Son of Wendell and Anna Kendig (Herr) Bowman.
Married Veronica Fremy abt. 1745.
_____
The Christian Bowman Family by George W. Bowman published in the Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 34, No. 1, in March 1938, pages 123-127. The article is available online at jstor.org as of December 2023. An excerpt is provided here about the various spellings of the surname that are found.
The surname Baumann (Bowman) is a common one in German-speaking countries. There have been several changes in the spelling of the name from medieval times to the present. For instance, Buman was used until 1617; then Buwman and Bouwann, until 1650; and later Baumann or Bauman. This last spelling was changed to Bowman in the case of early American members of the family as English officials, in entering court records of legal documents, spelled the Bau as it sounded – that is, Bow. Baughman, Boughman, and Bachman are less frequent spellings.
_____
Bauman Family History: Family Records Mostly of Three Distinct Groups and Descendants of Joseph, David and Henry Bauman Who Settled as Pioneers in Waterloo Township, Waterloo County, Up to the Year of 1825 Each Representing One of the Three Tribes of Christian, Peter and Jacob, Respectively, Who Are Children of the Old Progenitor Wendel Bauman by Angus S. Bauman, Wallenstein, Ontario in December 1940. The book is available online as of December 2023.
[Some information provided in this book, such as the year of birth for Wendell and the identities and order of birth for his children have been proven differently.]
Page 8
The Removal of Wendel Baumann's Sons, Christian, Peter and Jacob, to Berks County
(The following nearly all written by H. M. Bowman)
In the forties, following the death of Wendel Baumann in 1735, his sons, Christian, Peter and Jacob, moved from the Pequea settlement northeastward about 25 miles to the valley of Alleghany Creek, in what is now Berks County. Earlier settlements had been made in this direction by Hans Graff at Graff's Thal (now Groffdale) in 1717, by three Weber brothers at Weber's Thal (now Weaverland) in 1724, and by the Goods and Musselmans at Muddy Creek in 1737. The Goods of Waterloo County are of this line of settlers at Muddy Creek. Weaverland and the neighboring Village of Martindale are the original district of the Mennonite Webers and Martins so numerously represented in Waterloo.
Groffdale, Weaverland and Muddy Creek are, respectively, some 6, 12 and 18 miles northeast of the original Pequea colony. The Pequea settlers had gone so far west of the settled parts around Philadelphia that the three new settlements made toward the east and northeast were all in still unsettled territory. Muddy Creek, the last of the three, was a little south of the present Village of Bowmansville. This brought the settled frontier near to the Forest Hills along the northeast line of Lancaster County. The movement of the three Baumann brothers in the forties carried the settled border across this line into Berks.
The pioneer of this movement into Berks was the youngest of the three brothers, Jacob. He was the Nimrod of the Pequea country, a great hunter and fisher. By this time the woods and streams in this neighborhood had been well hunted and fished. When Jacob Baumann was at Muddy Creek prospecting for a new location, an Indian offered to show him good hunting ground to the eastward on the upper reaches of the Muddy Creek. Baumann's friends at Muddy Creek advised strongly against this proposal. The Indian danger was then not yet at the pitch reached in the French and Indian War of 1754 to 1763, but the Indians were uneasy over the encroachment of the whites. In general, the early friendliness between the two races was at an end. But Baumann decided to make the venture.
The next morning he, with the Indian, started from the log cabin of one Good about a quarter of a mile south of the present Bowmansville, prospecting eastward up the valley of Muddy Creek. The next day they found a site that pleased Baumann. The Indian helped him to lay off 300 acres along the creek. At the same time he advised Baumann never to settle at any point where the water was running towards the sunset. In such places, he said, there was no good luck; and the next day he would take him to a place where the water was running towards sunrise, and where there was plenty of fish, game and good luck. The Muddy and Alleghany Creeks in these parts are parallel streams, some miles apart, but running in opposite directions, the Muddy westward into the Conestogo and Susquehanna, and the Alleghany eastward into the Schuylkill and Delaware.
Baumann the next day followed the Indian still eastward to the head of the Muddy Creek valley, then northward, by the Indian path leading from Sinking Spring to the Delaware, over a small range of hills into another valley called by the Indian Alleghean (Alleghany). A clear stream flowed through it toward the sunrise. The Indian's home was on the north side of the valley near the path. They selected a location and built a cabin for Baumann about a mile and a half southwest of the Indian's home.
Page 9
The Indian invited Baumann to bring his wife and child, guaranteeing their safety.
Baumann's friends at Muddy Creek, Weaverland and Groffdale were greatly surprised at his safe return. They helped him to move as far as Muddy Creek. From this point Baumann, with a few of the most necessary things, went forward alone. It was a month since he had departed from his Indian friend, who was greatly pleased at his return. When Baumann told him of the trouble with his friends, who had halted his goods at Muddy Creek, the other said, "Friend Jacob, go and tell your white friends to go home, and tell them also that you have a friend who is a friend indeed." The two completed the transportation of the goods. The friendship between them continued for life. Frequently in this virgin territory they shared the pleasure of fishing and the chase. Jacob's removal occurred about in *1747.
(Footnote: *Dates given by Aaron M. Weber, Mohnton, Pa.)
Christian and Peter Baumann had no friendly Indian connections, but as a result of their brother's favorable experience, Christian followed Jacob in *1748 and Peter some time after *1752 to the Alleghany valley. Peter settled somewhat west of Jacob and Christian a mile west of Peter. Christian's homestead is the one referred to in Eby's Waterloo History, Vol. I, page 63, where it says that he built, in 1749, a log dwelling that was quite sound for upwards of one hundred years. It is situated two or three miles north of the Christian Baumann mill (1777) on Alleghany Creek. This mill is about four miles northeast of Bowmansville, which place, in turn, is a little north from the original Muddy Creek settlement. Jacob Baumann and the Indian had taken a round-about course on their prospecting tour from Muddy Creek to Christian Baumann's home, the nearest of the three brothers in Alleghany valley. This was only seven miles; but between them and the older settlement at Muddy Creek ran the Forest Hills. The four miles from Christian Baumann's mill to Bowmansville passes directly across these hills.
Page 117
The Jacob Bauman Tribe (Part Thereof)
No. 388 II Generation
Jacob is the fourth son of I Wendel. You will remember he is the one that befriended himself with that Indian hunter and moved close to him against the wish of his relatives and friends. He then pushed his way into the Alleghany valley about the year 1747, with his 2 brothers following him in a year or so. Soon after his arrival he built a sawmill. It is believed that his remains were buried also at the Alleghany Cemetery.
8 Children:
-Christian resided in Berks Co., Pa., where he died in 1796; m Elizabeth Huber;
-Jacob moved to Cumberland Co., Pa.; he was known as "Dunker Jockel";
-John, b Oct. 15, 1764; d. July 29, 1836; buried at old Bowmanville Menn. Cemetery. He was known as old Hans; 5 children – John, Martin, David, Barbara and Elizabeth;
-Peter, b 1763; moved to Virginia, where he evidently got killed while hunting in 1823;
-Henry, moved to Virginia, thence to Ohio;
-Mary, wife of John Baer, lived and died in Cumberland Co., Pa., near Carlisle;
-Martin, m to Magd. Baer, lived and died ½ mi. from his uncle, Christian Baumann.
_____
Lowell Kosloskey (1937-2007) of Petoskey, Michigan, provided the following information:
Jacob Bowman was born on 23 Sep 1722 and died in Mar 1770, at age 47. Wife Fremy, youngest child not yet 14. He signed a will on 2 Nov 1769 in Cumru Twp., Berks Co., PA. Translation and Inventory dated 29 Mar 1770.
This will can be found online at FamilySearch.org, Film #005538036, starting with image 1795 of 2151.
_____
A Biographical History of Waterloo Township And other Townships of the County, Being a History of the Early Settlers and Their Descendants, Mostly All of Pennsylvania Dutch Origin, As Also Much Other Unpublished Historical Information Chiefly of a Local Character by Ezra E. Eby, Berlin, Ontario, August 9, 1895. While not specifically titled as such, this is Volume I. The book is available online as of December 2023.
Page 75 begins the family information listed by Angus S. Bauman in his book.
Married Veronica Fremy abt. 1745.
_____
The Christian Bowman Family by George W. Bowman published in the Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 34, No. 1, in March 1938, pages 123-127. The article is available online at jstor.org as of December 2023. An excerpt is provided here about the various spellings of the surname that are found.
The surname Baumann (Bowman) is a common one in German-speaking countries. There have been several changes in the spelling of the name from medieval times to the present. For instance, Buman was used until 1617; then Buwman and Bouwann, until 1650; and later Baumann or Bauman. This last spelling was changed to Bowman in the case of early American members of the family as English officials, in entering court records of legal documents, spelled the Bau as it sounded – that is, Bow. Baughman, Boughman, and Bachman are less frequent spellings.
_____
Bauman Family History: Family Records Mostly of Three Distinct Groups and Descendants of Joseph, David and Henry Bauman Who Settled as Pioneers in Waterloo Township, Waterloo County, Up to the Year of 1825 Each Representing One of the Three Tribes of Christian, Peter and Jacob, Respectively, Who Are Children of the Old Progenitor Wendel Bauman by Angus S. Bauman, Wallenstein, Ontario in December 1940. The book is available online as of December 2023.
[Some information provided in this book, such as the year of birth for Wendell and the identities and order of birth for his children have been proven differently.]
Page 8
The Removal of Wendel Baumann's Sons, Christian, Peter and Jacob, to Berks County
(The following nearly all written by H. M. Bowman)
In the forties, following the death of Wendel Baumann in 1735, his sons, Christian, Peter and Jacob, moved from the Pequea settlement northeastward about 25 miles to the valley of Alleghany Creek, in what is now Berks County. Earlier settlements had been made in this direction by Hans Graff at Graff's Thal (now Groffdale) in 1717, by three Weber brothers at Weber's Thal (now Weaverland) in 1724, and by the Goods and Musselmans at Muddy Creek in 1737. The Goods of Waterloo County are of this line of settlers at Muddy Creek. Weaverland and the neighboring Village of Martindale are the original district of the Mennonite Webers and Martins so numerously represented in Waterloo.
Groffdale, Weaverland and Muddy Creek are, respectively, some 6, 12 and 18 miles northeast of the original Pequea colony. The Pequea settlers had gone so far west of the settled parts around Philadelphia that the three new settlements made toward the east and northeast were all in still unsettled territory. Muddy Creek, the last of the three, was a little south of the present Village of Bowmansville. This brought the settled frontier near to the Forest Hills along the northeast line of Lancaster County. The movement of the three Baumann brothers in the forties carried the settled border across this line into Berks.
The pioneer of this movement into Berks was the youngest of the three brothers, Jacob. He was the Nimrod of the Pequea country, a great hunter and fisher. By this time the woods and streams in this neighborhood had been well hunted and fished. When Jacob Baumann was at Muddy Creek prospecting for a new location, an Indian offered to show him good hunting ground to the eastward on the upper reaches of the Muddy Creek. Baumann's friends at Muddy Creek advised strongly against this proposal. The Indian danger was then not yet at the pitch reached in the French and Indian War of 1754 to 1763, but the Indians were uneasy over the encroachment of the whites. In general, the early friendliness between the two races was at an end. But Baumann decided to make the venture.
The next morning he, with the Indian, started from the log cabin of one Good about a quarter of a mile south of the present Bowmansville, prospecting eastward up the valley of Muddy Creek. The next day they found a site that pleased Baumann. The Indian helped him to lay off 300 acres along the creek. At the same time he advised Baumann never to settle at any point where the water was running towards the sunset. In such places, he said, there was no good luck; and the next day he would take him to a place where the water was running towards sunrise, and where there was plenty of fish, game and good luck. The Muddy and Alleghany Creeks in these parts are parallel streams, some miles apart, but running in opposite directions, the Muddy westward into the Conestogo and Susquehanna, and the Alleghany eastward into the Schuylkill and Delaware.
Baumann the next day followed the Indian still eastward to the head of the Muddy Creek valley, then northward, by the Indian path leading from Sinking Spring to the Delaware, over a small range of hills into another valley called by the Indian Alleghean (Alleghany). A clear stream flowed through it toward the sunrise. The Indian's home was on the north side of the valley near the path. They selected a location and built a cabin for Baumann about a mile and a half southwest of the Indian's home.
Page 9
The Indian invited Baumann to bring his wife and child, guaranteeing their safety.
Baumann's friends at Muddy Creek, Weaverland and Groffdale were greatly surprised at his safe return. They helped him to move as far as Muddy Creek. From this point Baumann, with a few of the most necessary things, went forward alone. It was a month since he had departed from his Indian friend, who was greatly pleased at his return. When Baumann told him of the trouble with his friends, who had halted his goods at Muddy Creek, the other said, "Friend Jacob, go and tell your white friends to go home, and tell them also that you have a friend who is a friend indeed." The two completed the transportation of the goods. The friendship between them continued for life. Frequently in this virgin territory they shared the pleasure of fishing and the chase. Jacob's removal occurred about in *1747.
(Footnote: *Dates given by Aaron M. Weber, Mohnton, Pa.)
Christian and Peter Baumann had no friendly Indian connections, but as a result of their brother's favorable experience, Christian followed Jacob in *1748 and Peter some time after *1752 to the Alleghany valley. Peter settled somewhat west of Jacob and Christian a mile west of Peter. Christian's homestead is the one referred to in Eby's Waterloo History, Vol. I, page 63, where it says that he built, in 1749, a log dwelling that was quite sound for upwards of one hundred years. It is situated two or three miles north of the Christian Baumann mill (1777) on Alleghany Creek. This mill is about four miles northeast of Bowmansville, which place, in turn, is a little north from the original Muddy Creek settlement. Jacob Baumann and the Indian had taken a round-about course on their prospecting tour from Muddy Creek to Christian Baumann's home, the nearest of the three brothers in Alleghany valley. This was only seven miles; but between them and the older settlement at Muddy Creek ran the Forest Hills. The four miles from Christian Baumann's mill to Bowmansville passes directly across these hills.
Page 117
The Jacob Bauman Tribe (Part Thereof)
No. 388 II Generation
Jacob is the fourth son of I Wendel. You will remember he is the one that befriended himself with that Indian hunter and moved close to him against the wish of his relatives and friends. He then pushed his way into the Alleghany valley about the year 1747, with his 2 brothers following him in a year or so. Soon after his arrival he built a sawmill. It is believed that his remains were buried also at the Alleghany Cemetery.
8 Children:
-Christian resided in Berks Co., Pa., where he died in 1796; m Elizabeth Huber;
-Jacob moved to Cumberland Co., Pa.; he was known as "Dunker Jockel";
-John, b Oct. 15, 1764; d. July 29, 1836; buried at old Bowmanville Menn. Cemetery. He was known as old Hans; 5 children – John, Martin, David, Barbara and Elizabeth;
-Peter, b 1763; moved to Virginia, where he evidently got killed while hunting in 1823;
-Henry, moved to Virginia, thence to Ohio;
-Mary, wife of John Baer, lived and died in Cumberland Co., Pa., near Carlisle;
-Martin, m to Magd. Baer, lived and died ½ mi. from his uncle, Christian Baumann.
_____
Lowell Kosloskey (1937-2007) of Petoskey, Michigan, provided the following information:
Jacob Bowman was born on 23 Sep 1722 and died in Mar 1770, at age 47. Wife Fremy, youngest child not yet 14. He signed a will on 2 Nov 1769 in Cumru Twp., Berks Co., PA. Translation and Inventory dated 29 Mar 1770.
This will can be found online at FamilySearch.org, Film #005538036, starting with image 1795 of 2151.
_____
A Biographical History of Waterloo Township And other Townships of the County, Being a History of the Early Settlers and Their Descendants, Mostly All of Pennsylvania Dutch Origin, As Also Much Other Unpublished Historical Information Chiefly of a Local Character by Ezra E. Eby, Berlin, Ontario, August 9, 1895. While not specifically titled as such, this is Volume I. The book is available online as of December 2023.
Page 75 begins the family information listed by Angus S. Bauman in his book.
Son of Wendell and Anna Kendig (Herr) Bowman.
Married Veronica Fremy abt. 1745.
_____
The Christian Bowman Family by George W. Bowman published in the Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 34, No. 1, in March 1938, pages 123-127. The article is available online at jstor.org as of December 2023. An excerpt is provided here about the various spellings of the surname that are found.
The surname Baumann (Bowman) is a common one in German-speaking countries. There have been several changes in the spelling of the name from medieval times to the present. For instance, Buman was used until 1617; then Buwman and Bouwann, until 1650; and later Baumann or Bauman. This last spelling was changed to Bowman in the case of early American members of the family as English officials, in entering court records of legal documents, spelled the Bau as it sounded – that is, Bow. Baughman, Boughman, and Bachman are less frequent spellings.
_____
Bauman Family History: Family Records Mostly of Three Distinct Groups and Descendants of Joseph, David and Henry Bauman Who Settled as Pioneers in Waterloo Township, Waterloo County, Up to the Year of 1825 Each Representing One of the Three Tribes of Christian, Peter and Jacob, Respectively, Who Are Children of the Old Progenitor Wendel Bauman by Angus S. Bauman, Wallenstein, Ontario in December 1940. The book is available online as of December 2023.
[Some information provided in this book, such as the year of birth for Wendell and the identities and order of birth for his children have been proven differently.]
Page 8
The Removal of Wendel Baumann's Sons, Christian, Peter and Jacob, to Berks County
(The following nearly all written by H. M. Bowman)
In the forties, following the death of Wendel Baumann in 1735, his sons, Christian, Peter and Jacob, moved from the Pequea settlement northeastward about 25 miles to the valley of Alleghany Creek, in what is now Berks County. Earlier settlements had been made in this direction by Hans Graff at Graff's Thal (now Groffdale) in 1717, by three Weber brothers at Weber's Thal (now Weaverland) in 1724, and by the Goods and Musselmans at Muddy Creek in 1737. The Goods of Waterloo County are of this line of settlers at Muddy Creek. Weaverland and the neighboring Village of Martindale are the original district of the Mennonite Webers and Martins so numerously represented in Waterloo.
Groffdale, Weaverland and Muddy Creek are, respectively, some 6, 12 and 18 miles northeast of the original Pequea colony. The Pequea settlers had gone so far west of the settled parts around Philadelphia that the three new settlements made toward the east and northeast were all in still unsettled territory. Muddy Creek, the last of the three, was a little south of the present Village of Bowmansville. This brought the settled frontier near to the Forest Hills along the northeast line of Lancaster County. The movement of the three Baumann brothers in the forties carried the settled border across this line into Berks.
The pioneer of this movement into Berks was the youngest of the three brothers, Jacob. He was the Nimrod of the Pequea country, a great hunter and fisher. By this time the woods and streams in this neighborhood had been well hunted and fished. When Jacob Baumann was at Muddy Creek prospecting for a new location, an Indian offered to show him good hunting ground to the eastward on the upper reaches of the Muddy Creek. Baumann's friends at Muddy Creek advised strongly against this proposal. The Indian danger was then not yet at the pitch reached in the French and Indian War of 1754 to 1763, but the Indians were uneasy over the encroachment of the whites. In general, the early friendliness between the two races was at an end. But Baumann decided to make the venture.
The next morning he, with the Indian, started from the log cabin of one Good about a quarter of a mile south of the present Bowmansville, prospecting eastward up the valley of Muddy Creek. The next day they found a site that pleased Baumann. The Indian helped him to lay off 300 acres along the creek. At the same time he advised Baumann never to settle at any point where the water was running towards the sunset. In such places, he said, there was no good luck; and the next day he would take him to a place where the water was running towards sunrise, and where there was plenty of fish, game and good luck. The Muddy and Alleghany Creeks in these parts are parallel streams, some miles apart, but running in opposite directions, the Muddy westward into the Conestogo and Susquehanna, and the Alleghany eastward into the Schuylkill and Delaware.
Baumann the next day followed the Indian still eastward to the head of the Muddy Creek valley, then northward, by the Indian path leading from Sinking Spring to the Delaware, over a small range of hills into another valley called by the Indian Alleghean (Alleghany). A clear stream flowed through it toward the sunrise. The Indian's home was on the north side of the valley near the path. They selected a location and built a cabin for Baumann about a mile and a half southwest of the Indian's home.
Page 9
The Indian invited Baumann to bring his wife and child, guaranteeing their safety.
Baumann's friends at Muddy Creek, Weaverland and Groffdale were greatly surprised at his safe return. They helped him to move as far as Muddy Creek. From this point Baumann, with a few of the most necessary things, went forward alone. It was a month since he had departed from his Indian friend, who was greatly pleased at his return. When Baumann told him of the trouble with his friends, who had halted his goods at Muddy Creek, the other said, "Friend Jacob, go and tell your white friends to go home, and tell them also that you have a friend who is a friend indeed." The two completed the transportation of the goods. The friendship between them continued for life. Frequently in this virgin territory they shared the pleasure of fishing and the chase. Jacob's removal occurred about in *1747.
(Footnote: *Dates given by Aaron M. Weber, Mohnton, Pa.)
Christian and Peter Baumann had no friendly Indian connections, but as a result of their brother's favorable experience, Christian followed Jacob in *1748 and Peter some time after *1752 to the Alleghany valley. Peter settled somewhat west of Jacob and Christian a mile west of Peter. Christian's homestead is the one referred to in Eby's Waterloo History, Vol. I, page 63, where it says that he built, in 1749, a log dwelling that was quite sound for upwards of one hundred years. It is situated two or three miles north of the Christian Baumann mill (1777) on Alleghany Creek. This mill is about four miles northeast of Bowmansville, which place, in turn, is a little north from the original Muddy Creek settlement. Jacob Baumann and the Indian had taken a round-about course on their prospecting tour from Muddy Creek to Christian Baumann's home, the nearest of the three brothers in Alleghany valley. This was only seven miles; but between them and the older settlement at Muddy Creek ran the Forest Hills. The four miles from Christian Baumann's mill to Bowmansville passes directly across these hills.
Page 117
The Jacob Bauman Tribe (Part Thereof)
No. 388 II Generation
Jacob is the fourth son of I Wendel. You will remember he is the one that befriended himself with that Indian hunter and moved close to him against the wish of his relatives and friends. He then pushed his way into the Alleghany valley about the year 1747, with his 2 brothers following him in a year or so. Soon after his arrival he built a sawmill. It is believed that his remains were buried also at the Alleghany Cemetery.
8 Children:
-Christian resided in Berks Co., Pa., where he died in 1796; m Elizabeth Huber;
-Jacob moved to Cumberland Co., Pa.; he was known as "Dunker Jockel";
-John, b Oct. 15, 1764; d. July 29, 1836; buried at old Bowmanville Menn. Cemetery. He was known as old Hans; 5 children – John, Martin, David, Barbara and Elizabeth;
-Peter, b 1763; moved to Virginia, where he evidently got killed while hunting in 1823;
-Henry, moved to Virginia, thence to Ohio;
-Mary, wife of John Baer, lived and died in Cumberland Co., Pa., near Carlisle;
-Martin, m to Magd. Baer, lived and died ½ mi. from his uncle, Christian Baumann.
_____
Lowell Kosloskey (1937-2007) of Petoskey, Michigan, provided the following information:
Jacob Bowman was born on 23 Sep 1722 and died in Mar 1770, at age 47. Wife Fremy, youngest child not yet 14. He signed a will on 2 Nov 1769 in Cumru Twp., Berks Co., PA. Translation and Inventory dated 29 Mar 1770.
This will can be found online at FamilySearch.org, Film #005538036, starting with image 1795 of 2151.
_____
A Biographical History of Waterloo Township And other Townships of the County, Being a History of the Early Settlers and Their Descendants, Mostly All of Pennsylvania Dutch Origin, As Also Much Other Unpublished Historical Information Chiefly of a Local Character by Ezra E. Eby, Berlin, Ontario, August 9, 1895. While not specifically titled as such, this is Volume I. The book is available online as of December 2023.
Page 75 begins the family information listed by Angus S. Bauman in his book.
Married Veronica Fremy abt. 1745.
_____
The Christian Bowman Family by George W. Bowman published in the Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 34, No. 1, in March 1938, pages 123-127. The article is available online at jstor.org as of December 2023. An excerpt is provided here about the various spellings of the surname that are found.
The surname Baumann (Bowman) is a common one in German-speaking countries. There have been several changes in the spelling of the name from medieval times to the present. For instance, Buman was used until 1617; then Buwman and Bouwann, until 1650; and later Baumann or Bauman. This last spelling was changed to Bowman in the case of early American members of the family as English officials, in entering court records of legal documents, spelled the Bau as it sounded – that is, Bow. Baughman, Boughman, and Bachman are less frequent spellings.
_____
Bauman Family History: Family Records Mostly of Three Distinct Groups and Descendants of Joseph, David and Henry Bauman Who Settled as Pioneers in Waterloo Township, Waterloo County, Up to the Year of 1825 Each Representing One of the Three Tribes of Christian, Peter and Jacob, Respectively, Who Are Children of the Old Progenitor Wendel Bauman by Angus S. Bauman, Wallenstein, Ontario in December 1940. The book is available online as of December 2023.
[Some information provided in this book, such as the year of birth for Wendell and the identities and order of birth for his children have been proven differently.]
Page 8
The Removal of Wendel Baumann's Sons, Christian, Peter and Jacob, to Berks County
(The following nearly all written by H. M. Bowman)
In the forties, following the death of Wendel Baumann in 1735, his sons, Christian, Peter and Jacob, moved from the Pequea settlement northeastward about 25 miles to the valley of Alleghany Creek, in what is now Berks County. Earlier settlements had been made in this direction by Hans Graff at Graff's Thal (now Groffdale) in 1717, by three Weber brothers at Weber's Thal (now Weaverland) in 1724, and by the Goods and Musselmans at Muddy Creek in 1737. The Goods of Waterloo County are of this line of settlers at Muddy Creek. Weaverland and the neighboring Village of Martindale are the original district of the Mennonite Webers and Martins so numerously represented in Waterloo.
Groffdale, Weaverland and Muddy Creek are, respectively, some 6, 12 and 18 miles northeast of the original Pequea colony. The Pequea settlers had gone so far west of the settled parts around Philadelphia that the three new settlements made toward the east and northeast were all in still unsettled territory. Muddy Creek, the last of the three, was a little south of the present Village of Bowmansville. This brought the settled frontier near to the Forest Hills along the northeast line of Lancaster County. The movement of the three Baumann brothers in the forties carried the settled border across this line into Berks.
The pioneer of this movement into Berks was the youngest of the three brothers, Jacob. He was the Nimrod of the Pequea country, a great hunter and fisher. By this time the woods and streams in this neighborhood had been well hunted and fished. When Jacob Baumann was at Muddy Creek prospecting for a new location, an Indian offered to show him good hunting ground to the eastward on the upper reaches of the Muddy Creek. Baumann's friends at Muddy Creek advised strongly against this proposal. The Indian danger was then not yet at the pitch reached in the French and Indian War of 1754 to 1763, but the Indians were uneasy over the encroachment of the whites. In general, the early friendliness between the two races was at an end. But Baumann decided to make the venture.
The next morning he, with the Indian, started from the log cabin of one Good about a quarter of a mile south of the present Bowmansville, prospecting eastward up the valley of Muddy Creek. The next day they found a site that pleased Baumann. The Indian helped him to lay off 300 acres along the creek. At the same time he advised Baumann never to settle at any point where the water was running towards the sunset. In such places, he said, there was no good luck; and the next day he would take him to a place where the water was running towards sunrise, and where there was plenty of fish, game and good luck. The Muddy and Alleghany Creeks in these parts are parallel streams, some miles apart, but running in opposite directions, the Muddy westward into the Conestogo and Susquehanna, and the Alleghany eastward into the Schuylkill and Delaware.
Baumann the next day followed the Indian still eastward to the head of the Muddy Creek valley, then northward, by the Indian path leading from Sinking Spring to the Delaware, over a small range of hills into another valley called by the Indian Alleghean (Alleghany). A clear stream flowed through it toward the sunrise. The Indian's home was on the north side of the valley near the path. They selected a location and built a cabin for Baumann about a mile and a half southwest of the Indian's home.
Page 9
The Indian invited Baumann to bring his wife and child, guaranteeing their safety.
Baumann's friends at Muddy Creek, Weaverland and Groffdale were greatly surprised at his safe return. They helped him to move as far as Muddy Creek. From this point Baumann, with a few of the most necessary things, went forward alone. It was a month since he had departed from his Indian friend, who was greatly pleased at his return. When Baumann told him of the trouble with his friends, who had halted his goods at Muddy Creek, the other said, "Friend Jacob, go and tell your white friends to go home, and tell them also that you have a friend who is a friend indeed." The two completed the transportation of the goods. The friendship between them continued for life. Frequently in this virgin territory they shared the pleasure of fishing and the chase. Jacob's removal occurred about in *1747.
(Footnote: *Dates given by Aaron M. Weber, Mohnton, Pa.)
Christian and Peter Baumann had no friendly Indian connections, but as a result of their brother's favorable experience, Christian followed Jacob in *1748 and Peter some time after *1752 to the Alleghany valley. Peter settled somewhat west of Jacob and Christian a mile west of Peter. Christian's homestead is the one referred to in Eby's Waterloo History, Vol. I, page 63, where it says that he built, in 1749, a log dwelling that was quite sound for upwards of one hundred years. It is situated two or three miles north of the Christian Baumann mill (1777) on Alleghany Creek. This mill is about four miles northeast of Bowmansville, which place, in turn, is a little north from the original Muddy Creek settlement. Jacob Baumann and the Indian had taken a round-about course on their prospecting tour from Muddy Creek to Christian Baumann's home, the nearest of the three brothers in Alleghany valley. This was only seven miles; but between them and the older settlement at Muddy Creek ran the Forest Hills. The four miles from Christian Baumann's mill to Bowmansville passes directly across these hills.
Page 117
The Jacob Bauman Tribe (Part Thereof)
No. 388 II Generation
Jacob is the fourth son of I Wendel. You will remember he is the one that befriended himself with that Indian hunter and moved close to him against the wish of his relatives and friends. He then pushed his way into the Alleghany valley about the year 1747, with his 2 brothers following him in a year or so. Soon after his arrival he built a sawmill. It is believed that his remains were buried also at the Alleghany Cemetery.
8 Children:
-Christian resided in Berks Co., Pa., where he died in 1796; m Elizabeth Huber;
-Jacob moved to Cumberland Co., Pa.; he was known as "Dunker Jockel";
-John, b Oct. 15, 1764; d. July 29, 1836; buried at old Bowmanville Menn. Cemetery. He was known as old Hans; 5 children – John, Martin, David, Barbara and Elizabeth;
-Peter, b 1763; moved to Virginia, where he evidently got killed while hunting in 1823;
-Henry, moved to Virginia, thence to Ohio;
-Mary, wife of John Baer, lived and died in Cumberland Co., Pa., near Carlisle;
-Martin, m to Magd. Baer, lived and died ½ mi. from his uncle, Christian Baumann.
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Lowell Kosloskey (1937-2007) of Petoskey, Michigan, provided the following information:
Jacob Bowman was born on 23 Sep 1722 and died in Mar 1770, at age 47. Wife Fremy, youngest child not yet 14. He signed a will on 2 Nov 1769 in Cumru Twp., Berks Co., PA. Translation and Inventory dated 29 Mar 1770.
This will can be found online at FamilySearch.org, Film #005538036, starting with image 1795 of 2151.
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A Biographical History of Waterloo Township And other Townships of the County, Being a History of the Early Settlers and Their Descendants, Mostly All of Pennsylvania Dutch Origin, As Also Much Other Unpublished Historical Information Chiefly of a Local Character by Ezra E. Eby, Berlin, Ontario, August 9, 1895. While not specifically titled as such, this is Volume I. The book is available online as of December 2023.
Page 75 begins the family information listed by Angus S. Bauman in his book.
Family Members
Siblings
