USA > Pennsylvania > Berks County > Some early lineages of Berks County, Pa. : Clauser (Klauser)-Hicks (Hix) and associated lines > Part 11
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1709; d. May 17, 1773 (St. Peters Moselem Ch., Richmond Twp . ). Both were born in Dillenburg, Burbach County., X Nassau, Germany. She was the dau. of John Simon Dentrar.
Johannes Claus appears on the tax list of Richmond Twp. in 1759 (Hist. of Berks Co. p. 1128). Tax lists, Richmond Twp. show John Glas in 1767, 1768, 1779 (Pa. Arch. Ser. 3, Vol. 18:16, 146, 260). All names beginning with C appear on the lists as G.
JOHN GLOSS took the Oath of Allegiance on June 3, 1778, before Daniel Rothermel, Esq. (Bk. D Vol. I:38, Hist. Soc. of Berks Co.).
In 1767 Johannes Claas owned 100 acres about six miles from Leesport, and a fourth mile above Molltown just over the boundary between Richmond and Maidencreek Twp. on the main road. The first house was torn down, and another house was built about a quarter of a mile from the site of the original house under the hill from it. The present
stone house bears the following inscription: "John B. Kaufman and Sarah H. (Glass) Kaufman 1851."
A descendant of Johannes Claass, Mrs. John Jacob Mohr, Aldine Hotel, Philadelphia, inherited the Claass Family Bible. After her death the Bible was put into the custody of her son. The records in the Bible were trans - lated by Samuel W. Pennypacker, former Governor of Pennsylvania, and President of the Historical Society of Pa. They were published in the Genealogical Society of
Pennsylvania Vol. IV, No. 1:22, March 1909, as follows: I, Johannes Claass was born the 3rd of May in the year 1709, and my wife, Catharina, was born the
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6th of October in the year 1709; and when I die I want my funeral text to be the 51st Psalm ... and my wife's funeral text is the 42d Psalm ... She died the 17th of May 1773.
1764 on the 20th of March is my daughter ELIZABETH entered in the holy marriage state and was married with Jacob Sch(illeg.) by Mr. preacher Michele.
Jost Lemmler at Holtzhausen has presented this in 1661.
Johannes Lemmler wrote this.
Jost Lemmler out of Holtzhausen, to whom this Bible belonged, bequeathed it to Johann Simon Dexter, and by Dexter it was bequeathed to his daughter Catharina, wife of Johannes Claass, and now it is Johannes Claass' in the year of Christ 1748 the 5th day of January. Happened in Lower Drasselndorf (?), in Nassau, Dillenburg land in the county Burbach in (illeg.) ground in 1748 and may the love of God preserve it from all misfortune that it may henceforth be planted among childrens' children from now to everlasting. Amen.
Johann Simon Dexter died in the year of Christ 1745 and my
(Johannes Class' ) mother died in the year of Christ 1734 in October. Her funeral text was written in the Prophet Nahum in the 1st Chapter 7th and 8th verses .
1782 Johannes Peter Stahl is a son born 3d of July, baptized 18th May 1783.
Cyrus G. Fox, a descendant, examined this Bible and translated the surname of Jacob as Schertel. Preacher Michele was Rev. Philip Michael, Reformed, an early
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minister, one of whose churches was St. Michaels now in Tilden Twp.
It is not known who wrote nor why the notation about Stahl.
Jost Lemmler gave the Bible to his son, Johannes Lemmler, who in turn gave it to his son-in-law, John Simon Dextrar. The name of Lemmler's daughter, wife of Dextrar, is now
known. John Simon Dextrar gave the Bible to his daughter, Catharina, and her husband, Johannes Claas, who brought it to America. It is over three hundred years old. Some of the Claass issue were born in Germany probably Dillenburg which is the Dillenburg in Nassau in the region of Burbach on the east side of the Rhine River north of Frankfort and east of Bonn. It is south of the Sieg River
and north of the Lahn River. The name Dexter was probably spelled Dextrar, the mistake was probably made in the translation.
Issue :
I. AGNES CLAAS, dau. of Johannes and Catharina, m. George Kelchner. Issue : ESTHER KELCHNER b. June 4, 1775 (Zions Moselem Ch., Richmond Twp.).
II. ELIZABETH CLAAS, dau. of Johannes and Catharina: b. Oct. 15, 1742 in Germany; d. Oct. 10, 1814, Shartles- ville; m. Mar. 20, 1764 to Jacob Schertel, who was b. Apr. 29, 1741; d. Feb. 18, 1819 (St. Mich. Ch.). Issue under Schertel line.
III. JOHN MATHIAS CLAAS, son of Johannes and Catharina: d. ca. 1785; m. Mary. Mary m. 2nd to John Diamond.
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Tax lists, Richmond Twp., John Mathias Glass, 1780, 1781, 1784, 1785 (Pa. Arch. Ser. 3, Vol. 18:391, 529, 670).
IV. CATHARINE CLAASS, dau. of Johannes and Catharina, believed to have remained single. No proof of this.
v. JOHN CLAAS, son of Johannes and Catharina, m. Bar-
bara. Census 1790, Richmond Twp. : John Klass one male over 16, three females.
VI. MICHAEL CLAASS, son of Johannes and Catharina: b . 1744; d. 1784; m. Anna Maria.
Miscellaneous :
JOHANNES GLAS b. Jan. 30, 1769; d. July 3, 1823. CATHARINE GLASS nee DUNCKLIN b. May 12, 1771; d. July 7, 1825 (St. Peters Moselem Cem., Richmond Twp.).
A John Claas patented a tract of land, Dec. 5, 1809, for 41 A., 8 p. in Richmond Twp. called Richmondbower (Pat. Bk. H-1-742).
Hettinger
HENRICH HETTINGER arr. Sept. 5, 1805 on the ship Verny, Capt. Elisha King. Ship list shows : HENRICH HETTINGER b. at Rheineck, age 44; CATHARINE, the wife, b. at Betgheim, age 36; HENRICH, 13; LORENZ, 12; CHRISTINA EVA, 11; BERNHARD, 8; MATHIAS, 6. All of the children were born at Betgheim, Wurrttemberg (Pa. Ger. Pion. Vol. III: 170).
HENRICH HETTINGER b. ca. 1761; m. Catharine Miller. Five children were born in Germany, and two daughters were
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born here, one of whom m. David Kurtz, and the other m. John Brossman.
Issue :
I. HENRY HETTINGER (Henry-), 1 son of Henry and Catharine: b. ca. 1792; m. Sybilla Himmelberger who was b. Apr. 29, 1797; d. Oct. 5, 1837 (Belleman Ch.). Issue :
A. HENRY (HARRY ) HETTINGER (Henry-, 2 Henry "), son of 1 Henry and Sybilla: b. ca. 1812; m. lst to Mary b. ca. 1818; m. 2nd to Maria Anna Huett Gaul, widow, by Rev. Isaac Miese at Spotts Hotel, Read- ing on Nov. 12, 1861. Census 1850, Centre Twp .: HENRY H. HETTINGER, 38 ;. MARY, 32; ISABELLA, 4; MARY, 2; girl, 1.
Issue of Henry and Mary:
1. ISABELLA HETTINGER, b. 1846, d. y.
2. MARY HETTINGER, b. 1848; m. Henry Fox. Issue : LIZZIE FOX; CORA FOX b. 1875, m. Ruth, son, Leroy F. Ruth; GERTRUDE FOX, b. 1878, single.
3. SARAH HETTINGER b. 1849; d. 1909; m. Henry Bodey who was b. 1859; d. 1908. Issue : LUCY BODEY b. 1888 in Berks Co., m. in 1918 at Great Falls, Mont. to Percy Medlin who was b. 1888. Bigfork, Mont. Son, JOHN BODEY MEDLIN b. Nov. 2, 1922; m. in 1944 in Florida to Margaret Ellen Scott b. Sept. 7, 1921. Lived in New Jersey. Issue.
Note: Maria Anna Huyett (Huett) was the widow of Christian Gaul, one issue, Dr.
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Reese Gaul. She was the dau. of Issac Huett b. Apr. 5, 1805; d. Aug. 17, 1871; m. Sarah Gaul who was b. Feb. 14, 1804; d. July 19, 1871. Sarah was the dau. of Peter and Eliza-
beth Gaul. Isaac Huett was a farmer and cattle dealer of Cumru Twp., Berks Co. Issue of Henry and Maria Anna:
1. HOWARD HETTINGER, d. 1939; m. Nellie Miller
b. 1870. He was in business with his brothers, Isaac and Calvin, in Kansas City,
Mo. All of them came from Berks County, Pa. Howard retired to California. No issue.
2. ANNA HETTINGER, b. 1866 in Sinking Springs, Berks Co .; d. July 12, 1899 in Estes Park, Colo .; m. on May 26, 1888, aged 21, by Rev. R. S. Appel to Milton Clauser who was b. Dec. 30, 1867; d. Apr. 15, 1948. Moved to Denver in 1896. Issue under Clauser line. (Date of birth, Marriage License, Berks Co. C. H.)
3. ISAAC HETTINGER m. Mamie Krick, Sinking Springs later Kansas City, Mo. Issue : EMILY CORINNE HETTINGER b. ca. 1895, m. Smith; EVELYN HETTINGER b. 1897, m. Woodbury;
FRANCIS K. HETTINGER, b. 1900, Tucson, Ariz.
4. CALVIN HETTINGER b. in Berks Co., moved to Kansas City. No issue.
5. CORA HETTINGER b. in Berks Co., lived in Kansas City and Chicago; m. Nathan Cook.
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Issue : £ ELLIS COOK b. 1899; BEATRICE COOK b. 1901, m. Jones; GENEVIEVE COOK b. 1906 m. Medigh.
6. AQUILLA HETTINGER b. 1873 in Berks Co., lived
in Kansas City. Single.
B. JOSEPH HETTINGER (Henry2, Henry1), son of Henry and Sybilla : m. 1st, Maria Blatt by Rev. A. R. Herman; m. 2nd Catharine Lengel by Rev. Isaac Miese. Census 1850, Centre Twp .: JOSEPH, 31;
REBECCA, 1 mo. Issue of Joseph and Catharine: SYBILLA, b. Oct. 22, 1851; JOSEPH, b. July 2, 1854 (Bellemans Ch.).
c. JOHN HETTINGER (Henry2, Henry1), son of Henry and Sybilla.
D. JACOB HETTINGER (Henry2, Henry-), son of Henry and Sybilla: m. Catharine. Son, DANIEL HETTING- ER, b. Apr. 28, 1852 (Belleman).
II. LORENZ HETTINGER (Henry'), son of Henry and Catharine M. : b. ca. 1793 in Germany; m. Catharine Lambert. He owned the Hettinger Locks, Schuylkill River. Lived in Bern later Penn Twp. Issue : MARY ANN HETTINGER m. Samuel Shaffer; HENRY HETTINGER; AUGUSTUS HETTINGER m. Mary; HARRISON HETTINGER, b. Apr. 18, 1837; JOHN HETTINGER; LEVI HETTINGER; LYDIA HETTINGER m. Ben Grimes.
III. BERNARD HETTINGER (Henry"), son of Henry and Catha- rine : b. Feb. 23, 1797 in Germany; d. Nov. 11, 1858 (Bern Ch.). Bernard Hettinger, aged 61 yrs., 8 mos.,
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17 das. died in Lower Heidelberg Twp. (Der Readinger Adler, Nov. 1858). Issue : JONATHAN HETTINGER; WILLIAM HETTINGER: LEVI HETTINGER m. Mary; JAMES HETTINGER; MARY ANN HETTINGER.
IV. MATHIAS HETTINGER (Henry1), son of Henry and Catha-
rine : b. ca. 1799 in Germany. Issue : REUBEN HETTINGER m. Elizabeth Sheeler; ADAM HETTINGER: HENRY HETTINGER; KATE HETTINGER; JULIA HETTINGER; SUSAN HETTINGER. Lived in Bern Twp.
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PART TWO
Hix and Associated Lines
Hicks Hix
The national origin of a line is determined by its surname, and no name is more thoroughly English than Hicks or its variant Hix. All of the following names - Hicks, Hickes, Hickson, Hix, Hixson, Higgs, Higgin, Higginson, Dick, Dix, Dickson, Dixson - originated in England during the time of Richard Coeur de Lion (A Dictionary of English and Welsh Names with Special American Instances, ed. Charles W. Bradshy, M. A., Oxford Univ. Press, 1901). Nevertheless, I am aware of the fact that the name Hix is found in Germany, though rarely. In reverse, one can com- pare it with the name Heyer of German origin found in England centuries ago. However, Heyer of Berks County is from Germany and appears on the ship lists. £ On the other hand, no name resembling Hicks or Hix is found on the ship lists docking at Philadelphia. While these lists are not complete, most German surnames of those who arrived here are found on them, even though the specific immigrant is not given.
Although the earliest settlers of Berks County were mostly German, some British came to this region at a later date. These seem to have been descendants of the immi- grants who probably came from some concentrated areas like Chester and Bucks Counties or from another state. The earliest Hicks found in Berks County was Angelina Hicks, wife of John Eckert, of Heidelberg Township, where a son
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Was born in 1750. When Conrad Hicks arrived in Berks is not known, but he was married there in 1768. Conrad had some connection with Heidelberg Township, for he appears there on the Census 1790, and he and his family appear as sponsors at Hahn's Church. His land, purchased in 1776 from the Thomas Connor estate, was in Brunswick north of the Blue Mountains, where he appears on the tax lists. He returned to Brunswick before 1800. His stay in Heidelberg was probably only temporary, until the Indian maraudings north of the mountains subsided. His wife's people lived in Richmond Township. Not all of the Hicks lineages in Pennsylvania and other states have been completed, and so it is quite possible that both Angelina and Conrad are connected with one of them.
The records of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and undoubtedly of other colonies as well, show that by 1740 there was intermarriage to some degree. In some cases an English child was given a Dutch or German Christian name in honor of a friend or relative whose lines had intermarried. Examples are Conrad Connor, Conrad More, Conrad West, etc. If Conrad Hicks was English, his Christian name would imply that he was born on this side of the Atlantic. He was the son of Henry, and several Henrys were living in the colonies whose issue have not as yet been found.
Joseph Hix, 1837-1912, of Shartlesville, Berks County, made the claim that Conrad Hix came from Hamburg, Germany (History of Berks County, M. L. Montgomery, 1886). Josiah Hicks, 1831-1896, of Somerset County, Pa., claimed that
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Conrad Hicks came from Hanau, Hesse-Cassel, a statement published by a descendant, September 1958 in the National Genealogical Quarterly. The fact that these two descend- ants of Conrad did not agree and that neither had the slightest evidence upon which to base his claim is proof that neither knew the birthplace of Conrad Hicks.
A contemporary of Joseph and Josiah was Emmelina Hix Potteiger of Shartlesville, who knew her grandfather, George Hix, eldest son of Conrad. She repeatedly tried to impress upon the younger generation that Hicks was an English line. Her grandfather not only could speak Eng- lish, but he used his influence to have it taught in the schools.
A minister of the early eighteen hundreds using the word "Europe" as a birthplace certainly could not have much weight. This could mean the British Isles as well as the Continent. Besides, a person with a British background who nevertheless spoke the local dialect must have seemed foreign. The word "Europe" is in much the same category as the phrase "another country, " meaning "another state," the use of which was found as late as 1845.
The minister who married Conrad Hicks and Anna Maria Heyer was German. He spelled the name Hix because Germans changed cks to x. However, the variant Hix is quite as English as Hicks. He would naturally spell Henry as Henrich. The earliest deeds and tax lists show the name Hicks.
For a number of reasons, several descendants, includ- ing two aunts and an uncle and me, agree with Emmalina 188
Hix that the line was originally English.
Conrad Hicks is considered here as the first settler of the line in Berks County and not as the immigrant. Explanation of Preceding Maps
Conrad Hicks purchased on Jan. 12, 1776, from the heirs of Thomas Connor, 119 A., 80 p. in Brunswick Twp., then Berks Co., but later Manheim Twp., Schuylkill Co. This tract was originally issued to Philip Hopf (Hope) on Apr. 3, 1751. Hopf sold it to Jacob Sherman on Dec. 16, 1753, who sold it to Thomas Connor, Feb. 16, 1754. Hicks patented this tract, known as "Hicksburg", on Dec. 24, 1784 (Pat. Bk. P-4-247). At a later date it was owned by John Kerschner a grandson of Conrad. Description: Begin- ning at the northeast corner it extended westward S 72 W, 130 perches to a pine stump; S 21 E, 202 p. to a post; N 72 E, 72 3/4 p. to a White Oak; N 5 W, 207 p. to beginning.
Daniel Lefty received warrant Sept. 28, 1752 for a tract north of Hicks. Patented to Jacob Beck on Jan. 12, 1831. Jacob Reed received warrant Mar. 21, 1750 for the tract south of Hicks. Patented to Abraham Foyt on Mar. 15,
1803. John Bucks had this tract surveyed Mar. 16, 1787. Conrad Minnich received a warrant Oct. 3, 1785, patented to him Apr. 29, 1786 for 425 A. This tract was east of Hicks and extended along both sides of the East Branch of the Schuylkill River, including the tract once owned by George Dreibehlis and later by John Pott.
Thomas Starr, northwest of Hicks, had this tract resurveyed Aug. 28, 1809, but it is still not patented in 1959. John Bucks, west of Hicks, surveyed Mar. 16, 1787.
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CONRAD HICKS SCHUYLKILL CO. (1811) BRUNSWICK TWP. MANHEIM TWP. (1790)
CONRAD MINNICH 10-3 - 1785 425 A.
1
WEST BRANCH
JOHN IZANE
EAST BRANCH
GFO. DREIBEL- BELIS
of SCHUYLKILL RIVER
97A
NOW JOHN POTT
C. MINNICH
DANIEL
MYERS RETREAT
LEFT
17 152
ADAM SUNDA
JACOB
HENRY HOLLAR
MILLER
BECK
1785
C. MINNICH
54A. THOM. STARR Not
CONRAD HICKS
EAST BRANCH
Patented
WEST BRANCH
MICHAEL MERKLE
119 A, 80P.
MARTIN DREIBLISS
JOHN BUCK
JOHN
6-28- 1768
late JAMES BOONE
ABRAHAM ForT
113 A. JOHN BUCK
JAC. REED
CREEK
BEATER
ABE. FOYT 1803
of
MARTIN DREIBELISS
GEO
TREISS
V. TREISS
1 1
3-15-1803
PANTHERSREEK
JAC. MILLER
HEIRS
RESH
PHILIP
SCHUYLKILL RIVER
Pat. to
HUMMEL
171A.
1-12-1776
GEO.
of SCHUYLKILLR.
SCHULKILL CO. ( 1811 )
BRUNSWICK TWP.
DANIEL JONES WMT. SR. SCULL .
. MICHAEL
.- THOM- LIGHT FOOT
TWP. ( 1790)
MAY
DREBILT 313 A.
BRIGHT
JOHN
BLIS WM. DAVIS
MOYESUS 1824
12-3-1767
CONRAD HICKS
PHINAES FREEMAN.
CASPER 267A MERKLEYWORRIS
9-18 1824
WEST BRANCH SCHUYLKILL R.
PORTS
HENRY LIGHT 1839
N.Y. - SCH. CO. COAL COMP.
1789
SAM.
EDWARD PENNINGTON
A.
103 A. CONRAD HICKS
KERCHER 1889 438A.
JOSEPH LYON
WEST BRANCH SCHUYLKILL RIVER
GEO.
T HEISTER
JOSEPH WOOD
ZERB 2-17-
438 A.
1791
JOHN SCHALL
64A.
11- 18 - 1793
NoX4
JACOB EWING
12-8-
1824
JOHN SPAYD
INDIAN RUN
SCHUYLKILL CO. COAK COMPANY
REBECCA BOWYER
BEN.
POTT
N. Y. and SCHUYLKILL CO.
CHRISTAIN BARRENSTINE
COAL COMPANY
CONRADFEGER
WM. COLEMAN 11-18-1793
NEW YORK SCHULKILL CO. ICOAL
267
JACOB ZOLL
PAT. 11-5-17851
TURNER - 1785
MAN HEIM JAMES
NOWY REBECCA
Patented to Abraham Foyt, Mar. 15, 1803. Original warrant Was dated June 28, 1768.
Conrad Hicks received a Warrant, Nov. 5, 1785, Bruns- wick Twp., later Manheim Twp., and possibly still later Norweigian Twp. This tract was surveyed, Sept. 2, 1795, then in Manheim Twp. for 103 A., 19 p. £ Patented to Henry Heister on Oct. 14, 1830. This tract is less than five miles west of Pottsville.
Morris Turner, tract northwest of Hicks, was later owned by John Moyes. Patented to Phineas Freeman, Sept. 18, 1824. William Davis, on the northeast, had tract sur- veyed Dec. 3, 1767. Patented Feb. 8, 1888 to Arthur St. Clair, Samuel Potts, William and Luke Morris. Heirs of John Reed once owned this tract. In 1785, that part adjoining Hicks was owned by Potts. At some time Joseph Lyon and Joseph Wood owned at least part of the tract. George Zerby, on the west, received a Warrant Feb. 17, 1791. Patented to Daniel Shappel, Sept. 18, 1824. Jacob Ewing, west of Zerby, received a Warrant Dec. 8, 1824. Patented to John Bannon and Fred Lauderbrun on June 22,
1830. Conrad Feger received a warrant Sept. 18, 1793. Patented July 3, 1830 to John G. Coster, John Hane, Henry Von Sollinger, and Moses Jacques, in trust. Vacant in 1785. William Coleman received a warrant Nov. 18, 1793. Patented to same group as that of Conrad Feger's tract. Others interested in this tract were Jacob Zoll, Joseph Lyon, Joseph Wood, and New York and Schuylkill County Coal Company . Vacant in 1785. Henry Light, east of Hicks,
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received a warrant July 30, 1830. Patented to Samuel H. Kaercher, 110 A., on May 6, 1889. Vacant in 1785.
Those of British descent who settled here were Bannon, Bucks (1768), Boone, Connor (1754), Coster, Coleman, Free- man, Jones, Lightfoot, Lyon, Morris, Pennington, Turner, Wood, and others. Some came from Chester County families. CONRAD HICKS (HIX), son of Henry, b. July 13, 1740; d. Dec. 21, 1814, aged 75 yrs .; m. on May 15, 1768 to Anna Maria Heyer who was b. ca. 1747; d. Nov. 1, 1820, dau. of George Heyer. See Heyer line.
Dates for Conrad are given on the Burial Records of Hetzels (Salem) Ch., near Pine Grove, Schuylkill Co. Der Readinger Adler states : "November 1, 1820, Bern Township, Maria, widow of Conrad Hix, aged 73 years." Records of Rev. John Waldschmidt, Reformed, show "Conrad Hix, son of Henrich Hix, married Anna Maria, dau. of George Heyer, May 15, 1768" (Pa. Arch. Ser. 6, Vol. 6:229).
Conrad Hicks settled in that section of Berks County just north of the Blue Mountains which later became a part of Schuylkill County. His homestead was in the vicinity of Cressona. One of Conrad's sons was baptized at the Red Church near Orwigsburg in 1773. This region had many seri- ous Indian maraudings which continued until about 1795. Sometimes the homesteaders moved south of the mountains, but they would return at intervals in order to carry on their farming.
Conrad Hicks appears on the Brunswick Twp., Berks Co. tax lists in 1779, 1780, 1781, 1784, 1785 as owning 140
191
acres, 1 horse, 2 cattle (Pa. Arch. Ser. 3, Vol. 18:196, 331, 459, 586, 717).
Deed to Conrad Hicks from Conrad Connor, Jan. 12, 1776
at Berks County Court House is abstracted as follows :
Know All Men by these Presents that Conrad Connor of Maiden Creek Twp., Berks Co., Pa. and Mary, his wife; John Williams, weaver, and his wife Elizabeth; Thomas Connor, farmer and Esther his wife; in consideration of one hundred and fifty Pounds in hand paid by CONRAD HICKS of New Brunswick Twp., Berks Co., Pa., blacksmith, the receipt whereof they do hereby acknowledge, etc. All that messuage, plantation and tract of land situate in New Brunswick Twp ... adjoining land now or late of Jacob Reed over Schuylkill ... containing 140 acres.
Same tract of land received from Proprietaries April 3, 1751 granted to Philip Hope (alias Hopff) who by Deed Dec. 16, 1753 granted same to Jacob Sherman in fee, who by his Deed Feb. 16, 1754, granted same to Thomas Conner (father of said Conrad Conner) in fee, who dying interstate left his widow, then Elizabeth Connor, now Curry, widow of Barnabas Curry, late of Maiden Creek Twp., dec'd., and issue besides the said Conrad, Thomas, and Elizabeth are Samuel Connor, his eldest son and heir at law, John Connor, Mary now wife of Henry Weiss; Margaret, now wife of Leonard Lemly ....
Conrad Hicks appears on the Direct Tax Schedule of Pennsylvania of 1798 in Windsor Twp., Berks Co., and "for the Township annexed from Windsor" (Original Papers for Pennsylvania, National Archives Bk. B:124 :141). The Berks
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County Court House has no record of property owned by Conrad in Windsor Twp., which however is not conclusive because many deeds were never recorded. The assessor may have believed that Brunswick was a continuation of Windsor, and the annex referred to may have been Manheim Twp., which Was formed in 1790 from Brunswick, where one of Conrad's tracts was located. The tax levy was nineteen cents on one hundred dollars. The Windsor property was assessed at fifty dollars, and the tax was $.095. £ The property of the annexed township was assessed at three hundred dollars, and the tax was $. 587.
Because Congress wanted additional revenue in case we might have a war with France, it levied a direct tax on houses. This tax was based upon the valuation of the number and size of the windows. The law was passed July 9, 1798. £ Great resentment was shown against this tax which
was demonstrated by the housewives who threw hot water on the assessor upon his arrival. For this reason it became
known as the Hot Water War. This open defiance evolved into John Fries' Rebellion. (John Fries was from Bucks Co.) The whole affair gave Jefferson's party many staunch supporters .
CONRAD HICKS of Brunswick Twp., Berks County took the Oath of Allegiance, May 25, 1778, before Charles Shoemaker of Reading (Hist. Soc. of Berks Co., Bk. D, Vol. 1:34). D. A. R. No. 250503. A neighbor of Conrad Hicks, Capt. Conrad Minnich who came "from Brunswick Twp. near the Schuylkill, several miles south of Sharp Mountain then the
193
frontier," and his company of men were mustered into service, Aug. 7, 1777, under Col. Daniel Undree. No trace of the roster has been found. Census 1790, Heidelberg Twp., Berks Co., Conrad Hicks : two males over 16; three males under 16; four females. This indicates that one son over 16, three sons under 16, and three daughters were living at home. Why Conrad was in Heidelberg Twp. in 1790 is not certain unless it was because Indians were still troublesome north of the Blue Mountains.
The History of Berks County, page 1135, states that Conrad had five sons and two daughters who were George, Henry, John, Conrad, Michael, Anna Maria and Rebecca. There were at least two others, Elizabeth and Hannah. Issue :
I. ANNA MARIA HICKS (Conrad ), dau. of Conrad and Anna
Maria: b. Feb. 17, 1769; d. Sept. 11, 1845, aged 76 yrs., 6 mos., 24 das .; m. April 8, 1792 to Johann Conrad Kerschner who was b. Sept. 20, 1770; d. May 31, 1850. Married 53 yrs. Six sons, one daughter (Zions Windsor Castle Ch., Perry Twp., Berks Co.). Three sons died before 1845. See Kerschner line. Issue :
A. JOHN KERSCHNER, son of Anna Maria and Conrad: bap. July 1, 1792, Sp. George Hix; d. July 20, 1862; m. Catharine Smith who was b. July 20, 1798; d. Nov. 30, 1875 (b. Hahns Ch., Heidelberg Twp.). John owned one of his grandfather Hicks' tracts, Schuylkill Co. where he and his family are believed to be buried.
194
B. JACOB KERSCHNER, son of Anna Maria and Conrad: b.
Oct. 25, 1793; d. y.
C. £ WILLIAM KERSCHNER, son of Anna Maria and Conrad: bap. July 4, 1798, Sp. Henry Hix; d. y. (Hahn's Ch.).
D. SAMUEL KERSCHNER, son of Anna Maria and Conrad: bap. Sept. 14, 1800, Sp. Conrad Hix; d. y. (Hahn's Ch.).
E . ANNA MARIA KERSCHNER, dau. of Anna Maria and Conrad : bap. Apr. 1, 1803, Sp. Anna Maria Hix; d. ca. 1887; m. John F. Mull who was b. ca. 1786; d. 1850, aged 64 yrs. (Aulenbach Cem., Reading). John Mull's Will was probated Aug. 6, 1850. Mentioned are: wife, ANNA MARIA MULL; sons, DANIEL H. MULL and JOHN H. MULL (Berks Co. C. H.).
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