Maria Barbara (Drach) Will (abt. 1725 - bef. 1800)

Born about 1725 in Kurfürstentum Pfalz, Heiliges Römisches Reich [uncertain]

Wife of Johann Gerhardt (Wüll) Will — married before 12 Jan 1747 in Philadelphia County, Province of Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died before 1800 before about age 75 in Lincoln County, North Carolina, United States

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Biography

Name

Maria Barbara's given names are known from the Pennsylvania baptismal records of the children of her and her husband Gerhardt Will. Her husband's 1778 will refers to her as Mary Barbara. Her maiden name is known from the baptismal records of her sons Johannes and Jacob.^[1]

A possible date for Maria Barbara's birth is 25 January 1723. This source also lists place of birth as Merkwiller-Pechelbronn, Elsaß-Lothringen, France.^[2]

Paternity

Speculation that Barbara’s father was Bucks County settler Johann Rudolph Drach is disproved by 1770–1782 instruments identifying Rudolph’s children, none of whom were named Maria Barbara.^[3]

Marriage

Mary Barbara married Gerhardt Will probably about 1746 in Philadelphia County (present-day Berks County), Pennsylvania. Their first-known child Daniel was baptized 12 January 1747 at Zion Lutheran Church in Philadelphia County.^[4]

Died

Barbara was alive when her husband Gerhardt executed his Tryon County, North Carolina, will on 3 July 1778.^[5]

Children

1. Daniel Will
2. Johannes Will
3. Johann Jacob Will
4. Maria Elizabeth Will
5. Maria Barbara Will
6. Johann Adam Will
7. Eva Will
8. Anna Magdalena Will
9. Anna Christina Will
10. Maria Veronica Will
11. Conrad Will

Research Note NI482 by Jerry Cox

Maria Barbara must have been around five years old when her family immigrated to America if Johann Rudolph Drach is really her father. There is no documented evidence that he is, but the proximity of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where he settled to Berks County, Pennsylvania, where the Wills settled seems to point in that direction. No marriage documentation has been located. The John M. Wills paper claims that Rudolph is her father, then traces the family to the late 1500s in Germany. To access this line, go to WorldConnect, where Carmen Finley has it listed.

Note: Updated research confirms all the children of Johann Rudolph Drach, none of whom were named Maria Barbara.

Sources

1. ↑ Baptismal records, Zions’ Moselem Church, Richmond Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, 1740-1771; digital images, FamilySearch; FHL microfilm 7717852, images 128, 129.
2. ↑ Family tree, FamilySearch.
3. ↑ Bucks County, Pennsylvania, deed book 18: 274-6, Rudolph Drach 1770 article of agreement; FamilySearch microfilm 7698967, images 449-50. Bucks Co. will book 3: 242-5, Rudolph Drah 1770-1771 will and codicil; FamilySearch microfilm 5534504, images 145-6. Bucks Co. deed book 21: 364-8, 475-9, deeds executed by heirs of Rudolph Trough; FamilySearch microfilm 8067826, images 218-20, 274-6.
4. ↑ Frederic G. Paul and Jeffrey J. Howell, Berks County, Pennsylvania Births 1705-1800, (Reading, Pennsylvania: HP Publishing, 1988), volume 1, Zion Lutheran Church, baptism of Daniel Will (12 January 1747). When Daniel was born, the area was still Philadelphia County. In 1752, the area became Windsor Township, Berks County. The church is now in Perry Township, formed 1852.
5. ↑ Lincoln County, North Carolina, Original Wills, Gerhard Will (1778); digital images, FamilySearch, microfilm 7640015, images 1540-1543. Tryon County, in existence for only ten years (1769-1779), was formed from Mecklenburg County. In 1779, Tryon County was abolished and its area was reformed into two new counties, Lincoln and Rutherford. At that time, Tryon County records were deposited in Lincoln County.

Acknowledgments

• Drach-5 was created by Vickie X on 4 Oct 2011 and includes several merges including:
• WikiTree profile Drash-1 created through the import of HAYER.GED on May 29, 2011 by Larry Hayer.
• Drach-20 was created by Jerry Cox through the import of jcoxff.ged on Oct 15, 2013. NOTE: Imported GEDCOM includes Jerry's notes containing parts of his years of family history research. Status Category is "S4 In - Has notes" mentioning Drach-20 (See Research Notes).