The Life of David Hartzell, 1805-1865
By great-great-grandson James Dwight Hartsell, descended through
James Alexander Hartsell, James Oran Hartsell, and James Daniel Hartsell.
www.jdhartsell.com/DavidHartzell
May 1, 2001
Rev. 11/25/2002 (omitted Margaret Nieval); Rev. 5/14/03 (David's sister Elizabeth)
Rev. 7/31/03 (1792 Virgina land purchase); Rev. 12/16/04 (more VA info; omitted Mary Spiekard)
Rev. 2/26/07 (David's 2nd cousin George Hartzell, brother? D.A. Hartzell, Mapquest aerial images)
IF YOU ARE SEEING THIS AS A PRINTED COPY, SEE WEBSITE FOR LATEST VERSION.
With the little that was known about my great-great grandfather, it has been a lifetime project to reconstruct his
life. Finally, in the year 2001, I could put together this summary from information gathered over the years by
me, Thelma Price-Papillo, and Don Hartzell. Each one of us found crucial pieces of the puzzle. For someone
so unknown, the detail we have learned of his life and ancestry will astonish you! Anyone in the world using
Internet search engines like Google to search for "David Hartzell" will find this web page.
I am certain we have David Hartzell's correct ancestry. Direct proof has apparently been lost to history, but I
believe it has been proved indirectly: click on my home page link "Evidence for Ancestry of David Hartzell".
This document assumes the "Evidence" document supplies the source for statements made herein. The full
family history is on my website and in Paul Swan's Hartzell Chapter (see the links on my home page). Paul
has extensive information on our Hartsell line back to 1580 Switzerland. There is a summary of Paul's info at
the end of this document.
This is the grave of David & Barbara Hartzell, at the Ash
Grove Christian Church, 1.5 miles southeast of Windsor,
Illinois, on the east side of the church. Looking east toward
Ohio and Virginia from where they came.
When I first saw this grave at my grandfather's funeral in
1953, I was 14 years old and overwhelmed with curiosity.
Virtually nothing was known about them. Little did I know it
would take 48 years to find the full story, nor that it would
launch a website on a world-wide computer network called
the Internet.
Because so little was known about David Hartzell, and
because he is the link to our older Hartsell ancestry, this
separate life story was written.
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Table of Contents (when printed with 1" margins)
Ancestral Evidence Chart
Franklin County, Virginia, 1805-1815
Aerial view of NW Franklin County, Virginia
Map of Rocky Mount, Virgina region
Settlement Map, NW Franklin County, Virginia
Boone's Mill
Montgomery County, Ohio, 1816-1830
Map of Montgomery County Ohio area
Map of Ellerton, Ohio region
Fayette County, Indiana, 1830-1860
Map of East Central Indiana
Connersville, Indiana, 1856
1856 Plat Map, Part of Fayette County, Indiana
Elizabeth (Hartzell) Rentfrow, 1849
Fayette County Courthouse, 1849
David Hartzell's land, 1856 plat map
Mapquest aerial images
Photo of David Hartzell's 1853 land
Photos of David Hartzell's 1853 homesite
Shelby County, Illinois, 1860-1865
Map of Windsor, Illinois region
Closeup of gravestone writing
From "The Hartzell Chapter"
Region Around Zurich, Switzerland
Significant Changes Since 11/25/02
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PRINT[ED] USING INTERNET EXPLORER WITH ALL PRINT MARGINS SET TO 1.0".
DO PRINT PREVIEW AND DON'T USE "Shrink To Fit".
Latest version (corrections, updates, additions):
www.jdhartsell.com/DavidHartzell
or
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jdhartsell/DavidHartzell
or
Do an internet search for "The Life of David Hartzell".
Companion documents:
Click on my home page links
"Hartzell Land in Virginia"
"VA Families to Union Co. IN"
"The 1850's homesite of David Hartzell"
"1856 Connersville"
"Evidence for Ancestry of David Hartzell"
"Sink/Zink Family History"
"Ancestry of James A. & Sophronia (Walker) Hartsell"
To email me:
See email address at top of my home page at www.jdhartsell.com.
This chart summarizes my "Evidence" document, showing how David Hartzell was connected
to the Adam Hartzell family in Virginia through George Hartzell and James Alexander of
1820's Union County Indiana.
George Hartzell (bottom of chart) was connected to the William Toney family
(close neighbor of Philip & Adam Hartzell in Virginia), connected to the Sink family in
Virginia, and most likely a son or cousin of Adam Hartzell.
PHILIP HARTZELL
---------------+
1743-aft.1820 |ADAM HARTZELL
+----------------+
|~1765-~1835
|LEONARD HARTZELL (of Rush Co. IN)
| m. 1786
+----------------Clue: David Hartzell
named
| York Co. PA
|
his firstborn son
|
|DAVID HARTZELL
James Alexander
Hartsell
|
+----------------+
|
|1805-1865
|JAMES ALEXANDER HARTSELL
<<<<<<
|b.Franklin Co.VA+----------------MICHEAL SINK
|m. 1835, Fayette|1837-1910
---------------+
|
Co. Indiana |b. Fayette Co, IN
1724|CHRISTINA SINK |
|
innkeeper
+?---------------+
|~1766|
Adam Hartzell and Abraham Sink
|ABRAHAM SINK
were both born in Northampton Co
+----------------PA at about the same time.
|1762Philip Hartzell and Abraham Sink
|
both moved in 1792 to Franklin Co
|STEPHEN SINK
VA and settled near each other.
+----------------+
|1759-1835
|FRONY "FANNY" SINK
+----------------+
Stephen Sink lived
|~1780|
12 miles SE of Philip
| m. 12/16/1806, |
Jesse & Frony (Sink) Toney moved
Hartzell.
| Franklin Co.VA |
to Union County, IN in 18__.
|
|
WILLIAM TONEY
|
--------------------------------+
|
NOTE: There is much erroneous
1727-1804
|JESSE TONEY
|
information on the internet
+----------------+
about the Toney family.
William Toney lived 3 miles
|~1780-1839
WNW of Philip Hartzell. His
|
will gave his land to daughter |SUSANNAH TONEY
Susannah, and sons James &
+----------------Jesse. He also named grand|~1762daughter Susannah.
|
|JAMES TONEY (surety for marriage of Susannah
+----------------+
to George Hartzell)
|1776-1861
|
|
|SUSANNAH TONEY
|
+----------------+ JOHN HARTZELL
|
|~1792+---------------| m. 3/28/1809
|
| Franklin Co.VA |CATHERINE HARTZELL
+----------------+
|~1811-1879
|
|b.Franklin Co.VA|
|
| James
&
John Hartzell
| m. 7/26/1827
|
Catherine
----------------+
| Union Co. IN, | named
two
1762-1847
|
GEORGE HARTZELL | next to Fayette| sons
David
+?------------------------------------------------+ Co. IN.
| and
Adam.
m. 1781
|
~1785-1830
|
Catherine Schneider
d. Union Co. IN
|
----------------+
JAMES ALEXANDER |
<<<<<<
----------------+
Since George Hartzell married
~1810-1867
Susannah in Franklin Co VA,
it puts him near or in
the
household of Adam Hartzell. He was 8 households away in
1810.
George named his children John, Catherine, and Adam.
FRANKLIN COUNTY, VIRGINIA, 1805 - 1815
David Hartzell was born Wednesday, November 20, 1805, west of Boone's Mill, Franklin County, Virginia. His
birthdate is according to his age at death shown on his gravestone. Thomas Jefferson was President of the
United States. The Lewis & Clark expedition had just reached the Pacific Ocean, and began building Fort Clatsop
to spend the winter (Astoria, Oregon). George Washington had died only 6 years ago (Dec. 14, 1799), and
Benjamin Franklin about 15 years ago (Apr. 17, 1790). The Revolutionary War had ended in 1789.
Near the center is Rocky Mount, Franklin
County, Virginia. Between Rocky Mount and
Roanoake is Boones Mill, about 10 miles south
of Roanoke.
The family lived in this area from 1792 to 1815.
In 1810, Adam Hartzell's family was west of
Boones Mill and north of Algoma.
David Hartzell was the youngest son of Adam and Christina (Sink) Hartzell, who were married about 1786 in
Pennsylvania. Adam Hartzell was born about 1765 in Bethlehem Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania,
near Allentown. Adam's father was Johann Philip Hartzell. Adam's grandfather Hans Jacob Hertzel came to
America as an 11-year old, with his father Hans George Hirtzel, in 1727 on the ship William & Sarah, from The
Palatinate (Germany). David and another brother (Daniel?) were the only ones born in Virginia; the other children
were born near Arendtsville, York (now Adams) County, Pennsylvania, near Gettysburg. David's known brothers
and sisters were Philip, born 1787; Jacob, born 1790; John, born 1793; George?, born abt. 1795; Catherine, born
bef. 1794; Elizabeth, born 1798; Leonard, born 1799; and Daniel?, born abt. 1802.
As to the spelling of the name, in a letter from Jacob Hartzell to his brother Philip in 1816, the name is clearly
spelled "Hartzell" repeatedly. The letter is on my website.
The Hartzell family arrived in Franklin County, Virgina by 1792. The route they took from Pennsylvania may have
been along where interstate 81 is now located. The distance is about 300 miles.
In February, 1792, while George Washington was President, David Hartzell's grandfather Philip, at the age of 49,
purchased 150 acres of land for 160 pounds south of Boone's Mill, Franklin County, Virginia. See Settlement Map
below. 150 acres is about 1/3 the size of the rectangle for Boone Mill, and if square, almost 1/2 mile on a side
(almost a quarter section). Since the land touched or crossed both Little Creek and Mill Creek, it had to be where
the creeks were about half a mile to a mile apart at that time. It was on a branch of Mill Creek, and adjoining
George Griffith's land. According to a USGS map, the branch of creek south of Bunker Hill was part of Little
Creek. I would say the land was just south or southwest of Boone's Mill, and 8 or 9 miles NNW of Rocky Mount.
A bit puzzling, Adam's children were being born in Pennsylvania supposedly up to Leonard in 1799. Adam was a
surety in Franklin County, Virginia, October 1794, for the marriage of his sister Catherine. I'm not sure if he had to
actually be there. Perhaps Adam's family didn't follow until after 1799.
Two pages after Adam Hartzell's name in the 1810 census, David's grandfather Philip Hartzell is listed 3 names
from Moses Greer, which puts him just west of Gogginsville. This may well have been on Philip's son Abraham's
land.
Since the Hartzells lived close to William Toney's land by 1810 (upper left corner below), here is a description of
William's land from the Toney website. "In 1773, William took his family and moved to the Blue Ridge. The site
was a small meadow beside a mountain stream flowing off Cahas mountain into the North Fork of the Blackwater
River. The cabin was built beside a flowing spring. Finger ridges extend out from the mountain on both east and
west sides. The family cemetery was placed in a grove of trees in the saddle of the east finger ridge, close above
the cabin. The graves are marked only by rough uncut field stones. In 1774, a survey shows a second tract of
land obtained by William Toney. It included both finger ridges and far up the south face of Cahas Mountain."
From Settlement Map, NW Franklin County, Virginia, 1786-1886
Made for the Franklin County Historical Society; Mrs. Gertrude C. Mann, Historian-Researcher, 1/1/1976
Area of Philip Hartzell's 1792 land purchase,
around Mill Creek & Little Creek (red "X"), just southwest of Boone Mill.
Width of map is 18 miles. It is 5 miles from Boone Mill to Toney's land, and to Googinsville.
Abraham Hartzell's 1796 land purchase was immediately south of Moses Greer's land.
For more information on this map, click on my home page link "Hartzell Land in Virginia".
Abraham Sink, a likely brother of Adam's wife Christina Sink, went from Pennsylvania to Virginia at the same time
as Philip Hartzell, and settled near Philip on a branch of Mill Creek.
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The star below marks where the family was living in 1810 and is presumed to be the area of David Hartzell's
birthplace. The "742" marker is about 5 miles west of Boones Mill on Bethlehem Road. Dillons Mill Road goes
north from here, and about 4 or 5 miles up the Blackwater River Valley is the location.
At left: closeup of the area of David Hartzell's birthplace. Height of image
is about 1.5 miles. You can see in this narrow valley there isn't much
cultivated land. You can match the fish-shaped piece of cleared land to the
zoomed-out image above.
This is where David Hartzell spent his early childhood.
This location was decided upon according the the order of names in the
1810 VA census, and the Settlement Map of Franklin County. Adam
Hartzell and George Hartzell, fairly close to each other (8 names apart), are
listed near the names John Webster, James McVey, Luke Webster, and
Samuel Webster (top left of Settlement Map). This puts them close to
William Toney's 1774 land.
No record has been found of Adam Hartzell buying land in this area.
.
Below was Boone’s Mill in Franklin County, Virginia, built around 1790 near where David’s family lived. It was
surely seen by David Hartzell when he was a child. David’s cousin Clarisa (Hartzell) Kinsey married Jacob Boone
in 1817, and they lived at the mill. The area around the mill site is now the town of Boone’s Mill, Virginia.
Boone's Mill
The most compelling evidence linking David Hartzell to the Adam Hartzell family is through George Hartzell of
1820's Union County, Indiana. There is no doubt of a close connection between David and George. The details
are in my "Evidence" document, so to make a long story short, George was most likely a cousin of Adam Hartzell,
and a son of Adam's uncle & aunt John & Catherine (Schneider) Hartzell. George was most likely living in
Adam's household, in Franklin County VA, by 1808 (about age 23). George at this age could have been like a
son to Adam, and like a brother to David. George married into the Toney family in 1809 in Franklin Co. VA as we
will see below. The Toney's lived near Philip Hartzell's 1792 land. George was also related by marriage to the
Sink family. George named his first son John and first daughter Catherine, which would be after his parents. He
named his second son Adam.
Another interesting find is D.A. Hartzell, born 1802 in Virginia, and keeper of a boarding house in Cincinnatti,
Ohio, in 1860. He could be the next older brother of David, and could have been named Daniel. Nothing else is
known of D.A. Hartzell. More on him later.
On March 28, 1809, George Hartzell married Susannah Toney in Franklin County Virginia. Surety was James
Toney, son of William Toney. It is presumed James Toney was Susannah's father, and that he stayed behind in
Virginia when the other Toneys moved to Union County, Indiana. Note William Toney's land on the Franklin
County map, east of Boone Mill. James Toney's brother Jesse married Frony "Fanny" Sink, daughter of Stephen
Sink. Stephen Sink was a possible brother of Christina Sink (David's mother). Again, see "Evidence" document.
By 1818, another George Hartzell had land that was adjacent to the land that Jacob Hartzell bought in 1818. This
adds to the possibility that this George and Jacob (and David) were brothers. George and Jacob were fairly close
in age, about 5 years apart. George's land was also adjacent to Toney's land and to John Webster's land.
Also in 1810, presumed brother of David Hartzell's mother Christina Sink, Stephen Sink (Sinck) is listed on page
580 with 3 other Sink households, listed alphabetically: David Sinck, Daniel Sinck, and Henry Sinck. These are
Stephen's sons, born in 1794, 1789, and 1783, respectively.
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The 1810 Census for Franklin County Virginia shows in the household
of Adam Hartzell (page 592):
1 male 26-45
1 female 26-45
1 male 16-25
- Adam Heartsell
- Christina
- must be Jacob
b. 1765-1784
b. 1765-1784
b. 1785-1794
(abt. 1765)
(abt. 1768)
(1790)
1
1
1
1
1
1
male 16-25
male 10-15
female 10-15
male under 10
male under 10
male under 10
-
must be John
George?
must be Elizabeth
must be Leonard
Daniel Hartsell?
must be David
b.
b.
b.
b.
b.
b.
1785-1794
1794-1800
1794-1800
1800-1809
1800-1809
1800-1809
(1793)
(m. Nancy Goode?)
(1798)
(1799)
(abt. 1802)
(1805)
Son Phillip was married and had his own household.
Catherine must have married.
The 1810 Census for Franklin County Virginia shows George Hartzell living 8
names from Adam. In George's household were (page 592):
1 male 16-25
- George Heartsell
1 female 16-25
- Susannah
1 female under 10 - Catherine
b. 1785-1794
b. 1785-1794
b. 1800-1810 (1810)
We have daughter Catherine born about 1811-12.
For Adam's father Philip Hartzell, the 1810 Franklin County Virginia Census shows on
page 594:
1
1
1
1
1
male 45 & over
female 45 & over
male 16-25
male 10-15
female 10-15
-
Philip Heartsell
Christina Barbara
Frederick?
?
?
b.
b.
b.
b.
b.
before 1765
before 1765
1785-1794
1794-1800
1794-1800
The spelling of the name as "Heartsell" suggests the same census taker did
all three.
Before 1812, some Hartzell family members had migrated to the Germantown Ohio area, near Dayton in
Montgomery County. One was David's uncle Abraham Hartzel around 1804, and one was David's future
brother-in-law escaping service in the War of 1812 (Catherine's husband). Abraham Hartzell "entered"
160 acres on March 25, 1805 in Section 12, SW 1/4, Range 4, Township 3 (German Township). The land is
just north of what later became Germantown.
At the start of the War of 1812, David was in Virginia, age 6. In 1814, when David was 8, the British burned
Washington, and "The Star Spangled Banner" was written.
Something rare in those days, David Hartzell knew his grandparents Philip and Christina Hartzell. He must have
had some memory of them later in his life. Philip died after 1820. He may have told his grandson what it was like
before and during the American Revolution.
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, OHIO, 1816 - ~1830
In late 1815, when David Hartzell was 10 years old, Adam and his family moved to Montgomery County Ohio.
They apparently followed family members, leaving Virginia Sep. 1, 1815, and arriving in Germantown,
Montgomery County, Ohio, on Christmas day.
They were probably also following many of their Franklin County Virginia neighbors: Lybrook, Toney, Moss,
Kingery, Webster, etc.. They seemed to have migrated as a group to Montgomery & Preble Counties, Ohio, and
over to Union County, Indiana. In Union County, George and Susannah (Toney) Hartzell were surrounded by
their neighbors from Virginia. There is a lot more on this in the "Evidence" document.
Montgomery County, Ohio
The Adam Hartzell family lived near
Ellerton, between Miamisburg and Liberty
along route 4, SW of Dayton (see detail map
below). The Indiana border (and Union
County Indiana) is 25 miles west.
Here is roughly the orientation of the Indiana-Illinois counties in which we will be interested; left is West:
Rush
County
Fayette
County
Union
County
Preble
County
Montgomery
County
Indiana
Indiana
Indiana
Ohio
Ohio
(From July 2002 Smithsonian magazine.) "In April 1815, Indonesia's Mt. Tambora erupted, the most destructive
explosion on earth in the past 10,000 years. Ash filled the atmosphere world-wide. In the northeastern United
States, the weather in mid-May of 1816 turned cold, with summer frost striking New England and as far south as
Virginia. On July 4, water froze in cisterns and snow fell. It was the year without a summer. Failing crops and
rising prices in 1815 and 1816 threatened American farmers. Odd as it may seem, the settling of the American
heartland was apparently shaped by the eruption of a volcano 10,000 miles away. Thousands left New England
for what they hoped would be a more hospitable climate west of the Ohio River. Partly as a result of such
migration, Indiana became a state in 1816 and Illinois in 1818."
At the time of the family move in late 1815, son David was 10 years old, so he surely remembered this trip. They
left Virginia Sept. 1, 1815, about 7 months after the War of 1812 ended. (The following from Paul Swan.) It took
them just over sixteen weeks, their covered wagon probably having been drawn by oxen. Their most likely route
was west-southwest to the Kentucky border, then west along the main wilderness trail, or circling south into
Tennessee over a slightly longer but easier route. They then would have gone north through the Cumberland
Gap, across the Cumberland River a little way west, and then turned and made their way due north, up Boone's
road and beyond across the Ohio River into western Ohio. This would have amounted to about a 480 mile trek, at
a little over four miles per day. They first headed to where George Sink, a possible uncle of Christina, had settled
in 1804, about 20 miles north of Germantown. They settled in or near Ellerton, about 5 miles northeast of
Germantown.
Ellerton, Ohio (center).
Hemple Road and a cemetery is to the north.
David's parents are buried there.
This was almost the edge of the frontier. In 1815, Connersville Indiana was a small Indian station on the outposts
of the white settlements.
After 1815, and until he went to Indiana by 1835, David lived near the town of Ellerton, Ohio, between Liberty and
Miamisburg.
On November 19, 1816, David's brother Jacob Hartzell, who stayed behind in Virginia, married Hannah Capper.
On October 15, 1818, David's sister Elizabeth ("Betsy") married Moses Rentfrow in Montgomery County, Ohio.
On October 19, 1819, David's brother John married Susanna Heck in Montgomery County, Ohio.
The 1820 Montgomery County Ohio Census, Jefferson Township, shows for the Adam Hartzell family (p. 116):
1
1
1
1
1
male 45+
female 45+
male 16-26
male 16-26
male 10-16
-
Adam Hartsell
Christina
Must be Leonard, age 21
D. (Daniel?) A. Hartsell (age 17-18)?
Must be David, age 14
In 1820, James Toney moved to Union County, Indiana.
NOTE: Erroneous information from "The Hartzell Ancestral Line" says that Adam Hartzell married Mary Spiekard
Aug. 11, 1821 in Montgomery County, Ohio. In the "Marriage Book, Montgomery County", there is "Marriage of
Hetzel; Adam to Mary Spickard Aug. 10, 1826". Since there was also an error on David Hartzell marrying a
Margaret Nievel (another NOTE below), and an error on Adam's son George Hartzell marrying Margaret
Yaughey (wrong George), I am ignoring the marriage of our Adam to Mary Spiekard. There is still another NOTE
below on a land purchase by an Adam Hutzel in 1827.
About 1825, Leonard Hartzell married Delilah Weiss in Montgomery County, Ohio.
By Nov. 1826, George & Susannah (Toney) Hartsell were in Union County Indiana, where George was witness to
the will of a John Stanley. In Oct. 1828, George Hartsell purchased 160 acres 2 miles east of Kitchell, Indiana in
Union County, in the NE corner of the county, 1/2 mile from the Ohio border. It was the NW 1/4 of Section 24 in
Harrison Township.
Below is a drawing of the Elder William Moss cabin, built about that time, across the road from George Hartzell.
David Hartzell surely saw this cabin. He may have lived in one like this on his 1853 land.
By permission of Rev. Merle C. Rummel, "The Virginia Settlement".
There is no known record of Adam Hartzell buying or selling land in Montgomery County, Ohio.
NOTE: The land purchase described below must be the Adam Hetzel who married Mary Spikard 8/10/1826, and
who apparently was not our ancestor.
On May 17, 1827, Adam "Hutzel" and his wife Mary purchased, for $500.00, 50 acres off the west end of the
south half of the northeast quarter (S 1/2 NE 1/4), Section 26, Township 2, Range 7, Montgomery County, Ohio.
This land is in Van Buren Township, about 9 miles as the crow flies from Ellerton. Notice it was 9 months after
their marriage. On June 13, 1827, they purchased, for $60.00, the remaining 30 acres on the east end of the S
1/2 NE 1/4. This land was between the "great and little Miami Rivers". Five years later, on June 2, 1832, Adam
"Hurtzel" sold this land for $1000.00.
The whereabouts of David Hartzell in 1830 has been a big mystery until 2007. He was not yet married and thus
not head of a household for the Census. The Adam Hartzell household had 2 males 30-39 years old. David was
24. He was not in the household of George Hartzell (Union County, IN), or Leonard Hartzell. However, the 1830
census for Montgomery County Ohio shows several corrections (see image in "Evidence"), and it is very possible
the ages of the two young men were 20-29 instead of 30-39. Several things would then fall in place. David would
be at home where you would expect him to be, and the other male was probably his brother. Both may have
been taking care of their aging parents. If D.A. was Daniel, this would be the Daniel Hartzell who gave the old
leather-bound Bible to David, since Daniel apparently didn't have any heirs. Previously, we wondered if the 30-39
year old males were farm hands, but Adam did not own land as far as we know. But, Adam could have been
renting land.
I am going to take the simplest path and assume the census taker mismarked the census.
The 1830 Montgomery County Ohio Census, Jefferson Township, shows for the Adam Hartzell family (p. 235):
1
1
1
1
male 60-69
female 60-69
male 30-39
male 30-39
-
Adam Hartsell b. 1761-1770
Christina
assumed to be D.A. Hartsell age 20-29 (age 27-28)
assumed to be David Hartsell age 20-29 (age 24)
NOTE: Erroneous previous information said that David Hartzell married Margaret Nieval in 1830 in
Montgomery County Ohio. In "Montgomery County, Ohio Marriage Journals 1803-1850", Vol. B, page 38,
there is "on the 29th of April 1830 David Hetzel and Margaret Nievel". David Hetzel was born May 4, 1806
in Rehrersburg, Berks County, PA; son of John and Catharina (Thomas) Hetzel.
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FAYETTE COUNTY, INDIANA, ~1830 - 1860
Adam (and Christina) appear to have died in the early 1830's, maybe in a cholera epidemic (there was a big one
in 1833). David's children never knew their Hartzell grandparents. It is believed that Adam and Christina were
buried at Ellerton, north of Germantown, but that their graves were destroyed when Hemple Road was
straightened.
It was about this time that David Hartzell moved west into Indiana. Perhaps D.A. Hartzell also moved elsewhere,
but it appears he never married, and we find him only in Storrs Township, Hamilton County, Ohio (Cincinnatti
area) in 1860.
East Central Indiana
Along Route 44 is Rushville (Rush County),
Connersville (Fayette County), and Liberty
(Union County).
Carthage is NW of Rushville.
Kitchel is NE of Liberty.
Springersville and Alquina are east of
Connersville.
1838 Metamora, a "must see" if you're in the
area, is south of Connersville, or visit www.
metamoraindiana.com.
My dad's cousin Don Hartzell remembered hearing, when he was a kid, that some old shoemaking tools, still at
G'ma Sophronia's, had belonged to one of our grandfathers. He had always connected it with another story that
he had heard that one of our grandfather Hartsells was a one-legged shoe cobbler. David's daughter-in-law
Sophronia would have known. She died in 1926. It seems that the story would have been more definite than this
if it was David, so I rather doubt it. The 1860 Census shows David's occupation as "farmer".
The 1830 Union County Indiana Census shows for the George Hartzel family:
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
male 40-49
female 30-49
female 20-29
female 10-14
male 5-9
female 5-9
male under 5
female under 5
-
George Hartzell
Susannah Hartzell
Catherine Hartzell
Frances/Fanny Hartzell
John Hartzell
Susannah Hartzell
Adam Hartzell
Salina Hartzell
b.
b.
b.
b.
b.
b.
b.
b.
abt.
abt.
abt.
abt.
Nov.
Aug.
Dec.
Mar.
1785
1792
1811
1815
28, 1820
18, 1822
9, 1825
10, 1827
(1st dau.)
(1st son)
(2nd son)
David Hartzell, age 24, was not in the household.
In late 1830, George Hartzell died in Union County, Indiana. Executor and a primary beneficiary of his will
was James Alexander (last name Alexander). James was a son-in-law of George, having married
George's daughter Catherine in 1827. James and Catherine lived next to George's place in 1830 and 1840.
In George's will, his property contained "a lot of shoemaker tools".
The 1830 Union Co. IN Census shows James Alexander's family as:
1 male 20-29
1 female 20-29
1 child under 5
- James Alexander
- Catherine Alexander
b. abt. 1806 Tennessee
b. abt. 1811 Virginia
James & Catherine were to have sons David and Adam after 1844.
David's brother Leonard, who married Delila Weiss, was still in Ohio in 1831 when his daughter Susanna
was born. Daughter Nancy was born in 1832 in Indiana. When Leonard migrated to Indiana, he surely
stopped by George Hartsell's place. (This is leading up to how David may have met his future wife
Barbara in Rush County.) David may have gone to Rush County with Leonard at this time. Remember,
David was a shoemaker and wasn't tied down to any particular location. They would have passed
through Connersville, probably the largest town in all three counties.
In Sept. 1832, Leonard bought land in the northern part of Rush County, Indiana, about 2.5 miles east of the
present town of Carthage, halfway between Richmond and Indianapolis. It was 46 acres in Center Township,
Section 22. He sold this land in 1835. In March 1840, he bought the S 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Section 16 in Ripley
Township, 1/2 mile from his 1832 land. Leonard was David's older brother by 5 or 6 years. By now Leonard and
Delilah's children were Willis, Lewis, Adam, Susanah and baby Nancy. These were David's nephews and nieces.
Now, as already mentioned, there was a world-wide cholera epidemic that affected Indiana in 1833. We had
noticed a large number of deaths that year, and this is why. Some quotes from internet searches are: "1833
Worldwide cholera epidemic reaches Bloomington; Indiana College students abandon town for a month."
"Harriett Sells died 23 Nov 1832 in cholera epidemic, Rush County Indiana." "In the summer of 1833, a cholera
epidemic killed 500 Lexingtonians in two months, and half the population fled the city in fear."
It is difficult to imagine what life was like in the early 1830's in Indiana. Log cabins were the usual form of
housing. Matches were not yet available, so it was easier to "keep the home fires burning" all the time, even in
the summer, rather than the arduous task of starting a fire with flint & steel. This made cabins very hot in the
summer. Window screens had not yet been invented, so flies, mosquitos and gnats were a constant nuisance,
along with flies on the food. People made or grew almost everything they used, and depended on barter for
manufactured goods. In summer, adults as well as children went barefoot most of the time. Corn, game and pork
were the principle items of diet. Meat had to be salted and dried for preservation. Liquid mud made roads
impassable after a heavy rain. Lighting came from candles and lanterns. Water came from wells or streams. The
only ice they saw was in the winter.
Around this time, David's brother Phillip had moved to Miami County Ohio, just north of Montgomery County.
Brother Jacob had remained in Virginia when the family went to Ohio in 1815 (he married Hannah Capper in
1816 in Franklin County). Brother John and sister Elizabeth were in Montgomery County Ohio. Sister Catherine
(Kate) was probably in or near Montgomery County Ohio; it was her husband who fled there to escape the War of
1812. I wonder if David visited his brothers and sisters, or vice versa.
By 1835 David had met Barbara Nipp. Since she was apparently living with her uncle George Nipp just east of
Rushville in Rush County, we had wondered how they met. With George about 8 miles from Leonard's land, they
may have been going to the same church, and maybe that's how they met. George Nipp, who married Rebeccah
Townsend in Wythe County, Virginia in 1809, had arrived in Connersville in 1815. He bought land in Rush
County, Indiana in 1821. To put this in perspective, the western portion of Fayette County belonged to the
Indians until 1818; as late as 1820, "Connersville was filled with them every day." In 1820 the white male voters
in all of Fayette County totaled 1,153. Barbara arrived in 1831 at the age of 15. Her father Phillip remained in
Virginia; her mother had recently died, and there is reason to believe her father was disabled and could not
support Barbara. This explains why she would be with her uncle. Uncle George did farming in the summer and
shoemaking in the winter. David probably did not meet his future father-in-law. Much information on the ancestry
of Barbara Nipp is on my website.
Since David Hartzell never owned enough land to make a living in farming, shoemaking must have been his yearround occupation. It would have been difficult to make a living out in the rural areas, so David must have had a
shop in town. Maybe at first it was in Rushville, nearer to where his brother Leonard lived, and perhaps this is
how he came to know Barbara Nipp. Maybe George Nipp worked with David in the winter. By 1836 his shop must
have been 17 miles east in Connersville, which was most likely a larger town.
On May 15, 1836, 30-year-old David married 20-year-old Barbara Nipp in Connersville. The minister who
performed the wedding ceremony was George Harlan, M.G. (Regularly ordained minister of the gospel in the
Church of Christ). The church was probably the Christian Church (marked "L" on the Connersville map) at
Harrison and Water Street (now 5th and Water). 5th Street becomes Route 44 going east. When coming into
town in David's time, this church was about the first building you would see. This church seems to be the one the
family attended, since David's son James was also married there 22 years later. The minister (George Harlan)
was David's age, his wife's name was Sarah, and they had 3 children: James, George, and Rhoda. These are
people David knew.
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Connersville, Indiana, 1856
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Now that this seems to be the church they attended, it may answer the question why no Hartsells are buried at
Springersville Cemetery, where the Walkers are buried. David's daughter Eliza J. may be buried in the cemetery
that was used by the congregation of this church, probably nearby. There is a cemetery, shown on the 1856 plat
map, a little north of town, and about 7 blocks north of where the church was. It is now called the old City
Cemetery, at 13th and Grand.
1856 Plat Map, Part of Fayette County, Indiana. Width = 5 miles.
David & Barbara made their first home about 3 miles east of downtown Connersville along what is now Route 44,
on what was probably Alex Walker's land. This may be how the Walker family came into the picture. Alex's
brother Joseph was the father of Sophronia, future second wife of David's son James.
On the 1856 plat map, they were living in the lower right of the map, in Section 28, above the "28" along the road
(now route 44). In the lower left is 1856 Connersville, a much larger town now.
On Mar. 18, 1837, David's son James Alexander Hartsell was born. He was very likely named after the James
Alexander of Union County, who must have been highly regarded.
On Mar. 11, 1838, daughter Margaret was born, perhaps named after David's Aunt Margaret.
Daughter Rebecca was born in Oct. 1839. She was possibly named after her mother's aunt Rebecca Nipp.
In the 1840 Indiana Census, Union County, James Alexander (his last name) is shown with children John,
George, and youngest child Thomas (who later became a doctor), born Sept. 25, 1839.
Daughter Eliza J. was born in 1841, but apparently died after 1850. She may be buried in the old City Cemetery
in Connersville.
Daughter Barbara was born Oct. 30, 1842, probably named after her mother.
Around 1845, David's brother Leonard moved from Rush County to Wabash County, Indiana, about 100 miles
north, north of Marion, Indiana. James A. Hartsell was only 7 years old, so this may explain why there is no family
memory of David's brother Leonard. David probably didn't pack up the whole family if and when he went to visit
his brother. The 1840 census shows an Adam Hartsell, b. 1800-1810 (not David's father or George's son) in
Wabash County, Noble Twp., the same township where Leonard was in the 1850 census. Adam was not there in
1850.
Sometime in the 1840's David & Barbara had moved 1 1/2 miles north, on or near the land they were to buy in
1853. We have reason to believe they were living in a log cabin in a small wooded area.
Son William was born Apr. 16, 1848. He could have been named after William Walker, father of Alex, Joseph,
etc. Walker (see www.jdhartsell.com for Walker family details).
In 1849 news arrived of gold in California. The stories made people believe they could just walk along and pick
up the gold.
David's sister "Betsy" Elizabeth (Hartzell) Rentfrow, 1849.
About 51 years old, and presumably living in Kosciusko County, Indiana,
between South Bend and Fort Wayne. She died in 1881.
Her husband, Moses Rentfrow, died April 20, 1849 and is buried in
Syracuse Cemetery, Kosciusko County, Indiana.
The 1850 census shows that David owned $500 worth of real estate, but no record of buy or sell has been found.
I recently realized land in town may be in a different book, and maybe David had a city lot in Connersville where
he may have had a shoemaking shop. This should be looked into.
By 1850, James Alexander, still in neighboring Union County Indiana, had added 3 children to his family: Fanny,
David, and Adam. Interesting choice of names. James was to leave Indiana in 1852. He died in 1867, and his
wife Catherine died in 1879. In the 1880 Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas census, David and Adam Alexander,
ages 36 and 29, were in the State Insane Asylum (after parents died).
Let's try to picture the scene in 1850. Try to visualize pictures you've seen of frontier people and houses before
the Civil War. David had 6 children so far and was now 44 years old. Barbara was 34. Eldest son James A.
Hartsell was now 13 and not attending school (normal in those days). It is difficult in modern times to picture what
life was like. Picture living in a two or three-room primitive cabin in the damp, cold woods of late autumn. There is
no plumbing, no sinks, no bathroom. The "sink" is a bowl on a table. No TV, radio, telephone, or electricity.
Furniture is very basic. Beds are wooden and possibly homemade. Several sleep in the same room. In the
morning when you wake up it is very cold in the cabin. Someone lights a kerosene lantern. Someone starts a fire
in the fireplace, cookstove, or pot-belly stove over in the corner. You can smell the smoke from the fire and the
burning kerosene. You go outside to the outhouse or bushes. You wash your hands and face in a washbasin
filled with water that was carried from the well. The dirty water is dumped outside. You take a bath once a week
or so. The clothes you put on are ragged and still dirty from the last few days. If you're going to school you walk
on dirt roads that are often very muddy. Travel is by walking, on horseback, or by horse and wagon. There are
horses in the pasture, and probably cows, pigs and chickens.
Fayette County
Courthouse, 1849.
Connersville,
Indiana, looking
north.
This is how David
Hartzell saw the
courthouse and
this corner at
Madison and
Monroe (see
building marked
"A" on the 1856
Connersville
map). This corner
is now 4th (left)
and Central
(right).
Daughter (Mary) Celestia was born in 1852. She was later known as Aunt Let and her gravestone says Mary C.
She is listed in the Census as Celestia (1860) and Salesta (1870).
On Aug. 27, 1853, David bought 20 acres in Jennings Township about 1 mile west of Springersville, and 3 1/2
miles east of Connersville. He bought it from Jonas Scholl for $500. It was 8 acres in the NE corner of Section
21, and the adjoining 12 acres in the NW corner of Section 22. He may have already been living on this land,
quite likely in a log cabin.
We are extremely lucky that there is (or was) an 1856 plat map of Fayette County in the courthouse hallway in
Connersville, parts of which are shown above and below. David's and Walker family names are on this map. It is
a snapshot in time that shows the roads that existed then, towns, churches, streams, neighbors, etc. Using the
1850 Census, and following the census taker's route against the names on the 1856 map, you can find where
people lived even when they didn't own land. You can even find the names of the kids that David's children
played with when they were kids. How else could you do all this! The map also shows the streets of Connersville
at that time. I have photographed this map in segments, and the pictures, along with my partial Index of Owners,
are on my website at www.jdhartsell.com.
Another lucky break is that 16 miles south of Connersville, there is the fascinating town of 1838 Old Metamora
( www.metamora.com). If you're ever in the area, you absolutely must see this place. My wife Connie and I have
stayed at the Metamora Inn, built in 1845, right in Old Town. There are buildings there that David Hartzell must
have seen.
The map below is an 1856 closeup of sections 21 and 22 of Jennings Towhship, along with Waterloo Township
sections 16 and 15. You can barely read "D. Hartsel" right in the center, but it is more clearly seen on the original
map. A section is one mile wide. The angled road is now Springersville Road. The creek going through David's
property is still in about the same place, and the railroad track is still there. Straight east (right) from David's
property, at the right edge of the picture, is Springersville, which was laid out in 1840. The Springersville
Cemetery is also there. There is a church at Springersville, and 1/2 mile south is another church (there's a
drawing of a church), and the Union Cemetery behind this church is where David's daughter Barbara is buried. In
the SE quarter of section 16 is what is now north-south farm road 325E, and in 1856 it did not connect with
Springersville Road as it does now. There was another church 1/2 mile north of David's property, where there is a
drawing of a church, on James Walker's land. The church is no longer there. As mentioned previously, David's
family probably attended the Christian Church in Connersville. The names on the map were his neighbors, and
he is surrounded by Walkers.
David's land was first occupied in 1813 and 1816. In 1813, David Fletcher homesteaded the NW 1/4 of Section
22. In 1816, Oran Stoddard homesteaded the NE 1/4 of Section 21. The 20 acres David bought were first divided
out in 1826 when Jonathon Sutton sold it to James Rumbly. The land is at the border of Waterloo Township, 1/2
mile north of the land where William Walker (Joseph's father) was living. William Walker bought 320 acres there
in the 1820's. It is shown here as belonging to his sons Willis, Samuel and John Walker. At this time William
Walker was probably living at the bottom center of the map.
On the map, the angled road towards Connersville is now Springersville Road. From this road you can turn north
on farm road 325E. From 325E, David's land begins 220 yards east, midway across the field. Given that a rod is
16.5 feet, and starting from the NE corner of section 21, his land went 40 rods west (660 feet), 60 rods east (990
feet), and 32 rods south (528 feet).
In the far NW corner of the 12 acres in section 22 is (as of 2001) a major surprise. It is a preserved timber area
with evidence of a homesite with a rock-lined well. Even more fascinating is that a local farmer said there used to
be a log cabin here. There is also evidence of a "driveway" going east along the north edge of Section 21 to what
is now farm road 325E. This has to be where David Hartzell lived.
Below, finally found in 2007, is the actual location of David Hartzell's land. I never knew exactly where the section
line was. The Mapquest scale shown at bottom right of the images is off. On another zoomed out image, I
measured from Road 250E on the west edge of Section 21 to Road 450E on the east edge of Section 22. This is
2 miles. From this I finally found the Section 21-22 line midway in between. 660 feet = 1/8 mile. 990 feet = 3/16
mile. 528 feet is close to 1/10 mile. The heavy horizontal line marks the township boundary. The heavy vertical
line marks the section boundary.
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David Hartzell's land is marked with the less heavy lines. The homesite location, described below, is at the round
white dot, which we now know is in Section 22. The wooded area is probably still like it was in 1853! The
cultivated area is about 10 acres.
Below is a zoomed out image showing the reference roads. David's land is in the lower left. The farmhouse
immediately above the "325" road marker is the one pictured farther down this web page.
.
Going back to the 4-section map above the Mapquest maps, David's neighbors to the south were Abram & Sarah
Sutton, about the same age as David & Barbara. Abram was probably related to the Jonathon Sutton mentioned
above who used to own David's property. Abram's children were James, Jane, William, Samantha, Elizabeth,
Lafayette, Thompson and Mary, who must have played with David's children. Neighbors to the north were Daniel
& Matilda Gise/Guise and their children David and Minerva. Daniel was a carpenter. (Here's a Daniel, beside
David's cousin Daniel, who could have given David the Bible.) Also to the north was John Scholl. To the west
was John Spivey; east was another piece of land owned by Daniel Guise.
David probably walked what is now Springersville Road into town. (If it was less than 3 or 4 miles, it seems that it
was quicker to walk rather than saddle or hitch up a horse.) The ground level drops as you approach
Connersville on this road, and all you see are trees until you get close.
Around 1854 a railroad was put through within 1/2 mile from David's home as shown on the 1856 plat map. They
could hear the train from their house, and they must have gone to watch the amazing spectacle of a steam train.
The tracks are still in the same place.
Looking north across the 8 acres at NE corner of Section 21, Jennings Township.
Vertical lines are from splicing pictures together.
From the right edge, about 2/3 in on the rightmost picture, just inside the fence, is the homesite location.
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Here I am in 1983 at David Hartzell's 1853 land and
possible homesite, in the SW corner of the timbered
area, looking east. Square nails were in the rotted
boards.
A stone-lined well is in the backround (covered). In
1999 the boards were gone, and the well had a wire
mesh fence around it.
A local farmer said there used to be a log cabin here!
The stone-lined well, about 3 feet in diameter. In
1983 it appeared to be about 25 feet deep, but had
probably been filled in some. The well is about 30
feet east of the homesite.
Many more pictures are at www.jdhartsell.com.
From inside the timber area, at the north edge of the
property, looking west; this must have been the
driveway into the property from the "main" road (now
325E). The driveway must have been along the north
edge of section 21. The homesite is south (left) of this
spot.
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Farmhouse just inside Waterloo Township, looking
north on farm road 325E. To the right (east), across
the field, is the land David Hartzell owned.
Daughter Elizabeth (Sarah/Sade/Sallie) was born 1854-55. She was later known as Aunt Sade; her gravestone
says Sarah. Everyone had nicknames, it seems, and even nicknames had nicknames.
David's oldest brother Phillip died Dec. 1855 in Covington, Miami County, Ohio at the age of 68. David was 50.
On May 6, 1858, at the age of 21, James Alexander Hartsell married (Mary) Elizabeth Palmer, age 21, in
Connersville. The wedding ceremony took place at the same church and by the same minister as his father and
mother 22 years before. Elizabeth died in 1866 and is not our ancestor. At the time of his son's marriage, David
Hartzell was 52 years old.
In 1859, Joseph Walker's family settled in Shelby County Illinois, shortly after his father William died.
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SHELBY COUNTY, ILLINOIS, 1860 - 1865
In 1860, David Hartzell and his family moved 235 miles west to Shelby County, Illinois, in the vicinity of Windsor.
Joseph Walker had come back with his two children to help with the move. We don't know why they decided to
move. It could have been because of the drought in 1859-60. Moving in order to obtain land could not have been
the reason because David's son James did not buy land until 1872. It is curious that David did not sell his 20
acres in Indiana until 1863. They probably could have used the money. Perhaps he thought he'd be coming back.
Perhaps the move was because of the impending Civil War: Joseph Walker, who was an avid reader and was
well informed, saw what was coming and could have recommended that the Hartsells should move. James A.
was military age at 23.
They left Fayette County after the June 1860 Census. The staging area for the wagon train was apparently the
town of Alquina (one mile south of SE corner of Section 27 on the 1856 plat map). The 1860 census shows the
David and James A. "households" next to each other, with Joseph and his children in David's household, and
children Phoebe & Adonija Sutton in James' household. From the census taker's route, they were in Alquina.
There is only one reason I can think of why they would be listed in the census at this location, and not back on
their land: they had already loaded their possessions in the wagons, the departure of the wagon train was
imminent, and they were near the wagons because that's where their stuff was - plus insuring nothing would be
stolen. The wagons must have had a canvas shelter and a place to sleep, so they would have been like a
traveling home. Since this was June, you may wonder about their crops and why leave now (except for the
drought)? Joseph was already living in Illinois, and had come back just to help with the move. David wasn't really
a farmer so he had no crops to worry about. I think at this time son James had been earning money as a farm
laborer. One more thing: it's gone now, but around 1985 there was a large old building in Alquina that could very
well have been a boarding house. Maybe the families stayed there just before leaving. I have a picture of the
building.
There were at least 4 households in this wagon train, most likely more, with their possessions and possibly some
horses and cows in tow:
1. David (54) & Barbara (44) Hartzell and children Margaret (22), William (12), Celestia (8) and Elizabeth (5).
2. James A. Hartsell (23), first wife Mary Elizabeth, and someone else's children Phoebe (13) & Adonijah Sutton
(8).
3. Joseph Walker (43) and his children Sophronia (11) (James A's future wife) and Amos (9).
4. David's daughter Rebecca (20) and her husband Timothy Small.
It must have been painful for David & Barbara to leave without their daughter Barbara. A year before, at the age
of 16, she had married 36-year-old Samuel Walker, Joseph's brother, and stayed behind in Indiana. Daughter
Margaret never married and lived with her parents after the move.
Phoebe & Adonija Sutton must have been the children of David's neighbor Abram Sutton. Abram must have gone
ahead to Illinois.
They probably traveled on the National Road, now U.S. Route 40. On this trip, somewhere in Indiana, the
youngsters were scolded by their mother (Barbara) for yelling "hurrah for Lincoln" as they were going thru a town
and admonished "don't make trouble". You can read all kinds of things into this. The children must have heard
the adults talking, and they must have been in an area of southern sympathizers. Lincoln wasn't President yet,
but they knew about him. Joseph Walker probably talked a lot about the slavery situation. The children must have
been high-spirited and not suffering much so far on the trip.
Try to imagine what this caravan of covered wagons looked like. It must have been in June or July. Eight adults
(counting Margaret), and seven children ages 5 to 13. Joseph Walker was hauling some of the other's
belongings, having already settled in Illinois, but there must have been 3 household's worth of furniture. Think
what they must have taken with them. Foodstuffs, tables, chairs, cupboards, heating woodstoves, dishes, pots &
pans, bedding, clothes, tools and maybe a plow, David's shoemaking tools, the children's toys, and even family
heirlooms (like the old Bible). There had to be at least 4 wagons. Plus, the usual mode of travel in those days
was to tie a spare team of horses to the back of the wagon, and switch horses periodically to give the pulling
horses a rest.
Windsor, Illinois, bottom center.
David Hartzell had now traveled over 700 miles in two family moves, by wagon train, from Virgina to Windsor,
Illinois.
It is thought that David & Barbara, along with their younger children, lived with widower Joseph Walker after the
move, probably in Windsor Township. (In 1870, after David died, Barbara was a live-in housekeeper in the home
of Joseph Walker in Windsor Township. Margaret (32), William (22) and Celestia (18) were also in the household.
In 1880, shortly after Barbara died, Margaret was still in the household at age 41.)
David was 55 years old when the Civil War began April 12, 1861. James A. was 24.
Illinois was recognized as a northern state during the war although there were many southern sympathizers.
Trainloads of soldiers from Chicago passed through Windsor on their way to the South. Injured and dead soldiers
were going north. Immigration of new settlers virtually stopped during the war.
In 1863, during the Civil War, David sold his land in Fayette County Indiana for $500 to Richard Slithens. The fact
that he kept it this long implies he may have planned to go back. Maybe he gave up with the war lasting so long.
He must have gone to Connersville to sign the papers, and must have visited daughter Barbara.
On Sunday, March 5, 1865, David Hartzell died, at the age of 59 years, 3 months, and 13 days. He and wife
Barbara are buried at Ash Grove (now Cochran's Grove) Cemetery, east of the church, in Ash Grove Township,
Shelby County, Illinois, about 1.5 miles SE of Windsor.
David died 6 weeks before Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, and 2 months before the Civil War ended.
The cemetery had its first burial 7 years earlier in 1858, so it must have been fairly small with all of it east of the
church. At David's burial, it was winter and probably cold. No leaves on the trees. Horses and wagons were tied
up nearby. Among the people at David's graveside were his widow Barbara, age 50; son James, age 28, & his
wife Mary Elizabeth, age 21, who was to die a year later; daughter Margaret, age 27; daughter Rebecca, age 25,
& her husband Timothy Small; son William, age 17; daughter Celeste (Let/Mary), age 14; and daughter Elizabeth
(Sarah), age 10. Daughter Barbara, age 22, was living back in Indiana and may not have been there. Joseph
Walker, age 51, was surely there, along with his children Sophronia, age 15, and Amos, age 14. They were all
dressed like people you see in pictures during the Civil War era.
David Hartzell died before and never knew the following events: On Feb. 25, 1866, his daughter-in-law Mary
Elizabeth died at the age of 29, 8 years after marriage. There were no apparent children by this marriage. On
Dec. 23, 1868, James A. Hartsell, age 31, married Sophronia Walker, age 20. On Aug. 21, 1870, their baby Mary
Elizabeth (note the name) died at the age of 1 year, 8 months and 22 days. All are buried next to David Hartzell's
grave.
So now, the grave of David Hartzell no longer stands as a mystery. He had parents. He had brothers and sisters.
We now know where he was throughout his life.
SUMMARY OF DAVID HARTZELL'S LIFE
David Hartzell's great-great grandfather Hans George Hirtzel came to America in 1727, along with David's greatgrandfather who was 11 years old. The family first settled in Pennsylvania, and moved to Virgina in 1792. David
Hartzell was the son of Adam and Christina (Sink) Hartzell. David was born Nov. 20, 1805 near Boone's Mill,
Franklin County, Virginia, about 10 miles south of Roanoke. He was 10 when the family moved in 1815 to
Ellerton, Montgomery County, Ohio, about 10 miles SW of Dayton. David appears to be still with his parents in
Ohio in 1830, and was probably in Rush County Indiana around 1832. David was a shoemaker. He married
Barbara Nipp on May 15, 1836 in Connersville, Fayette County, Indiana. They lived in Jennings Township, near
Springersville, about 3 miles east of Connersville. In 1860, David and his family moved to Shelby County, Illinois,
in the vicinity of Windsor. David Hartzell died Mar. 5, 1865 in Windsor Township, Shelby County, Illinois.
For those of you who know about the old leather-bound Bible, and Daniel Hartsell or Ferdenand Hartsell as
David's father, see "Evidence For Ancestry of David Hartzell".
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DAVID HARTZELL'S ANCESTRY: (Summarized from Paul Swan's "Hartzell Chapter".)
Region Around Zurich, Switzerland
The earliest known generations of our Hirzel-Hirtzel-Hertzel-Hartzell family lived in Pfäffikon Parish of the Zürich
Canton in Switzerland, some ten miles east of the city of Zürich (note the scale in the top right of the map). A
Canton is a small territorial division in Switzerland. It appears that Pfäffikon Parish is now simply called
“Pfäffikon”. The name Hirzel was very well known in Zürich (Canton?), where eleven of them served as the
burgermeister or mayor. There are several volumes of history and genealogy published on the prominent Hirzel
line in Switzerland. At least one of these is in the library at SLC. It is in German, and takes the genealogy of the
Hirzels back to the early 1300s. An Annemarie (Hirzel) Fariña wrote: “All the Hirzels have their origin in Pfäffikon,
Canton Zürich. My genealogical tree starts with Niklaus Hirzel who lived from 1402 till 1446 at Pfäffikon.
According to the first official document dated 811 AD the village was then "Faffinochova"; in the year 1308 AD it
is documented as "Pfeffinkon". “
Off the map, near the southern shore of Zürich See (Lake) lies the village of Hirzel. It unfortunately has no
connection to our ancestors.
David's great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Jacob Hirzel (pronounced “Hirtzel”) was born in 1580 in
Pfäffikon Parish, Zürich Canton, Switzerland, and christened Feb. 14, 1581 in Fehraltorf (less than 2 miles NW of
Pfäffikon). He married Madalen Keller Aug. 2, 1601 in Pfäffikon Parish. They had their first five children in the
parish of Pfäffikon, and lived "in Hochfalden in the congregation Hittnau, same Parish" in 1610 and 1611. After
that they were in the towns of Balm and/or Fierersbalm, probably for the rest of their lives, but we have no death
record for either. All of these locations are within a few miles of the town of Pfäffikon. Jacob died before 1634 in
Balm, Pfäffikon Parish.
David's great-great-great-great-grandfather Heinrich Hirzel was born Jan. 12, 1619 in Pfäffikon Parish, Zürich
Canton, Switzerland, and christened Feb. 28, 1619 in the same parish. He married Maria Steiner Jan. 12, 1646 in
Lysslingen, Switzerland. After their marriage they resided in Sulzberg with his brother Felix. In 1653, they
emigrated to Reihen, Kries Sinsheim, Baden, The Palatinate (SE of Heidelberg, Germany). Heinrich died June
23, 1663 in Reihen, near Sinsheim, Baden.
David's great-great-great-grandfather Clemens Hirzel was born Feb. 20, 1659 in Reihen, Kries Sinsheim,
Baden, The Palatinate. He married Anna Sinter Nov. 23, 1680 in Reihen, Baden, The Palatinate. Clemens'
godfather was the Rev. Clemens Hirzel, as of 1651 Pastor of the Reihen Evangelishe (Reformed) Kirche. The
pastor emigrated from Winterthur, north of Pfäffikon, and may have headed the emigration from Switzerland to
Reihen. Our ancestor died Mar. 25, 1707 in Reihen, Duchy of Baden, The Palatinate.
David's great-great-grandfather Hans Georg Hirtzel was christened May 30, 1686 in Reihen, near Sinsheim,
Baden, The Palatinate. He married Anna Margaretha Conrad before 1714 in Reihen. He emigrated from The
Palatinate, arriving in Philadelphia by Sep. 14, 1727 on the William and Sarah, from Rotterdam by way of Dover.
His 11-year old son, Hans Jacob (below) accompanied him. Anna died before or during the trip. Hans Georg died
after Nov. 12, 1747 in Lower Saucon, Bucks (now Northampton) County, Pennsylvania.
David's great-grandfather Hans Jacob Hertzel was christened Apr. 16, 1716 in Reihen, Baden, The Palatinate.
He came to America as an 11-year old with his father in 1727 on the ship William & Sarah. He married Barbel
“Barbara” Ritter about 1743 in Northampton, Pennsylvania. He moved about 1755 to Bethlehem Township in the
recently created Northampton County. He died Feb. 11, 1781 in Bethlehem Twp., Northampton County,
Pennsylvania, and was buried in Dryland Cemetery, Northampton.
David's grandfather Johann Phillip Hartzell was born Apr. 20, 1743 and christened May 1, 1743 in Old
Williams, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. He married Christina Barbara Kreiling on Apr. 30, 1765 in Dryland,
Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. By 1781 he moved to York (now Adams) County, Pennsylvania,
on the Maryland border. After 1792 he moved his family to the Boones Mill area, Franklin County, Virginia. He
died after 1820 near Rocky Mount, Franklin County, Virginia.
David's father Adam Hartzell was born about 1765 in Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. He was
about 13 years old when his father moved the family around 1780 from Northampton County to York (now
Adams) County, Pennsylvania, on the Maryland border. Adam married Christina Sink in 1786 in Pennsylvania.
Adam's father moved the family to Boones Mill, Franklin County, Virginia (south of Roanoke) around 1794. In
1815, Adam’s family moved to Ellerton, Montgomery County, Ohio, southeast of Dayton. Adam & Christina
probably died in the 1830’s, perhaps in a choler epidemic. It is believed they were both buried at Ellerton.
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES SINCE 11/25/02 VERSION:
David Hartzell's birthdate as Nov. 20, 1805, not Nov. 22. For some reason, on recalculation, I had changed it to
the 22nd, but the 20th is correct. On Feb. 20, 1865 he would have been 59 years and 3 months old. On March 5,
1865 he was 59 years, 3 months, and 13 days old (28 days in February, 1805).
Information on David's sister Elizabeth ("Betsy") from her descendant Harlan Rentfrow. Elizabeth was born in
1798. Her picture is shown at the 1849 period of this document.
Hertzel vs. Hartzell: the letter from Jonas Hartzell to his brother Philip (David's grandfather) spells the name as
"Hartzell". Likewise in the early Franklin County Virginia marriage records. I'm going with "Hartzell" from Philip
down to David.
Changed web address from www.jdhartsell.com/david/david.html to www.jdhartsell.com/DavidHartzell.
1792 land purchase by Philip Hartzell, 1796 purchase by Abraham Hartzell, Settlement Map of Franklin County,
VA 1786-1886, and new conclusions on when the family moved to Franklin County.
Introduced George Hartzell of Union County Indiana as a possible son or cousin of Adam Hartzell. If a cousin, he
may have been the son of John & Catherine (Schneider) Hartzell. Whichever it is, he still provides a positive
connection of David Hartzell to Franklin County, Virginia.
Added information about where the family lived in Franklin County, Virginia.
Removed the marriage of our Adam Hartzell to Mary Spiekard Aug. 11, 1821. It was an Adam Hetzel who
married Mary Spikard Aug. 10, 1826. There was a Hetzel family.
FOR INTERNET SEARCH ENGINES:
David Hartsel, David Hartsell, David Hartzel, David Hartzell, Barbara Nipp, Barbara Knipp, James A. Hartsell, James Alexander Hartsell,
Minnie Hart, Minnie A. Hart, Minnie Alberta Hart, Glen Hart, Glen D. Hart, Glen Dorsey Hart, Mary Bunyard, Mary E. Bunyard, Mary
Evaline Bunyard, William W. Hartsell, Willian Webster Hartsell, Oma E. Crockett, Oma Estella Crocket, Orthello Crocket, Orthello
Crockett, Othello H. Crocket, Orthello H. Crockett, Margaret Crockett, Margaret Oare, Margaret J. Oare, Margaret Jane Oare, James O.
Hartsell, James Oran Hartsell Theodore Hartsell, Theodore D. Hartsell, Theodore Deneen Hartsell, Doris Hartsell, Doris J. Hartsell,
Doris Juanita Hartsell, Doris Dunn, Doris J. Dunn, Doris Juanita Dunn, James D. Hartsell, James Daniel Hartsell, Beulah Hartsell,
Beulah N. Hartsell, Beulah Normalette Hartsell, Beulah Sims, Beulah A. Sims, Beulah Normalette Sims, Herschel Hartsell, Herschel D.
Hartsell, Herschel Dean Hartsell, Sherman D. Hartsell, Sherman Donnell Hartsell, Vernon Hartsell, Bertha Hartsell, Bertha J. Hartsell,
Bertha Juanita Hartsell, Bertha Risley, Bertha J. Risley, Bertha Juanita Risley, Harrison M. Hartsell, Harrison Marine Hartsell, Wendell
Hartsell, Wendell M. Hartsell, Wendell Marine Hartsell, Donald Hartsell, Donald Hartzell, Donald V. Hartsell, Donald V. Hartzell, Donald
Vere Hartsell, Donald Vere Hartzell, Helen Hartsell, Helen M. Hartsell, Helen Margaret Hartsell, Helen Price, Helen M. Price, Helen
Margaret Price, Margaret Hartsell, Rebecca Small, Rebecca A. Small, Rebecca Ann Small, Rebecca Hartsell, Rebecca A. Hartsell,
Rebecca Ann Hartsell, Sarah Hartsell, Sarah E. Hartsell, Sarah Elizabeth Hartsell, Sarah Walden, Sarah E. Walden, Sarah Elizabeth
Walden, Barbara Hartsell, Barbara A. Hartsell, Barbara Anna Hartsell, Barbara Walker, Barbara A. Walker, Barbara Anna Walker,
William Hartsell, Mary Hartsell, Mary C. Hartsell, Mary Celestia Hartsell, Mary Walker, Mary C. Walker, Mary Celestia Walker Jim
Hartsell, James Dwight Hartsell