John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 2158

One of the purposes of these Notes and of GERMANNA_COLONIES Mailing List at Rootsweb (GERMANNA_COLONIES@rootsweb.com) is to facilitate communications among different family researchers.  In the just previous Note, several Germanna families were mentioned.  It is hoped that people who are familiar with these families may have something to add.  So don't be bashful; speak up.

I was intrigued by the mention of Nicholas Willheit who married Mary Fisher.  Though Germanna Record gives her middle name as Elizabeth, this is incorrect as she was Mary Margaret Fisher and a Germanna descendant.  Since the immigrant Fisher, Ludwig or Lewis, married Anna Barbara Fisher, this line can add the Fishers and Blankenbakers as Germanna ancestors.  One of the daughters of Nicholas Wilhoite (as the name is spelled in GR13) was Nancy who married Elisha Embree.  One of the appraisers of the estate of Woodson Wilhite in Gibson Co., Indiana, was John Embree.

In looking through the Yager genealogy in GR10, I see that Sarah Yager married Julius Broyles and they moved to Posey Co., Indiana.

Joseph Yager who married Margaret Wilhoite, the daughter of Nicholas Wilhoite, had a son, John, who married Nancy ____ and they moved to Gibson Co., Indiana.

My point is that one needs to study the community in the broadest possible sense including the "English".  Don't isolate yourself to one family, study the community and the history of the people in the community.

We have mentioned a Polly Spilman in Woodford Co., Kentucky, in 1813.  Is this a Germanna Spilman?

Returning to the question of the name of the woman that Nicholas Willheit married.  I showed that, based on the church records, her name was Mary Margaret.  (See page 471 of Beyond Germanna.)  Ellen John, who is a descendant, had her name as Elizabeth based on the Garr Genealogy.  Ellen undertook a more thorough research to settle this question.  She found a consent for a marriage of Elisha Embree and Nancy Willhite by a Margaret, who is believed to be the widow of Nicholas in Mercer County, Kentucky, loose papers.  Another Nicholas Willhite/Wilhoit gave a bond and attested to Nancy Wilhoit's age.  It is believed that this is a brother acting for his sister.  The father, Nicholas, had a daughter Margaret, who was married to Joseph Yager in 1792, so that she could not be the Margaret who gave her consent.  Ms. John has other evidence which she cites in an article starting on page 805 of " Beyond Germanna ".
(09 Aug 05)