Barbara Lesher, 1742- ? Pennsylvania

I haven't written about any non-direct ancestors to date, but I was caught by Barbara's surname. I had seen it spelled as Leisure, and in listening to how it sounded, I was certain it was actually a misspelled German surname, such as Lesher/Lescher.  A-ha, I finally found her as a daughter of the immigrant, Johan "John" Lösher and wife Johanna Maria Yoder. Barbara is the wife of my 4th great-granduncle, Jacob Morgan, Jr.

But the next question was, how did Barbara and her husband meet-?

Johan had been born Jan 5, 1710/11, and emigrated from the Alsace-Lorraine region, having converted to Protestantism, i.e., Huguenots.  He arrived in Pennsylvania between 1726 and 1734 - dates not yet verified. He and Maria Yoder married Sep 25, 1740 in Oley, PA.  Johan was an iron-master, and he partnered with his father-in-law and another investor, opening several large forges in and around Oley, Berks, Pennsylvania. He was very successful financially, owning land as well. During the Revolutionary War, he manufactured cannon balls and musket balls, among other items.

Barbara was born about 1742 in Oley, PA, the eldest daughter of the seven known children. Her mother Maria died in 1762, aged 43. The following year, Nov 22, 1763, Barbara married Jacob Morgan Jr., son of the Revolutionary War hero, Jacob MORGAN Sr., my direct ancestor. They married in Douglassville, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles south of Oley, and roughly 15 miles north of Morgantown.


And those map details immediately confused me. How did a Reformed-Protestant German family meet up with a Welsh family, 10-25 miles away, who emigrated in 1718 with other Welsh families-?

Somehow, somewhere, Barbara and Jacob Jr. met. And they did not require parental  permission to marry when they both turned 21 years of age.

Hmmm. Surely there's an interesting story here. The distance between their several known residences is not inconsequential. I also note there were other forges in the region, other churches as well. It's an enigma, waiting for a logical answer - and more research on my part!

Children of Jacob Jr. and Barbara follow; the birth order is not verified, and there may be another child I've missed. I have very few details on their children, and am not certain of their birthplaces - Oley? Morgantown? Douglassville?
    - Hannah,
    - Elizabeth, m. William Sergeant         
    - Rachel, m. Andrew Douglass
    - Jacob,
    - George,
    - John

The MORGAN and the LESHER families were both anti-British during the Revolutionary War, April 19, 1775 to Sep 3, 1783. The Oley Forge was involved in the manufacture of myriad items needed during the war. Note that Johan Lösher/Lesher was highly respected and was very active in the planning and committee work as well. A "patriot and ironmaster" is one description of him. [Annals of the Oley Valley in Berks County, Pa., 1926, Chapter XVI] 

Barbara's husband, Jacob Morgan Jr, died Sept 18, 1802, in Philadelphia city, and is buried in Christ Church cemetery; Section D, Plot XCIV.  

I don't have death information for Barbara, nor does she show up as Barbara Morgan [widowed], and I have found no will of hers. There is, however, a widowed Barbara Lesher in Oley, on the 1810 Census. This could be her - or a relative of hers. 

She was clearly alive at the time of her husband's death in 1802, and is provided for in generous terms in his will of 1802; with not only the house, goods inside, and the surrounding land, but also a yearly allowance of £1000, to be paid quarterly.  

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If Barbara is one of your ancestors, and you have additional information, please do let me know; you will find contact information at the very bottom of the page. If I've made errors, do let me know as well so I can correct my records. 

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Arnold ORMSBEE/Ormsby abt 1770-1830s, New York - So many questions

My 4th great-grandfather on my maternal lines, Arnold ORMSBEE, alternately spelled Ormsby, born about 1770, died likely before 1830.

Early censuses in New York state show him with his family on the 1810 Census in the village of Manlius, Onondaga, New York, and in the 1820 Census, again in Manlius. Manlius is/was a small village about 10 miles southeast of Syracuse. On the 1810 Census, there seem to be 6 children under 15. To date, I have only identified three. Where are those other children? And the ages of the children don't seem to allow for all of them to be the eldest woman's children. Is she his second wife? And who is his wife? See snippet below...

1810: [All are Free White Persons] Manlius NY
  Males under 10  :    2
  Males 10 thru 15:    1
  Males 26 thru 44:    1  [this should be Arnold]
  Females under 10:   3
  Females 16 thru 25: 1 [this should be mother of children/wife of Arnold]
 Total in household : 8
I do wonder about the Females 16 thru 25 - surely it should be in the next column? But I checked the blank form, and it is very clear. The third column past the double lines is for 16 thru 25.  Letting her be 25 [maybe turning 26 later that year], that teenaged boy 10 thru 15 could only be hers if she were married at about 14-15 years. Very unusual.

1820: [All are Free White Persons] Manlius NY
  Males under 10    :  1
  Males 10 thru 15  :  1
  Males 16 thru 18  :  1
  Males 16 thru 25  :  2 [i.e., 1 male 19-25]
  Males 45 and over:  1 [this should be Arnold]
  Females under 10 :  1
  Females 10 thru 15: 1
  Females 26 thru 44: 1 [this should be mother of children/wife of Arnold]
   Total in household: 8

Arnold and his wife appear to have had about 7 children, from approximately 1795 to 1816: 4 boys, 3 girls. Of course, at least one of the children on a census might possibly be a neighbour's child, or a relative's child, helping out. No assumptions. The children I have been able to identify are the following:
   1)  Jacob ORMSBEE [ancestor] b. 21 Jun 1806 Pompey NY, d. 1 Apr 1893 Syracuse NY; m.[1] Sabra TOWERS abt 1824?, 5 children; m.[2]  Emily Hurd Dec 1869 Syracuse NY, no children.
  2)  Stephen Decatur Ormsbee b. 13 Jan 1816 Pompey NY, d. 30 Jul 1893 Syracuse NY; m. Martha Durston abt 1840; 4 children
  3)  Hannah Ormsbee, b. May 1818 Manlius NY, d. bef 1893 Onondaga Co., NY; m. Henry James Coon abt 1836 in Van Buren Onondaga NY; 5 children.

Clearly, I'm missing possibly 2 males, and 2 females, one of whom [Hannah] would have been only 2 yrs old for the 1820 Census - where was she this census day? Confusing.

In addition, there is a tick mark indicating the Enumerator saw that Arnold was involved in Manufacturing, as were half a dozen other individuals in the same neighbourhood.  What could it have been?

Also, I note the residence change for Hannah's birth, b. 1818. [see above]. Either the family moved or, Arnold's wife first deliberately birthed her children in Pompey, then stayed in Manlius for Hannah's birth; between 1816 to 1818 - Manlius lies about 8 miles north of Pompey. This gives me many more questions. Were her parents or at least her mother living in Pompey? Perhaps her mother died between 1816-1818? Did Arnold still have manufacturing concerns in Manlius earlier than 1820, but stayed in Pompey? Note, as a village, Pompey was established in July 1790 by the Land Office Commissioners [New York].

I have been unable to find further details of Arnold and wife. One family tree indicates her name was Hannah/Ann Sherman, but provided no sources. I have found no information of Arnold's wife, including no details of her death date/place. If Arnold died before her, she might well have lived with one of her children - or possibly a sister. But teasing out those bits of information can be quite difficult.

And of course, it could be that I have stumbled on the wrong ORMSBEE in Onondaga county, New York. Although a number of these Ormsbee individuals and their spouses, children, were all buried in the same large plot in Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse, Onondaga, New York [graves of Graves and Ormsbee]. I do believe I'm correct, but of course, everything could be different!

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 If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

Blogger - or my computer - is still not letting me "reply" to your comments, for some unknown reason. If I don't reply to your Comment, please know that I'm totally thrilled you came to read my post and commented!  You truly make my day.