Schenk Family Register Report

Generation 6 (con't)

iii.

Barbara Schenck was born on 14 Apr 1667 in Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland. She died in 1706 in Ittlingen, Heilbronn, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. She married Jacob Kreider in Pfaltz, Germany.

11.

iv.

Michael Schenk was born on 04 Jan 1670 in Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland. He married Anna Baer in 1693 in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. He died in 1720 in Conestoga, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

Johannes Schenck-6 (Michael-5, Ulrich-4, Hans Christian-3, Johannes-2, Hans-1) was born in 1642 in Hinten, Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland. He died before 1705 in Bern, Switzerland.

Margaret Forrer.

Johannes Schenck and Margaret Forrer were married in 1665 in Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland. They had the following children:

Michael Schenk was born on 27 Jan 1666/67 in Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland. He died before Jun 1668 in Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland.

ii.

Michael Schenk was born on 07 Jun 1668 in Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland. He died on 10 Feb 1728/29 in Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland.

iii.

Margret Schenk was born on 11 Nov 1678 in Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland.

iv.

Hans Schenk was born on 20 May 1681 in Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland.

Daniel Schenk was born on 01 Feb 1683/84 in Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland.

vi.

Anna Schenk was born on 12 Feb 1685/86 in Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland.

vii.

Barbara Schenk was born on 04 May 1688 in Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland.

Generation 7

Christian Stauffer Schenk-7 (Michael-6, Michael-5, Ulrich-4, Hans Christian-3, Johannes-2, Hans-1) was born on 15 Jun 1662 in Eggiwil, Canton, Bern, Switzerland. He died on 22 Nov 1724 in Strasburg Twp, Lancaster Co, PA.

Notes for Christian Stauffer Schenk:

General Notes:

Notes from George Shank's research:

NOTE: The following is take directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa. 17602-1499, Phone; (717) 393-37945. Internet=use a search engine.

Christian Shank (Schenck) and his three sons and three daughters arrived in America in the year of 1717. They were part of the contingent of 363 Swiss-German Mennonites who had assembled around Mannheim, Germany and who had sailed in three small ships from Rotterdam, Holland in June of 1717. The rather large group was under the leadership of Benedict Brackbill, a well known Mennonite preacher and teacher. In Volume 3 of the Pennsylvania Colonial Records, at page 29, there is an account of the three ships masters, Captains Eyers, Tower, and Richards, belatedly reporting the 363 passengers in to the authorities on September 8, 1717. I have corresponded with a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania genealogist, Martin H. Brackbill, who is a direct descendant of Benedict. He states that the three ships arrived at Philadelphia, apparently together on August 24, 1717.

Although not positively proven, research indicates the Christian Shank was born near Basel Switzerland about 1665. As a child he was likely a member of one of the four Schenck (Shank) families who were Mennonites and who, hounded by the Roman Catholic Church for their religious beliefs, fled into Germany from Switzerland in 1671. As previously stated, the names of the heads of these Schenck families were included in the list of those Swiss Mennonites who were living at Osthoven, near Mannheim, Germany in 1672. Although nothing positive is known of the wife of Christian Shank, Martin Brackbill, the genealogist, suggests that Benedict

Brackbill's sister Barbara, may have been married to our ancestor Christian. No

research has been undertaken by me on the early years of Christian Shank, so the

foregoing is partly speculative. It should be noted on Christian's chart, however,

that he named one of his daughters, Barbara, and that the name was carried on down in later generations. This would add some substance to the speculation that Christian Shank's wife was Barbara Brackbill.

There is a deed recorded in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in Deed Book WW, on pages 300 through 305, which is a vital document in the genealogy of our Shank family and of Christian Shank in particular. This lengthy deed gives the first good solid proof of the circumstances surrounding our first American ancestor. The document, although not written until January 7, 1758, traces the title to 265 acres of land located in Lancaster County and recites that Christian Shank and Benedict Brackbill, on September 25, 1717, jointly, with half interest for each, bought the 530 acre tract of land that had been patented to John Funk in 1711. This would add a bit more weight to the possibility that Barbara Brackbill was the wife of Christian, it appearing that some sort of family relationship did exist between the Brackbill and Shank families. The Funk tract was right in the midst of the 6400 acre tract granted to the Mennonites in 1710. The historical marker located at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and Penn Grant Road further corroborates the location of the property. Maps and surveys of early Lancaster County, prepared by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1933 show the 530 acre tract to be rather long and narrow and extending over three fourths of a mile in a north and south direction. Located on Pequea Creek (pronounced PECKWAY), it is on today's map at the west city limits of Strasburg in Strasburg township. Pequea Creek runs through the northern part of Christian's land, as well as through the farm of Christian's son Michael, who was also located Pequea, but a bit further down the creek.

You will notice that the 1717 land transaction occured in no more than a month after the arrival of the 363 Palatines at Philadelphia. Remember, also, that this was the group of settles organized, in part, by Benedict Brackbill with the express purpose conclusively that the Shank and Brackbill families were members of that group reported to the authorities on September 8, 1717. and who immediately joined their fellow Mennonites along Pequea Creek.

The 1758 deed further states that Benedict Brackbill's three heirs, son Woolrick and daughters Frances and Barbara, deeded half of the 530 acre tract (265 acres to Henry Shank (second eldest son of Christian) on April 15, 1737 (See Deed Book B-95). Deed WW-300 is a composite deed which not only relates the foregoing transactions, but also conveys to Henry Shank, the interest of his brothers and sisters in the 265 acres. The deed reads like a genealogy chart in that it names as heirs of Christian Shank, his three sons: Michael, eldest, who already had his own land; Henry, second eldest and Jacob, the youngest. It names the daughters of Christian as Margaret (wife of Jacob Graff); Anna (wife of Jacob Denlinger) and Barbara (wife of John Bowman). Son Jacob and his sister Margaret had died prior to the making of the deed in 1758 and signing the deed, as Jacob's only child, was his daughter Barbara (wife of Jacob Hoober). Signing as Margaret's heirs, was her hus- band, Jacob Graff and their three daughters: Margaret (wife of Lodowich Hoober); and unmarried daughters Barbara and Mary Graff. Since Michael, the eldest son of Christian Shank already had his own land, and Jacob the younger son was already deceased, all the rest of the heirs agreed that Henry should have his father's farm and they all signed the WW-300 deed in German Script. Two days later, apparently as part of the agreement, Henry and wife Margret, deeded the northern half of the 265 .

acre tract to Jacob's daughter and only heir, Barbara and her husband Jacob Hoober (Huber) as part of Christian's estate

So it was then, 41 years after Christians Shank and Benedict Brackbill had jointly acquired the land near Strasburg, that lengthy 1758 deed accomplished the final division of the 530 acre tract and cleared the title to half of it to Henry Shank. The deed was a most fortunate find in the Shank genealogy. Although it was written in 1758, it was not recorded in Lancaster courthouse until May 25, 1795--thirty-three years after Henry died in 1762 and seventy-eight years after

Christian Shank and his family came to America. In 1763, the year after Henry died, title to the entire estate of 530 acres came back under the single ownership of John Brackbill, who was the grandson of Benedict Brackbill.

To get some idea of how this countryside appeared to three of our ancestors (Christian, Michael and his son john) one can refer to the historian, Redmond Conygham of Lancaster County, who, writing in the middle 1800's, had this to say about the area and its settlers:

"...a rich limestone country, beautifully adorned with sugar maple,

hickory, and black and white walnut on the border of a delightful stream,

abounding in the finest trout--here they raised their humble cabins.

The water of the Pequea was clear, cold and transparent, and the grape

vines and clematis, intertwining among the lofty branches of the majestic

button wood, formed a pleasant retreat from the noon beams

of a summer sun."

Christian Shank must have been delighted and greatly pleased to have traded the turmoil of Europe for the peace and tranquillity of the Pequea Valley.

However, he did not live very long to enjoy the benefits of the New World. Christian Shank died in the fall of 1724, after only seven years in America. His partner on the farm, Brackbill, had even less time in this chosen land. Bendict Brackbill died January 20, 1721. Benedict's descendants have remained in the general vicinity until today. However, the Shank name disappeared from the neighborhood when Christian's son Henry, without male issue, died in 1762.

Christian appears to have been well respected in his Mennonite community. Upon his death, two highly regarded neighbors, Wendell Bowman, an original 1710 settler, and Hans Herr, Mennonite patriarch of the 1710 group, came to appraise Christians estate as required by law. The inventory of Christians possessions, written in German Script on the 22nd of November in 1724, bears the names of Bowman and Herr. Translated into English by the clerk, J. Lowe, Hans Herr's name is spelled "John Hair". Wendell Bowman is spelled "Wandell Bowman". The inventory of Christian's estate is the earliest recorded document relating to our family in America that I have been able to locate.

Christian Shank must have been a highly literate man for his time. Listed in his inventory was a collections of books, appraised for the amount of 6 pounds, 16 shillings and 6 pence: a large amount for those early days. His "share in a wagon" was listed at 1 pound, 2 shillings. His horse was valued at 6 pounds even. Includ-ed also was the usual collection of livestock found on a farm: "3 mairs and coults", cows, steers and "heffers", sheep and hogs. His land was valued at 107 pounds. I'm unable to decipher some of the items listed by the clerk, the document being 269 years old and hand written.

There is another historical marker, located about five miles south of the city of Lancaster at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and U.S. 222 and which relates to the locally famous "Hans Herr House". Hans Herr, one of the appraisers of Christian Shank's estate, was the leader of the Mennonite group that came from Bern, Switzerland to Lancaster County in 1710. The Hans Herr House, built in 1719, served as the church for the community. The house has been restored in recent years and is open to the public. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites. It is interesting to Shank descendants to visit this outstanding example of medieval German architecture and to know that three of our ancestral grandfathers once actually were in the house listening while Hans Herr and others preached the Mennonite religion. The Hans Herr home and the homes of Christian Shank, Michael Shank and Michael's youngest son John (our ancestor) were no more than three miles apart and formed a sort of triangle. It seems most likely that both Shank families may have helped in the building of this historic home. It was the custom, prevalent in those days to gather around to help their neighbors raise their barns and houses.

Located not far from the Hans Herr House and on Christian's Shank's original farm is the present day Eagle Museum. This is an excellent state approved museum and well worth the visit. The circumstance that makes it of special interest to Shank descendants is that it is located on part of the 530 acres Funk tract. The museum brochure states that the building which houses the museum was built about 1740 by John Herr, a relative of Hans Herr (Editor's Note: The Eagle Museum was last known as The Artichoke Grist Mill and as of August 1999 was defunct. The building remains). To recap a bit: Christian's land passed down to his son Henry. Henry had only one child, a daughter named Hester. Hester married John Herr, or as stated in Henry's will "John Hare". The building, originally a mill, was built by the husband of Christian's granddaughter, Hester. Eshelman's map prepared in 1910 confirms the site.

To return to ealier days, although Christian Shank died in November 1724, the inventory of his estate, as well as the adminsistrators Bond was not filed in court until the following spring. On March 1, 1725 Henry Shank, son of Christian, was appointed Administrator of the Estate. His bondsmen were Wendell Bowman and Jacob Kendig. Their signatures and what appears to be their thumb prints were affixed to the bond and it was witnessed by Ulrich (Woolrich) Brackbill (Brecbul) and J. Lowe. The county of Lancaster was not formed out of the parent county of Chester until 1729 so Christian's estate papers, consisting of the inventory and bond, were filed in the Chester County Courthouse in File No. 213, Adm. Docket I-76. Copies of these old documents follow and the individual chart of Christian Shank's descendents also following this article will help clarify the many names in the lengthy, but informative WW-300 deed. As Shank descendents, we should be most appreciative to the State of Pennyslvania for the preservation of these documents which prove our early American ancestry.

DEED

Note: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK;

pub. 1985 by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society.

************

THE FOLLOWING IS A COPY OF A HANDWRITTEN DEED WHICH NAMES THE CHILDREN AND SOME OF THE GRANDCHILDREN OF CHRISTIAN SHANK AND THE LAND ON WHICH CHRISTIAN SETTLED WHEN HE AND HIS FAMILY CAME TO PENNSYLVANIA IN 1717. IT AUTHENTICATES THE BEGINNING OF OUR SHANK FAMILY IN AMERICA.

LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Deed Recorded:

Book WW, Volume 2, Pages 300 - 304

MICHAEL SHANK et al)

To )

HENRY SHANK )

THIS INDENTURE made the seventh day of January in the year of our Lord, One thousand seven hundred and fifty eight. Between Michael Shank of the County of Lancaster, yeoman, eldest son of Christian Shank, late of the said county, yeoman deceased, and Mary his wife; Jacob Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Bar-bara, his wife (only child of Jacob Shank, deceased, who was the youngest son of said Christian Shank, deceased), Jacob Graff of the said county, yeoman, (who intermarryed with Margaret, one of the daughters of the said Christian Shank deceased, who is now also deceased), Lodowick Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Margaret his wife (one of the daughters of said Margaret Graff by the said Jacob Graff, her husband), Bar-bara Graff and Mary Graff of the said county, spinsters (two other daughters of the said Margaret Graff deceased by the said Jacob Graff), Jacob Denlinger of the said county, yeoman, and Anna his wife and John Bowman of the said county, yeoman, and Barbara, his wife (which Anna Denlinger and Barbara Bowman are the two other daugh-ters of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the one part AND Henry Shank of the Township of Strasburg in the said county, yeoman (second son of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the other part.

WHEREAS, William Penn, Esq., late proprietary of the Province of Pennsylvania, by a certain patent bearing the date the thirtieth day of June, One thousand seven hundred and eleven, did grant and convey unto one John Funk, his heirs and Assigns a certain tract or parcel of Land which is now situate in the said county of Lancaster containing five hundred and thirty acres as by the said patent recorded in the office for the recording of Patents at Philadelphia in Book A. Vol. 4, page 232, it may be more fully appear AND WHEREAS the said John Funk by Deed of the twenty fifth day of September, One thousand seven hundred and seven-teen, for the valuable consideration, did grant and convey the said five hundred and thirty acres of Land with the Appur-tenances unto one Bendictus Brechbill, his heirs and Assigns forever WHICH said Deed was so made to the said Benedictus Brechbill his heirs and Assigns In Trust as to a Moiety of the said Tract of five hundred and thirty acres of Land to and for the use and Behoof of the said Christian Shank deceased, his heirs and Assigns forever AND WHEREAS the said Christian Shank was in his life time and at the time of his death, possessed and seized of the said moiety of the said tract of Land (which is hereafter particularly mentioned, bounded and described) to him, his heirs and Assigns forever by virtue of and under the Trust aforesaid, and dying so

thereof seized or possessed intestate - the same descended and came to and amongst his before named Sons and Daughters as Tenants in common, according to the Act of Assembly in such case made and provided and afterwards it was agreed between all the said children that he, the said Henry Shank, should have, take, hold and enjoy the said Moiety of the said tract of Land to him, his heirs and Assigns forever upon the respective shares of his Bro-thers and Sisters of, in and to the said Moiety: being paid to them and which have accordingly been long since paid to them but no release of their several and respec-tive shares of, in and to the said Moiety hath yet been executed unto the said Henry Shank by his said Brothers and Sisters, any or either of them, yet it was agreed be-tween them that the said Benedictus Brechbill or his heirs might make or should make, seal and execute a Deed of Conveyance of the said Moiety to him the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns forever AND THEREUPON in and by certain indenture made the fif-teenth day of April, One thousand seven hundred thirty seven, made or mentioned to be made by and between Woolrick Brechbill of the county aforesaid, yeoman (only son of the said Benedictus Brechbill, then deceased) and Frances, his wife, Jacob Graff of the said County, yeoman and Barbara, his wife (one of the daughters of the said Bene-dictus Brechbill) and Emanuel Heer of the same county, yeoman Maudlin his wife (the other daughter of the Bendictus Brechbill) of the one part and the said Henry Shank of the other part, after reciting as ? the said above, in part, recited Patent and Deed and further as therein is recited, then that INDENTURE WITNESSED that the said Woolrich Brechbill and Frances, his wife; Jacob Graff (party thereto) and Barbara his wife and Emanual Heer and Maudlin, his wife, for the consideration thereby did grant, bargain, sell, alien, enfeoff and conform unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns, all the tract of Land then situate in the said County of Lancaster, BEGIN-NING at a corner of Land, then of the said Woolrich Brechbill, thence west by south by other Land then of the said Henry Shank, sixty four perches and a half to a Hick-ory, thence North by West by the same Land and the Land then or then late of Jacob Miller six hundred and sixty perches to a poplar, thence East by North sixty four perches and a half to a post, then South by east by the said Land of the said Wool-rich Brechbill six hundred and sixty perches to the place of beginning, containing two hundred and sixty five acres (being the one Moiety or half part of the said tract of five hundred and thirty acres) together with the rights, members, improvements, Hereditaments and Appurtenances whatever thereto being, hold unto and to use and Behoof of the said Henry shank, his heirs and Assigns forever under the yearly quit rent thereafter accruing for the same to the Chief Lord of the said fee there as in any and by the said Deed and Indenture, relation being thereto respectively had, many more fully appear. NOW THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH That the said Michael Shank and Mary, his wife; Jacob Hoober and Barbara, his wife; Jacob Graff (partly hereto); Lodowich Hoober and Margaret, his wife; Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger and Anna, his wife; John Bowman and Barbara his wife, for and in consideration as well of promises as of the sum of five hundred shillings a piece to each of them in had awell and truly paid by the said Henry Shank at or before the execution hereof, the receipt and payment whereof are hereby acknowledged HAVE and each of the HATH granted, bargained, sold, remised, released, ratifyed and confirm and by these presents do and each and every of the DOTH grant, bargain, sell, remise, ratify and confirm unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs, Assigns, all their each and every of their shares, parts and purparts whatsoever of & in to and out of all and singular the said Moiety or tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres and also of, in and to all the Houses, outhouses, edifices, Buildings, barns,stables, Gardens, Orchards, Meadows, ? , pastures, feeding woods, underwoods, ways,

waters, watercourses, Hedges, ditches, Trees, fences, Commodities, profits, priviledges, Ad-vantages, Hereditaments, Rights, members, Improvements and Appurtenances whatsoever thereon belonging or in any way appertaining and the reversions & remainders thereof and all their each and every of their estate, right, title, interest, use, Trust, property, possession, claim and demand whatsoever, both at Law and in equity of in and to the said Moiety, or tract of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, every or any part thereof TO HAVE AND TO HOLD all and singular the said shares, parts and purparts whatsoever in, to and out of the said Moiety Tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, hereditamus and premises hereby granted released and confirmed ? & ? mentioned or intended so to be with the Appurtenances unto the said Henry Shank.

IN WITNESS whereof the said parties to these presents, their hands and Seals have hereunto interchangeably set the day and the year first above written: Michael Shank, Mary Shank, Jacob Hoober, Barbara Hoober, Jacob Graff, Lodowich Hoober, Margaret Hoober, Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger, Anna Denlinger, John Bowman, Barbara Bowman, sealed and delivered in the presence of us, Frederick Yaisser, Cha. Morse, and Daniel Forer and Christian Forer.

For the sake of brevity and to eliminate useless repetition of names, the remaining portion of the deed is omitted from this copy. Daniel Forer witnessed part of the signatures before a Justice of the Peace on December 4, 1759. Frederick Yaisser witnessed the other signatures on July 18, 1760. Although the deed was written January 7, 1758, it was not recorded at the courthouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania until May 1795 - 71 years after Christian Shank died and 33 years after the death of Henry Shank. This deed is a rather historic document in the Shank genealogy.

B O N D

NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK;

pub. 1985; by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository:

The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society.

*************

COPY OF THE ESTATE OF CHRISTIAN SHANK (Died 1724)

CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA - FILE NO. 213

KNOW all men by these presents the Executors HENRY SHANK, JACOB KENDRICK & WENDALL BOWMAN, all in the County of Chester & Province of Pennsylvania, yeo-men, are held and firmly bound unto Peter Evans, Registrar General for the probate of Wills and Granting Letters of Administration in & for the province aforesaid in the sum of Five Hundred Pounds, currant mony of the province aforesaid, to be payd to the said Reg. Gen. his Certain Attorney, Executor, Adms. or Assigns, to which payment well and truly to be made, we bind our- selves joyntly and severally, for and in the whole, our heirs, Executors and Adminstrators, firmly by these presents, Sealed with our Seals dated the First day of March Anno Domini 1725.

The condition of this Obligation is such that if the above bounden Henry Shank, Ad-ministrator of all & singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of Christian Shank, dec'd do make or cause to be made a true and perfect inventory of all and singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of said dec'd which have or shall come to the hands, pos-session of any other person or persons for him, & ye same, so made, exhibitt or cause to be exhibitted into ye Registrars office at Chester on or before ye First day of May next and ye same Goods, Rights and Crdits of ye said dec'd, which at the time of his death were owing to him or which, at any time after, shall come to the hands, possession or knowledge of him, the said Henry Shank, or into ye hands and possessions of any other person or persons for him, and ye same do well and truly administer according to Law and further do make or cause to be made, a true and just account of thy administration on or before the First day of May, which will be in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and twenty five and all the rest and residue of ye Goods, Rights and Credits which shall be found remaining upon ye said Administration Accounts, the same being first examined and allowed of by ye Orphans Court, of ye County of Chester, shall deliver and pay unto such person and persons, respectively, as ye said Court by its Decree or Sentance pursuant to law shall limit and appoint, & if it shall hereafter appear that any Last Will & Test-ament was made by ye Dec'd, and if the Executors therein named do exhibit ye same into ye Registrar's Office at Chester, making request to have it allowed & approved accordingly if ye said Henry Shank being thereunto required, do render and deliver up said Let-ter of Administration approbation of such Testament being first had and made at ye office that, then, this obligation to be void or else to be and remain in full force and vetue to the effect.

Sealed and Delivered

In the presence of

Signed:

Ulrich Brechbul ? ? Henry Shank

John Lowe Jacob Kendig

Wendall Bowman

Schenk Farm Locations 1717-1750

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=79727f6e-fb22-4b49-bf4f-81597a921813&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583

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http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=d31ec885-5263-4cb7-845b-aebb2153fcdd&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583

Christian Schenck

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Page 6 of 238

Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM


Register Report for Hans Schenk




Generation 7 (con't)

	Notes for Christian Stauffer Schenk: General Notes: Notes from George Shank's research: NOTE: The following is take directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa. 17602-1499, Phone; (717) 393-37945. Internet=use a search engine. . Christian Shank (Schenck) and his three sons and three daughters arrived in America in the year of 1717. They were part of the contingent of 363 Swiss-German Mennonites who had assembled around Mannheim, Germany and who had sailed in three small ships from Rotterdam, Holland in June of 1717. The rather large group was under the leadership of Benedict Brackbill, a well known Mennonite preacher and teacher. In Volume 3 of the Pennsylvania Colonial Records, at page 29, there is an account of the three ships masters, Captains Eyers, Tower, and Richards, belatedly reporting the 363 passengers in to the authorities on September 8, 1717. I have corresponded with a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania genealogist, Martin H. Brackbill, who is a direct descendant of Benedict. He states that the three ships arrived at Philadelphia, apparently together on August 24, 1717. Although not positively proven, research indicates the Christian Shank was born near Basel Switzerland about 1665. As a child he was likely a member of one of the four Schenck (Shank) families who were Mennonites and who, hounded by the Roman Catholic Church for their religious beliefs, fled into Germany from Switzerland in 1671. As previously stated, the names of the heads of these Schenck families were included in the list of those Swiss Mennonites who were living at Osthoven, near Mannheim, Germany in 1672. Although nothing positive is known of the wife of Christian Shank, Martin Brackbill, the genealogist, suggests that Benedict Brackbill's sister Barbara, may have been married to our ancestor Christian. No research has been undertaken by me on the early years of Christian Shank, so the foregoing is partly speculative. It should be noted on Christian's chart, however, that he named one of his daughters, Barbara, and that the name was carried on down in later generations. This would add some substance to the speculation that Christian Shank's wife was Barbara Brackbill. There is a deed recorded in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in Deed Book WW, on pages 300 through 305, which is a vital document in the genealogy of our Shank family and of Christian Shank in particular. This lengthy deed gives the first good solid proof of the circumstances surrounding our first American ancestor. The document, although not written until January 7, 1758, traces the title to 265 acres of land located in Lancaster County and recites that Christian Shank and Benedict Brackbill, on September 25, 1717, jointly, with half interest for each, bought the 530 acre tract of land that had been patented to John Funk in 1711. This would add a bit more weight to the possibility that Barbara Brackbill was the wife of Christian, it appearing that some sort of family relationship did exist between the Brackbill and Shank families. The Funk tract was right in the midst of the 6400 acre tract granted to the Mennonites in 1710. The historical marker located at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and Penn Grant Road further corroborates the location of the property. Maps and surveys of early Lancaster County, prepared by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1933 show the 530 acre tract to be rather long and narrow and extending over three fourths of a mile in a north and south direction. Located on Pequea Creek (pronounced PECKWAY), it is on today's map at the west city limits of Strasburg in Strasburg township. Pequea Creek runs through the northern part of Christian's land, as well as through the farm of Christian's son Michael, who was also located Pequea, but a bit further down the creek. You will notice that the 1717 land transaction occured in no more than a month after the arrival of the 363 Palatines at Philadelphia. Remember, also, that this was the group of settles organized, in part, by Benedict Brackbill with the express purpose conclusively that the Shank and Brackbill families were members of that group reported to the authorities on September 8, 1717. and who immediately joined their fellow Mennonites along Pequea Creek. The 1758 deed further states that Benedict Brackbill's three heirs, son Woolrick and daughters Frances and Barbara, deeded half of the 530 acre tract (265 acres to Henry Shank (second eldest son of Christian) on April 15, 1737 (See Deed Book B-95). Deed WW-300 is a composite deed which not only relates the foregoing transactions, but also conveys to Henry Shank, the interest of his brothers and sisters in the 265 acres. The deed reads like a genealogy chart in that it names as heirs of Christian Shank, his three sons: Michael, eldest, who already had his own land; Henry, second eldest and Jacob, the youngest. It names the daughters of Christian as Margaret (wife of Jacob Graff); Anna (wife of Jacob Denlinger) and Barbara (wife of John Bowman). Son Jacob and his sister Margaret had died prior to the making of the deed in 1758 and signing the deed, as Jacob's only child, was his daughter Barbara (wife of Jacob Hoober). Signing as Margaret's heirs, was her hus- band, Jacob Graff and their three daughters: Margaret (wife of Lodowich Hoober); and unmarried daughters Barbara and Mary Graff. Since Michael, the eldest son of Christian Shank already had his own land, and Jacob the younger son was already deceased, all the rest of the heirs agreed that Henry should have his father's farm and they all signed the WW-300 deed in German Script. Two days later, apparently as part of the agreement, Henry and wife Margret, deeded the northern half of the 265 . acre tract to Jacob's daughter and only heir, Barbara and her husband Jacob Hoober (Huber) as part of Christian's estate So it was then, 41 years after Christians Shank and Benedict Brackbill had jointly acquired the land near Strasburg, that lengthy 1758 deed accomplished the final division of the 530 acre tract and cleared the title to half of it to Henry Shank. The deed was a most fortunate find in the Shank genealogy. Although it was written in 1758, it was not recorded in Lancaster courthouse until May 25, 1795--thirty-three years after Henry died in 1762 and seventy-eight years after Christian Shank and his family came to America. In 1763, the year after Henry died, title to the entire estate of 530 acres came back under the single ownership of John Brackbill, who was the grandson of Benedict Brackbill. To get some idea of how this countryside appeared to three of our ancestors (Christian, Michael and his son john) one can refer to the historian, Redmond Conygham of Lancaster County, who, writing in the middle 1800's, had this to say about the area and its settlers: . "...a rich limestone country, beautifully adorned with sugar maple, hickory, and black and white walnut on the border of a delightful stream, abounding in the finest trout--here they raised their humble cabins. The water of the Pequea was clear, cold and transparent, and the grape vines and clematis, intertwining among the lofty branches of the majestic button wood, formed a pleasant retreat from the noon beams of a summer sun." . Christian Shank must have been delighted and greatly pleased to have traded the turmoil of Europe for the peace and tranquillity of the Pequea Valley. However, he did not live very long to enjoy the benefits of the New World. Christian Shank died in the fall of 1724, after only seven years in America. His partner on the farm, Brackbill, had even less time in this chosen land. Bendict Brackbill died January 20, 1721. Benedict's descendants have remained in the general vicinity until today. However, the Shank name disappeared from the neighborhood when Christian's son Henry, without male issue, died in 1762. Christian appears to have been well respected in his Mennonite community. Upon his death, two highly regarded neighbors, Wendell Bowman, an original 1710 settler, and Hans Herr, Mennonite patriarch of the 1710 group, came to appraise Christians estate as required by law. The inventory of Christians possessions, written in German Script on the 22nd of November in 1724, bears the names of Bowman and Herr. Translated into English by the clerk, J. Lowe, Hans Herr's name is spelled "John Hair". Wendell Bowman is spelled "Wandell Bowman". The inventory of Christian's estate is the earliest recorded document relating to our family in America that I have been able to locate. Christian Shank must have been a highly literate man for his time. Listed in his inventory was a collections of books, appraised for the amount of 6 pounds, 16 shillings and 6 pence: a large amount for those early days. His "share in a wagon" was listed at 1 pound, 2 shillings. His horse was valued at 6 pounds even. Includ-ed also was the usual collection of livestock found on a farm: "3 mairs and coults", cows, steers and "heffers", sheep and hogs. His land was valued at 107 pounds. I'm unable to decipher some of the items listed by the clerk, the document being 269 years old and hand written. There is another historical marker, located about five miles south of the city of Lancaster at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and U.S. 222 and which relates to the locally famous "Hans Herr House". Hans Herr, one of the appraisers of Christian Shank's estate, was the leader of the Mennonite group that came from Bern, Switzerland to Lancaster County in 1710. The Hans Herr House, built in 1719, served as the church for the community. The house has been restored in recent years and is open to the public. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites. It is interesting to Shank descendants to visit this outstanding example of medieval German architecture and to know that three of our ancestral grandfathers once actually were in the house listening while Hans Herr and others preached the Mennonite religion. The Hans Herr home and the homes of Christian Shank, Michael Shank and Michael's youngest son John (our ancestor) were no more than three miles apart and formed a sort of triangle. It seems most likely that both Shank families may have helped in the building of this historic home. It was the custom, prevalent in those days to gather around to help their neighbors raise their barns and houses. Located not far from the Hans Herr House and on Christian's Shank's original farm is the present day Eagle Museum. This is an excellent state approved museum and well worth the visit. The circumstance that makes it of special interest to Shank descendants is that it is located on part of the 530 acres Funk tract. The museum brochure states that the building which houses the museum was built about 1740 by John Herr, a relative of Hans Herr (Editor's Note: The Eagle Museum was last known as The Artichoke Grist Mill and as of August 1999 was defunct. The building remains). To recap a bit: Christian's land passed down to his son Henry. Henry had only one child, a daughter named Hester. Hester married John Herr, or as stated in Henry's will "John Hare". The building, originally a mill, was built by the husband of Christian's granddaughter, Hester. Eshelman's map prepared in 1910 confirms the site. To return to ealier days, although Christian Shank died in November 1724, the inventory of his estate, as well as the adminsistrators Bond was not filed in court until the following spring. On March 1, 1725 Henry Shank, son of Christian, was appointed Administrator of the Estate. His bondsmen were Wendell Bowman and Jacob Kendig. Their signatures and what appears to be their thumb prints were affixed to the bond and it was witnessed by Ulrich (Woolrich) Brackbill (Brecbul) and J. Lowe. The county of Lancaster was not formed out of the parent county of Chester until 1729 so Christian's estate papers, consisting of the inventory and bond, were filed in the Chester County Courthouse in File No. 213, Adm. Docket I-76. Copies of these old documents follow and the individual chart of Christian Shank's descendents also following this article will help clarify the many names in the lengthy, but informative WW-300 deed. As Shank descendents, we should be most appreciative to the State of Pennyslvania for the preservation of these documents which prove our early American ancestry. DEED . . Note: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK; pub. 1985 by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. ********** . THE FOLLOWING IS A COPY OF A HANDWRITTEN DEED WHICH NAMES THE CHILDREN AND SOME OF THE GRANDCHILDREN OF CHRISTIAN SHANK AND THE LAND ON WHICH CHRISTIAN SETTLED WHEN HE AND HIS FAMILY CAME TO PENNSYLVANIA IN 1717. IT AUTHENTICATES THE BEGINNING OF OUR SHANK FAMILY IN AMERICA. . . LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Deed Recorded: Book WW, Volume 2, Pages 300 - 304 . . MICHAEL SHANK et al) To ) HENRY SHANK ) THIS INDENTURE made the seventh day of January in the year of our Lord, One thousand seven hundred and fifty eight. Between Michael Shank of the County of Lancaster, yeoman, eldest son of Christian Shank, late of the said county, yeoman deceased, and Mary his wife; Jacob Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Bar-bara, his wife (only child of Jacob Shank, deceased, who was the youngest son of said Christian Shank, deceased), Jacob Graff of the said county, yeoman, (who intermarryed with Margaret, one of the daughters of the said Christian Shank deceased, who is now also deceased), Lodowick Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Margaret his wife (one of the daughters of said Margaret Graff by the said Jacob Graff, her husband), Bar-bara Graff and Mary Graff of the said county, spinsters (two other daughters of the said Margaret Graff deceased by the said Jacob Graff), Jacob Denlinger of the said county, yeoman, and Anna his wife and John Bowman of the said county, yeoman, and Barbara, his wife (which Anna Denlinger and Barbara Bowman are the two other daugh-ters of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the one part AND Henry Shank of the Township of Strasburg in the said county, yeoman (second son of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the other part. WHEREAS, William Penn, Esq., late proprietary of the Province of Pennsylvania, by a certain patent bearing the date the thirtieth day of June, One thousand seven hundred and eleven, did grant and convey unto one John Funk, his heirs and Assigns a certain tract or parcel of Land which is now situate in the said county of Lancaster containing five hundred and thirty acres as by the said patent recorded in the office for the recording of Patents at Philadelphia in Book A. Vol. 4, page 232, it may be more fully appear AND WHEREAS the said John Funk by Deed of the twenty fifth day of September, One thousand seven hundred and seven-teen, for the valuable consideration, did grant and convey the said five hundred and thirty acres of Land with the Appur-tenances unto one Bendictus Brechbill, his heirs and Assigns forever WHICH said Deed was so made to the said Benedictus Brechbill his heirs and Assigns In Trust as to a Moiety of the said Tract of five hundred and thirty acres of Land to and for the use and Behoof of the said Christian Shank deceased, his heirs and Assigns forever AND WHEREAS the said Christian Shank was in his life time and at the time of his death, possessed and seized of the said moiety of the said tract of Land (which is hereafter particularly mentioned, bounded and described) to him, his heirs and Assigns forever by virtue of and under the Trust aforesaid, and dying so thereof seized or possessed intestate - the same descended and came to and amongst his before named Sons and Daughters as Tenants in common, according to the Act of Assembly in such case made and provided and afterwards it was agreed between all the said children that he, the said Henry Shank, should have, take, hold and enjoy the said Moiety of the said tract of Land to him, his heirs and Assigns forever upon the respective shares of his Bro-thers and Sisters of, in and to the said Moiety: being paid to them and which have accordingly been long since paid to them but no release of their several and respec-tive shares of, in and to the said Moiety hath yet been executed unto the said Henry Shank by his said Brothers and Sisters, any or either of them, yet it was agreed be-tween them that the said Benedictus Brechbill or his heirs might make or should make, seal and execute a Deed of Conveyance of the said Moiety to him the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns forever AND THEREUPON in and by certain indenture made the fif-teenth day of April, One thousand seven hundred thirty seven, made or mentioned to be made by and between Woolrick Brechbill of the county aforesaid, yeoman (only son of the said Benedictus Brechbill, then deceased) and Frances, his wife, Jacob Graff of the said County, yeoman and Barbara, his wife (one of the daughters of the said Bene-dictus Brechbill) and Emanuel Heer of the same county, yeoman Maudlin his wife (the other daughter of the Bendictus Brechbill) of the one part and the said Henry Shank of the other part, after reciting as ? the said above, in part, recited Patent and Deed and further as therein is recited, then that INDENTURE WITNESSED that the said Woolrich Brechbill and Frances, his wife; Jacob Graff (party thereto) and Barbara his wife and Emanual Heer and Maudlin, his wife, for the consideration thereby did grant, bargain, sell, alien, enfeoff and conform unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns, all the tract of Land then situate in the said County of Lancaster, BEGIN-NING at a corner of Land, then of the said Woolrich Brechbill, thence west by south by other Land then of the said Henry Shank, sixty four perches and a half to a Hick-ory, thence North by West by the same Land and the Land then or then late of Jacob Miller six hundred and sixty perches to a poplar, thence East by North sixty four perches and a half to a post, then South by east by the said Land of the said Wool-rich Brechbill six hundred and sixty perches to the place of beginning, containing two hundred and sixty five acres (being the one Moiety or half part of the said tract of five hundred and thirty acres) together with the rights, members, improvements, Hereditaments and Appurtenances whatever thereto being, hold unto and to use and Behoof of the said Henry shank, his heirs and Assigns forever under the yearly quit rent thereafter accruing for the same to the Chief Lord of the said fee there as in any and by the said Deed and Indenture, relation being thereto respectively had, many more fully appear. NOW THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH That the said Michael Shank and Mary, his wife; Jacob Hoober and Barbara, his wife; Jacob Graff (partly hereto); Lodowich Hoober and Margaret, his wife; Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger and Anna, his wife; John Bowman and Barbara his wife, for and in consideration as well of promises as of the sum of five hundred shillings a piece to each of them in had awell and truly paid by the said Henry Shank at or before the execution hereof, the receipt and payment whereof are hereby acknowledged HAVE and each of the HATH granted, bargained, sold, remised, released, ratifyed and confirm and by these presents do and each and every of the DOTH grant, bargain, sell, remise, ratify and confirm unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs, Assigns, all their each and every of their shares, parts and purparts whatsoever of & in to and out of all and singular the said Moiety or tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres and also of, in and to all the Houses, outhouses, edifices, Buildings, barns,stables, Gardens, Orchards, Meadows, ? , pastures, feeding woods, underwoods, ways, waters, watercourses, Hedges, ditches, Trees, fences, Commodities, profits, priviledges, Ad-vantages, Hereditaments, Rights, members, Improvements and Appurtenances whatsoever thereon belonging or in any way appertaining and the reversions & remainders thereof and all their each and every of their estate, right, title, interest, use, Trust, property, possession, claim and demand whatsoever, both at Law and in equity of in and to the said Moiety, or tract of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, every or any part thereof TO HAVE AND TO HOLD all and singular the said shares, parts and purparts whatsoever in, to and out of the said Moiety Tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, hereditamus and premises hereby granted released and confirmed ? & ? mentioned or intended so to be with the Appurtenances unto the said Henry Shank. IN WITNESS whereof the said parties to these presents, their hands and Seals have hereunto interchangeably set the day and the year first above written: Michael Shank, Mary Shank, Jacob Hoober, Barbara Hoober, Jacob Graff, Lodowich Hoober, Margaret Hoober, Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger, Anna Denlinger, John Bowman, Barbara Bowman, sealed and delivered in the presence of us, Frederick Yaisser, Cha. Morse, and Daniel Forer and Christian Forer. . For the sake of brevity and to eliminate useless repetition of names, the remaining portion of the deed is omitted from this copy. Daniel Forer witnessed part of the signatures before a Justice of the Peace on December 4, 1759. Frederick Yaisser witnessed the other signatures on July 18, 1760. Although the deed was written January 7, 1758, it was not recorded at the courthouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania until May 1795 - 71 years after Christian Shank died and 33 years after the death of Henry Shank. This deed is a rather historic document in the Shank genealogy. . . B O N D . NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK; pub. 1985; by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. *********** . COPY OF THE ESTATE OF CHRISTIAN SHANK (Died 1724) CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA - FILE NO. 213 . KNOW all men by these presents the Executors HENRY SHANK, JACOB KENDRICK & WENDALL BOWMAN, all in the County of Chester & Province of Pennsylvania, yeo-men, are held and firmly bound unto Peter Evans, Registrar General for the probate of Wills and Granting Letters of Administration in & for the province aforesaid in the sum of Five Hundred Pounds, currant mony of the province aforesaid, to be payd to the said Reg. Gen. his Certain Attorney, Executor, Adms. or Assigns, to which payment well and truly to be made, we bind our- selves joyntly and severally, for and in the whole, our heirs, Executors and Adminstrators, firmly by these presents, Sealed with our Seals dated the First day of March Anno Domini 1725. . The condition of this Obligation is such that if the above bounden Henry Shank, Ad-ministrator of all & singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of Christian Shank, dec'd do make or cause to be made a true and perfect inventory of all and singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of said dec'd which have or shall come to the hands, pos-session of any other person or persons for him, & ye same, so made, exhibitt or cause to be exhibitted into ye Registrars office at Chester on or before ye First day of May next and ye same Goods, Rights and Crdits of ye said dec'd, which at the time of his death were owing to him or which, at any time after, shall come to the hands, possession or knowledge of him, the said Henry Shank, or into ye hands and possessions of any other person or persons for him, and ye same do well and truly administer according to Law and further do make or cause to be made, a true and just account of thy administration on or before the First day of May, which will be in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and twenty five and all the rest and residue of ye Goods, Rights and Credits which shall be found remaining upon ye said Administration Accounts, the same being first examined and allowed of by ye Orphans Court, of ye County of Chester, shall deliver and pay unto such person and persons, respectively, as ye said Court by its Decree or Sentance pursuant to law shall limit and appoint, & if it shall hereafter appear that any Last Will & Test-ament was made by ye Dec'd, and if the Executors therein named do exhibit ye same into ye Registrar's Office at Chester, making request to have it allowed & approved accordingly if ye said Henry Shank being thereunto required, do render and deliver up said Let-ter of Administration approbation of such Testament being first had and made at ye office that, then, this obligation to be void or else to be and remain in full force and vetue to the effect. . Sealed and Delivered In the presence of Signed: Ulrich Brechbul ? ? Henry Shank John Lowe Jacob Kendig Wendall Bowman . Schenk Farm Locations 1717-1750 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=79727f6e-fb22-4b49-bf4f-81597a921813&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583 thumbnailCAVB12TH http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=d31ec885-5263-4cb7-845b-aebb2153fcdd&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583 Christian Schenck http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=2cfd9ac9-e6b4-47a6-a682-dc6c937769db&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583




		Page 7 of 238	Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM


Register Report for Hans Schenk




Generation 7 (con't)

	Notes for Christian Stauffer Schenk: General Notes: Notes from George Shank's research: NOTE: The following is take directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa. 17602-1499, Phone; (717) 393-37945. Internet=use a search engine. . Christian Shank (Schenck) and his three sons and three daughters arrived in America in the year of 1717. They were part of the contingent of 363 Swiss-German Mennonites who had assembled around Mannheim, Germany and who had sailed in three small ships from Rotterdam, Holland in June of 1717. The rather large group was under the leadership of Benedict Brackbill, a well known Mennonite preacher and teacher. In Volume 3 of the Pennsylvania Colonial Records, at page 29, there is an account of the three ships masters, Captains Eyers, Tower, and Richards, belatedly reporting the 363 passengers in to the authorities on September 8, 1717. I have corresponded with a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania genealogist, Martin H. Brackbill, who is a direct descendant of Benedict. He states that the three ships arrived at Philadelphia, apparently together on August 24, 1717. Although not positively proven, research indicates the Christian Shank was born near Basel Switzerland about 1665. As a child he was likely a member of one of the four Schenck (Shank) families who were Mennonites and who, hounded by the Roman Catholic Church for their religious beliefs, fled into Germany from Switzerland in 1671. As previously stated, the names of the heads of these Schenck families were included in the list of those Swiss Mennonites who were living at Osthoven, near Mannheim, Germany in 1672. Although nothing positive is known of the wife of Christian Shank, Martin Brackbill, the genealogist, suggests that Benedict Brackbill's sister Barbara, may have been married to our ancestor Christian. No research has been undertaken by me on the early years of Christian Shank, so the foregoing is partly speculative. It should be noted on Christian's chart, however, that he named one of his daughters, Barbara, and that the name was carried on down in later generations. This would add some substance to the speculation that Christian Shank's wife was Barbara Brackbill. There is a deed recorded in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in Deed Book WW, on pages 300 through 305, which is a vital document in the genealogy of our Shank family and of Christian Shank in particular. This lengthy deed gives the first good solid proof of the circumstances surrounding our first American ancestor. The document, although not written until January 7, 1758, traces the title to 265 acres of land located in Lancaster County and recites that Christian Shank and Benedict Brackbill, on September 25, 1717, jointly, with half interest for each, bought the 530 acre tract of land that had been patented to John Funk in 1711. This would add a bit more weight to the possibility that Barbara Brackbill was the wife of Christian, it appearing that some sort of family relationship did exist between the Brackbill and Shank families. The Funk tract was right in the midst of the 6400 acre tract granted to the Mennonites in 1710. The historical marker located at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and Penn Grant Road further corroborates the location of the property. Maps and surveys of early Lancaster County, prepared by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1933 show the 530 acre tract to be rather long and narrow and extending over three fourths of a mile in a north and south direction. Located on Pequea Creek (pronounced PECKWAY), it is on today's map at the west city limits of Strasburg in Strasburg township. Pequea Creek runs through the northern part of Christian's land, as well as through the farm of Christian's son Michael, who was also located Pequea, but a bit further down the creek. You will notice that the 1717 land transaction occured in no more than a month after the arrival of the 363 Palatines at Philadelphia. Remember, also, that this was the group of settles organized, in part, by Benedict Brackbill with the express purpose conclusively that the Shank and Brackbill families were members of that group reported to the authorities on September 8, 1717. and who immediately joined their fellow Mennonites along Pequea Creek. The 1758 deed further states that Benedict Brackbill's three heirs, son Woolrick and daughters Frances and Barbara, deeded half of the 530 acre tract (265 acres to Henry Shank (second eldest son of Christian) on April 15, 1737 (See Deed Book B-95). Deed WW-300 is a composite deed which not only relates the foregoing transactions, but also conveys to Henry Shank, the interest of his brothers and sisters in the 265 acres. The deed reads like a genealogy chart in that it names as heirs of Christian Shank, his three sons: Michael, eldest, who already had his own land; Henry, second eldest and Jacob, the youngest. It names the daughters of Christian as Margaret (wife of Jacob Graff); Anna (wife of Jacob Denlinger) and Barbara (wife of John Bowman). Son Jacob and his sister Margaret had died prior to the making of the deed in 1758 and signing the deed, as Jacob's only child, was his daughter Barbara (wife of Jacob Hoober). Signing as Margaret's heirs, was her hus- band, Jacob Graff and their three daughters: Margaret (wife of Lodowich Hoober); and unmarried daughters Barbara and Mary Graff. Since Michael, the eldest son of Christian Shank already had his own land, and Jacob the younger son was already deceased, all the rest of the heirs agreed that Henry should have his father's farm and they all signed the WW-300 deed in German Script. Two days later, apparently as part of the agreement, Henry and wife Margret, deeded the northern half of the 265 . acre tract to Jacob's daughter and only heir, Barbara and her husband Jacob Hoober (Huber) as part of Christian's estate So it was then, 41 years after Christians Shank and Benedict Brackbill had jointly acquired the land near Strasburg, that lengthy 1758 deed accomplished the final division of the 530 acre tract and cleared the title to half of it to Henry Shank. The deed was a most fortunate find in the Shank genealogy. Although it was written in 1758, it was not recorded in Lancaster courthouse until May 25, 1795--thirty-three years after Henry died in 1762 and seventy-eight years after Christian Shank and his family came to America. In 1763, the year after Henry died, title to the entire estate of 530 acres came back under the single ownership of John Brackbill, who was the grandson of Benedict Brackbill. To get some idea of how this countryside appeared to three of our ancestors (Christian, Michael and his son john) one can refer to the historian, Redmond Conygham of Lancaster County, who, writing in the middle 1800's, had this to say about the area and its settlers: . "...a rich limestone country, beautifully adorned with sugar maple, hickory, and black and white walnut on the border of a delightful stream, abounding in the finest trout--here they raised their humble cabins. The water of the Pequea was clear, cold and transparent, and the grape vines and clematis, intertwining among the lofty branches of the majestic button wood, formed a pleasant retreat from the noon beams of a summer sun." . Christian Shank must have been delighted and greatly pleased to have traded the turmoil of Europe for the peace and tranquillity of the Pequea Valley. However, he did not live very long to enjoy the benefits of the New World. Christian Shank died in the fall of 1724, after only seven years in America. His partner on the farm, Brackbill, had even less time in this chosen land. Bendict Brackbill died January 20, 1721. Benedict's descendants have remained in the general vicinity until today. However, the Shank name disappeared from the neighborhood when Christian's son Henry, without male issue, died in 1762. Christian appears to have been well respected in his Mennonite community. Upon his death, two highly regarded neighbors, Wendell Bowman, an original 1710 settler, and Hans Herr, Mennonite patriarch of the 1710 group, came to appraise Christians estate as required by law. The inventory of Christians possessions, written in German Script on the 22nd of November in 1724, bears the names of Bowman and Herr. Translated into English by the clerk, J. Lowe, Hans Herr's name is spelled "John Hair". Wendell Bowman is spelled "Wandell Bowman". The inventory of Christian's estate is the earliest recorded document relating to our family in America that I have been able to locate. Christian Shank must have been a highly literate man for his time. Listed in his inventory was a collections of books, appraised for the amount of 6 pounds, 16 shillings and 6 pence: a large amount for those early days. His "share in a wagon" was listed at 1 pound, 2 shillings. His horse was valued at 6 pounds even. Includ-ed also was the usual collection of livestock found on a farm: "3 mairs and coults", cows, steers and "heffers", sheep and hogs. His land was valued at 107 pounds. I'm unable to decipher some of the items listed by the clerk, the document being 269 years old and hand written. There is another historical marker, located about five miles south of the city of Lancaster at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and U.S. 222 and which relates to the locally famous "Hans Herr House". Hans Herr, one of the appraisers of Christian Shank's estate, was the leader of the Mennonite group that came from Bern, Switzerland to Lancaster County in 1710. The Hans Herr House, built in 1719, served as the church for the community. The house has been restored in recent years and is open to the public. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites. It is interesting to Shank descendants to visit this outstanding example of medieval German architecture and to know that three of our ancestral grandfathers once actually were in the house listening while Hans Herr and others preached the Mennonite religion. The Hans Herr home and the homes of Christian Shank, Michael Shank and Michael's youngest son John (our ancestor) were no more than three miles apart and formed a sort of triangle. It seems most likely that both Shank families may have helped in the building of this historic home. It was the custom, prevalent in those days to gather around to help their neighbors raise their barns and houses. Located not far from the Hans Herr House and on Christian's Shank's original farm is the present day Eagle Museum. This is an excellent state approved museum and well worth the visit. The circumstance that makes it of special interest to Shank descendants is that it is located on part of the 530 acres Funk tract. The museum brochure states that the building which houses the museum was built about 1740 by John Herr, a relative of Hans Herr (Editor's Note: The Eagle Museum was last known as The Artichoke Grist Mill and as of August 1999 was defunct. The building remains). To recap a bit: Christian's land passed down to his son Henry. Henry had only one child, a daughter named Hester. Hester married John Herr, or as stated in Henry's will "John Hare". The building, originally a mill, was built by the husband of Christian's granddaughter, Hester. Eshelman's map prepared in 1910 confirms the site. To return to ealier days, although Christian Shank died in November 1724, the inventory of his estate, as well as the adminsistrators Bond was not filed in court until the following spring. On March 1, 1725 Henry Shank, son of Christian, was appointed Administrator of the Estate. His bondsmen were Wendell Bowman and Jacob Kendig. Their signatures and what appears to be their thumb prints were affixed to the bond and it was witnessed by Ulrich (Woolrich) Brackbill (Brecbul) and J. Lowe. The county of Lancaster was not formed out of the parent county of Chester until 1729 so Christian's estate papers, consisting of the inventory and bond, were filed in the Chester County Courthouse in File No. 213, Adm. Docket I-76. Copies of these old documents follow and the individual chart of Christian Shank's descendents also following this article will help clarify the many names in the lengthy, but informative WW-300 deed. As Shank descendents, we should be most appreciative to the State of Pennyslvania for the preservation of these documents which prove our early American ancestry. DEED . . Note: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK; pub. 1985 by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. ********** . THE FOLLOWING IS A COPY OF A HANDWRITTEN DEED WHICH NAMES THE CHILDREN AND SOME OF THE GRANDCHILDREN OF CHRISTIAN SHANK AND THE LAND ON WHICH CHRISTIAN SETTLED WHEN HE AND HIS FAMILY CAME TO PENNSYLVANIA IN 1717. IT AUTHENTICATES THE BEGINNING OF OUR SHANK FAMILY IN AMERICA. . . LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Deed Recorded: Book WW, Volume 2, Pages 300 - 304 . . MICHAEL SHANK et al) To ) HENRY SHANK ) THIS INDENTURE made the seventh day of January in the year of our Lord, One thousand seven hundred and fifty eight. Between Michael Shank of the County of Lancaster, yeoman, eldest son of Christian Shank, late of the said county, yeoman deceased, and Mary his wife; Jacob Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Bar-bara, his wife (only child of Jacob Shank, deceased, who was the youngest son of said Christian Shank, deceased), Jacob Graff of the said county, yeoman, (who intermarryed with Margaret, one of the daughters of the said Christian Shank deceased, who is now also deceased), Lodowick Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Margaret his wife (one of the daughters of said Margaret Graff by the said Jacob Graff, her husband), Bar-bara Graff and Mary Graff of the said county, spinsters (two other daughters of the said Margaret Graff deceased by the said Jacob Graff), Jacob Denlinger of the said county, yeoman, and Anna his wife and John Bowman of the said county, yeoman, and Barbara, his wife (which Anna Denlinger and Barbara Bowman are the two other daugh-ters of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the one part AND Henry Shank of the Township of Strasburg in the said county, yeoman (second son of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the other part. WHEREAS, William Penn, Esq., late proprietary of the Province of Pennsylvania, by a certain patent bearing the date the thirtieth day of June, One thousand seven hundred and eleven, did grant and convey unto one John Funk, his heirs and Assigns a certain tract or parcel of Land which is now situate in the said county of Lancaster containing five hundred and thirty acres as by the said patent recorded in the office for the recording of Patents at Philadelphia in Book A. Vol. 4, page 232, it may be more fully appear AND WHEREAS the said John Funk by Deed of the twenty fifth day of September, One thousand seven hundred and seven-teen, for the valuable consideration, did grant and convey the said five hundred and thirty acres of Land with the Appur-tenances unto one Bendictus Brechbill, his heirs and Assigns forever WHICH said Deed was so made to the said Benedictus Brechbill his heirs and Assigns In Trust as to a Moiety of the said Tract of five hundred and thirty acres of Land to and for the use and Behoof of the said Christian Shank deceased, his heirs and Assigns forever AND WHEREAS the said Christian Shank was in his life time and at the time of his death, possessed and seized of the said moiety of the said tract of Land (which is hereafter particularly mentioned, bounded and described) to him, his heirs and Assigns forever by virtue of and under the Trust aforesaid, and dying so thereof seized or possessed intestate - the same descended and came to and amongst his before named Sons and Daughters as Tenants in common, according to the Act of Assembly in such case made and provided and afterwards it was agreed between all the said children that he, the said Henry Shank, should have, take, hold and enjoy the said Moiety of the said tract of Land to him, his heirs and Assigns forever upon the respective shares of his Bro-thers and Sisters of, in and to the said Moiety: being paid to them and which have accordingly been long since paid to them but no release of their several and respec-tive shares of, in and to the said Moiety hath yet been executed unto the said Henry Shank by his said Brothers and Sisters, any or either of them, yet it was agreed be-tween them that the said Benedictus Brechbill or his heirs might make or should make, seal and execute a Deed of Conveyance of the said Moiety to him the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns forever AND THEREUPON in and by certain indenture made the fif-teenth day of April, One thousand seven hundred thirty seven, made or mentioned to be made by and between Woolrick Brechbill of the county aforesaid, yeoman (only son of the said Benedictus Brechbill, then deceased) and Frances, his wife, Jacob Graff of the said County, yeoman and Barbara, his wife (one of the daughters of the said Bene-dictus Brechbill) and Emanuel Heer of the same county, yeoman Maudlin his wife (the other daughter of the Bendictus Brechbill) of the one part and the said Henry Shank of the other part, after reciting as ? the said above, in part, recited Patent and Deed and further as therein is recited, then that INDENTURE WITNESSED that the said Woolrich Brechbill and Frances, his wife; Jacob Graff (party thereto) and Barbara his wife and Emanual Heer and Maudlin, his wife, for the consideration thereby did grant, bargain, sell, alien, enfeoff and conform unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns, all the tract of Land then situate in the said County of Lancaster, BEGIN-NING at a corner of Land, then of the said Woolrich Brechbill, thence west by south by other Land then of the said Henry Shank, sixty four perches and a half to a Hick-ory, thence North by West by the same Land and the Land then or then late of Jacob Miller six hundred and sixty perches to a poplar, thence East by North sixty four perches and a half to a post, then South by east by the said Land of the said Wool-rich Brechbill six hundred and sixty perches to the place of beginning, containing two hundred and sixty five acres (being the one Moiety or half part of the said tract of five hundred and thirty acres) together with the rights, members, improvements, Hereditaments and Appurtenances whatever thereto being, hold unto and to use and Behoof of the said Henry shank, his heirs and Assigns forever under the yearly quit rent thereafter accruing for the same to the Chief Lord of the said fee there as in any and by the said Deed and Indenture, relation being thereto respectively had, many more fully appear. NOW THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH That the said Michael Shank and Mary, his wife; Jacob Hoober and Barbara, his wife; Jacob Graff (partly hereto); Lodowich Hoober and Margaret, his wife; Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger and Anna, his wife; John Bowman and Barbara his wife, for and in consideration as well of promises as of the sum of five hundred shillings a piece to each of them in had awell and truly paid by the said Henry Shank at or before the execution hereof, the receipt and payment whereof are hereby acknowledged HAVE and each of the HATH granted, bargained, sold, remised, released, ratifyed and confirm and by these presents do and each and every of the DOTH grant, bargain, sell, remise, ratify and confirm unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs, Assigns, all their each and every of their shares, parts and purparts whatsoever of & in to and out of all and singular the said Moiety or tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres and also of, in and to all the Houses, outhouses, edifices, Buildings, barns,stables, Gardens, Orchards, Meadows, ? , pastures, feeding woods, underwoods, ways, waters, watercourses, Hedges, ditches, Trees, fences, Commodities, profits, priviledges, Ad-vantages, Hereditaments, Rights, members, Improvements and Appurtenances whatsoever thereon belonging or in any way appertaining and the reversions & remainders thereof and all their each and every of their estate, right, title, interest, use, Trust, property, possession, claim and demand whatsoever, both at Law and in equity of in and to the said Moiety, or tract of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, every or any part thereof TO HAVE AND TO HOLD all and singular the said shares, parts and purparts whatsoever in, to and out of the said Moiety Tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, hereditamus and premises hereby granted released and confirmed ? & ? mentioned or intended so to be with the Appurtenances unto the said Henry Shank. IN WITNESS whereof the said parties to these presents, their hands and Seals have hereunto interchangeably set the day and the year first above written: Michael Shank, Mary Shank, Jacob Hoober, Barbara Hoober, Jacob Graff, Lodowich Hoober, Margaret Hoober, Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger, Anna Denlinger, John Bowman, Barbara Bowman, sealed and delivered in the presence of us, Frederick Yaisser, Cha. Morse, and Daniel Forer and Christian Forer. . For the sake of brevity and to eliminate useless repetition of names, the remaining portion of the deed is omitted from this copy. Daniel Forer witnessed part of the signatures before a Justice of the Peace on December 4, 1759. Frederick Yaisser witnessed the other signatures on July 18, 1760. Although the deed was written January 7, 1758, it was not recorded at the courthouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania until May 1795 - 71 years after Christian Shank died and 33 years after the death of Henry Shank. This deed is a rather historic document in the Shank genealogy. . . B O N D . NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK; pub. 1985; by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. *********** . COPY OF THE ESTATE OF CHRISTIAN SHANK (Died 1724) CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA - FILE NO. 213 . KNOW all men by these presents the Executors HENRY SHANK, JACOB KENDRICK & WENDALL BOWMAN, all in the County of Chester & Province of Pennsylvania, yeo-men, are held and firmly bound unto Peter Evans, Registrar General for the probate of Wills and Granting Letters of Administration in & for the province aforesaid in the sum of Five Hundred Pounds, currant mony of the province aforesaid, to be payd to the said Reg. Gen. his Certain Attorney, Executor, Adms. or Assigns, to which payment well and truly to be made, we bind our- selves joyntly and severally, for and in the whole, our heirs, Executors and Adminstrators, firmly by these presents, Sealed with our Seals dated the First day of March Anno Domini 1725. . The condition of this Obligation is such that if the above bounden Henry Shank, Ad-ministrator of all & singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of Christian Shank, dec'd do make or cause to be made a true and perfect inventory of all and singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of said dec'd which have or shall come to the hands, pos-session of any other person or persons for him, & ye same, so made, exhibitt or cause to be exhibitted into ye Registrars office at Chester on or before ye First day of May next and ye same Goods, Rights and Crdits of ye said dec'd, which at the time of his death were owing to him or which, at any time after, shall come to the hands, possession or knowledge of him, the said Henry Shank, or into ye hands and possessions of any other person or persons for him, and ye same do well and truly administer according to Law and further do make or cause to be made, a true and just account of thy administration on or before the First day of May, which will be in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and twenty five and all the rest and residue of ye Goods, Rights and Credits which shall be found remaining upon ye said Administration Accounts, the same being first examined and allowed of by ye Orphans Court, of ye County of Chester, shall deliver and pay unto such person and persons, respectively, as ye said Court by its Decree or Sentance pursuant to law shall limit and appoint, & if it shall hereafter appear that any Last Will & Test-ament was made by ye Dec'd, and if the Executors therein named do exhibit ye same into ye Registrar's Office at Chester, making request to have it allowed & approved accordingly if ye said Henry Shank being thereunto required, do render and deliver up said Let-ter of Administration approbation of such Testament being first had and made at ye office that, then, this obligation to be void or else to be and remain in full force and vetue to the effect. . Sealed and Delivered In the presence of Signed: Ulrich Brechbul ? ? Henry Shank John Lowe Jacob Kendig Wendall Bowman . Schenk Farm Locations 1717-1750 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=79727f6e-fb22-4b49-bf4f-81597a921813&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583 thumbnailCAVB12TH http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=d31ec885-5263-4cb7-845b-aebb2153fcdd&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583 Christian Schenck http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=2cfd9ac9-e6b4-47a6-a682-dc6c937769db&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583




		Page 8 of 238	Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM


Register Report for Hans Schenk




Generation 7 (con't)

	Notes for Christian Stauffer Schenk: General Notes: Notes from George Shank's research: NOTE: The following is take directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa. 17602-1499, Phone; (717) 393-37945. Internet=use a search engine. . Christian Shank (Schenck) and his three sons and three daughters arrived in America in the year of 1717. They were part of the contingent of 363 Swiss-German Mennonites who had assembled around Mannheim, Germany and who had sailed in three small ships from Rotterdam, Holland in June of 1717. The rather large group was under the leadership of Benedict Brackbill, a well known Mennonite preacher and teacher. In Volume 3 of the Pennsylvania Colonial Records, at page 29, there is an account of the three ships masters, Captains Eyers, Tower, and Richards, belatedly reporting the 363 passengers in to the authorities on September 8, 1717. I have corresponded with a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania genealogist, Martin H. Brackbill, who is a direct descendant of Benedict. He states that the three ships arrived at Philadelphia, apparently together on August 24, 1717. Although not positively proven, research indicates the Christian Shank was born near Basel Switzerland about 1665. As a child he was likely a member of one of the four Schenck (Shank) families who were Mennonites and who, hounded by the Roman Catholic Church for their religious beliefs, fled into Germany from Switzerland in 1671. As previously stated, the names of the heads of these Schenck families were included in the list of those Swiss Mennonites who were living at Osthoven, near Mannheim, Germany in 1672. Although nothing positive is known of the wife of Christian Shank, Martin Brackbill, the genealogist, suggests that Benedict Brackbill's sister Barbara, may have been married to our ancestor Christian. No research has been undertaken by me on the early years of Christian Shank, so the foregoing is partly speculative. It should be noted on Christian's chart, however, that he named one of his daughters, Barbara, and that the name was carried on down in later generations. This would add some substance to the speculation that Christian Shank's wife was Barbara Brackbill. There is a deed recorded in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in Deed Book WW, on pages 300 through 305, which is a vital document in the genealogy of our Shank family and of Christian Shank in particular. This lengthy deed gives the first good solid proof of the circumstances surrounding our first American ancestor. The document, although not written until January 7, 1758, traces the title to 265 acres of land located in Lancaster County and recites that Christian Shank and Benedict Brackbill, on September 25, 1717, jointly, with half interest for each, bought the 530 acre tract of land that had been patented to John Funk in 1711. This would add a bit more weight to the possibility that Barbara Brackbill was the wife of Christian, it appearing that some sort of family relationship did exist between the Brackbill and Shank families. The Funk tract was right in the midst of the 6400 acre tract granted to the Mennonites in 1710. The historical marker located at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and Penn Grant Road further corroborates the location of the property. Maps and surveys of early Lancaster County, prepared by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1933 show the 530 acre tract to be rather long and narrow and extending over three fourths of a mile in a north and south direction. Located on Pequea Creek (pronounced PECKWAY), it is on today's map at the west city limits of Strasburg in Strasburg township. Pequea Creek runs through the northern part of Christian's land, as well as through the farm of Christian's son Michael, who was also located Pequea, but a bit further down the creek. You will notice that the 1717 land transaction occured in no more than a month after the arrival of the 363 Palatines at Philadelphia. Remember, also, that this was the group of settles organized, in part, by Benedict Brackbill with the express purpose conclusively that the Shank and Brackbill families were members of that group reported to the authorities on September 8, 1717. and who immediately joined their fellow Mennonites along Pequea Creek. The 1758 deed further states that Benedict Brackbill's three heirs, son Woolrick and daughters Frances and Barbara, deeded half of the 530 acre tract (265 acres to Henry Shank (second eldest son of Christian) on April 15, 1737 (See Deed Book B-95). Deed WW-300 is a composite deed which not only relates the foregoing transactions, but also conveys to Henry Shank, the interest of his brothers and sisters in the 265 acres. The deed reads like a genealogy chart in that it names as heirs of Christian Shank, his three sons: Michael, eldest, who already had his own land; Henry, second eldest and Jacob, the youngest. It names the daughters of Christian as Margaret (wife of Jacob Graff); Anna (wife of Jacob Denlinger) and Barbara (wife of John Bowman). Son Jacob and his sister Margaret had died prior to the making of the deed in 1758 and signing the deed, as Jacob's only child, was his daughter Barbara (wife of Jacob Hoober). Signing as Margaret's heirs, was her hus- band, Jacob Graff and their three daughters: Margaret (wife of Lodowich Hoober); and unmarried daughters Barbara and Mary Graff. Since Michael, the eldest son of Christian Shank already had his own land, and Jacob the younger son was already deceased, all the rest of the heirs agreed that Henry should have his father's farm and they all signed the WW-300 deed in German Script. Two days later, apparently as part of the agreement, Henry and wife Margret, deeded the northern half of the 265 . acre tract to Jacob's daughter and only heir, Barbara and her husband Jacob Hoober (Huber) as part of Christian's estate So it was then, 41 years after Christians Shank and Benedict Brackbill had jointly acquired the land near Strasburg, that lengthy 1758 deed accomplished the final division of the 530 acre tract and cleared the title to half of it to Henry Shank. The deed was a most fortunate find in the Shank genealogy. Although it was written in 1758, it was not recorded in Lancaster courthouse until May 25, 1795--thirty-three years after Henry died in 1762 and seventy-eight years after Christian Shank and his family came to America. In 1763, the year after Henry died, title to the entire estate of 530 acres came back under the single ownership of John Brackbill, who was the grandson of Benedict Brackbill. To get some idea of how this countryside appeared to three of our ancestors (Christian, Michael and his son john) one can refer to the historian, Redmond Conygham of Lancaster County, who, writing in the middle 1800's, had this to say about the area and its settlers: . "...a rich limestone country, beautifully adorned with sugar maple, hickory, and black and white walnut on the border of a delightful stream, abounding in the finest trout--here they raised their humble cabins. The water of the Pequea was clear, cold and transparent, and the grape vines and clematis, intertwining among the lofty branches of the majestic button wood, formed a pleasant retreat from the noon beams of a summer sun." . Christian Shank must have been delighted and greatly pleased to have traded the turmoil of Europe for the peace and tranquillity of the Pequea Valley. However, he did not live very long to enjoy the benefits of the New World. Christian Shank died in the fall of 1724, after only seven years in America. His partner on the farm, Brackbill, had even less time in this chosen land. Bendict Brackbill died January 20, 1721. Benedict's descendants have remained in the general vicinity until today. However, the Shank name disappeared from the neighborhood when Christian's son Henry, without male issue, died in 1762. Christian appears to have been well respected in his Mennonite community. Upon his death, two highly regarded neighbors, Wendell Bowman, an original 1710 settler, and Hans Herr, Mennonite patriarch of the 1710 group, came to appraise Christians estate as required by law. The inventory of Christians possessions, written in German Script on the 22nd of November in 1724, bears the names of Bowman and Herr. Translated into English by the clerk, J. Lowe, Hans Herr's name is spelled "John Hair". Wendell Bowman is spelled "Wandell Bowman". The inventory of Christian's estate is the earliest recorded document relating to our family in America that I have been able to locate. Christian Shank must have been a highly literate man for his time. Listed in his inventory was a collections of books, appraised for the amount of 6 pounds, 16 shillings and 6 pence: a large amount for those early days. His "share in a wagon" was listed at 1 pound, 2 shillings. His horse was valued at 6 pounds even. Includ-ed also was the usual collection of livestock found on a farm: "3 mairs and coults", cows, steers and "heffers", sheep and hogs. His land was valued at 107 pounds. I'm unable to decipher some of the items listed by the clerk, the document being 269 years old and hand written. There is another historical marker, located about five miles south of the city of Lancaster at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and U.S. 222 and which relates to the locally famous "Hans Herr House". Hans Herr, one of the appraisers of Christian Shank's estate, was the leader of the Mennonite group that came from Bern, Switzerland to Lancaster County in 1710. The Hans Herr House, built in 1719, served as the church for the community. The house has been restored in recent years and is open to the public. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites. It is interesting to Shank descendants to visit this outstanding example of medieval German architecture and to know that three of our ancestral grandfathers once actually were in the house listening while Hans Herr and others preached the Mennonite religion. The Hans Herr home and the homes of Christian Shank, Michael Shank and Michael's youngest son John (our ancestor) were no more than three miles apart and formed a sort of triangle. It seems most likely that both Shank families may have helped in the building of this historic home. It was the custom, prevalent in those days to gather around to help their neighbors raise their barns and houses. Located not far from the Hans Herr House and on Christian's Shank's original farm is the present day Eagle Museum. This is an excellent state approved museum and well worth the visit. The circumstance that makes it of special interest to Shank descendants is that it is located on part of the 530 acres Funk tract. The museum brochure states that the building which houses the museum was built about 1740 by John Herr, a relative of Hans Herr (Editor's Note: The Eagle Museum was last known as The Artichoke Grist Mill and as of August 1999 was defunct. The building remains). To recap a bit: Christian's land passed down to his son Henry. Henry had only one child, a daughter named Hester. Hester married John Herr, or as stated in Henry's will "John Hare". The building, originally a mill, was built by the husband of Christian's granddaughter, Hester. Eshelman's map prepared in 1910 confirms the site. To return to ealier days, although Christian Shank died in November 1724, the inventory of his estate, as well as the adminsistrators Bond was not filed in court until the following spring. On March 1, 1725 Henry Shank, son of Christian, was appointed Administrator of the Estate. His bondsmen were Wendell Bowman and Jacob Kendig. Their signatures and what appears to be their thumb prints were affixed to the bond and it was witnessed by Ulrich (Woolrich) Brackbill (Brecbul) and J. Lowe. The county of Lancaster was not formed out of the parent county of Chester until 1729 so Christian's estate papers, consisting of the inventory and bond, were filed in the Chester County Courthouse in File No. 213, Adm. Docket I-76. Copies of these old documents follow and the individual chart of Christian Shank's descendents also following this article will help clarify the many names in the lengthy, but informative WW-300 deed. As Shank descendents, we should be most appreciative to the State of Pennyslvania for the preservation of these documents which prove our early American ancestry. DEED . . Note: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK; pub. 1985 by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. ********** . THE FOLLOWING IS A COPY OF A HANDWRITTEN DEED WHICH NAMES THE CHILDREN AND SOME OF THE GRANDCHILDREN OF CHRISTIAN SHANK AND THE LAND ON WHICH CHRISTIAN SETTLED WHEN HE AND HIS FAMILY CAME TO PENNSYLVANIA IN 1717. IT AUTHENTICATES THE BEGINNING OF OUR SHANK FAMILY IN AMERICA. . . LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Deed Recorded: Book WW, Volume 2, Pages 300 - 304 . . MICHAEL SHANK et al) To ) HENRY SHANK ) THIS INDENTURE made the seventh day of January in the year of our Lord, One thousand seven hundred and fifty eight. Between Michael Shank of the County of Lancaster, yeoman, eldest son of Christian Shank, late of the said county, yeoman deceased, and Mary his wife; Jacob Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Bar-bara, his wife (only child of Jacob Shank, deceased, who was the youngest son of said Christian Shank, deceased), Jacob Graff of the said county, yeoman, (who intermarryed with Margaret, one of the daughters of the said Christian Shank deceased, who is now also deceased), Lodowick Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Margaret his wife (one of the daughters of said Margaret Graff by the said Jacob Graff, her husband), Bar-bara Graff and Mary Graff of the said county, spinsters (two other daughters of the said Margaret Graff deceased by the said Jacob Graff), Jacob Denlinger of the said county, yeoman, and Anna his wife and John Bowman of the said county, yeoman, and Barbara, his wife (which Anna Denlinger and Barbara Bowman are the two other daugh-ters of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the one part AND Henry Shank of the Township of Strasburg in the said county, yeoman (second son of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the other part. WHEREAS, William Penn, Esq., late proprietary of the Province of Pennsylvania, by a certain patent bearing the date the thirtieth day of June, One thousand seven hundred and eleven, did grant and convey unto one John Funk, his heirs and Assigns a certain tract or parcel of Land which is now situate in the said county of Lancaster containing five hundred and thirty acres as by the said patent recorded in the office for the recording of Patents at Philadelphia in Book A. Vol. 4, page 232, it may be more fully appear AND WHEREAS the said John Funk by Deed of the twenty fifth day of September, One thousand seven hundred and seven-teen, for the valuable consideration, did grant and convey the said five hundred and thirty acres of Land with the Appur-tenances unto one Bendictus Brechbill, his heirs and Assigns forever WHICH said Deed was so made to the said Benedictus Brechbill his heirs and Assigns In Trust as to a Moiety of the said Tract of five hundred and thirty acres of Land to and for the use and Behoof of the said Christian Shank deceased, his heirs and Assigns forever AND WHEREAS the said Christian Shank was in his life time and at the time of his death, possessed and seized of the said moiety of the said tract of Land (which is hereafter particularly mentioned, bounded and described) to him, his heirs and Assigns forever by virtue of and under the Trust aforesaid, and dying so thereof seized or possessed intestate - the same descended and came to and amongst his before named Sons and Daughters as Tenants in common, according to the Act of Assembly in such case made and provided and afterwards it was agreed between all the said children that he, the said Henry Shank, should have, take, hold and enjoy the said Moiety of the said tract of Land to him, his heirs and Assigns forever upon the respective shares of his Bro-thers and Sisters of, in and to the said Moiety: being paid to them and which have accordingly been long since paid to them but no release of their several and respec-tive shares of, in and to the said Moiety hath yet been executed unto the said Henry Shank by his said Brothers and Sisters, any or either of them, yet it was agreed be-tween them that the said Benedictus Brechbill or his heirs might make or should make, seal and execute a Deed of Conveyance of the said Moiety to him the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns forever AND THEREUPON in and by certain indenture made the fif-teenth day of April, One thousand seven hundred thirty seven, made or mentioned to be made by and between Woolrick Brechbill of the county aforesaid, yeoman (only son of the said Benedictus Brechbill, then deceased) and Frances, his wife, Jacob Graff of the said County, yeoman and Barbara, his wife (one of the daughters of the said Bene-dictus Brechbill) and Emanuel Heer of the same county, yeoman Maudlin his wife (the other daughter of the Bendictus Brechbill) of the one part and the said Henry Shank of the other part, after reciting as ? the said above, in part, recited Patent and Deed and further as therein is recited, then that INDENTURE WITNESSED that the said Woolrich Brechbill and Frances, his wife; Jacob Graff (party thereto) and Barbara his wife and Emanual Heer and Maudlin, his wife, for the consideration thereby did grant, bargain, sell, alien, enfeoff and conform unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns, all the tract of Land then situate in the said County of Lancaster, BEGIN-NING at a corner of Land, then of the said Woolrich Brechbill, thence west by south by other Land then of the said Henry Shank, sixty four perches and a half to a Hick-ory, thence North by West by the same Land and the Land then or then late of Jacob Miller six hundred and sixty perches to a poplar, thence East by North sixty four perches and a half to a post, then South by east by the said Land of the said Wool-rich Brechbill six hundred and sixty perches to the place of beginning, containing two hundred and sixty five acres (being the one Moiety or half part of the said tract of five hundred and thirty acres) together with the rights, members, improvements, Hereditaments and Appurtenances whatever thereto being, hold unto and to use and Behoof of the said Henry shank, his heirs and Assigns forever under the yearly quit rent thereafter accruing for the same to the Chief Lord of the said fee there as in any and by the said Deed and Indenture, relation being thereto respectively had, many more fully appear. NOW THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH That the said Michael Shank and Mary, his wife; Jacob Hoober and Barbara, his wife; Jacob Graff (partly hereto); Lodowich Hoober and Margaret, his wife; Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger and Anna, his wife; John Bowman and Barbara his wife, for and in consideration as well of promises as of the sum of five hundred shillings a piece to each of them in had awell and truly paid by the said Henry Shank at or before the execution hereof, the receipt and payment whereof are hereby acknowledged HAVE and each of the HATH granted, bargained, sold, remised, released, ratifyed and confirm and by these presents do and each and every of the DOTH grant, bargain, sell, remise, ratify and confirm unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs, Assigns, all their each and every of their shares, parts and purparts whatsoever of & in to and out of all and singular the said Moiety or tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres and also of, in and to all the Houses, outhouses, edifices, Buildings, barns,stables, Gardens, Orchards, Meadows, ? , pastures, feeding woods, underwoods, ways, waters, watercourses, Hedges, ditches, Trees, fences, Commodities, profits, priviledges, Ad-vantages, Hereditaments, Rights, members, Improvements and Appurtenances whatsoever thereon belonging or in any way appertaining and the reversions & remainders thereof and all their each and every of their estate, right, title, interest, use, Trust, property, possession, claim and demand whatsoever, both at Law and in equity of in and to the said Moiety, or tract of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, every or any part thereof TO HAVE AND TO HOLD all and singular the said shares, parts and purparts whatsoever in, to and out of the said Moiety Tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, hereditamus and premises hereby granted released and confirmed ? & ? mentioned or intended so to be with the Appurtenances unto the said Henry Shank. IN WITNESS whereof the said parties to these presents, their hands and Seals have hereunto interchangeably set the day and the year first above written: Michael Shank, Mary Shank, Jacob Hoober, Barbara Hoober, Jacob Graff, Lodowich Hoober, Margaret Hoober, Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger, Anna Denlinger, John Bowman, Barbara Bowman, sealed and delivered in the presence of us, Frederick Yaisser, Cha. Morse, and Daniel Forer and Christian Forer. . For the sake of brevity and to eliminate useless repetition of names, the remaining portion of the deed is omitted from this copy. Daniel Forer witnessed part of the signatures before a Justice of the Peace on December 4, 1759. Frederick Yaisser witnessed the other signatures on July 18, 1760. Although the deed was written January 7, 1758, it was not recorded at the courthouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania until May 1795 - 71 years after Christian Shank died and 33 years after the death of Henry Shank. This deed is a rather historic document in the Shank genealogy. . . B O N D . NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK; pub. 1985; by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. *********** . COPY OF THE ESTATE OF CHRISTIAN SHANK (Died 1724) CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA - FILE NO. 213 . KNOW all men by these presents the Executors HENRY SHANK, JACOB KENDRICK & WENDALL BOWMAN, all in the County of Chester & Province of Pennsylvania, yeo-men, are held and firmly bound unto Peter Evans, Registrar General for the probate of Wills and Granting Letters of Administration in & for the province aforesaid in the sum of Five Hundred Pounds, currant mony of the province aforesaid, to be payd to the said Reg. Gen. his Certain Attorney, Executor, Adms. or Assigns, to which payment well and truly to be made, we bind our- selves joyntly and severally, for and in the whole, our heirs, Executors and Adminstrators, firmly by these presents, Sealed with our Seals dated the First day of March Anno Domini 1725. . The condition of this Obligation is such that if the above bounden Henry Shank, Ad-ministrator of all & singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of Christian Shank, dec'd do make or cause to be made a true and perfect inventory of all and singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of said dec'd which have or shall come to the hands, pos-session of any other person or persons for him, & ye same, so made, exhibitt or cause to be exhibitted into ye Registrars office at Chester on or before ye First day of May next and ye same Goods, Rights and Crdits of ye said dec'd, which at the time of his death were owing to him or which, at any time after, shall come to the hands, possession or knowledge of him, the said Henry Shank, or into ye hands and possessions of any other person or persons for him, and ye same do well and truly administer according to Law and further do make or cause to be made, a true and just account of thy administration on or before the First day of May, which will be in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and twenty five and all the rest and residue of ye Goods, Rights and Credits which shall be found remaining upon ye said Administration Accounts, the same being first examined and allowed of by ye Orphans Court, of ye County of Chester, shall deliver and pay unto such person and persons, respectively, as ye said Court by its Decree or Sentance pursuant to law shall limit and appoint, & if it shall hereafter appear that any Last Will & Test-ament was made by ye Dec'd, and if the Executors therein named do exhibit ye same into ye Registrar's Office at Chester, making request to have it allowed & approved accordingly if ye said Henry Shank being thereunto required, do render and deliver up said Let-ter of Administration approbation of such Testament being first had and made at ye office that, then, this obligation to be void or else to be and remain in full force and vetue to the effect. . Sealed and Delivered In the presence of Signed: Ulrich Brechbul ? ? Henry Shank John Lowe Jacob Kendig Wendall Bowman . Schenk Farm Locations 1717-1750 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=79727f6e-fb22-4b49-bf4f-81597a921813&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583 thumbnailCAVB12TH http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=d31ec885-5263-4cb7-845b-aebb2153fcdd&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583 Christian Schenck http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=2cfd9ac9-e6b4-47a6-a682-dc6c937769db&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583




		Page 9 of 238	Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM


Register Report for Hans Schenk




Generation 7 (con't)

	Notes for Christian Stauffer Schenk: General Notes: Notes from George Shank's research: NOTE: The following is take directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa. 17602-1499, Phone; (717) 393-37945. Internet=use a search engine. . Christian Shank (Schenck) and his three sons and three daughters arrived in America in the year of 1717. They were part of the contingent of 363 Swiss-German Mennonites who had assembled around Mannheim, Germany and who had sailed in three small ships from Rotterdam, Holland in June of 1717. The rather large group was under the leadership of Benedict Brackbill, a well known Mennonite preacher and teacher. In Volume 3 of the Pennsylvania Colonial Records, at page 29, there is an account of the three ships masters, Captains Eyers, Tower, and Richards, belatedly reporting the 363 passengers in to the authorities on September 8, 1717. I have corresponded with a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania genealogist, Martin H. Brackbill, who is a direct descendant of Benedict. He states that the three ships arrived at Philadelphia, apparently together on August 24, 1717. Although not positively proven, research indicates the Christian Shank was born near Basel Switzerland about 1665. As a child he was likely a member of one of the four Schenck (Shank) families who were Mennonites and who, hounded by the Roman Catholic Church for their religious beliefs, fled into Germany from Switzerland in 1671. As previously stated, the names of the heads of these Schenck families were included in the list of those Swiss Mennonites who were living at Osthoven, near Mannheim, Germany in 1672. Although nothing positive is known of the wife of Christian Shank, Martin Brackbill, the genealogist, suggests that Benedict Brackbill's sister Barbara, may have been married to our ancestor Christian. No research has been undertaken by me on the early years of Christian Shank, so the foregoing is partly speculative. It should be noted on Christian's chart, however, that he named one of his daughters, Barbara, and that the name was carried on down in later generations. This would add some substance to the speculation that Christian Shank's wife was Barbara Brackbill. There is a deed recorded in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in Deed Book WW, on pages 300 through 305, which is a vital document in the genealogy of our Shank family and of Christian Shank in particular. This lengthy deed gives the first good solid proof of the circumstances surrounding our first American ancestor. The document, although not written until January 7, 1758, traces the title to 265 acres of land located in Lancaster County and recites that Christian Shank and Benedict Brackbill, on September 25, 1717, jointly, with half interest for each, bought the 530 acre tract of land that had been patented to John Funk in 1711. This would add a bit more weight to the possibility that Barbara Brackbill was the wife of Christian, it appearing that some sort of family relationship did exist between the Brackbill and Shank families. The Funk tract was right in the midst of the 6400 acre tract granted to the Mennonites in 1710. The historical marker located at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and Penn Grant Road further corroborates the location of the property. Maps and surveys of early Lancaster County, prepared by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1933 show the 530 acre tract to be rather long and narrow and extending over three fourths of a mile in a north and south direction. Located on Pequea Creek (pronounced PECKWAY), it is on today's map at the west city limits of Strasburg in Strasburg township. Pequea Creek runs through the northern part of Christian's land, as well as through the farm of Christian's son Michael, who was also located Pequea, but a bit further down the creek. You will notice that the 1717 land transaction occured in no more than a month after the arrival of the 363 Palatines at Philadelphia. Remember, also, that this was the group of settles organized, in part, by Benedict Brackbill with the express purpose conclusively that the Shank and Brackbill families were members of that group reported to the authorities on September 8, 1717. and who immediately joined their fellow Mennonites along Pequea Creek. The 1758 deed further states that Benedict Brackbill's three heirs, son Woolrick and daughters Frances and Barbara, deeded half of the 530 acre tract (265 acres to Henry Shank (second eldest son of Christian) on April 15, 1737 (See Deed Book B-95). Deed WW-300 is a composite deed which not only relates the foregoing transactions, but also conveys to Henry Shank, the interest of his brothers and sisters in the 265 acres. The deed reads like a genealogy chart in that it names as heirs of Christian Shank, his three sons: Michael, eldest, who already had his own land; Henry, second eldest and Jacob, the youngest. It names the daughters of Christian as Margaret (wife of Jacob Graff); Anna (wife of Jacob Denlinger) and Barbara (wife of John Bowman). Son Jacob and his sister Margaret had died prior to the making of the deed in 1758 and signing the deed, as Jacob's only child, was his daughter Barbara (wife of Jacob Hoober). Signing as Margaret's heirs, was her hus- band, Jacob Graff and their three daughters: Margaret (wife of Lodowich Hoober); and unmarried daughters Barbara and Mary Graff. Since Michael, the eldest son of Christian Shank already had his own land, and Jacob the younger son was already deceased, all the rest of the heirs agreed that Henry should have his father's farm and they all signed the WW-300 deed in German Script. Two days later, apparently as part of the agreement, Henry and wife Margret, deeded the northern half of the 265 . acre tract to Jacob's daughter and only heir, Barbara and her husband Jacob Hoober (Huber) as part of Christian's estate So it was then, 41 years after Christians Shank and Benedict Brackbill had jointly acquired the land near Strasburg, that lengthy 1758 deed accomplished the final division of the 530 acre tract and cleared the title to half of it to Henry Shank. The deed was a most fortunate find in the Shank genealogy. Although it was written in 1758, it was not recorded in Lancaster courthouse until May 25, 1795--thirty-three years after Henry died in 1762 and seventy-eight years after Christian Shank and his family came to America. In 1763, the year after Henry died, title to the entire estate of 530 acres came back under the single ownership of John Brackbill, who was the grandson of Benedict Brackbill. To get some idea of how this countryside appeared to three of our ancestors (Christian, Michael and his son john) one can refer to the historian, Redmond Conygham of Lancaster County, who, writing in the middle 1800's, had this to say about the area and its settlers: . "...a rich limestone country, beautifully adorned with sugar maple, hickory, and black and white walnut on the border of a delightful stream, abounding in the finest trout--here they raised their humble cabins. The water of the Pequea was clear, cold and transparent, and the grape vines and clematis, intertwining among the lofty branches of the majestic button wood, formed a pleasant retreat from the noon beams of a summer sun." . Christian Shank must have been delighted and greatly pleased to have traded the turmoil of Europe for the peace and tranquillity of the Pequea Valley. However, he did not live very long to enjoy the benefits of the New World. Christian Shank died in the fall of 1724, after only seven years in America. His partner on the farm, Brackbill, had even less time in this chosen land. Bendict Brackbill died January 20, 1721. Benedict's descendants have remained in the general vicinity until today. However, the Shank name disappeared from the neighborhood when Christian's son Henry, without male issue, died in 1762. Christian appears to have been well respected in his Mennonite community. Upon his death, two highly regarded neighbors, Wendell Bowman, an original 1710 settler, and Hans Herr, Mennonite patriarch of the 1710 group, came to appraise Christians estate as required by law. The inventory of Christians possessions, written in German Script on the 22nd of November in 1724, bears the names of Bowman and Herr. Translated into English by the clerk, J. Lowe, Hans Herr's name is spelled "John Hair". Wendell Bowman is spelled "Wandell Bowman". The inventory of Christian's estate is the earliest recorded document relating to our family in America that I have been able to locate. Christian Shank must have been a highly literate man for his time. Listed in his inventory was a collections of books, appraised for the amount of 6 pounds, 16 shillings and 6 pence: a large amount for those early days. His "share in a wagon" was listed at 1 pound, 2 shillings. His horse was valued at 6 pounds even. Includ-ed also was the usual collection of livestock found on a farm: "3 mairs and coults", cows, steers and "heffers", sheep and hogs. His land was valued at 107 pounds. I'm unable to decipher some of the items listed by the clerk, the document being 269 years old and hand written. There is another historical marker, located about five miles south of the city of Lancaster at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and U.S. 222 and which relates to the locally famous "Hans Herr House". Hans Herr, one of the appraisers of Christian Shank's estate, was the leader of the Mennonite group that came from Bern, Switzerland to Lancaster County in 1710. The Hans Herr House, built in 1719, served as the church for the community. The house has been restored in recent years and is open to the public. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites. It is interesting to Shank descendants to visit this outstanding example of medieval German architecture and to know that three of our ancestral grandfathers once actually were in the house listening while Hans Herr and others preached the Mennonite religion. The Hans Herr home and the homes of Christian Shank, Michael Shank and Michael's youngest son John (our ancestor) were no more than three miles apart and formed a sort of triangle. It seems most likely that both Shank families may have helped in the building of this historic home. It was the custom, prevalent in those days to gather around to help their neighbors raise their barns and houses. Located not far from the Hans Herr House and on Christian's Shank's original farm is the present day Eagle Museum. This is an excellent state approved museum and well worth the visit. The circumstance that makes it of special interest to Shank descendants is that it is located on part of the 530 acres Funk tract. The museum brochure states that the building which houses the museum was built about 1740 by John Herr, a relative of Hans Herr (Editor's Note: The Eagle Museum was last known as The Artichoke Grist Mill and as of August 1999 was defunct. The building remains). To recap a bit: Christian's land passed down to his son Henry. Henry had only one child, a daughter named Hester. Hester married John Herr, or as stated in Henry's will "John Hare". The building, originally a mill, was built by the husband of Christian's granddaughter, Hester. Eshelman's map prepared in 1910 confirms the site. To return to ealier days, although Christian Shank died in November 1724, the inventory of his estate, as well as the adminsistrators Bond was not filed in court until the following spring. On March 1, 1725 Henry Shank, son of Christian, was appointed Administrator of the Estate. His bondsmen were Wendell Bowman and Jacob Kendig. Their signatures and what appears to be their thumb prints were affixed to the bond and it was witnessed by Ulrich (Woolrich) Brackbill (Brecbul) and J. Lowe. The county of Lancaster was not formed out of the parent county of Chester until 1729 so Christian's estate papers, consisting of the inventory and bond, were filed in the Chester County Courthouse in File No. 213, Adm. Docket I-76. Copies of these old documents follow and the individual chart of Christian Shank's descendents also following this article will help clarify the many names in the lengthy, but informative WW-300 deed. As Shank descendents, we should be most appreciative to the State of Pennyslvania for the preservation of these documents which prove our early American ancestry. DEED . . Note: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK; pub. 1985 by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. ********** . THE FOLLOWING IS A COPY OF A HANDWRITTEN DEED WHICH NAMES THE CHILDREN AND SOME OF THE GRANDCHILDREN OF CHRISTIAN SHANK AND THE LAND ON WHICH CHRISTIAN SETTLED WHEN HE AND HIS FAMILY CAME TO PENNSYLVANIA IN 1717. IT AUTHENTICATES THE BEGINNING OF OUR SHANK FAMILY IN AMERICA. . . LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Deed Recorded: Book WW, Volume 2, Pages 300 - 304 . . MICHAEL SHANK et al) To ) HENRY SHANK ) THIS INDENTURE made the seventh day of January in the year of our Lord, One thousand seven hundred and fifty eight. Between Michael Shank of the County of Lancaster, yeoman, eldest son of Christian Shank, late of the said county, yeoman deceased, and Mary his wife; Jacob Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Bar-bara, his wife (only child of Jacob Shank, deceased, who was the youngest son of said Christian Shank, deceased), Jacob Graff of the said county, yeoman, (who intermarryed with Margaret, one of the daughters of the said Christian Shank deceased, who is now also deceased), Lodowick Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Margaret his wife (one of the daughters of said Margaret Graff by the said Jacob Graff, her husband), Bar-bara Graff and Mary Graff of the said county, spinsters (two other daughters of the said Margaret Graff deceased by the said Jacob Graff), Jacob Denlinger of the said county, yeoman, and Anna his wife and John Bowman of the said county, yeoman, and Barbara, his wife (which Anna Denlinger and Barbara Bowman are the two other daugh-ters of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the one part AND Henry Shank of the Township of Strasburg in the said county, yeoman (second son of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the other part. WHEREAS, William Penn, Esq., late proprietary of the Province of Pennsylvania, by a certain patent bearing the date the thirtieth day of June, One thousand seven hundred and eleven, did grant and convey unto one John Funk, his heirs and Assigns a certain tract or parcel of Land which is now situate in the said county of Lancaster containing five hundred and thirty acres as by the said patent recorded in the office for the recording of Patents at Philadelphia in Book A. Vol. 4, page 232, it may be more fully appear AND WHEREAS the said John Funk by Deed of the twenty fifth day of September, One thousand seven hundred and seven-teen, for the valuable consideration, did grant and convey the said five hundred and thirty acres of Land with the Appur-tenances unto one Bendictus Brechbill, his heirs and Assigns forever WHICH said Deed was so made to the said Benedictus Brechbill his heirs and Assigns In Trust as to a Moiety of the said Tract of five hundred and thirty acres of Land to and for the use and Behoof of the said Christian Shank deceased, his heirs and Assigns forever AND WHEREAS the said Christian Shank was in his life time and at the time of his death, possessed and seized of the said moiety of the said tract of Land (which is hereafter particularly mentioned, bounded and described) to him, his heirs and Assigns forever by virtue of and under the Trust aforesaid, and dying so thereof seized or possessed intestate - the same descended and came to and amongst his before named Sons and Daughters as Tenants in common, according to the Act of Assembly in such case made and provided and afterwards it was agreed between all the said children that he, the said Henry Shank, should have, take, hold and enjoy the said Moiety of the said tract of Land to him, his heirs and Assigns forever upon the respective shares of his Bro-thers and Sisters of, in and to the said Moiety: being paid to them and which have accordingly been long since paid to them but no release of their several and respec-tive shares of, in and to the said Moiety hath yet been executed unto the said Henry Shank by his said Brothers and Sisters, any or either of them, yet it was agreed be-tween them that the said Benedictus Brechbill or his heirs might make or should make, seal and execute a Deed of Conveyance of the said Moiety to him the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns forever AND THEREUPON in and by certain indenture made the fif-teenth day of April, One thousand seven hundred thirty seven, made or mentioned to be made by and between Woolrick Brechbill of the county aforesaid, yeoman (only son of the said Benedictus Brechbill, then deceased) and Frances, his wife, Jacob Graff of the said County, yeoman and Barbara, his wife (one of the daughters of the said Bene-dictus Brechbill) and Emanuel Heer of the same county, yeoman Maudlin his wife (the other daughter of the Bendictus Brechbill) of the one part and the said Henry Shank of the other part, after reciting as ? the said above, in part, recited Patent and Deed and further as therein is recited, then that INDENTURE WITNESSED that the said Woolrich Brechbill and Frances, his wife; Jacob Graff (party thereto) and Barbara his wife and Emanual Heer and Maudlin, his wife, for the consideration thereby did grant, bargain, sell, alien, enfeoff and conform unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns, all the tract of Land then situate in the said County of Lancaster, BEGIN-NING at a corner of Land, then of the said Woolrich Brechbill, thence west by south by other Land then of the said Henry Shank, sixty four perches and a half to a Hick-ory, thence North by West by the same Land and the Land then or then late of Jacob Miller six hundred and sixty perches to a poplar, thence East by North sixty four perches and a half to a post, then South by east by the said Land of the said Wool-rich Brechbill six hundred and sixty perches to the place of beginning, containing two hundred and sixty five acres (being the one Moiety or half part of the said tract of five hundred and thirty acres) together with the rights, members, improvements, Hereditaments and Appurtenances whatever thereto being, hold unto and to use and Behoof of the said Henry shank, his heirs and Assigns forever under the yearly quit rent thereafter accruing for the same to the Chief Lord of the said fee there as in any and by the said Deed and Indenture, relation being thereto respectively had, many more fully appear. NOW THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH That the said Michael Shank and Mary, his wife; Jacob Hoober and Barbara, his wife; Jacob Graff (partly hereto); Lodowich Hoober and Margaret, his wife; Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger and Anna, his wife; John Bowman and Barbara his wife, for and in consideration as well of promises as of the sum of five hundred shillings a piece to each of them in had awell and truly paid by the said Henry Shank at or before the execution hereof, the receipt and payment whereof are hereby acknowledged HAVE and each of the HATH granted, bargained, sold, remised, released, ratifyed and confirm and by these presents do and each and every of the DOTH grant, bargain, sell, remise, ratify and confirm unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs, Assigns, all their each and every of their shares, parts and purparts whatsoever of & in to and out of all and singular the said Moiety or tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres and also of, in and to all the Houses, outhouses, edifices, Buildings, barns,stables, Gardens, Orchards, Meadows, ? , pastures, feeding woods, underwoods, ways, waters, watercourses, Hedges, ditches, Trees, fences, Commodities, profits, priviledges, Ad-vantages, Hereditaments, Rights, members, Improvements and Appurtenances whatsoever thereon belonging or in any way appertaining and the reversions & remainders thereof and all their each and every of their estate, right, title, interest, use, Trust, property, possession, claim and demand whatsoever, both at Law and in equity of in and to the said Moiety, or tract of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, every or any part thereof TO HAVE AND TO HOLD all and singular the said shares, parts and purparts whatsoever in, to and out of the said Moiety Tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, hereditamus and premises hereby granted released and confirmed ? & ? mentioned or intended so to be with the Appurtenances unto the said Henry Shank. IN WITNESS whereof the said parties to these presents, their hands and Seals have hereunto interchangeably set the day and the year first above written: Michael Shank, Mary Shank, Jacob Hoober, Barbara Hoober, Jacob Graff, Lodowich Hoober, Margaret Hoober, Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger, Anna Denlinger, John Bowman, Barbara Bowman, sealed and delivered in the presence of us, Frederick Yaisser, Cha. Morse, and Daniel Forer and Christian Forer. . For the sake of brevity and to eliminate useless repetition of names, the remaining portion of the deed is omitted from this copy. Daniel Forer witnessed part of the signatures before a Justice of the Peace on December 4, 1759. Frederick Yaisser witnessed the other signatures on July 18, 1760. Although the deed was written January 7, 1758, it was not recorded at the courthouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania until May 1795 - 71 years after Christian Shank died and 33 years after the death of Henry Shank. This deed is a rather historic document in the Shank genealogy. . . B O N D . NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK; pub. 1985; by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. *********** . COPY OF THE ESTATE OF CHRISTIAN SHANK (Died 1724) CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA - FILE NO. 213 . KNOW all men by these presents the Executors HENRY SHANK, JACOB KENDRICK & WENDALL BOWMAN, all in the County of Chester & Province of Pennsylvania, yeo-men, are held and firmly bound unto Peter Evans, Registrar General for the probate of Wills and Granting Letters of Administration in & for the province aforesaid in the sum of Five Hundred Pounds, currant mony of the province aforesaid, to be payd to the said Reg. Gen. his Certain Attorney, Executor, Adms. or Assigns, to which payment well and truly to be made, we bind our- selves joyntly and severally, for and in the whole, our heirs, Executors and Adminstrators, firmly by these presents, Sealed with our Seals dated the First day of March Anno Domini 1725. . The condition of this Obligation is such that if the above bounden Henry Shank, Ad-ministrator of all & singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of Christian Shank, dec'd do make or cause to be made a true and perfect inventory of all and singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of said dec'd which have or shall come to the hands, pos-session of any other person or persons for him, & ye same, so made, exhibitt or cause to be exhibitted into ye Registrars office at Chester on or before ye First day of May next and ye same Goods, Rights and Crdits of ye said dec'd, which at the time of his death were owing to him or which, at any time after, shall come to the hands, possession or knowledge of him, the said Henry Shank, or into ye hands and possessions of any other person or persons for him, and ye same do well and truly administer according to Law and further do make or cause to be made, a true and just account of thy administration on or before the First day of May, which will be in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and twenty five and all the rest and residue of ye Goods, Rights and Credits which shall be found remaining upon ye said Administration Accounts, the same being first examined and allowed of by ye Orphans Court, of ye County of Chester, shall deliver and pay unto such person and persons, respectively, as ye said Court by its Decree or Sentance pursuant to law shall limit and appoint, & if it shall hereafter appear that any Last Will & Test-ament was made by ye Dec'd, and if the Executors therein named do exhibit ye same into ye Registrar's Office at Chester, making request to have it allowed & approved accordingly if ye said Henry Shank being thereunto required, do render and deliver up said Let-ter of Administration approbation of such Testament being first had and made at ye office that, then, this obligation to be void or else to be and remain in full force and vetue to the effect. . Sealed and Delivered In the presence of Signed: Ulrich Brechbul ? ? Henry Shank John Lowe Jacob Kendig Wendall Bowman . Schenk Farm Locations 1717-1750 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=79727f6e-fb22-4b49-bf4f-81597a921813&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583 thumbnailCAVB12TH http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=d31ec885-5263-4cb7-845b-aebb2153fcdd&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583 Christian Schenck http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=2cfd9ac9-e6b4-47a6-a682-dc6c937769db&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583




		Page 10 of 238	Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM


Register Report for Hans Schenk




Generation 7 (con't)

	Notes for Christian Stauffer Schenk: General Notes: Notes from George Shank's research: NOTE: The following is take directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa. 17602-1499, Phone; (717) 393-37945. Internet=use a search engine. . Christian Shank (Schenck) and his three sons and three daughters arrived in America in the year of 1717. They were part of the contingent of 363 Swiss-German Mennonites who had assembled around Mannheim, Germany and who had sailed in three small ships from Rotterdam, Holland in June of 1717. The rather large group was under the leadership of Benedict Brackbill, a well known Mennonite preacher and teacher. In Volume 3 of the Pennsylvania Colonial Records, at page 29, there is an account of the three ships masters, Captains Eyers, Tower, and Richards, belatedly reporting the 363 passengers in to the authorities on September 8, 1717. I have corresponded with a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania genealogist, Martin H. Brackbill, who is a direct descendant of Benedict. He states that the three ships arrived at Philadelphia, apparently together on August 24, 1717. Although not positively proven, research indicates the Christian Shank was born near Basel Switzerland about 1665. As a child he was likely a member of one of the four Schenck (Shank) families who were Mennonites and who, hounded by the Roman Catholic Church for their religious beliefs, fled into Germany from Switzerland in 1671. As previously stated, the names of the heads of these Schenck families were included in the list of those Swiss Mennonites who were living at Osthoven, near Mannheim, Germany in 1672. Although nothing positive is known of the wife of Christian Shank, Martin Brackbill, the genealogist, suggests that Benedict Brackbill's sister Barbara, may have been married to our ancestor Christian. No research has been undertaken by me on the early years of Christian Shank, so the foregoing is partly speculative. It should be noted on Christian's chart, however, that he named one of his daughters, Barbara, and that the name was carried on down in later generations. This would add some substance to the speculation that Christian Shank's wife was Barbara Brackbill. There is a deed recorded in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in Deed Book WW, on pages 300 through 305, which is a vital document in the genealogy of our Shank family and of Christian Shank in particular. This lengthy deed gives the first good solid proof of the circumstances surrounding our first American ancestor. The document, although not written until January 7, 1758, traces the title to 265 acres of land located in Lancaster County and recites that Christian Shank and Benedict Brackbill, on September 25, 1717, jointly, with half interest for each, bought the 530 acre tract of land that had been patented to John Funk in 1711. This would add a bit more weight to the possibility that Barbara Brackbill was the wife of Christian, it appearing that some sort of family relationship did exist between the Brackbill and Shank families. The Funk tract was right in the midst of the 6400 acre tract granted to the Mennonites in 1710. The historical marker located at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and Penn Grant Road further corroborates the location of the property. Maps and surveys of early Lancaster County, prepared by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1933 show the 530 acre tract to be rather long and narrow and extending over three fourths of a mile in a north and south direction. Located on Pequea Creek (pronounced PECKWAY), it is on today's map at the west city limits of Strasburg in Strasburg township. Pequea Creek runs through the northern part of Christian's land, as well as through the farm of Christian's son Michael, who was also located Pequea, but a bit further down the creek. You will notice that the 1717 land transaction occured in no more than a month after the arrival of the 363 Palatines at Philadelphia. Remember, also, that this was the group of settles organized, in part, by Benedict Brackbill with the express purpose conclusively that the Shank and Brackbill families were members of that group reported to the authorities on September 8, 1717. and who immediately joined their fellow Mennonites along Pequea Creek. The 1758 deed further states that Benedict Brackbill's three heirs, son Woolrick and daughters Frances and Barbara, deeded half of the 530 acre tract (265 acres to Henry Shank (second eldest son of Christian) on April 15, 1737 (See Deed Book B-95). Deed WW-300 is a composite deed which not only relates the foregoing transactions, but also conveys to Henry Shank, the interest of his brothers and sisters in the 265 acres. The deed reads like a genealogy chart in that it names as heirs of Christian Shank, his three sons: Michael, eldest, who already had his own land; Henry, second eldest and Jacob, the youngest. It names the daughters of Christian as Margaret (wife of Jacob Graff); Anna (wife of Jacob Denlinger) and Barbara (wife of John Bowman). Son Jacob and his sister Margaret had died prior to the making of the deed in 1758 and signing the deed, as Jacob's only child, was his daughter Barbara (wife of Jacob Hoober). Signing as Margaret's heirs, was her hus- band, Jacob Graff and their three daughters: Margaret (wife of Lodowich Hoober); and unmarried daughters Barbara and Mary Graff. Since Michael, the eldest son of Christian Shank already had his own land, and Jacob the younger son was already deceased, all the rest of the heirs agreed that Henry should have his father's farm and they all signed the WW-300 deed in German Script. Two days later, apparently as part of the agreement, Henry and wife Margret, deeded the northern half of the 265 . acre tract to Jacob's daughter and only heir, Barbara and her husband Jacob Hoober (Huber) as part of Christian's estate So it was then, 41 years after Christians Shank and Benedict Brackbill had jointly acquired the land near Strasburg, that lengthy 1758 deed accomplished the final division of the 530 acre tract and cleared the title to half of it to Henry Shank. The deed was a most fortunate find in the Shank genealogy. Although it was written in 1758, it was not recorded in Lancaster courthouse until May 25, 1795--thirty-three years after Henry died in 1762 and seventy-eight years after Christian Shank and his family came to America. In 1763, the year after Henry died, title to the entire estate of 530 acres came back under the single ownership of John Brackbill, who was the grandson of Benedict Brackbill. To get some idea of how this countryside appeared to three of our ancestors (Christian, Michael and his son john) one can refer to the historian, Redmond Conygham of Lancaster County, who, writing in the middle 1800's, had this to say about the area and its settlers: . "...a rich limestone country, beautifully adorned with sugar maple, hickory, and black and white walnut on the border of a delightful stream, abounding in the finest trout--here they raised their humble cabins. The water of the Pequea was clear, cold and transparent, and the grape vines and clematis, intertwining among the lofty branches of the majestic button wood, formed a pleasant retreat from the noon beams of a summer sun." . Christian Shank must have been delighted and greatly pleased to have traded the turmoil of Europe for the peace and tranquillity of the Pequea Valley. However, he did not live very long to enjoy the benefits of the New World. Christian Shank died in the fall of 1724, after only seven years in America. His partner on the farm, Brackbill, had even less time in this chosen land. Bendict Brackbill died January 20, 1721. Benedict's descendants have remained in the general vicinity until today. However, the Shank name disappeared from the neighborhood when Christian's son Henry, without male issue, died in 1762. Christian appears to have been well respected in his Mennonite community. Upon his death, two highly regarded neighbors, Wendell Bowman, an original 1710 settler, and Hans Herr, Mennonite patriarch of the 1710 group, came to appraise Christians estate as required by law. The inventory of Christians possessions, written in German Script on the 22nd of November in 1724, bears the names of Bowman and Herr. Translated into English by the clerk, J. Lowe, Hans Herr's name is spelled "John Hair". Wendell Bowman is spelled "Wandell Bowman". The inventory of Christian's estate is the earliest recorded document relating to our family in America that I have been able to locate. Christian Shank must have been a highly literate man for his time. Listed in his inventory was a collections of books, appraised for the amount of 6 pounds, 16 shillings and 6 pence: a large amount for those early days. His "share in a wagon" was listed at 1 pound, 2 shillings. His horse was valued at 6 pounds even. Includ-ed also was the usual collection of livestock found on a farm: "3 mairs and coults", cows, steers and "heffers", sheep and hogs. His land was valued at 107 pounds. I'm unable to decipher some of the items listed by the clerk, the document being 269 years old and hand written. There is another historical marker, located about five miles south of the city of Lancaster at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and U.S. 222 and which relates to the locally famous "Hans Herr House". Hans Herr, one of the appraisers of Christian Shank's estate, was the leader of the Mennonite group that came from Bern, Switzerland to Lancaster County in 1710. The Hans Herr House, built in 1719, served as the church for the community. The house has been restored in recent years and is open to the public. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites. It is interesting to Shank descendants to visit this outstanding example of medieval German architecture and to know that three of our ancestral grandfathers once actually were in the house listening while Hans Herr and others preached the Mennonite religion. The Hans Herr home and the homes of Christian Shank, Michael Shank and Michael's youngest son John (our ancestor) were no more than three miles apart and formed a sort of triangle. It seems most likely that both Shank families may have helped in the building of this historic home. It was the custom, prevalent in those days to gather around to help their neighbors raise their barns and houses. Located not far from the Hans Herr House and on Christian's Shank's original farm is the present day Eagle Museum. This is an excellent state approved museum and well worth the visit. The circumstance that makes it of special interest to Shank descendants is that it is located on part of the 530 acres Funk tract. The museum brochure states that the building which houses the museum was built about 1740 by John Herr, a relative of Hans Herr (Editor's Note: The Eagle Museum was last known as The Artichoke Grist Mill and as of August 1999 was defunct. The building remains). To recap a bit: Christian's land passed down to his son Henry. Henry had only one child, a daughter named Hester. Hester married John Herr, or as stated in Henry's will "John Hare". The building, originally a mill, was built by the husband of Christian's granddaughter, Hester. Eshelman's map prepared in 1910 confirms the site. To return to ealier days, although Christian Shank died in November 1724, the inventory of his estate, as well as the adminsistrators Bond was not filed in court until the following spring. On March 1, 1725 Henry Shank, son of Christian, was appointed Administrator of the Estate. His bondsmen were Wendell Bowman and Jacob Kendig. Their signatures and what appears to be their thumb prints were affixed to the bond and it was witnessed by Ulrich (Woolrich) Brackbill (Brecbul) and J. Lowe. The county of Lancaster was not formed out of the parent county of Chester until 1729 so Christian's estate papers, consisting of the inventory and bond, were filed in the Chester County Courthouse in File No. 213, Adm. Docket I-76. Copies of these old documents follow and the individual chart of Christian Shank's descendents also following this article will help clarify the many names in the lengthy, but informative WW-300 deed. As Shank descendents, we should be most appreciative to the State of Pennyslvania for the preservation of these documents which prove our early American ancestry. DEED . . Note: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK; pub. 1985 by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. ********** . THE FOLLOWING IS A COPY OF A HANDWRITTEN DEED WHICH NAMES THE CHILDREN AND SOME OF THE GRANDCHILDREN OF CHRISTIAN SHANK AND THE LAND ON WHICH CHRISTIAN SETTLED WHEN HE AND HIS FAMILY CAME TO PENNSYLVANIA IN 1717. IT AUTHENTICATES THE BEGINNING OF OUR SHANK FAMILY IN AMERICA. . . LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Deed Recorded: Book WW, Volume 2, Pages 300 - 304 . . MICHAEL SHANK et al) To ) HENRY SHANK ) THIS INDENTURE made the seventh day of January in the year of our Lord, One thousand seven hundred and fifty eight. Between Michael Shank of the County of Lancaster, yeoman, eldest son of Christian Shank, late of the said county, yeoman deceased, and Mary his wife; Jacob Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Bar-bara, his wife (only child of Jacob Shank, deceased, who was the youngest son of said Christian Shank, deceased), Jacob Graff of the said county, yeoman, (who intermarryed with Margaret, one of the daughters of the said Christian Shank deceased, who is now also deceased), Lodowick Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Margaret his wife (one of the daughters of said Margaret Graff by the said Jacob Graff, her husband), Bar-bara Graff and Mary Graff of the said county, spinsters (two other daughters of the said Margaret Graff deceased by the said Jacob Graff), Jacob Denlinger of the said county, yeoman, and Anna his wife and John Bowman of the said county, yeoman, and Barbara, his wife (which Anna Denlinger and Barbara Bowman are the two other daugh-ters of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the one part AND Henry Shank of the Township of Strasburg in the said county, yeoman (second son of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the other part. WHEREAS, William Penn, Esq., late proprietary of the Province of Pennsylvania, by a certain patent bearing the date the thirtieth day of June, One thousand seven hundred and eleven, did grant and convey unto one John Funk, his heirs and Assigns a certain tract or parcel of Land which is now situate in the said county of Lancaster containing five hundred and thirty acres as by the said patent recorded in the office for the recording of Patents at Philadelphia in Book A. Vol. 4, page 232, it may be more fully appear AND WHEREAS the said John Funk by Deed of the twenty fifth day of September, One thousand seven hundred and seven-teen, for the valuable consideration, did grant and convey the said five hundred and thirty acres of Land with the Appur-tenances unto one Bendictus Brechbill, his heirs and Assigns forever WHICH said Deed was so made to the said Benedictus Brechbill his heirs and Assigns In Trust as to a Moiety of the said Tract of five hundred and thirty acres of Land to and for the use and Behoof of the said Christian Shank deceased, his heirs and Assigns forever AND WHEREAS the said Christian Shank was in his life time and at the time of his death, possessed and seized of the said moiety of the said tract of Land (which is hereafter particularly mentioned, bounded and described) to him, his heirs and Assigns forever by virtue of and under the Trust aforesaid, and dying so thereof seized or possessed intestate - the same descended and came to and amongst his before named Sons and Daughters as Tenants in common, according to the Act of Assembly in such case made and provided and afterwards it was agreed between all the said children that he, the said Henry Shank, should have, take, hold and enjoy the said Moiety of the said tract of Land to him, his heirs and Assigns forever upon the respective shares of his Bro-thers and Sisters of, in and to the said Moiety: being paid to them and which have accordingly been long since paid to them but no release of their several and respec-tive shares of, in and to the said Moiety hath yet been executed unto the said Henry Shank by his said Brothers and Sisters, any or either of them, yet it was agreed be-tween them that the said Benedictus Brechbill or his heirs might make or should make, seal and execute a Deed of Conveyance of the said Moiety to him the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns forever AND THEREUPON in and by certain indenture made the fif-teenth day of April, One thousand seven hundred thirty seven, made or mentioned to be made by and between Woolrick Brechbill of the county aforesaid, yeoman (only son of the said Benedictus Brechbill, then deceased) and Frances, his wife, Jacob Graff of the said County, yeoman and Barbara, his wife (one of the daughters of the said Bene-dictus Brechbill) and Emanuel Heer of the same county, yeoman Maudlin his wife (the other daughter of the Bendictus Brechbill) of the one part and the said Henry Shank of the other part, after reciting as ? the said above, in part, recited Patent and Deed and further as therein is recited, then that INDENTURE WITNESSED that the said Woolrich Brechbill and Frances, his wife; Jacob Graff (party thereto) and Barbara his wife and Emanual Heer and Maudlin, his wife, for the consideration thereby did grant, bargain, sell, alien, enfeoff and conform unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns, all the tract of Land then situate in the said County of Lancaster, BEGIN-NING at a corner of Land, then of the said Woolrich Brechbill, thence west by south by other Land then of the said Henry Shank, sixty four perches and a half to a Hick-ory, thence North by West by the same Land and the Land then or then late of Jacob Miller six hundred and sixty perches to a poplar, thence East by North sixty four perches and a half to a post, then South by east by the said Land of the said Wool-rich Brechbill six hundred and sixty perches to the place of beginning, containing two hundred and sixty five acres (being the one Moiety or half part of the said tract of five hundred and thirty acres) together with the rights, members, improvements, Hereditaments and Appurtenances whatever thereto being, hold unto and to use and Behoof of the said Henry shank, his heirs and Assigns forever under the yearly quit rent thereafter accruing for the same to the Chief Lord of the said fee there as in any and by the said Deed and Indenture, relation being thereto respectively had, many more fully appear. NOW THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH That the said Michael Shank and Mary, his wife; Jacob Hoober and Barbara, his wife; Jacob Graff (partly hereto); Lodowich Hoober and Margaret, his wife; Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger and Anna, his wife; John Bowman and Barbara his wife, for and in consideration as well of promises as of the sum of five hundred shillings a piece to each of them in had awell and truly paid by the said Henry Shank at or before the execution hereof, the receipt and payment whereof are hereby acknowledged HAVE and each of the HATH granted, bargained, sold, remised, released, ratifyed and confirm and by these presents do and each and every of the DOTH grant, bargain, sell, remise, ratify and confirm unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs, Assigns, all their each and every of their shares, parts and purparts whatsoever of & in to and out of all and singular the said Moiety or tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres and also of, in and to all the Houses, outhouses, edifices, Buildings, barns,stables, Gardens, Orchards, Meadows, ? , pastures, feeding woods, underwoods, ways, waters, watercourses, Hedges, ditches, Trees, fences, Commodities, profits, priviledges, Ad-vantages, Hereditaments, Rights, members, Improvements and Appurtenances whatsoever thereon belonging or in any way appertaining and the reversions & remainders thereof and all their each and every of their estate, right, title, interest, use, Trust, property, possession, claim and demand whatsoever, both at Law and in equity of in and to the said Moiety, or tract of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, every or any part thereof TO HAVE AND TO HOLD all and singular the said shares, parts and purparts whatsoever in, to and out of the said Moiety Tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, hereditamus and premises hereby granted released and confirmed ? & ? mentioned or intended so to be with the Appurtenances unto the said Henry Shank. IN WITNESS whereof the said parties to these presents, their hands and Seals have hereunto interchangeably set the day and the year first above written: Michael Shank, Mary Shank, Jacob Hoober, Barbara Hoober, Jacob Graff, Lodowich Hoober, Margaret Hoober, Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger, Anna Denlinger, John Bowman, Barbara Bowman, sealed and delivered in the presence of us, Frederick Yaisser, Cha. Morse, and Daniel Forer and Christian Forer. . For the sake of brevity and to eliminate useless repetition of names, the remaining portion of the deed is omitted from this copy. Daniel Forer witnessed part of the signatures before a Justice of the Peace on December 4, 1759. Frederick Yaisser witnessed the other signatures on July 18, 1760. Although the deed was written January 7, 1758, it was not recorded at the courthouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania until May 1795 - 71 years after Christian Shank died and 33 years after the death of Henry Shank. This deed is a rather historic document in the Shank genealogy. . . B O N D . NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK; pub. 1985; by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. *********** . COPY OF THE ESTATE OF CHRISTIAN SHANK (Died 1724) CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA - FILE NO. 213 . KNOW all men by these presents the Executors HENRY SHANK, JACOB KENDRICK & WENDALL BOWMAN, all in the County of Chester & Province of Pennsylvania, yeo-men, are held and firmly bound unto Peter Evans, Registrar General for the probate of Wills and Granting Letters of Administration in & for the province aforesaid in the sum of Five Hundred Pounds, currant mony of the province aforesaid, to be payd to the said Reg. Gen. his Certain Attorney, Executor, Adms. or Assigns, to which payment well and truly to be made, we bind our- selves joyntly and severally, for and in the whole, our heirs, Executors and Adminstrators, firmly by these presents, Sealed with our Seals dated the First day of March Anno Domini 1725. . The condition of this Obligation is such that if the above bounden Henry Shank, Ad-ministrator of all & singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of Christian Shank, dec'd do make or cause to be made a true and perfect inventory of all and singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of said dec'd which have or shall come to the hands, pos-session of any other person or persons for him, & ye same, so made, exhibitt or cause to be exhibitted into ye Registrars office at Chester on or before ye First day of May next and ye same Goods, Rights and Crdits of ye said dec'd, which at the time of his death were owing to him or which, at any time after, shall come to the hands, possession or knowledge of him, the said Henry Shank, or into ye hands and possessions of any other person or persons for him, and ye same do well and truly administer according to Law and further do make or cause to be made, a true and just account of thy administration on or before the First day of May, which will be in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and twenty five and all the rest and residue of ye Goods, Rights and Credits which shall be found remaining upon ye said Administration Accounts, the same being first examined and allowed of by ye Orphans Court, of ye County of Chester, shall deliver and pay unto such person and persons, respectively, as ye said Court by its Decree or Sentance pursuant to law shall limit and appoint, & if it shall hereafter appear that any Last Will & Test-ament was made by ye Dec'd, and if the Executors therein named do exhibit ye same into ye Registrar's Office at Chester, making request to have it allowed & approved accordingly if ye said Henry Shank being thereunto required, do render and deliver up said Let-ter of Administration approbation of such Testament being first had and made at ye office that, then, this obligation to be void or else to be and remain in full force and vetue to the effect. . Sealed and Delivered In the presence of Signed: Ulrich Brechbul ? ? Henry Shank John Lowe Jacob Kendig Wendall Bowman . Schenk Farm Locations 1717-1750 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=79727f6e-fb22-4b49-bf4f-81597a921813&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583 thumbnailCAVB12TH http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=d31ec885-5263-4cb7-845b-aebb2153fcdd&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583 Christian Schenck http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=2cfd9ac9-e6b4-47a6-a682-dc6c937769db&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583




		Page 11 of 238	Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM


Register Report for Hans Schenk




Generation 7 (con't)

	Notes for Christian Stauffer Schenk: General Notes: Notes from George Shank's research: NOTE: The following is take directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa. 17602-1499, Phone; (717) 393-37945. Internet=use a search engine. . Christian Shank (Schenck) and his three sons and three daughters arrived in America in the year of 1717. They were part of the contingent of 363 Swiss-German Mennonites who had assembled around Mannheim, Germany and who had sailed in three small ships from Rotterdam, Holland in June of 1717. The rather large group was under the leadership of Benedict Brackbill, a well known Mennonite preacher and teacher. In Volume 3 of the Pennsylvania Colonial Records, at page 29, there is an account of the three ships masters, Captains Eyers, Tower, and Richards, belatedly reporting the 363 passengers in to the authorities on September 8, 1717. I have corresponded with a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania genealogist, Martin H. Brackbill, who is a direct descendant of Benedict. He states that the three ships arrived at Philadelphia, apparently together on August 24, 1717. Although not positively proven, research indicates the Christian Shank was born near Basel Switzerland about 1665. As a child he was likely a member of one of the four Schenck (Shank) families who were Mennonites and who, hounded by the Roman Catholic Church for their religious beliefs, fled into Germany from Switzerland in 1671. As previously stated, the names of the heads of these Schenck families were included in the list of those Swiss Mennonites who were living at Osthoven, near Mannheim, Germany in 1672. Although nothing positive is known of the wife of Christian Shank, Martin Brackbill, the genealogist, suggests that Benedict Brackbill's sister Barbara, may have been married to our ancestor Christian. No research has been undertaken by me on the early years of Christian Shank, so the foregoing is partly speculative. It should be noted on Christian's chart, however, that he named one of his daughters, Barbara, and that the name was carried on down in later generations. This would add some substance to the speculation that Christian Shank's wife was Barbara Brackbill. There is a deed recorded in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in Deed Book WW, on pages 300 through 305, which is a vital document in the genealogy of our Shank family and of Christian Shank in particular. This lengthy deed gives the first good solid proof of the circumstances surrounding our first American ancestor. The document, although not written until January 7, 1758, traces the title to 265 acres of land located in Lancaster County and recites that Christian Shank and Benedict Brackbill, on September 25, 1717, jointly, with half interest for each, bought the 530 acre tract of land that had been patented to John Funk in 1711. This would add a bit more weight to the possibility that Barbara Brackbill was the wife of Christian, it appearing that some sort of family relationship did exist between the Brackbill and Shank families. The Funk tract was right in the midst of the 6400 acre tract granted to the Mennonites in 1710. The historical marker located at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and Penn Grant Road further corroborates the location of the property. Maps and surveys of early Lancaster County, prepared by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1933 show the 530 acre tract to be rather long and narrow and extending over three fourths of a mile in a north and south direction. Located on Pequea Creek (pronounced PECKWAY), it is on today's map at the west city limits of Strasburg in Strasburg township. Pequea Creek runs through the northern part of Christian's land, as well as through the farm of Christian's son Michael, who was also located Pequea, but a bit further down the creek. You will notice that the 1717 land transaction occured in no more than a month after the arrival of the 363 Palatines at Philadelphia. Remember, also, that this was the group of settles organized, in part, by Benedict Brackbill with the express purpose conclusively that the Shank and Brackbill families were members of that group reported to the authorities on September 8, 1717. and who immediately joined their fellow Mennonites along Pequea Creek. The 1758 deed further states that Benedict Brackbill's three heirs, son Woolrick and daughters Frances and Barbara, deeded half of the 530 acre tract (265 acres to Henry Shank (second eldest son of Christian) on April 15, 1737 (See Deed Book B-95). Deed WW-300 is a composite deed which not only relates the foregoing transactions, but also conveys to Henry Shank, the interest of his brothers and sisters in the 265 acres. The deed reads like a genealogy chart in that it names as heirs of Christian Shank, his three sons: Michael, eldest, who already had his own land; Henry, second eldest and Jacob, the youngest. It names the daughters of Christian as Margaret (wife of Jacob Graff); Anna (wife of Jacob Denlinger) and Barbara (wife of John Bowman). Son Jacob and his sister Margaret had died prior to the making of the deed in 1758 and signing the deed, as Jacob's only child, was his daughter Barbara (wife of Jacob Hoober). Signing as Margaret's heirs, was her hus- band, Jacob Graff and their three daughters: Margaret (wife of Lodowich Hoober); and unmarried daughters Barbara and Mary Graff. Since Michael, the eldest son of Christian Shank already had his own land, and Jacob the younger son was already deceased, all the rest of the heirs agreed that Henry should have his father's farm and they all signed the WW-300 deed in German Script. Two days later, apparently as part of the agreement, Henry and wife Margret, deeded the northern half of the 265 . acre tract to Jacob's daughter and only heir, Barbara and her husband Jacob Hoober (Huber) as part of Christian's estate So it was then, 41 years after Christians Shank and Benedict Brackbill had jointly acquired the land near Strasburg, that lengthy 1758 deed accomplished the final division of the 530 acre tract and cleared the title to half of it to Henry Shank. The deed was a most fortunate find in the Shank genealogy. Although it was written in 1758, it was not recorded in Lancaster courthouse until May 25, 1795--thirty-three years after Henry died in 1762 and seventy-eight years after Christian Shank and his family came to America. In 1763, the year after Henry died, title to the entire estate of 530 acres came back under the single ownership of John Brackbill, who was the grandson of Benedict Brackbill. To get some idea of how this countryside appeared to three of our ancestors (Christian, Michael and his son john) one can refer to the historian, Redmond Conygham of Lancaster County, who, writing in the middle 1800's, had this to say about the area and its settlers: . "...a rich limestone country, beautifully adorned with sugar maple, hickory, and black and white walnut on the border of a delightful stream, abounding in the finest trout--here they raised their humble cabins. The water of the Pequea was clear, cold and transparent, and the grape vines and clematis, intertwining among the lofty branches of the majestic button wood, formed a pleasant retreat from the noon beams of a summer sun." . Christian Shank must have been delighted and greatly pleased to have traded the turmoil of Europe for the peace and tranquillity of the Pequea Valley. However, he did not live very long to enjoy the benefits of the New World. Christian Shank died in the fall of 1724, after only seven years in America. His partner on the farm, Brackbill, had even less time in this chosen land. Bendict Brackbill died January 20, 1721. Benedict's descendants have remained in the general vicinity until today. However, the Shank name disappeared from the neighborhood when Christian's son Henry, without male issue, died in 1762. Christian appears to have been well respected in his Mennonite community. Upon his death, two highly regarded neighbors, Wendell Bowman, an original 1710 settler, and Hans Herr, Mennonite patriarch of the 1710 group, came to appraise Christians estate as required by law. The inventory of Christians possessions, written in German Script on the 22nd of November in 1724, bears the names of Bowman and Herr. Translated into English by the clerk, J. Lowe, Hans Herr's name is spelled "John Hair". Wendell Bowman is spelled "Wandell Bowman". The inventory of Christian's estate is the earliest recorded document relating to our family in America that I have been able to locate. Christian Shank must have been a highly literate man for his time. Listed in his inventory was a collections of books, appraised for the amount of 6 pounds, 16 shillings and 6 pence: a large amount for those early days. His "share in a wagon" was listed at 1 pound, 2 shillings. His horse was valued at 6 pounds even. Includ-ed also was the usual collection of livestock found on a farm: "3 mairs and coults", cows, steers and "heffers", sheep and hogs. His land was valued at 107 pounds. I'm unable to decipher some of the items listed by the clerk, the document being 269 years old and hand written. There is another historical marker, located about five miles south of the city of Lancaster at the intersection of Hans Herr Drive and U.S. 222 and which relates to the locally famous "Hans Herr House". Hans Herr, one of the appraisers of Christian Shank's estate, was the leader of the Mennonite group that came from Bern, Switzerland to Lancaster County in 1710. The Hans Herr House, built in 1719, served as the church for the community. The house has been restored in recent years and is open to the public. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites. It is interesting to Shank descendants to visit this outstanding example of medieval German architecture and to know that three of our ancestral grandfathers once actually were in the house listening while Hans Herr and others preached the Mennonite religion. The Hans Herr home and the homes of Christian Shank, Michael Shank and Michael's youngest son John (our ancestor) were no more than three miles apart and formed a sort of triangle. It seems most likely that both Shank families may have helped in the building of this historic home. It was the custom, prevalent in those days to gather around to help their neighbors raise their barns and houses. Located not far from the Hans Herr House and on Christian's Shank's original farm is the present day Eagle Museum. This is an excellent state approved museum and well worth the visit. The circumstance that makes it of special interest to Shank descendants is that it is located on part of the 530 acres Funk tract. The museum brochure states that the building which houses the museum was built about 1740 by John Herr, a relative of Hans Herr (Editor's Note: The Eagle Museum was last known as The Artichoke Grist Mill and as of August 1999 was defunct. The building remains). To recap a bit: Christian's land passed down to his son Henry. Henry had only one child, a daughter named Hester. Hester married John Herr, or as stated in Henry's will "John Hare". The building, originally a mill, was built by the husband of Christian's granddaughter, Hester. Eshelman's map prepared in 1910 confirms the site. To return to ealier days, although Christian Shank died in November 1724, the inventory of his estate, as well as the adminsistrators Bond was not filed in court until the following spring. On March 1, 1725 Henry Shank, son of Christian, was appointed Administrator of the Estate. His bondsmen were Wendell Bowman and Jacob Kendig. Their signatures and what appears to be their thumb prints were affixed to the bond and it was witnessed by Ulrich (Woolrich) Brackbill (Brecbul) and J. Lowe. The county of Lancaster was not formed out of the parent county of Chester until 1729 so Christian's estate papers, consisting of the inventory and bond, were filed in the Chester County Courthouse in File No. 213, Adm. Docket I-76. Copies of these old documents follow and the individual chart of Christian Shank's descendents also following this article will help clarify the many names in the lengthy, but informative WW-300 deed. As Shank descendents, we should be most appreciative to the State of Pennyslvania for the preservation of these documents which prove our early American ancestry. DEED . . Note: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK; pub. 1985 by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. ********** . THE FOLLOWING IS A COPY OF A HANDWRITTEN DEED WHICH NAMES THE CHILDREN AND SOME OF THE GRANDCHILDREN OF CHRISTIAN SHANK AND THE LAND ON WHICH CHRISTIAN SETTLED WHEN HE AND HIS FAMILY CAME TO PENNSYLVANIA IN 1717. IT AUTHENTICATES THE BEGINNING OF OUR SHANK FAMILY IN AMERICA. . . LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Deed Recorded: Book WW, Volume 2, Pages 300 - 304 . . MICHAEL SHANK et al) To ) HENRY SHANK ) THIS INDENTURE made the seventh day of January in the year of our Lord, One thousand seven hundred and fifty eight. Between Michael Shank of the County of Lancaster, yeoman, eldest son of Christian Shank, late of the said county, yeoman deceased, and Mary his wife; Jacob Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Bar-bara, his wife (only child of Jacob Shank, deceased, who was the youngest son of said Christian Shank, deceased), Jacob Graff of the said county, yeoman, (who intermarryed with Margaret, one of the daughters of the said Christian Shank deceased, who is now also deceased), Lodowick Hoober of the said county, yeoman and Margaret his wife (one of the daughters of said Margaret Graff by the said Jacob Graff, her husband), Bar-bara Graff and Mary Graff of the said county, spinsters (two other daughters of the said Margaret Graff deceased by the said Jacob Graff), Jacob Denlinger of the said county, yeoman, and Anna his wife and John Bowman of the said county, yeoman, and Barbara, his wife (which Anna Denlinger and Barbara Bowman are the two other daugh-ters of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the one part AND Henry Shank of the Township of Strasburg in the said county, yeoman (second son of the said Christian Shank deceased) of the other part. WHEREAS, William Penn, Esq., late proprietary of the Province of Pennsylvania, by a certain patent bearing the date the thirtieth day of June, One thousand seven hundred and eleven, did grant and convey unto one John Funk, his heirs and Assigns a certain tract or parcel of Land which is now situate in the said county of Lancaster containing five hundred and thirty acres as by the said patent recorded in the office for the recording of Patents at Philadelphia in Book A. Vol. 4, page 232, it may be more fully appear AND WHEREAS the said John Funk by Deed of the twenty fifth day of September, One thousand seven hundred and seven-teen, for the valuable consideration, did grant and convey the said five hundred and thirty acres of Land with the Appur-tenances unto one Bendictus Brechbill, his heirs and Assigns forever WHICH said Deed was so made to the said Benedictus Brechbill his heirs and Assigns In Trust as to a Moiety of the said Tract of five hundred and thirty acres of Land to and for the use and Behoof of the said Christian Shank deceased, his heirs and Assigns forever AND WHEREAS the said Christian Shank was in his life time and at the time of his death, possessed and seized of the said moiety of the said tract of Land (which is hereafter particularly mentioned, bounded and described) to him, his heirs and Assigns forever by virtue of and under the Trust aforesaid, and dying so thereof seized or possessed intestate - the same descended and came to and amongst his before named Sons and Daughters as Tenants in common, according to the Act of Assembly in such case made and provided and afterwards it was agreed between all the said children that he, the said Henry Shank, should have, take, hold and enjoy the said Moiety of the said tract of Land to him, his heirs and Assigns forever upon the respective shares of his Bro-thers and Sisters of, in and to the said Moiety: being paid to them and which have accordingly been long since paid to them but no release of their several and respec-tive shares of, in and to the said Moiety hath yet been executed unto the said Henry Shank by his said Brothers and Sisters, any or either of them, yet it was agreed be-tween them that the said Benedictus Brechbill or his heirs might make or should make, seal and execute a Deed of Conveyance of the said Moiety to him the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns forever AND THEREUPON in and by certain indenture made the fif-teenth day of April, One thousand seven hundred thirty seven, made or mentioned to be made by and between Woolrick Brechbill of the county aforesaid, yeoman (only son of the said Benedictus Brechbill, then deceased) and Frances, his wife, Jacob Graff of the said County, yeoman and Barbara, his wife (one of the daughters of the said Bene-dictus Brechbill) and Emanuel Heer of the same county, yeoman Maudlin his wife (the other daughter of the Bendictus Brechbill) of the one part and the said Henry Shank of the other part, after reciting as ? the said above, in part, recited Patent and Deed and further as therein is recited, then that INDENTURE WITNESSED that the said Woolrich Brechbill and Frances, his wife; Jacob Graff (party thereto) and Barbara his wife and Emanual Heer and Maudlin, his wife, for the consideration thereby did grant, bargain, sell, alien, enfeoff and conform unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs and Assigns, all the tract of Land then situate in the said County of Lancaster, BEGIN-NING at a corner of Land, then of the said Woolrich Brechbill, thence west by south by other Land then of the said Henry Shank, sixty four perches and a half to a Hick-ory, thence North by West by the same Land and the Land then or then late of Jacob Miller six hundred and sixty perches to a poplar, thence East by North sixty four perches and a half to a post, then South by east by the said Land of the said Wool-rich Brechbill six hundred and sixty perches to the place of beginning, containing two hundred and sixty five acres (being the one Moiety or half part of the said tract of five hundred and thirty acres) together with the rights, members, improvements, Hereditaments and Appurtenances whatever thereto being, hold unto and to use and Behoof of the said Henry shank, his heirs and Assigns forever under the yearly quit rent thereafter accruing for the same to the Chief Lord of the said fee there as in any and by the said Deed and Indenture, relation being thereto respectively had, many more fully appear. NOW THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH That the said Michael Shank and Mary, his wife; Jacob Hoober and Barbara, his wife; Jacob Graff (partly hereto); Lodowich Hoober and Margaret, his wife; Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger and Anna, his wife; John Bowman and Barbara his wife, for and in consideration as well of promises as of the sum of five hundred shillings a piece to each of them in had awell and truly paid by the said Henry Shank at or before the execution hereof, the receipt and payment whereof are hereby acknowledged HAVE and each of the HATH granted, bargained, sold, remised, released, ratifyed and confirm and by these presents do and each and every of the DOTH grant, bargain, sell, remise, ratify and confirm unto the said Henry Shank, his heirs, Assigns, all their each and every of their shares, parts and purparts whatsoever of & in to and out of all and singular the said Moiety or tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres and also of, in and to all the Houses, outhouses, edifices, Buildings, barns,stables, Gardens, Orchards, Meadows, ? , pastures, feeding woods, underwoods, ways, waters, watercourses, Hedges, ditches, Trees, fences, Commodities, profits, priviledges, Ad-vantages, Hereditaments, Rights, members, Improvements and Appurtenances whatsoever thereon belonging or in any way appertaining and the reversions & remainders thereof and all their each and every of their estate, right, title, interest, use, Trust, property, possession, claim and demand whatsoever, both at Law and in equity of in and to the said Moiety, or tract of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, every or any part thereof TO HAVE AND TO HOLD all and singular the said shares, parts and purparts whatsoever in, to and out of the said Moiety Tract or parcel of Land containing two hundred and sixty five acres, hereditamus and premises hereby granted released and confirmed ? & ? mentioned or intended so to be with the Appurtenances unto the said Henry Shank. IN WITNESS whereof the said parties to these presents, their hands and Seals have hereunto interchangeably set the day and the year first above written: Michael Shank, Mary Shank, Jacob Hoober, Barbara Hoober, Jacob Graff, Lodowich Hoober, Margaret Hoober, Barbara Graff, Mary Graff, Jacob Denlinger, Anna Denlinger, John Bowman, Barbara Bowman, sealed and delivered in the presence of us, Frederick Yaisser, Cha. Morse, and Daniel Forer and Christian Forer. . For the sake of brevity and to eliminate useless repetition of names, the remaining portion of the deed is omitted from this copy. Daniel Forer witnessed part of the signatures before a Justice of the Peace on December 4, 1759. Frederick Yaisser witnessed the other signatures on July 18, 1760. Although the deed was written January 7, 1758, it was not recorded at the courthouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania until May 1795 - 71 years after Christian Shank died and 33 years after the death of Henry Shank. This deed is a rather historic document in the Shank genealogy. . . B O N D . NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK; pub. 1985; by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499. Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. *********** . COPY OF THE ESTATE OF CHRISTIAN SHANK (Died 1724) CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA - FILE NO. 213 . KNOW all men by these presents the Executors HENRY SHANK, JACOB KENDRICK & WENDALL BOWMAN, all in the County of Chester & Province of Pennsylvania, yeo-men, are held and firmly bound unto Peter Evans, Registrar General for the probate of Wills and Granting Letters of Administration in & for the province aforesaid in the sum of Five Hundred Pounds, currant mony of the province aforesaid, to be payd to the said Reg. Gen. his Certain Attorney, Executor, Adms. or Assigns, to which payment well and truly to be made, we bind our- selves joyntly and severally, for and in the whole, our heirs, Executors and Adminstrators, firmly by these presents, Sealed with our Seals dated the First day of March Anno Domini 1725. . The condition of this Obligation is such that if the above bounden Henry Shank, Ad-ministrator of all & singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of Christian Shank, dec'd do make or cause to be made a true and perfect inventory of all and singular ye Goods, Rights and Credits of said dec'd which have or shall come to the hands, pos-session of any other person or persons for him, & ye same, so made, exhibitt or cause to be exhibitted into ye Registrars office at Chester on or before ye First day of May next and ye same Goods, Rights and Crdits of ye said dec'd, which at the time of his death were owing to him or which, at any time after, shall come to the hands, possession or knowledge of him, the said Henry Shank, or into ye hands and possessions of any other person or persons for him, and ye same do well and truly administer according to Law and further do make or cause to be made, a true and just account of thy administration on or before the First day of May, which will be in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and twenty five and all the rest and residue of ye Goods, Rights and Credits which shall be found remaining upon ye said Administration Accounts, the same being first examined and allowed of by ye Orphans Court, of ye County of Chester, shall deliver and pay unto such person and persons, respectively, as ye said Court by its Decree or Sentance pursuant to law shall limit and appoint, & if it shall hereafter appear that any Last Will & Test-ament was made by ye Dec'd, and if the Executors therein named do exhibit ye same into ye Registrar's Office at Chester, making request to have it allowed & approved accordingly if ye said Henry Shank being thereunto required, do render and deliver up said Let-ter of Administration approbation of such Testament being first had and made at ye office that, then, this obligation to be void or else to be and remain in full force and vetue to the effect. . Sealed and Delivered In the presence of Signed: Ulrich Brechbul ? ? Henry Shank John Lowe Jacob Kendig Wendall Bowman . Schenk Farm Locations 1717-1750 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=79727f6e-fb22-4b49-bf4f-81597a921813&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583 thumbnailCAVB12TH http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=d31ec885-5263-4cb7-845b-aebb2153fcdd&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583 Christian Schenck http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=2cfd9ac9-e6b4-47a6-a682-dc6c937769db&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829583




		Page 12 of 238	Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM

Generation 7 (con't)

17.

Michael Schenk was born in 1692 in Pfalz,Hausen,Zurich,Switzerland. He married Anna Kasey on 24 Aug 1717 in ,,,Germany. He died on 07 Sep 1763 in Warwick, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

ii.

Barbara Schenk was born on 06 Jul 1694 in Eggiwil, Bern, Switzerland.

18.

iii.

John Schenk was born on 27 Nov 1694 in Hasselbach, Baden, Germany. He died on 11 Sep 1744 in Lancaster, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

iv.

Anna Schenk was born in 1698.

Catherine Schenk was born in Apr 1720 in Conestoga, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. She died on 29 Nov 1760 in Warwick, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

Generation 8

12.

Henry B Schenk-8 (Christian Stauffer-7, Michael-6, Michael-5, Ulrich-4, Hans Christian-3, Johannes-2, Hans-1) was born in 1692 in Ibersheim, Worms, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He died in 1762 in Strasburg Twp, Lancaster Co, PA.

Margaret was born in 1702 in , , Pennsylvania, USA.

Henry B Schenk and Margaret were married in 1720 in Strasburg, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. They had the following children:

19.

Hester Schenk was born on 17 May 1731 in Strasburg, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. She married John Herr in Mar 1744 in , , Pennsylvania, USA. She died on 14 Jun 1801 in Lampeter, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

13.

Michael B Schenk-8 (Christian Stauffer-7, Michael-6, Michael-5, Ulrich-4, Hans Christian-3, Johannes-2, Hans-1) was born in 1695 in Osthoven, Germany. He died in Mar 1759 in Conestoga, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

Notes for Michael B Schenk:

General Notes:

From George Shank's Research:

NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499, Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society.

Michael Shank, our ancestor, was the eldest son of the Christian Shank who died in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1724. Michael and his wife Mary, came to America, along with his father and his brothers and sisters, as part of the large group of 363 Mennonites who settled on Pequea Creek (pronounced PECKWAY) in Lancaster County in September of 1717.

Michael and Mary must have already been married and needing their own land when they arrived in Philadelphia, because he immediately made application to William Penn's Commissioners of Property for 200 acres. A warrant, now recorded in Harrisburg in Book D, Volume 82, at page 159, states that on 27th of September in 1717 Commissioners Richard Hill, Isaac Norris and James Logan granted Michael Shank the right to take up and have surveyed to himself "in or near the township of Strasburg the quanity of 200 acres of land that has not been already surveyed, nor appropriated, nor is seated by the Indians". Being required by the terms of Penn's warrant to settle on unoccupied land, Michael selected a tract on the banks of the Pequea Creek, only a short distance downstream from 530 acres of land that his

father Christian and Benedict Brakebill had jointly bought from John Funk only two

days earlier on September 25, 1717. Michael's land was surveyed out to him the following spring on June 4, 1718 by Issac Taylor. Although the Indian tribes had roamed this area for hundreds of years, Michael Shank thus became the first white man to ever live at this site. Taylor, Penn's surveyor, allowed Michael 250 acres

of land, it being the custom to allow additional acreage to the amount requested for

the development of roads which, of course, were non-existent in those days. A plat of the land, showing Michael Shank's name may be found in the Pequea township map of early settlers which was prepared by the State of Pennsylvania in 1933.

For anyone interested in seeing this first homestead of our pioneer Michael Shank, it can be easily found today. it lies partly in Strasburg and partly in Providence townships (formerly old Martic twp). Another survey on April 12, 1740 and recorded at Harrisburg in Book D., Volume 82, page 15 shows that the north boundary of the 250 acre rectangular tract runs almost directly east and west and lies no more the 50 feet south of the spot where the Big Beaver (Beaver Dam) Creek empties into the Pequea. The land extends more the three fourths of a mile southward from this point. The present day crossroads community of Herrsville is located just off the northwest corner of the tract. About 200 yards south of the community, the rural Herrsville Road crosses Pequea Creek. Looking to the east from the bridge one can see what was once the land on which Michael Shank built his first rustic home in America. Although not proven, this is quite likely the birthplace of John Shank, one of Michael's older sons and our ancestor who will be discussed in a following article "John Shank (c1718-1791)".

Some light is shed on Michael's early life and circumstances on Pequea Creek by a deed, not made until April 7, 1740. The foregoing survey of 1740 would have been made in connection with the transaction. Many early deeds were never recorded or were lost and this 1740 deed was made in order to clarify the title to the land. The deed was made by Thomas Penn, Richard Penn and John Penn; all sons of William Penn; and it is recorded in Lancaster County Book A, Volume 9, page 180. It recites that Michael Shank paid them the sum of 14 pounds and 8 shillings for the before mentioned 250 acres and that he, on the 7th day of March in 1733, deeded the land to Henry Hoober and Jacob Good. Henry and Jacob by mutual consent, divided the land, with Henry receiving the northern part of 144 acres and Jacob receiving the remaining 106 acres on the south. You may notice on the chart following this article that Michael Shank's sons Henry and Christian, intermarried with their neighboring Hoober (Huber) Good families. A fact which helps to explain the transaction.

Although Michael retained ownership in the Pequea Creek land for a good many years, he did not reside there for any great length of time. His desire to locate near his father and family, no doubt, led him to select the tract in the beginning. I visited the site in October 1981 and found it to be very hilly and by no stretch of the imagination can it be called good farm land. Today it is overgrown in parts and contains two small dairy farms.

Michael soon left the Pequea Creek area, moving about five miles northwest to Conestoga Creek. The 1725 Tax List of Lancaster Co. (then Chester Co.) shows there were two Michael Shanks in the county at that time. One of the two was our ancestor, listed as "Michael Shank of George Gray's place". In those early days, men often occupied and worked a tract of land for many years before receiving a valid and legal deed to it. In this case, Michael did not receive deeds to Gray's two places of tracts until 1740. As previously mentioned, in 1933 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had maps made of land ownership in these early days. The maps are put together by townships and the Pequea township map shows Michael Shank's name and the location of the land he first acquired in 1717, as well as the two tracts that

he bought from George Gray in two deeds made in July and in August of 1740. As a matter of interest to Shank descendants, the Strasburg twp map which adjoins Pequea show the 530 acre John Funk land that Michael's father, Christian bought in partnership with Benedict Brakebill in 1717. So it is then, that three of our grandfathers, at one time or another lived in sight of Pequea Creek which meanders through their lands and the lands of Lancaster County.

Michael Shank lived on Conestoga Creek for some 35 years until his death in 1759. This second location of his land is even easier to find today than is the

location of his first tract on Pequea Creek. There is recorded at Harrisburg, Pa in Book D, Volume 73, page 53 a survey of the first 84-1/2 acre tract Michael bought from George Gray in 1740. It is bounded on the south by "Kings Road". This is now a very busy highway, located in precisely the same location now as in 1740, but now known as "Long Lane". Traveling west on Long Lane about four miles south of the City of Lancaster, one comes to Leamon Lane which turns northward toward the town of Millersville. This intersection marks the southeast corner of Michael Shank's two tracts which extend all the way north to Conestoga Creek.

It was customary in Mennonite families to use a given name over and over--even to the point of great confusion. Our Shank family was no exception to the custom. Over and over, our family used the names of Christian, Michael, John, Jacob and Henry. Unfortunately, from the standpoint of genealogical research, there were other Shank families in Lancaster County at the same time as ours and using the same given names. This created a problem in trying to sort out and group together the various members of a given family. Our Michael, following the usual custom, named his sons, Christian, Michael, John, Jacob and Henry, though not necessarily in that order. Having seven sons, however, and running out of customary names, he named two sons, Tobias and Adam. This proved to be a fortunate occurrence because, in my research, I have found the name Adam to have been used down through four generations of Shanks: all the way from Virginia and into Kentucky and to Hopkins County. The first of our line to come to Kentucky was named Adam Shank. Had he been named anything other than Adam, I think it would have been almost impossible to have traced our family line all the way back to the Christian Shank of 1717. I think it might be as well, at this point, to mention that all of the descendants of this Christian, bearing the name Shank, have come down by way of Michael, the subject of this article. Christian, as mentioned in the foregoing article, had two other sons, Henry and Jacob, but they each had only one daughter and no male issue to carry on the Shank name.

Michael had seven sons and one daughter. These are all named in his will which he wrote on March 17, 1759. He died shortly thereafter and his will was probated on May 20, 1759. It is recorded in Will Book 1, page 264. He states in his will that some of his heirs had already received their share of his estate. These, likely, being sons John, our ancestor, and Christian, who were landowners in the county as early as 1740 and 1743. His two tracts of land on the Conestoga Creek went to sons Michael and Tobias. Old Michael must have cared greatly for his wife. His will was most explicit about the treatment she was to have after his death, specifying precisely what she should have:

"My beloved wife Mary shall have in her widow in my house, kitchen and seller during her life: and all my heirs and my son Tobias Shank, above mentioned, shall permit my wife, Mary, yearly and every year, with twelve Bushels of Wheat, one hundred pounds of Pork and Fifty pounds of Beefe and fifty pounds of Heckled Hemp, & five pounds of wool, and Three Barrells of Cyder and Five Bushells of Malt for Beer, and Apples as much as she shall use for drying and for the winter to eat, Which Cyder and Apples, shall be taken out of my place, devised to my son Tobias Shank, and to keep her a Cow for milk in fodder as his own, & Milk her for my said wife, and my wife Mary shall have use of the cows, every spring which she likes best and Fire Wood to be delivered to her for Fireing, and use of the Plant Garden & Yearly Five Gallons of Apple Ligure to be delivered to my said Wife, Yearly and every Year during her life."

It was quite obvious that old Michael dearly loved his wife and wanted Mary to be comfortably cared for in her remaining years.

By the time Michael died in 1759, most of the good and reasonably priced land in Lancaster County had been taken up and thus began the move south and westward by many of the descendants of the original Mennonite settlers. With Michael's sons Christian, John, Michael and Tobias already having their own land in the county, it was up to the remaining sons Henry, Jacob and Adam to seek land elsewhere. My re- search has turned up very little about Jacob. There is a reference in George R. Prowell's "History of York Co. Pa." pages 263, 264, and 276 to a Jacob Schenck (Shank) and Adam Schenck (Shank) as being in the First and Third Battalions of Associators in 1775 and 1776. These battalions were made up in York County during the Revolutionary War and marched to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where part of them joined the First Regiment of the "Flying Camp" Under Col. Michael Swope of York.

Deeds show that Henry Shank and Adam Shank took up land across the Susquehanna River in York County which adjoins Lancaster. Henry, who married Ann Hoober (Huber) lived in Cordorus township until he died there on March 21, 1801, leaving behind two sons named John and Michael and three daughters, Mary, Magdelene and Margaret. Henry's son appears to have moved to New Jersey, but his other son, John, remained in York Co. and appears to have been the John Shank (Schenck) who married Barbara Hershey, daughter of Christian Hershey. The Hersheys were a very large family in Codorus township and related to the Hershey's Chocolate family of nearby Dauphin County. The elder Michael's son Adam married Magdalene Eyeman and bought land in York County in Manchester township in 1761. He remained there until he sold out in 1786; he and Magdelene appearing next in 1787 in Rockingham County, Virginia where he died in 1802. While in Rockingham County they lived on Linville Creek as a neighbor to his nephew, Henry Shank. Lake's Atlas, 1885, gives the name of Shank's Run to a small creek in the neighborhood which empties into Linville. The Shank name is now practically forgotten. The Shank neighborhood was about five miles north of Harrisburg on State Route 42.

Going back to Lancaster County, a Christian Shank of Martic township appears to have been one of the older sons of Michael, but I have not researched it sufficiently to completely prove it. Christian and his wife, Barbara were willed 203 acres "on the east side of Pequea Creek" by Barbara's father Peter Good in 1740. The tract lies very close to the land selected by Michael Shank in 1717 and possibly includes part of it. You will recall that several deeds, surveys, etc. were dated 1740 and were between the Shank and Good families. The south end of Michael's 1717 tract extended south into old Martic township. The east side of Pequea Creek at this point is in old Martic twp (now Providence twp). There were several land transactions in Lancaster and York Counties by Christian and Barbara of Martic Township. In 1793 they conveyed land on Chickies Creek to their son "John, a

miller". On today's map of Lancaster County there is a "Schenck Road" leading to a covered bridge at the point where Delinger Run empties into Chickies Creek--no doubt the site of John's mill in the late 1790's.

The son of Michael who died in 1759, and the one that interests us most, is his son John. He is our Ancestor and the events surrounding his life will be related in the following article which I have entitled "John Shank (c1718-1791)".

1st Michael Schenck Farm Location Sat View

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=60cbe4b0-279c-485b-bb9a-23883167e064&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

2nd Michael Schenck Farm - abt 1720

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=dd625f3a-e8f9-433f-88f2-4b2f4e71d1e7&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

2nd Michael Schenck Farmland

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=ab734398-5d20-42d2-a0bc-6c1c62b82810&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

PEQUEA Creek

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=b7bad478-c5a9-410b-acc0-78269e417433&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

1st Michael Schenck Farm looking Southeast from bridge.

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=d7ff0f12-f626-4ec7-95df-7f4b836b0abc&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

Schenk Farm Locations 1717-1750

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=79727f6e-fb22-4b49-bf4f-81597a921813&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

Michael Schenck

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=7323eac7-06b1-4c41-8273-d05c5f30987a&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

Michael Schenck 2nd Farm Location Sat View

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=0b5f4697-8c4b-4cb7-9e06-d5e013b4c399&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

Panoramic View of farm from the West looking East

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=64bb00c5-7650-4f7a-998a-d9ceb8dbc030&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

Christian Schenck Farm

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=ebd469f3-c22c-484f-96f0-e90a99959ca0&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

Page 14 of 238

Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM


Register Report for Hans Schenk




Generation 8 (con't)

	Notes for Michael B Schenk: General Notes: From George Shank's Research: NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499, Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. . Michael Shank, our ancestor, was the eldest son of the Christian Shank who died in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1724. Michael and his wife Mary, came to America, along with his father and his brothers and sisters, as part of the large group of 363 Mennonites who settled on Pequea Creek (pronounced PECKWAY) in Lancaster County in September of 1717. Michael and Mary must have already been married and needing their own land when they arrived in Philadelphia, because he immediately made application to William Penn's Commissioners of Property for 200 acres. A warrant, now recorded in Harrisburg in Book D, Volume 82, at page 159, states that on 27th of September in 1717 Commissioners Richard Hill, Isaac Norris and James Logan granted Michael Shank the right to take up and have surveyed to himself "in or near the township of Strasburg the quanity of 200 acres of land that has not been already surveyed, nor appropriated, nor is seated by the Indians". Being required by the terms of Penn's warrant to settle on unoccupied land, Michael selected a tract on the banks of the Pequea Creek, only a short distance downstream from 530 acres of land that his father Christian and Benedict Brakebill had jointly bought from John Funk only two days earlier on September 25, 1717. Michael's land was surveyed out to him the following spring on June 4, 1718 by Issac Taylor. Although the Indian tribes had roamed this area for hundreds of years, Michael Shank thus became the first white man to ever live at this site. Taylor, Penn's surveyor, allowed Michael 250 acres of land, it being the custom to allow additional acreage to the amount requested for the development of roads which, of course, were non-existent in those days. A plat of the land, showing Michael Shank's name may be found in the Pequea township map of early settlers which was prepared by the State of Pennsylvania in 1933. For anyone interested in seeing this first homestead of our pioneer Michael Shank, it can be easily found today. it lies partly in Strasburg and partly in Providence townships (formerly old Martic twp). Another survey on April 12, 1740 and recorded at Harrisburg in Book D., Volume 82, page 15 shows that the north boundary of the 250 acre rectangular tract runs almost directly east and west and lies no more the 50 feet south of the spot where the Big Beaver (Beaver Dam) Creek empties into the Pequea. The land extends more the three fourths of a mile southward from this point. The present day crossroads community of Herrsville is located just off the northwest corner of the tract. About 200 yards south of the community, the rural Herrsville Road crosses Pequea Creek. Looking to the east from the bridge one can see what was once the land on which Michael Shank built his first rustic home in America. Although not proven, this is quite likely the birthplace of John Shank, one of Michael's older sons and our ancestor who will be discussed in a following article "John Shank (c1718-1791)". Some light is shed on Michael's early life and circumstances on Pequea Creek by a deed, not made until April 7, 1740. The foregoing survey of 1740 would have been made in connection with the transaction. Many early deeds were never recorded or were lost and this 1740 deed was made in order to clarify the title to the land. The deed was made by Thomas Penn, Richard Penn and John Penn; all sons of William Penn; and it is recorded in Lancaster County Book A, Volume 9, page 180. It recites that Michael Shank paid them the sum of 14 pounds and 8 shillings for the before mentioned 250 acres and that he, on the 7th day of March in 1733, deeded the land to Henry Hoober and Jacob Good. Henry and Jacob by mutual consent, divided the land, with Henry receiving the northern part of 144 acres and Jacob receiving the remaining 106 acres on the south. You may notice on the chart following this article that Michael Shank's sons Henry and Christian, intermarried with their neighboring Hoober (Huber) Good families. A fact which helps to explain the transaction. Although Michael retained ownership in the Pequea Creek land for a good many years, he did not reside there for any great length of time. His desire to locate near his father and family, no doubt, led him to select the tract in the beginning. I visited the site in October 1981 and found it to be very hilly and by no stretch of the imagination can it be called good farm land. Today it is overgrown in parts and contains two small dairy farms. Michael soon left the Pequea Creek area, moving about five miles northwest to Conestoga Creek. The 1725 Tax List of Lancaster Co. (then Chester Co.) shows there were two Michael Shanks in the county at that time. One of the two was our ancestor, listed as "Michael Shank of George Gray's place". In those early days, men often occupied and worked a tract of land for many years before receiving a valid and legal deed to it. In this case, Michael did not receive deeds to Gray's two places of tracts until 1740. As previously mentioned, in 1933 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had maps made of land ownership in these early days. The maps are put together by townships and the Pequea township map shows Michael Shank's name and the location of the land he first acquired in 1717, as well as the two tracts that he bought from George Gray in two deeds made in July and in August of 1740. As a matter of interest to Shank descendants, the Strasburg twp map which adjoins Pequea show the 530 acre John Funk land that Michael's father, Christian bought in partnership with Benedict Brakebill in 1717. So it is then, that three of our grandfathers, at one time or another lived in sight of Pequea Creek which meanders through their lands and the lands of Lancaster County. Michael Shank lived on Conestoga Creek for some 35 years until his death in 1759. This second location of his land is even easier to find today than is the . location of his first tract on Pequea Creek. There is recorded at Harrisburg, Pa in Book D, Volume 73, page 53 a survey of the first 84-1/2 acre tract Michael bought from George Gray in 1740. It is bounded on the south by "Kings Road". This is now a very busy highway, located in precisely the same location now as in 1740, but now known as "Long Lane". Traveling west on Long Lane about four miles south of the City of Lancaster, one comes to Leamon Lane which turns northward toward the town of Millersville. This intersection marks the southeast corner of Michael Shank's two tracts which extend all the way north to Conestoga Creek. It was customary in Mennonite families to use a given name over and over--even to the point of great confusion. Our Shank family was no exception to the custom. Over and over, our family used the names of Christian, Michael, John, Jacob and Henry. Unfortunately, from the standpoint of genealogical research, there were other Shank families in Lancaster County at the same time as ours and using the same given names. This created a problem in trying to sort out and group together the various members of a given family. Our Michael, following the usual custom, named his sons, Christian, Michael, John, Jacob and Henry, though not necessarily in that order. Having seven sons, however, and running out of customary names, he named two sons, Tobias and Adam. This proved to be a fortunate occurrence because, in my research, I have found the name Adam to have been used down through four generations of Shanks: all the way from Virginia and into Kentucky and to Hopkins County. The first of our line to come to Kentucky was named Adam Shank. Had he been named anything other than Adam, I think it would have been almost impossible to have traced our family line all the way back to the Christian Shank of 1717. I think it might be as well, at this point, to mention that all of the descendants of this Christian, bearing the name Shank, have come down by way of Michael, the subject of this article. Christian, as mentioned in the foregoing article, had two other sons, Henry and Jacob, but they each had only one daughter and no male issue to carry on the Shank name. Michael had seven sons and one daughter. These are all named in his will which he wrote on March 17, 1759. He died shortly thereafter and his will was probated on May 20, 1759. It is recorded in Will Book 1, page 264. He states in his will that some of his heirs had already received their share of his estate. These, likely, being sons John, our ancestor, and Christian, who were landowners in the county as early as 1740 and 1743. His two tracts of land on the Conestoga Creek went to sons Michael and Tobias. Old Michael must have cared greatly for his wife. His will was most explicit about the treatment she was to have after his death, specifying precisely what she should have: . "My beloved wife Mary shall have in her widow in my house, kitchen and seller during her life: and all my heirs and my son Tobias Shank, above mentioned, shall permit my wife, Mary, yearly and every year, with twelve Bushels of Wheat, one hundred pounds of Pork and Fifty pounds of Beefe and fifty pounds of Heckled Hemp, & five pounds of wool, and Three Barrells of Cyder and Five Bushells of Malt for Beer, and Apples as much as she shall use for drying and for the winter to eat, Which Cyder and Apples, shall be taken out of my place, devised to my son Tobias Shank, and to keep her a Cow for milk in fodder as his own, & Milk her for my said wife, and my wife Mary shall have use of the cows, every spring which she likes best and Fire Wood to be delivered to her for Fireing, and use of the Plant Garden & Yearly Five Gallons of Apple Ligure to be delivered to my said Wife, Yearly and every Year during her life." . It was quite obvious that old Michael dearly loved his wife and wanted Mary to be comfortably cared for in her remaining years. . By the time Michael died in 1759, most of the good and reasonably priced land in Lancaster County had been taken up and thus began the move south and westward by many of the descendants of the original Mennonite settlers. With Michael's sons Christian, John, Michael and Tobias already having their own land in the county, it was up to the remaining sons Henry, Jacob and Adam to seek land elsewhere. My re- search has turned up very little about Jacob. There is a reference in George R. Prowell's "History of York Co. Pa." pages 263, 264, and 276 to a Jacob Schenck (Shank) and Adam Schenck (Shank) as being in the First and Third Battalions of Associators in 1775 and 1776. These battalions were made up in York County during the Revolutionary War and marched to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where part of them joined the First Regiment of the "Flying Camp" Under Col. Michael Swope of York. Deeds show that Henry Shank and Adam Shank took up land across the Susquehanna River in York County which adjoins Lancaster. Henry, who married Ann Hoober (Huber) lived in Cordorus township until he died there on March 21, 1801, leaving behind two sons named John and Michael and three daughters, Mary, Magdelene and Margaret. Henry's son appears to have moved to New Jersey, but his other son, John, remained in York Co. and appears to have been the John Shank (Schenck) who married Barbara Hershey, daughter of Christian Hershey. The Hersheys were a very large family in Codorus township and related to the Hershey's Chocolate family of nearby Dauphin County. The elder Michael's son Adam married Magdalene Eyeman and bought land in York County in Manchester township in 1761. He remained there until he sold out in 1786; he and Magdelene appearing next in 1787 in Rockingham County, Virginia where he died in 1802. While in Rockingham County they lived on Linville Creek as a neighbor to his nephew, Henry Shank. Lake's Atlas, 1885, gives the name of Shank's Run to a small creek in the neighborhood which empties into Linville. The Shank name is now practically forgotten. The Shank neighborhood was about five miles north of Harrisburg on State Route 42. Going back to Lancaster County, a Christian Shank of Martic township appears to have been one of the older sons of Michael, but I have not researched it sufficiently to completely prove it. Christian and his wife, Barbara were willed 203 acres "on the east side of Pequea Creek" by Barbara's father Peter Good in 1740. The tract lies very close to the land selected by Michael Shank in 1717 and possibly includes part of it. You will recall that several deeds, surveys, etc. were dated 1740 and were between the Shank and Good families. The south end of Michael's 1717 tract extended south into old Martic township. The east side of Pequea Creek at this point is in old Martic twp (now Providence twp). There were several land transactions in Lancaster and York Counties by Christian and Barbara of Martic Township. In 1793 they conveyed land on Chickies Creek to their son "John, a miller". On today's map of Lancaster County there is a "Schenck Road" leading to a covered bridge at the point where Delinger Run empties into Chickies Creek--no doubt the site of John's mill in the late 1790's. The son of Michael who died in 1759, and the one that interests us most, is his son John. He is our Ancestor and the events surrounding his life will be related in the following article which I have entitled "John Shank (c1718-1791)". . 1st Michael Schenck Farm Location Sat View http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=60cbe4b0-279c-485b-bb9a-23883167e064&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 2nd Michael Schenck Farm - abt 1720 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=dd625f3a-e8f9-433f-88f2-4b2f4e71d1e7&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 2nd Michael Schenck Farmland http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=ab734398-5d20-42d2-a0bc-6c1c62b82810&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 PEQUEA Creek http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=b7bad478-c5a9-410b-acc0-78269e417433&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 1st Michael Schenck Farm looking Southeast from bridge. http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=d7ff0f12-f626-4ec7-95df-7f4b836b0abc&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Schenk Farm Locations 1717-1750 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=79727f6e-fb22-4b49-bf4f-81597a921813&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Michael Schenck http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=7323eac7-06b1-4c41-8273-d05c5f30987a&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Michael Schenck 2nd Farm Location Sat View http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=0b5f4697-8c4b-4cb7-9e06-d5e013b4c399&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Panoramic View of farm from the West looking East http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=64bb00c5-7650-4f7a-998a-d9ceb8dbc030&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Christian Schenck Farm http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=ebd469f3-c22c-484f-96f0-e90a99959ca0&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554




		Page 15 of 238	Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM


Register Report for Hans Schenk




Generation 8 (con't)

	Notes for Michael B Schenk: General Notes: From George Shank's Research: NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499, Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. . Michael Shank, our ancestor, was the eldest son of the Christian Shank who died in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1724. Michael and his wife Mary, came to America, along with his father and his brothers and sisters, as part of the large group of 363 Mennonites who settled on Pequea Creek (pronounced PECKWAY) in Lancaster County in September of 1717. Michael and Mary must have already been married and needing their own land when they arrived in Philadelphia, because he immediately made application to William Penn's Commissioners of Property for 200 acres. A warrant, now recorded in Harrisburg in Book D, Volume 82, at page 159, states that on 27th of September in 1717 Commissioners Richard Hill, Isaac Norris and James Logan granted Michael Shank the right to take up and have surveyed to himself "in or near the township of Strasburg the quanity of 200 acres of land that has not been already surveyed, nor appropriated, nor is seated by the Indians". Being required by the terms of Penn's warrant to settle on unoccupied land, Michael selected a tract on the banks of the Pequea Creek, only a short distance downstream from 530 acres of land that his father Christian and Benedict Brakebill had jointly bought from John Funk only two days earlier on September 25, 1717. Michael's land was surveyed out to him the following spring on June 4, 1718 by Issac Taylor. Although the Indian tribes had roamed this area for hundreds of years, Michael Shank thus became the first white man to ever live at this site. Taylor, Penn's surveyor, allowed Michael 250 acres of land, it being the custom to allow additional acreage to the amount requested for the development of roads which, of course, were non-existent in those days. A plat of the land, showing Michael Shank's name may be found in the Pequea township map of early settlers which was prepared by the State of Pennsylvania in 1933. For anyone interested in seeing this first homestead of our pioneer Michael Shank, it can be easily found today. it lies partly in Strasburg and partly in Providence townships (formerly old Martic twp). Another survey on April 12, 1740 and recorded at Harrisburg in Book D., Volume 82, page 15 shows that the north boundary of the 250 acre rectangular tract runs almost directly east and west and lies no more the 50 feet south of the spot where the Big Beaver (Beaver Dam) Creek empties into the Pequea. The land extends more the three fourths of a mile southward from this point. The present day crossroads community of Herrsville is located just off the northwest corner of the tract. About 200 yards south of the community, the rural Herrsville Road crosses Pequea Creek. Looking to the east from the bridge one can see what was once the land on which Michael Shank built his first rustic home in America. Although not proven, this is quite likely the birthplace of John Shank, one of Michael's older sons and our ancestor who will be discussed in a following article "John Shank (c1718-1791)". Some light is shed on Michael's early life and circumstances on Pequea Creek by a deed, not made until April 7, 1740. The foregoing survey of 1740 would have been made in connection with the transaction. Many early deeds were never recorded or were lost and this 1740 deed was made in order to clarify the title to the land. The deed was made by Thomas Penn, Richard Penn and John Penn; all sons of William Penn; and it is recorded in Lancaster County Book A, Volume 9, page 180. It recites that Michael Shank paid them the sum of 14 pounds and 8 shillings for the before mentioned 250 acres and that he, on the 7th day of March in 1733, deeded the land to Henry Hoober and Jacob Good. Henry and Jacob by mutual consent, divided the land, with Henry receiving the northern part of 144 acres and Jacob receiving the remaining 106 acres on the south. You may notice on the chart following this article that Michael Shank's sons Henry and Christian, intermarried with their neighboring Hoober (Huber) Good families. A fact which helps to explain the transaction. Although Michael retained ownership in the Pequea Creek land for a good many years, he did not reside there for any great length of time. His desire to locate near his father and family, no doubt, led him to select the tract in the beginning. I visited the site in October 1981 and found it to be very hilly and by no stretch of the imagination can it be called good farm land. Today it is overgrown in parts and contains two small dairy farms. Michael soon left the Pequea Creek area, moving about five miles northwest to Conestoga Creek. The 1725 Tax List of Lancaster Co. (then Chester Co.) shows there were two Michael Shanks in the county at that time. One of the two was our ancestor, listed as "Michael Shank of George Gray's place". In those early days, men often occupied and worked a tract of land for many years before receiving a valid and legal deed to it. In this case, Michael did not receive deeds to Gray's two places of tracts until 1740. As previously mentioned, in 1933 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had maps made of land ownership in these early days. The maps are put together by townships and the Pequea township map shows Michael Shank's name and the location of the land he first acquired in 1717, as well as the two tracts that he bought from George Gray in two deeds made in July and in August of 1740. As a matter of interest to Shank descendants, the Strasburg twp map which adjoins Pequea show the 530 acre John Funk land that Michael's father, Christian bought in partnership with Benedict Brakebill in 1717. So it is then, that three of our grandfathers, at one time or another lived in sight of Pequea Creek which meanders through their lands and the lands of Lancaster County. Michael Shank lived on Conestoga Creek for some 35 years until his death in 1759. This second location of his land is even easier to find today than is the . location of his first tract on Pequea Creek. There is recorded at Harrisburg, Pa in Book D, Volume 73, page 53 a survey of the first 84-1/2 acre tract Michael bought from George Gray in 1740. It is bounded on the south by "Kings Road". This is now a very busy highway, located in precisely the same location now as in 1740, but now known as "Long Lane". Traveling west on Long Lane about four miles south of the City of Lancaster, one comes to Leamon Lane which turns northward toward the town of Millersville. This intersection marks the southeast corner of Michael Shank's two tracts which extend all the way north to Conestoga Creek. It was customary in Mennonite families to use a given name over and over--even to the point of great confusion. Our Shank family was no exception to the custom. Over and over, our family used the names of Christian, Michael, John, Jacob and Henry. Unfortunately, from the standpoint of genealogical research, there were other Shank families in Lancaster County at the same time as ours and using the same given names. This created a problem in trying to sort out and group together the various members of a given family. Our Michael, following the usual custom, named his sons, Christian, Michael, John, Jacob and Henry, though not necessarily in that order. Having seven sons, however, and running out of customary names, he named two sons, Tobias and Adam. This proved to be a fortunate occurrence because, in my research, I have found the name Adam to have been used down through four generations of Shanks: all the way from Virginia and into Kentucky and to Hopkins County. The first of our line to come to Kentucky was named Adam Shank. Had he been named anything other than Adam, I think it would have been almost impossible to have traced our family line all the way back to the Christian Shank of 1717. I think it might be as well, at this point, to mention that all of the descendants of this Christian, bearing the name Shank, have come down by way of Michael, the subject of this article. Christian, as mentioned in the foregoing article, had two other sons, Henry and Jacob, but they each had only one daughter and no male issue to carry on the Shank name. Michael had seven sons and one daughter. These are all named in his will which he wrote on March 17, 1759. He died shortly thereafter and his will was probated on May 20, 1759. It is recorded in Will Book 1, page 264. He states in his will that some of his heirs had already received their share of his estate. These, likely, being sons John, our ancestor, and Christian, who were landowners in the county as early as 1740 and 1743. His two tracts of land on the Conestoga Creek went to sons Michael and Tobias. Old Michael must have cared greatly for his wife. His will was most explicit about the treatment she was to have after his death, specifying precisely what she should have: . "My beloved wife Mary shall have in her widow in my house, kitchen and seller during her life: and all my heirs and my son Tobias Shank, above mentioned, shall permit my wife, Mary, yearly and every year, with twelve Bushels of Wheat, one hundred pounds of Pork and Fifty pounds of Beefe and fifty pounds of Heckled Hemp, & five pounds of wool, and Three Barrells of Cyder and Five Bushells of Malt for Beer, and Apples as much as she shall use for drying and for the winter to eat, Which Cyder and Apples, shall be taken out of my place, devised to my son Tobias Shank, and to keep her a Cow for milk in fodder as his own, & Milk her for my said wife, and my wife Mary shall have use of the cows, every spring which she likes best and Fire Wood to be delivered to her for Fireing, and use of the Plant Garden & Yearly Five Gallons of Apple Ligure to be delivered to my said Wife, Yearly and every Year during her life." . It was quite obvious that old Michael dearly loved his wife and wanted Mary to be comfortably cared for in her remaining years. . By the time Michael died in 1759, most of the good and reasonably priced land in Lancaster County had been taken up and thus began the move south and westward by many of the descendants of the original Mennonite settlers. With Michael's sons Christian, John, Michael and Tobias already having their own land in the county, it was up to the remaining sons Henry, Jacob and Adam to seek land elsewhere. My re- search has turned up very little about Jacob. There is a reference in George R. Prowell's "History of York Co. Pa." pages 263, 264, and 276 to a Jacob Schenck (Shank) and Adam Schenck (Shank) as being in the First and Third Battalions of Associators in 1775 and 1776. These battalions were made up in York County during the Revolutionary War and marched to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where part of them joined the First Regiment of the "Flying Camp" Under Col. Michael Swope of York. Deeds show that Henry Shank and Adam Shank took up land across the Susquehanna River in York County which adjoins Lancaster. Henry, who married Ann Hoober (Huber) lived in Cordorus township until he died there on March 21, 1801, leaving behind two sons named John and Michael and three daughters, Mary, Magdelene and Margaret. Henry's son appears to have moved to New Jersey, but his other son, John, remained in York Co. and appears to have been the John Shank (Schenck) who married Barbara Hershey, daughter of Christian Hershey. The Hersheys were a very large family in Codorus township and related to the Hershey's Chocolate family of nearby Dauphin County. The elder Michael's son Adam married Magdalene Eyeman and bought land in York County in Manchester township in 1761. He remained there until he sold out in 1786; he and Magdelene appearing next in 1787 in Rockingham County, Virginia where he died in 1802. While in Rockingham County they lived on Linville Creek as a neighbor to his nephew, Henry Shank. Lake's Atlas, 1885, gives the name of Shank's Run to a small creek in the neighborhood which empties into Linville. The Shank name is now practically forgotten. The Shank neighborhood was about five miles north of Harrisburg on State Route 42. Going back to Lancaster County, a Christian Shank of Martic township appears to have been one of the older sons of Michael, but I have not researched it sufficiently to completely prove it. Christian and his wife, Barbara were willed 203 acres "on the east side of Pequea Creek" by Barbara's father Peter Good in 1740. The tract lies very close to the land selected by Michael Shank in 1717 and possibly includes part of it. You will recall that several deeds, surveys, etc. were dated 1740 and were between the Shank and Good families. The south end of Michael's 1717 tract extended south into old Martic township. The east side of Pequea Creek at this point is in old Martic twp (now Providence twp). There were several land transactions in Lancaster and York Counties by Christian and Barbara of Martic Township. In 1793 they conveyed land on Chickies Creek to their son "John, a miller". On today's map of Lancaster County there is a "Schenck Road" leading to a covered bridge at the point where Delinger Run empties into Chickies Creek--no doubt the site of John's mill in the late 1790's. The son of Michael who died in 1759, and the one that interests us most, is his son John. He is our Ancestor and the events surrounding his life will be related in the following article which I have entitled "John Shank (c1718-1791)". . 1st Michael Schenck Farm Location Sat View http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=60cbe4b0-279c-485b-bb9a-23883167e064&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 2nd Michael Schenck Farm - abt 1720 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=dd625f3a-e8f9-433f-88f2-4b2f4e71d1e7&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 2nd Michael Schenck Farmland http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=ab734398-5d20-42d2-a0bc-6c1c62b82810&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 PEQUEA Creek http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=b7bad478-c5a9-410b-acc0-78269e417433&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 1st Michael Schenck Farm looking Southeast from bridge. http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=d7ff0f12-f626-4ec7-95df-7f4b836b0abc&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Schenk Farm Locations 1717-1750 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=79727f6e-fb22-4b49-bf4f-81597a921813&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Michael Schenck http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=7323eac7-06b1-4c41-8273-d05c5f30987a&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Michael Schenck 2nd Farm Location Sat View http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=0b5f4697-8c4b-4cb7-9e06-d5e013b4c399&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Panoramic View of farm from the West looking East http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=64bb00c5-7650-4f7a-998a-d9ceb8dbc030&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Christian Schenck Farm http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=ebd469f3-c22c-484f-96f0-e90a99959ca0&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554




		Page 16 of 238	Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM


Register Report for Hans Schenk




Generation 8 (con't)

	Notes for Michael B Schenk: General Notes: From George Shank's Research: NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK by J. Arthur Shanks, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, PA 17602-1499, Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine to find the Society. . Michael Shank, our ancestor, was the eldest son of the Christian Shank who died in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1724. Michael and his wife Mary, came to America, along with his father and his brothers and sisters, as part of the large group of 363 Mennonites who settled on Pequea Creek (pronounced PECKWAY) in Lancaster County in September of 1717. Michael and Mary must have already been married and needing their own land when they arrived in Philadelphia, because he immediately made application to William Penn's Commissioners of Property for 200 acres. A warrant, now recorded in Harrisburg in Book D, Volume 82, at page 159, states that on 27th of September in 1717 Commissioners Richard Hill, Isaac Norris and James Logan granted Michael Shank the right to take up and have surveyed to himself "in or near the township of Strasburg the quanity of 200 acres of land that has not been already surveyed, nor appropriated, nor is seated by the Indians". Being required by the terms of Penn's warrant to settle on unoccupied land, Michael selected a tract on the banks of the Pequea Creek, only a short distance downstream from 530 acres of land that his father Christian and Benedict Brakebill had jointly bought from John Funk only two days earlier on September 25, 1717. Michael's land was surveyed out to him the following spring on June 4, 1718 by Issac Taylor. Although the Indian tribes had roamed this area for hundreds of years, Michael Shank thus became the first white man to ever live at this site. Taylor, Penn's surveyor, allowed Michael 250 acres of land, it being the custom to allow additional acreage to the amount requested for the development of roads which, of course, were non-existent in those days. A plat of the land, showing Michael Shank's name may be found in the Pequea township map of early settlers which was prepared by the State of Pennsylvania in 1933. For anyone interested in seeing this first homestead of our pioneer Michael Shank, it can be easily found today. it lies partly in Strasburg and partly in Providence townships (formerly old Martic twp). Another survey on April 12, 1740 and recorded at Harrisburg in Book D., Volume 82, page 15 shows that the north boundary of the 250 acre rectangular tract runs almost directly east and west and lies no more the 50 feet south of the spot where the Big Beaver (Beaver Dam) Creek empties into the Pequea. The land extends more the three fourths of a mile southward from this point. The present day crossroads community of Herrsville is located just off the northwest corner of the tract. About 200 yards south of the community, the rural Herrsville Road crosses Pequea Creek. Looking to the east from the bridge one can see what was once the land on which Michael Shank built his first rustic home in America. Although not proven, this is quite likely the birthplace of John Shank, one of Michael's older sons and our ancestor who will be discussed in a following article "John Shank (c1718-1791)". Some light is shed on Michael's early life and circumstances on Pequea Creek by a deed, not made until April 7, 1740. The foregoing survey of 1740 would have been made in connection with the transaction. Many early deeds were never recorded or were lost and this 1740 deed was made in order to clarify the title to the land. The deed was made by Thomas Penn, Richard Penn and John Penn; all sons of William Penn; and it is recorded in Lancaster County Book A, Volume 9, page 180. It recites that Michael Shank paid them the sum of 14 pounds and 8 shillings for the before mentioned 250 acres and that he, on the 7th day of March in 1733, deeded the land to Henry Hoober and Jacob Good. Henry and Jacob by mutual consent, divided the land, with Henry receiving the northern part of 144 acres and Jacob receiving the remaining 106 acres on the south. You may notice on the chart following this article that Michael Shank's sons Henry and Christian, intermarried with their neighboring Hoober (Huber) Good families. A fact which helps to explain the transaction. Although Michael retained ownership in the Pequea Creek land for a good many years, he did not reside there for any great length of time. His desire to locate near his father and family, no doubt, led him to select the tract in the beginning. I visited the site in October 1981 and found it to be very hilly and by no stretch of the imagination can it be called good farm land. Today it is overgrown in parts and contains two small dairy farms. Michael soon left the Pequea Creek area, moving about five miles northwest to Conestoga Creek. The 1725 Tax List of Lancaster Co. (then Chester Co.) shows there were two Michael Shanks in the county at that time. One of the two was our ancestor, listed as "Michael Shank of George Gray's place". In those early days, men often occupied and worked a tract of land for many years before receiving a valid and legal deed to it. In this case, Michael did not receive deeds to Gray's two places of tracts until 1740. As previously mentioned, in 1933 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had maps made of land ownership in these early days. The maps are put together by townships and the Pequea township map shows Michael Shank's name and the location of the land he first acquired in 1717, as well as the two tracts that he bought from George Gray in two deeds made in July and in August of 1740. As a matter of interest to Shank descendants, the Strasburg twp map which adjoins Pequea show the 530 acre John Funk land that Michael's father, Christian bought in partnership with Benedict Brakebill in 1717. So it is then, that three of our grandfathers, at one time or another lived in sight of Pequea Creek which meanders through their lands and the lands of Lancaster County. Michael Shank lived on Conestoga Creek for some 35 years until his death in 1759. This second location of his land is even easier to find today than is the . location of his first tract on Pequea Creek. There is recorded at Harrisburg, Pa in Book D, Volume 73, page 53 a survey of the first 84-1/2 acre tract Michael bought from George Gray in 1740. It is bounded on the south by "Kings Road". This is now a very busy highway, located in precisely the same location now as in 1740, but now known as "Long Lane". Traveling west on Long Lane about four miles south of the City of Lancaster, one comes to Leamon Lane which turns northward toward the town of Millersville. This intersection marks the southeast corner of Michael Shank's two tracts which extend all the way north to Conestoga Creek. It was customary in Mennonite families to use a given name over and over--even to the point of great confusion. Our Shank family was no exception to the custom. Over and over, our family used the names of Christian, Michael, John, Jacob and Henry. Unfortunately, from the standpoint of genealogical research, there were other Shank families in Lancaster County at the same time as ours and using the same given names. This created a problem in trying to sort out and group together the various members of a given family. Our Michael, following the usual custom, named his sons, Christian, Michael, John, Jacob and Henry, though not necessarily in that order. Having seven sons, however, and running out of customary names, he named two sons, Tobias and Adam. This proved to be a fortunate occurrence because, in my research, I have found the name Adam to have been used down through four generations of Shanks: all the way from Virginia and into Kentucky and to Hopkins County. The first of our line to come to Kentucky was named Adam Shank. Had he been named anything other than Adam, I think it would have been almost impossible to have traced our family line all the way back to the Christian Shank of 1717. I think it might be as well, at this point, to mention that all of the descendants of this Christian, bearing the name Shank, have come down by way of Michael, the subject of this article. Christian, as mentioned in the foregoing article, had two other sons, Henry and Jacob, but they each had only one daughter and no male issue to carry on the Shank name. Michael had seven sons and one daughter. These are all named in his will which he wrote on March 17, 1759. He died shortly thereafter and his will was probated on May 20, 1759. It is recorded in Will Book 1, page 264. He states in his will that some of his heirs had already received their share of his estate. These, likely, being sons John, our ancestor, and Christian, who were landowners in the county as early as 1740 and 1743. His two tracts of land on the Conestoga Creek went to sons Michael and Tobias. Old Michael must have cared greatly for his wife. His will was most explicit about the treatment she was to have after his death, specifying precisely what she should have: . "My beloved wife Mary shall have in her widow in my house, kitchen and seller during her life: and all my heirs and my son Tobias Shank, above mentioned, shall permit my wife, Mary, yearly and every year, with twelve Bushels of Wheat, one hundred pounds of Pork and Fifty pounds of Beefe and fifty pounds of Heckled Hemp, & five pounds of wool, and Three Barrells of Cyder and Five Bushells of Malt for Beer, and Apples as much as she shall use for drying and for the winter to eat, Which Cyder and Apples, shall be taken out of my place, devised to my son Tobias Shank, and to keep her a Cow for milk in fodder as his own, & Milk her for my said wife, and my wife Mary shall have use of the cows, every spring which she likes best and Fire Wood to be delivered to her for Fireing, and use of the Plant Garden & Yearly Five Gallons of Apple Ligure to be delivered to my said Wife, Yearly and every Year during her life." . It was quite obvious that old Michael dearly loved his wife and wanted Mary to be comfortably cared for in her remaining years. . By the time Michael died in 1759, most of the good and reasonably priced land in Lancaster County had been taken up and thus began the move south and westward by many of the descendants of the original Mennonite settlers. With Michael's sons Christian, John, Michael and Tobias already having their own land in the county, it was up to the remaining sons Henry, Jacob and Adam to seek land elsewhere. My re- search has turned up very little about Jacob. There is a reference in George R. Prowell's "History of York Co. Pa." pages 263, 264, and 276 to a Jacob Schenck (Shank) and Adam Schenck (Shank) as being in the First and Third Battalions of Associators in 1775 and 1776. These battalions were made up in York County during the Revolutionary War and marched to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where part of them joined the First Regiment of the "Flying Camp" Under Col. Michael Swope of York. Deeds show that Henry Shank and Adam Shank took up land across the Susquehanna River in York County which adjoins Lancaster. Henry, who married Ann Hoober (Huber) lived in Cordorus township until he died there on March 21, 1801, leaving behind two sons named John and Michael and three daughters, Mary, Magdelene and Margaret. Henry's son appears to have moved to New Jersey, but his other son, John, remained in York Co. and appears to have been the John Shank (Schenck) who married Barbara Hershey, daughter of Christian Hershey. The Hersheys were a very large family in Codorus township and related to the Hershey's Chocolate family of nearby Dauphin County. The elder Michael's son Adam married Magdalene Eyeman and bought land in York County in Manchester township in 1761. He remained there until he sold out in 1786; he and Magdelene appearing next in 1787 in Rockingham County, Virginia where he died in 1802. While in Rockingham County they lived on Linville Creek as a neighbor to his nephew, Henry Shank. Lake's Atlas, 1885, gives the name of Shank's Run to a small creek in the neighborhood which empties into Linville. The Shank name is now practically forgotten. The Shank neighborhood was about five miles north of Harrisburg on State Route 42. Going back to Lancaster County, a Christian Shank of Martic township appears to have been one of the older sons of Michael, but I have not researched it sufficiently to completely prove it. Christian and his wife, Barbara were willed 203 acres "on the east side of Pequea Creek" by Barbara's father Peter Good in 1740. The tract lies very close to the land selected by Michael Shank in 1717 and possibly includes part of it. You will recall that several deeds, surveys, etc. were dated 1740 and were between the Shank and Good families. The south end of Michael's 1717 tract extended south into old Martic township. The east side of Pequea Creek at this point is in old Martic twp (now Providence twp). There were several land transactions in Lancaster and York Counties by Christian and Barbara of Martic Township. In 1793 they conveyed land on Chickies Creek to their son "John, a miller". On today's map of Lancaster County there is a "Schenck Road" leading to a covered bridge at the point where Delinger Run empties into Chickies Creek--no doubt the site of John's mill in the late 1790's. The son of Michael who died in 1759, and the one that interests us most, is his son John. He is our Ancestor and the events surrounding his life will be related in the following article which I have entitled "John Shank (c1718-1791)". . 1st Michael Schenck Farm Location Sat View http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=60cbe4b0-279c-485b-bb9a-23883167e064&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 2nd Michael Schenck Farm - abt 1720 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=dd625f3a-e8f9-433f-88f2-4b2f4e71d1e7&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 2nd Michael Schenck Farmland http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=ab734398-5d20-42d2-a0bc-6c1c62b82810&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 PEQUEA Creek http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=b7bad478-c5a9-410b-acc0-78269e417433&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 1st Michael Schenck Farm looking Southeast from bridge. http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=d7ff0f12-f626-4ec7-95df-7f4b836b0abc&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Schenk Farm Locations 1717-1750 http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=79727f6e-fb22-4b49-bf4f-81597a921813&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Michael Schenck http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=7323eac7-06b1-4c41-8273-d05c5f30987a&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Michael Schenck 2nd Farm Location Sat View http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=0b5f4697-8c4b-4cb7-9e06-d5e013b4c399&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Panoramic View of farm from the West looking East http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=64bb00c5-7650-4f7a-998a-d9ceb8dbc030&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554 Christian Schenck Farm http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=ebd469f3-c22c-484f-96f0-e90a99959ca0&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554




		Page 17 of 238	Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM

Generation 8 (con't)

Notes for Michael B Schenk:

General Notes:

From George Shank's Research:

father Christian and Benedict Brakebill had jointly bought from John Funk only two

of land, it being the custom to allow additional acreage to the amount requested for

Michael Shank lived on Conestoga Creek for some 35 years until his death in 1759. This second location of his land is even easier to find today than is the

It was quite obvious that old Michael dearly loved his wife and wanted Mary to be comfortably cared for in her remaining years.

1st Michael Schenck Farm Location Sat View

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=60cbe4b0-279c-485b-bb9a-23883167e064&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

2nd Michael Schenck Farm - abt 1720

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=dd625f3a-e8f9-433f-88f2-4b2f4e71d1e7&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

2nd Michael Schenck Farmland

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=ab734398-5d20-42d2-a0bc-6c1c62b82810&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

PEQUEA Creek

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=b7bad478-c5a9-410b-acc0-78269e417433&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

1st Michael Schenck Farm looking Southeast from bridge.

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=d7ff0f12-f626-4ec7-95df-7f4b836b0abc&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

Schenk Farm Locations 1717-1750

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=79727f6e-fb22-4b49-bf4f-81597a921813&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

Michael Schenck

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=7323eac7-06b1-4c41-8273-d05c5f30987a&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

Michael Schenck 2nd Farm Location Sat View

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=0b5f4697-8c4b-4cb7-9e06-d5e013b4c399&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

Panoramic View of farm from the West looking East

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=64bb00c5-7650-4f7a-998a-d9ceb8dbc030&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

Christian Schenck Farm

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=ebd469f3-c22c-484f-96f0-e90a99959ca0&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829554

Mary Yeeney was born about 1695 in Manheim, Erftkreis, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. She died in 1759 in Conestoga, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

Michael B Schenk and Mary Yeeney were married about 1710. They had the following children:

20.

Michael Schenk was born in 1715 in Strasburg, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He died in 1777 in Conestoga, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

21.

ii.

Johanne John Shank was born in 1717 in Pequea Creek, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He married Mary Moyer in 1739 in Conestoga, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 22 Aug 1791 in Franklin, Adams, Pennsylvania, USA.

22.

iii.

Christian Schenk was born on 14 Nov 1719 in Conestoga, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 22 Jan 1803 in Martic, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

23.

iv.

Jacob Schenk was born about 1723 in Conestoga Township, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He died in 1760.

Margaret Schenk was born in 1725.

24.

vi.

Henry Schenk was born in 1726 in Conestoga, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He married Ann (Hoober) Huber in 1755 in Conestoga, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 21 Mar 1801 in Lancaster Co, PA.

25.

vii.

Tobias Schenk was born about 1734 in Conestoga, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He married Barbara Menard in 1758. He died in 1765 in Rockingham Co, VA.

26.

viii.

Adam Schenk was born in 1737 in Conestoga Twp, Lancaster Co, PA. He married Magdalena Eyeman in 1767 in , Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He died in Feb 1803 in , Rockingham, Virginia, USA.

14.

Jacob B Schenk-8 (Christian Stauffer-7, Michael-6, Michael-5, Ulrich-4, Hans Christian-3, Johannes-2, Hans-1) was born in 1696 in Hessen, Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany. He died in 1736 in Germantown, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, USA.

Page 18 of 238

Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM

Generation 9 (con't)

John Herr and Hester Schenk were married in Mar 1744 in , , Pennsylvania, USA. They had the following children:

Henry Herr was born on 17 Mar 1755 in Strasburg, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 17 Nov 1810 in Strasburg, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

ii.

Esther Herr was born in 1763 in Strasberg, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. She died in , Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

iii.

Martin Herr was born on 11 Aug 1763 in Lampeter, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 18 Jan 1821 in Strasberg, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

iv.

Susan Herr was born in 1768 in Strausburg, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. She died in 1850 in , Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

David Herr was born on 21 Dec 1773 in Lancaster, Pensylvania. He died on 06 May 1825 in Strasburg, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

20.

Michael Schenk-9 (Michael B-8, Christian Stauffer-7, Michael-6, Michael-5, Ulrich-4, Hans Christian-3, Johannes-2, Hans-1) was born in 1715 in Strasburg, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He died in 1777 in Conestoga, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

Magdalena was born in 1718. She died in 1780.

Michael Schenk and Magdalena married. They had the following children:

Mary Schenck was born in 1743 in Conestoga Lancaster Co, PA. She died in Virginia.

ii.

Michael Schenck was born in 1745 in Conestoga Lancaster Co, PA. He married Veronica Lehman in 1765. He died on 01 May 1815 in Londonerry, Dauphin PA.

iii.

John Schenck was born in 1747 in Conestoga Lancaster Co, PA. He died on 23 Aug 1813 in Conestoga, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.

iv.

Elizabeth Schenck was born in 1750 in Conestoga Lancaster Co, PA. She died in 1815 in Lancaster Co, PA.

Magdalena Schenck was born in 1752 in Conestoga Lancaster Co, PA. She married Peter Gingerick in 1777.

vi.

Fraena Schenck was born in 1754 in Conestoga Lancaster Co, PA.

35.

vii.

Henry Schenck was born on 26 Dec 1758 in Conestoga Lancaster Co, PA. He married Anna Magdalena Reiff in 1782 in Conestoga Lancaster Co, PA. He died on 19 Oct 1836 in Rockingham Co, VA.

21.

Johanne John Shank-9 (Michael B-8, Christian Stauffer-7, Michael-6, Michael-5, Ulrich-4, Hans Christian-3, Johannes-2, Hans-1) was born in 1717 in Pequea Creek, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 22 Aug 1791 in Franklin, Adams, Pennsylvania, USA.

Notes for Johanne John Shank:

General Notes:

From George Shank's research:

NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK by J. Arthur Shank, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa. 17602-1499, Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine.

During the period of 1710 through, 1800, there were no less than fourteen men in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania named John Shank. Separating and identifying each of them has been no easy task. The one of interest to this Genealogy, however, was Johanne Schenk (John Shank), a Mennonite preacher and the son of Mary and of the Michael Shank who came from Germany in 1717 and who died in Lancaster County in 1759.

John Shank was probably born about 1717 or 1718, very near the time his parents arrived in America. As a child, he lived on the farm that his father selected on Pequea Creek in 1717. He would have been the first native born ancestor of ours and the third one of our grandfathers to have lived on Pequea Creek; preceded, of course by this father Michael and his grandfather Christian. Later on, John lived at the farm on Conestoga Creek that his father, Michael, had bought from George Gray after 1725 and which adjoined the farm of Hans Moyer.

One of the early documents relating to John, is a deed, dated March 8, 1743 and is recorded in the courthouse in Lancaster Co. in Deed Book G. pages 81 and 82. The deed recites that 138 pounds, 18 shillings and 8 pence was paid for 100 acres of land for John Shank. The land and the home, already built on the property, was on

Conestoga Creek. It was east and directly across the creek from his father Michael's farm. At this point, a large loop in Conestoga Creek extends to the south from present day Millersville and the loop includes the small community of Wabank.

John's land was just south of Wabank, at the bottom or south end of the loop. To the east and across the creek in the opposite direction of Michael was the property of Hans Moyer. In the genealogical publication "Egles Notes & Queries", Series I & II, page 306, is an item which reads as follows:

"Hans Moyers purchased 10 Feb. 1719, three hundred acres of land

on Conestoga Creek from John Farrer, to whom it was warranted

2nd, Aug. 1716. Moyer subsequently died, leaving children; I-John;

II-Jacob: III-Onela, who married Jacob Kendig; IV-Elizabeth, who

married Henry Mussleman; V-Mary, who married John Shank, who for the

sum of 75 pounds, deeded the same to Casper Loughman on 25th of Dec.

1739".

Deeds made a few years later show that John's wife was named Mary, and the farm that they bought in 1743, sandwiched between his father Michael's land and the land of Hans Moyer, leaves no doubt that our John Shank married Mary Moyer, daughter of his neighbor Hans. Eshelman's history, page 204, mentions the names, within the same paragraphs, of our Michael Shank and Hans Moyers. Thus we can add the name of Hans Moyer, (anglicized into John Meyer or Myers) to our list of early American grandfather's.

John was a Mennonite minister during the greater part of his life. In Ellis & Evans "History of Lancaster County", pages 741 and 742, there is an account of a church being built in Conestoga township about 1760. It states that "John Shenk" was the first minister. The church was called Esheleman's, then Miller and now River Corner. The stone building there today is the third at that site. Although I have no definite proof that our John Shank was the first preacher at River Corner, it seems most likely that he was. It was a Mennonite church; John was a Mennonite preacher; he lived nearby and he also lived there in 1760.

In 1764, John bought an additional 15 acres for which he paid the sum of 150 pounds. The land adjoined his first tract on the north side and it, too, bounded on the Conestoga Creek. His father, Michael, having died in 1759, title to the land across the creek now rested with John's brothers, Tobias and Michael. The close proximity of the three to each other, would have made a good farm work relationship. which would last for more than 20 years. In 1981 I visited the area that was once the farms of Michael and John Shank. Today they have been cut up into smaller tracts and the central part of Michael's farm is now a subdivision of expensive homes, complete with private tennis courts and swimming pools, no doubt, populated from the nearby city of Lancaster.

John and Mary lived on Conestoga Creek until the end of 1766. By this time, Lancaster County was becoming heavily settled and the ever present lure of good low priced land in less settled areas began to move our ancestors south and west. On the 15th of December in 1766, John and Mary sold out their holdings in Lancaster County for 2000 pounds. On January 12, 1767, they appeared at the courthouse in Lancaster and affixed their signatures to the deed. John, of course, signed first and, quoting from the deed, "Mary, his wife being of full age and secretly examined, did confess that she consented thereto voluntarily and without compulsion."

John and Mary then moved to York County to become the minister of another church. York County Pennsylvania adjoins Lancaster County, but separated by the Susquehanna River. On April 1, 1767 they bought a 150 acre tract of land in Mannheim township for 700 pounds. They were to remain there for 24 years. This farm would be the birthplace of their youngest son, Adam Shank, who would move on to Kentucky.

In George R. Prowell's "History of York County" Volume I, Page 982 is an account of the Mennonite church know as "Bairs Meeting House". Bairs was the first Mennonite church in York County--a log structure which was built in 1746. The account states that in 1774 an agreement was entered into by John Shank, Mennonite minister, and others, whereby 12 acres of land was set aside around the church "to hold equally and in common, and for the use of said congregation, to erect a school house and a meeting house and locate a place to bury the dead". Other research shows that a second church was erected in 1774 to replace the original log structure. It was a larger log building of three rooms. The larger room served both church and school; the two small rooms were occupied by the teacher. It was in use for 86 years. I visited the site in October of 1980 and found Bairs Mennonite Church to be still in existence. It is on Highway 116, 3 miles out of Hanover, Pennsylvania. I talked with Earl Fuhrman, whose farm adjoins the church property. He told me that the 12 acres of church land still remain as property of the church and that, as a trustee of Bairs, he is familiar with the boundaries. His farm incorporates the 150 acres that John Shank bought and which adjoins the church property at the rear of the church. I visited Bairs Church again in 1981 and took photographs. It is now a large brick structure which is separated by a parking lot from another brick building, once used for school purposes, but now converted to a residence. There is a date stone embedded in the upper gable end of the church which reads "Menno Simmons Meeting House. Built A.D. 1860". Rebult A.D. 1908 These dates agree exactly with those turned up by my research of the earlier days of Bairs--John Shank was the minister when the second log church was built in 1774. Being used for 86 years would bring the church to 1860. when the church, as a brick structure, was built.

Preacher John Shank served the congregation at Bairs until the early part of 1791 when he moved to take another Mennonite church called Flohrs. This church was located on Marsh Creek, near Cashtown in the adjoining county of Adams. There is a magazine published by the Mennonite Historical Society of Lancaster, Pennsylvania called "Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage". In the October issue of 1979 there is an article written by Howard Y. Musselman and titled "The Marsh Creek Settlement of Adams County, 1769-1823". The article deals with the early Mennonite churches and ministers in the Marsh Creek area. One section of the article is devoted to John Shank. Mr. Musselman did extensive research prior to writing his article and he has been kind enough to send me copies of his notes which relate to our John. His writings make interesting reading for Shank descendants.

The congregation that John went to serve in 1791, was located at a crossroads community called Flohrs and was located one mile east of present day Cashtown, on old Highway 30. When John and Mary made the 25 mile move to Flohrs, they made arrangements, on the 10th of May 1791, to buy the dwelling and 550 acre plantation from the estate of Walter Buchanan for the sum of 1800 pounds. I have made no effort to find the precise location of the land, but have found it to be "on the south bank of Marsh Creek". This puts the land just a bit west of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and certainly within sight and sound of what was to become, 72 years later, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, Claiming 51,000 casualties.

Gettysburg National Military Park and the site of Lincoln's famous speech lies across Marsh Creek to the east, no more than three or four miles from John,s last home.

John was in ill health by the time he moved to Flohrs. He received his deed to the 550 acres on July 27, 1791, when Buchanan's estate was finally settled. He made his will only three days prior to that time on July 24, 1791 and he died less than a month later. His gravesite is unknown, but quite possibly he was buried in the old Mennonite cemetery at Flohrs, even though it was not established by deed until 1795. I visited the cemetery in 1981. The old meeting house has long since disappeared, but the cemetery still remains. The last persons buried there were Amos Shank and Anna Shank, an unmarried brother and sister, who died in 1917. They were descendants of Jacob Shank, one of the sons of John and Mary. The Flohrs congregation removed to nearby Mummasburg in 1824 and the present day Flohrs Lutheran Church, located just across the highway now takes care of the old cemetery.

Much can be learned from John's will and the inventory of his estate. To quote from Howard Musselman's article-

"He was relatively affluent, the inventory of his estate, outside

of his land, was 1248 pounds. (Editor's Note: Even though the

Revolution is over and the country is now The Untied States Of

America the Pound was still used as the monetary unit. The change to

the decimal system [Dollar] was passed by Congress as The Coinage

Act of 1792. The first dollars minted by the U.S. government were in

Philadelphia in 1794) The inventory lists an uncommonly large library

of religious books for a man of his times. His signature on his will

appears in a firm, clear German script and it suggests that he was

highly literate".

John signed his will "Johanne Schenck" and the German script is, at least for me, difficult to decipher. One cannot help but wonder if his large library of books did not descent to him, at least in part, from the rather large amount of books listed in his grandfather Christian's inventory of November 22, 1724.

John Shank was listed in the York County, Pennsylvania Census of 1790. In the Census, his household is shown as "2 males (over 16) and two females". The two males would have been himself and his youngest son Adam, who was still living at home. The two females would have been his daughter, Myri and his wife, Mary, all the rest of the children having left home by 1790.

John's will and the inventory of his estate, made and appraised on the 13th of August, 1791, are both recorded in York County as of the 22nd of August 1791 and are in Will Book H, Volume I, Page 257. His son Jacob and "good friend" Samuel Flickinger were named Executors. The will, included the usual detailed instructions to his heirs for the care of their mother Mary. He also took special care to provide for his daughter Myri, who was apparently handicapped in some manner and his daughter Elizabeth, who was unmarried. One source has it that Elizabeth had a daughter born out of wedlock and John did, in his will make special provisions for Elizabeth and her child (Editor's Note: Another source indicates that she may have been widowed, which would be a very real possibility). Did this influence John to move from Bairs when he was already old and ill? The inventory of his estate, lists a large amount of equipment and material of a nature which indicates that he was a weaver by trade. Mennonite preachers in those days were not salaried to any great extent and were expected earn a living the same as anyone else.

John bequeathed his home and the 550 acre plantation to his son Jacob and son-in-law Henry Hoober as "tenants-in-common" (not as joint tenants, he said). This was obviously an attempt on his part to insure that Myri and Mary would have a home there as long as they wished. Whatever he intended for the future of the farm did not materialize. The brothers-in-law split their inheritance and in 1803 Jacob sold his part of the farm and bought another one nearby. Mary had probably died by that time. In any case, in order to clear his title to his half of the farm, Jacob obtained sworn affidavits from the rest of the heirs to the effect that they had received their part of John's estate as per the terms of his will.

These sworn statements from the heirs are all recorded in Adams Co. Pennsylvania, in Deed Book B, Pages 96, 97, and 98. They provide the documentary proof that the Michael, Christian and Adam Shank of Botetourt and Greenbriar

counties in Virginia, in 1803, were all brothers and the sons of Preacher John Shank of York Co. Pennsylvania. All three brothers signed one affidavit in Greenbriar County (now in West Virginia) on January 27, 1803. They are probably the only documents anywhere in existence which definitely proves and connects our Shank line of Virginia and Kentucky into a particular Shank line in Pennsylvania which extends back to the year 1717.

The State of Pennsylvania warranted another tract of 150 acres of land to John Shank on July 12, 1791. This came about when John was already gravely ill and near the point of death and although he had paid the authorities for the land at the time of application, it is doubtful that he ever knew it had been awarded to him. In any case, he made no mention of it in his will. It was surveyed out to be 168 acres on December 16, 1791, some four months after his death. Jacob Shank and his brother-in-law, Henry Hoober, claimed title to this tract also, citing John's will as their authority for the claim. It adjoined the 550 acres that John bequeathed them.

Jacob, after selling his half of the 550 acre farm in 1803, bought another tract of 154 acres in Franklin township in Adams County. He and his family lived on in Adams County for many years. In 1795 he was the Mennonite Trustee of the German Society of Franklin township. Jacob's son Christian was a preacher at Mummasburg after the Flohrs congregation moved there in 1823. Jacob and Christian are both buried in the Mummasburg cemetery. Jacob's grandson, Daniel Shank, was ordained a preacher in the Mennonite Church in 1854 and as a bishop in 1878. Musselman's article in the Mennonite Heritage contains a picture of a large stone home occupied by Jaccob's descendants.

John's son, Christian, seeking new land for himself, left York Co. before the 1790 Census. He moved south into Virginia and on the 27th of September in 1786, 290 acres were surveyed to him. The land was located on the Greenbriar River near the small community of Rouceverte which is now in West Virginia. He married Catherine Beckner and to the union was born seven sons and three daughters. They removed to the adjoining county of Botetourt on Catawba Creek in 1803 and he died there in 1834. His farm in Botetourt was a few miles west of present day Interstate 81, near Roanoke, Virginia.

Michael Shank (probably John's oldest son) also went to Virginia, very likely in company with his brother Christian. 350 acres of land were surveyed to him on June 29, 1787. Deeds recorded at Lewisburg, county seat of Greenbriar, show several land transaction of Michael. The Greenbriar Survey Book shows that Michael had a Land Office Treasury Warrant for 1000 acres (No. 2036), but it is not known if he availed himself of the tract. Michael married Elizabeth Miller, daughter of John Miller of Rockingham Co. Virginia. Michael was listed in the Supplement to the 1810 Census of Greenbriar, but the date of his death is unknown.

Shank Homestead

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=876c7d04-a0ca-4761-9816-516007941c50&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829400

Johanne John Shank

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=eae6ab8e-47c0-4c9a-88f4-97f4c50e366e&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829400

Page 21 of 238

Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM


Register Report for Hans Schenk




Generation 9 (con't)

	Notes for Johanne John Shank: General Notes: From George Shank's research: NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK by J. Arthur Shank, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa. 17602-1499, Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine. . During the period of 1710 through, 1800, there were no less than fourteen men in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania named John Shank. Separating and identifying each of them has been no easy task. The one of interest to this Genealogy, however, was Johanne Schenk (John Shank), a Mennonite preacher and the son of Mary and of the Michael Shank who came from Germany in 1717 and who died in Lancaster County in 1759. . John Shank was probably born about 1717 or 1718, very near the time his parents arrived in America. As a child, he lived on the farm that his father selected on Pequea Creek in 1717. He would have been the first native born ancestor of ours and the third one of our grandfathers to have lived on Pequea Creek; preceded, of course by this father Michael and his grandfather Christian. Later on, John lived at the farm on Conestoga Creek that his father, Michael, had bought from George Gray after 1725 and which adjoined the farm of Hans Moyer. One of the early documents relating to John, is a deed, dated March 8, 1743 and is recorded in the courthouse in Lancaster Co. in Deed Book G. pages 81 and 82. The deed recites that 138 pounds, 18 shillings and 8 pence was paid for 100 acres of land for John Shank. The land and the home, already built on the property, was on Conestoga Creek. It was east and directly across the creek from his father Michael's farm. At this point, a large loop in Conestoga Creek extends to the south from present day Millersville and the loop includes the small community of Wabank. . John's land was just south of Wabank, at the bottom or south end of the loop. To the east and across the creek in the opposite direction of Michael was the property of Hans Moyer. In the genealogical publication "Egles Notes & Queries", Series I & II, page 306, is an item which reads as follows: . "Hans Moyers purchased 10 Feb. 1719, three hundred acres of land on Conestoga Creek from John Farrer, to whom it was warranted 2nd, Aug. 1716. Moyer subsequently died, leaving children; I-John; II-Jacob: III-Onela, who married Jacob Kendig; IV-Elizabeth, who married Henry Mussleman; V-Mary, who married John Shank, who for the sum of 75 pounds, deeded the same to Casper Loughman on 25th of Dec. 1739". . Deeds made a few years later show that John's wife was named Mary, and the farm that they bought in 1743, sandwiched between his father Michael's land and the land of Hans Moyer, leaves no doubt that our John Shank married Mary Moyer, daughter of his neighbor Hans. Eshelman's history, page 204, mentions the names, within the same paragraphs, of our Michael Shank and Hans Moyers. Thus we can add the name of Hans Moyer, (anglicized into John Meyer or Myers) to our list of early American grandfather's. John was a Mennonite minister during the greater part of his life. In Ellis & Evans "History of Lancaster County", pages 741 and 742, there is an account of a church being built in Conestoga township about 1760. It states that "John Shenk" was the first minister. The church was called Esheleman's, then Miller and now River Corner. The stone building there today is the third at that site. Although I have no definite proof that our John Shank was the first preacher at River Corner, it seems most likely that he was. It was a Mennonite church; John was a Mennonite preacher; he lived nearby and he also lived there in 1760. In 1764, John bought an additional 15 acres for which he paid the sum of 150 pounds. The land adjoined his first tract on the north side and it, too, bounded on the Conestoga Creek. His father, Michael, having died in 1759, title to the land across the creek now rested with John's brothers, Tobias and Michael. The close proximity of the three to each other, would have made a good farm work relationship. which would last for more than 20 years. In 1981 I visited the area that was once the farms of Michael and John Shank. Today they have been cut up into smaller tracts and the central part of Michael's farm is now a subdivision of expensive homes, complete with private tennis courts and swimming pools, no doubt, populated from the nearby city of Lancaster. John and Mary lived on Conestoga Creek until the end of 1766. By this time, Lancaster County was becoming heavily settled and the ever present lure of good low priced land in less settled areas began to move our ancestors south and west. On the 15th of December in 1766, John and Mary sold out their holdings in Lancaster County for 2000 pounds. On January 12, 1767, they appeared at the courthouse in Lancaster and affixed their signatures to the deed. John, of course, signed first and, quoting from the deed, "Mary, his wife being of full age and secretly examined, did confess that she consented thereto voluntarily and without compulsion." John and Mary then moved to York County to become the minister of another church. York County Pennsylvania adjoins Lancaster County, but separated by the Susquehanna River. On April 1, 1767 they bought a 150 acre tract of land in Mannheim township for 700 pounds. They were to remain there for 24 years. This farm would be the birthplace of their youngest son, Adam Shank, who would move on to Kentucky. In George R. Prowell's "History of York County" Volume I, Page 982 is an account of the Mennonite church know as "Bairs Meeting House". Bairs was the first Mennonite church in York County--a log structure which was built in 1746. The account states that in 1774 an agreement was entered into by John Shank, Mennonite minister, and others, whereby 12 acres of land was set aside around the church "to hold equally and in common, and for the use of said congregation, to erect a school house and a meeting house and locate a place to bury the dead". Other research shows that a second church was erected in 1774 to replace the original log structure. It was a larger log building of three rooms. The larger room served both church and school; the two small rooms were occupied by the teacher. It was in use for 86 years. I visited the site in October of 1980 and found Bairs Mennonite Church to be still in existence. It is on Highway 116, 3 miles out of Hanover, Pennsylvania. I talked with Earl Fuhrman, whose farm adjoins the church property. He told me that the 12 acres of church land still remain as property of the church and that, as a trustee of Bairs, he is familiar with the boundaries. His farm incorporates the 150 acres that John Shank bought and which adjoins the church property at the rear of the church. I visited Bairs Church again in 1981 and took photographs. It is now a large brick structure which is separated by a parking lot from another brick building, once used for school purposes, but now converted to a residence. There is a date stone embedded in the upper gable end of the church which reads "Menno Simmons Meeting House. Built A.D. 1860". Rebult A.D. 1908 These dates agree exactly with those turned up by my research of the earlier days of Bairs--John Shank was the minister when the second log church was built in 1774. Being used for 86 years would bring the church to 1860. when the church, as a brick structure, was built. Preacher John Shank served the congregation at Bairs until the early part of 1791 when he moved to take another Mennonite church called Flohrs. This church was located on Marsh Creek, near Cashtown in the adjoining county of Adams. There is a magazine published by the Mennonite Historical Society of Lancaster, Pennsylvania called "Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage". In the October issue of 1979 there is an article written by Howard Y. Musselman and titled "The Marsh Creek Settlement of Adams County, 1769-1823". The article deals with the early Mennonite churches and ministers in the Marsh Creek area. One section of the article is devoted to John Shank. Mr. Musselman did extensive research prior to writing his article and he has been kind enough to send me copies of his notes which relate to our John. His writings make interesting reading for Shank descendants. The congregation that John went to serve in 1791, was located at a crossroads community called Flohrs and was located one mile east of present day Cashtown, on old Highway 30. When John and Mary made the 25 mile move to Flohrs, they made arrangements, on the 10th of May 1791, to buy the dwelling and 550 acre plantation from the estate of Walter Buchanan for the sum of 1800 pounds. I have made no effort to find the precise location of the land, but have found it to be "on the south bank of Marsh Creek". This puts the land just a bit west of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and certainly within sight and sound of what was to become, 72 years later, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, Claiming 51,000 casualties. Gettysburg National Military Park and the site of Lincoln's famous speech lies across Marsh Creek to the east, no more than three or four miles from John,s last home. John was in ill health by the time he moved to Flohrs. He received his deed to the 550 acres on July 27, 1791, when Buchanan's estate was finally settled. He made his will only three days prior to that time on July 24, 1791 and he died less than a month later. His gravesite is unknown, but quite possibly he was buried in the old Mennonite cemetery at Flohrs, even though it was not established by deed until 1795. I visited the cemetery in 1981. The old meeting house has long since disappeared, but the cemetery still remains. The last persons buried there were Amos Shank and Anna Shank, an unmarried brother and sister, who died in 1917. They were descendants of Jacob Shank, one of the sons of John and Mary. The Flohrs congregation removed to nearby Mummasburg in 1824 and the present day Flohrs Lutheran Church, located just across the highway now takes care of the old cemetery. Much can be learned from John's will and the inventory of his estate. To quote from Howard Musselman's article- . "He was relatively affluent, the inventory of his estate, outside of his land, was 1248 pounds. (Editor's Note: Even though the Revolution is over and the country is now The Untied States Of America the Pound was still used as the monetary unit. The change to the decimal system [Dollar] was passed by Congress as The Coinage Act of 1792. The first dollars minted by the U.S. government were in Philadelphia in 1794) The inventory lists an uncommonly large library of religious books for a man of his times. His signature on his will appears in a firm, clear German script and it suggests that he was highly literate". . John signed his will "Johanne Schenck" and the German script is, at least for me, difficult to decipher. One cannot help but wonder if his large library of books did not descent to him, at least in part, from the rather large amount of books listed in his grandfather Christian's inventory of November 22, 1724. John Shank was listed in the York County, Pennsylvania Census of 1790. In the Census, his household is shown as "2 males (over 16) and two females". The two males would have been himself and his youngest son Adam, who was still living at home. The two females would have been his daughter, Myri and his wife, Mary, all the rest of the children having left home by 1790. John's will and the inventory of his estate, made and appraised on the 13th of August, 1791, are both recorded in York County as of the 22nd of August 1791 and are in Will Book H, Volume I, Page 257. His son Jacob and "good friend" Samuel Flickinger were named Executors. The will, included the usual detailed instructions to his heirs for the care of their mother Mary. He also took special care to provide for his daughter Myri, who was apparently handicapped in some manner and his daughter Elizabeth, who was unmarried. One source has it that Elizabeth had a daughter born out of wedlock and John did, in his will make special provisions for Elizabeth and her child (Editor's Note: Another source indicates that she may have been widowed, which would be a very real possibility). Did this influence John to move from Bairs when he was already old and ill? The inventory of his estate, lists a large amount of equipment and material of a nature which indicates that he was a weaver by trade. Mennonite preachers in those days were not salaried to any great extent and were expected earn a living the same as anyone else. John bequeathed his home and the 550 acre plantation to his son Jacob and son-in-law Henry Hoober as "tenants-in-common" (not as joint tenants, he said). This was obviously an attempt on his part to insure that Myri and Mary would have a home there as long as they wished. Whatever he intended for the future of the farm did not materialize. The brothers-in-law split their inheritance and in 1803 Jacob sold his part of the farm and bought another one nearby. Mary had probably died by that time. In any case, in order to clear his title to his half of the farm, Jacob obtained sworn affidavits from the rest of the heirs to the effect that they had received their part of John's estate as per the terms of his will. These sworn statements from the heirs are all recorded in Adams Co. Pennsylvania, in Deed Book B, Pages 96, 97, and 98. They provide the documentary proof that the Michael, Christian and Adam Shank of Botetourt and Greenbriar counties in Virginia, in 1803, were all brothers and the sons of Preacher John Shank of York Co. Pennsylvania. All three brothers signed one affidavit in Greenbriar County (now in West Virginia) on January 27, 1803. They are probably the only documents anywhere in existence which definitely proves and connects our Shank line of Virginia and Kentucky into a particular Shank line in Pennsylvania which extends back to the year 1717. The State of Pennsylvania warranted another tract of 150 acres of land to John Shank on July 12, 1791. This came about when John was already gravely ill and near the point of death and although he had paid the authorities for the land at the time of application, it is doubtful that he ever knew it had been awarded to him. In any case, he made no mention of it in his will. It was surveyed out to be 168 acres on December 16, 1791, some four months after his death. Jacob Shank and his brother-in-law, Henry Hoober, claimed title to this tract also, citing John's will as their authority for the claim. It adjoined the 550 acres that John bequeathed them. Jacob, after selling his half of the 550 acre farm in 1803, bought another tract of 154 acres in Franklin township in Adams County. He and his family lived on in Adams County for many years. In 1795 he was the Mennonite Trustee of the German Society of Franklin township. Jacob's son Christian was a preacher at Mummasburg after the Flohrs congregation moved there in 1823. Jacob and Christian are both buried in the Mummasburg cemetery. Jacob's grandson, Daniel Shank, was ordained a preacher in the Mennonite Church in 1854 and as a bishop in 1878. Musselman's article in the Mennonite Heritage contains a picture of a large stone home occupied by Jaccob's descendants. John's son, Christian, seeking new land for himself, left York Co. before the 1790 Census. He moved south into Virginia and on the 27th of September in 1786, 290 acres were surveyed to him. The land was located on the Greenbriar River near the small community of Rouceverte which is now in West Virginia. He married Catherine Beckner and to the union was born seven sons and three daughters. They removed to the adjoining county of Botetourt on Catawba Creek in 1803 and he died there in 1834. His farm in Botetourt was a few miles west of present day Interstate 81, near Roanoke, Virginia. Michael Shank (probably John's oldest son) also went to Virginia, very likely in company with his brother Christian. 350 acres of land were surveyed to him on June 29, 1787. Deeds recorded at Lewisburg, county seat of Greenbriar, show several land transaction of Michael. The Greenbriar Survey Book shows that Michael had a Land Office Treasury Warrant for 1000 acres (No. 2036), but it is not known if he availed himself of the tract. Michael married Elizabeth Miller, daughter of John Miller of Rockingham Co. Virginia. Michael was listed in the Supplement to the 1810 Census of Greenbriar, but the date of his death is unknown. . Shank Homestead http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=876c7d04-a0ca-4761-9816-516007941c50&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829400 Johanne John Shank http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=eae6ab8e-47c0-4c9a-88f4-97f4c50e366e&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829400




		Page 22 of 238	Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM


Register Report for Hans Schenk




Generation 9 (con't)

	Notes for Johanne John Shank: General Notes: From George Shank's research: NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK by J. Arthur Shank, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa. 17602-1499, Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine. . During the period of 1710 through, 1800, there were no less than fourteen men in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania named John Shank. Separating and identifying each of them has been no easy task. The one of interest to this Genealogy, however, was Johanne Schenk (John Shank), a Mennonite preacher and the son of Mary and of the Michael Shank who came from Germany in 1717 and who died in Lancaster County in 1759. . John Shank was probably born about 1717 or 1718, very near the time his parents arrived in America. As a child, he lived on the farm that his father selected on Pequea Creek in 1717. He would have been the first native born ancestor of ours and the third one of our grandfathers to have lived on Pequea Creek; preceded, of course by this father Michael and his grandfather Christian. Later on, John lived at the farm on Conestoga Creek that his father, Michael, had bought from George Gray after 1725 and which adjoined the farm of Hans Moyer. One of the early documents relating to John, is a deed, dated March 8, 1743 and is recorded in the courthouse in Lancaster Co. in Deed Book G. pages 81 and 82. The deed recites that 138 pounds, 18 shillings and 8 pence was paid for 100 acres of land for John Shank. The land and the home, already built on the property, was on Conestoga Creek. It was east and directly across the creek from his father Michael's farm. At this point, a large loop in Conestoga Creek extends to the south from present day Millersville and the loop includes the small community of Wabank. . John's land was just south of Wabank, at the bottom or south end of the loop. To the east and across the creek in the opposite direction of Michael was the property of Hans Moyer. In the genealogical publication "Egles Notes & Queries", Series I & II, page 306, is an item which reads as follows: . "Hans Moyers purchased 10 Feb. 1719, three hundred acres of land on Conestoga Creek from John Farrer, to whom it was warranted 2nd, Aug. 1716. Moyer subsequently died, leaving children; I-John; II-Jacob: III-Onela, who married Jacob Kendig; IV-Elizabeth, who married Henry Mussleman; V-Mary, who married John Shank, who for the sum of 75 pounds, deeded the same to Casper Loughman on 25th of Dec. 1739". . Deeds made a few years later show that John's wife was named Mary, and the farm that they bought in 1743, sandwiched between his father Michael's land and the land of Hans Moyer, leaves no doubt that our John Shank married Mary Moyer, daughter of his neighbor Hans. Eshelman's history, page 204, mentions the names, within the same paragraphs, of our Michael Shank and Hans Moyers. Thus we can add the name of Hans Moyer, (anglicized into John Meyer or Myers) to our list of early American grandfather's. John was a Mennonite minister during the greater part of his life. In Ellis & Evans "History of Lancaster County", pages 741 and 742, there is an account of a church being built in Conestoga township about 1760. It states that "John Shenk" was the first minister. The church was called Esheleman's, then Miller and now River Corner. The stone building there today is the third at that site. Although I have no definite proof that our John Shank was the first preacher at River Corner, it seems most likely that he was. It was a Mennonite church; John was a Mennonite preacher; he lived nearby and he also lived there in 1760. In 1764, John bought an additional 15 acres for which he paid the sum of 150 pounds. The land adjoined his first tract on the north side and it, too, bounded on the Conestoga Creek. His father, Michael, having died in 1759, title to the land across the creek now rested with John's brothers, Tobias and Michael. The close proximity of the three to each other, would have made a good farm work relationship. which would last for more than 20 years. In 1981 I visited the area that was once the farms of Michael and John Shank. Today they have been cut up into smaller tracts and the central part of Michael's farm is now a subdivision of expensive homes, complete with private tennis courts and swimming pools, no doubt, populated from the nearby city of Lancaster. John and Mary lived on Conestoga Creek until the end of 1766. By this time, Lancaster County was becoming heavily settled and the ever present lure of good low priced land in less settled areas began to move our ancestors south and west. On the 15th of December in 1766, John and Mary sold out their holdings in Lancaster County for 2000 pounds. On January 12, 1767, they appeared at the courthouse in Lancaster and affixed their signatures to the deed. John, of course, signed first and, quoting from the deed, "Mary, his wife being of full age and secretly examined, did confess that she consented thereto voluntarily and without compulsion." John and Mary then moved to York County to become the minister of another church. York County Pennsylvania adjoins Lancaster County, but separated by the Susquehanna River. On April 1, 1767 they bought a 150 acre tract of land in Mannheim township for 700 pounds. They were to remain there for 24 years. This farm would be the birthplace of their youngest son, Adam Shank, who would move on to Kentucky. In George R. Prowell's "History of York County" Volume I, Page 982 is an account of the Mennonite church know as "Bairs Meeting House". Bairs was the first Mennonite church in York County--a log structure which was built in 1746. The account states that in 1774 an agreement was entered into by John Shank, Mennonite minister, and others, whereby 12 acres of land was set aside around the church "to hold equally and in common, and for the use of said congregation, to erect a school house and a meeting house and locate a place to bury the dead". Other research shows that a second church was erected in 1774 to replace the original log structure. It was a larger log building of three rooms. The larger room served both church and school; the two small rooms were occupied by the teacher. It was in use for 86 years. I visited the site in October of 1980 and found Bairs Mennonite Church to be still in existence. It is on Highway 116, 3 miles out of Hanover, Pennsylvania. I talked with Earl Fuhrman, whose farm adjoins the church property. He told me that the 12 acres of church land still remain as property of the church and that, as a trustee of Bairs, he is familiar with the boundaries. His farm incorporates the 150 acres that John Shank bought and which adjoins the church property at the rear of the church. I visited Bairs Church again in 1981 and took photographs. It is now a large brick structure which is separated by a parking lot from another brick building, once used for school purposes, but now converted to a residence. There is a date stone embedded in the upper gable end of the church which reads "Menno Simmons Meeting House. Built A.D. 1860". Rebult A.D. 1908 These dates agree exactly with those turned up by my research of the earlier days of Bairs--John Shank was the minister when the second log church was built in 1774. Being used for 86 years would bring the church to 1860. when the church, as a brick structure, was built. Preacher John Shank served the congregation at Bairs until the early part of 1791 when he moved to take another Mennonite church called Flohrs. This church was located on Marsh Creek, near Cashtown in the adjoining county of Adams. There is a magazine published by the Mennonite Historical Society of Lancaster, Pennsylvania called "Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage". In the October issue of 1979 there is an article written by Howard Y. Musselman and titled "The Marsh Creek Settlement of Adams County, 1769-1823". The article deals with the early Mennonite churches and ministers in the Marsh Creek area. One section of the article is devoted to John Shank. Mr. Musselman did extensive research prior to writing his article and he has been kind enough to send me copies of his notes which relate to our John. His writings make interesting reading for Shank descendants. The congregation that John went to serve in 1791, was located at a crossroads community called Flohrs and was located one mile east of present day Cashtown, on old Highway 30. When John and Mary made the 25 mile move to Flohrs, they made arrangements, on the 10th of May 1791, to buy the dwelling and 550 acre plantation from the estate of Walter Buchanan for the sum of 1800 pounds. I have made no effort to find the precise location of the land, but have found it to be "on the south bank of Marsh Creek". This puts the land just a bit west of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and certainly within sight and sound of what was to become, 72 years later, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, Claiming 51,000 casualties. Gettysburg National Military Park and the site of Lincoln's famous speech lies across Marsh Creek to the east, no more than three or four miles from John,s last home. John was in ill health by the time he moved to Flohrs. He received his deed to the 550 acres on July 27, 1791, when Buchanan's estate was finally settled. He made his will only three days prior to that time on July 24, 1791 and he died less than a month later. His gravesite is unknown, but quite possibly he was buried in the old Mennonite cemetery at Flohrs, even though it was not established by deed until 1795. I visited the cemetery in 1981. The old meeting house has long since disappeared, but the cemetery still remains. The last persons buried there were Amos Shank and Anna Shank, an unmarried brother and sister, who died in 1917. They were descendants of Jacob Shank, one of the sons of John and Mary. The Flohrs congregation removed to nearby Mummasburg in 1824 and the present day Flohrs Lutheran Church, located just across the highway now takes care of the old cemetery. Much can be learned from John's will and the inventory of his estate. To quote from Howard Musselman's article- . "He was relatively affluent, the inventory of his estate, outside of his land, was 1248 pounds. (Editor's Note: Even though the Revolution is over and the country is now The Untied States Of America the Pound was still used as the monetary unit. The change to the decimal system [Dollar] was passed by Congress as The Coinage Act of 1792. The first dollars minted by the U.S. government were in Philadelphia in 1794) The inventory lists an uncommonly large library of religious books for a man of his times. His signature on his will appears in a firm, clear German script and it suggests that he was highly literate". . John signed his will "Johanne Schenck" and the German script is, at least for me, difficult to decipher. One cannot help but wonder if his large library of books did not descent to him, at least in part, from the rather large amount of books listed in his grandfather Christian's inventory of November 22, 1724. John Shank was listed in the York County, Pennsylvania Census of 1790. In the Census, his household is shown as "2 males (over 16) and two females". The two males would have been himself and his youngest son Adam, who was still living at home. The two females would have been his daughter, Myri and his wife, Mary, all the rest of the children having left home by 1790. John's will and the inventory of his estate, made and appraised on the 13th of August, 1791, are both recorded in York County as of the 22nd of August 1791 and are in Will Book H, Volume I, Page 257. His son Jacob and "good friend" Samuel Flickinger were named Executors. The will, included the usual detailed instructions to his heirs for the care of their mother Mary. He also took special care to provide for his daughter Myri, who was apparently handicapped in some manner and his daughter Elizabeth, who was unmarried. One source has it that Elizabeth had a daughter born out of wedlock and John did, in his will make special provisions for Elizabeth and her child (Editor's Note: Another source indicates that she may have been widowed, which would be a very real possibility). Did this influence John to move from Bairs when he was already old and ill? The inventory of his estate, lists a large amount of equipment and material of a nature which indicates that he was a weaver by trade. Mennonite preachers in those days were not salaried to any great extent and were expected earn a living the same as anyone else. John bequeathed his home and the 550 acre plantation to his son Jacob and son-in-law Henry Hoober as "tenants-in-common" (not as joint tenants, he said). This was obviously an attempt on his part to insure that Myri and Mary would have a home there as long as they wished. Whatever he intended for the future of the farm did not materialize. The brothers-in-law split their inheritance and in 1803 Jacob sold his part of the farm and bought another one nearby. Mary had probably died by that time. In any case, in order to clear his title to his half of the farm, Jacob obtained sworn affidavits from the rest of the heirs to the effect that they had received their part of John's estate as per the terms of his will. These sworn statements from the heirs are all recorded in Adams Co. Pennsylvania, in Deed Book B, Pages 96, 97, and 98. They provide the documentary proof that the Michael, Christian and Adam Shank of Botetourt and Greenbriar counties in Virginia, in 1803, were all brothers and the sons of Preacher John Shank of York Co. Pennsylvania. All three brothers signed one affidavit in Greenbriar County (now in West Virginia) on January 27, 1803. They are probably the only documents anywhere in existence which definitely proves and connects our Shank line of Virginia and Kentucky into a particular Shank line in Pennsylvania which extends back to the year 1717. The State of Pennsylvania warranted another tract of 150 acres of land to John Shank on July 12, 1791. This came about when John was already gravely ill and near the point of death and although he had paid the authorities for the land at the time of application, it is doubtful that he ever knew it had been awarded to him. In any case, he made no mention of it in his will. It was surveyed out to be 168 acres on December 16, 1791, some four months after his death. Jacob Shank and his brother-in-law, Henry Hoober, claimed title to this tract also, citing John's will as their authority for the claim. It adjoined the 550 acres that John bequeathed them. Jacob, after selling his half of the 550 acre farm in 1803, bought another tract of 154 acres in Franklin township in Adams County. He and his family lived on in Adams County for many years. In 1795 he was the Mennonite Trustee of the German Society of Franklin township. Jacob's son Christian was a preacher at Mummasburg after the Flohrs congregation moved there in 1823. Jacob and Christian are both buried in the Mummasburg cemetery. Jacob's grandson, Daniel Shank, was ordained a preacher in the Mennonite Church in 1854 and as a bishop in 1878. Musselman's article in the Mennonite Heritage contains a picture of a large stone home occupied by Jaccob's descendants. John's son, Christian, seeking new land for himself, left York Co. before the 1790 Census. He moved south into Virginia and on the 27th of September in 1786, 290 acres were surveyed to him. The land was located on the Greenbriar River near the small community of Rouceverte which is now in West Virginia. He married Catherine Beckner and to the union was born seven sons and three daughters. They removed to the adjoining county of Botetourt on Catawba Creek in 1803 and he died there in 1834. His farm in Botetourt was a few miles west of present day Interstate 81, near Roanoke, Virginia. Michael Shank (probably John's oldest son) also went to Virginia, very likely in company with his brother Christian. 350 acres of land were surveyed to him on June 29, 1787. Deeds recorded at Lewisburg, county seat of Greenbriar, show several land transaction of Michael. The Greenbriar Survey Book shows that Michael had a Land Office Treasury Warrant for 1000 acres (No. 2036), but it is not known if he availed himself of the tract. Michael married Elizabeth Miller, daughter of John Miller of Rockingham Co. Virginia. Michael was listed in the Supplement to the 1810 Census of Greenbriar, but the date of his death is unknown. . Shank Homestead http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=876c7d04-a0ca-4761-9816-516007941c50&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829400 Johanne John Shank http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=eae6ab8e-47c0-4c9a-88f4-97f4c50e366e&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829400




		Page 23 of 238	Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM


Register Report for Hans Schenk




Generation 9 (con't)

	Notes for Johanne John Shank: General Notes: From George Shank's research: NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK by J. Arthur Shank, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa. 17602-1499, Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine. . During the period of 1710 through, 1800, there were no less than fourteen men in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania named John Shank. Separating and identifying each of them has been no easy task. The one of interest to this Genealogy, however, was Johanne Schenk (John Shank), a Mennonite preacher and the son of Mary and of the Michael Shank who came from Germany in 1717 and who died in Lancaster County in 1759. . John Shank was probably born about 1717 or 1718, very near the time his parents arrived in America. As a child, he lived on the farm that his father selected on Pequea Creek in 1717. He would have been the first native born ancestor of ours and the third one of our grandfathers to have lived on Pequea Creek; preceded, of course by this father Michael and his grandfather Christian. Later on, John lived at the farm on Conestoga Creek that his father, Michael, had bought from George Gray after 1725 and which adjoined the farm of Hans Moyer. One of the early documents relating to John, is a deed, dated March 8, 1743 and is recorded in the courthouse in Lancaster Co. in Deed Book G. pages 81 and 82. The deed recites that 138 pounds, 18 shillings and 8 pence was paid for 100 acres of land for John Shank. The land and the home, already built on the property, was on Conestoga Creek. It was east and directly across the creek from his father Michael's farm. At this point, a large loop in Conestoga Creek extends to the south from present day Millersville and the loop includes the small community of Wabank. . John's land was just south of Wabank, at the bottom or south end of the loop. To the east and across the creek in the opposite direction of Michael was the property of Hans Moyer. In the genealogical publication "Egles Notes & Queries", Series I & II, page 306, is an item which reads as follows: . "Hans Moyers purchased 10 Feb. 1719, three hundred acres of land on Conestoga Creek from John Farrer, to whom it was warranted 2nd, Aug. 1716. Moyer subsequently died, leaving children; I-John; II-Jacob: III-Onela, who married Jacob Kendig; IV-Elizabeth, who married Henry Mussleman; V-Mary, who married John Shank, who for the sum of 75 pounds, deeded the same to Casper Loughman on 25th of Dec. 1739". . Deeds made a few years later show that John's wife was named Mary, and the farm that they bought in 1743, sandwiched between his father Michael's land and the land of Hans Moyer, leaves no doubt that our John Shank married Mary Moyer, daughter of his neighbor Hans. Eshelman's history, page 204, mentions the names, within the same paragraphs, of our Michael Shank and Hans Moyers. Thus we can add the name of Hans Moyer, (anglicized into John Meyer or Myers) to our list of early American grandfather's. John was a Mennonite minister during the greater part of his life. In Ellis & Evans "History of Lancaster County", pages 741 and 742, there is an account of a church being built in Conestoga township about 1760. It states that "John Shenk" was the first minister. The church was called Esheleman's, then Miller and now River Corner. The stone building there today is the third at that site. Although I have no definite proof that our John Shank was the first preacher at River Corner, it seems most likely that he was. It was a Mennonite church; John was a Mennonite preacher; he lived nearby and he also lived there in 1760. In 1764, John bought an additional 15 acres for which he paid the sum of 150 pounds. The land adjoined his first tract on the north side and it, too, bounded on the Conestoga Creek. His father, Michael, having died in 1759, title to the land across the creek now rested with John's brothers, Tobias and Michael. The close proximity of the three to each other, would have made a good farm work relationship. which would last for more than 20 years. In 1981 I visited the area that was once the farms of Michael and John Shank. Today they have been cut up into smaller tracts and the central part of Michael's farm is now a subdivision of expensive homes, complete with private tennis courts and swimming pools, no doubt, populated from the nearby city of Lancaster. John and Mary lived on Conestoga Creek until the end of 1766. By this time, Lancaster County was becoming heavily settled and the ever present lure of good low priced land in less settled areas began to move our ancestors south and west. On the 15th of December in 1766, John and Mary sold out their holdings in Lancaster County for 2000 pounds. On January 12, 1767, they appeared at the courthouse in Lancaster and affixed their signatures to the deed. John, of course, signed first and, quoting from the deed, "Mary, his wife being of full age and secretly examined, did confess that she consented thereto voluntarily and without compulsion." John and Mary then moved to York County to become the minister of another church. York County Pennsylvania adjoins Lancaster County, but separated by the Susquehanna River. On April 1, 1767 they bought a 150 acre tract of land in Mannheim township for 700 pounds. They were to remain there for 24 years. This farm would be the birthplace of their youngest son, Adam Shank, who would move on to Kentucky. In George R. Prowell's "History of York County" Volume I, Page 982 is an account of the Mennonite church know as "Bairs Meeting House". Bairs was the first Mennonite church in York County--a log structure which was built in 1746. The account states that in 1774 an agreement was entered into by John Shank, Mennonite minister, and others, whereby 12 acres of land was set aside around the church "to hold equally and in common, and for the use of said congregation, to erect a school house and a meeting house and locate a place to bury the dead". Other research shows that a second church was erected in 1774 to replace the original log structure. It was a larger log building of three rooms. The larger room served both church and school; the two small rooms were occupied by the teacher. It was in use for 86 years. I visited the site in October of 1980 and found Bairs Mennonite Church to be still in existence. It is on Highway 116, 3 miles out of Hanover, Pennsylvania. I talked with Earl Fuhrman, whose farm adjoins the church property. He told me that the 12 acres of church land still remain as property of the church and that, as a trustee of Bairs, he is familiar with the boundaries. His farm incorporates the 150 acres that John Shank bought and which adjoins the church property at the rear of the church. I visited Bairs Church again in 1981 and took photographs. It is now a large brick structure which is separated by a parking lot from another brick building, once used for school purposes, but now converted to a residence. There is a date stone embedded in the upper gable end of the church which reads "Menno Simmons Meeting House. Built A.D. 1860". Rebult A.D. 1908 These dates agree exactly with those turned up by my research of the earlier days of Bairs--John Shank was the minister when the second log church was built in 1774. Being used for 86 years would bring the church to 1860. when the church, as a brick structure, was built. Preacher John Shank served the congregation at Bairs until the early part of 1791 when he moved to take another Mennonite church called Flohrs. This church was located on Marsh Creek, near Cashtown in the adjoining county of Adams. There is a magazine published by the Mennonite Historical Society of Lancaster, Pennsylvania called "Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage". In the October issue of 1979 there is an article written by Howard Y. Musselman and titled "The Marsh Creek Settlement of Adams County, 1769-1823". The article deals with the early Mennonite churches and ministers in the Marsh Creek area. One section of the article is devoted to John Shank. Mr. Musselman did extensive research prior to writing his article and he has been kind enough to send me copies of his notes which relate to our John. His writings make interesting reading for Shank descendants. The congregation that John went to serve in 1791, was located at a crossroads community called Flohrs and was located one mile east of present day Cashtown, on old Highway 30. When John and Mary made the 25 mile move to Flohrs, they made arrangements, on the 10th of May 1791, to buy the dwelling and 550 acre plantation from the estate of Walter Buchanan for the sum of 1800 pounds. I have made no effort to find the precise location of the land, but have found it to be "on the south bank of Marsh Creek". This puts the land just a bit west of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and certainly within sight and sound of what was to become, 72 years later, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, Claiming 51,000 casualties. Gettysburg National Military Park and the site of Lincoln's famous speech lies across Marsh Creek to the east, no more than three or four miles from John,s last home. John was in ill health by the time he moved to Flohrs. He received his deed to the 550 acres on July 27, 1791, when Buchanan's estate was finally settled. He made his will only three days prior to that time on July 24, 1791 and he died less than a month later. His gravesite is unknown, but quite possibly he was buried in the old Mennonite cemetery at Flohrs, even though it was not established by deed until 1795. I visited the cemetery in 1981. The old meeting house has long since disappeared, but the cemetery still remains. The last persons buried there were Amos Shank and Anna Shank, an unmarried brother and sister, who died in 1917. They were descendants of Jacob Shank, one of the sons of John and Mary. The Flohrs congregation removed to nearby Mummasburg in 1824 and the present day Flohrs Lutheran Church, located just across the highway now takes care of the old cemetery. Much can be learned from John's will and the inventory of his estate. To quote from Howard Musselman's article- . "He was relatively affluent, the inventory of his estate, outside of his land, was 1248 pounds. (Editor's Note: Even though the Revolution is over and the country is now The Untied States Of America the Pound was still used as the monetary unit. The change to the decimal system [Dollar] was passed by Congress as The Coinage Act of 1792. The first dollars minted by the U.S. government were in Philadelphia in 1794) The inventory lists an uncommonly large library of religious books for a man of his times. His signature on his will appears in a firm, clear German script and it suggests that he was highly literate". . John signed his will "Johanne Schenck" and the German script is, at least for me, difficult to decipher. One cannot help but wonder if his large library of books did not descent to him, at least in part, from the rather large amount of books listed in his grandfather Christian's inventory of November 22, 1724. John Shank was listed in the York County, Pennsylvania Census of 1790. In the Census, his household is shown as "2 males (over 16) and two females". The two males would have been himself and his youngest son Adam, who was still living at home. The two females would have been his daughter, Myri and his wife, Mary, all the rest of the children having left home by 1790. John's will and the inventory of his estate, made and appraised on the 13th of August, 1791, are both recorded in York County as of the 22nd of August 1791 and are in Will Book H, Volume I, Page 257. His son Jacob and "good friend" Samuel Flickinger were named Executors. The will, included the usual detailed instructions to his heirs for the care of their mother Mary. He also took special care to provide for his daughter Myri, who was apparently handicapped in some manner and his daughter Elizabeth, who was unmarried. One source has it that Elizabeth had a daughter born out of wedlock and John did, in his will make special provisions for Elizabeth and her child (Editor's Note: Another source indicates that she may have been widowed, which would be a very real possibility). Did this influence John to move from Bairs when he was already old and ill? The inventory of his estate, lists a large amount of equipment and material of a nature which indicates that he was a weaver by trade. Mennonite preachers in those days were not salaried to any great extent and were expected earn a living the same as anyone else. John bequeathed his home and the 550 acre plantation to his son Jacob and son-in-law Henry Hoober as "tenants-in-common" (not as joint tenants, he said). This was obviously an attempt on his part to insure that Myri and Mary would have a home there as long as they wished. Whatever he intended for the future of the farm did not materialize. The brothers-in-law split their inheritance and in 1803 Jacob sold his part of the farm and bought another one nearby. Mary had probably died by that time. In any case, in order to clear his title to his half of the farm, Jacob obtained sworn affidavits from the rest of the heirs to the effect that they had received their part of John's estate as per the terms of his will. These sworn statements from the heirs are all recorded in Adams Co. Pennsylvania, in Deed Book B, Pages 96, 97, and 98. They provide the documentary proof that the Michael, Christian and Adam Shank of Botetourt and Greenbriar counties in Virginia, in 1803, were all brothers and the sons of Preacher John Shank of York Co. Pennsylvania. All three brothers signed one affidavit in Greenbriar County (now in West Virginia) on January 27, 1803. They are probably the only documents anywhere in existence which definitely proves and connects our Shank line of Virginia and Kentucky into a particular Shank line in Pennsylvania which extends back to the year 1717. The State of Pennsylvania warranted another tract of 150 acres of land to John Shank on July 12, 1791. This came about when John was already gravely ill and near the point of death and although he had paid the authorities for the land at the time of application, it is doubtful that he ever knew it had been awarded to him. In any case, he made no mention of it in his will. It was surveyed out to be 168 acres on December 16, 1791, some four months after his death. Jacob Shank and his brother-in-law, Henry Hoober, claimed title to this tract also, citing John's will as their authority for the claim. It adjoined the 550 acres that John bequeathed them. Jacob, after selling his half of the 550 acre farm in 1803, bought another tract of 154 acres in Franklin township in Adams County. He and his family lived on in Adams County for many years. In 1795 he was the Mennonite Trustee of the German Society of Franklin township. Jacob's son Christian was a preacher at Mummasburg after the Flohrs congregation moved there in 1823. Jacob and Christian are both buried in the Mummasburg cemetery. Jacob's grandson, Daniel Shank, was ordained a preacher in the Mennonite Church in 1854 and as a bishop in 1878. Musselman's article in the Mennonite Heritage contains a picture of a large stone home occupied by Jaccob's descendants. John's son, Christian, seeking new land for himself, left York Co. before the 1790 Census. He moved south into Virginia and on the 27th of September in 1786, 290 acres were surveyed to him. The land was located on the Greenbriar River near the small community of Rouceverte which is now in West Virginia. He married Catherine Beckner and to the union was born seven sons and three daughters. They removed to the adjoining county of Botetourt on Catawba Creek in 1803 and he died there in 1834. His farm in Botetourt was a few miles west of present day Interstate 81, near Roanoke, Virginia. Michael Shank (probably John's oldest son) also went to Virginia, very likely in company with his brother Christian. 350 acres of land were surveyed to him on June 29, 1787. Deeds recorded at Lewisburg, county seat of Greenbriar, show several land transaction of Michael. The Greenbriar Survey Book shows that Michael had a Land Office Treasury Warrant for 1000 acres (No. 2036), but it is not known if he availed himself of the tract. Michael married Elizabeth Miller, daughter of John Miller of Rockingham Co. Virginia. Michael was listed in the Supplement to the 1810 Census of Greenbriar, but the date of his death is unknown. . Shank Homestead http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=876c7d04-a0ca-4761-9816-516007941c50&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829400 Johanne John Shank http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=eae6ab8e-47c0-4c9a-88f4-97f4c50e366e&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829400



		Page 24 of 238	Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM


Register Report for Hans Schenk




Generation 9 (con't)

	Notes for Johanne John Shank: General Notes: From George Shank's research: NOTE: The following is taken directly from THE SHANKS FAMILY OF PEQUEA CREEK by J. Arthur Shank, 205 S. Broadway, Providence, KY. Repository: The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster, Pa. 17602-1499, Phone: (717) 393-9745. Internet=use a search engine. . During the period of 1710 through, 1800, there were no less than fourteen men in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania named John Shank. Separating and identifying each of them has been no easy task. The one of interest to this Genealogy, however, was Johanne Schenk (John Shank), a Mennonite preacher and the son of Mary and of the Michael Shank who came from Germany in 1717 and who died in Lancaster County in 1759. . John Shank was probably born about 1717 or 1718, very near the time his parents arrived in America. As a child, he lived on the farm that his father selected on Pequea Creek in 1717. He would have been the first native born ancestor of ours and the third one of our grandfathers to have lived on Pequea Creek; preceded, of course by this father Michael and his grandfather Christian. Later on, John lived at the farm on Conestoga Creek that his father, Michael, had bought from George Gray after 1725 and which adjoined the farm of Hans Moyer. One of the early documents relating to John, is a deed, dated March 8, 1743 and is recorded in the courthouse in Lancaster Co. in Deed Book G. pages 81 and 82. The deed recites that 138 pounds, 18 shillings and 8 pence was paid for 100 acres of land for John Shank. The land and the home, already built on the property, was on Conestoga Creek. It was east and directly across the creek from his father Michael's farm. At this point, a large loop in Conestoga Creek extends to the south from present day Millersville and the loop includes the small community of Wabank. . John's land was just south of Wabank, at the bottom or south end of the loop. To the east and across the creek in the opposite direction of Michael was the property of Hans Moyer. In the genealogical publication "Egles Notes & Queries", Series I & II, page 306, is an item which reads as follows: . "Hans Moyers purchased 10 Feb. 1719, three hundred acres of land on Conestoga Creek from John Farrer, to whom it was warranted 2nd, Aug. 1716. Moyer subsequently died, leaving children; I-John; II-Jacob: III-Onela, who married Jacob Kendig; IV-Elizabeth, who married Henry Mussleman; V-Mary, who married John Shank, who for the sum of 75 pounds, deeded the same to Casper Loughman on 25th of Dec. 1739". . Deeds made a few years later show that John's wife was named Mary, and the farm that they bought in 1743, sandwiched between his father Michael's land and the land of Hans Moyer, leaves no doubt that our John Shank married Mary Moyer, daughter of his neighbor Hans. Eshelman's history, page 204, mentions the names, within the same paragraphs, of our Michael Shank and Hans Moyers. Thus we can add the name of Hans Moyer, (anglicized into John Meyer or Myers) to our list of early American grandfather's. John was a Mennonite minister during the greater part of his life. In Ellis & Evans "History of Lancaster County", pages 741 and 742, there is an account of a church being built in Conestoga township about 1760. It states that "John Shenk" was the first minister. The church was called Esheleman's, then Miller and now River Corner. The stone building there today is the third at that site. Although I have no definite proof that our John Shank was the first preacher at River Corner, it seems most likely that he was. It was a Mennonite church; John was a Mennonite preacher; he lived nearby and he also lived there in 1760. In 1764, John bought an additional 15 acres for which he paid the sum of 150 pounds. The land adjoined his first tract on the north side and it, too, bounded on the Conestoga Creek. His father, Michael, having died in 1759, title to the land across the creek now rested with John's brothers, Tobias and Michael. The close proximity of the three to each other, would have made a good farm work relationship. which would last for more than 20 years. In 1981 I visited the area that was once the farms of Michael and John Shank. Today they have been cut up into smaller tracts and the central part of Michael's farm is now a subdivision of expensive homes, complete with private tennis courts and swimming pools, no doubt, populated from the nearby city of Lancaster. John and Mary lived on Conestoga Creek until the end of 1766. By this time, Lancaster County was becoming heavily settled and the ever present lure of good low priced land in less settled areas began to move our ancestors south and west. On the 15th of December in 1766, John and Mary sold out their holdings in Lancaster County for 2000 pounds. On January 12, 1767, they appeared at the courthouse in Lancaster and affixed their signatures to the deed. John, of course, signed first and, quoting from the deed, "Mary, his wife being of full age and secretly examined, did confess that she consented thereto voluntarily and without compulsion." John and Mary then moved to York County to become the minister of another church. York County Pennsylvania adjoins Lancaster County, but separated by the Susquehanna River. On April 1, 1767 they bought a 150 acre tract of land in Mannheim township for 700 pounds. They were to remain there for 24 years. This farm would be the birthplace of their youngest son, Adam Shank, who would move on to Kentucky. In George R. Prowell's "History of York County" Volume I, Page 982 is an account of the Mennonite church know as "Bairs Meeting House". Bairs was the first Mennonite church in York County--a log structure which was built in 1746. The account states that in 1774 an agreement was entered into by John Shank, Mennonite minister, and others, whereby 12 acres of land was set aside around the church "to hold equally and in common, and for the use of said congregation, to erect a school house and a meeting house and locate a place to bury the dead". Other research shows that a second church was erected in 1774 to replace the original log structure. It was a larger log building of three rooms. The larger room served both church and school; the two small rooms were occupied by the teacher. It was in use for 86 years. I visited the site in October of 1980 and found Bairs Mennonite Church to be still in existence. It is on Highway 116, 3 miles out of Hanover, Pennsylvania. I talked with Earl Fuhrman, whose farm adjoins the church property. He told me that the 12 acres of church land still remain as property of the church and that, as a trustee of Bairs, he is familiar with the boundaries. His farm incorporates the 150 acres that John Shank bought and which adjoins the church property at the rear of the church. I visited Bairs Church again in 1981 and took photographs. It is now a large brick structure which is separated by a parking lot from another brick building, once used for school purposes, but now converted to a residence. There is a date stone embedded in the upper gable end of the church which reads "Menno Simmons Meeting House. Built A.D. 1860". Rebult A.D. 1908 These dates agree exactly with those turned up by my research of the earlier days of Bairs--John Shank was the minister when the second log church was built in 1774. Being used for 86 years would bring the church to 1860. when the church, as a brick structure, was built. Preacher John Shank served the congregation at Bairs until the early part of 1791 when he moved to take another Mennonite church called Flohrs. This church was located on Marsh Creek, near Cashtown in the adjoining county of Adams. There is a magazine published by the Mennonite Historical Society of Lancaster, Pennsylvania called "Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage". In the October issue of 1979 there is an article written by Howard Y. Musselman and titled "The Marsh Creek Settlement of Adams County, 1769-1823". The article deals with the early Mennonite churches and ministers in the Marsh Creek area. One section of the article is devoted to John Shank. Mr. Musselman did extensive research prior to writing his article and he has been kind enough to send me copies of his notes which relate to our John. His writings make interesting reading for Shank descendants. The congregation that John went to serve in 1791, was located at a crossroads community called Flohrs and was located one mile east of present day Cashtown, on old Highway 30. When John and Mary made the 25 mile move to Flohrs, they made arrangements, on the 10th of May 1791, to buy the dwelling and 550 acre plantation from the estate of Walter Buchanan for the sum of 1800 pounds. I have made no effort to find the precise location of the land, but have found it to be "on the south bank of Marsh Creek". This puts the land just a bit west of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and certainly within sight and sound of what was to become, 72 years later, the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, Claiming 51,000 casualties. Gettysburg National Military Park and the site of Lincoln's famous speech lies across Marsh Creek to the east, no more than three or four miles from John,s last home. John was in ill health by the time he moved to Flohrs. He received his deed to the 550 acres on July 27, 1791, when Buchanan's estate was finally settled. He made his will only three days prior to that time on July 24, 1791 and he died less than a month later. His gravesite is unknown, but quite possibly he was buried in the old Mennonite cemetery at Flohrs, even though it was not established by deed until 1795. I visited the cemetery in 1981. The old meeting house has long since disappeared, but the cemetery still remains. The last persons buried there were Amos Shank and Anna Shank, an unmarried brother and sister, who died in 1917. They were descendants of Jacob Shank, one of the sons of John and Mary. The Flohrs congregation removed to nearby Mummasburg in 1824 and the present day Flohrs Lutheran Church, located just across the highway now takes care of the old cemetery. Much can be learned from John's will and the inventory of his estate. To quote from Howard Musselman's article- . "He was relatively affluent, the inventory of his estate, outside of his land, was 1248 pounds. (Editor's Note: Even though the Revolution is over and the country is now The Untied States Of America the Pound was still used as the monetary unit. The change to the decimal system [Dollar] was passed by Congress as The Coinage Act of 1792. The first dollars minted by the U.S. government were in Philadelphia in 1794) The inventory lists an uncommonly large library of religious books for a man of his times. His signature on his will appears in a firm, clear German script and it suggests that he was highly literate". . John signed his will "Johanne Schenck" and the German script is, at least for me, difficult to decipher. One cannot help but wonder if his large library of books did not descent to him, at least in part, from the rather large amount of books listed in his grandfather Christian's inventory of November 22, 1724. John Shank was listed in the York County, Pennsylvania Census of 1790. In the Census, his household is shown as "2 males (over 16) and two females". The two males would have been himself and his youngest son Adam, who was still living at home. The two females would have been his daughter, Myri and his wife, Mary, all the rest of the children having left home by 1790. John's will and the inventory of his estate, made and appraised on the 13th of August, 1791, are both recorded in York County as of the 22nd of August 1791 and are in Will Book H, Volume I, Page 257. His son Jacob and "good friend" Samuel Flickinger were named Executors. The will, included the usual detailed instructions to his heirs for the care of their mother Mary. He also took special care to provide for his daughter Myri, who was apparently handicapped in some manner and his daughter Elizabeth, who was unmarried. One source has it that Elizabeth had a daughter born out of wedlock and John did, in his will make special provisions for Elizabeth and her child (Editor's Note: Another source indicates that she may have been widowed, which would be a very real possibility). Did this influence John to move from Bairs when he was already old and ill? The inventory of his estate, lists a large amount of equipment and material of a nature which indicates that he was a weaver by trade. Mennonite preachers in those days were not salaried to any great extent and were expected earn a living the same as anyone else. John bequeathed his home and the 550 acre plantation to his son Jacob and son-in-law Henry Hoober as "tenants-in-common" (not as joint tenants, he said). This was obviously an attempt on his part to insure that Myri and Mary would have a home there as long as they wished. Whatever he intended for the future of the farm did not materialize. The brothers-in-law split their inheritance and in 1803 Jacob sold his part of the farm and bought another one nearby. Mary had probably died by that time. In any case, in order to clear his title to his half of the farm, Jacob obtained sworn affidavits from the rest of the heirs to the effect that they had received their part of John's estate as per the terms of his will. These sworn statements from the heirs are all recorded in Adams Co. Pennsylvania, in Deed Book B, Pages 96, 97, and 98. They provide the documentary proof that the Michael, Christian and Adam Shank of Botetourt and Greenbriar counties in Virginia, in 1803, were all brothers and the sons of Preacher John Shank of York Co. Pennsylvania. All three brothers signed one affidavit in Greenbriar County (now in West Virginia) on January 27, 1803. They are probably the only documents anywhere in existence which definitely proves and connects our Shank line of Virginia and Kentucky into a particular Shank line in Pennsylvania which extends back to the year 1717. The State of Pennsylvania warranted another tract of 150 acres of land to John Shank on July 12, 1791. This came about when John was already gravely ill and near the point of death and although he had paid the authorities for the land at the time of application, it is doubtful that he ever knew it had been awarded to him. In any case, he made no mention of it in his will. It was surveyed out to be 168 acres on December 16, 1791, some four months after his death. Jacob Shank and his brother-in-law, Henry Hoober, claimed title to this tract also, citing John's will as their authority for the claim. It adjoined the 550 acres that John bequeathed them. Jacob, after selling his half of the 550 acre farm in 1803, bought another tract of 154 acres in Franklin township in Adams County. He and his family lived on in Adams County for many years. In 1795 he was the Mennonite Trustee of the German Society of Franklin township. Jacob's son Christian was a preacher at Mummasburg after the Flohrs congregation moved there in 1823. Jacob and Christian are both buried in the Mummasburg cemetery. Jacob's grandson, Daniel Shank, was ordained a preacher in the Mennonite Church in 1854 and as a bishop in 1878. Musselman's article in the Mennonite Heritage contains a picture of a large stone home occupied by Jaccob's descendants. John's son, Christian, seeking new land for himself, left York Co. before the 1790 Census. He moved south into Virginia and on the 27th of September in 1786, 290 acres were surveyed to him. The land was located on the Greenbriar River near the small community of Rouceverte which is now in West Virginia. He married Catherine Beckner and to the union was born seven sons and three daughters. They removed to the adjoining county of Botetourt on Catawba Creek in 1803 and he died there in 1834. His farm in Botetourt was a few miles west of present day Interstate 81, near Roanoke, Virginia. Michael Shank (probably John's oldest son) also went to Virginia, very likely in company with his brother Christian. 350 acres of land were surveyed to him on June 29, 1787. Deeds recorded at Lewisburg, county seat of Greenbriar, show several land transaction of Michael. The Greenbriar Survey Book shows that Michael had a Land Office Treasury Warrant for 1000 acres (No. 2036), but it is not known if he availed himself of the tract. Michael married Elizabeth Miller, daughter of John Miller of Rockingham Co. Virginia. Michael was listed in the Supplement to the 1810 Census of Greenbriar, but the date of his death is unknown. . Shank Homestead http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=876c7d04-a0ca-4761-9816-516007941c50&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829400 Johanne John Shank http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=eae6ab8e-47c0-4c9a-88f4-97f4c50e366e&tid=7143605&pid=-1154829400



		Page 25 of 238	Monday, November 02, 2009 9:41:55 AM