Welde

From: http://www.macatawa.org/devries/Narrag.htm and more directly:

Geörge Welde, Jacob Welde Arrived on the Snow Ketty, Octboer 16, 1752

From: 18th Century Emigrants from Edenkoben in the Palatinate

The Weldy family of Edenkoben, Germany, Chester and York Counties, Pennsylvania

The following is the result of discoveries by Gary Chronister and the amazing conclusions to which he has arrived. This may very well be the solution to the myth of the three Welty Brothers. I have included two manuscripts from Mr. Chronister. The first describes the investigation and resulting conclusions for identifying this family:

Their has been a long standing tradition that three Weldy (Welty) brothers immigrated to Pennsylvania from Germany or Switzerland in the mid 18th Century and eventually settled in and around York County, Pennsylvania. Some researchers have disregarded this story because of the common tradition amongst many families of the "three brothers". Fascinatingly enough, in the case of the Weldy family this tradition turns out to be true.

Let us first review what we already know about the York County Weldys through Pennsylvania records. We know from early York County tax lists that George Weldy was in Dover Township as early as 1762. Another, Phillip Weldy buys a tract of land adjacent to George in 1766 and shows up on the 1771 and 1772 tax lists. Beginning in 1774 and continuing through 1780, as well as George and Phillip, a Widow Weldy is also listed. Here we continue the possibility that there really were three brothers. We also know from York County church and cemetery records that George had a wife named Anna Maria and at least two sons, Jacob born about 1749 and Phillip Jacob born in 1759. These two seem to have lived and died in York County. Also from early records two other young Weldys appear during the late 1770's and early 1780's, a second Jacob and Michael. These were possibly the sons of one of the other brothers since George already had a son named Jacob. Also when this second Jacob sold Phillip's 1766 farm in 1791, he was listed in the deed as the son of Phillip. This Jacob and Michael migrated west together and eventually parted ways in later life. Other early Weldys identified as sons of a Jacob Weldy and Christina Braff? from an old bible record were Johannes born in 1760 and settled in Adams County, Henrich born in 1764 and settled in Westmoreland County, and Frederick born in 1767 and settled in Washington County, Maryland.

In various lists of emigration from Germany to America the name of Jacob Weldy from Edenkoben in the Palatinate turns up in the manumission records. This Jacob Weldy arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the ship Snow Ketty in October of 1752, along with a Georg Weldy and many other immigrants from Edenkoben. These included, among others Jacob Schuster and Henrich Schenkel. Was this Jacob part of the family who settled in York County? Also a Phillip(Phipps) Weldy arrived in Phildelphia in 1750. After inspection of the Edenkoben Reformed church records it seemed that all the information found backed up what was known from American records.

A Georg Wolfgang Weldy married Anna Maria Keibel of Iggelsheim, near Edenkoben, in January of 1750. This couple had a son Johann Jacob baptised in June of that same year. Also mentioned in the baptism records from this time were Johann Jacob Weldy who married Anna Catharina Croissant in 1738 and had four children baptized during the 1740's. Who were Jacob and George's parents? The marriage records of Edenkoben list Hans Jacob Weldy the son of Johann Georg Weldy married to Anna Catharina Durchdeibach from Neckargemund in 1709. This couple had five children baptized at Edenkoben in the next ten years. Johann Jacob in 1710, Johannes in 1713, Anna Barbara in 1715, Georg Wolfgang in 1716 and Phillip Jacob in 1719. So here we have the same names in German records as are found in the Pennsylvania records. But how do we prove that these Weldys of Edenkoben are the same as the three Weldy families in York County.

The first clue came when a 1753 baptism of Maria Elisabeth Weldy a daughter of Georg and wife was found at the Brownback Reformed Church in Coventry Township, Chester County. In tax lists for East Nantmeal Township, Chester County we find a Jacob and a Phillip Felty listed as inmates beginning in 1759. Also in the same township we find George Croissant a brother of Jacob's wife, Jacob Schuster and Henrich Schenkel two Edenkoben immigrants who arrived with the Weldys in 1752, and also Jonas Ruthrauf of whoms family Michael Weldy married into later in York County. There was no doubt that we had the Edenkoben immigrants in Chester County. But can we make a connection to York County.

By the 1759 tax list of East Nantmeal Township, George was not listed indicating that he had moved away by that time. We know from church records that George was in Dover Township as early as 1755 and is the only Weldy listed in the 1762 tax lists. Phillip Felty continues in Chester County lists until 1765 and disappears beginning in 1766 the exact year he buys his property in Dover Township and first appears in the 1771 tax list. Jacob Felty continues in Chester County tax lists until 1773 and disappears in 1774 the exact year a widow Weldy appears in Dover Township. Based on these facts presented, I believe we have made a connection from Edenkoben, Germany to Chester County, Pennsylvania and on to York County, Pennsylvania. The eldest brother Jacob probably remarried in Pennsylvania after the death of his first wife, Anna Catharina Croissant and started a second family with Christina Braff, in 1757, until his death about 1773, in Chester County prompted Christina(widow) to move out to York County close Jacob's brothers George and Phillip. George (Georg Wolfgang) who seems to be the first in York County probably moved soon after his daughter Maria Elisabeth's baptism in 1753. The youngest brother Phillip (Phillip Jacob) moved to Dover Township about 1766 when he first purchased land.

I propose the following outline for the three Weldy brothers:

1) Johann Jacob Welde b. Dec. 14, 1710 Edenkoben, Germany d. ca.1773 Chester Co., Pennsylvania married secondly Maria Chritina Braff? Mar. 18, 1757 children: Anna Elisabeth b. Jan.25, 1758 Johannes b. Apr.21,1760 m. Catharina Weaver d. Dec. 20, 1837 Adams Co., Pennsylvania Christina b. May 16, 1762 m. Peter Messerly Heinrich b. Nov. 4, 1764 m. Eva Catharina Steiner d. Jul 4, 1841 Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania Ludwig Frederick b. Jun. 25, 1767 m. Catherine d. Sep 19, 1814 Washington Co., Maryland Margaret b. Mar. 2, 1769 ? m. Peter Rummel d. Dec. 31, 1852

2) Georg Wolfgang Welde b. 1716 Edenkoben, Germany d. ca.1780 York Co., Pennsylvania married Anna Maria Keibel Jan. 7, 1750 Edenkoben children: Johann Jacob b. Jun 14 1750 m. Anna Maria Schramm d. Feb. 5, 1826 York Co., Pennsylvania Maria Elisabeth b. Nov. 1752 m. George Gauff George b. Dec 14 1755 Phillip Jacob b. Apr 16 1759 m. Anna Maria Wild d. May 13 1813 York Co., Pennsylvania Anna Maria b. Apr 16 1763 Anna Maria b. May 9, 1767

3) Phillip Jacob Welde b. May 7, 1719 Edenkoben, Germany d. ca.1789 York Co., Pennsylvania married Elisabeth ? ca.1754 children: Jacob b. ca.1755 m. Anna Maria Miller d. ? Jefferson Co., Ohio Michael b. ca.1757 m. Christina Ruthrauf d. 1815 Tuscarawas Co., Ohio Catharina b. ca.1760 m. Jacob Beam d. Richland Co., Ohio ?

The second describes theplacement of the "three brothers": First of all I do and have always agreed with your thinking that the migrations of some of the Welty's were from the sons of the immigrants, not the immigrants themselves. Almost always, in family traditions that are passed alongverbally, the generations get compressed. The tradition about Hagerstown, Maryland and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania seem to fit best with sons of Jacob and Maria Christina Braff. Johannes to Gettysburg and Frederick to Washington County, Maryland.

I just want to get into a little bit of the big question of placing sons to which brothers. I have always known and expected that the seven Welty boys that we are working with were probably cousins. The trick was to place these in the correct immigrant brother's household. A very big help came when you posted on your page the family of Jacob and Christina Braff. I had not known previously about the bible record that listed all of their children and dates of birth. So this record took care of Johannes, Henry and Frederick. This leaves just the two Jacobs, Michael and Phillip Jacob.

The younger of the Jacobs, born about 1755 was proven to be a son of Phillip through a York County deed in which the complete history of Phillip's farm in Dover Township from the original owner to the time of the deed was detailed. It mentioned that Phillip had purchased the farm in 1766 and sold it to his son Jacob who in turn sold it out of the family in 1791. We know this is not the older Jacob because the older Jacob was well established in Manchester Township years before this. I'll get you a copy of this deed at a later time. So Jacob the youger who married Anna Maria Miller is definately a son of Phillip.

The older of the Jacobs who married Anna Maria Schramm and born ca.1749 from his cemetery stone fits only in the family of George, something of a process of elimination. I think we confirmed this when George and Anna Maria had a son Johann Jacob baptised at Edenkoben in 1750, just one year off from his cemetery stone.

This leaves of the boys Michael and Phillip Jacob. Michael moved to Somerset County, PA about 1786 along with the family of his brother in law Jacob Beam who married Catherine Welty on the same day as Jacob Welty the younger (son of Phillip) married Anna Maria Miller. After Jacob sold his father Phillip's farm in 1791, he shows up on Somerset County tax lists in 1793 next door to Michael Weldy and Jacob Beam. I believe this is two brothers and their sister Catherine. Michael and Jacob split ways about 1797 when Michael goes to Westmoreland County and Jacob Weldy and Jacob Beam go to Jefferson County, Ohio.

So now we're left with only Phillip Jacob who was born in 1759 from his cemetery stone in York County. We know from the bible record that he is not a son of Jacob and Christina Braff, but is his father George or Phillip? There are three reasons why I assign him to George's family. First of all, Jacob the older (son of George) and this Phillip Jacob were the only two to stay in York County. Secondly, Phillip Jacob is the sponsor at some of Jacob's children's baptisms and I believe vica-versa. Thirdly, this Phillip Jacob dissappears from the Dover Township tax lists the same year as George, about 1781. Probably spent a few years in Manchester Township with his brother Jacob and Anna Maria Schramm. Phillip Jacob's father in law Paul Wild also lived in Manchester Township.

Even with all this there is still no absolute proof that he is the son of George, but in my opinion the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.

More about Descendants of Johann George Welty