Genealogical Gems

It was On This Day in 1880 that Mary Slaymaker, daughter of Henry E. Slaymaker, married Edward Cowell, of Philadelphia , at St. James Church in Lancaster City . The wedding was officiated by Rev. C. F. Knight, D.D. Marriage announcement appeared in the Lancaster Daily Intelligencer on 30 December 1880, the day Mary Slaymaker was wed. The bridesmaid was Miss Sue Slaymaker, Mary’s sister. The groomsman was a Mr. Quarles of New York . Ushers were Willis B. Musser and J. B. Rupley. Sources Lancaster Daily Intelligencer. ( Lancaster , PA ), 30 December 1880. Chronicling America : Historic American Newspapers . Library of Congress. On This Day is a prompt to further explore historical events.                  © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015

Elizabeth Sides is my husband's 4th great grandmother. She recently came up in a conversation with new found relation so I thought she would be perfect to focus on today. I know little of her to be quite honest. I know simply that she was born 1757 in Providence Township, Lancaster County, PA. In 1778 she married John Martin Eckman, son of John Hieronymus and Anna Barbara Slaymaker Eckman. They had nine children together. On 7 February 1841, Elizabeth passed. Her husband John Martin - who often simply went by Martin - passed on 4 October 1809. His will mentions his wife Elizabeth as well as children: Henry, Martin, Daniel, Mary, Susannna, Elizabeth and Sarah. Two of their children has predeceased him. The executers for his will were Elizabeth and Henry Eckman of Bart Township.

Yesterday I received an email from a relative of my husband's. While I did not immediately place the person (last name is Burton), I have actually connected the two lines! So today I decided to tackle my Eckman file. In organizing my information, I started a long time ago to put "extra" family members in a Surname Folder. By extra I simply mean family members who I have simply not confirmed their placement in the family yet. Needless to say, the Eckman Folder is quite large! Mr. Burton is also descended from Jerome Hieronimus Eckman & Anna Barbara Slaymaker. The two had 12 children. One of those children was John Martin Eckman who married Elizabeth Sides. They had nine children. My husband is descended from their daughter Elizabeth. Mr. Burton is descended from Elizabeth's brother Henry! As I was sorting through the information in the folder, I focused on that particular line. I found a letter/package I received back in 2000 from a gentleman in Arizona. In it...

Exciting news to share .... while looking up Sunday's NMAM piece , I confirmed that Martin Eckman, who fought in the Revolutionary War and is buried in the Eckman/Kunkle Cemetery,  is my husband's 4th great grandfather! Actually John Martin Eckman is his full name. He is the son of Jerome Hieronimous (1718 – 1784) and Barbara Slaymaker (1724 – 1796) Eckman! John Martin Eckman married Elizabeth Sides. They had nine children: Mary Susanna Henry Martin Elizabeth Hieronimous Daniel Sarah Jacob Elizabeth Eckman married (yes a cousin) Henry Eckman. They had eight children: Daniel Catharine John Henry Lydia Ann Martha Elizabeth Mary John Henry Eckman married Catharine Kezia Cresswell on 7 January 1858 in Providence Township. They had 11 children! Clara Charles Henry Dora H. Margaret Estella John Grant Darius J. Martha Ann Winona Sue Kate Bernice Oscar Dale Edith Alberta Charles Henry Eckman married Rosa T. Kirchner fro...

I received an email about an earlier post on Alonzo Smedley Eckman recently and the woman mentioned she had not heard of Ulrich Eckman. So who is Ulrich? Ulrich is the father of Johannes Eckman and his brother Hans Jacob Eckman. Hans and his line settled in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania before some trickled down to Maryland. Johannes and his line settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania where few have left. Alonzo's parents did leave but after their passing he returned to live with an aunt and uncle in Fulton Township, Lancaster County. Following Johannes ... Johannes immigrated in 1727 and came into Philadelphia. He is listed as the "primary immigrant" so I think it is safe to conclude (esp when combined with other information) that his father Ulrich did not immigrate. (Source: COUSINS, ELIZABETH. Immigrants Into Pennsylvania, September 1727-September 1732. np: Pathfinders, nd. 51p. -- as per Ancestry.com). Johannes married Eva Dorthea Seitz in Germany and the ...