The Taylor's Move Westward

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Researching common surnames is tricky, because there are just so many people that are possible matches. Sorting out one from another can be difficult to impossible. As such, it is unfortunately not yet possible to take my Taylor line back as far as many of my other lines. Regardless, this is the line of my birth father, so I will do it as much justice as I can. The surname itself is English in origin, though it was found widely throughout Scotland, Wales, and Ireland as well. Its comes from the French word "tailleur" in about the 12th century, and means "cutter of cloth".  Although the Tailor spelling is most common, many variations were created during the centuries when spelling was undertaken using "sounds-like" logic rather than any type of standardization.

Tailors were members of the craft guilds in early England, when it was common to use a surname that related to ones occupation.

The Taylor surname has been found in America as far back as the early 1600's, but the earliest my specific line of Taylor's can be reliably traced is to a man named Josiah W. Taylor, who was born in North Carolina in about 1781. In approximately 1807, he married a woman named Elizabeth (last name unknown), also from NC, and they started a family. By 1820, they were living in Rockingham County, NC, and had 4 children- 1 girl, and 3 boys (see Note 1). This area of NC was first heavily settled by Whites in the 1760's, so it is likely that it was his father, rather than him, who first came to the state, but we do not yet have a record for him. Most of the early settlers came from VA by way of the Great Wagon Road, originally an Iroquois Indian Path that started in Philadelphia. White settlers had been expanding this path to accommodate wagons since the 1730s, and by the mid-1750s, the expansion reached into upper North Carolina where Rockingham Co. is found.

The Great Wagon Road, the southern branch of which was called the Carolina Road, was a major route of travel for settlers starting in the 1740s. The blue circle identifies Rockingham Co. in the north central part of the state.

In about 1832, Josiah W. moved his family to Newton Co., Georgia. This part of GA had previously been settled by the Muscogee Creek Native Americans. However, settler outcry following the 1814 Red-Stick Rebellion was the final straw in convincing the US government that the Indians needed to leave. Beginning in 1821, the US government began selling Indian land, acquired through forced concessions, to White settlers using a lottery system. Then, after Andrew Jackson was elected in 1829, the Indian Removal Act was passed, and by 1834 all the remaining Creek Indians had been forcibly removed. Josiah W. does not seem to have arrived to Newton Co., GA during the 1821 land grant lottery, so it us unlikely that he was the first land owner, but he does mention in his will that the land was originally called Lot #243. Not long after arriving in GA, his oldest daughter married a man named Elijah from the neighboring Plunkett family. By 1835, all of his children were of legal age (21), which was fortunate, because only 4 years later, in the summer of 1839, Josiah W. died at the age of only 58.

Map showing the years of the Georgia land lottery grants. Land in Newton County, Georgia, (shown circled in blue, and originally part of Henry County), was first sold in the 1821 lottery. Land sold in the 1805/1807 lotteries was from non-coerced treaties prior to the 1814 rebellion, though many of the terms of those treaties were not later honored by the US government.

Artists depiction of the 1827 Georgia Land Lottery. The first barrel had slips of paper with the names of all the lottery participants. The second barrel had lot numbers for all the land claims available, as well as enough blank slips to add up to the total number of people participating. For each draw, a slip was taken from each barrel. If your name was paired with a lot number, you were allowed to pay the grant fee to claim it. If you chose not to claim it, it was auctioned off to the highest bidder.

In Josiah W.'s 1839 last will and testament, a number of things are made clear. One, his wife is still living, but is also of failing health (they were both in their late 50s). Two, his oldest daughter, Mary, has already died, (probably around 1836), but has left two grandchildren: Elizabeth Jane and Charlie Taylor Plunkett. Three, his sons Alford and Richard are still living nearby (in fact, his youngest, Alford, is living on a part of his father's land already). And four, his third born son, William Wesley Taylor (b. 1814), has left for the Republic of Texas sometime in the past, has not bothered to write since, and is now cut out of the will. Guess which child I am related to? Yep, William.

Will of Josiah W. Taylor (see Note 2), signed Jan 1839, in which he states, "2nd I give and bequeath unto my son William Taylor who I presume is now in the Republik of Texas, the Sum of one Dollar." Note that giving $1 was a way of making clear that one had not simply forgotten to mention a person, but rather was making a conscious decision not to leave them anything of value.

William Wesley seemed struck with wander lust throughout his life, and before his time on earth was done, he would travel as far as the shores of California. For now though, he made his way to the new Republic of Texas, which was not yet formally a part of the United States. He stopped in the city of Nacogdoches, once the second largest town in Texas, and then known as the Gateway to Texas. The eastern part of future Texas was being heavily settled in the late 1830's after winning its War of Independence with Mexico in 1836. Like many others, William Wesley must have been taken in by its abundant cheap land and new nation idealism. In July 1840, he married a woman named Elizabeth Anderson from Alabama, and they started a family which would one day expand to 9 children (8 of whom survived to adulthood). His third born son, Josiah Anderson Taylor (b.1844), was my direct ancestor.

Artists depiction of the Battle of the Alamo (current day San Antonio ) in Feb 1836- a ten day siege which left almost all of the hopelessly outnumbered 200 White frontiersmen defending the fort dead. The resolution to the Texas War of Independence came two months later on 21 April 1836. Troops gathered under General Sam Houston re-attacked the fort while the Mexican soldiers slept, with battle cries of "Remember the Alamo!". Half of the Mexican army was killed, and the rest were taken prisoner. Mexican president Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna signed a peace treaty shortly after. Texas finally officially became a state on 29 Dec, 1845.

Sometime in the 1850s, perhaps after the death of his wife in 1858 (likely in childbirth at the age of 35), William picked up stakes and pushed westwards again with his 8 children, this time to a farm in Corsicana, Navarro, TX. Despite his still young family, he did not remarry. His oldest child, Margaretta, was a teenager by then though, and was likely a big help for her younger siblings, most of whom were male. However, in Oct 1860, Margaretta married, and moved to Freestone Co., TX, with her new husband Abe Boyd. Four months later, the political situation leading up to the Civil War was coming to a boil. In Mar 1861, Texas formally seceded from the Union, and on 12 Apr 1861, the first shots of the war were fired in SC. By Sep 1862, the two oldest boys, William Alfred and Josiah A., joined the Confederate cause as part of the voluntary 20th Texas Cavalry. This left the next oldest child, 16 year old Robert, to help with his 4 younger siblings, who ranged in age from 4-14 years old at that time.

After fighting many battles across AR and Indian Territory (future OK), The 20th Texas Cavalry laid down their arms on 23 Jun 1865. William A. and Josiah A. returned home as young men of 22 and 20 years respectively. Unfortunately, Civil War soldiers were not provided with the land grants that were usually rewarded for military service. Furthermore, Confederate soldiers were barred from participating in the 1862 Homestead Act. And while the war had ended, the south was in disarray, both economically and socially. Yet with 4 boys reaching the age of maturity in the 1860s, what was this widowed father to do? The answer- Go West! Specifically to El Monte, Los Angeles Co., California, where the prior gold rush had driven wheat prices up to very lucrative levels. All but 3 of his living children (Margaret and Josiah A., who were already married, and James, who had just reached adulthood) chose to go, and they arrived to the area late in 1871 (Ref 1). Soon after arriving though, William Wesley Taylor died at the age of 59. None the less, his four children stayed in CA and raised families of their own, and hopefully William W.'s felt his ambitions for adventure has been attained. 

Memorial Grave marker for William Wesley Taylor placed in the El Monte, CA Savannah Memorial Park Cemetery. The exact location of his burial is unknown.

William Wesley's son, Josiah A. Taylor (my ancestor), was one of the three kids who stayed behind in Texas. In 1867, a year and a half after returning from the war, he married 16 year old Susan Celestial Little from Arkansas, and they moved southward near Buffalo, Leon Co., TX to start a family. Susan's family never lived in Texas, so perhaps Josiah first met her while he was serving in the military. Josiah A. was a farmer like his father, and he and Susan had 9 children (7 of whom lived to adulthood). Also like his father, his wife passed suddenly in 1888 at the age of only 38 (again likely in childbirth). Josiah was 43 at the time. 

Grave marker for Susan Celestial (Little) Taylor at the Wheelock Cemetery in Flo, Leon Co., TX.

Unlike his father, Josiah A. decided not to continue the remainder of his life in widowhood. Within a year, he remarried to a much younger woman named Mary Jane Sessions. Mary Jane was 23 years old (only two years older than his oldest child, Cora), and was an orphan originally from Alabama. She had lost her mother at the age of 5. Her father had quickly remarried, and soon had 3 more children, but then he died as well when she was 11. Sadly, her step-mother was unable (or unwilling) to keep all of the children from the first marriage. Instead, she and her younger siblings were split up and went to live with different families, including her identical twin sister, Lillie Jane. Mary Jane was sent to Cherokee Co., TX to live with the Deaton family, which must be how she met the Taylors. So although it may have been a bit unusual for a young woman to enter into marriage with a much older man that already had 7 children, it may also have been a practical choice for an orphaned young woman with few options. Josiah A. and Mary Jane went on to have 10 more children (8 of whom lived to adulthood). Their third born child, Oliver Anderson Taylor (b.1893), was my direct ancestor.

Josiah A. Taylor with his second wife and children (Back row, left to right : Gertrude, Norman, Cora, Oliver. Front row: Josiah, Lee Roy, Ben, Mary Jane (Sessions)). Circa 1900.

Lillie Jane (Sessions) Drury and Mary Jane (Sessions) Taylor, circa 1940s

When Andrew Jackson forced the southeastern Native Americans west on the Trail of Tears in the late 1830s, he deposited them in an area that would one day become part of Oklahoma, but which was then unorganized territory that extended as far west as future Utah and as far north as Canada. Of course, as would so often be repeated, it was not long before White settlers wanted this land too. Congress passed a "solution" in the form of the 1851 Indian Appropriations Act, which whittled Indian territory down to 5 reservations (one for each of the so called 5 Civilized Tribes) that all fit within future Oklahoma state. Then they rounded the Native Americans up, and forced them to relocate once again. In return, the US military was supposed to provide military protection for their much diminished numbers from further land incursions and attacks by White settlers or other tribes.

Map showing forced relocations of the "5 Civilized Tribes" after the Indian Removal Act of 1830

This "solution" became problematic once Civil War began. Through economic adaptation to White settlers, the institution of chattel slavery had become a part of some Indian cultures too. Although only about 3% of Native Americans owned slaves overall, the custom varied considerably by tribe, with Cherokees holding the most (up to 8% in the 1860s), down to the Seminole, who were anti-slavery, and often took in escaped slaves (see Note 3). Many of the Native Americans in Indian Territory also saw themselves as southerners though, and had interests in siding with the newly ceded Confederate States of America. Furthermore, Texas had a particular interest in courting the tribes to their side so that Indian Territory could act as buffer between them and the Union states to the north. Additionally, the Confederates also saw the Oklahoma territory as a gateway to further westward expansion now that MO and KS were blocked. None the less, many Native Americans were interested in trying to remain neutral during the White conflict, so that better land terms could possibly be renegotiated with the victors when it was over. Thus, many factions within the tribes themselves were stirred up by the political conflict within the US.

Red indicates the states of the Confederate while Blue indicates states of the Union (light blue were border Union states that still supported slavery but did not cede). Gray indicates unorganized territories of no particular affiliation, with the exception of the Indian Territories of future Oklahoma.

After formation of the Confederacy in Feb 1861, Confederate delegates began to pressure the various Indian tribes for their alliance. By May 1861, Union armies had seen enough of this activity that they decided to pull out of their role as territory protectors, and withdraw to Kansas instead. Native Americans seeking protection from White settlers or war skirmishes would need to flee northward to Kansas with them and become war refugees. Those who did though, suffered a bitter winter of exposure and starvation as their were no preparations for their arrival. Those who stayed felt equally in peril. No longer having the promised military protection, and surrounded by Confederate power, anti-slavery Union supporting tribes began to reconsider their position. By Nov 1861, most tribes in Indian Territory had sided with the Confederacy.

Native Americans being sworn in for Confederate military service

Siding with the Confederates during the war proved disastrous for the Native Americans once the war was lost. All treaties made with the Confederacy during the war were declared to be null and void, and tribes were informed that new treaties would need to be negotiated. A mandatory summons to each of the five tribes was issued by the US government to send a representative for these negotiations. During these meetings, Confederate siding tribes were forced to cede additional land, which the US government set aside to use for later resettlement of the Plains Indians during further westward expansions. Then, in 1871, it went a step further and declared that it would no longer recognize any Indian Nations as having sovereignty separate from the US, and thus would no longer treaty with them period. One of the many effects of all this was that it created areas within Indian Territory that were considered "Unassigned", a designation which proved rife for White squatters. The newly forming railroad companies, in particular, further fanned the flames of these settler incursions in order to drive up demand for travel west.

1880 flyer put out by the railroad industry advertising "Unassigned Indian Lands" to White settlers

Initially the US government tried to keep the squatters out. But the 1880s saw the formation of a particularly vocal group of land rights activists called the "Boomers" that would not be swayed. By 1889, the US government had given up defense of a position it had never really wanted to take anyways. It signed into law another appropriations act that would open Indian Territory to White settlement under the 1862 Homestead Act, and officially designated it as Oklahoma Territory in 1890. The Oklahoma land rush was soon in full swing. Josiah A., already having 6 new kids with his second wife Mary, was ready to take part in this movement by 1898. Though still not eligible for a land grant, by the 1900 census, they are found living as tenant farmers in Township 1S, Range 4W of Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory (near Alma). Not long after, Mary Jane's twin sister Lillie, now Lillie Drury, followed with her family and settled about 15 miles away in the city of Graham.

Land rush unfolding in Guthrie, OK (just north of present day Oklahoma City) 10 days after the 22 Apr 1889 government sanctioned opening of Indian Territory for settlement. Would-be settlers would stake their claim for 160 acres with tents, and then rush to the land office to make it official as quickly as possible before someone else could take it from them.

Map showing survey lots for the "Unassigned Lands" of the Chickasaw Nation in 1903. The green circle shows the location of the first homestead (near Alma) which was being rented by Josiah A.'s family in 1900. The blue square shows the approximate location (west of Ardmore, then part of Morgan Twp.) of the family home in 1910. The purple circle show the location of Mary Jane's twin sister Lillie Drury in Graham. 

Like his Taylor father and grandfather before him, Josiah A. died in his late 50's. Mary Jane, only 38 at the time (1904), was 7 months pregnant with their 10th child. Unlike what occurred in her childhood though, Mary Jane seems to have tried to keep the family together, though most of the older children from Josiah's first marriage had already left home and resettled back in Leon Co., TX. Mary Jane ended up having to move to another property, perhaps something more affordable, or simply something easier to manage, being closer to the city of Ardmore compared with the previous farm. In 1910, they were still renting the land, which by 1907 was officially considered a part of Carter Co., OK. Her oldest son, Oliver A., and her youngest step-son, James Robert, helped her to work the farm and the rest attended school. Mary Jane's twin sister, Lillie, and her large family were still nearby as well.

Mary Jane (Sessions) Taylor and family, probably about 1907. Back row, left to right: Norman, Oliver, Gertrude, Ethel. Front row, left to right: Nora, Lee Roy, Ben, Arthur, and Mary Jane.

Farming life was hard though, and periodic droughts, accompanied by fluctuating grain prices made it tricky business. Meanwhile, Mary Jane's oldest daughter, Ethel, had married in 1907 and moved away to Mitchell Co., TX with her new husband Luther Carpenter. Then, sadly, her next oldest daughter, Gertrude, died in 1910 at the age of 18. She was laid to rest alongside her father, sister Ruby, and step-brother Joseph in the Graham Cemetery. Next, in 1915, at the age of 21, her oldest son Oliver married Elma Evans from Bastrop Co., TX, and got a job in Fayette Co., TX as a railroad telegrapher. Perhaps unable to manage the farming without him, Mary Jane soon decided to pack up, take her remaining children, and leave Oklahoma behind. She re-settled in Mitchell Co., TX, where her daughter Ethel's family was living. Most of her children settled there after marriage as well, though some went back to Carter Co., OK eventually. In later life she remarried (twice), but never had more children.

Josiah Anderson Taylor's grave marker (d. 1904) at the Graham Cemetery in Graham, Carter Co., OK

Mary Jane (Sessions) Taylor gravestone at the Colorado City Cemetery in Colorado City, Mitchell Co., TX. About 1928 she remarried to Phillip Byrd (d.1944) and sometime after 1940 she remarried again to Needham Browne (d.1948).

Oliver A., my direct ancestor, seems to have been a bit less settled in life than many of his other siblings. Although only 11 when his father Josiah died, he was the oldest boy of the second marriage, and perhaps had more than the typical amount expected of him. He also seems to have been more intellectually oriented than most of his siblings. He attended school through the 10th grade (10.5 was average at that time, and only 8.2 was the median for rural males) whereas most of his siblings had dropped out by 8th grade, some even as early as 5th grade. He never moved to Mitchell Co., TX to be close to his family like most of his siblings, but he and Elma had three children of their own, Oliver Jr., James W. (b.1917, my direct line), and Dorothy. Oliver, Jr. died at only 3 months of age due to "accidental asphyxiation" (which was often really SIDS in the years before this was better understood). By 1920, Oliver and Elma had moved to New Ulm, Austin Co., TX. There they divorced in about 1932, during the Great Depression, after which Elma became a practical nurse in a private home to support herself.

Overexposed photo of Oliver A. Taylor circa 1925

Oliver remarried again shortly after the divorce, and moved to Taylor, Williamson Co., TX, but by 1940, he was divorced once again. Then in 1949, he married his third wife, Sophie (Liesman) Voight, and they moved to New Braunfels, Comal Co., TX where they spent the remainder of their years together. Oliver's son James would continue his father's intellectual bend and go on to become a mechanical engineer. He would also serve as a Capt. in the army during WWII, and would one day become my grandfather.

Grave marker for Oliver A. Taylor & Sophie (Liesman) Taylor at the Guadalupe Valley Memorial Park in New Braunfels, TX

Notes

1) Due to the many Josiah Taylor's, there is some question as to which one is the correct one. On the 1880 census, Josiah's youngest son Alford lists both his, and his parents states of birth as North Carolina. William Wesley sometimes lists his state of birth on the census as NC (1850), and other times as GA (1860). Assuming the family really is from NC originally though, it is likely that they were in Newton Co., Georgia by 1833, as that is when/where his oldest child, Mary, was married. 

There is more than one Josiah Taylor living in NC during the early 1800s, but the only one whose family makeup seems to match the 4 children listed in Josiah's will is the one living in Rockingham Co., NC in 1820 and 1830. Unfortunately, census records do not list names for anyone but the head of household before 1850. Using the stated age ranges/sexes of his children though, it is likely they were all born between about 1808-1816. This would suggest that Josiah and Elizabeth were married around 1807, and should be on the 1810 NC census as well, but there are no census records for nearby areas that match the family makeup well for that year. The best we can assume at this point is that they are from NC originally, and moved to Newton Co., GA sometime between Jun 1830 and Dec 1833.

Also note that the Josiah and Elizabeth (Harris) Taylor, who were married in Stokes Co., NC in 1805 (which is right next to Rockingham Co.) are not the same couple. They were still living in Stokes Co, NC in 1850, and were both buried there in the early 1860s.

For future research, it would be interesting to trace some of the other Taylor's they lived by in TX to see if they might be related further back. Particularly those by the Wheeler Cemetery in Flo, Leon, TX and those living in Fort Boggy, Leon Co., TX in the 1840s.

2) The writing in Josiah W.'s will is one of the more flowery pieces of prose I have read for these types of documents, and would suggest that he was a rather religious man. Interestingly, though obviously economic in nature, many early craft guilds in England derived from both religious and political interests, and some of those associated with the Tailors were particularly pious. My favorite part of Josiah W.'s will is as follow: 

"first and principally above all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it and my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian burial nothing doubting that I shall receive it again at the general resurrection by the mighty power of God, and as touching(?) such worldly estate where with it has pleased God to help me with in this life I give demise and dispose of the same in the following manner and form"

3) Well before the introduction of African chattel slaves by Whites, many Native American tribes practiced slavery by means of intra-racial war prisoners. They were usually noncombatant women and children whose family member had been killed in battle. They were not necessarily seen as an inferior people, however, and often eventually became a part of the new family unit.

References

"Fresno, Tulare, and Kern Counties, California Biographical History" [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003. Original data: A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Fresno, Tulare, and Kern, California. Chicago, IL, USA: Lewis Publishing, [1892], p.726.

For Birth, Marriage, Death, Obit, Census, and Will records, please see links to Wikitree, Ancestry, or Family Search.

The Wahle family of Hallenberg, Westphalia, Prussia

(Note: Many of the Wikipedia links in this article are from the German, rather than the English, version of the page, as they often have more information than the English version. If, like me, you don't speak fluent German, you can get around this by using the translate option of your browser in settings to easily convert them.)

Family Line Links: (WikiTree.com)(Ancestry.com)(FamilySearch.org)

After doing some research on Dad's Wahle line recently, I was amazed to discover that we can now trace it back to Germany in about 1630, to a man named none other than Christopher Wahle! (Also my Dad's name for those not in the know.) In 1656, he is said to have married a woman named Rachel Lodderhose in the German town of Hallenberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (though back then it was considered part of the Dutchy of Westphalia in the Electorate of Cologne in the Holy Roman Empire). It is only about 5 miles from the town of Züschen, where Dad's Schauerte line is from. Both are found in Central Western Germany, at the southeastern state border with Hesse. Hallenberg lies in the foothills of the Rothaar Mountains, part of the Sauerland Region, which is the most heavily touristed area of North Rhine-Westphalia today. It was built in about 1260 AD, and its enclosed mountainous surroundings allowed it to served as an important military choke point on trade routes between the nearby kingdoms of Arnsberg, Hesse, Wittgenstein, and Waldeck. It's original land owner was an archbishop from the town of Medebach. 

States of Modern Germany showing the city of Hallenberg within North Rhine-Westphalia

Unfortunately, we don't know much more about Christopher Wahle (b. 1630) than that yet, and I haven't yet found a good record to confirm him. The surname itself is supposed to mean "elector", and originates from the northern city of Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany, in about the 13th century. Most likely, someone in the family was part of the electorate who helped to select the Holy Roman Emperor. The first good record I have found is for the son of Christopher, Otto Wahle (b. about 1660), who married Sybilla Gruesemann in Hallenberg in 1696. Sadly, it is unlikely that many older records will ever be found given the situation in Germany (ie Prussia) during that time period.

Hallenberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Historical Background

The 16th-17th centuries in many parts of what is now Germany were pretty rough, due to a combination of the Protestant Reformation, the Bubonic Plague (ie Black Death), and good old feudal village plundering. The Holy Roman Empire had held the authoritative power of the Roman Catholic Church over the mainly Saxon people of Germany since 962 AD. But it was now being challenged by the growing religious and social ideals of Protestantism that had been put forth by Martin Luther in 1517. One of the main differences between these two theologies was the Protestant belief that forgiveness of sins could be a private spiritual matter, between an individual and God, rather than a formal matter requiring the intermediary of a Catholic priest and the Sacrament of Penance. The political and social implications of such a belief had huge repercussions during a time when church was not yet considered separate from state. Rather, the authority of the Catholic church to rule the people was assumed to be a Divine Right. What, then, did it mean if even common peasants now had the right to petition God directly for their concerns, and be worthy of His answer? And what right did the church have to assert authority over this personal spiritual relationship?

Catholic Confession in which the priest, through Jesus Christ, 

grants the penitent absolution of sins

Understandably, the Catholic Church was very concerned about this questioning of its Divine authority over its people. But many in both the peasant and lower noble classes were inspired by Martin Luther's teaching none the less. One way or another, a change in people's way of thinking about themselves in relation to God and authority had begun. In the 1500s, Germany was not a country, but rather a part of the Holy Roman empire, which was itself a collection of about 300 different kingdoms. This large number was due to differences in royal succession customs compared to many other areas of the world. Rather than the title of King being passed on to only the eldest son, the land was instead divided, and the title of Prince was passed on to all the sons, thus splitting the kingdom into smaller (and weaker) parts as time went on. To overcome this weakening, the kingdoms also formed various Electorates, which were shifting collections of kingdoms (ie Electorate of the Palatinate, Electorate of Cologne, etc.) which acted together on matters of trade and security. Some of these Electorates were Roman Catholic in power origin, while others were more secular.

Various Kingdoms of the Holy Roman Empire in 1356 due to early succession laws

The Electorates of future Germany varied in their openness to the adoption of the new Protestant ideas. Many areas of the north and east saw widespread conversion. The law at that time was that whatever religion the prince-elector of a kingdom chose to adopt, it automatically became the only allowed religion for its citizens as well. At times this caused kingdoms to convert to Protestantism, only to reconvert back to Catholicism sometime later, which must have been somewhat confusing for its people. This happened in Hallenberg in the 1580's. Over time, these shifting alliances caused power struggles both within and between Electorates, which broke out into religious wars. 

Artistic depiction of the generations of conflict brought about by the posting of Martin Luther's 95 Theses on the doors of the church in 1517

Hallenberg, in Westphalia (ie Westfalen), was (and is) strongly Roman Catholic, but was relatively protected during the first 50 years of these conflicts, due to the majority of battles taking place in other parts of the region. However, movements of troops between areas of battle often resulted in villages along the way being ruthlessly raided for food and supplies. Additionally, traveling troops often brought new variants of the Plague with them as well. In this too thought, Hallenberg, was lucky, as it was one of the few cities in the area at that time with a fortified stone defense wall surrounding it. Many of the smaller, unprotected villages, such as Züschen, would temporarily abandon their settlements when raiding or plague was prevalent, and flee to fortified cities such as Winterberg, Hallenberg, and Medebach, which could seal off their city gates to violence and contagion.

Southeastern Westphalia in 1645. Züschen lies 5 miles downriver of Hallenberg on the Nuhne River

The culmination of the Protestant Reformation took the form of the Thirty Years War, which began in 1618. It was a particularly violent period for this conflict, and is said to be one of the most destructive conflicts in all of European history. In 1621, this hostility was brought directly to Hallenberg's doorstep when fighting broke out in the Landgraviate of Hesse- the territory just south of Hallenberg. In 1623, Hallenberg requested 50 riflemen from Winterberg to help protect the city, which were granted. But by 1632, the city was plundered for supplies by Protestant Hessian forces none the less, causing its residents to flee for a time. The city was attacked again in both 1633 and 1634, and this second time the southern fortress gate (the Niedertor, or low gate) of the city was destroyed. No longer having a good way to defend itself, they city suffered much higher casualty rates after this point, and it is estimated that by 1638, almost half of its original residents had either died or permanently fled. Then, in 1649, the Swedes, who fought for the Protestant cause, went so far as to set fire to the city in retribution for the war contributions they felt had not been adequately paid. Certainly many family lines died out completely during this time, and our Wahle line was lucky to not have been one of them.

"The Looting of Wommelgem", 1625-30, by Sebastien Vrancx

Peace finally began to be restored in 1648-49, after the Peace of Westphalia treaty was signed. Religiously, the treaty attempted to legalize religious freedom by stating that while a ruler could covert his territory to the religion of his choice, he no longer had the right to force the people to convert with him. Politically, it also established the modern principle of equal states rights, meaning that no matter how small or militarily weak a nation-state, every independent nation-state had the right of sovereignty over its own internal affairs, without "might makes right" interference by larger military powers. Although the Holy Roman Empire still existed at this point, its centralized power was now greatly reduced in favor of the widely dispersed kingdoms and electorates.

"The Swearing of the Oath of Ratification of the Treaty of Münster", by Gerard Terborch, 1648, depicting the settlement of one part of the Peace of Westphalia

The records of our Wahle ancestors from this time are mainly found in Roman Catholic church records, albeit only ones after the city fire of 1649. Despite this fire, (and two previous fires in 1400 and 1519), the edifice of the St. Heribert Catholic Church of Hallenberg has managed to remain relatively unchanged since it was first built in the 12th century. It took a couple generations to fully recover, but from 1708-9 the damage from the Thirty Years War war was repaired, with the church being rebuilt on its original foundation. In its preserved records, we find the family of Otto Wahle (b. about 1660) and Sybilla Grueseman raising their family of 7 children in Hallenberg during the early 1700's. Many generations of Wahle ancestors were baptized, joined in marriage, and laid to rest within this chapel's grounds.

St. Heribert's Catholic Church, Hallenberg, North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany

Alter of St. Heribert's Catholic Church. The current Baroque alter was probably installed in the 1700s. The previous Renaissance alter is now found in the local Merklinghauser Chapel.

After the Thirty Years War ended, a period a relative peace ensued, which helped to usher in the era of Enlightenment. As religious and social tolerance became more widely practiced in society, people began to look for truth in science rather than religious dictate. They began to consider their rights as human beings, and how education and intellectual discovery could be put to use for the common good. The implementation of these new ideas was highly variable, however, due to the lack of a strong centralized government and the many fractured independent kingdoms that made up future Germany at that time. Generally speaking, more Protestant areas like the growing kingdom of Prussia to the northeast, were quicker to put these reforms in place. Meanwhile, strongly Roman Catholic areas, such as Hallenberg, held tight to old customs for longer, and thus were slower to advance. By 1759, the city no longer contained any noble houses, and most of its less than 200 homes were owned by small scale subsistence farmers with little wealth.

City Layout of Hallenberg in 1780, consisting of 4 districts: Burg (castle), Raphun, Eisernhut and Eudeut, with the circular town center built around St. Heribert's Catholic Church. The split of the city into four quarters is thought to be due to the relocation of settlers from the nearby abandoned farming communities of Schnellinghausen, Frederinghausen, Gunterdinghausen, Merklinghausen, Wolmerkusen and Beckhausen in the 1500s.

Hallenberg today, with the original town layout still seen at its center

Wahle Family Line

Otto Wahle's 3rd child was named Henrici Wahle (b.1703), and he married Anna Elizabeth Schnurbusch in 1725. Together, they raised 7 children in Hallenburg during the mid-1700s, and were likely farmers like the many generations before. (Only 3 children clearly lived to adulthood, which was typical for childhood mortality rates in Germany at that time.) Their second born child, Henrici Jacobi (b.1729), continued the Wahle line when he married Anna Sybilla Möller in 1762 and had another family of 7 children (though two were born stillborn, and another did not live to adulthood.) Many of the half-timbered buildings, still present in the city today, are thought to have been built at about this time. Their youngest child, Franciscus Alexander Augustinus Wahle (b.1780), was the child who carried on our line. 

As Henrici Jacobi and Anna Sybilla raised their family during the end of the 18th century, things began to heat up again on the world stage. Following the successful American Revolutionary War for Independence, the citizens of France were inspired to undertake a revolution of their own. The Jacobin party wanted to free themselves from the absolute monarchy of King Louis XVI and become a secular state. As the world watched on in alarm from 1792-3, revolutionary leaders in France arrested, tried, and then executed (by beheading!) the King. Nine months later, they also beheaded his wife, Marie Antoinette, who was the sister of Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II. In order to help unite the people behind the new government, a politically motivated war was declared on Austrian territory in the Netherlands. After initial military success, in 1793 France expanded its ambitions to territories of Spain, Britain, and the Dutch Republic, with the stated intent of trying to eliminate hostile forces near its borders, and to promote its political ideals throughout Europe. By 1795, with Napoleon Bonaparte rising in power, it had annexed the Austrian Netherlands and overtaken both the Dutch Republic, and the left bank of the Rhine River, which included parts of Prussia.

"Napoleon Crossing the Alps" by Jacques-Louis David in 1805

Meanwhile, in future Germany, the almost 300 kingdoms/states of the crumbling Holy Roman Empire had been struggling for some time with how to reconsolidate their fading power. Since the end of the Thirty Years War, the possibility of converting all the remaining ecclesiastical estates into secular states had been rumored and schemed, but had not yet come to fruition. However, once France took over the estates west of the Rhine, the rulers of these kingdoms were suddenly more motivated to find a solution that would limit their land/power loses. Newly secular France offered to help "mediate" the solution to this dilemma, with the understanding that one way or the other, they would be claiming the lands west of the Rhine when it was done. Their proposed solution was to covert all of the ecclesiastical territories into secular states, and then to compensate the secular princes of the west bank with formerly ecclesiastical territories east of the Rhine. As in France, this would result in huge losses of lands for the Roman Catholic Church. The conclusion of these negotiations came to pass on 25 Feb 1803, with the result being that 112 ecclesiastical states, and over 3 million people, suddenly found their kingdom of origin redefined. Hallenberg, Westphalia was one of these ecclesiastical kingdoms, and that day it transferred hands to the secular state of Hesse-Darmstadt, who had previously sacked them. They are said to have imposed a harsh military rule with high taxes that further impoverished the citizens. 

1803 reorganization of Holy Roman Empire ecclesiastical estates, 

placing Hallenberg within Hesse-Darmstadt

The conversion of all ecclesiastical lands marked the end of the Holy Roman Empire in all but name. Meanwhile, Napoleon continued his French war of conquest, expanding his exploits into Italy, Egypt, and Russia. In exchange for the ecclesiastical lands they had been given, the future German states of Bavaria, Württemberg, and Baden fought in his coalition, while Prussia initially remained neutral. Through 1806, he continued to make military gains. Then Prussia, sick of having France's troops scattered throughout its lands, wreaking havoc as they advanced on Russia, told the French coalition to get out. When they refused, Prussia joined the war against France as well, and finally Napoleon's army met its equal match. Although it would be several more years of battle, with advances and retreats on both sides, by 1812 Napoleons troops were finally sufficiently reduced to produce a truce with Russia. By 1813, he was suffering heavy losses in Prussia as well, and reading the tea leaves, several of the future German states began to change sides. In 1814, Allied troops were able to beat the French back across the Rhine River, and eventually took the capitol of Paris. Napoleon finally surrendered on 12 Apr 1814, and was banished to the island of Elbe.

Napoleon under the guard of British troops as he is transferred to the Italian island of Elbe

Long term peace plans for the region then commenced at the Congress of Vienna. By 1815, it had been decided that Prussia would be the best guard of future French aggressions at the Western border, and as such, it was granted significant new territories of lands, including Rhineland, Westphalia, and Ruhr. During this land acquisition, the city of Hallenberg was transferred back from Hesse-Darmstadt to Westphalia, which now was a part of Prussia. Before this could occur though, in 1811, the remains of the city wall that had existed since the 1300s, was demolished by the Hessians. The German Confederation was also created during this time, but it was not yet a county. Rather it was a collection of 39 German speaking nations, of which Austria served as president, trying to replace the centralized power of the Holy Roman Empire. Such was the political climate into which Franciscus Alexander Augustus Wahle started his family when he married Anna Catharina Gross in 1814, and had yet another Wahle family of 7 children. Four of their children lived to adulthood. The first two children, Maria Anna and Peter Joseph, were actually born out of wedlock in 1812 and 1814 respectively, though it may have been that with all the political reorganizations, things were too crazy for an official ceremony at that time. Their fourth child, Franz Heinrich Daniel Wahle (b.1819), was our direct ancestor.

Modern remains of the Hallenberg city wall, demolished in 1811

With the war finally at an end, the people of future Germany belatedly entered the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, a process that had started in Britain more than a half century prior. Depending on local resources and proximity to larger cities and sea ports, some areas benefited from this economic transition much more than others. In Germany especially, initial industrial advances were primarily confined to a few larger cities. Due to its remote, hilly, rural location at the southern edge of the Westphalian Sauerland, Hallenberg was not one of the areas well positioned to take part in this global economic reorganization. With the exception of a small number of cloth makers, carpenters, shoemakers and tailors, the majority of its citizens were still small-scale subsistence farmers using old, non-mechanized forms of agriculture. The cottage industries of these small farming communities were further disadvantaged by the removal of the Continental Blockade against trade with Britain after the Napoleonic wars. It left them exposed to competition from the much more refined and established goods available in the already industrialized west. Thus, rather than benefiting from industrial progress, many rural areas like Hallenberg went into a protracted state of economic decline.

Frontier Cultural Museum in Staunton, VA, 

demonstrating typical 18th century farming in southwestern Germany

As the Industrial Revolution in Germany progressed, people in the cities began to learn new skills, and a new middle-class of business men, including mine owners, railroad developers, university professors, skilled machine operators and the like, began to emerge. Among this class, the sentiment began to build that it should be education and talent, rather than aristocratic "right of birth", that held the political reigns of power. This liberal ideology spilled over into the working class factory and agricultural workers, who sought radical improvements in their working and living conditions. By 1848, the German Confederation found itself in the midst of its own Revolution, with riots breaking out in states all across the union. That year in the town of Hallenberg, residents formed a protective guard in order to defend the city from the unrest of the rural farmers. Despite its strong conservative Catholic roots, most citizens of Hallenberg have tended to be Centrist in their political views. We do not know whether Franz Heinrich Daniel Wahle was a rural farmer or a city dweller, but this was the world around him as he and Maria Elisabeth Schauerte tied the knot in January of 1849.

Cheering Revolutionaries in Berlin, 19 March 1848, Artist Unknown

Unlike the revolution in France, the revolution in the German Confederation was less well coordinated, and the rulers of the separate states managed to suppress the rebellions by July 1849. Although pressure for the redistribution of political power would continue to strengthen, Germany would stay an autocratic monarchy until 1918. Many liberal Germans were exiled from the Confederation after this rebellion, and left for America. A large number immigrated to Ohio, where they were known as Fourty-Eighters. The Wahle family stayed, however, and Franz Heinrich Daniel and Maria Elisabeth raised a family of 10 children. Unlike the Wahle's before him though, Franz Heinrich Daniel Wahle chose to relocate to the nearby village of Züschen, where his wife's family had been established for many generations. At least 7 of their children survived to adulthood and went on to have families of their own. All but two seem to have stayed in Züschen for the long haul.

Village of Züschen in Winterberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

In the years following the failed German Revolution, attempts were made by both Austria and Prussia to further consolidate the German Confederation of States. First Prussia, and then Austria, began to exert diplomatic pressure on the smaller states to give up their sovereignty and formally join with them, in exchange for greater unified power. This eventually set the stage for a possible civil war within the German  Confederation, which was coming to a head by the 1860s. Meanwhile, Franz Heinrich Daniel's wife, Maria Elisabeth, gave birth to their 6th and 7th children. Twin boys, born 8 Feb 1861, one name Adam Wahle, and one named Joseph Wahle. The first would spend the remainder of his life in Germany, the second would one day be bound for America. (See Note 1)

Nation-States of the German Confederation prior to 1866. Hallenberg/Züschen are part of Prussia and nearest to the labeled city of Cologne

The final straw for relations between Austria and Prussia occurred in June of 1866, when the two rivals got into a tug of war about how administration of the jointly conquered Denmark territories of Schleswig-Holstein should occur. Prussia felt that Austria was overstepping its bounds, and ordered Austrian troops out of Holstein. When Austria refused, Prussia moved its troops into the Austrian leaning states of Saxony, Hesse, and Hanover. Austria responded in kind. Over the next seven weeks, a series of battles ensued, with victories mostly going to the Prussians. By August, Austria was ready for peace talks. At the Peace of Prague, the German Confederation was formally dissolved, and Prussia was allowed to annex four of Austria's allied territories: Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, Nassau, and Frankfurt. With Austria no longer in the picture, Prussia was free to form a new military alliance called the North German Confederation. By 1871, this Confederation had transformed itself into the German Empire, over which Wilhelm I was set as the German Emperor (ie Kaiser).

The German Empire in 1871

If the Wahle legend is to be believed, sometime in about 1885, when he was 24 years of age, Joseph Wahle stole one of the Kaiser's horses, and was forced to flee to America. Given that the Kaiser/Emperor was based in Berlin though, and would have had no reason to go to the back county of Züschen, or to keep his horses there, it is unclear to me how this would have happened. Perhaps he went to Berlin? More likely though, poverty was the reason for his immigration. Child mortality in Germany between the 1830s-1870s was almost 50%, and the 1880's recorded the greatest number of German immigrants to America ever. They came mainly to escape the downward economic mobility being endured by rural communities since being left behind by the Industrial Revolution. In fact, by 1900, 1 in every 4 Chicagoan's was either born in Germany, and/or had a parent who was. Moreover, the economic situation in Hallenberg did not improve until after WWII, when industry and tourism finally began to take root.

Late 19th century ship with German immigrants boarding for America

Joseph Wahle landed in New York City on 5 Sep 1885, on a ship called Elbe. His financial circumstances were such that he had to ride steerage rather than cabin class, which was common for the poor. By 1889 he is living in Chicago, but he may have stopped in Cincinnati, Ohio along the way, as that is where the family of his future wife, Maria Christina Dietrich was living. Her family had immigrated from Hallenberg two years prior, and likely they knew one another before coming to America. By May of 1888, they had married and started a family of 9 children in Chicago, though sadly their first child died at the age of only 5. They lived in the Bricktown neighborhood of Chicago, and by 1910, Joseph was an inspector at a structural steel works plant. Their second to last child, Joseph Gerard Wahle (b.1905) was our direct ancestor. Joseph Wahle died in Feb 1918, at the age of 57, when Joseph Gerard was 12. Seven months later, the Spanish flu of 1918 descended upon the city, and their second oldest child, Harry, died as well. In order to help ends meet, the 2 oldest daughters worked as stenographers, while the next oldest son worked as a mason. Harry, Joseph, and eventually Maria "Mary" Christina were all buried together at St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery in Chicago, IL. Many other Wahle ancestors are buried here as well.

Grave marker at St. Boniface Cemetery in Chicago, IL for Joseph Wahle, Maria Christina (Dietrich) Wahle, and their son Harry Wahle

Notes

1) Actually, I cannot find any records for the marriage or children of Adam Wahle (b.1861), nor a death certificate that has a different date than his twin brother Joseph's, though there are two different birth records. Possibly Adam actually died at birth? The fact that Joseph is listed as Joseph Adam on his death records though almost makes me wonder if they are really the same person instead? That is only the case for his death records though, so the middle name could have just added by family. Perhaps he took it on as an honorary middle name, in remembrance of his twin brother, at some point later in his life?