Descendants of Christopher "Stoffel" Haymaker

Working file of Mary Lou Cook, updated 26 Dec 2007

This is a work in progress and there are probably errors of fact or deduction, despite my attempt to be as accurate as possible.  Please do your own research and do not copy my biographies into your own files.  The writing and research in this file represents many hours of work, but I’m sharing it to help other genealogists just as many people have helped me. If you find mistakes, please let me know and provide a source for your correction.

 

Generation No. 1

 

1.  CHRISTOPHER "STOFFEL"1 HAYMAKER1 was born Abt. 1700 in Germany or England, and died 1788 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co, PA2.

 

Notes for CHRISTOPHER "STOFFEL" HAYMAKER:

Family legend holds that Christopher, called "Stoffel," married a Lady Gordon (perhaps Elizabeth Gorden) in England, and that she sold her jewels to pay for their trip to America in about 1730.  Legend is that he was a German peasant who escaped to Scotland where he was employed by Lord or Earl Gordon.  Christophel Haymaker (spelled Heumacher in an early St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran church baptismal record) was said to have stood about 7 feet tall.  Stoffel bought 201 acres of land January 26, 1738/39 (Weinberg, Warrants & Surveys of the Province of Pennsylvania) in Bucks County, PA, but later lost it, possibly because he did not file the correct papers.  Bucks Co. was one of the three original counties in PA.  Stoffel is known to have been in Pennsylvania in the 1750's, and he is listed along with William Haycock in land records for Bucks County, PA in 1756 at Rockhill.  It appears he bought 10 acres adjacent to the plantation of Daniel Huertner  (source: Land Records for Bucks County, PA: www.rootsweb.com/~pabucks/landrecordspage2.html).  "Rockhill was one destination of a wave of German immigration that came up the Perkiomen and set across into Bucks county, 1720-1730.  Germans were among its very earliest settlers and it has maintained its German status ... Our knowledge of the pioneers is limited, being of that class that rarely preserves recorded family history or tradition.  The earliest purchase made in Rockhill was by John Furnace, a barber of Philadelphia, the deed bearing the date December 11, 1701, for 300 acres" (Davis, 1876).  A man named Rudolph Hamaker was naturalized in Bucks County, Pa on 10 April 1756.  Could this be a relative of Christopher Haymaker?

 

Stoffel was in western Pennsylvania during the French and Indian War, which began about 1754, but it is not known if he played a role in the early skirmishes around Fort Duquesne (built at present-day Pittsburgh) or Fort Necessity.  During that time the settlers had to be on constant guard against Indian attacks, as the Indians worked with the French in attempting to dislodge the English settlers.  Christopher was probably an Indian trader and he may have been killed by Indians.  Family legend is that he killed an Indian, and the others vowed to get him.  He was originally buried in a cemetery where the village of Verona now stands.  His remains were reportedly lifted and interred in Old Plum Creek Cemetery, now called Laird Church Cemetery, but no stone has been found.  "One of the pioneer men was an Indian fighter.  He was a huge man, over 7 feet tall.  Legend has it that he killed several Indians single-handed. They vowed they would "get" him, and they did.  When they buried him, they cut off his feet at the ankles.  Dr. Edward M. Haymaker, retired Missionary from Guatemala, was present when this grave was exhumed for some reason.  The grave revealed the skeleton of an extremely tall man, minus feet"  (source:  Ralph & Dorothy Hodgdon, Zoar Ohio, 1978 letter to Mary H. West).  It is not known why he was in Pittsburgh when he died, but it's likely that he was living with son Jacob for the last few years of his life, perhaps in Plum township where Jacob owned land. 

       

Children of CHRISTOPHER "STOFFEL" HAYMAKER are:

2.                i.    JOHN2 HAYMAKER, b. Abt. 1726.

                  ii.    GERARD HEUMACHER, b. Abt. 1728; d. July 10, 1752, Leheigh Co, PA.

Gerard was buried in Schmaltzgaffe, Lehigh Co, PA on July 11, 1752 (source:  Records of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Congregation,  Lehigh Co, PA, 1750-1764, "Electronic," 1752 Deaths).

                 iii.    MICHAEL HAYMAKER, b. Abt. 1730.

3.              iv.    JACOB HAYMAKER, SR., b. Abt. 1734, Bucks Co, PA; d. 1819, Franklin Twp, Portage Co, OH.

4.               v.    MARY MAGDALENA HAYMAKER, b. Abt. 1742, Bucks, PA.

 

 

Generation No. 2

 

2.  JOHN2 HAYMAKER (CHRISTOPHER "STOFFEL"1) was born Abt. 1726.

       

Children of JOHN HAYMAKER are:

                   i.    FREDERICK3 HAYMAKER.

5.               ii.    MARY HAYMAKER.

                 iii.    JACOB HAYMAKER.

 

 

3.  JACOB2 HAYMAKER, SR. (CHRISTOPHER "STOFFEL"1)3 was born Abt. 1734 in Bucks Co, PA, and died 1819 in Franklin Twp, Portage Co, OH.  He married (1) EVA MARGARETHA MEYERS March 01, 1768 in York, PA, daughter of CHRISTOPH MEYERS.  She was born Abt. 1745 in PA?, and died October 11, 1810 in Franklin, Portage Co, Ohio.  He married (2) EVA STROBEL Abt. 1811.  She was born Abt. 1754.

 

Notes for JACOB HAYMAKER, SR.:

Jacob was a carpenter and millwright by trade, but also was a York Innkeeper in 1770 in Bucks County.  In 1772, a Jacob Haymaker was paid from the account of an estate of Balzer Spengler (of York, PA) for making a coffin. He was listed as being present at a meeting of the company on Thursday, 8 Oct 1772 at the house of Balzer Spengler, Innkeeper, in York concerning the working of the Water Engine for Fire prevention.  It is clear from the record that citizens were required to attend these meetings and were fined if they were absent.  It was proposed at this meeting that Jacob Haymaker be a member of the fire company.  Others were ordered that in case a fire should occur, "use their best Indeavours to make People stand regularly in a Row to carry Water, and make all Idle Persons stand in a Row or imploy themselves otherwise to have the Fire extinguished."  Christopher Haymaker also lived in York for a time, the location of the 2nd Continental Congress.  I need to check records of the 2nd Continental Congress in York to see if Jacob Haymaker's Inn was used by members of Congress.  Published references show that by 1778, Jacob was in Pittsburgh, PA but more work needs to be done to discover why he might have relocated before the Revolutionary War.  It's possible that he simply joined his father, Christopher, in the Pittsburgh area where there were more opportunities to purchase cheap land.

 

In May 26, 1778 Jacob was sworn in as Justice of the Peace & Justices of Oyer and Terminer (source:  Annals of the Carnegie Museum, p. 154, Pennsylvania Colonial Records, 1600s-1800s, Virginia Court Records in Southwestern PA, Minutes of Court of Yohogania County).  Jacob served in the Justice Courts as a "gentleman justice" in Pittsburgh.  Jacob was among 11 justices who did not "swear in" but most did "swear into" their commissions (source: Justice Courts:  www.rootsweb.com/~indian.courth.htm).  He is listed as a subscriber from Westmoreland Co. of a famous sermon, along with Rev. Wm. Swan, who subscribed to 20 copies.  Jacob was a wealthy man for the times.  The Davis Family history (Davis, 1912) includes a little about Jacob Haymaker.  "The family tradition is that he loaned the State of Virginia eighty thousand pounds, and that he helped the government in equipping vessels, fitting out a regiment of soldiers, in building forts and block-houses, to such an extent that he used up all his fortune in aiding to carry on the Revolutionary War.  The government could not repay him.  He was informed that he would have to wait till a gold mine was discovered.  The debt has never been paid" (p. 70).  This story is verified by the will of his son, Frederick Haymaker, in which he mentions the debt owed to his father by the state of Virginia. 

 

Jacob served in the Revolutionary War in 1778 as a Private to Capt Duncan's Company of the Pennsylvania Volunteers under Brigadier General Hand.  He may have worked his way up to Captain.  In an application for a pension in 1833, Alexander McClean testified that he served as commissary in 1778, and he delivered supplies and munitions to Captain Jacob Haymaker, among others.  McClean had recorded the dates of his deliveries in a book he kept, which had been partially preserved.  McClean was granted his pension (source:  Military:  Rev War:  Pensions:  Alexander McLean - Uniontown, Fayette County, PA).  Jacob Haymaker wrote to Mr. John Heckedorn on 7 Sep 1781 from Pittsburgh about some Indians who attacked Fort Wheeler.  According to his letter there were 400 Indians ready to attack the Moravian town.  He ended the letter with compliments to Mr. Grube and "let him know that I and my family are all in good health at present."  In 1781, Jacob witnessed the Will of Philip Whitsal in Westmoreland Co, PA.

 

January, 1783 marked the signing of a petition by more than 1700 men requesting the creation of a new state, to be called Westsylvania.  I wonder if Jacob Haymaker was a signer of that petition.  Residents of western PA were concerned about the ongoing dispute between Virginia and Pennsylvania for jurisdiction of western PA.  I need to check the National Archives in Washington DC for information about this petition, and need to read the monograph on the subject by Helen Harris of Pittsburgh. 

 

According to a history of Pittsburg, "In 1783, Jacob Haymaker rented of John Ormsby a house and an adjoining boatyard on the bank of the Monongahela, 'nearly opposite to the town of Pittsburg,' where for upwards of five years he carried on the business of boat-building 'with great success.'  These were, no doubt, keel and 'Kentucke' boats (p. 194).  A different history included a chapter titled "Before the City

Charter," which stated, "... Jacob Haymaker was building boats, 'broad horns,' etc., on property rented from John Ormsby in 1783 on the south side of the Monongahela" (p. 111).  Dahlinger (1916) wrote the following in his account of the early social life of Pittsburgh:  "Among the mechanics of the higher class were Jacob Haymaker, William Eichbaum, and John Hamsher.  The first was a boatbuilder, whose boatyard was located on the south side of the Monongahela River at the Middle Ferry" (p. 40).  A few pages later, Jacob was mentioned again:  "He [Jacob Bausman] was treasurer of the German church and, jointly with Jacob Haymaker, was trustee, on the part of the church, of the land deeded by the Penns to that congregation for church purposes at the northeast corner of Smithfield and Sixth Streets, where the congregation's second and all subsequent churches were built" (p. 42-43). 

 

In 1783, Jacob purchased 300 acres in Pitt Twp, Westmoreland Co, PA.  Pitt Twp included all of PA north and west of the Ohio Allegheny River, including the territory that became Crawford Co. in 1800.  Coal mining had begun in Pitt as early as 1761, and by 1790 several coal mines were operating.  Coal was used as fuel for the British troops at Fort Pitt.  Jacob purchased land on Coal Hill in Pittsburg from John Penn in 1786 (source needed).  Coal Hill is now called Mount Washington. 

 

In 1785 - 1789, he was on the tax list in Dickinson Twp, Washington Co (now Allegheny), PA (source:  The National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Volume 51, Tax List of Dickinson Twp, Washington [now Allegheny] Co, PA, 1785-1789), 105).  Allegheny Twp. was created in 1788.  In Pittsburgh Jacob worked as a boatbuilder at the Haymaker Boatyard, and in 1794, he was engaged by John Adlum, a surveyor, to carry his stores and provisions by boat to Ft. Franklin at the mouth of the French Creek.  John Adlum (1759-1836) was a Revolutionary War veteran from NY.  He worked as a surveyor in PA and served in the PA militia, probably with Jacob Haymaker.  I like to imagine that Jacob's son, Frederick, accompanied his father on trips up the river to the Beaver area, and he must have enjoyed the trips to that wilderness area. 

 

According to Portrait and Biographical Record of Portage and Summit Counties, Jacob Sr. had prospected through an area of Ohio, now Franklin Co, in the spring of 1805.  He purchased of Olmstead's agent a tract of land consisting of present site of Kent Mills.  From another source, the story is slightly different.  Jacob bought land in today's Franklin Twp, and then sent his son John and family to settle the land in Fall of 1805.  They lived on the west shore of the Cuyahoga  on what is today Mantua St.  Jacob and his wife arrived the next spring along with another son, George.  After Eve died, the Haymaker family set aside a two-acre plot along the banks of the Cuyahoga for use as a family burial ground.  A year later, the property was deeded to Franklin Twp. Trustees for use as a community cemetery.  It [Stow St. Cemetery] was the only burial ground for 48 years (source:  Troyer, Loris C., 1998, Portage Pathways,  Kent, OH:  The Kent State University Press).

 

Jacob built a house on the west side of the river, where the Kent Mills now stand.  During 1807, the Haymakers built the first grist-mill in the township, and it was used by the early settlers for several years.  Portage County was formed in 1808 from Trumbull Co, Ohio.  In 1832, the Haymaker sawmill and grist mill were washed away in a flood, but the mills were rebuilt by the Kent family.  I have not been able to find Jacob on the 1790, 1800, or 1810 census, so I need to check his children and see if he was living with one of them.  

 

Notes for EVA MARGARETHA MEYERS:

Her parents might have been Detio and Magdalene Myerz (Smith, 2004). 

Eva is buried in Pioneer Cemetery (formerly Stow St. Cemetery), located in Kent, OH on Stow Street at the Fred Fuller Park.

       

Children of JACOB HAYMAKER and EVA MEYERS are:

                   i.    EVA3 HAYMAKER, b. April 28, 1769, York, York Co, PA4; d. May 14, 1769.

Baptism: May 14, 1769, Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church at York, York Co, PA

6.               ii.    JACOB HAYMAKER, JR., b. February 07, 1771, York, York Co, PA; d. January 21, 1834, Franklin Twp, Westmoreland Co, PA.

7.              iii.    FREDERICK HAYMAKER, b. November 07, 1772, Little York, York Co, PA; d. March 22, 1850, Leavittsburg, West Warren, Trumbull Co, Ohio at age 78.

8.              iv.    JOHN HAYMAKER, b. July 28, 1774, York, York Co, PA; d. February 24, 1828, Franklin Twp, Portage Co, Ohio.

9.               v.    GEORGE HAYMAKER, b. January 17, 1783; d. October 10, 1849, Franklin Twp, Portage Cty, OH, age 67.

10.            vi.    SARAH ANN "SALLIE" HAYMAKER, b. January 17, 1783, Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co, PA; d. October 02, 1839, Franklin Twp, Portage Co, OH.

11.           vii.    CATHERINA HAYMAKER, b. March 23, 1785, Prob. Pittsburg, PA; d. Abt. 1879.

               viii.    MARIA MAGDALENA HAYMAKER, b. March 11, 1786.

Christened: April 08, 1786, Westmoreland Co, PA

                  ix.    ELIZABETHA "ELIZA" HAYMAKER, b. July 29, 1789, Westmoreland Co, PA; m. THOMAS WAKEFIELD, Abt. 1812; b. 1793, PA5.

Relocated: Abt. 1836, From PA to Trumbull Co, OH

                   x.    MARGRETHA HAYMAKER, b. February 17, 1793, PA.

 

 

4.  MARY MAGDALENA2 HAYMAKER (CHRISTOPHER "STOFFEL"1) was born Abt. 1742 in Bucks, PA.  She married JACOB WEYAND Abt. 1761.  He was born Abt. 1740.

 

Notes for MARY MAGDALENA HAYMAKER:

Since her son was baptized at the First (Trinity) Reformed Church in York, PA, I assume that she lived in York and attended church there.  The church was organized in 1744.  Sponsors for the baptizm were Jacob Heumacher (her brother?) and Cath. Wagner. 

       

Child of MARY HAYMAKER and JACOB WEYAND is:

                   i.    JACOBUS3 WEYAND, b. October 23, 1762, York, York Co, PA.  Baptised: October 31, 1762, First (Trinity) Reformed Church, York, York Co, PA6

 

 

Generation No. 3

 

5.  MARY3 HAYMAKER (JOHN2, CHRISTOPHER "STOFFEL"1)  She married JAMES MISKMIMIMS.  He was born Abt. 1805.

       

Child of MARY HAYMAKER and JAMES MISKMIMIMS is:

                   i.    WILLIAM4 MISKMIMIMS, b. Abt. 1835; m. MARY MCMATH; b. August 17, 1835; d. November 28, 1863.

Mary is buried in Laird Cemetery, Allegheny Twp, PA, located in Penn Hills where Verona is located.

 

 

6.  JACOB3 HAYMAKER, JR. (JACOB2, CHRISTOPHER "STOFFEL"1) was born February 07, 1771 in York, York Co, PA7, and died January 21, 1834 in Franklin Twp, Westmoreland Co, PA.  He married (1) MARY "POLLY" RUGH8,9 1794 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co, PA10, daughter of MICHAEL RUGH and PHOEBE HAWKINS.  She was born June 30, 1775 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co, PA, and died September 24, 1809.  He married (2) ? BARTON Abt. 1810.  She was born Abt. 1771.

 

Notes for JACOB HAYMAKER, JR.:

Jacob was baptized on March 17, 1771 as John Jacob Heumacher in the Christ Lutheran Evangelical Church in York Co.  Jacob was raised on the farm which is the site of Allegheny City and lies buried in Plum Twp (with grandfather Stofel).  He was a Private in Fenton's 5th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Militia during the War of 1812, serving from 22 August to 3 Oct 1812 (source:  Early Ohio Settlers, 1700s - 1900s, Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War of 1812, p. 431).  John was on the Roll of Capt. Thomas Rice's Company (county unknown).  He and his wife lived at Haymaker's Hill, Franklin Twp [probably the area known as Export], Westmoreland Co, PA.  Jacob was the companion of Brady, the famous Indian Scout.  Jacob is buried in Plum Twp, Allegheny Co (Westmoreland), PA.   According to the history of Franklin, Jacob was a Justice of the Peace.

 

1810 census, Franklin, Westmoreland Co, PA:  Jacob Haymaker with 6 males and 4 females in the household.

3 males under 10 (born 1800 - 1810) - prob. his sons George and Michael and an unknown male (could this be Frederick's son, Andrew?)

1 male age 10-15 (born 1795 - 1800) - prob. his son John H.

2 males age 26-44 (born 1766 - 1784) - prob. Jacob and an unknown male (could this be his brother, Frederick? His 2nd wife died 1809)

2 females under age 10 (born 1800 - 1810) - prob. daughter Ellen

1 female age 10-15 (born 1795 - 1800) - prob. daughter Phoebe

1 female age 16-25 (born 1785 - 1794) - unknown female (could be Sarah who was born 1796)

Note:  Jacob's wife, Polly, died in 1809. 

 

Notes for MARY "POLLY" RUGH:

This was the Mary Rugh who was captured by Seneca Indians on 13 July 1782, during the Revolutionary War.   Her parents were captured and taken to Canada, where they were held as POWs by the British, and they were released at war's end.  Mary was, reportedly, adopted by an old squaw and was held for 8 years.

       

Children of JACOB HAYMAKER and MARY RUGH are:

12.              i.    SARAH "SALLY"4 HAYMAKER, b. July 15, 1796, Pennsylvania; d. July 16, 1871.

13.             ii.    JOHN H. HAYMAKER, b. December 05, 1797, Franklin Twp, Westmoreland Co, PA; d. February 03, 1882, Franklin Twp, Westmoreland Co, PA age 84.

14.            iii.    PHOEBE HAYMAKER, b. October 09, 1798, Pennsylvania.

                 iv.    LUCETTA "ELLEN" HAYMAKER, b. January 09, 1801; m. THOMAS CRATTY.

15.             v.    GEORGE R. HAYMAKER, b. 1802, PA; d. October 12, 1874, PA age 74.

16.            vi.    MICHAEL R. HAYMAKER, b. 1805, PA; d. October 13, 1880, PA age 76.

 

 

7.  FREDERICK3 HAYMAKER (JACOB2, CHRISTOPHER "STOFFEL"1) was born November 07, 1772 in Little York, York Co, PA11, and died March 22, 1850 in Leavittsburg, West Warren, Trumbull Co, Ohio at age 7812.  He married (1) ELEANOR ROBINSON Abt. 1798 in Meadville or Pittsburgh, PA?.  She was born March 09, 1777 in Patrick Co, VA, and died November 19, 1807 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co, PA age 30.  He married (2) RACHEL DAVIS13 April 22, 1808 in Pennsylvania14, daughter of JAMES DAVIS and RACHEL STEWART.  She was born April 15, 1791, and died September 12, 1809 in Franklin Twp, Portage Co, Ohio.  He married (3) MARY SWAN Abt. 1811 in PA or Ohio.  She was born June 19, 1789 in Westmoreland Co, PA, and died July 26, 1861 in Leavittsburg, Trumbull Co, Ohio age 72 yrs, 1 mo, 7 days15.

 

Notes for FREDERICK HAYMAKER:

Frederick was baptized in the Christ Lutheran Evangelical Church at York, York County, Pennsylvania on 06 Dec 1772 at about 1 month of age.  Nothing is known of his youth, but he may have been an Indian trader with his grandfather.  Evidence from his letters indicates that he received a good education.  The first published reference to him was in Mead Township, the site of the first settlement in Crawford Co, PA, where nine men landed at the site of Meadville on 12 May, 1788.  David Mead patented a tract on the west bank of the French Creek, about one mile above Meadville, in the fall 1788, and he was followed by several men, including Frederick Haymaker, age 16.  Note that Frederick's grandfather, Christopher Haymaker, had died in 1788.  Albert (1896) wrote, "During 1789 the little colony known as 'Mead's settlement' was reinforced by the arrival of the family of Darius Mead, Frederick Baum, and Robert Fitz Randolph with their families, Frederick Haymaker [age 17], William Gregg, Samuel Lord and John Wentworth.  From these two published references, we can conclude that as a teenager, Frederick Haymaker went to Meadville.  I assume that he had traveled there by boat with his father to deliver supplies, and perhaps Frederick thought he could trade with the friendly native Americans in the area.  Fred, however, was not found on a list of licensed Indian traders (research of Mary H. West). 

 

"On April 1st, 1791, the settlers in Meadville were warned by Flying Cloud, a son of Chief Connedaughta, of threatened danger from the hostile western tribes, and on the same day eleven strange Indians were seen a few miles northwest of the settlement.  The women and children of the colony were gathered within the Mead house and cellar and on the next day they were sent in canoes to Fort Franklin.  The Indian chief, Half Town, who was a half-brother to Cornplanter, was encamped at the time with twenty-seven of his braves.  Twelve of these he sent to guard the canoes, six on each side of the creek, and with his remaining warriors he joined the settlers in a fruitless search for the hostiles seen by Gregg.  On the following day all the men departed for Franklin with their horses, cattle and moveable effects."  For several years, the Meadville settlers had to be on their guard, and many times they left the area for the safety of the fort, with the men traveling back to Meadville to plant crops.  The Western Indians were defeated in 1794 by General Wayne, and the settlers were able to return with their families.  Source:  http://www.rootsweb.com/%7Eusgenweb/pa/1pa/1picts/frontierforts/ff40.html

 

Meadville was created in Dec 1795 from the northern part of Pitt Twp, where Frederick's father, Jacob, lived. He was also well known as an Indian trader during this time and in 1795 and 1796 was a member of Captain Van Horns Company of the Cussawago Militia.  In about 1797, Fred married for the first time in Meadville, or perhaps he married near Pittsburgh if Eleanor lived there.  He built and occupied a home on the northeast corner of North and Market Streets in Meadville and served as an early Justice of the Peace.  In the year 1800, Frederick Haymaker was appointed Trustee for the newly formed county of Crawford, along with two other individuals.  Fred was listed in the 1800 Meadville census, along with 2 males under 10, 1 female under 10, 1 male 16-25, 1 female 16-25, 4 males 26-44, and no slaves.  Since his first known son was born in 1801, we don't know the identity of the two boys born between 1790 and 1800.  Fred served as Meadville's first Postmaster from 01 Apr 1801 to 31 Dec 1802, and in 1805 was living in a log house he had built on Water Street. 

 

Fred Haymaker reportedly espoused the cause of Aaron Burr and furnished him large amounts of money.  Fred was reported to be the private secretary of Aaron Burr (Danner, 1904;  Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Westmoreland County, PA, 1880) during the alleged conspiracy for which Burr was tried for treason in 1807.  In 1805, Burr was still serving as Vice President of the US, but he did visit Pittsburgh during his trip west from April to September, 1805.  It is very possible that Fred was not affiliated with Burr, since no proof of their relationship has been published.  Further evidence against the assertion is found in "The Trial of Aaron Burr Homepage."  In one of the letters published on the website, Burr's private secretary is named as "Mr. Willie."  In fact, when Burr was traveling in the west, Fred's wife was probably pregnant.  It would be helpful to know the exact birth dates of this child born about 1805 so we could better pinpoint Fred's whereabouts during Burr's travels.  A History of the Borough of Bridgewater (Milestones, Vol 9, No. 3, Summer 1984) has a little about Burr's operation.  It states, "In 1805 and 1806, he had a number of large cargo boats built near Brady's Run for use in his expedition down the Ohio River to New Orleans.  Burr visited Sharon once during the progress of the enterprise to inspect the work and give directions for the future."  The town of Sharon, PA is near Beaver, PA where Fred and his family lived so it's possible that they knew each other, and it's also possible that Fred gave money to Burr's cause.  Burr is known to have spent the winter of 1805 in Washington and Philadelphia, but there is no record that Fred was with him.  Burr began his second trip to the west in August 1806, but that fall Fred moved to Franklin, Ohio to join his family, already settled there.  The "Norfolk Gazette and Publick Ledger," on 29 Dec 1806, published an extract of a letter dated 26 Nov 1806 from a gentleman in Meadville, PA to a member of Congress.  In the letter, Frederick Haymaker is named, along with several other men, as the "adventurers" who "embarked from this town for Beaver, with the expressed intention of joining the secret expedition under Col. Burr."    This could explain why Frederick left Beaver, Pennsylvania and arrived in the remote area of Franklin Township, Portage County, Ohio in the fall of 1806.  Apparently, before he left PA, he gave testimony about Aaron Burr.  The following was found in the Calendar of the Correspondence of James Madison (see full reference below):  On 15 May 1807, John Wickham wrote, "As counsel for Aaron Burr, requests that copies be furnished him of three affidavits by Comfort Tyler, Luke Hill, and Frederick Haymaker, filed in the Department of State."  A web site featuring information about Comfort Tyler had this:  "Besides Comfort Tyler, there were some 25 others, all young men, who proceeded to Beaver, in Pennsylvania, to take part in the expedition."  In December, 1806, a grand jury in Frankfort, KY returned a "no true bill" on the proposed indictment of Burr, but he was captured on Feb. 19, 1807 and held prisoner at Fort Stoddard.  According to Troyer (1998) Frederick "had in his possession documents involving Burr's infamous trip into Louisiana Purchase territory, but he kept silent concerning events during those years" (p. 250).  "His claim to fame, besides fathering 27 children with three wives, was his service as secretary to Aaron Burr during the latter's ill-fated expedition that let to his trial for treason" (Troyer, 1998, p. 142).

 

Frederick Haymaker arrived in the area now called Kent, Ohio in late fall 1806.  Ohio was admitted as a state in 1802.  Fred took up a large tract of land on 18 February in Franklin Mills, Portage Co, in what is now Kent (about 32 miles southeast of Cleveland).  At that time the area was a wilderness.  Frederick's father Jacob and brothers, John and George, were already in Franklin Township, being the first settlers to arrive there, John in 1805 and Jacob and George in early 1806.  Frederick erected a log house and one of his grandchildren was the first white child born in Franklin Twp.  Frederick's second wife, Rachel Davis died in childbirth in 1809.  He has not been found on the 1810 census, but he could be the male age 26-44 living in the household of his brother, Jacob Haymaker.  In Jacob's household there was also a male who could be Frederick's son, Andrew.  Fred's four daughters were probably living with other family members in 1810.  In 1818, Frederick and Joshua Woodard formed a partnership and built a woolen factory, dye-house, cabinet shop, a hotel, and a number of dwelling houses in what is now Kent, Ohio.  This partnership dissolved in 1826 with Frederick retaining the mill property.  Joshua had moved to Franklin Mills in 1818 and he owned a house at the intersection of Fairchild and Woodard Street.  Recently, it was discovered that the house was one of several houses in Franklin Mills that served as a safe house for fugitive slaves.  Woodard also owned a tavern located at Fairchild Ave. and Mantua Streets.  "The family welcomed fleeing slaves into their tavern, and after dark, the family sneaked the slaves through the trees and into the crawl spaces under their home"  (source: http://burr.kent.edu/stories/01-secret/index.html).  This web site has a picture of the Woodard house showing a horse and buggy in front. 

 

The Portrait and Biographical Record for Portage and Summit Counties states that Frederick was a prosperous man, of excellent character and much respected among the pioneers.  The 1820 census shows that Fred was living in Brighton Township (formed 1816), Beaver Co, PA.  His household consisted of 4 males under 10 (James D., Allen, William, Frederick), 1 male 16-26 (Andrew) and 1 male over 45 (Frederick).  There were also 2 females under 10 (Rachel and Eliza or Rebecca), 1 female aged 10-16 (Sarah?), 2 females aged 16-26 (Margaret & ?), and 2 females aged 26 - 45 (Frederick's wife Mary and an unknown female).  Frederick was appointed by the Governor as a Justice of the Peace on 30 March 1822 for several townships including the Borough of Beaver, South Beaver, Brighton, and Chippewa (PA Archives).  By 1823, Frederick was running a woolen mill in Franklin, OH with his son, James Davis Haymaker.  The 1830 census shows Fred was in Portage Co, OH.  Between 1831 and 1832 he sold 100 acres of land and a fine water power in the upper village of Kent and moved to adjoining Trumbull County, Ohio where he farmed.  He was about 59 years old at this time.  Later he moved to Leavittsburg, where he established a flouring mill, in the company of the sons of his 3rd wife, including my ancestor Allen. 

 

Fred had business dealings with John Brown, the well-known abolitionist.  John Brown was called a "pioneer citizen of Crawford County, PA" (source:  Centennial Edition of Daily Tribute, 1888) so it's likely that they met in Meadville.  It is interesting that John Brown's 2nd wife was Mary A. Day (born 1 Apr 1816 in Washington Co, NY) whom he married when she was only 16 years old.  They lived in Franklin Mills [present-day Kent], OH for a time, and Fred knew them during the years they all lived in Kent.  According to Carton (2006), Fred, a "local farmer" sold close to 100 acres of prime land near Franklin Mills to John Brown in about 1835.  Brown made a small down payment on the land, and moved his family into the large farmhouse [perhaps Frederick's house?] on the property in January, 1836.  There are letters between them at the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus, OH. The letters that survived from 1835, 1836, and 1837 are primarily about money, with Fred begging John Brown to send him money to save him from ruin.  In the letters he makes several guarded references to "the West."  Frederick is also mentioned in the History of Kent by Karl H. Grismer (Kent, Ohio:  The Courier-Tribune, 1932).  Given Frederick's relationship with abolitionist John Brown and with Joshua Woodard, who was active in the underground railroad, it's possible that Frederick was also an abolitionist.  No written evidence of this has yet been found but I think it might be worth more research. 

 

Records from the Trumbull County Archives, Stone Bldg, Warren, OH (retrieved by M.L. Cook, July 8, 2007)

Trumbull County Deed Records, Vol 43, p. 51

Frederick Haymaker sold water privileges to Thomas Earle and William Earle for $100 in Newton Twp -  "do grant, bargain, and sell to them the said Thomas and William Earle a privilege to raise the water in the East branch of the Mahoning River at the mouth of small run or Brook where it empties into said River one foot above low water mark a few Rods north of my House in which I now live by a Dam which they contemplate building across said River at or near the Bridge over said River on the Road leaving from Newton Falls to the town of Warren for the purpose of creating a water power for Grist & Saw Mills H.  Dated 25 June 1837.  Witnesses Augustus Stevens and Alexander Sutherland

 

Trumbull County Deed Records, Vol. 44, p. 300 Trumbull County Deed Records, Vol. 44, p. 300 Trumbull County Deed Records, Vol. 44, p. 300.  (abstrated by M.L. Cook, July 8, 2007).

Frederick Haymaker purchased 42 acres of land in Newton for $500.00 from James Kelley and Mary Ann Kelly on 3 Feb 1838.

 

Trumbull County Deed Records, Vol. 45, p. 461-462 (abstracted by M.L. Cook, July 8, 2007).

Frederick Haymaker to John Marsh - Mortgage

Frederick Haymaker and Mary Haymaker of Newton, for $285.36, 42 acres of land in Newton township.  Detailed description given - it was near the Mahoning River.  Payable Aug. 1, 1840.  Witnesses:  Allen Haymaker and James Baldwin.  Dated 5 March 1840.

 

Trumbull County Deed Records, Vol. 45, p. 525-526, Mortgage (abstracted by M.L. Cook, July 8, 2007).

Frederick Haymaker purchased from Henry A. Debois "the farm upon which I now reside and which are situae in township of Newton in section number 12 … part of lot No. 3 in the 5th range … in the northeast corner of land then on the 28th day of December A.D. 1835 owned by John Allen to the center of the Mahoning River to the place of beginning containing Sixty six acres.  Also another 91 and 55/100 acres for $350.00 on 20 Sept 1840 with lawful interest.  Witnesses:  Hiram Austin (Justice of the Peace) and Augustus Stevens

 

Frederick is listed on the 1840 census in Newton Township, Trumbull Co, Ohio, and that is the last published reference found until his will was written on 18 Jan 1850 in Warren, Trumbull Co, OH.  Fred's cause of death at age 78 was Eurocipelis, and he was buried on 23 March 1850 in Warren, probably in Leavittsburg, near where his son Jesse lived.  Frederick may have been buried at the cemetery in Levittsburg located at Lovers Lane S18, 3/4 mile east of Leavittsburg on SR5, on N side between SR5 & the river.  I visited the Leavittsburg, OH cemetery in July, 2007 but did not find any Haymaker stones.  In the Trumbull Co, OH Library, I found a short obituary for Frederick Haymaker and for Mary, but there was no mention of where they were buried.  In August, 2006, Fred's tombstone was located lying face down on private property in western San Antonio, Texas.  According to the owner of the property, the stone had been there for at least 30 years and the family had used it as a stepping stone.  They assumed a cemetery had once been on their property.  As of this update, I do not know how his tombstone got to Texas.  A picture of Frederick Haymaker's tombstone is posted on my website.  The inscription, which is still legible, contains these words: 

fred'k haymaker died 3/22/1850 age 78

could final love have stood his vital breath or found affections

sooth a relenteless death then would this marble not so soon

told where surviving friend may meet and shead a tear [a very sentimental engraving, probably done by Mary]

gager of keller [Tombstone engravers]

warren o [no doubt this stands for Warren Co, OH]

 

Fred's will left property to his wife Mary Swan.  He also willed property to his son, Jesse S. Haymaker, and requested that his "unfortunate child Sarah, who is afflicted with lunacy" continue living with his family and be maintained by his wife Mary during Sarah's life.  He deeded $200 should Sarah outlive his wife, and asked that a suitable person be appointed as her guardian, and "see to it that the said Sarah be tenderly treated and kindly treated."  An interesting part of the will referred to a loan made by his father Jacob to the state of Virginia.  It reads, "In the event of a recovery of the property or money due my father Jacob Haymaker from the State of Virginia for which I have prepared a claim as the heir of said Jacob."  Frederick asked that such property or money be evenly divided between all of his children by his 1st, second, and third wives.  He left "all the residue of my property" to the children of his 3rd wife, who were all named.  His son Jesse S. and his wife were named, with Samuel Quimby, Esq., as executors. 

 

References: 

Calendar of Correspondence of James Madison (1970, reprint of the 1894 edition).  Ayer Publications.  ISBN 0833721798

Carton, Evan (2006).  Patriotic treason: John Brown and the soul of America.  Simon and Shuster.  

Troyer, Loris C. (1998).  Portage Pathways.  Kent, OH:  The Kent State University Press.

Pennsylvania Archives, Series 9, Vol. VIII, Executive Minutes of Gov. Joseph Hiester, p. 5694.

 

Notes for RACHEL DAVIS:

Davis (1912) wrote in his history of the Davis Family that "Rachel Davis must have been a very bright and attractive girl of seventeen to win the heart and hand of Frederick Haymaker (p. 70). 

 

Notes for MARY SWAN:

At the age of 22, Polly became the 3rd wife of Frederick Haymaker.  Reverend William Swan, a minister of the Long Run Church, resided in Westmoreland County and could be a relative.  The 1810 census shows Rev. William Swan in North Huntington, Westmoreland Co, PA but there is no female Mary's age listed.  However, Frederick Haymaker's will mentions a James Swan, of Maryland or Kentucky, and notes that Mary was one of his heirs.  Was James Swan her father?  If James Swan was her father and he died young, Mary would have been assigned a guardian.  It may never be possible to trace her ancestry unless guardianship papers are located. 

1860 census, Warren, Trumbull Co, OH  Mary Haymaker (70) is shown as living with her son Henry (25) and daughter Frances (27).  Henry was a Miller with personal property of $200, and Mary had real estate worth $800 and property worth $400.  On 18 Sep 1827, Jesse Swan married Sarah Irwin of Westmoreland Co, PA.  Could Jesse be a brother of Mary?  Mary's tombstone has not yet been located and her obituary does not mention where she was buried.

       

Children of FREDERICK HAYMAKER and ELEANOR ROBINSON are:

17.              i.    MARY4 HAYMAKER, b. November 02, 1799, Crawford Co, PA; d. January 12, 1862, Prob. Mercer Co, PA.

18.             ii.    ANDREW R. HAYMAKER, b. January 18, 1801, Beaver or Crawford Co, PA on the pioneer homestead; d. June 29, 1878, Canton, Stark Co, OH age 77.

19.            iii.    MARGARET H