Johann Hermann Walborn

Johann Hermann Walborn^1,2

• Birth*: August 1707; Germany²
• Baptism: 29 January 1708; Wiesbaden, Germany^3,2
• Marriage*: 10 July 1728; Berks Co., Pennsylvania; Spouse:Maria Margaretha Feg⁴
• Death*: 10 January 1747; Berks Co., Pennsylvania; "Deacon in our church, aged 37 years"⁵
• Burial*: 12 January 1747; Reed's Church, Marion Twp., Berks Co., Pennsylvania⁵

Parents:

Notes

• Immigration*: 1710¹
• Note*: Herman Walborn was born in Germany, and brought as a very young child to a camp on the Hudson River, New York by his Palatine immigrant parents. A few years later his family removed to the Schoharie Valley near the Mohawk River. In 1723 fifteen families including the Walborns came down the Susquehanna River to Pennsylvania and the Tulpehocken region of what is now northwestern Berks county. He married Maria Margaretha Feg in 1728. The marriage and their eight children’s' baptisms are recorded in the Reed's Church register. They were active members of that congregation.
  
  Hermanus purchased two tracts of land in Tulpehocken Township in 1741 and 1742, of 133 and 149 acres. He had most likely settled there earlier, as land was not legally available for sale until late 1740.
  
  He died testate in 1746 aged 37.
• Note: Reed's Church registers:
  
  Reed's Church, located in Berks County between Stouchsburg and Womelsdorf, was formed in 1727, but the first registers begin in 1742.
  
  List of communicants were kept for 1743, and regularly included Hermanus Walborn and his wife, and his mother-in-law "the old mother Feg".
  
  The registers record his marriage to Marie Margaretha Feg 10 Jul 1728, and the baptisms of their eight children, 1729 through 1747 (most after the fact).
  
  Also his death: "In the year 1747, the 10th of January, Hermanus Walborn, formerly overseer [Vorsteher], died and was buried the 12th of January. His age 37 years." (sometimes translated as Deacon).^6,7
• Note: Church controversy:
  
  The log building of Reed's Church was built in 1727 on land set aside by two Reith's for a Lutheran congregation. There were few ministers on the frontier at this time, and the building was used by Lutheran, Moravian and Reformed ministers. Controversy arose between the original congregation and the followers of Rev. John Casper Stoever - including cutting locks, sawing extra doors, and civil authorities. This compiler does not pretend to understand it. But clearly Hermanus Walborn was involved:
  
  Brothers Hermanus and Christian Walborn were among the signers of a 30 May 1742 petition to Count Zinsendorf, founder of the Moravians, requesting the return of a Moravian minister. Zinsendorf visited the congregation at a time when Hermanus Walborn and Casper Rieth were Vorsteher of the congregation.
  
  By a deed of lease and release dated 14 & 15 May 1742 the agents of John Page of London owner of Plumpton Manor a 5168 acre tract in Berks County sold a portion, 8 acres and 116 perches, to Michael Schaeffer, Frederick Schaeffer, Leonard Read, Michael Read, George Lesch and Hermannus Walbone.
  
  Then on 5 April 1744, these six men executed a deed of trust declaring that they had purchased the land as trustees "for the Use of the poor and for a burying Ground for the Evangelic Lutheran Church, namely that very Church, whereof the Revd. Mr. John Philip Meurer is at present Minister, and Hermannus Wallborn and Caspar Rieth legally elected Wardens."
  
  The adherents of Rev. Stoever had then built their own church, Christ Church, about three miles west.^8,9,10
• Note: Land maps:
  
  The Warrantee Township Map for Marion Township Berks Co., a portion of the old Tulpehocken Township, does not show the original German settlers for two large tracts. William Penn had devised ten thousand acres to his granddaughter Gulielma Maria Penn, who sold it by deed to Casper Wister. Likewise the land around Reed's Church was part of a large warrant to John Page. Wister and Page resold to the settlers by deeds rather than by the mapped warrants.
  
  The Lindenmuth map created around 1904 shows the locations of Herman and Christian Walborn's tracts relative to other settlers.
  
  In modern terms Herman Walborn's tract is located about one mile north of Stouchsburg, centered on School Road between Church Road and Marion Drive, at the head of a tributary of Tulpehocken Creek.¹¹
• Note: Land purchases:
  
  Casper Wister and Catharine his wife by deeds of lease and release dated 10 & 11 Dec 1741 granted to Hermanus Walborn a 133 acre tract in Tulpehocken. And they also by similar deeds dated 4 & 5 May 1742 granted him a contiguous tract of 149 acres. Together these total 282 acres. The owners of the adjoining properties given in the descriptions correspond to those on the Lindenmuth map.
  
  This compiler has been unable to find these deeds in Berks or Lancaster Counties indexes. They are described in Berks Co. Deed Bk. Book 15, p. 68, further described below. No other deeds are indexed for Herman Walborn (other than the church deed).¹²
• Note: Will & probate:
  
  Will of Hermanus Walborn.
  No date written, proved 12 Feb 1746.
  First, names executors George Lesh, Caspar Reith, Joseph Spangenberg and Henry Antes.
  Second, bequeaths one third part and right of widow dowry to his wife, who is not named.
  Third, all of his children shall have equal shares "they keep their limbs sound and unhurted until the time the partition of the estate".
  This partition to be done after the youngest child is of age.
  Witnesses Michael Reith and John George Sheffler.
  Witnesses appeared at Heidelberg in Lancaster County 12 February 1746.
  (Recorded Philadelphia Co., Book H, p. 220.) (copy in Berks Co. Estates)
  
  On 16 May 1761 guardians were appointed for two children of Hermanus Walborn, per their petition, Frederick Weiser for Michael Walborn and Michael Reis [Reith] for Margaret Walborn. (Berks Co Orphans Court, p. 14-15)
  
  At Orphans Court 12 Feb 1762 Casper Read and George Lesh executors of Hermanus Walborn deceased exhibited their account. Balance in hand the sum of £253:1:4. Court approved and directed distribution. (Berks Co Orphans Court, p. 23)
  
  The Berks County Estates file contains a copy of the account. On £307 assets, the balance due to the children was £253.1.4. Interestingly, this 1762 account included expenses for three coffins.^13,14,15
• Note: Coffins:
  
  The 1762 account included expense entries:
  "By cash coffin for Maria £0.5.0"
  "By cash coffin for Christian £0.5.0"
  "By cash coffin for Elizabeth £0.3.6".
  
  This compiler assumes that these are Hermanus's wife and children:
  
  More specifically, regarding the coffin for Maria: The Maria was either Hermanus's wife Maria Margaretha or his daughter Maria Catharina born 12 Oct 1734. We have no church burial record for either.
  
  Regarding the coffin for Elizabeth: Presumably this was Hermanus' daughter Anna Elisabetha Walborn, born 22 Jan 1747. Nothing more is known of her beside her birth record. She would have needed a guardian in 1761 at the same time as guardians were appointed for her siblings, but no petition is recorded for her. Presumably she died before the 1762 account was made.
  
  Regarding the coffin for Christian: Presumably this was Hermanus's son born in 1737. This argument is expanded on the page in this database for Johann Christian Walborn, born 1737, son of Hermanus. (This argument is key to this compiler's identifying Christian the father of the Christian Walborn who married Elizabeth Lesher in 1786.)¹⁶
• Note: 2008; Surviving children:
  
  Four children are known to have lived to adulthood - Leonard, George, Michael and Christine all lived to their thirties or longer. No documents have been found indicating when the others died.
  
  Hermanus died in 1747 and his will stipulated that his estate would be divided among the healthy living children when the youngest child became of age. No court documents describe the division. On 3 April 1765 by George Walborn and Peter Brua (Leonard's widow's 2nd. husband) made an agreement to partition the land of Hermanus Walborn, each claimed three sixths. George's three shares were those of George, Michael and Christina, as named in deeds. The basis of Peter Brua's three shares was unstated - he seemed to own two shares, and he had assurances of purchasing one share when some unnamed person came of age. A 1773 deed states that a George Peter Walborn then a minor had some claim. Coffins had been paid for. All these facts present a puzzle about why there were six shares, but not an answer.
• Note: Land disposition:
  
  10 Jan 1747     d. Hermanus Walborn
  
  before 1764     m. Martin Stib & Christina Elisabetha Walborn (stated in Berks Deed Bk. 15, p. 68)
  
  20 Feb 1764     George & Michael Walborn grant 2 shares to Martin Stib (unrecorded deed referred to in Berks Deed Bk. 15, p. 68)
  
  20 Sep 1764     Martin Stib & wife Christina grant 3 shares to George Walborn (unrecorded deed referred to in Berks Deed Bk. 15, p. 68)
  
  3 Apr 1765     Peter Brua and George Walborn make agreement on partition of land, 3 shares each, 141 acres each, and water (Berks Co. Deed Bk. B1, p. 364)
  
  Northern partition:
  
  before 1770     George Walborn grants 12 acres to George Leshener (deed not found. referred to in Berks Deed Bk. 15, p. 68)
  
  Dec 1770     d. George Walborn, testate, executors: Lazarus Wengert my father-in-law and Martin Stib my brother-in-law
  
  20 Feb 1771     Executors of George Walborn grant 3 shares to Michael Walborn (Berks Co. Deed Bk. 15, p. 68)
  
  1 Mar 1771     Michael Walborn & wife Catharine grant 3 shares to Martin Stib (alias Martinus Stup) (Berks Co. Deed Bk. 15, p. 70)
  
  7 Apr 1773     Martin Stib (indexed as Shoop) binds himself to Peter Brua to observe the 1765 agreement. States that George Peter Walborn under 21 has some claim. (Berks Co. Deed Bk. B1, p. 302)
  
  11 Apr 1780     Martin Stib & wife Christina grant 3 shares to their son Leonard Stub (except 12 acres sold to George Lechner) (Berks Co. Deed Bk. 15, p. 73)
  
  4 May 1789     Leonard Stup & wife Ann Mary grant 3 shares to Philip Troutman (Berks Co. Deed Bk. 15, p. 75)
  
  19 Dec 1835     Executors of Philip Troutman recite history of 3 shares and then grant 132 acres and 41 perches to John Troutman. Mets and bounds congruent with map in 1765 partition agreement - George Walborn's northern 141 acres less 12 acres in NW corner. (Berks Co. Deed Bk. 44, p. 158)
  
  Southern partition (deeds not found):
  
  prior to 1808     Peter Brua sells shares plantation to son Henry (Will of Peter Brua)
  
  10 Aug 1810     Orphan's Court orders inquest for partition or valuation of 142 3/4ths acre tract, bounded by lands of Philip Troutman, Michael Liebertz?, Peter Lies, Benjamin Reed and Adam Sheetz. (probate of Peter Brua's son Henry Brua)¹⁷
• Note: This Johann Hermann Walborn is numbered (1-5) in the Herman Walborn book.¹⁸