Nov 1, 1960
Anna Dosch Barley's Book

WOGAMAN   BURKETT   HOLDERY
- Ezra Kuhns, Dayton, O., Aug. 1, 1948

WOGAMAN

    The origin in this country of the many families having the above or equivalent names, is not entirely clear. The primary source of information in that regard is to be found in Rupp's Collection of the Thirty Thousand names of persons registering under colonial law in the Port of Philadelphia. Those lists beginning approximately in 1727, and continue irregularly until about the time of the American Revolution. The following registrants appear in Rupp's Collection above referred to:

Johan Philip Wageman, aged 23 years, ship Harle, September 1, 1736.
Jacob Wegman (also given as Wagman), aged 28 years,
          ship Francis and Elizabeth, august 30, 1743.
Tobias Waugheman, ship bolander-Vernon, August 1, 1737.
Michel Wagenman, ship Anderson, August 32, 1750.
Gottlieb Wagman, ship Edinburg, September 16, 1751.

    The only person in the above list who can be definitely placed by later generations, is John Philip Wageman. He settled in Weisenberg township, Bucks, afterwards Northampton, and later Lehigh county, Penna., where he acquired land, and died in 1793. His wife's name was Susannah. She died in 1775, and from the estate records it seems that there were seven surviving children, their names not being given. Four sons have been accounted for, one of them, Nicholas, dying in early manhood. This son, with his brother Peter was confirmed in the Tohicken Reformed church in Bucks county, Penna., in 1758. In 1764 Peter enrolled in a Provincial regiment for service in one of the colonial Wars. He took the oath of allegiance to the colonies at the time of the Revolution. He died in Albany township, Berks county. His descendants are known today, at least in part. John, another son, moved to Westmorland county about 1791. His descendants are also well known today, either in Westmorland or adjacent counties in Pennsylvania. Philip, another son of the immigrant, born in 1744, moved to Maxatawny township, Berks county, where he appears as a landowner in 1785. His wife, residing in that vicinity, was named Kreisher, or Greisher. They seemed to have moved to Bedford county, now Somerset, and this person is the ancestor of Mr William H. Hall, deceased, and Miss Ada Bittner, natives of that county, who have rendered much service in establishing family data. Both John and Philip served in the Revolution in militia companies, the former in Northampton, and Philip in Berks.

    About the middle of the 18th century, there was a family of Wagemans in North Carolina, the progenitor being George, who was raised by the Moravian brethren in the vicinity of Winston-Salem. Some of his descendants settled in Clermont county, Ohio and a later generation located in Cheyenne, in the state of Wyoming.

    Thomas Waggerman. Marshal of the Supreme court of the United States, Washington, D.C. is probably descended from Heinrich Waggerman who settled on the east shore of Maryland, where he owned extensive tracts of land as early as 1743. Neither he nor those claiming descent from the North Carolina Wagemans seem to bear any relationship to the Pennsylvania families of the same, or any similar name, at least in America.

    In 1805, three brothers, William, John and Christian Wogaman, came to Montgomery county, Ohio, from Somerset county, Penna. The most intensive search has failed to connect these persons with any of the families above mentioned, or with any of the other immigrants listed in Rupp's Collection. However, exploring in a different direction, it was discovered that a Christian Martin Wogaman appeared as a lessee of lands and a taxpayer in Vincent township, Chester county, Penna., in 1734, and thereafter until and including the year 1761. There are no earlier records, unfortunately. In a list of marriages kept by the Rev. John Waldschmidt, pastor of the Cocalico Lutheran church in Lancaster county, Penna., there is noted the marriage of Sarah, the daughter of this Christian Martin Wagmann, on July 3, 1753, to Christian Everhart, son of Johan George Everhart. Beginning in 1751, Christian Everhart, above, is listed for taxes in Vincent township, and is so listed for a number of years thereafter. Beginning in 1761 and continuing until and including the year 1765, also in 1769, in the adjoining township of Pikeland, Chester county, the name of Martin Wogaman appears as a freeman, married, but not a land owner. In 1780, this name reappears in Washington township, Cumberland county, Penna., as the owner off 50 acres of land and some farm chattels. In 1785, a Martin Wogaman was deeded a lot in Middletown, Md., which lot he sold in 1789. This town is only a few miles distant from Martin Wogaman's location in cumberland county. This is now Franklin county. In a militia list for Leacock township, Lancaster county, Penna., for the year 1782, appears the name of William Wagenman. This township is about twenty-five miles from Pikeland township, Chester county. It might be reasonably inferred that the Chester county Wagamans had begun their "trek" from that county westwardly, and this inference becomes all the more reasonable in view of the following further facts. In 1737, also in the Vincent township tax lists, appears the name of Casper Wogaman, a taxpayer, and in 1778, his name reappears in Antrim township, Cumberland county, as the owner of a small amount of Chattel property. This township adjoins Washington township, and either in this or in Antrim township, in the same year, the names of Philip and Jacob Wogaman appear, as taxpayers, and in 1779 as members of a militia company for that county. Although without clinching proof, yet it might not be unreasonable to conclude that the families moved to the west, Christian being the father of Martin, and the grandfather of William, John and Christian who came to Montgomery county, Ohio, via Somerset county, Penna., and further that Casper was the father of Philip and Jacob above referred to. Records show that Philip was born in 1747 and died prior to 1830. Jacob was born in 1757 and died prior to 1830. An interesting circumstance having considerable problative value is that the future generations springing from this stock, used the first name Christian with great frequency. Both William and Christian who came to Ohio, had sons by that name.

    How much earlier the Chester county Wogamans came into this country cannot be established, in the absence of records. However, a little speculation on that point might not be out of order.  In 1846, one Sheeder a history of Vincent township, which is in manuscript form in the collection of the Historical Society of Chester county. In this history the author states to the effect that Everhart and Wogaman were the first German settlers in that township; that Everhart married Wogaman's widow (she was Wogamann's daughter) that Wagaman had no male descendants (presumably Martin was a son) and further that Christian Everhart was descended from a certain John Everhart who came from Wuertemburg, and settled in the colony of New York, at a much earlier date, then migrated to Pennsylvania. There are records giving the names of persons who left the Palatinate and south Germany under the patronage of Queen anne of England, and settled near London; afterwards under the same patronage, settling in the Province of New York in the vicinity of Albany. This colonization having proved a failure, and the immigrants after severe hardships and dying in great numbers, both in England and this country, many of the survivors removed to Pennsylvania, where under the Penns, conditions were more friendly. In these lists is found the name of John Everhart, and in one of them appears the name of Abraham Wagmann, noted as having a wife and two children. As Abraham's name is given only in one list, it can be inferred that he had died; and as a further inference, not entirely unwarranted, considering the apparent close relationship of the Everhart and Wogaman families, that the Everharts brought the two boys, Christian and Casper, with them into Pennsylvania. This seems very speculative, but the writer has about concluded as stated, placing much reliance upon Sheeder's statements..

William, John and Christian

    In the late summer of 1805, the above brothers left their homes in Bedford, later Somerset county, and took up lands in Jackson, now Perry township, Montgomery county, Ohio. The claim for these lands was entered in the US land office at Cincinnati, Ohio, in October of the above year. William enter for the S.E. quarter of Sec. 36, and John and Christian for the S.E. quarter of Sec. 25. The lands are northwardly and eastwardly from the village of New Lebanon, and these persons are said to have been the first settlers in what is now known as Perry township. William, who seemed to have been the eldest, took up additional lands. Several of his children moved to Darke county, Ohio. where their descendants have been land owners and prominent people. In 1818, Christian deeded to John 59 acres of the land originally entered in Sec. 25.

    In coming to Ohio, these brothers took the usual course across the mountains, then proceeded by boat to Cincinnati, thence to Dayton, and westwardly to the lands which they had purchased, no doubt, through an almost unbroken wilderness. The Pennsylvania homes of these emigrants or pioneers was in Brothers Valley township, near Stony Creek, in Somerset county, and near the small village of Berlin. William and Christian were owners of farm property; while John, whose occupation, as shown in a deed, was that of "joiner", meaning, no doubt, a cabinet maker, owned several lots in the nearby village, although he probably lived in the country. Before coming to Ohio, each seems to have sold what possessions in real estate he may have had. They brought with them in wagons, not only large families, but sufficient household goods for the new conditions. Among other necessary articles, John brought a grandfather's clock which is still in the possession of one of his descendants.

    The earliest record of any of the brothers in Bedford county, is that of the birth of William's son Michael in 1785. Records also show that John had a child, born February 25, 1788, named Michael, who was baptized in the Reformed and Lutheran church at Berlin, in the same year. The mother was Mary Margaret. She was probably the daughter of Michael Kufer (Coover), but this is not entirely certain. Other children were born to this couple before emigrating to Ohio, namely Joel, born February 5, 1791; Anna Elizabeth, born December 3, 1793; and John, born December 12, 1796. John's tombstone gives the year of birth as 1797, which in view of the church record is an error. Incidentally, Christian's children bore the same names as John's. It has been suggested that John and Christian were twins, but usually John has been considered the older of these two, although Christian died first. In a military list for Bedford county for the year 1789, appear the names of William and Christian Wagaman, but that of John is not listed. He is said to have been lame, which explains the omission. In the census of 1790, Christian does not appear, although William and John are listed. Christian was probably listed with some other family, as he was not married until April 29, 1792. His wife was Margaret Kover (Coover). She is said to have been a first cousin of John's wife Margaret.

From the ages as stated in various census returns, William was born prior to 1760 and John and Christian a few years after. John Wogaman lived on the tract in Perry township until the death of his wife which occured in 1835, after which he sold the farm and removed to the home of his son John in Madison township, who lived about a mile north of the village of Trotwood, and here John, the elder, died in 1844. The burial place of neither John nor Margaret is known, but it is presumed to have been on a private burial plot near the rear of his son's farm. As these pioneers were of the Lutheran faith, it has been suggested their burial may have been in one of the other of the of the burial grounds of a church of that denomination, several of which were in the general vicinity. If so, their graves are unmarked so far as now known.

John, the son of the pioneer, as stated before, was born in what is now Somerset county, Penna., on December 12, 1796, (usually stated as 1797), and accordingly was about nine years of age when the family removed to Ohio. On August 13, 1818, he married Mary Burket, the daughter of Henry Burket, or Barckhart as the name was originally spelled. Henry, who had come to Ohio from North Carolina, was a large land owner, and after his death, in course of time, John acquired a 50-acre tract off of those holdings, which as above stated, lay back of the pike leading northwardly from Trotwood, perhaps a mile. Here he farmed and carried on a business of cabinet making until his death on March 13, 1882. His wife, Mary died on March 4, 1881, and both are buried in the burial plot of "Happy Corners" Brethren church, located eastwardly from the Salem pike, about nine miles north of the city of Dayton, Ohio. John and Mary had the following children:

Elizabeth, born May 21, 1819, married Henry Stoneroad on June 2, 1842,
    their children being Levi, John and Samuel;
George, born October 15, 1820, married (1) Catherine Elizabeth Hilterbrick,
     their children being William A and David C; and
    (2) Mary Kinsel, their children being Frank P and John R;
Anna, born July 5, 1823, married Levi Bookwalter,
    their children being Mary, Endorah and Laura;
Martin, born February 4, 1825, married Hanna Eliza Brandenburg,
    their children being Webster, Arminda, Willis and Harry;
Sarah, born January 5, 1827, married Samuel Pfoutz,
    their children being Cynthia, Greely, Mary, Laura and Amy;
Moses, born March 11, 1829, married Frances Wagner,
    their children being Emma Alice, Mary, Flora, George and Belle;
Mary, born October 29, 1832, married John F. Glass,
    their children being Amanda, Mary, Libbie, John and Webster.

    The respect in which this family of pioneers was held, can best be expressed in the following words copied from Beer's history of Montgomery county, Ohio, published in 1882:

"During the same year (1805), John Wogaman, Sr., and family, emigrated from Somerset county, Penna., the state thus far supplying so abundantly this locality with her sturdy yeomanry, and entered land in the vicinity of Amity. Of the five children of this household, but one survives to rehearse to his children and children's children the events of the days of yore--by name "Uncle John Wogaman" as he is known far and near, who, upward of sixty years ago, left the paternal roof and made happy the heart of Mary Burket. This venerable couple were, until recently separated by the death of Mrs. Wogaman, the pioneer twain of the township, each close on to the goal of fourscore years and ten of well spent time, having resided where, more than a half century ago, they reared the log cabin on the brow of a hill overlooking a beautiful stream, the gentle murmur of whose rippling waters those many years comforted them in their lonely moments. Here together, these aged folks have shared life's cares and joys, and, here, too, were they permitted to pass together the evening of their lives."

At her death, Mary was 86 years, 4 months and 5 days old. John is recorded as having been upon his death, of the age of 84 years, 3 months and 1 day. Based on the birth record in the church of Berlin, Penna., it should be stated as 85 years.

End of copy.

Note by Ruth, February , 2000.

In the above article, Mr Kuhns makes a reference to a son Michael born to William in 1785.  William's estate proceedings of 1836 DO NOT indicate there was a son Michael.  If there was a Michael, he was deceased before 1836 and left no heirs.