Nancy Hormell

Nancy married Samuel Smith about 1850. Samuel and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Military: 25 Apr 1782; Served as Private during the Revolutionary War in Captain Robert Sweeney's Company, Fifth Battalion
• Census: 1800, East Bethleham Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States
• Census: 1820, East Bethlehem, Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States
• History / Bio: 1882; History of Washington County Pennsylvania (Philadelphia: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), p766

Notes:

WILL
Will dated April 29, 1821
Transcript of Probate Records, Washington County, Pennsylvania
Book 3, pg. 420
Probate: June 6, 1821

In the name of God amen. I Jacob Hormel of Washington County in the State of Pennsylvania being sick and weak in Body but of a sound and disposing mind memory and understanding considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time thereof and being desirous to settle my worldly affairs and thereby be the better prepared to leave this world when it shall please God to call me hence do therefore make and publish this my last will and testament in maner and form following this is to say First and principally I commit my soul into the hands of Almighty God and my body to the earth and to be desently buried at the descretion of my executors herein after named and after my debts and funeral charges are paid I devise and bequeath as follows, Item I give and devise unto my loving wife Jane Hormel one bed and beding, and a maintenance out of my real property during her natural life. Item I give and devise unto my three daughters namely to Catharine (wife of Edward Gearner) one dollar. And to Nancy and Prudence one cow bed and beding and fifty dollars in cash each to be paid to them in gails vz twenty five dollars cow and beding in one year after my descae and twenty five dollars at my said wifes desease Item I give and devise the residue of my real and personal property equaley share and share alike unto my two sons John and William by them paying the said leguese and mentaining my said loving wife Jane Hormell desent comforable at all times in sickness and in health during her natural life. Item and lastly I do hereby constitute and apoint John Rogers and John Baker to be sole Executors of this my last will and testament revoking and annulling all former will by me heretofore made ratifying and confirming this and none other to be my last will and testament In testamoney whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this twenty ninth day of April in the year of our lord One Thousand eight hundred and twenty one.
Jacob (his x mark) Hormel (seal)
Witnesses:
Jesse Kenworthy
John Fisher
Mary Smith

Jacob Hormell came from the border of France to Pennsylvania in 1789. Jacob served in the militia and obtained a tract of land as depreciated pay.

The tract was surveyed June 1, 1789, and was given the name "Garland". Jacob built a log cabin on the farm Garland. While rolling logs to build his log cabin he was bitten by a copperhead snake. He survived the bite by the use of whiskey, both externally and internally. He finished the cabin and lived in it, doing his own house keeping until 1797 when he married Jane Miller who came from Ireland.

As Jacob's family was rather large for the one room log cabin, he built a second log cabin, larger than the first; one large room with a sleeping room above. It was considered a mansion when it was finished, and the largest home at that time in the surrounding country.

Jacob and Jane Hormell lived and raised their family in Washington County, Pennsylvania, where Jacob died of old age in 1821 and Jane died after him. Jacob was 84 years old at the time of his death.

At Jacob Hormell's death he gave the farm Garland to his sons, John and William. William died from a snake bite in 1826. After William's death, John purchased William's share of the Garland. [Source: Stanley Wright Aultz, "Chronicles of a Griffis Family", Miamisburg, Ohio: S. W. Aultz, 1981 Sarah Fenton Brown Hathaway, "History of the HorMell Family 1737-1924]

The following is found in the Pennsylvania Archives where Jacob Hormell sent for his pay for his services in the Revolutionary War.
"sir, plea to sand me my pay for my months tower of Dauty.
By the Bayer John Hanrey and in so Dowing you will oblige
your Oumbel sat. and this is a Recpt for the same, etc.
To Col'o James Marshall
Jacob Hormell"
January 20, 1785.

According to Francis E. Shaw, Jacob Hormell was married before his marriage late in life to Jane Miller. Francis did not know the lady's name. He writes that there was a daughter named, Polly, from this first marriage. She married Jesse Jackson. We find several Jackson families in this area at that time. Their names appear in Quaker records. The name Jesse Jackson appears several times. Tax records of 1785 indicate Jacob Hormell (Jacob Harible) was married. In 1793 Jacob Hormell (Jacob Hormel) is listed as being single.

Polly Hormell Jackson may have died before her father in 1821, possibly without issue as we find she is not mentioned in Jacob's will.

We find that Jacob Hormell purchased 136 acres from his brother, John and his wife, Eleanor, on October 31, 1789. Also, Jacob purchased 70-1/2 acres from Henry Hormell in 1789. Consideration 100 pounds. The consideration for the land purchased from John was 200 pounds. Jacob Hormell then called his farm of 206-1/2 acres "Garland." On this farm he had built a one-room log house. Later a two-story log house was built. while rolling logs for one of these houses he was bitten by a rattlesnake. His life was spared by the use of whiskey which was easy to obtain in those days.

In 1796 Nathan Walton and his wife, Mary Miller Walton, settled on an adjoining farm to Jacob Hormell. This small farm of 36 acres was deeded March 16, 1797 and the deed recorded October 9, 1797 from John Ludwich Summers. amount was $420.00. Neighboring farms were that of Jacob Hormell, Richard Atherton, Joseph Woodfill and J. Newport. Nathan Walton was crippled early in life by a hip injury and walked with a cane, later a crutch. He followed the tailor trade. /Both Nathan and Mary were members of the Westland Society of Friends.. Nathan and Mary Walton had no children of their own but were guardians of Mary's youngest brother, Levi and two sisters, Jane and Hannah.

In 1797 Jacob employed Jane Miller to dry apples for him on the shares. When it was time to divide the apples, Jacob exclaimed:
"Thee need not divide the apples, if Thee is willing Thee can have them all."

Jane being willing, they were happily married Jacob being sixty years of age and Jane about twenty-five.

Jane Miller was born about 1772 the daughter of Robert and Mary Shaw Miller.

Around 1800, Jacob Hormell built another log house. It was a square house with a door facing northeast, a window facing southeast and another window facing southwest on the first floor which consisted of one large room. In the northwest corner was a closed in circular stairway leading to the one room above which also had a window in the southeast and one in the southwest. A picture in the HorMell book show a gabled roof but a picture in the "Centre to Center" book written 1976, shows the roof sloping up from all four sides to a point. My father and I questioned this in 1946 after having visited the log house.

We asked my father's first cousin, Clayton Gillis, about the roof. Clayton said it had always been as we were seeing it in 1946. no one has ever explained the difference between the picture taken in the 1920's and the way the roof appeared in 1946. My father and I found the log house to be rather solid in 1946 although all the window panes were gone exposing the inside to the weather. Sometime after the two-story log house was built a frame lean-to kitchen was added to the northwestern side. This log house stood near the edge of a deep valley where the Monongahela River flows looking over into Fayette County. In the Fall of 1986, my cousin, Betty Binns, and I visited the site and found the lean-to kitchen gone and roof gone from the log part. The rest of the house was in a great state of decay. I am now told it is completely destroyed.

In this log house Jacob Hormell died of old age in 1821 and was interred in Westland (Society of Friends) Cemetery two miles west from his home. A copy of his will is attached. Jane Miller Hormell, wife of Jacob Hormell died December 29, 1824 and was buried in the Westland Cemetery.

Their graves were unmarked as the Society of Friends did not approve of monuments. They believed that if you lived a good life, that was your memorial.

I find no record that Jacob and Jane Miller Hormell were members of the Society of Friends.

In 1986, Thelma Nicholson, a gr gr granddaughter of Jacob Hormell had a small flag stand erected fro Jacob Hormell and I arranged for the erection of a bronze plaque for Jacob Hormell. The plaque was provided by the Veterans Administration. We guessed at the approximate location of Jacob's grave which is in the Quaker section of the cemetery. [Source: W. Floyd Gillis, "Hormell Family", pg. 3,4]

The following is found in the Pennsylvania Archives where Jacob Hormell sent for his pay for his services in the Revolutionary War.
"sir, ples (sic) to sand (sic) me my pay for my months tower (sic) of Dauty (sic).
By the Rayer John Hanrey and in so Dowing you will oblige your oumbel (sic) sat. (sic) and this is a Recpt for the same, etc.
To Col'o James Marshall Jacob Hormell
January 20, 1785.

Henry Hormell, cousin of Jacob, and his wife settled October 1, 1770 on ground for which they obtained a warrant from Philadelphia February, 1786. The acroage (sic) was 414 acres called "Peach Garden." Henry sold to Jacob Hormell 70 1/2 acres of his farm for the sum of 100 pounds in 1789.

Near the tract of land called "Peach Garden) (sic) on the shores of the Monongahela, James and Nancy Woodfill Denbo settled in 1770. Nancy Denbo was a sister of Joseph Woodfill. The Denbo family met a tragic end in the 1770's. One day in the fall season some of the men of the community decided to go into the forest to hunt game for the winter. At the end of the day's hunting they returned to find the cabin had been raided by Indians. The oldest child was taken captive. Nancy Woodfill Denbo and her two small children scalped and their bodies left in the burning cabin. The mother and her two children were bured at what is now Taylor Church. James Denbo set out in pursuit of the Indians and was never seen or heard of again.

John Hormell, younger brother of Jacob Hormell, and his wife settled in 1770 on ground they obtained a (sic) warrant from Philadelphia October 1, 1786. This ground of 393 acres was called "Eutaw." John sold to Jacob Hormell in 1780, 130 acres for the sum of 200 pounds.

With these two purchases, one from Henry and the other from John, Jacob now had a farm of
200 1/2 acres. This farm was located on the southern edge of what is known as Low Hill today. Jacob called his farm "Garland."

Henry Hormell was one of the trustees of Taylor Methodist Church in the late 1700's.

Jacob Hormell built a log cabin on his farm. While he was rolling logs to build his cabin he was bitten by a copperhead snake. His life was saved by the use of whiskey, which was easy to obtain in those days. He finished the cabin and lived in it, doing his own housekeeping.

In 1796, Nathan Walton and his wife, Mary Miller Walton, settled on an adjoining farm to Jacob's. Nathan was crippled early in life by a hip injury and walked with a cane, later a crutch. He followed the tailor trade. Both Nathan and Mary were members of the Westland Society of Friends. Nathan and Mary had no children of their own but were guardians of Mary's youngest brother, Levi, and two sisters, Jane and Hannah.

In 1797, Jacob employed Jane Miller to dry apples for him on the shares. When it was time to divide the apples, Jacob exclaimed, "Thee need not divide the apples; if thee is willing, thee can have them all." Jane being willing, they were happily married, Jacob being sixty years of age and Jane twenty-five.

Jacob and Jane Miller Hormell had five children. They were: Katherine b 11-16-1799; John b 5-6-1801; Nancy b 1803; Prudence b 1804 and William b 1805.

Since Jacob and Jane's family became rather large for a one-room log cabin, Jacob built a larger log cabin consisting of a root cellar (not a full basement), one room on the first floor, a winding stairway leading to a large bedroom on the second floor. Years later a frame kitchen was added to the cabin. This log cabin, built 175 years ago, still stands today although not lived in for many years.

Jacob Hormell died on his farm in 1821 at the age of 84, and was buried in the Quaker burying ground at Westland. Jane, his wife, died at the age of 52 on 12-29-1824 and was also buried in the Quaker plot at Westland. (Bob, this is where my maternal grandparents are buried - and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the other close family members were buried there also._

Of their daughters, the eldest, Katherine married Edward Gardner and went West.

Prudence married William Shaw and settled in Columbiana Co, OH and had a family.

Nancy married Samuel Smith and about 1850 they removed to the state of Indiana where she deceased not too many years afterwards. They had four children: Reason, William, James and John b 1844. After Nancy's death the youngest son, John, came back to Pennsylvania to reside with his Uncle John Hormell on the farm "Garland." He later farmed for Alberta Theakston Hormell, widow of Charles Hormell, and her sister, Leah Theakston, where he died at the age of 68 in 1912. He was buried near his Uncle John Hormell at Westland.

William Hormell, son of Jacob and Jane, died at the age of 21 of snake bite in 1826. He was interred in the Quaker section of Westland.

John Hormell purchased his brother William's share in the farm "Garland" at William's death and resided there his entire life.

History / Bio:

John and Jacob Hormel were among the earliest settlers of East Bethlehem township. John warranted a tract of land Feb. 16, 1786, which contained three hundred and ninety-three acres, and was surveyed June 1, 1786, and given the name of "Garland." Jacob Hormel resided upon the tract "Garland" until his death in 1821, and left it to his sons, William and John Hormel, Jr. William Hormel died in 1827, and John Hormel then purchased his share and still owns the whole property. Thus it has been in the possession of the Hormel family nearly one hundred years, John Hormel, Jr., was born in 1801, and is now past eighty years of age. Two younger members of the Hormel family, Robert and Nathan, served in the war of the Rebellion. Both enlisted Sept. 5, 1861, in Company H, Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, Robert serving until September, 1865, and Nathan receiving his discharge April 30, 1862.

Buried:
Quaker section

Jacob married Jane Miller in 1797 in Low Hill, Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. Jane was born in 1772 in Richland Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, British Colonial America; died on 29 Dec 1824 in Low Hill, Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States; was buried in Dec 1824 in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Jane Miller, daughter of Robert and Mary (Shaw) Miller, was born in Richland Township, Bucks County, about 1772. She removed to Washington County, Pa., with her sister Mary Walton in 1796. She married there in 1797 Jacob Hormell. He was several years her senior and had resided for some years in Washington County, having served in a militia company from that county during the Revolution. The log cabin built by him previous to his marriage and in which the family resided is still standing. He died in 1827. Jane survived him but the date of her death is unknown. Their graves at Westland Monthly Meeting are unmarked.

Buried:
Quaker section

Notes:

Married:

Their love affair was a peculiar one. Jane had been drying apples for Jacob on shares. When it was time to divide the apples Jacob exclaimed, "Thee need not divide the apples, if thee is willing thee can have them all." Jane being willing, they were happily married; Jacob being sixty years old at the time of the marriage. There were five children born to their union, two sons and three daughters. [Source: Stanley Wright Aultz, "Chronicles of a Griffis Family", Miamisburg, Ohio: S. W. Aultz, 1981 Sarah Fenton Brown Hathaway, "History of the HorMell Family 1737-1924]

Other Events:

• Name: Henry Hormell
• Name: Johan Hendrick Hermel
• Immigration: 1731, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, British Colonial America; aboard the ship Samuel from Rotterdam

Notes:

Johan Immigrated to America September 21, 1727 on the Ship Samuel which sailed from Rotterdam to the Port of Philadelphia.

[List 14 A, B, C] Samuel
Captain: Hugh Percy
From: Rotterdam
By Way of: Cowes
Arrival: Philadelphia, 17 Aug 1731

John married Maria Eva Felker. Maria (daughter of Johan Jacob Felker and Anna Barbara _____) died in 1745. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Maria Eva Velker

Other Events:

• Name: Johanis Fulker
• Name: John Felker

Notes:

.....Johan Jacob Felker, born about 1674, came to America with at least one son, Johann Jacob, Jr. born 1715, in Sept of 1732. They settled in Tulphocken, Pennsylvania. John Sr. was married to Anna Barbara (last name unknown), she came to America in 1734, with a religious group (which could account for the fact we never find early church records for this family.
.....Johan Jacob Sr. died somewhere about 1749 to 1751. In his will he left everything to his wife and son George. They died, he then left as follows: To my only surviving son John Jacob, to Henry Hermell, and his children, Henry was married to his deceased daughter Eva) these children are; Jacob Hormell born 1737, died 1821, married Jane Miller, Catherine Hormell, John Hormell born 1742, died February 15, 1823, married Eleanor (unknown last name), Henry Hormell, born 1746, died February 16, 1834 in Ohio, married Eleanor Lee.
.....There was another John Jacob Felker, his will was probated in Philadelphia in 1748.
.....John Felker, first known as Johanis Fulker, arrived in Philadelphia on September 21, 1732. He is listed as a Palatine. the ship's name was "Pink Plaisance: and it was commanded by John Parrett from Rotterdam. Their last port of call was Cowes. John Felker was 58 at that time. He would have been born about 1674. He died before 1751 as is found at that time a final settlement of his estate. also, on board this ship was his son, Johan Jacob Felker, age 17. He was listed as "sick" when the ship landed.
.....John Felker's wife, Anna Barbara Felker, came in 1734 on the ship "St. Andrew" with the rest of the family. She died after her husband before 1751.
.....John and Anna Barbara Felker lived at Tulpenhockon, Lancaster County, Pa. [Source: Gillis, W. Floyd, ""Hormell Family"]

Johan married Anna Barbara _____. Anna died in 1751. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Anna Barbara Felker