John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 300

Wanda Cunningham posted the will of Jacob Early on the Mock (Mawk/Mauk/Mauck) discussion list.  Her source of information was USGenWeb Archives, where it had been deposited by Shirley Palmer ( shirley@azstarnet.com ).  In accordance with the Archives policy, this note is included:

"USGENWEB NOTICE:  In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material.  These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations."

(I [John Blankenbaker] am not including all of the information but I am retaining the note above.  My motivation for devoting a note to this subject is that it an excellent illustration of the problem of identifying our German people.)

What nationality do you think Jacob Early was?

In the name of god Amen, the 27th Day of April in the year of our Lord 1777.  I Jacob Early of the Township of Donnegal in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania . . . my Wife, Christina Early free and peaceable Possession of the House where I now live, . . . , she is also to have Two Pounds in Honey, fifteen Bushels of Wheat or shelled (?) and Ten Bushels of Rye every year, she is also to have her Choise of the Cows and Fodder for said Cow is to be provided for her yearly, she is to have the Use of one Acre of Land to manage as she shall think proper, she is further to have One hundred Pounds of Pork for her own Use given to her yearly, she is to also have her Bed, Bed-clothes and Bedstead, her Chest and Table, she is further to have Liberty to take such Things as she stands in need of about the Dresser, she is also to get the Use of a Pipe-Stove which is now in the House, she is further to have Priviledge of a Horse to ride when needful, she is to have her Choise of Six Apple Trees in the Orchard every year, it is my Will that all these Things be given to her during her Life or Time of Widowhood, but if she marries she is to be kept up no longer in any of the Articles before mentioned.

Item:  I give and bequeath to my Sons John and Jacob Early the Plantation I now live on which I bought of the Christian (?). . . Daughters Lutey [Sutey?] Smith, Agnes Winogle, and Eve Early

And I do nominate and appoint Nicholas Ridsaker and John Wiland of the Township and County aforesaid sole Executors and the next

Signed sealed and delivered in the Presence of us:

Michael Bower (his mark)

(unreadable)

George Snaper (his mark)

Jacob Ehrle (unreadable)

(Seal)

Lancaster County on the Fifth Day of May Anno Domini 1777 before me the subscriber personally appeared.   Henry Willhelm and George Snaper two of witnesses . . .

[John, again. It seems me that Jacob Early was German.  The reason those names were unreadable is that they were written in German script.  Jacob's name in the Germanic language was Ehrle, which would be mightly close to the English "Early" when pronouced.  One of the special reasons that I included this, was that I had never considered the name Early to have German origins.  We have skipped some people in counting our Germanna people.]