John Souders (1740 - 1817)

Born 1740 in Lancaster County, Province of Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died 28 Apr 1817 at about age 77 in Berks, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

[Note, it is possible John Souder was also known as Johannes]

The first record for John was when he was listed on the 1790 census for Bedford County, PA. At the time of the census, John's household consisted of himself, two males under age 16 and two females. A close neighbour was named Jacob Souder(s).

While this census lists his birthplace as Bedford County, this was only formed in 1771 from Cumberland County, which itself had been founded in 1750 out of Lancaster County. Which means, when John was born in 1740, he was technically born in Lancaster County.

In 1793, John received a land warrant for "99 1/2 acres on Ditch Run, Bethel Twp, Bedford Co, adjoining lands of Addis Linns on the West; John Collins on the North; John Walls on the East; and the provincial (Maryland) line on the South." ^[1]

This 100 acre tract can later be found in the possession of Jonathan Myers (father of his daughter Margaret's husband) at the time of Myers' death in 1826. That tract, called "Denmark" in a Bedford Co. deed of 1840, was transferred to Jacob Myers, Margaret's brother-in-law.

In March 1817, he made a will in Bedford County, and left everything to his son, Henry Souders. In April of 1817 he wrote a codicil to his will and instructed son Henry to pay daughters, Elizabeth Hull^[2] and Margaret Myers, ten dollars each. John signed his will with a "mark." His wife was not mentioned in his will (it could be assumed she predeceased him). ^[3]

OTHER POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS

There is a burial record for a Johannes Souder - who died on 28 Apr 1817 in Leesport, Berks, Pennsylvania - and was buried Eplers Church Cemetery.^[4] This Johannes Souder (son of Nicolaus Souder of Bern, Switzerland) was married to Catharina Alstadt (daughter of Johan Martin Alstadt and Johanna Judith Walter of Erpolzheim, Bad Dürkheim, Pflaz) on 8 Nov 1764 in Reading Township, York, PA and then subsequently to Eva Margaretha Alstadt on 13 Feb 1781 (Catharina's niece, daughter of Adam Alstadt and Eva Rosina Apfel). He served with Col. Frederick Geiger in the American War of Independence.^[5]

There is a wedding record that may also be a match, a marriage in New Jersey on 9 Mar 1771 to Margaret Miller.^[6]

In the US Direct Tax of 1798, Fulton Co, PA; John Sowderl Hse 17x15 $12; Sawmill Betherl Twp; 100 acres $200

A "John Sowders" was in Captain John Johnston's company for the Whiskey Rebellion. ^[7]

Tax 1808 Triennial Tax Assessment, Bedford Co, PA; 100 acres patent, saw mill, 2 horses, $157; tax$.63

Similarity of dates and naming patterns has led some to believe John Souders is the same man as Johannes Sauter/Souders, a German linked to Cumberland and Salem Counties, New Jersey. Documentation for the NJ family comes from "Records of Emanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church at Friesburg, and the German Presbyterian Church near Cohansey," Charles C. Baker translator, 1936, FHL film 04410433. These churches had established joint communion and were located less than five miles apart. The 1936 typewritten translation from the old Teutonic German gives a very abbreviated list of births and baptisms (seemingly without specifying which event), and is so difficult to read in some cases as to make this account inconclusive. Records do link:

• Elizabeth of NJ b. 1772; Elizabeth of Bedford b. bef 1775
• Peter of NJ b. 1777; Peter of Bedford* and Montgomery Co., OH b. 1778
• Margaret of NJ b. 1781; Margaret of Bedford b. abt. 1783
• Henry of Bedford is not named as such in the NJ records, but he could be the Johannes b. there in 1773.

Some of this biography and source info was auto-generated by a GEDCOM import.^[8]

Name

Name: John /Souders/^[9][10][11]

Birth

Birth:

Date: 1740

Place: Bedford, Bedford, Pennsylvania, USA^[12][13]

Death

Death: Age: 77

Date: 1817

Place: Bedford, Pennsylvania, USA^[14]

Burial

Burial:

Place:

Sources

1. ↑ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Thos. Mifflin, Govenor; Fulton Co Courthouse, McConnelsburg ,PA.
2. ↑ "Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2FC-4ZM : 9 December 2014), Johannes Soder in entry for Elisabeth Soder, 20 Apr 1782; Christening, citing JORDAN REFORMED CHURCH,SO WHITEHALL TWP,LEHIGH,PENNSYLVANIA; FHL microfilm Q974.824 V26J.
3. ↑ Bedford Co, PA Court Records, call number 1817-13
4. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKP-DL3D : 13 December 2015), Johannes Soder, 1817; Burial, Leesport, Berks, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Eplers Church Cemetery; citing record ID 47837962, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
5. ↑ Ancestor #: A106991 on https://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search/?Tab_ID=0
6. ↑ "New Jersey, Marriages, 1670-1980," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FZKF-9JV : 31 March 2016), John Souder and Margaret Miller, 09 Mar 1771; citing , , New Jersey, United States, Division of Archives and Record Management, New Jersey Department of State, Trenton.; FHL microfilm 888,708.
7. ↑ "Washington Spy", Hagerstown, p 3B, 3 Sep 1794, (Michael Hull).
8. ↑ Souders-142 was created by Dawn Nott through the import of My Family - Dawn Nott_Fred Harvey Peck 2014-10-06_01.ged on Oct 6, 2014.
9. ↑ Source: #S1 Page: Ancestry Family Tree Data: Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=59157207&pid=793
10. ↑ Source: #S144
11. ↑ Source: #S50
12. ↑ Source: #S144
13. ↑ Source: #S50
14. ↑ Source: #S144

• Source: S1 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.; Repository: #R1
• Repository: R1 Name: Ancestry.com Address: E-Mail Address: Phone Number:
• Source: S144 Author: Ancestry.com Title: Web: Pennsylvania, Find A Grave Index, 1682-2012 Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Repository: #R1
• Source: S50 Author: Godfrey Memorial Library, comp. Title: American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Repository: #R1