The Other Adam Hartzells

Including our ancestor Adam Hartzell, there are two other Adam "Hartzells" of interest to the descendants of Adam and Christina (Sink) Hartzell. The "Hartzell Ancestral Line" confuses all three.

One lived in Northampton County, PA, and married Sara Knauss. They were the parent of Jonas, and this is where the confusion came from about Adam having a second wife named Sara, or another name for Christina.

The other was actually Adam Hutzel/Hurtzel of Montgomery County, OH. He married Mary Spiekard, who the "Hartzell Ancestral Line" says was our Adam's second wife.

Adam Hartzell #2 of Northampton County, PA

The other Adam you talk about was probably the Adam son of Jacob and Maria Catherine (Klein) Hartzell. He was born in 1768. This Adam married Sara, and it is now thought that Sara's maiden name may be Knauss (not proven, but very likely-due to baptismal witnesses in York and Westmoreland).

I hope that the following will help you see that there were indeed two Adams in Northampton County, and that they need to be separated. My feeling is that the Adam son of Phillip, actually may have already gone to VA and the Jonas Hartzell, born 1796, that so many claim is the son of Adam, (son of Philip) is actually the son of Adam and Sara, just like the baptism record records. Therefore, I do not believe this Jonas is the grandchild of Philip, but is clearly what the baptism record states - son of Adam and Sara Hartzell, Adam being the son of Jacob and Maria Catherine (Klein) Hartzell.

I know the following:

A land deed also becomes important into establishing that Adam who marries Sara is the son of Jacob Hartzell who marries Maria Catherine Klein. This is for Pleasant Unity, Westmoreland, PA.

The exact words read:

" It is nevertheless agreed on in and between the said parties to these presents, that Jacob Hartzel (father of the said Adam) shall have and peaceably enjoy with his Family the House he at present lives in together with about five acres of land be the same more or less, which he at present occupies with the spring, Spring house and all and singular the premises and appurtenances there into belonging as long as the said Jacob and his wife lives with liberty to cut as much good fire wood on the above described Land as they from time to time shall have occasion for during their time .."

Further in this same land deed we know that this is Adam and Sara Hartzell by Sara's name being mentioned several times in the land deed:

"in any wise notwithstanding and the said Adam Hartzel and Sarah his wife do covenant premise and grant to and with the said .."

Other land deeds show that this Adam was connected with a John Hartzell, since both were signing land deeds together, similarly there are also sales between the Momeyer Family and this Adam Hartzell. This clearly puts this Adam Hartzell with the Jacob and Maria Catherine Klein Hartzell Line. Momeyer name becomes important because the sister of Maria Catherine Klein, Eva Klein married William Momeyer, and further down the line a grand-daughter of Maria Catherine Klein marries a Peter Wilhelm Momeyer.

Further, Jacob and Catherine or Catherine Hertzel are sponsors for births of Adam and Sara Hertzel's children, and that Sara is sponsoring baptisms for other family members related to this Hartzell Jacob and Maria Catherine Hartzell Family. So are the Momeyers sponsoring baptisms for Adam and Sara Hartzel.

This Adam Hartzell also appears to be the John Hartzell that dies in the Klein Papers. And if one notes, when Gerlach Klein is writing, each male child is only mentioned by the first name of John. But it is apparent that they went by the middle name rather than the John. Adam, the husband of Sara Hartzell that is in Pleasant Unity, Unity Twp., Westmoreland, PA, dies before 1814, because the son Jonas is now over 18, but under 21 years of age and ask for guardianship with his uncle, John Chambers (One of the children of Jacob and Maria Catherine (Klein) Hartzell was Leah Hartzell who marries John Chambers.) Because of this document, it also supports clearly that the Jonas Hartzell baptized at the Union Register of Zion of Arendt's Church in Arendtsville, Pa, born on 6 April 1796, baptized 3 June 1796, with the parents as Adam and Sara, and with the sponsors as Leonard Herzel and Elizabeth, is indeed the child of Adam and Sara Hartzell, not Adam and Christina Sara Hartzell, as some have said.

Finally the last child of this Adam and Sara Hartzell was born after Adam would have died, but she apparent would have already been pregnant with this child, Adam Hartzell, born Oct. 9. The baptism of this child is now in a different church, perhaps because of the death of her husband. But it is also interesting to note that Daniel and Elizabeth Knauss are the sponsors for this child, Daniel Knauss being possible a brother to Sara, or the Elizabeth being a sister to her - in one case there is a Daniel Knauss marrying an Elizabeth Knauss (yes it gets confusing at this point.)

One other interesting thing is that there is a thought to be Francis and Barbara Knauss (spelling on clear in document) that is a sponsor for a Wilhelm Hartzell, son of Adam. These are probably the grand parents of the child, with Sara Knauss being the daughter of Francis and Barbara Knauss. Census records, seem to also fits her estimated date of birth as well around the 1777 time frame.

From the site below you will see that the Sara Knauss had a sister Elizabeth Knauss that married a Daniel Knauss and that the Daniel Knauss that was a sister to this Sara also married an Elizabeth unknown. This Daniel Knauss and Elizabeth were in Westmoreland at the time of the baptism of Adam Hartzell, and then move onto Ohio sometime later. They are on the census for Westmoreland, though the spelling is somewhat off.

www.jaknouse.athens.oh.us/genealogy/knaussdescendancy.shtml

I still have more to document, and I hope to establish a web page in the future with all the many descendants I have now documented from census records, cemetery records, baptism records, etc. I have many generations going down the Maria Catherine Klein and Jacob Hartzell Line.

- Chris Morgan

Adam Hutzel/Hurtzel of Montgomery County, OH