OUR LEVERING FAMILY LINE:
Robert de Levering - Holland
Rosier Levering - 1615, Holland, Elizabeth Van De Walle
John Wigard Levering - 1648, Germany, Magdalena Bokar
Anna Catherine Levering - 1675, Germany, Hans Heinrich Frey
Elizabeth Amelia "Millie" Frey - 1719, Pennsylvania, Johann Fredrich Leinbach
came to America in 1723
Johann Jacob Leinbach - 1740, Pennsylvania, Susannah Margaretha Nein
Rosannah Leinbach - abt. 1775, Benjamin Keller
Rheaboam Keller - abt. 1825, Tennessee, Melvina Staggs
Jacob Nathaniel Keller - 1860, Indiana, Lueanna Green
Leona Keller - 1887, Illinois, Robert D. Gifford
Martha Gifford - 1917, Tuckerman, Arkansas
Mary Jo Gifford - 1937, Leachville, Arkansas, Luther Goodman
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Robert de Levering - Holland
Rosier Levering - 1615, Holland, Elizabeth Van De Walle
John Wigard Levering - 1648, Germany, Magdalena Bokar
Anna Catherine Levering - 1675, Germany, Hans Heinrich Frey
Elizabeth Amelia "Millie" Frey - 1719, Pennsylvania, Johann Fredrich Leinbach
came to America in 1723
Johann Jacob Leinbach - 1740, Pennsylvania, Susannah Margaretha Nein
Rosannah Leinbach - abt. 1775, Benjamin Keller
Rheaboam Keller - abt. 1825, Tennessee, Melvina Staggs
Jacob Nathaniel Keller - 1860, Indiana, Lueanna Green
Leona Keller - 1887, Illinois, Robert D. Gifford
Martha Gifford - 1917, Tuckerman, Arkansas
Mary Jo Gifford - 1937, Leachville, Arkansas, Luther Goodman
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* There is a theory that the Levering family is probably descended from an ancient Teutonic family, which entered England with William the Conqueror. The family settled in Leverington, a large village, divided into the townships of Leverington St. Leonards and Leverington Parson Drove, located in the north end of Cambridgeshire, deep in the fens. Leverington is ninety-nine miles north of London. The patriarch of the English family was John De Levering, born about 1250 in Leverington; John's son was Robert, born about 1280 in Leverington. Robert De Leveryng became a lessee of the Wisbech Barton Manor. This is what some Genealogist think, that this family is English.
John de Levering was born about the year A.D. 1250, at Leverington, in Cambridgeshire, England, and it is believed that he lived and died in that ancient town, which was so named in the year A.D. 870. Robert de Levering, son of John de Levering, born about the year A.D. 1280. at Leverington, England. In A.D. 1316, he bacme a lessee of the Wisbech Barton Manor. This is so noted under Robert de Levering since there are several generations missing between the the two Robert's.
Descendants of Robert de Levering
Generation No. 1
ROBERT DE LEVERING was born in Holland. Robert de Levering, his descendants, joined the separatists going to Leyden, Holland. He married and went to live in Gemen, Germany, before 1646.
Child of ROBERT DE LEVERING is:
i. ROSIER LEVERING, b. 1615, Leyden, Nord, Holland, Netherlands; d. March 1674/75, Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany.
Generation No. 2
ROSIER LEVERING (ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born 1615 in Leyden, Nord, Holland, Netherlands, and died March 1674/75 in Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany. He married ELIZABETH VAN DE WALLE March 1646/47 in Gemen, Germany, daughter of JACOBUS VAN DE WALLE and AGATHA HESS. She was born May 21, 1626 in Wesel, Westphalia, Germany, and died in Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany.
Notes for ROSIER LEVERING:
It is believed that Rosier Levering was born in Holland, of ancient English or Anglo-Saxon parentage; exiled, because of persecution for their religious principles. He married Elizabeth Van de Walle, of Wesel, in Westphalia, in Germany, near to the frontier of Holland. They settled in the same district, at Gemen, where several children were born to them, between the years 1648 and 1662. Tradition, preserved by the remnant of the family at Gemen, says they occupied the old Levering homestead in that town, and that they died there.
Various traditions have prevailed among the different branches of the family one of which states that Rosier Levering was a physician, and a very pious man; that he belonged to the Reformed Church in France, of which country he was a native, and that upon the Revocation of the Edict Nantz, he fled with his family to Germany, where he afterwards lived and died. That Rosier Levering was a native of France is not at all improbable, as that name has a French sound, but more than this cannot be asserted, as there is no documentary evidence on the point. That he fled from Franc to avoid persecution; can also be readily believed, but his settlement is Germany most have been long anterior to the Revocation of the Edict of Nantz. The Edict was nor revoked until October, 1685, and Wigard himself says He WAS BORN IN Gemen, Germany, and that as I shall hereafter show, about the year 1648. The probability therefore is that Rosier Levering left France during some of the earlier religious wars and persecutions, which visited the Waldenes and Huguenots.
Notes for ELIZABETH VAN DE WALLE:
Elizabeth Van de Walle - Her brother, Jacob Van der Walle, was a wealthy Dutch Pietist and a prominent shareholder in the Frankfort Company which owned and organized Germantown [PA]. His wealth was the foundation of the Levering wealth; some of them are still wealthy industrialists.
Children of ROSIER LEVERING and ELIZABETH VAN DE WALLE are:
i. JOHN WIGARD LEVERING, b. 1648, Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany; d. February 02, 1754, Roxborough, Pennsylvania.
ii. GERHARD GARRET LEVERING, b. 1650, Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany; d. 1731, Whitpaine, Pennsylvania.
iii. EBERHARD ENERT LEVERING, b. 1652, Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany.
iv. ELIZABETH LEVERING, b. 1654.
v. ALCHE LEVERING, b. 1656.
vi. WILLIAM LEVERING, b. 1658, Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany; d. January 03, 1699/00.
Generation No. 3
JOHN WIGARD LEVERING (ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING)was born 1648 in Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany, and died February 02, 1754 in Roxborough, Pennsylvania. He married MAGDALENA BOKAR March 22, 1673/74 in Westfallen, Gemen, Borken, Prussia, daughter of WILLIAM BOKAR andSIDONIA BRAVIERS. She was born 1650 in Leyden, Nord, Holland, Netherlands, and died November 01, 1717 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.
Notes for JOHN WIGARD LEVERING:
JOHN WIGARD: born in 1648 or '49, in the town of Gemen, in Germany. In April, 1674, he married "the chaste virgin," Magdalena Bokers, of Essen. She was a native of Leyden, in Holland. They lived in Gemen until some time after the birth and decease of their first child, and then removed to Mulheim, where they remained until they emigrated to America, after the 20th of March, 1685, bringing their surviving four children.
Wigard came to Philadelphia on the ship "Penn's Woodland" from Holland. The Frankfort Company was engaged in the transportation of persons desiring to remove to their colony. The written contract entered into by Wigard Levering with the local agents at Wesel, Dr. Thomas Van Wylick and Johannes Le Brun, for transportation of himself and family to Philadelphia, dated 20th of March, 1685
"We, the subscribers, do acknowledge and confess by these Presents, that we have contracted and agreed together, that Doctor Thomas Van Wylick and Johannes Le Brun, in behalf of the Pennsylvania Company, in which they, and other friends of Frankfort and other parts, are engaged, to accept or receive me, Wigard Levering, old 36 or 37 years, and Magdalena Boeckers, old 36 years, and four children, Anna Catherine, William, Amelia, and Sibella, respectively 1/2, 2 1/2, 5 and 9 years, to and for the service of the aforementioned Company, to transport by shipping out of Holland or Ingland, to Pennsylvania, upon their cost."
On Their arrival in Pennsylvania, they were to report themselves to Francis Daniel Pastorius, who was general agent for the company. Written upon the margin of the instrument an agreement to include "the Contractor's brother, Gerhard Levering."
Levering was one of the early recognized names in Roxborough, Pennsylvania.
The area was likely named for Roxburghshire, Scotland, the original home of Andrew Robeson, one of the early settlers of what is now Roxborough. It may have also been named by the hermit Johannes Kelpius, leader of a millennial monastic-type group that lived along the Wissahickon, though he refers to the area as "Rocks-burrow" in a letter dated May 25, 1706. Kelpius did, however, popularize the name, as the township had also been variously known as Manatawna and Leverington.
The township of Roxborough was originated in the year 1690. Many of Roxborough's early settlers lived in log cabins.
Two of the early recognized families were Rittenhouse and Levering. The Rittenhouse Family had the first paper mill in America in 1690.
Life of the Roxborough Quakers was very hard. All were up at the crack of dawn to work the farms and mills. The Native Americans, who were also in the area, were sharpshooters with bow and arrow. They hunted local game for trade, as well as, being sought out for organic cures to illnesses. A healthy woman could bear 15 children and be lucky if 5 survived to adulthood (since a simple strain of influenza could rid several.)
Many types of grain (primarily corn and wheat) were grown and milled into flour at several Wissahickon gristmills. Flax plants were grown to produce linen, which was used for making clothing and paper. The seeds were milled into linseed oil (at oil mills), which was used for tanning leather and to make paint when added to dried berry pigment. Many of Main Line-Philadelphia's "old money" are descendants of Wissahickon mill owners and Roxborough plantation owners. The majority of Roxborough's population was German; however, many of the mill owners were British. They both consumed a lot of pork, but the British would store and eat root vegetables during the winter. The Germans mostly ate grains. There was also a large Swedish population in Philadelphia. In 1689, William Penn had a census taken and found about a thousand Swedes; nevertheless, the Germans outnumbered them greatly in a short span of time. The Welsh were prominent across the Schuylkill in Merion Township.
Most everyone attended Quaker monthly meetings, some at the Mennonite Meetinghouse in Germantown and others at Abington Meeting House. Besides listening to preaching, one could also get married there or buy/order goods (especially at Abington). For instance, in 1720, a box of 24 hand-made nails cost one silver shilling. A day's labor was 3 shillings (English currency). Some citizens were members of Christ Church in Liberties and some belonged to Old Swedes Church in Queen Village.
John Wiggard Levering was known as weaver, a yeoman and a joiner. A weaver weaves fabric. A yeoman was a term used in reference to a diligent, dependable worker or the work of such a person. A joiner differs from a carpenter in that he or she cuts and fits joints in wood that do not use nails.
In 1691, Wigard bought 500 acres in Roxborough between the River Schuykill and the Wissahickon Creek. His brother Gerhard bought 100 adjoining acres. Wigard spoke German and was unable to write. He lived his last twenty-eight years of his life with his son, William, in Germantown, PA. He is buried on his farm, Leverington Cemetery in a spot overlooking the Wissahickon Creek. His mother and daughter Elizabeth are buried in the same cemetery.
Family Register of Wigard Levering. Children--
"I Wigard Levering was born in Germany in the Principality of Westphalia in the District of Munster and town of Gemen. My Father's name was Rosier Levering, and my mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Van de Walle who was born in Wesel. In the twenty third year of my age I Wigard Levering was married to my beloved wife Magdalena Boker Her father's name was William Boker and her mother's maiden name was Sidonia Williams Braviers of the City of Leyden in Holland. The above said Magdalena my wife was also born in Leyden, and God hath blessed us with the following children to wit:
The first born Joanna Sophia born in Gemen in the year of our Lord 1672 in March and died in the third week.
The second Anna Catharina born in Mulheim on the Rhur in March 1673.
The third Maria Elizabeth born in July 1676 and died in the eighteenth week of her age.
The fourth William Levering was born the 4th day of May 1677.
The fifth Amelia Anna Sophia was born in the middle of July 1682.
The sixth Anna Sibella was born in the middle of September 1684.
The above named children were all born in Mulheim on the Rhur."
The following Inventory was subsequently filed. An inventory of the goods of Wechord Levering Deceased this the ninth day of February 174/5. Appraisers Matthew Houlgate and Isaac Cook: (Spelling is as in original document.)
To one bed and Beding 3.00.0(pounds)
To 2 bed steds 0.10.0
To one Cobert and one Chest 1.10.0
To waring apparrel 1.15.0
To Sate of Curtings 1.00.0
To one bible 1.10.0
To one song book 0.01.6
To 2 Spice Boxis and a bible frame 0.04.0
To one Table and 5 Chears 1.03.6
To 2 benshes and one Tobaco Knife 0.02.0
To 3 Iron Potts 0.16.
To pare Tongs and Shifell and pare hand Irons 0.14.0
To 2 puter Dishes and 4 plats 0.14.0
To one Stone Gudg and puter mog 0.03.6
To one morter and Iron box and a Gudg 0.03.0
To one Chamber Pott and Porenger 0.01.0
_______
13.7.6(pounds)
Two of the witnesses to this will were his grandson and wife. The signature to the will is remarkably good, when the great age of the writer is considered - he being at that time, ninety-four years old.
The Family Bible of Wigard Levering is now in the possession of Mrs. Sarah Kirk of Germantown, Pa., who is a g.g.g.granddaughter of the first settler. Her grandmother, Hannah Levering Keyser, (32) was the third child of William Levering, who was a grandson of Wigard. It is a large folio German Bible, with clasps, and was printed in 1693. The records of Wigard Levering's family are written in German: the other entries are in English, and contain the dates of the deaths of some of his children and grandchildren in Germany; and the following six children were born in North America in the Province of Pennsylvania:
The seventh Herman born the 18th of November 1686 and died in the fourth year of his age in May.
The eighth Elizabeth born the 7th of January 1689 and died in the fourteenth year of her age in September.
The ninth Sidonia born the 23d of April 1691.
The tenth Jacob Levering born the 21st of January 1693.
The eleventh Magdalena bon the 13th of January 1695 and died in the 3d week of her age.
The twelfth Magdalena born the 4th of June 1696.
The last after the perfect number of twelve was an untimely birth.
"God who is the Father of all that are called children in heaven and on earth, have mercy on my children who are still in the land of the living, that they through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may be born again and registered with their kindred in heaven; that they, after they are taken from this vain world, the parents with the children and the children with the parents, may rejoice before God in a blessed and happy eternity, Amen."
This old Bible is the only relic now known of the venerable Founder of the Levering Family, and it ought to be cherished and preserved by his posterity as a memento of "auld lang syne."
In 1789, some of Roxborough's Quakers organized Roxborough Baptist Church. The church maintains a graveyard originally belonging to the Levering Family with graves dating back to the 1740's. Even today, just about all of the churches along Ridge Avenue are Protestant, as they were organized by Quakers. Roxborough's first public school was the Levering School, dating back to 1748 (and, since demolished.)
During the last twenty-eight years of his life, Wigard Levering lived with his son, William, in Germantown. For eleven years, things apparently went well, but by 1728, conflict had arisen between the father and son. In response to William's complaints, Jacob Cadwalader wrote the following letter:
Philada,, the 3d of 6m, 1728.
Frd. William Levering:
Thy father who is very old & cannot live long according to the Course of nature, seems to Complain very much of thy hard dealing, & would not be satisfied without carrying it further, but I thought it the best way to prevent it if possible, for any difference between father & son cannot be of much credit to Either, and when a father hath been kind to a Son and given him all or most of what he had, there is a dutiful gratitude owing to a parent from a Child, and he ought if possible to make his parents life Easie and Comfortable without oppression or giving any Just occasion of uneasiness and Complaint. And as our parents have dealt very tenderly with us in our Infancy & youth & born with all our infirmities with abundance of patience, it is our duty to Cherish them in their old age, and as far as in us Lies to give them no Just occasion of grief or uneasiness. And our duty to our parents will undoubtedly Entail a blessing on us & our posterity and we ought to bear with the peevishness of age, without taking any notice of it. Therefore pray let me Entreat & prevail with thee for the Credit and reputation of the family, to prevent all grounds & occasions of offence and let what is past be buried in oblivion & forgott & as the Laws of God & men direct & oblige as Let us pay all dutiful regards to parents and study peace with all mankind, which is the Cordial Advice of
thy sincere Frd.
Jno Cadwalader Pray make all things Easy to thy father & do not keep anything from him that can be thought reasonable.
Wigard Levering died February 2, 1745, at the probable age of 97 years, and was buried upon his farm in a spot overlooking the romantic Wissahickon, which has become a part of the famous Fairmount Park of Philadelphia. This spot subsequently became the churchyard and burial ground of the Baptist Church, organized in 1789, which was greatly enlarged, and is now known as Leverington Cemetery, under a special charter from the State of Pennsylvania. This ground doubtless contains the remains of Magdalena. A gravestone marking the interment, in June, 1744, of their grandchild, Clement Levering, still stands, and points the place where repose the old pioneers, though no sculptured tablet was ever erected there to their memory.
LEVERINGTON CEMETERY: located at Ridge & Lyceum Avenues in Roxborough, was originally the burial ground of the Levering (Loewering) Family as early as 1745. In that year Wigard Levering (the founder of Roxborough) was interred there. Sometime after this date the cemetery became known as “the Roxborough Burial Ground” even though it had become a part of the Roxborough Baptist Churchyard to which it is adjacent. In 1857, its connections with the Roxborough Baptist Church were severed and a Board of Trustees created which incorporated as the “Leverington Cemetery Company.” The office of this cemetery was located in the old Lyceum Building at Ridge & Lyceum Avenues. In 1966 a fire destroyed this building fragmenting the records of the~ cemetery in the process. Those records surviving, were removed to the private residence of one of the trustees. The Roxborough Edwardian Society has indexed the interments in this cemetery from 1860-1880 and this index is on microfilm at the Philadelphia City Archives, and the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania.
More AboutJOHN WIGARD LEVERING:
Burial: Leverington Cemetery, Roxborough, Pennsylvania
Occupation: Weaver, Yeoman, Joiner
Children ofJOHN LEVERING and MAGDALENA BOKAR are:
i. ANNA CATHERINE LEVERING, b. March 16, 1675/76, Mulheim on the Rhur, Germany; d. July 1754, Zieglerville or Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
ii. ANNA SOPHIA LEVERING, b. 1675.
iii. MARIA ELIZABETH LEVERING, b. 1676.
iv. WILLIAM LEVERING, b. May 04, 1677, Mulheim on the Rhur, Westphalia, Germany; d. December 1754, Pennsylvania; m. CATHERINE SHOEMAKER.
Notes for WILLIAM LEVERING:
WILLIAM LEVERING; b. at Mulheim, on the River Rhur, in Germany, May 4th, 1677, and came to America in 1685, at the age of 8 years, and removed from Germantown to Roxborough with his parents in 1692, when 15 years old. He no doubt resided with his fathr at the old mansion, in the valley, northwest of the present Baptist Church, and a short distance from the Ridge Road. In Nov. 1717, his father conveyed to him a large tract of land, being the residue of his Plantation that remained unsold. He carried on the farm thus bestowed upon him, and no doubt had some other occupation. His will shows that his aged father resided with him at the time of his decease. He was a man of substance in those early days, and was the friend of John Schlee alias Seelig, a Hermit, who, tradition says, lived on part of his farm. Tradition also states that the Hermit lived in the valley back of the present Leverington Cemetery, a short distance beyond the house of William Levering. This Hermit had been a pupil and follower of John Kelpius, a learned and pious scholar who came from Germany in 1694, and settled on the banks of the beautiful and romantic Wissahiccon. What was the precise relation existing between the Hermit Schlee and Mr. Levering is not known, but it was a very intimate friendship. The death of the Hermit is thus noted in the Levering Family Bible:
"John Sealy, hermit died April 26, 1745 aged 77 years." His will bears date 17th Sept. 1735, and in it he is described as "John Schlee, of Roxborough, in the County of Philadelphia, gentleman." His name is written in English, and the following is a fac simile, (handwritten signature of John Schlee). He bequeathed the whole of his estate to "my ffriend William "Levering Senr of Roxborough," and appointed him his Executor. The Inventory of his Estate contains the following items, viz: "25 shirts, 4 coats, 2 jackets, 2 hats, pair of shoes & slippers, 7 pairs linen frawers, 3 Planes, 2 Saws, 1 glue pot, 54 glass bottles, 5 book binders presses, saddle & bridle, 1 scale, gold and silver weights, 5 Bibles, 14 books, 10 of Jacob Boehmen's books and 120 Latin, Dutch and Greek books."
Mr. Watson, the Annalist, says that there was a tradition quite current concerning Schlee, to this effect. He had a divining rod, which he directed should be cast into the water at his death. This was done, and the rod exploded with a loud noise!!
WILL OF WILLIAM LEVERING--
"Be it Remembered that I William Levering of Roxborough in the County of Philadelphia Yoeman being in good Health of Body and of sound and well disposing Mind and Memory, Blessed be the Lord for the same and all other his Mercies and Favours bestowed on me and being mindfull of my mortality and willing to settle my Wordly Affairs in the best manner I can, DO make and declare my Last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all" '
v. AMELIA ANNA LEVERING, b. 1682, Mulheim on the Rhur, Westphalia, Germany; d. 1764, Pennsylvania; m. BENJAMIN MORGAN.
vi. SIBELLA ANNA LEVERING, b. 1684, Mulheim on the Rhur, Westphalia, Germany; d. 1764, Pennsylvania; m. GEORGE MILLER.
vii. HERMAN LEVERING, b. November 18, 1686, Germantown, Pennsylvania; d. 1690, Germantown, Pennsylvania.
viii. ELIZABETH LEVERING, b. January 11, 1688/89.
ix. SIDONIA LEVERING, b. April 23, 1691, Germantown, Pennsylvania; d. Bet. 1730 - 1742, Pennsylvania; m. PETER DEHAVEN.
x. JACOB LEVERING, b. January 21, 1692/93, Roxborough, Pennsylvania; d. 1753, Whitpaine, Pennsylvania; m. AELTIE "ALICE" TUNES.
xi. MAGDALENA LEVERING, b. June 04, 1696, Roxborough, Pennsylvania; d. 1736; m. WILLIAM TUNES.
xii. MAGDALENA LEVERING, b. January 13, 1694/95, Germantown, Pennsylvania; d. February 1694/95.
GERHARD GARRET LEVERING (ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born 1650 in Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany, and died 1731 in Whitpaine, Pennsylvania. He married MARY.
Children of GERHARD LEVERING and MARY are:
i. HENRY LEVERING.
ii. DANIEL LEVERING.
iii. JACOB LEVERING.
iv. MAGDALENA LEVERING.
EBERHARD ENERT LEVERING (ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born 1652 in Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany. He married MECHELT SCHMULLING.
Children of EBERHARD LEVERING and MECHELT SCHMULLING are:
i. ANNA SOPHIA LEVERING, b. February 1685/86, Gemen, Germany.
ii. GERTRUT SIBELLA LEVERING, b. February 1685/86, Gemen, Germany.
iii. DIETRICH ARNHOLDT LEVERING, b. April 1687, Gemen, Germany.
iv. CATARINA ELIZABETH LEVERING, b. February 1688/89, Gemen, Germany.
v. HERMAN OTTO LEVERING, b. 1678, Gemen, Germany.
vi. ANNA MARGARETTA LEVERING, b. April 1680, Gemen, Germany.
vii. ROSIER WENSALL LEVERING, b. October 1681, Gemen, Germany.
viii. WILLIAM JOHN DEITRICH LEVERING, b. November 1683, Gemen, Germany.
ix. ANNA ELSCHEN LEVERING, b. November 1683, Gemen, Germany.
WILLIAM LEVERING (ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born 1658 in Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany, and died January 03, 1699/00. He married (1) GRETE NILANT. She was born Abt. 1666, and died Bef. 1690. He married (2) MARIA VEITS Abt. 1691.
Child of WILLIAM LEVERING and GRETE NILANT is:
i. ROSIER GERHARDT LEVERING, b. May 1688, Gemen, Germany.
Children of WILLIAM LEVERING and MARIA VEITS are:
ii. ELSCHEN CHRISTINA LEVERING, b. June 1692, Gemen, Germany.
iii. WILLIAM DIRICH LEVERING, b. June 1693, Gemen, Germany.
iv. FLORENTINA LIZABETH LEVERING, b. March 1694/95, Gemen, Germany.
v. IAN DANIEL LEVERING, b. October 1696, Gemen, Germany.
vi. CHARLOTTE MEIDA LEVERING, b. September 1698, Gemen, Germany.
Generation No. 4
ANNA CATHERINE LEVERING (JOHN WIGARD, ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born March 16, 1675/76 in Mulheim on the Rhur, Germany, and died July 1754 in Zieglerville or Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She married HANS HEINRICH FREY April 26, 1692 in Germantown, Pennsylvania, son of JACOB FREY and ANNA HIRTZELLER. He was born June 17, 1663 in Altheim in the province of Alsace, Germany (now France), and died 1734 in Zieglerville or Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Notes for ANNA CATHERINE LEVERING:
Anna Catherine was brought to America in 1685 by her parents when she was age 9. Burial: Bertlolet Cemetery, Frederick Township. Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Children of ANNA LEVERING and HANS FREY are:
i. AMELIA FREY.
ii. JACOB FREY, b. 1694, Roxborough, Pennsylvania; d. 1785, Towamencin Township, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; m. MARGARET EASE.
iii. WILLIAM FREY, b. 1695, Roxborough, Pennsylvania; d. June 1758, Frederick County, Maryland; m. ANNA VERONICA MERKLE.
iv. BENJAMIN FRY, b. Bet. 1696 - 1701, Pennsylvania; d. March 1753.
v. HENRY FREY, b. 1698; d. 1758; m. CHRISTINA BACHE.
vi. ABRAHAM FREY, b. 1700.
vii. JOHN FREY, b. 1700, Roxborough, Pennsylvania; d. October 23, 1766.
viii. GEORGE FREY, b. 1704; d. 1750; m. ELIZABETH HECHLERIN.
ix. REBECCA FREY, b. Bet. 1706 - 1714.
x. ELIZABETH FREY, b. 1719; d. 1781; m. JOHANNES MULLER, Bef. August 1735.
xi. ELIZABETH AMELIA "MILLIE" FREY, b. July 01, 1719, Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania; d. June 05, 1781, Graceham, Frederick County, Maryland.
SIBELLA ANNA LEVERING (JOHN WIGARD, ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) b. 1684, Mulheim on the Rhur, Westphalia, Germany; d. 1764, Pennsylvania; m. GEORGE MILLER.
Child of SIBELLA LEVERING and GEORGE MILLER are:
i. ANNA AMELIA MILLER
Generation No. 5
BENJAMIN FRY (ANNA CATHERINE LEVERING, JOHN WIGARD, ROSIER, ROBERT1 DE LEVERING) was born Bet. 1696 - 1701 in Pennsylvania, and died March 1753. He married REGINA ANN CHRISTINA MERKLE, daughter of ABRAHAM MERKLE and ANNA VERONICA. She was born March 20, 1697/98 in Bonfield, Germany.
Notes for BENJAMIN FRY:
“The Frye Family, was a first family in Old Frederick Co., VA., arriving in 1739 and spreading out to what later became Shenandoah, Hampshire and Hardy Counties VA. The oldest representative of the family seems to be one Benjamin Frye Sr. 1703-1753 , whose will was filed in Winchester. In 1745, Benjamin Sr. bought land between Cedar Creek and Hoges Run, from John Richards. According to local historian Merle Moore, the father of Benjamin Frye Sr. was Heinrich Frey, who married Anna Catherine Levering, April 26 1692. Heinrich emigrated from Germany to Germantown, PA in 1685.
Fryes Fort, was located on part of the land that laid out along Cedar Creek in Shenandoah Co. The Fort was made of stone and is now owned by John and Pat Youmans. According to Moore, as many as 65 pioneers fled to the Fort from as far away as Cacapon River area in West VA. After one shooting at the Fort the Indians were so overwhelmed that they were unable to retrieve their dead or wounded. The dead Indians were buried in a common grave at a site called Indian Rock, located along state route 606.
Benjamin Frye Sr. and wife Christen, were parents of at least these children—Benjamin Jr. born 1730; and Joseph Frye and Abraham Frye, married Agnes and he died in Washington Co., PA in 1805 and Jacob Frye. All total, Benjamin and Christen Frye had nine children, according to Moore.
After the French and Indian Wars ended, some of the frontiersmen continued to kill Indians and steal their horses beyond the Alleghenies. The governor of Virginia was concerned that these acts of violence might result in renewed warfare. In 1769, General Adam Stephen was asked to investigate. Adam Stephen, reported to the governor in Oct. that one person implicated in the murder of an Indian named Stephen, had been captured and was lodged in the Winchester jail until he was rescued by a band of seventy men led by Abraham Fry and his three brothers-Jacob, Joseph and Benjamin. However the Fry brothers, who were freeholders in Frederick County, were not convicted for abetting the escape.”
Children of BENJAMIN FRY and REGINA MERKLE are:
i. BENJAMIN FRY, b. Pennsylvania; d. Abt. 1812, Shelby County, Kentucky.
ii. ABRAHAM FRY.
iii. HENRY FRY.
iv. JACOB FRY.
v. JOSEPH FRY.
vi. SAMUEL FRY.
vii. LODOWICK FRY.
viii. CHRISTIN FRY.
ix. WILLIAM FRY.
x. ELIZABETH FRY.
JOHN FREY (ANNA CATHERINE LEVERING, JOHN WIGARD, ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born 1700 in Roxborough, Pennsylvania, and died October 23, 1766. He married MARY KIESLER. She was born 1706, and died August 31, 1766.
Children of JOHN FREY and MARY KIESLER are:
i. SAMUEL FREY, b. March 13, 1726/27; d. May 31, 1813, Delaware Township, Juniata, Pennsylvania.
ii. ENOCH FREY.
iii. HENRY FREY.
iv. JACOB FREY.
v. WILLIAM FREY.
vi. JONATHAN FREY.
vii. DANIEL FREY.
viii. HANA FREY.
ix. CATHERINE FREY.
ELIZABETH AMELIA "MILLIE" FREY (ANNA CATHERINE LEVERING, JOHN WIGARD, ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born July 01, 1719 in Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and died June 05, 1781 in Graceham, Frederick County, Maryland. She married JOHANN FREDRIC LEINBACH June 10, 1737 in Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, son of JOHANNES LEINBACH SR. and ANNA KLEISS. He was born July 15, 1703 in Hochstadt, Wetterau, Germany, and died July 06, 1784 in Graceham, Frederick County, Maryland.
Continues on Leinbach page
ANNA AMERLIA MILLER (SIBELLA, JOHN WIGARD, ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) married JOHANNES ADOLPH GROTHAUS
Child of ANNA MILLER and JOHANNES GOUTHAUS was:
i. HERMAN GOUTHAUS married MARY STULL.
HERMAN GOUTHAUS followed is cousin BENJAMIN FRY to the Shenandoah Valley Virginia by 1755, settling on the "long bottom of the Potomac"near present day PawPaw, West Virginia.
John de Levering was born about the year A.D. 1250, at Leverington, in Cambridgeshire, England, and it is believed that he lived and died in that ancient town, which was so named in the year A.D. 870. Robert de Levering, son of John de Levering, born about the year A.D. 1280. at Leverington, England. In A.D. 1316, he bacme a lessee of the Wisbech Barton Manor. This is so noted under Robert de Levering since there are several generations missing between the the two Robert's.
Descendants of Robert de Levering
Generation No. 1
ROBERT DE LEVERING was born in Holland. Robert de Levering, his descendants, joined the separatists going to Leyden, Holland. He married and went to live in Gemen, Germany, before 1646.
Child of ROBERT DE LEVERING is:
i. ROSIER LEVERING, b. 1615, Leyden, Nord, Holland, Netherlands; d. March 1674/75, Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany.
Generation No. 2
ROSIER LEVERING (ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born 1615 in Leyden, Nord, Holland, Netherlands, and died March 1674/75 in Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany. He married ELIZABETH VAN DE WALLE March 1646/47 in Gemen, Germany, daughter of JACOBUS VAN DE WALLE and AGATHA HESS. She was born May 21, 1626 in Wesel, Westphalia, Germany, and died in Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany.
Notes for ROSIER LEVERING:
It is believed that Rosier Levering was born in Holland, of ancient English or Anglo-Saxon parentage; exiled, because of persecution for their religious principles. He married Elizabeth Van de Walle, of Wesel, in Westphalia, in Germany, near to the frontier of Holland. They settled in the same district, at Gemen, where several children were born to them, between the years 1648 and 1662. Tradition, preserved by the remnant of the family at Gemen, says they occupied the old Levering homestead in that town, and that they died there.
Various traditions have prevailed among the different branches of the family one of which states that Rosier Levering was a physician, and a very pious man; that he belonged to the Reformed Church in France, of which country he was a native, and that upon the Revocation of the Edict Nantz, he fled with his family to Germany, where he afterwards lived and died. That Rosier Levering was a native of France is not at all improbable, as that name has a French sound, but more than this cannot be asserted, as there is no documentary evidence on the point. That he fled from Franc to avoid persecution; can also be readily believed, but his settlement is Germany most have been long anterior to the Revocation of the Edict of Nantz. The Edict was nor revoked until October, 1685, and Wigard himself says He WAS BORN IN Gemen, Germany, and that as I shall hereafter show, about the year 1648. The probability therefore is that Rosier Levering left France during some of the earlier religious wars and persecutions, which visited the Waldenes and Huguenots.
Notes for ELIZABETH VAN DE WALLE:
Elizabeth Van de Walle - Her brother, Jacob Van der Walle, was a wealthy Dutch Pietist and a prominent shareholder in the Frankfort Company which owned and organized Germantown [PA]. His wealth was the foundation of the Levering wealth; some of them are still wealthy industrialists.
Children of ROSIER LEVERING and ELIZABETH VAN DE WALLE are:
i. JOHN WIGARD LEVERING, b. 1648, Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany; d. February 02, 1754, Roxborough, Pennsylvania.
ii. GERHARD GARRET LEVERING, b. 1650, Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany; d. 1731, Whitpaine, Pennsylvania.
iii. EBERHARD ENERT LEVERING, b. 1652, Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany.
iv. ELIZABETH LEVERING, b. 1654.
v. ALCHE LEVERING, b. 1656.
vi. WILLIAM LEVERING, b. 1658, Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany; d. January 03, 1699/00.
Generation No. 3
JOHN WIGARD LEVERING (ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING)was born 1648 in Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany, and died February 02, 1754 in Roxborough, Pennsylvania. He married MAGDALENA BOKAR March 22, 1673/74 in Westfallen, Gemen, Borken, Prussia, daughter of WILLIAM BOKAR andSIDONIA BRAVIERS. She was born 1650 in Leyden, Nord, Holland, Netherlands, and died November 01, 1717 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.
Notes for JOHN WIGARD LEVERING:
JOHN WIGARD: born in 1648 or '49, in the town of Gemen, in Germany. In April, 1674, he married "the chaste virgin," Magdalena Bokers, of Essen. She was a native of Leyden, in Holland. They lived in Gemen until some time after the birth and decease of their first child, and then removed to Mulheim, where they remained until they emigrated to America, after the 20th of March, 1685, bringing their surviving four children.
Wigard came to Philadelphia on the ship "Penn's Woodland" from Holland. The Frankfort Company was engaged in the transportation of persons desiring to remove to their colony. The written contract entered into by Wigard Levering with the local agents at Wesel, Dr. Thomas Van Wylick and Johannes Le Brun, for transportation of himself and family to Philadelphia, dated 20th of March, 1685
"We, the subscribers, do acknowledge and confess by these Presents, that we have contracted and agreed together, that Doctor Thomas Van Wylick and Johannes Le Brun, in behalf of the Pennsylvania Company, in which they, and other friends of Frankfort and other parts, are engaged, to accept or receive me, Wigard Levering, old 36 or 37 years, and Magdalena Boeckers, old 36 years, and four children, Anna Catherine, William, Amelia, and Sibella, respectively 1/2, 2 1/2, 5 and 9 years, to and for the service of the aforementioned Company, to transport by shipping out of Holland or Ingland, to Pennsylvania, upon their cost."
On Their arrival in Pennsylvania, they were to report themselves to Francis Daniel Pastorius, who was general agent for the company. Written upon the margin of the instrument an agreement to include "the Contractor's brother, Gerhard Levering."
Levering was one of the early recognized names in Roxborough, Pennsylvania.
The area was likely named for Roxburghshire, Scotland, the original home of Andrew Robeson, one of the early settlers of what is now Roxborough. It may have also been named by the hermit Johannes Kelpius, leader of a millennial monastic-type group that lived along the Wissahickon, though he refers to the area as "Rocks-burrow" in a letter dated May 25, 1706. Kelpius did, however, popularize the name, as the township had also been variously known as Manatawna and Leverington.
The township of Roxborough was originated in the year 1690. Many of Roxborough's early settlers lived in log cabins.
Two of the early recognized families were Rittenhouse and Levering. The Rittenhouse Family had the first paper mill in America in 1690.
Life of the Roxborough Quakers was very hard. All were up at the crack of dawn to work the farms and mills. The Native Americans, who were also in the area, were sharpshooters with bow and arrow. They hunted local game for trade, as well as, being sought out for organic cures to illnesses. A healthy woman could bear 15 children and be lucky if 5 survived to adulthood (since a simple strain of influenza could rid several.)
Many types of grain (primarily corn and wheat) were grown and milled into flour at several Wissahickon gristmills. Flax plants were grown to produce linen, which was used for making clothing and paper. The seeds were milled into linseed oil (at oil mills), which was used for tanning leather and to make paint when added to dried berry pigment. Many of Main Line-Philadelphia's "old money" are descendants of Wissahickon mill owners and Roxborough plantation owners. The majority of Roxborough's population was German; however, many of the mill owners were British. They both consumed a lot of pork, but the British would store and eat root vegetables during the winter. The Germans mostly ate grains. There was also a large Swedish population in Philadelphia. In 1689, William Penn had a census taken and found about a thousand Swedes; nevertheless, the Germans outnumbered them greatly in a short span of time. The Welsh were prominent across the Schuylkill in Merion Township.
Most everyone attended Quaker monthly meetings, some at the Mennonite Meetinghouse in Germantown and others at Abington Meeting House. Besides listening to preaching, one could also get married there or buy/order goods (especially at Abington). For instance, in 1720, a box of 24 hand-made nails cost one silver shilling. A day's labor was 3 shillings (English currency). Some citizens were members of Christ Church in Liberties and some belonged to Old Swedes Church in Queen Village.
John Wiggard Levering was known as weaver, a yeoman and a joiner. A weaver weaves fabric. A yeoman was a term used in reference to a diligent, dependable worker or the work of such a person. A joiner differs from a carpenter in that he or she cuts and fits joints in wood that do not use nails.
In 1691, Wigard bought 500 acres in Roxborough between the River Schuykill and the Wissahickon Creek. His brother Gerhard bought 100 adjoining acres. Wigard spoke German and was unable to write. He lived his last twenty-eight years of his life with his son, William, in Germantown, PA. He is buried on his farm, Leverington Cemetery in a spot overlooking the Wissahickon Creek. His mother and daughter Elizabeth are buried in the same cemetery.
Family Register of Wigard Levering. Children--
"I Wigard Levering was born in Germany in the Principality of Westphalia in the District of Munster and town of Gemen. My Father's name was Rosier Levering, and my mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Van de Walle who was born in Wesel. In the twenty third year of my age I Wigard Levering was married to my beloved wife Magdalena Boker Her father's name was William Boker and her mother's maiden name was Sidonia Williams Braviers of the City of Leyden in Holland. The above said Magdalena my wife was also born in Leyden, and God hath blessed us with the following children to wit:
The first born Joanna Sophia born in Gemen in the year of our Lord 1672 in March and died in the third week.
The second Anna Catharina born in Mulheim on the Rhur in March 1673.
The third Maria Elizabeth born in July 1676 and died in the eighteenth week of her age.
The fourth William Levering was born the 4th day of May 1677.
The fifth Amelia Anna Sophia was born in the middle of July 1682.
The sixth Anna Sibella was born in the middle of September 1684.
The above named children were all born in Mulheim on the Rhur."
The following Inventory was subsequently filed. An inventory of the goods of Wechord Levering Deceased this the ninth day of February 174/5. Appraisers Matthew Houlgate and Isaac Cook: (Spelling is as in original document.)
To one bed and Beding 3.00.0(pounds)
To 2 bed steds 0.10.0
To one Cobert and one Chest 1.10.0
To waring apparrel 1.15.0
To Sate of Curtings 1.00.0
To one bible 1.10.0
To one song book 0.01.6
To 2 Spice Boxis and a bible frame 0.04.0
To one Table and 5 Chears 1.03.6
To 2 benshes and one Tobaco Knife 0.02.0
To 3 Iron Potts 0.16.
To pare Tongs and Shifell and pare hand Irons 0.14.0
To 2 puter Dishes and 4 plats 0.14.0
To one Stone Gudg and puter mog 0.03.6
To one morter and Iron box and a Gudg 0.03.0
To one Chamber Pott and Porenger 0.01.0
_______
13.7.6(pounds)
Two of the witnesses to this will were his grandson and wife. The signature to the will is remarkably good, when the great age of the writer is considered - he being at that time, ninety-four years old.
The Family Bible of Wigard Levering is now in the possession of Mrs. Sarah Kirk of Germantown, Pa., who is a g.g.g.granddaughter of the first settler. Her grandmother, Hannah Levering Keyser, (32) was the third child of William Levering, who was a grandson of Wigard. It is a large folio German Bible, with clasps, and was printed in 1693. The records of Wigard Levering's family are written in German: the other entries are in English, and contain the dates of the deaths of some of his children and grandchildren in Germany; and the following six children were born in North America in the Province of Pennsylvania:
The seventh Herman born the 18th of November 1686 and died in the fourth year of his age in May.
The eighth Elizabeth born the 7th of January 1689 and died in the fourteenth year of her age in September.
The ninth Sidonia born the 23d of April 1691.
The tenth Jacob Levering born the 21st of January 1693.
The eleventh Magdalena bon the 13th of January 1695 and died in the 3d week of her age.
The twelfth Magdalena born the 4th of June 1696.
The last after the perfect number of twelve was an untimely birth.
"God who is the Father of all that are called children in heaven and on earth, have mercy on my children who are still in the land of the living, that they through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may be born again and registered with their kindred in heaven; that they, after they are taken from this vain world, the parents with the children and the children with the parents, may rejoice before God in a blessed and happy eternity, Amen."
This old Bible is the only relic now known of the venerable Founder of the Levering Family, and it ought to be cherished and preserved by his posterity as a memento of "auld lang syne."
In 1789, some of Roxborough's Quakers organized Roxborough Baptist Church. The church maintains a graveyard originally belonging to the Levering Family with graves dating back to the 1740's. Even today, just about all of the churches along Ridge Avenue are Protestant, as they were organized by Quakers. Roxborough's first public school was the Levering School, dating back to 1748 (and, since demolished.)
During the last twenty-eight years of his life, Wigard Levering lived with his son, William, in Germantown. For eleven years, things apparently went well, but by 1728, conflict had arisen between the father and son. In response to William's complaints, Jacob Cadwalader wrote the following letter:
Philada,, the 3d of 6m, 1728.
Frd. William Levering:
Thy father who is very old & cannot live long according to the Course of nature, seems to Complain very much of thy hard dealing, & would not be satisfied without carrying it further, but I thought it the best way to prevent it if possible, for any difference between father & son cannot be of much credit to Either, and when a father hath been kind to a Son and given him all or most of what he had, there is a dutiful gratitude owing to a parent from a Child, and he ought if possible to make his parents life Easie and Comfortable without oppression or giving any Just occasion of uneasiness and Complaint. And as our parents have dealt very tenderly with us in our Infancy & youth & born with all our infirmities with abundance of patience, it is our duty to Cherish them in their old age, and as far as in us Lies to give them no Just occasion of grief or uneasiness. And our duty to our parents will undoubtedly Entail a blessing on us & our posterity and we ought to bear with the peevishness of age, without taking any notice of it. Therefore pray let me Entreat & prevail with thee for the Credit and reputation of the family, to prevent all grounds & occasions of offence and let what is past be buried in oblivion & forgott & as the Laws of God & men direct & oblige as Let us pay all dutiful regards to parents and study peace with all mankind, which is the Cordial Advice of
thy sincere Frd.
Jno Cadwalader Pray make all things Easy to thy father & do not keep anything from him that can be thought reasonable.
Wigard Levering died February 2, 1745, at the probable age of 97 years, and was buried upon his farm in a spot overlooking the romantic Wissahickon, which has become a part of the famous Fairmount Park of Philadelphia. This spot subsequently became the churchyard and burial ground of the Baptist Church, organized in 1789, which was greatly enlarged, and is now known as Leverington Cemetery, under a special charter from the State of Pennsylvania. This ground doubtless contains the remains of Magdalena. A gravestone marking the interment, in June, 1744, of their grandchild, Clement Levering, still stands, and points the place where repose the old pioneers, though no sculptured tablet was ever erected there to their memory.
LEVERINGTON CEMETERY: located at Ridge & Lyceum Avenues in Roxborough, was originally the burial ground of the Levering (Loewering) Family as early as 1745. In that year Wigard Levering (the founder of Roxborough) was interred there. Sometime after this date the cemetery became known as “the Roxborough Burial Ground” even though it had become a part of the Roxborough Baptist Churchyard to which it is adjacent. In 1857, its connections with the Roxborough Baptist Church were severed and a Board of Trustees created which incorporated as the “Leverington Cemetery Company.” The office of this cemetery was located in the old Lyceum Building at Ridge & Lyceum Avenues. In 1966 a fire destroyed this building fragmenting the records of the~ cemetery in the process. Those records surviving, were removed to the private residence of one of the trustees. The Roxborough Edwardian Society has indexed the interments in this cemetery from 1860-1880 and this index is on microfilm at the Philadelphia City Archives, and the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania.
More AboutJOHN WIGARD LEVERING:
Burial: Leverington Cemetery, Roxborough, Pennsylvania
Occupation: Weaver, Yeoman, Joiner
Children ofJOHN LEVERING and MAGDALENA BOKAR are:
i. ANNA CATHERINE LEVERING, b. March 16, 1675/76, Mulheim on the Rhur, Germany; d. July 1754, Zieglerville or Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
ii. ANNA SOPHIA LEVERING, b. 1675.
iii. MARIA ELIZABETH LEVERING, b. 1676.
iv. WILLIAM LEVERING, b. May 04, 1677, Mulheim on the Rhur, Westphalia, Germany; d. December 1754, Pennsylvania; m. CATHERINE SHOEMAKER.
Notes for WILLIAM LEVERING:
WILLIAM LEVERING; b. at Mulheim, on the River Rhur, in Germany, May 4th, 1677, and came to America in 1685, at the age of 8 years, and removed from Germantown to Roxborough with his parents in 1692, when 15 years old. He no doubt resided with his fathr at the old mansion, in the valley, northwest of the present Baptist Church, and a short distance from the Ridge Road. In Nov. 1717, his father conveyed to him a large tract of land, being the residue of his Plantation that remained unsold. He carried on the farm thus bestowed upon him, and no doubt had some other occupation. His will shows that his aged father resided with him at the time of his decease. He was a man of substance in those early days, and was the friend of John Schlee alias Seelig, a Hermit, who, tradition says, lived on part of his farm. Tradition also states that the Hermit lived in the valley back of the present Leverington Cemetery, a short distance beyond the house of William Levering. This Hermit had been a pupil and follower of John Kelpius, a learned and pious scholar who came from Germany in 1694, and settled on the banks of the beautiful and romantic Wissahiccon. What was the precise relation existing between the Hermit Schlee and Mr. Levering is not known, but it was a very intimate friendship. The death of the Hermit is thus noted in the Levering Family Bible:
"John Sealy, hermit died April 26, 1745 aged 77 years." His will bears date 17th Sept. 1735, and in it he is described as "John Schlee, of Roxborough, in the County of Philadelphia, gentleman." His name is written in English, and the following is a fac simile, (handwritten signature of John Schlee). He bequeathed the whole of his estate to "my ffriend William "Levering Senr of Roxborough," and appointed him his Executor. The Inventory of his Estate contains the following items, viz: "25 shirts, 4 coats, 2 jackets, 2 hats, pair of shoes & slippers, 7 pairs linen frawers, 3 Planes, 2 Saws, 1 glue pot, 54 glass bottles, 5 book binders presses, saddle & bridle, 1 scale, gold and silver weights, 5 Bibles, 14 books, 10 of Jacob Boehmen's books and 120 Latin, Dutch and Greek books."
Mr. Watson, the Annalist, says that there was a tradition quite current concerning Schlee, to this effect. He had a divining rod, which he directed should be cast into the water at his death. This was done, and the rod exploded with a loud noise!!
WILL OF WILLIAM LEVERING--
"Be it Remembered that I William Levering of Roxborough in the County of Philadelphia Yoeman being in good Health of Body and of sound and well disposing Mind and Memory, Blessed be the Lord for the same and all other his Mercies and Favours bestowed on me and being mindfull of my mortality and willing to settle my Wordly Affairs in the best manner I can, DO make and declare my Last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all" '
v. AMELIA ANNA LEVERING, b. 1682, Mulheim on the Rhur, Westphalia, Germany; d. 1764, Pennsylvania; m. BENJAMIN MORGAN.
vi. SIBELLA ANNA LEVERING, b. 1684, Mulheim on the Rhur, Westphalia, Germany; d. 1764, Pennsylvania; m. GEORGE MILLER.
vii. HERMAN LEVERING, b. November 18, 1686, Germantown, Pennsylvania; d. 1690, Germantown, Pennsylvania.
viii. ELIZABETH LEVERING, b. January 11, 1688/89.
ix. SIDONIA LEVERING, b. April 23, 1691, Germantown, Pennsylvania; d. Bet. 1730 - 1742, Pennsylvania; m. PETER DEHAVEN.
x. JACOB LEVERING, b. January 21, 1692/93, Roxborough, Pennsylvania; d. 1753, Whitpaine, Pennsylvania; m. AELTIE "ALICE" TUNES.
xi. MAGDALENA LEVERING, b. June 04, 1696, Roxborough, Pennsylvania; d. 1736; m. WILLIAM TUNES.
xii. MAGDALENA LEVERING, b. January 13, 1694/95, Germantown, Pennsylvania; d. February 1694/95.
GERHARD GARRET LEVERING (ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born 1650 in Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany, and died 1731 in Whitpaine, Pennsylvania. He married MARY.
Children of GERHARD LEVERING and MARY are:
i. HENRY LEVERING.
ii. DANIEL LEVERING.
iii. JACOB LEVERING.
iv. MAGDALENA LEVERING.
EBERHARD ENERT LEVERING (ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born 1652 in Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany. He married MECHELT SCHMULLING.
Children of EBERHARD LEVERING and MECHELT SCHMULLING are:
i. ANNA SOPHIA LEVERING, b. February 1685/86, Gemen, Germany.
ii. GERTRUT SIBELLA LEVERING, b. February 1685/86, Gemen, Germany.
iii. DIETRICH ARNHOLDT LEVERING, b. April 1687, Gemen, Germany.
iv. CATARINA ELIZABETH LEVERING, b. February 1688/89, Gemen, Germany.
v. HERMAN OTTO LEVERING, b. 1678, Gemen, Germany.
vi. ANNA MARGARETTA LEVERING, b. April 1680, Gemen, Germany.
vii. ROSIER WENSALL LEVERING, b. October 1681, Gemen, Germany.
viii. WILLIAM JOHN DEITRICH LEVERING, b. November 1683, Gemen, Germany.
ix. ANNA ELSCHEN LEVERING, b. November 1683, Gemen, Germany.
WILLIAM LEVERING (ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born 1658 in Gemen, Munster, Westphalia, Germany, and died January 03, 1699/00. He married (1) GRETE NILANT. She was born Abt. 1666, and died Bef. 1690. He married (2) MARIA VEITS Abt. 1691.
Child of WILLIAM LEVERING and GRETE NILANT is:
i. ROSIER GERHARDT LEVERING, b. May 1688, Gemen, Germany.
Children of WILLIAM LEVERING and MARIA VEITS are:
ii. ELSCHEN CHRISTINA LEVERING, b. June 1692, Gemen, Germany.
iii. WILLIAM DIRICH LEVERING, b. June 1693, Gemen, Germany.
iv. FLORENTINA LIZABETH LEVERING, b. March 1694/95, Gemen, Germany.
v. IAN DANIEL LEVERING, b. October 1696, Gemen, Germany.
vi. CHARLOTTE MEIDA LEVERING, b. September 1698, Gemen, Germany.
Generation No. 4
ANNA CATHERINE LEVERING (JOHN WIGARD, ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born March 16, 1675/76 in Mulheim on the Rhur, Germany, and died July 1754 in Zieglerville or Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She married HANS HEINRICH FREY April 26, 1692 in Germantown, Pennsylvania, son of JACOB FREY and ANNA HIRTZELLER. He was born June 17, 1663 in Altheim in the province of Alsace, Germany (now France), and died 1734 in Zieglerville or Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Notes for ANNA CATHERINE LEVERING:
Anna Catherine was brought to America in 1685 by her parents when she was age 9. Burial: Bertlolet Cemetery, Frederick Township. Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Children of ANNA LEVERING and HANS FREY are:
i. AMELIA FREY.
ii. JACOB FREY, b. 1694, Roxborough, Pennsylvania; d. 1785, Towamencin Township, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; m. MARGARET EASE.
iii. WILLIAM FREY, b. 1695, Roxborough, Pennsylvania; d. June 1758, Frederick County, Maryland; m. ANNA VERONICA MERKLE.
iv. BENJAMIN FRY, b. Bet. 1696 - 1701, Pennsylvania; d. March 1753.
v. HENRY FREY, b. 1698; d. 1758; m. CHRISTINA BACHE.
vi. ABRAHAM FREY, b. 1700.
vii. JOHN FREY, b. 1700, Roxborough, Pennsylvania; d. October 23, 1766.
viii. GEORGE FREY, b. 1704; d. 1750; m. ELIZABETH HECHLERIN.
ix. REBECCA FREY, b. Bet. 1706 - 1714.
x. ELIZABETH FREY, b. 1719; d. 1781; m. JOHANNES MULLER, Bef. August 1735.
xi. ELIZABETH AMELIA "MILLIE" FREY, b. July 01, 1719, Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania; d. June 05, 1781, Graceham, Frederick County, Maryland.
SIBELLA ANNA LEVERING (JOHN WIGARD, ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) b. 1684, Mulheim on the Rhur, Westphalia, Germany; d. 1764, Pennsylvania; m. GEORGE MILLER.
Child of SIBELLA LEVERING and GEORGE MILLER are:
i. ANNA AMELIA MILLER
Generation No. 5
BENJAMIN FRY (ANNA CATHERINE LEVERING, JOHN WIGARD, ROSIER, ROBERT1 DE LEVERING) was born Bet. 1696 - 1701 in Pennsylvania, and died March 1753. He married REGINA ANN CHRISTINA MERKLE, daughter of ABRAHAM MERKLE and ANNA VERONICA. She was born March 20, 1697/98 in Bonfield, Germany.
Notes for BENJAMIN FRY:
“The Frye Family, was a first family in Old Frederick Co., VA., arriving in 1739 and spreading out to what later became Shenandoah, Hampshire and Hardy Counties VA. The oldest representative of the family seems to be one Benjamin Frye Sr. 1703-1753 , whose will was filed in Winchester. In 1745, Benjamin Sr. bought land between Cedar Creek and Hoges Run, from John Richards. According to local historian Merle Moore, the father of Benjamin Frye Sr. was Heinrich Frey, who married Anna Catherine Levering, April 26 1692. Heinrich emigrated from Germany to Germantown, PA in 1685.
Fryes Fort, was located on part of the land that laid out along Cedar Creek in Shenandoah Co. The Fort was made of stone and is now owned by John and Pat Youmans. According to Moore, as many as 65 pioneers fled to the Fort from as far away as Cacapon River area in West VA. After one shooting at the Fort the Indians were so overwhelmed that they were unable to retrieve their dead or wounded. The dead Indians were buried in a common grave at a site called Indian Rock, located along state route 606.
Benjamin Frye Sr. and wife Christen, were parents of at least these children—Benjamin Jr. born 1730; and Joseph Frye and Abraham Frye, married Agnes and he died in Washington Co., PA in 1805 and Jacob Frye. All total, Benjamin and Christen Frye had nine children, according to Moore.
After the French and Indian Wars ended, some of the frontiersmen continued to kill Indians and steal their horses beyond the Alleghenies. The governor of Virginia was concerned that these acts of violence might result in renewed warfare. In 1769, General Adam Stephen was asked to investigate. Adam Stephen, reported to the governor in Oct. that one person implicated in the murder of an Indian named Stephen, had been captured and was lodged in the Winchester jail until he was rescued by a band of seventy men led by Abraham Fry and his three brothers-Jacob, Joseph and Benjamin. However the Fry brothers, who were freeholders in Frederick County, were not convicted for abetting the escape.”
Children of BENJAMIN FRY and REGINA MERKLE are:
i. BENJAMIN FRY, b. Pennsylvania; d. Abt. 1812, Shelby County, Kentucky.
ii. ABRAHAM FRY.
iii. HENRY FRY.
iv. JACOB FRY.
v. JOSEPH FRY.
vi. SAMUEL FRY.
vii. LODOWICK FRY.
viii. CHRISTIN FRY.
ix. WILLIAM FRY.
x. ELIZABETH FRY.
JOHN FREY (ANNA CATHERINE LEVERING, JOHN WIGARD, ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born 1700 in Roxborough, Pennsylvania, and died October 23, 1766. He married MARY KIESLER. She was born 1706, and died August 31, 1766.
Children of JOHN FREY and MARY KIESLER are:
i. SAMUEL FREY, b. March 13, 1726/27; d. May 31, 1813, Delaware Township, Juniata, Pennsylvania.
ii. ENOCH FREY.
iii. HENRY FREY.
iv. JACOB FREY.
v. WILLIAM FREY.
vi. JONATHAN FREY.
vii. DANIEL FREY.
viii. HANA FREY.
ix. CATHERINE FREY.
ELIZABETH AMELIA "MILLIE" FREY (ANNA CATHERINE LEVERING, JOHN WIGARD, ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) was born July 01, 1719 in Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and died June 05, 1781 in Graceham, Frederick County, Maryland. She married JOHANN FREDRIC LEINBACH June 10, 1737 in Skippack, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, son of JOHANNES LEINBACH SR. and ANNA KLEISS. He was born July 15, 1703 in Hochstadt, Wetterau, Germany, and died July 06, 1784 in Graceham, Frederick County, Maryland.
Continues on Leinbach page
ANNA AMERLIA MILLER (SIBELLA, JOHN WIGARD, ROSIER, ROBERT DE LEVERING) married JOHANNES ADOLPH GROTHAUS
Child of ANNA MILLER and JOHANNES GOUTHAUS was:
i. HERMAN GOUTHAUS married MARY STULL.
HERMAN GOUTHAUS followed is cousin BENJAMIN FRY to the Shenandoah Valley Virginia by 1755, settling on the "long bottom of the Potomac"near present day PawPaw, West Virginia.
