Continuing with the family of Michael Thomas, there was a daughter Anna Maria, no doubt named for her grandmother, Anna Maria Blankenbaker, who married, first, John Thomas in Germany. Anna Maria, the daughter, married, first, Michael Debolt.
The bells started ringing when I read in the index of names for Neuenbürg the names Debelt/Debold/Debolt, or, in nearby Eppingen, the names Dewald, Dibold, and Diebolt (t,dt). Was this a case that where a family came from the same area of Germany that the Thomas family did? Were they influenced to come to America by the Thomas family?
Michael Debolt did not live long, and Anna Maria Thomas Debolt then married Michael Crisler. So often when a women is widowed, the family seems to rally around and tell some man from the family that he must do his duty and marry the widow. If this is true, what is the Crisler and Debolt connection? Do you remember a few notes ago when we were discussing Warrants & Surveys that a Christian Tivall assigned his rights to Theobald Crisler? Have we got another variation on the connection of a Dewald/Dibold/Debolt with a Crisler?
Michael Crisler was the son of Theobald Crisler and Rosina Gaar. Where were Michael Debolt and Anna Maria Thomas living? Anna Maria died in Pennsylvania. Where did she live with Michael Debolt? It is so frustrating to have a little information and to be left with large gaps in one’s knowledge.
I have some information about Michael Debolt for which I do not vouch. On 10 Aug 1779, Mary Ann Thomas Debolt (probably the widow of Michael Debolt) married Michael Crisler. In January 1785, the Fayette County Orphan’s Court (in Pennsylvania) appointed Michael Chrisler to be a guardian over the persons and estates of Catherine Debolt, Michael Debolt, Mechlin (?) Debold, and Mary Debold, minor children of Michael Debold, during their minority. This family later settled in Beaver County, with the exception of Michael Debolt, who married Abalona (Apollonia?) Yeager, and settled in Fayette County. Catherine married George Mason, Mechlin (Mary Magdalene?) married William Eckles, and Mary Ann married Ruel Reed. These surnames may all be German, for Mason seems to have originated from Maurer, meaning mason, and the name Reed might be Rieth or a similar name.
The story is told that a brother of the father of Michael Debolt was captured as a lad by the Indians and forced to live with them for nine years. Apparently he was not mistreated, but he felt that he should return to his own people and he made his escape.
If anyone can add anything to the events that I am describing, please speak up.
(30 Jul 02)
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.