dying, to trigger this move. Leonard's daughter Susanna was born in 1831 in Ohio. In Sept. 1832, Leonard bought land in the northern part of Rush County, Center Township, 2.5 miles east of Carthage, Indiana, and about 9 miles north of the town of Rushville. Why did he move at this time? Had both his parents died? Maybe in the cholera epidemic? Did he inherit some money? Why 65 miles from "home"? Had to go that far to find affordable land?

With Leonard about 9 miles from George Nipp, could Leonard be David's brother? Is this how David came to be in Rush County? Could the Hartzell's and Nipp's be attending the same church? Is this how David met Barbara?

So how about a connection to Franklin County, Virginia?

In 1809, George Hartzell married Susannah Toney in Franklin County, Virginia. The Toney's lived in the Blackwater River Valley of Franklin County, in the east foothills of Cahas Mountain and 5 miles east of Boone's Mill, Virginia. So did Adam Hartzell, close to cousin George in 1810. It is likely that George lived with Adam before his marriage in 1809. George was young enough to be considered more of a son than a cousin, and like an older brother to Adam's children. In fact, George named his second son Adam (after naming his first son after his father John, and his first daughter after his mother Catherine). This is a significant clue. Around that time, there was a migration of members of the Church of the Brethren from the Blackwater River Valley of Virginia mostly to the Miami River Valley near Dayton, Ohio (Montgomery County). Some went to Preble County, Ohio, and Union County, Indiana. In Union County they formed The Four Mile Church. It was on the southwest corner of George Hartzell's land. The Toney's first arrived before 1810, and George had arrived before 1820.

Could George Hartzell be the reason Leonard (and David) headed west into Fayette and Union Counties? By 1832 they had to go farther west for affordable land.

There is one more pulling influence on Leonard Hartzell. Adam Hartzell's brother Frederick had arrived in Butler County, Ohio before 1810. In 1828, Frederick bought land in Marion County, Indiana, near Indianapolis. He was an uncle to Leonard.

For more on David Hartzell's life, and after 1836, see my "Life of David Hartzell 1805-1865".

TIMELINE FOR WHAT WE HAVE SO FAR:

(Refer to the genealogy chart above to keep the names straight, plus the map of early Franklin County Virginia farther down this web page.) Notice the large interaction of Franklin County, Virginia families and the same families that migrated to the same general area in Ohio and Indiana, west of Dayton, Ohio.

• In 1792, Adam Hartzell's father Philip moved his family from Pennsylvania to Franklin County, Virginia. (Adam came after 1799.) Phillip knew Abraham Sink in Pennsylvania. They settled near each other just southwest of Boone's Mill. Philip's 150 acres touched or crossed both Little Creek and Mill Creek, so it was between the creeks where they were from about a half mile to a mile apart.
• Adam Hartzell's wife, Christina Sink, was most likely a younger sister of Abraham Sink.
• In 1793, Margaret Hartzell (Adam's sister) married Andrew Roland in Franklin County, Virginia. Surety was Philip Hartzell.
• In 1796, Abraham Hartzell (Adam's brother) married Eve Houtz in Franklin County, Virginia.
• In 1798, Abraham Hartzell arrived in Montgomery County, Ohio from Kentucky.
• The 1799 Franklin County Virginia Tax List shows Philip Hartsel, but not Adam or Abraham.
• After 1799, Adam Hartzell's family moved to Franklin County, Virginia.
• In 1801, a Charles Sinks "entered" land in Hamilton County, Ohio (Cincinnati area).
• In 1802, Adam's brother-in-law Jacob Mullendore (m. Katarina Hartzell) settled on present site of Ellerton, Ohio, in Jefferson Township, Montgomery County.
• In 1804 & 1805, a George Sink "entered" land in Montgomery County, Ohio, 20 miles north of Germantown. He may have been Christina Sink's uncle.
• In 1805, David Hartzell was born in Virginia.
• In 1805, Adam Hartzell's brother Abraham purchased land just north of Germantown, Montgomery County, Ohio.
• In 1806, Jesse Toney married Frony Sink in Franklin County, Virginia.
• In 1806, John Lybrook married Fanny Toney in Franklin County, Virginia, then joined his father Philip Lybrook near the Indiana state line in Preble County, Ohio (adjacent to Union County, Indiana). Thus began the migration of the Toneys. This area was settled by members of the Four Mile Church of the Brethren, people from the area where Adam Hartzell lived in Virginia.
• Before 1809, it is likely that George Hartzell lived with his cousin Adam in Franklin County, Virginia. George was the son of Adam's uncle John Hartzell. See The Other George Hartzells.
• In 1809, George Hartzell married Susannah Toney in Franklin County, Virginia.
• Before 1810, Adam Hartzell's brother Frederick was in Butler County, Ohio, next to Montgomery County, where he married Sarah Houghman about 1810. In 1811, Frederick's son Peter was born in Ohio.
• In the 1810 Census, the only family in Virginia with a male David's age (4) was that of Adam Hartzell. Adam's wife was Christina Sink. See also The Other Adam Hartzells and The Other David Hartzell.
• In 1810, Adam Hartzell lived in the Blackwater River Valley, about five miles west of Boones Mill, Virginia. Nearby were the Lybrook, Toney, Webster, Moss, Miller, Kingery and Henderson families. See Franklin County Settlement Map below.
• In 1810, newly married George Hartzell lived near Adam Hartzell in Franklin County, Virginia.
• George Hartzell was related by marriage to Stephen and Abraham Sink.
• In 1811, George Hartzell's daughter Catherine was born.
• In 1812, a George Hartzell was born in Ohio, presumably Montgomery County. In 1834 he married Margaret Yaughey, same county. His father, named George & possible son of Philip Hartzell, died in or before 1827.
• In 1815, most of Adam Hartzell's family moved from Virginia to Jefferson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, near Ellerton. They arrived on Christmas day. David was 10 years old. Other family members and Virginia neighbors were already in the area.
• In 1818, Adam Hartzell's daughter Elizabeth married Moses Rentfrow, grandson of Moses Rentfrow, of Franklin County, Virginia, in Montgomery County, Ohio.
• In 1819, George Hartzell's daughter Frances was born in Virginia (1850 Census).
• By the census of 1820, George Hartzell's family moved to Wayne (now Union) County, Indiana, where in the 1820 census he is surrounded by Lybrook, Kingery, and Moss families from Franklin County, Virginia.
• In 1820, living near Adam Hartzell in Jefferson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio were John Noffsinger, Adam's son-in-law Moses Rentfro (next door), John Mason, Jacob Neff/Naff, Robert Troup, all from Adam Hartzell's area in Franklin County, Virginia.
• In 1820, in Preble, Butler and Miami counties adjacent to Montgomery County, Ohio, there were Lybrook, Moss, Toney, Webster, Kingery, Miller and Henderson families from Adam Hartzell's area in Franklin County, Virginia.
• In 1820, James Toney married Sarah Lybrook (both of Franklin Co. VA) in Union County, Indiana. Sarah's father Phillip Lybrook had lived west of William Toney in Franklin County, Virginia. James was most likely a brother or cousin of Susannah Toney.
• In 1821, Union County, Indiana formed out of Franklin, Wayne, and Fayette Counties.
• In 1823, George Nipp, presumably an uncle of Barbara Nipp (David's future wife), bought land in Rush County, Indiana.
• About 1825, Adam's son Leonard Hartzell married Delilah Weiss in Jefferson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio.
• By 1826, George Hartzell lived in Harrison Township, Union County, Indiana, among people from the Blackwater River Valley in Franklin County, Virginia. George was about 30 miles west of Ellerton, Montgomery County, Ohio.
• George Hartzell named his first two children Catherine and John, apparently after his parents, and named his second son Adam.
• In 1827, George Hartzell's daughter Catherine married James Alexander in Union County, Indiana. They named their 4th and 5th sons David and Adam.
• In 1828, Adam Hartzell's brother Frederick bought land in Marion County, Indiana, near the site of Indianapolis.
• In 1830, David Hartzell, age 24, appears to have been at home in Montgomery County, Ohio, along with his next older brother (Daniel?). It is believed Adam and Christina died between 1830 and 1840, possibly in the 1833 cholera epidemic. Perhaps Daniel? died also.
• In 1830, Adam and his sons Leonard & John Hartzell were separate households near each other in Jeffersion Township, Montgomery County, Ohio.
• In 1830, James Alexander was living next to George Hartzell in Harrison Township, Union County, Indiana.
• In 1830, George Hartzell's neighbors in Harrison Township, Union County, Indiana, were Toney, Lybrook, Kingery, and Moss families from Franklin County, Virginia. Also Jacob Alexander, age 60-69, probable father of James Alexander.
• In 1830, George Nipp, age 50-59, was living in Rush County, Indiana. His children were age 5-19.
• In late 1830, George Hartzell died. In his estate was listed "a lot of shoemaking tools".
• In 1831, Barbara Nipp, age 15, arrived in Indiana from Wythe County, Virginia. Her father Phillip Nipp, poor and/or of ill health, remained in Virginia,
• In 1832, Leonard Hartzell moved to Rush County, Indiana.
• The timing of the 1832 move may have been because of Adam's (and Christina's?) death, possibly in the cholera epidemic.
• During 1832-1835, David must have been in Indiana.
• In 1834, a George Hartzell, connection not certain, married Margaret Yaughey in Montgomery County, Ohio.
• By 1835, David met Barbara Nipp in Rush County, Indiana.
• In May, 1836, David Hartzell married Barbara Nipp in Connersville, Indiana.
• In 1837, David named his first son James Alexander Hartzell.
• In 1840, a Christian Hertsel bought land in Rush County, Indiana, but was born in Germany in 1812.
• In 1840, George's widow Susannah (Toney) Hartzell was still living in Harrison Township, Union County, Ohio.
• In 1840, George Nipp was living in Rushville Township, Rush County, Indiana. Son John Nipp was living in Union Township, same county.
• In 1844, Leonard sold land in Rush County; a William Hartsell signed with Delilah Weise.
• By 1850, David was living half a mile from Daniel Fiant, an early settler and member of the Four Mile Church.
• David was a shoemaker, as was George Hartzell and George Nipp.
• In 1850, Adam's son John's widow Susanna (Heck) Hartzell was living in Noble Township, Wabash County, Indiana with son John. Also there was was Adam's son Leonard & family. This was SW of Fort Wayne, and 90 miles north of Connersville.

Spelling:

The Quest:

Online access to census records:

Any Hartzell family in Virginia in 1800:

Using the web page's search facility, I checked for all spellings of Hartzell.
The only one was Adam's father Philip Hartsel, Franklin County, Virginia, 1799, 1 "tithable" male over 16, 1 horse, tax $0.12.

Philip's son Adam Hartzell is not listed. This suggests he was still in Pennsylvania, and validates that his son Leonard WAS born in Pennsylvania (1799). Adam was in Franklin County VA by 1810.

Philip's son Abraham Hartzell is not listed, as expected. He had gone to Kentucky before 1798, then to Ohio around 1798.

This Tax List shows the only Hartzell in Virginia in 1799 was Philip.

Any Hartzell born in Virginia around 1805:

There is always the possibility that a Hartzell family settled in Virgina and left before the 1810 Census.

In 2006, through an ancestry.com subscription, I could finally scan all of the pertinent U.S. census records on the internet. If my ancestor David Hartzell belonged to some other family, there could be a brother born in Virginia 1790-1820. Or, he could be an unindentified son of Adam Hartzell. Assuming a brother was still alive in 1850-1880 (which shows place of birth), I searched those years for any Hartzell (all spellings) born in Virginia.

I found the following:

1850: Hartsell, David, Waterloo Twp., Fayette Co., IN, b. 1805 VA.
1860: Hartsell, David, Jennings Twp., Fayette Co., IN, b. 1805 VA.

1860: Hartzell, D. A., Storrs Twp., Hamilton Co., OH, b. 1802 VA. (David A.)

1850: Hartsill, Hyram, District 10, Blount Co., TN, b. 1807 VA. (indexed as Hartsell)
1860: Heartsill, Hyram, District 10, Blount Co., TN, b. 1807 VA.
1870: Heartsill, H, Springplace, Murry Co. GA. b. 1807 VA.

1870: Hartsell, George, District 8, Blount Co., TN, b. 1809 VA.

In the following, I at first thought D. A. Hartzell might be Daniel. He was born the right time, born in the right state, spelled right, and in the right area as an adult. Very intriguing but only a coincidence. In the 1860 Ohio Census, D. A. Hartzell was age 58 (born 1802) in Virginia. By ages of Adam Hartzell's unidentified son in the 1810, 1820, 1830 census, he would have been born from 1800 to 1802. His birth, in Virginia, was just right. In 1860 he was in Storrs Township, Hamilton County, Ohio (Cincinnatti area, southwest of Dayton). That township no longer exists. It is now known as Lower Price Hill, in southwest Cincinnati, on the Ohio River. He was keeper of a boarding house, and no wife was listed. He was only 40 miles south of Adam Hartzell's location of Ellerton, Montgomery County, Ohio. Even after many Google searches in the internet, nothing else has been found on him. In the 1850 and 1870 Census there is no D. Hartzell or Daniel Hartzell born anywhere 1801-1803. In 1840, D. A. Hartzell must not have been married and/or head of a household.

Hyram/George Hartsell/Heartsill is covered above in the housekeeping section.

Male Hartzells born PA/VA 1800-1810 (U.S. Census):

Who else could Adam's 2 youngest sons be?

Was David "taken in" by Adam?

Adam was in Virginia shortly after 1799. A male child under 10 years old was in Adam's household in 1810 (actually there were three). This child could have been born in 1805, after Adam arrived in Virginia. He could have been a son, or someone else's orphaned child, either a Hartzell or some other surname.

In the 1850 and later censuses, I have fairly often seen children listed with a last name different from the head of household. My feeling is that children who were taken in generally kept their original last names. David Hartzell was 4 1/2 years old in 1810. Franklin County Virginia was 300 miles from the family area in York (now Adams) County, Pennsylvania. We have found no other Hartzell families in Virginia. Who could have delivered an orphaned Hartzell baby or young child to Adam from Pennsylvania to Virgina between 1805 and 1810?

At first look, Adam's brother Abraham married Eve Houtz in 1796 in Franklin County, VA. There is no sign of her after that. Was David a son of Abraham and Eve? No, because Abraham took off for Ohio before 1798, and bought land there in 1804.

Adam's cousin George Hartzell was in Virginia by 1809. George was born about 1785 in Pennsylvania. It is possible that George, age about 24, could have brought someone's orphaned young Hartzell child with him. He himself married in 1809, but if he brought the child, the child stayed with Adam.

Any other Hartzell family in 1830 Ohio:

In the 1830 Ohio census, beside Adam Hartzell, here are all the other Hartzell (various spellings) households with a male 20-29 years old (David was 24) who was not the head of household. Ancestry.com indexing was used.

John Hartsel, age 40-49, Perry County, Clayton Twp., 3 males 20-29.
George Hartsel, age 60-69, Portage County, Deerfield Twp., 1 male 20-29. (not in index)
William Hartsell, age 50-59, Portage County, Deerfield Twp., 2 males 20-29.
Raney Hartzel, age 20-29, Stark County, Canton Twp., 3 males 20-29.

For the household of Raney Hartzel, there was a female 50-59. Widow? Raney could have been David's older brother, and David was in the household. There were younger children in the household, from under 5 to 15-19. Seems like the father died.

1840: John Hartsel, age 60-69, Perry County, Clayton Twp., 1 male 15-19.
  1840: son? John Hartsel, age 30-39, Perry County, Monroe Twp., 1 male under 5.
  1840: son? Ada Hartsel, age 20-29, Perry County, Monroe Twp., 3 males under 5.

To do... track these families into 1840, 1850.

Daniel Hartzell, the name in the old Bible:

Minnie most certainly meant HER great-grandfather, which would be Adam Hartzell. It seems she, like everyone else, did not know his given name. Adam is presumed to have died around 1832, thus David Hartzell's children, born after that, never knew their grandfather Hartsell. David's grandson William Webster Hartsell, a lawyer, surely knew about his sister's Bible, and knew that Daniel was not David's father, because of his "Ferdinand" notes told by his aunt Sarah (Hartsell) Walden. Plus, David's great-grandson Donald V. Hartzell, born 1912, who researched family genealogy, did not know who Daniel was. It would make the most sense that a brother named Daniel gave David their father's Bible, and with a reason to do so. A Daniel born about 1801 in Virginia, with a reason for being hard to find. Plus, David's children were far more likely to remember an Uncle Daniel.

In the 1830 Census for Jefferson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, in the household of Adam Hartzell, there are two males 30-39 years old. We had thought they were live-in farm hands, but Adam didn't own land (he could have been renting land), so it didn't make sense. Since David, age 24, (and Daniel?, age 28) were unmarried, it is more logical that they were still at home. After noticing many corrections on that census page (see image below), it is very easy to believe the census taker mismarked 20-29 years old. If the other male was Daniel, it all falls into place. Daniel being the oldest of the two, "inherited" the Bible when their father died. Nothing was written in the Bible as customary, so it may not have been a "coveted" family heirloom. Since Daniel appears to have never married, and having no heirs, he gave the Bible to David. David had children as of 1837. David lived near Connersville, Indiana until 1860, then moved to Illinois, and died in 1865.

Adam Hartzell
--------------+
              |Leonard Hartzell
              +--------------
              |
              |Daniel Hartzell?
              +--------------
              |
              |David Hartzell
              +-------------+
                            |James A. Hartzell
                            +---------------+
                            |               |Minnie A. (Hartsell) Hart
                            |               +-------------+
                            |               |             |Ray Bunyard
                            |               |             +--------------
                            |               |
                            |               |William Webster Hartsell
                            |               +--------------
                            |               |
                            |               |Harrison M. Hartsell
                            |               +-------------+
                            |               |             |Donald V. Hartzell
                            | Sophronia Walker            +--------------
                            |  -------------+
                            |
                            |Sarah (Hartsell) Walden
                            +----------------
                            |

The Ferdenand Hartsell mystery:

William apparently got "Ferdenand" from his aunt Sarah on that 1920's trip. If anything had been written down before this, Don Hartzell would have found it. Sarah was 10 when her father David died in 1865. In the 1920's she was the only living child of David Hartzell. I rank her interest and recollection higher than Sophronia's. Sophronia was 14 when David died, and married James A. Hartsell 3 years later. She most likely knew less about David's father and/or would have been less interested than Sarah.

So, where could the name "Ferdenand" and "East Prussia" have come from?

Adam Hartzell died about 20 years before granddaughter Sarah was born. Again, Sarah was 10 when her father David Hartzell died. For someone with probably only a vague recollection of things she heard as a child, or even misconstrued information when she was older, I now think Ferdenand was actually Abraham. I believe Abraham and Frederick Hartsell were very likely Adam's brothers. For East Prussia, it kind of stands out to remember something like that. This could be Christina Sink's father and/or grandfather. If her father was Micheal Zink/Sink, he came from Germany as a child with his father Henry Zinck, and could very well have spoken broken English. They could have come from East Prussia. The Zinck name does seem to have occurrences in East Prussia. All this is further evidence that David's parents were Adam and Christina Hartzell.

The Adam Hartzell family:

The 1810 Virginia Census shows a Philip Heartsell, Adam Heartsell, and George Heartsell, all in Franklin County, Virginia. All mispelled the same, suggesting the same Census taker (Philip's has an "a" as a correction, changing it from Hertsell to Heartsell). Philip was Adam's father. George is described separately below.

In Adam's household there are 3 males under 10 years old. David would have been 4 years old in the summer.

1 male 26-45      Adam        b. 1765-1784 (abt. 1765) 
1 female 26-45    Christina   b. 1765-1784 (abt. 1766) 
1 male 16-25      Jacob?      b. 1785-1794 (1790) 
1 male 16-25      John?       b. 1785-1794 (1793) 
1 male 10-16      George?     b. 1794-1800 (1796) m. Nancy Goode?
1 female 10-16    Elizabeth?  b. 1794-1800 (bef. 1800) 
1 male under 10   Leonard?    b. 1800-1809 (1799) 
1 male under 10   Daniel?     b. 1800-1809 (abt. 1802?) 
1 male under 10   David?      b. 1800-1809 (1805) 
Son Phillip was now married. 
Daughter Catherine must have married.
The son Jonas shown in "The Hartzell Ancestral Line" was the son of Adam & Sara Hartzell,
a different couple.
If George of Union Co. Indiana had been in the household, he had married in 1809.

"The Hartzell Ancestral Line" says Adam had a son named David who married Margaret Nieval in 1830. This is one of the many errors. It also says Adam had a son named George who married Margaret Yaughey in 1834 in Montgomery County Ohio. This detail is an error because the George who married Margaret was born in 1812 in Ohio, 3 years before the Adam Hartzell family arrived.

In 1815, the Adam Hartzell family moved to the area of Ellerton, Ohio, in Montgomery County, most likely part of the migration from Franklin County Virginia to this area.

Adam Hartzell's brother Abraham:

Adam Hartzell's brother Frederick:

The 1830 ancestry.com Census index (Soundex spelling) for the entire U.S. shows only

Frederick Hartsell, Decatur Twp., Marion Co., Indiana.
Fredrick/Fridrick Hartzel, Germany Twp., Adams Co., Pennsylvania, age 30-39.
Note that Adams County is where Adam was from, but this Fredrick was born 1791-1800.

According to his age in the 1850 Census, Frederick was born about 1785 in Pennsylvania. Frederick was in Butler County, Ohio before 1810, where he married Sarah Houghman November 10, 1810 (IGI records). Butler County is next to Montgomery County. This means Frederick arrived in the area before his cousin George Hartzell. Frederick's oldest son Peter was born in Ohio, presumably Butler County, about 1811 (1860 Iowa Census, Keokuk County). Frederick was still in Butler County, Wayne Township, Ohio, in 1820 (Census). In 1830, Frederick was in Marion County, Perry Township, Indiana, near Indianapolis. He would have passed through Union, Fayette, and Rush counties to get there. Still there in 1840, as was Frederick's son Peter, nearby. Peter married a woman named Felista about 1842. The family moved to Keokuk County, Iowa between 1850-55, because Frederick died there in 1855, and Peter is in the 1860 Census for Keokuk County.

Frederick could have been another influence on Leonard & David Hartzell's migration to Fayette and Rush Counties, Indiana. He may have made visits to Ellerton, Ohio to see his brother Adam. Perhaps David was there, too.

Adam Hartzell's son John:

John's son John named a son Daniel in 1843, according to the 1850 Census for Wabash Co. IN. Was he named after his uncle Daniel?

Adam's daughters Kate & Betsy:

Adam, Adam, Adam:

Adam Hartzell, son of George and Susannah (Toney) Hartzell:
This Adam was their second son, born Dec. 9, 1825 in Union County, Indiana. He was most likely named after George's cousin Adam Hartzell, with whom he probably lived before his marriage in 1809. George died in late 1830, and his son Adam was made the ward of John Alexander in 1833. John lived nearby in Wayne County, Indiana, just north of Union County.

Adam Hartzell, son of Leonard and Delilah (Weiss) Hartzell:
This Adam was born about 1830 in Montgomery County, Ohio. He is the only known grandson named after Leonard's father Adam Hartzell. In 1850, at age 20, he was in the household of his father, Leonard, in Wabash County, Indiana.

Adam Alexander, son of James and Catherine (Hartzell) Alexander:
This Adam was born about 1848, probably in Grant County, Indiana, where the family was living in 1850. What could be a major link, another son, born about 1845, was named David. These boys were grandsons of George & Susannah (Toney) Hartzell. David and Adam were listed as farm laborers in 1860, age 15 & 12 (Jefferson County, Kansas), and in 1870, age 27 & 23 (Jackson County, Kansas). In 1880, both were in the state insane asylum in Topeka, Kansas.

There is more on these Adams below.

David Hartzell in 1820, 1830:

1830 Census, Jefferson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, page 235.
Notice the corrections. Adam Hartsell, age 60-69, is halfway down the page.
Adam's sons Leonard Hartsell and John Hartsell are near the bottom.
A little above them is John Heck, possible brother of John Hartsell's wife Susanna Heck.

The George Hartzell connection:

From "Marriage Bonds of Franklin County, Virginia", George Hartzell married Susannah Toney on March 28, 1809 in Franklin County, Virginia. James Toney was surety for Susannah's marriage. Usually it is the father, so James was presumbably Susannah's father. This marriage date is consistent with daughter Catherine's birthdate of 1811. From correspondence with Rev. Merle Rummel (The Virginia Settlement), this James Toney may be the one who stayed behind in Virginia when the other Toneys went to Ohio/Indiana.

In the 1810 Franklin County census, after his 1809 marriage, George Heartsell is listed 8 names from Adam Heartsell (p. 592). Depending on the census taker's route, Adam and George could have been next door neighbors. George appears to be a son of Philip Hartzell's brother John, and he was the George of 1830 Union County Indiana who's son-in-law was James Alexander. More on this below. In 1813, there was communication between Philip Hartzell and his brother John, where Philip in Virginia wrote a letter to John in Pennsylvania, as mentioned by their brother Jonas in his 1816 letter to Philip. George named his first two children Catherine and John, presumably after his parents, John and Catherine (Schneider) Hartzell of Northampton County, PA, who married in 1781. George would have been the oldest son, thus getting first dibs at naming his children after the parents. George named his second son Adam, which is very significant. George probably lived in Adam's household before his marriage in 1809. Cousin George was about 20 years younger than Adam, and was probably like a son to Adam - and like a brother to David.

From "History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa (Chicago: O.L. Baskin, 1883)", p. 83, George's daughter Catherine was born in Virginia. She was born about 1811 according to our analysis. This verifies George Hartzell being in Virginia at that time.

George was apparently still in Virginia at least in the first half of 1819. According to the 1850 Census for Platte County, Missouri, George's second daughter Frances (m. Merrel Davis Aug. 13, 1834 in Union Co., IN) was born in Virginia. In 1850 she was 31 years old, thus born late 1818 or early 1819.

By 1818, in Franklin County, Virginia, a George Hartzell had land next to the Toney's, and next to land that Adam's son Jacob Hartzell bought in 1818. Jacob's land was also next to John Webster's and on the Blackwater River. This is from Jacob's 1818 deed. This George must be the George of this section. Previously, I thought it was the one who married Nancy Goode in 1823 in Franklin County, VA, but it seemed odd he owned land 5 years before marrying. The younger George could have been a son of Adam Hartzell.

George moved to what was to become Union County, Indiana before the 1820 Census. He is in the 1820 Indiana Census for Wayne County, apparently the part that became Union County later on. His last name is spelled "Harzell", but the ancestry.com index has it as "Harsell". Nearby is listed Paul, Philip, Philip, John, and Jacob Lybrook; Jacob Kingery, Edmund Moss, and Edmund Moss Jr., all from Franklin County, Virginia. In George's household were one male under 10, one male 26-45 (George), two females under 10, 1 female 10-16, and one female 26-45 (Susannah).

Below is the area of George Hartzell (section 24) in 1820 Union County, Indiana, between Edmund Moss and William Moss (at Four Mile Church).

By permission of Rev. Merle C. Rummel, "The Virginia Settlement".

In Nov. 1826, George Hartsell of Union County, Indiana, was witness to the will of a John Stanley. The 1820 census shows John Stanley 3 names below George, then other Stanleys. Also witnessing was Abram/Abraham/Hiram Moss.

In 1828, George Hartzell bought 160 acres in SW 1/4 Section 24 of Harrison Township, Union County, Indiana. He bought it from Micheal Snider. On the 1820 map partly shown above, at www.union-county.lib.in.us/GenwebVA4mile/1820%20Map.htm, it shows Micheal Snider there on the map, and James Toney nearby on the west. In 1850 it was quitclaimed to Adam Hartsel (George's son) by George's heirs in 1850. The SW corner of his land was 1.5 miles east of Kitchell and 1/2 mile from the Ohio border. The Four Mile Church was at the southwest tip of George's land. He was most likely a member of the church.

George Hartzell died in late 1830. He was apparently a shoemaker because in his estate were a "lot of shoemaking tools". His will left half his estate to his wife Susannah, and the other half to son-in-law James Alexander. In 1834 Abram Moss is listed as an executor for George's will, and in 1839 a Hiram Moss is listed as guardian of three of George's minor heirs.

There is more on George Hartzell below.

The James Alexander connection:

The Sink-Toney family connection:

Adam Hartzell's wife was Christina Sink. The Sink family had connections to the Toney family. Susannah Toney's (wife of George Hartzell) uncle Jesse Toney married Frony "Fanny" Sink, daughter of Stephen Sink. Stephen Sink lived around 6 miles east of Rocky Mount, VA, and around 12 miles SE of Philip Hartzell. Adam Hartzell, and Stephen's brother Abraham Sink, were both born at about the same time in Northampton County PA (1762-65). Both Abraham Sink and Philip Hartzell settled near each other in Franklin County VA in 1792 (Abraham "on a branch of Mill Creek"). This makes it a strong possibility that Christina Sink was a younger sister of Stephen and Abraham. The known children of Micheal Sink span 10 years, so there must have been more. Micheal Sink's father was Henry Zinck, born 1698 in Germany, and immigrated to America in 1725. This Sink family also had apparent connections with the Sinks family of North Carolina, and thus a possible connection with the North Carolina George Sinks who settled in Montgomery County Ohio in 1804, where the Adam Hartzell family settled in 1815. For more on the Sink connection, go to www.jdhartsell.com/Sink.

Blackwater River Valley, Franklin County, Virginia:

In the 1810 Franklin County, Virginia census, names near the Hartzells were Luke Webster, Samuel Webster, John Webster, James McVey, Edmon Moss, William Acres, Gibson, Kingery, Fishburn, and Huston. (As we will see later, the Lybrooks, Toneys, and Millers had already left.) From the Settlement Map of Franklin County (below), these names indicate that they were located in the Blackwater River Valley just west of Cahas Mountain (top left corner of map), and about five miles west of Boones Mill. The Blackwater Chapel may have been their church.

Part of Franklin County, Virgina; Settlement Map (see References).

Width of map above is 18 miles.
Philip Hartzell's 1792 land was about at the red "X", SW of Boone Mill.
William Toney's land was west of Boone Mill (top left).
Phillip Lybrook's land was northwest of William Toney's, and south of John Webster (top left).
Stephen Sink's land was just north of Glade Hill (bottom right).
Abraham Sink settled on a branch of Mill Creek, presumably near Philip Hartzell.
Adam Hartzell's daughter Elizabeth married Moses Rentfro (map left center) in 1818 in Ohio.
Adam's brother Abraham Hartzell lived near Googinsville near Moses Greer.

Franklin County, Virginia migration to Preble County, Ohio

As early as 1805, many Franklin County, VA neighbors of Adam Hartzell had migrated to Preble County, OH, and Union (then Wayne) County, IN. There was also movement between there and Montgomery County, Ohio.

Elder Jacob Miller, neighbor of William Toney in Franklin County, VA, arrived at the Miami River Valley (Dayton, Ohio area) in 1802. There is a Jacob Miller cemetery about three miles northeast of Ellerton, in Jefferson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio. In 1806, Phillip Lybrook, another Virginia neighbor of William Toney, was in Union County, Indiana. In 1820 Phillip's daughter Sarah married James Toney, also of Franklin County, VA, in Union County, Indiana. James Toney was a grandson of William and Margaret (Sutherland) Toney. There were marriages between the Lybrook, Kingery, Toney, Moss, Webster, McVey, Miller, Capper and Henderson families, all from the Blackwater River Valley area of Franklin County, Virginia.

By 1850, David Hartzell was living near or on the land he bought in 1853. A close neighbor was Daniel Fiant, of the Four Mile Church, who in 1802 squatted in Indian territory in what was to become Union/Fayette County. Daniel was from Berks Co. PA. In 1820, Daniel was in Brownsville, Fayette County. In 1830 he was still in Fayette County. In 1840 Daniel was in Waterloo Township, Fayette County, near David's land. The 1853 plat map shows his name in SW 1/4, Section 16, Waterloo Township. In 1850, David Hartzell lived a half mile away. Also Daniel Gise was next door. In 1840, Daniel Fiant was 60-69 years old.

The Lybrook Indiana-Virginia connection:

The 1850 Indiana census shows James and Sarah (Lybrook) Toney in Harrison Township, Union County, IN. Next household is Poindexter (age 24) and Amanda (age 17) Toney.
The 1850 Indiana census shows the Lybrook family in Harrison Township, Union County, IN: Jacob, age 73, b. VA; Hannah, age 60, b. OH, Baltzar, age 37, b. IN.
There is a Lybrook Cemetery in Union County, Indiana.

George Hartzell, continued:

The following are listed in order of how they appear in the 1830 Census, according to the census taker's route:

James Toney, age 30-39, wife Sarah Lybrook
Balzer Lybrook, age 40-49
Abraham _____
Phillip Lybrook, age 70-79
John Lybrook, age 40-49, wife Fanny Toney
Barbara Kingery, age 50-59
Jacob Lybrook, age 40-49
Phillip Lybrook, Jr., age 30-39
William Moss, age 40-49
George Hartzell, age 40-49, wife Susannah Toney
James Alexander, age 20-29, wife Catherine Hartzell
Rachel White
Joseph Kingery

Now, this is amazing. For George Hartzell, the 1810 Virginia census shows his next door neighbor was Edmund Moss. In the 1830 Union County, Indiana census, his next door neighbor was the SON of Edmund - Elder William Moss. William was an elder in the Four Mile Church.

The Four Mile Church, at the southwest corner of George Hartsell's land, was the Church of the Brethren, mentioned heavily in Rev. Rummel's work.

Rush County, Indiana, where David Hartzell met Barbara Nipp:

The Leonard Hartzell - Rush County, Indiana connection:

Biographical Sketch of Leonard Hartzell
From Geoff Crawford GenForum hartzell/285.html:

The biography quoted below is about William R. Smith, and appears on pages 861-862 of a book called Past and Present of Bureau County [Illinois], by George B. Harrington, printed by Pioneer Publishing Co., Chicago, 1906.

---------------------------------------------
Susan Hartzell (future wife of William Smith) is stated as being the daughter of Leonard Hartzell and Delilah (Weiss) Hartzell, and was born Oct. 20, 1831, in Miami County, Ohio.

The narrative says Leonard and Delilah (Weiss) Hartzell were "Pennsylvania Dutch people" who "removed from Ohio to Rush County, Indiana, and subsequently to Wabash County, that state, where they remained until the death of the wife and mother in 1847. Mr. Hartzell [Leonard] afterward removed to Iowa, where he died in 1878, at the age of 80 years. He followed farming as a life work and owned a good tract of land in Indiana."

In his family were 11 children:
1. Willis and;
2. Lewis, both deceased;
3. Adam, who resides in Wyanet [town in Bureau County];
4. Susan, now Mrs. [William R.] Smith;
5. Mrs. Nancy McNuslin, of Cass County, Nebraska;
6. Mrs. Eliza Mounts, deceased;
7. Edward, who has also passed away;
8. John, who resides in Kansas City, Missouri;
9. Philip, living in Tama, Iowa;
10. Mary, deceased; and
11. Aaron, who has departed this life.
----------------------------------------------

The 1830 Montgomery County Ohio census shows for the Leonard Hartsell family:

  
male, age 30-40 (Leonard) 
female, age 20-30 (wife Delilah) 
male, age under 5 (Willis?) 
male, age under 5 (Lewis?) 
male, age under 5 (Adam?)

Leonard Hartzell doesn't appear in the 1840 Indiana census, but we have:

Leonard Hartzell:
   bought land Sept. 17, 1832; Book E page 247, Center Twp.
   sold land Oct. 29, 1835; Book G page 320, 
   bought land Mar. 9, 1840; Book K page 396, Ripley Twp.
       (wife Delila and Leonard Hartzell signed)
   sold land Mar. 13, 1844; Book O page 346, Ripley Twp.
       (wife's name Delila; "William" Hartsell signed)

The 1850 Wabash County Indiana census shows:

Leonard, age 51 born in Pennsylvania (1799)
Lewis, age 21 born in Ohio 
Adam, age 20 born in Ohio 
Susanna, age 18 born in Ohio (Oct. 20, 1831) 
Nancy, age 17 born in Indiana 
Eliza, age 15 born in Indiana 
John, age 12 born in Indiana 
Edward, age 10 born in Indiana 
Philip, age 8 born in Indiana 
Mary, age 5 born in Indiana abt. 1845 
Aaron, age 2 born in Indiana abt. 1848 
Wife Delilah is not listed; died about 1848-49? 
Son Willis was married; separate household in same Township

The Barbara Nipp - Rush County, Indiana connection:

Other Nipps of Rush County, Indiana area

Nancy Nipp to Mathias S. Bovee/Govee, Sep. 9, 1824
1850 Census: not found

Anna Nipp to George Short, Mar. 9, 1834
Daughter of George and Rebecca Nipp.
1850 Census: Adam Township Decatur County, IN.
(Decatur County is immediately south of Rush County.)
George Short, age 35, Carpenter b. VA
Anna Short, age 35, b. VA
Susannah Short, age 14, b. IN
James Short, age 10, b. IN
Elizabeth Short, age 8, b. IN
Ellen Short, age 6, b. IN
Lanm** Short, age 3, b. IN
(Next door is George Nipp age 76, Carpenter, b. PA, wife Rebecca age 65, birthplace unknown, Elizabeth Nipp age 41, b. VA, Reuben Nipp, age 19, b. IN.)

Barbara Nipp to David Hartzell, May 15, 1836 (in Connersville)
Niece of George and Rebecca Nipp?

John Nipp to Catherine Goodman, Sep. 15, 1836
Son of George and Rebecca Nipp.
1850 Census: Union Township, Rush County, IN
John Nipp, age 38, Millwright, b. OH
Catherine Nipp, age 34, b. OH
Sarah Nipp, age 10, b. IN
James Nipp, age 8, b. IN
William Nipp, age 7, b. IN
Jane Nipp, age 3, b. IN
John Nipp,age 10 mo., b. IN

Martha Nipp to Elkana? Mullins, Dec. 28, 1837
Daughter of George and Rebecca Nipp.
1850 Census: Jefferson Township, Grant County, IN
(Grant County contains the town of Marion.)
Alcanah Mullins, age 31, Blacksmith, b. IN
Martha Mullins, age 30, b. IN
Delilah Mullins, age 11, b. IN
Louisa Mullins, age 9, b. IN
William Mullins, age 7, b. IN
Mary Mullins, age 5, b. IN
Emeline Mullins, age 4, b. IN
Marshal Mullins, age 1, b. IN

From "Early Cemetery Records Prior to 1886" at the Rushville Library, there is:
Ammon Cemetery, Washington Township, Rush County, Indiana

Mary Nipp, daughter of John and Catherine Nipp, died Mar. 18, 1855, age 1 month, 7 days.
Vinson Nipp, son of John and Catherine Nipp, died Jan. 17, 1865, age 13 years, 3 months, 10 days.
George Nipp, son of John and Catherine Nipp. (Data was not recorded.)

William Hartsell, Rush County, Indiana:

William #2: This William was too young to be signing papers in 1844. There is a marriage record for William Hartzell and Catherine Vickey Jan. 1, 1862 in Rush County, Indiana. This William was probably around 25 at the time, and born around 1847. His parents must have been in the area, and hopefully his father was named William. I could not find a Hartzell family in 1860 with a son about William's age. There were many Vickeys in 1860 Washington Township, Rush County, but I could not find a Catherine Vickey (before her marriage).

West to east along the north edge of Rush County is Ripley Township, Center Township, and Washington Township.

William #3: This William was born in 1834 and was not an influence on David Hartzell's presence in Rush County. There is a gravestone record for Nellie Hartzell in Washington Township, Rush County, Indiana. She died at 7 months, 2 days old, May 12, 1865, daughter of "Wm. & M. Hartzell". The parents are William B. and Margaret Hartzell. In the 1870 and 1880 Rush County Indiana Census, they were in Washington Township. In 1870 William was 35 years old, born in Pennsylvania about 1835 (too young to be signing a land record in 1844). Wife Margaret was 26. There is a son John, age 4, and a son Martin, age 2. Nellie would have been born October 10, 1864, before son John. In 1880 in their household is Margaret Vickey, age 5, born in 1875. She may have been related to Catherine (Vickey) Hartzell in the paragraph above. William's parents were born in Pennsylvania. He was a retail grocer. Going back to 1860 I found William B. Hartzell in Orange Township, Fayette County, Indiana, age 26, along with sister(?) Sarah A. Hartzell (21) living in the household of George (age 50) and Holly Spring. Martin was close to David Hartzell's age. In looking for an 1850 Hartzell family with son William age 16 and daughter Sarah age 11, I found one in Adamsburg Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania: Martin B. Hartzel, age 42, born 1808 in PA. Wife was Leah, age 39. Children were William, age 17, Martin, age 14, Sarah, age 11, Henry, age 8, Jonas, age 4, John, age 1. Note that William B. and Margaret Hartzell above named a son Martin. I checked 1860 for Martin B. Hartzel, age 52, all states. None found, so this is very likely William B. Hartzell's family. William and his sister Sarah could have been orphaned. (Westmoreland County is in the SW corner of PA.)

To be thorough, I had to investigate whether Martin B. Hartzel could be a brother of David Hartzell. Was Martin's father in Virginia around 1805, then in Westmoreland County PA in 1808?

From FamilySearch.org, there is an Individual Record for Martin Bash Hartzell, birth about 1806 in Westmoreland, PA. Wife's name was Leah Machling, daughter of Philip and Catherine (Coder) Machling.

Note in the following that I have little confidence in accuracy of Pedigree Resource Files.

From FamilySearch.org, there is a Pedigree Resource File for Martin Bash Hartzell, born 8 Jan 1807, Westmoreland, PA. Death was after 1870 in Rock River Valley, Moline, IL. Note: I could not find him in the 1870 Census for Illinois or Indiana. Martin's father was John Adam Hartzell, mother was Catherine Bash. John Adam Hartzell was born 4 Sep 1780 in Hecktown, Northampton County, PA, christened 24 Sep 1780 in Hecktown, Northampton County, and died 20 Aug 1840 in Rock River Valley, Moline, IL. John Adam Hartzell's father was Johann Adam Hartzell, mother was Anna Maria Clara Schlauch. Johann Adam Hartzell's father was Hans George Hartzell Jr., mother was Catherine Schmetzer. Going back one more generation takes us to Hans George Hartzell and wife Anna Margretha Conrad. THESE ARE ADAM HARTZELL'S GREAT-GRANDPARENTS!

In 1870, the Post Office for Washington Towhship was Carthage, in Ripley Township.

The Sink family connection:

James Hartzell, 1840 Wythe County, Virginia:

In 1840, James was 40-49 years old, thus born 1791-1800, but we don't know where. James' wife was 30-39 years old. In the household was one male 5-9 (b. 1831-1835), one female 5-9, and one female 20-29 years old. James is not listed in any 1850 census.

Not found anywhere in 1830; probably not married yet if the female 20-29 was not his daughter. Not found anywhere in 1850; would be 50-59 years old; census would tell where he was born.

Toney family website:

This "Evidence" document assumes Susannah, wife of George Hartzell, was James Toney's daughter.

More on whereabouts of David Hartzell in 1830:

George Hartsell, Union County, IN
James Alexander, Union County, IN
Leonard Hartsell, Montgomery County, OH (brother)
John Hartzell, Montgomery County, OH (brother)
Fredrick Hartsell, Marion County, IN (uncle?)
George Nipp, Rush County, IN
William Walker, Fayette County, IN

Margaret Nieval:

Christian Hertsel:

Other Alexanders in the area in Indiana:

Weird coincidences:
It is interesting with David Hartzell being my main challenge all my life, that he was born on my wife Connie's birthday, and died on mine. He died on a Sunday, March 5, and I was born exactly 888 months later, on Sunday, March 5. On the 888, there are 8 letters in "Hartsell/Hartzell". There are 3 "8's", representing the 3 intervening Hartsell generations (James A. Hartsell, James O. Hartsell, James Daniel Hartsell) until I came along and did this work. I learned of the Y-DNA 48-marker match between myself and Dwight Hartzell 51 years after beginning my ancestry search. The next day when I ran my 5 miles, I ran it in 51 minutes, 51 seconds.

This is an old theory I had before discovering Christina's father could be Micheal Zinck (shown in the chart above). I left it here in case it could still be valid. Sarah's recollection of East Prussia kind of stands out. Given the other clue about speaking broken English, it is a real possibility that Sarah was recalling the father of David's mother, whose name could have been Ferdenand SINK/ZINK/ZINCK. The three Sinks that I have found in Ferdenand's generation all came from Germany, which could have been East Prussia. This would explain the broken English. The Zinck name has some origins in East Prussia. There was a Henry Zinck* who came from Germany in 1725 with his 3-year old son. He died in 1763 in Northampton County Pennsylvania, the same county where Adam was born (~1765) and lived as a child up to 1781. Henry's children's names are unknown, so one of them could have been Ferdenand. "Our" Ferdenand Sink would have been born around 1735, which would fit. Members of this family later migrated to Franklin County Virginia, where David Hartzell was born. There was a Ferdinand Sink in 1860 Philadelphia County, PA, (next to Northampton County), who could have been in David's generation. But, I leave the door open that Sarah could have been recalling Abraham and Frederick Hartzell, where "Abraham" may have sounded like "Ferdenand".

* see www-personal.umich.edu/~cgaunt/etc/Sink0416.txt

The most compelling evidence linking David Hartzell to the Adam Hartzell family is through GEORGE HARTZELL OF UNION COUNTY, INDIANA. Several big breaks came along to make this happen; things I would not otherwise have come across.

In 1981, at the Union County Recorders Office, I found an 1828 land purchase by a George Hartsell. At the time it was only a curiosity, but I jotted down the details.

Feb. 2000: I moved my website from AOL to the open internet so that people doing searches could find my info. Many people have found it and sent valuable information.

April 2000: My cousin Thelma Price-Papillo found an abstract of Union County George Hartzell's will, which named James Alexander as an executor, as an heir, and mentioned "lots of shoemaking tools". The name James Alexander was important in our case. The will also named George's wife Susannah and daughter Catherine. This opened the door to our old info about the George and Susannah who married in 1809 in Franklin County Virginia.

Feb. 2001: While searching the internet I found Paul Swan's Hartzell Chapter. This showed the family of Adam Hartzell with a son named David. It also had Adam's ancestry back to 1580 Switzerland.

March 2002: Donna Meszaros, searching the internet, found my website and sent a biographical sketch and obituary of James Alexander's son Thomas. It had James' and Catherine's marriage date, location, and that Catherine was born in Virginia about 1812. I later learned from Donna that James & Catherine named their children John, George, Thomas, Fanny, David, and Adam. Donna is descended from George Hartzell through James Alexander's son Thomas.

Sept. 2003: I rediscovered material sent to me back in May 1986 by my brother Bob Hartsell who had visited Rocky Mount, Virginia. He sent a copy of Philip Hartzell's 1792 land record and a Settlement Map of Franklin County. This showed us where people's land was in the county. Back then we were looking for "Ferdenand Hartsell", so it got filed in a different place because of the legal size paper.

Oct. 2006: I found that George Hartzell of 1830 Union County, Indiana was surrounded by Adam Hartzell's former neighbors from Franklin County, Virginia - Toney, Lybrook, Kingery, Moss and others. They were also in Preble County, Ohio. This area had links to Montgomery County, Ohio. The find of a decade!

Mar. 2007: I realized that the Daniel Hartzell mentioned in the old leather-bound Bible was most likely the next older BROTHER of David Hartzell. Still needs to be proven.

Nov. 2008: THIS WAS MAJOR. I received an email from George Neiman, descended from Adam Hartzell's son John through his mother. George's cousin Dwight Hartzell, descended through the male line, took ancestry.com's Y-DNA 48-marker test. We matched exactly.

References

Paul Swan's Hartzell Chapter, freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~paulrswan/. Backup copy at www.jdhartsell.com/p_swan/Hartzell_Lineage.html.

Hartzell Ancestral Line, www.jdhartsell.com/HAline/index.html, author and date unknown, from Glenn Hartzell which he received "from a cousin long ago". Contains several errors.

The Life of David Hartzell 1805-1865, by James Dwight Hartsell, www.jdhartsell.com/DavidHartzell.

Ancestry of James A. & Sophronia (Walker) Hartsell, by James Dwight Hartsell, www.jdhartsell.com/hartsell/index.html.

Ferdenand Hartzell writeup, Thelma Price-Papillo, April 26, 2002, MS Word document. www.jdhartsell.com/hartsell/FerdenandWriteup.doc.

George Hartzell writeup, Thelma Price-Papillo, April 2, 2002, MS Word document. www.jdhartsell.com/hartsell/GeoHartzellWriteup.doc.

Settlement Map of Franklin County Virginia, Franklin County VA Historical Society, www.franklincountyvirginiahistoricalsoc.org.

Hartzell Land in Virginia: portion of Settlement Map, text of 1792 land record, etc. at www.jdhartsell.com/hartsell/FranklinCoNW.html.

The Virginia Settlement or The Four Mile Church of the Brethren, by Rev. Merle C. Rummel, at www.union-county.lib.in.us/GenwebVA4mile/Table%20of%20Contents%204M.htm. Shows Franklin County VA families (Lybrook, Toney, etc.) settling in Union County, Indiana and Preble County, Ohio.

From The History of Montgomery County, Ohio by W. H. Beers & Company 1882, Jefferson Township, at brookville.dcoweb.org/twp/JeffersonHistory.html.

Sink Family History, David R. Jones, Jr., at www-personal.umich.edu/~cgaunt/etc/Sink0416.txt.

Sink/Zink families, Troutt web page, click on Surnames, Miscellaneous. freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~troutt/~troutt/.

Sink/Zink Family History (and Sink-Hartzell connection), by James Dwight Hartsell, www.jdhartsell.com/Sink.

Toney Family website, www.toneyweb.com/exchange/jack0007.htm. Most of the birth dates of William Toney's children seem to be guesses. Info may have come from "The Toney Family History", www.toneyweb.com/exchange/elma.htm, Mentioned in Joel Hager's Southern West Virginia Research, www.gencircles.com/users/hagerj/2/data/7880, Susannah Marion Toney.

Email, 24 April 2000, from Thelma Price-Papillo, on "Court Records of Union County, IN, 1821-1845", will for George Hartzell.

Genealogical Sources Reprinted from the Genealogy Section, Indiana Magazine of History, compiled by Dorothy L. Riker (Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society, 1979).

History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa (Chicago: O.L. Baskin, 1883), p. 83 (Shows that Catherine (Hartzell) Alexander was a native of Virginia). Biographical sketch reproduced at www.jdhartsell.com/hartsell/HFH4.html#BIOG7.