8 Fast Facts About Hessians

McMurray Family (Click for Family Tree)

Tuesday’s Tip: When you find a resource that lists your ancestor, or has information to add context to his/her life, “mine” it for more information than just the first page that came up in a search engine.

Finding new information about an ancestor, their time, or the places they lived is always exciting! But don’t stop with the first item that comes up on a website search or when checking the index. Look through the information, using a variety of search terms, to see what else might provide more information. Browse through a Table of Contents or go page by page through a document. Important-to-you items can get missed by an indexer, spelling can be off, and sometimes titles are misleading, or the article has more than suggested. This tip will help “put flesh on the bones” of an ancestor, and help you to understand more about the context of their life.

Using references, notes/footnotes, and bibliographies can point a researcher toward more pertinent information as well.

The Journal of the American Revolution is a good example. After finding the items that were listed in yesterday’s post, another search on the website, this time for “Hessian,” brought up more interesting articles that are useful as background for understanding the early years and military service of Henry Horn:

“The Sale of the Hessians” and the Franklin Legend

The Hessian Jägerkorps in New York and Pennsylvania, 1776-1777

Hessians: Mercenaries, Rebels, and the War for British North America

More to come about Henry Horn as we complete more research.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. How are we related? One of the sons of Henry HORN and Elizabeth (PRETZMAN) HORN was Frederick P. HORN (1796-1867). One of his daughters with Hepzibah (CLARK) HORN was Mary Ann HORN (1824-1891), who married Henderson McMURRAY (1819-1906). Their son Frederick Asbury McMURRAY (1850-1929) was the grandfather of Edward A. McMURRAY, SR. (1900-1992).
2. Journal of the American Revolution, allthingsliberty.com.

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Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

McMurray Family (Click for Family Tree)

Henry Horn (1758-1845) was a McMurray ancestor who came to this country as a Hessian soldier (or “German Auxiliary”) for the British in the Revolutionary War. Henry and about 1,000 other Hessians were captured in the December 26th, 1776 surprise attack at Trenton, New Jersey, by George Washington and his forces, after their famous crossing of the Delaware River. Henry became a Prisoner of War and was taken to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He later stated he enlisted into the American forces in Lancaster, and he served fourteen months in the War. (See Notes below for more posts about Henry.)

There are quite a lot of videos on YouTube about the Hessians, including the above. We are unsure how long Henry stayed in Lancaster as a POW (he is not well documented), so we don’t know if he actually helped build the Carlyle Barracks shown in the video, but it is a possibility since he was a strong young man- maybe only 16 or 18 years old.

Another good resource is the Journal of the American Revolution, a free online magazine that provides articles for scholars and ‘enthusiasts.’ The participants, places, economics, politics, culture, and of course, battles, of the American Revolution, are featured in pieces written by various authors who have extensively researched their topics. A recent article profiles “The Hessians: Johannes Schwalm Historial Association,” a journal that has been a leader in the American research efforts to document the “German Auxiliaries” in the Revolutionary War.

The Hessians: Journal of the Johannes Schwalm Historical Association

The editors of  “The Hessians…” are not as active as they once were, but the website is still a great resource. They do have a detailed listing of the contents of each journal issue. They told me that they are thinking about putting them online which would be great, but that it might be a while. I originally found this group through the RootsWeb Hessian board, so that too is a great website for looking for more information about a Hessian ancestor.

More to come about Henry Horn as we continue our research.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. How are we related? One of the sons of Henry HORN and Elizabeth (PRETZMAN) HORN was Frederick P. HORN (1796-1867). One of his daughters with Hepzibah (CLARK) HORN was Mary Ann HORN (1824-1891), who married Henderson McMURRAY (1819-1906). Their son Frederick Asbury McMURRAY (1850-1929) was the grandfather of Edward A. McMURRAY, SR. (1900-1992).
2. “The Hessians: Johannes Schwalm Historial Association,” Journal of the American Revolution– https://allthingsliberty.com/2018/01/hessians-journal-johannes-schwalm-historical-association/
3. Although we still need to finish the story of Henry Horn, you can read what we have written about his military career, starting here on the blog: “Henrich Horn: Military Career”– http://heritageramblings.net/series/henrich-horn-military-career/
4. The RootsWeb Hessian board is currently offline due to technical problems, but hopefully Ancestry will bring it back soon. You can find it as AMREV-HESSIANS Mailing List– http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~amrevhessians/c/cem-index.htm 

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Original content copyright 2013-2017 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

McMurray Family (Click for Family Tree)

This obituary was posted on Iowa GenWeb by the late Donna Sloan Rempp. Her family was kind enough to give us permission to post it on the blog.

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Well known Auctioneer Dies From Stroke Thursday

Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon for Frederick A. McMurray, well known Jasper county auctioneer and one of the leading Democrats of the county, who died last Thursday evening at his home in Newton at 7:15, following a stroke of paralysis, which he received the previous Sunday afternoon as he was returning from the funeral of a friend, Mrs. C. L. Good.

Frederick A. McMurray was born Aug. 28, 1859 in Bedford county, Penn., son of Henderson and Mary Ann (Horn) McMurray, the third child in a family of 12 children. At the age of two years he came west with his parents and three children crossing the Mississippi river at Muscatine. The family settled on a farm south of Tipton in Cedar county, where they remained until 1869.

The McMurray family then moved on west again, this time settling in Jasper county on a farm about two and one half miles north west of Newton. Fred McMurray here continued his education, which was started while he was living in Cedar county, finishing at the age of 18 years and starting out for himself.

At first he spent his time breaking the raw prairies of the rich corn belt through Jasper county, later in 1872 taking up grading work in the Rock Island right of way between Newton and Reasnor.

He purchased his first piece of real estate in 1874, when he negotiated for an 80 acre tract of land about three miles northeast of Newton on old No. 14, which he owned at the time of his death. He lived on this farm until 1922, farming for himself, putting on many improvements.

In addition to being one of the leading auctioneers of his time, Mr. McMurray was connected with the Jasper County Agricultural Society for many years as marshal, and even in the last years he was considered as an advisory part of the governing organization.

Mr. McMurray is survived by his wife, and eight brothers and sisters: Joseph of Fort Madison; Mary, Mrs. Ella Aillaud, and Henry of Newton; Mrs. Sam Raugh of Exeter, Calif.; James T. of Rodondo Beach, Calif.; David of Valley Junction; and Mrs. Margaret Maytag of Marshalltown. One brother John and two sisters Mrs. Newt Edge and Emma, preceded him in death.

He is also survived by one daughter, Mrs. Forrest Gillespie of Oak Park, Ill., and four sons, William, Harry J., Roy and Ray of Newton; three grandchildren, Dr. E. A., Mrs. Maude Cook, and Herbert of Newton; and two great grandchildren, Edward A. Jr., and Mona Lynette Cook of Newton.

Source: Newspaper Unknown; __ December 1929 (Newton Union records say he d. 12 December 1929)

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Fred’s wife was Hannah Melissa (Benjamin) McMurray, but she was not actually named in his obituary.

Family records do state his death was 12 December 1929; his headstone lists only his birth and death years.

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. IA US GenWeb– http://iagenweb.org/jasper/

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Original content copyright 2013-2016 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

McMurray Family, Horn Family (Click for Family Tree, and see Notes below.)

Sandhill Cemetery is a “Pioneer Cemetery” in Cedar County, Iowa, a place to which our family migrated in the 1850s. Pioneer Cemeteries are often neglected as farm families moved, and they become overgrown and the stones deteriorate even faster than they would normally since they are not cleaned. There is no “perpetual care” in a pioneer cemetery as there is in urban cemeteries, and they are often a place of vandalism, being away from scrutiny out in the country. So it is important that we help to maintain the final resting places of the ancestors who came before us- after all, we carry their genetic material that helps make us who we are!

So often today families live far from the gravesite of ancestors, and care of the cemetery falls to local historical or genealogical societies, or Scout troops who go in and clean up a cemetery for a service project or even an Eagle or Gold Project.

Cedar County, Iowa, has a Pioneer Cemetery Committee that is working to restore Sandhill Cemetery and others to what they respectfully should be. Sandhill had three very large evergreens in the center of the cemetery that were getting too old and needed to be removed. These trees and others have been removed so they cannot fall on headstones (or living people in the cemetery!), and the grounds are being weeded and cleaned up. Also, there are many stones like those of Frederick, AKA “F.P.,” and Hepzibah, that need attention- in fact, there are 10 Horn family members buried in Sandhill, and some of their stones need repair as well.  Some funds are provided by the county, but most of what is done is volunteer and through donations.

The Pioneer Cemetery Committee is trying to prioritize their expenditures to the headstones that need the most help right now.

Currently, for 3 of our Horn family stones- Hepzibah’s, F. P.’s, and a stone for “Henry” which is next to Hepzibah’s (he may be their son)- the Committee has found a gentleman who will repair them all for $400-425 and will clean them. He will also put new 4′ foundations under them, to help preserve them (hopefully) for another 100+ years. (Hepzibah died in 1882, Henry in 1885, and F.P. in 1887.)

It would be very helpful for our family to donate to the group as they care for the memorials to our ancestors, since the county does not provide enough to totally restore this cemetery.

All donations are tax-deductible, and checks can be sent to:

Cedar County Pioneer Cemetery Commission

c/o Cedar County Historical Museum

Attention: Sandy Harmel

1094 Hwy 38

Tipton, IA 52772

Thank you for honoring the memory of our ancestors!

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. How are the McMurrays related to the Horn family?  
   

   Edw. A., Maude Lynette “Midge”, and Herbert C. McMurray =>
   William Elmer McMurray =>Frederick Asbury McMurray =>
   Henderson McMURRAY + Mary Ann HORN (married 1845) [daughter of Frederick P. Horn and Hepzibah (Clark) Horn]

2. See our previous post, “Headstones of Frederick P. Horn and Hepzibah (Clark) Horn- Sandhill Cemetery, Cedar Co., Iowa” at http://heritageramblings.net/2013/11/16/headstones-of-frederick-p-horn-and-hepzibah-clark-horn-sandhill-cemetery-cedar-co-iowa/
3. Daisy Wingert has taken the wonderful pictures for Find A Grave for the Horn family, given us permission to use them, and has communicated with us about the need for headstone repair. Daisy has also done some searching in local records to help us learn more about F.P. and Hepzibah- more to come on them later. Thanks, Daisy, who isn’t even related to us!!
4. The images from ~2007 were paid for by the author so many years ago, and permission given to use.
5. Please contact us through the blog if you have questions about donating, and we will forward them on to Daisy or Sandy.

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Original content copyright 2013-2016 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.

McMurray Family, Horn Family (Click for Family Tree)

We last left Henrich Horn, our Hessian ancestor, hanging- thankfully, not literally, but that could have been the case had George Washington’s troops not protected their POWs from an angry mob.

After being marched victoriously by American troops through some of the streets of Philadelphia, the march had been cut short by an inflamed mob that the American escorts felt they could not control. They locked the ~850 Hessian prisoners of war in the American barracks for safety. The POWs, including our Henrich, would have worriedly awaited the next move by their escorts from Washington’s troops.

The first Battle of Trenton, where Henrich and his comrades had been captured, had increased the morale of the patriots so much that it turned the tide of the American Revolution. Little did the POWs know that while insults, rotten vegetables, and rocks were being thrown at them as they marched through Philadelphia, Washington had marched back to Trenton with his troops for another engagement. The Continental Army won that battle, then moved on to Princeton, New Jersey, where Washington was also victorious.

The British traveller Nicholas Cresswell, definitely a Tory, commented,

“The minds of the people are much altered. A few days ago they had given up the cause for lost. Their late successes have turned the scale and now they are all liberty mad again.”

He later wrote, after another British loss,

“It is the Damd Hessians that has caused this, curse the scoundrel that first thought of sending them here.”

(That ‘scoundrel’ would be good King George. Those would be treasonous words, had not the British had bigger fights to manage on the North American continent.)

The British and Hessian soldiers were in such a panic at their unexpected losses to the ragtag Americans that they thought they saw Washington and his troops everywhere.  It was in this atmosphere of changing fortunes that the Trenton prisoners were marched from Philadelphia to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Washington wanted the POWs far away from the front, and Lancaster fit the bill.

Philadelphia is about 80 miles almost due west of Lancaster, and it would take over 20 hours to walk today. In January of 1777, however, it took four days, without snowplows and on roads that would have been icy and rough. The cold and tired prisoners arrived in Lancaster on 6 January 1777, probably around mid-day.

Lancaster was the largest interior American city, with 3,300 residents in 1775, and many German-Americans had lived in the area for some time. The Hessians were taken to a barracks “built of brick, with three wings, and surrounded by a stockade.” The stockade had log cabins on each corner, and walls twenty feet high. There were already some British POWs in the barracks, and the Hessians were given the center wing for themselves.

One Hessian recorded in his journal that everything was “peaceful and quiet.” Maybe now the captured Hessians would get a bit of recuperation after their travails of the last few months.

To be continued…

Notes, Sources, and References: 

1. Featured image: A Map of Philadelphia and Parts Adjacent, With A Perspective View of the State House. Philadelphia: Lawrence Hebert, 1752
   source: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3824p.ct000294
2. Washington’s Crossing by David Hackett, 2004. Winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for History, this tells the story of the crossing of the Delaware and the Battle of Trenton, mostly from the American point of view. This is an excellent book, and very well-written.
3. The Hessians and the other German Auxiliaries of Great Britain in the Revolutionary War by Edward J. Lowell. Harper and Brothers Publishers, New York, 1884.
4. AmericanRevolution.org: “The Hessians,” chapter VIII, an excellent read- http://www.americanrevolution.org/hessians/hess8.php
5. Journal of the Fusilier Regiment v. Knyphausen From 1776 to 1783, possibly by Lt. Ritter? See http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~amrevhessians/journal1.htm#navbar
6. Henrich Horn http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~amrevhessians/oh/hwardhorn.htm
7. Hessians Remaining in America: http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~amrevhessians/a/amhessians10.htm#navbar
8. Wikipedia articles:
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President%27s_House_(Philadelphia)
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Trenton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_battle_of_the_Battle_of_Trenton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_von_Knyphausen
9. The Hessians. Mercenaries from Hessen-Kassel in the American Revolution, by Rodney Atwood, Cambridge University Press, 1980.
10. The Hessians and Other German Auxiliaries of Great Britain in the Revolutionary War, by Edward J. Lowell, Harper & Brother, New York, 1884 Republished by Forgotten Books, 2012.
11. A Generous and Merciful Enemy. Life for German Prisoners of War during the American Revolution, by Daniel Krebs. University of Oklahoma Press, 2013.
12. Four days between Philadelphia and Lancaster: “From Paths to Roads to Highways to Canals to Railways” at http://lancasterhistory.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=372&Itemid=740

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Original content copyright 2013-2015 by Heritage Ramblings Blog and pmm.