Person:Martin Kendig (1)

The Kendig Family

The Kendigs were among the earliest white settlers in Lancaster County. Martin Kendig was one of a possible twenty Swiss Mennonites who arrived on the ship Maria Hope in September 1710. With him were Hans Herr, Martin Mylin, Jacob Miller, Christian Herr, and Martin Oberholtzer. These men, including Kendig, while on the journey, signed a letter written from London to friends at New Amsterdam.

Martin Kendig in 1711 took out a patent for three tracts of land in the 10,000 acres granted by William Penn. (See map) Most of the present West Willow community is included in his western-most tract of 530 acres. While the patent was for 530 acres, the land actually included more as is shown by his assessment in 1718 and by the will wherein his four grandsons each got 160 acres. (Will Book B-1-697).

The Kendigs were relatively wealthy and influential, Martin being the only one who paid for his land by cash. The rest took out mortgages. He and Hans Herr were granted a blanket warrant for an additional 5,000 acres anywhere in the present Lancaster county. As a businessman and land agent, Martin Kendig returned to Germany about 1717 and brought back other families.

Two of the early Kendigs, Jacob and Henry, were thought to be Martin's brothers because he got land for them. Martin was married twice, first to an Elizabeth and then to a Barbara. It is thought Elizabeth was Elizabeth Herr, sister to Emmanuel Herr to whom Martin sold land. Barbara, the second wife, was supposedly the widow of Martin's brother, Henry. Henry died in 1725 and his Chester County will stated Barbery "renouncing in favor of my brother-in-law, Martin Kendig."

Some people think Martin Kendig had two sons, Martin, Jr., and Jacob, also called John. Some genealogies name children under Martin, Jr., while others place the same names under Martin, the son of Jacob. If Martin, the immigrant, had a son, Martin, Jr., he did not mention him in his will. This fact plus the fact that deeds show these children to belong to Martin, the son of John (Jacob), along with the further fact that no land was ever deeded to a Mar. tin, Jr., prove that Martin Kendig, the immigrant, had only one son, Jacob also called John.

Martin's will of 1748 (Will Book J-1-115, 116) names a wife, Barbara, his son, Jacob, and his four grandsons (sons of Jacob) namely: Martin, Abraham, John, and Isaac. These four grandsons were to inherit his 530 acre western tract of land. Only two houses are mentioned as being on this land, the house where he, Martin, lived and the house where his son, John (Jacob), lived.

It should be of particular interest to locate the house of Martin, the first West Willow land owner. His will of 1748 states, "I Martin Kindick of ye county of Lancaster and township of Conestoga .... To Martin Kendig, my grandson, I give and bequeath the said plantation whereon I now dwell."

As Martin, the grandson, was just a child at this time, he did not receive this plantation until the death of his father, John (Jacob), in 1775. John's will (Will Book B-1-697) describes the boundaries of this property which today would be the property facing Millwood Road and extending from Penn Grant Road to Kendig Road with a depth of 75 perches containing 1351/2 acres. It also included the tract of twenty-five acres on the south side of Penn Grant Road where his house is thought to have been located.

Another source indicating that this is the place is a paper in the Lancaster County Historical Society entitled "Genealogy of the Kendig Family so Far as Can be Learned at the Present Time Sep- tember 22, 1909," by Dr. Benjamin Kendig. He writes, "Forty years ago (1869) when Theodore Herr and Milton B. Eshelman entered the work of tracing the Herr and Kendig families . . . the original Kendig burying ground on the original Martin Kendig farm near West Willow said to have contained 15 or 20 headstones, they had access to. This burying ground was cut through when the Quarryville Railroad was built. The stones, many of them broken, were cast into the dump or bank ... The farm passed from the Kendigs to the Mylins and from them to Emanuel Harnish. Emanuel Harnish's sons live there now." The deed to the land of Emanuel Harnish bought from his father, Abraham Harnish, Sr., in 1859, (U-8-553) reads, "It being the same tract of land which Abraham Meilin and Elizabeth his wife on the 6th day of April 1833 sold to Abraham Harnish." This was only one portion of the farm. This property passed from Emanuel Harnish, Sr., to Emanuel, Jr., to his sister, Annie G. Harnish (a maiden lady), and then to his brother Jonas (a bachelor). After Jonas's death in 1933 it was bought by Ralph Kauffman and since 1964 has been owned by Kauffman's daughter, Nancy, and her husband, Henry Balmer. The farm is located on both sides of Penn Grant Road between Millwood Road and Route 272 South.

A neighbor, Miss Ella Sigman, who has lived near this farm for almost eighty years, recalls that when she was a young child, gravestones were indeed standing at the above described location near the railroad. Perhaps those stones not damaged by the railroad were salvaged and left standing. Miss Sigman recalls that some of the dates were very early and a few of the stones were of slate.

It would seem certain that there is enough evidence to determine that this farm is the original Martin Kendig homestead.

Next in importance to the location of Martin Kendig's home is the location of the hwne of his son, John (Jacob). Martin's will reads, "I give to my son, Jacob Kindig, all my lands, messuages and tenments to him where he now dwelleth on for his lifetime and after his deceased shall have his son, Abraham Kindig, the said land and tenments." (Will book J-1-115)

While no special boundaries are given in this will, the will of John (Jacob) leaving this -property to Abraham (as the grandfather requested) does define them. These boundaries place Abraham's property directly east of and adjacent to Martin's with a depth of eighty-eight perches. This tract also included the fifty-acre tract on the south side of Penn Grant Road adjacent to Martin's. Abraham was listed in Conestoga (Pequea) assessments of 1780, as already reported in the chapter on Early Pioneers. Abraham willed his portion to his four sons, one of whom was Tobias. Tobias bought some Of his brothers' share and in 1800 sold 148 acres to Michael Harnish, who willed it in 1805 to his son, Abraham Harnish, Sr. Part of this land is now the Elvin T. Harnish farm on West Willow Road and Route 272 South. It is thought that somewhere on this property was the hoirne of John (Jacob) Kendig, his wife, and four young sons.

Isaac, the third son of John (Jacob), received land partly in Conestoga (Pequea) and partly in Lampeter Townships. This farm, currently owned but not occupied by Benjamin B. Kendig, is located in Kendig Road and extends on both sides of Route 272 South. In addition to the impressive brick house, there are a very old former log house and a tenement house. Since the buildings, and most of the land are just over the township line, this property is listed in West Lampeter Township.

The Everts and Stewart Atlas of Lancaster County of 1875 shows a cemetery facing the present Kendig Road between the Stoner home (later MacAllister's and Presently owned by Mellinger's) and the Kendig farm. Kendig Road had not yet been constructed. The Graves and Steinbarger Atlas of Lancaster County of 1899 shows the road but no cemetery. Sometime between 1875 and 1899 the cemetery was plowed up for farmland. For many years Benjamin Kendig had saved one of the stones written in German, but it has since disappeared. Today, he has only one stone which carries the initials J.K.

The fourth portion of the western tract went to Christian Kendig, the infant grandson of John Jacob (and son of John, deceased) who received 1601/2 acres partly in Conestoga (Pequea) but mostly in Lampeter Township. This land lay directly east and adjacent to Abraham's land. Martin and Abraham (Christian's uncles) were made guardians over his property "to rent out in manner they think best to benefit grandson." (Will book B-1-697)

According to John Jacob's will, he had four-other children who did not share in this inheritance. Most likely they were not yet born at the time of their grandfather Martin's will and death. The father John Jacob left his son George the mill tract in Lampeter Township, which he purchased from Christ Schantz. He gave land in Manor Township to his son Henry. He also willed that the two daughters, Alice and Esther, receive 700 pounds each from the brothers. Esther Kendig was married to John Miller and Alice was married first to John Graff and later to Adam Kendig.

One of the interesting things to emerge from a reading of the wills and deeds of the Kendigs, was found in the will of Abraham, grandson of Martin, the immigrant. Father of eight children, he also had a Negro girl named "Betsy," whom he willed to his wife with other items "for and during her natural life provided she remain a widow and after death or marriage of my said wife then my said negro girl Betsy shall have the right to make a choice with which of my children she will live as a hired servant and not as a slave" (Will Book P-1-146).

Mary, wife of Abraham Kendig, in her will of 1815 (Will Book M-1-339) (proved 1819) makes further mention of Betsy. "I do give and bequeath unto my son-in-law, Michael Harnish, the sum of $107 for the purpose of being by him expended in such a manner as to him shall seem proper to and for the use, benefit and advantage of Betty Johns a woman of colour who now lives and resides with me and whom I have raised up and reared from the time of her infancy."

This amounted to two-thirds of the amount ($160) that Mrs. Mary Kendig bequeathed to Michael Harnish for the benefit of her daughter, Mary, "who in my opinion is incapable of managing her affairs."

Event 1: Sept. 23 1710 arrived Phila. on Maria Hope from London Event 2: 1715 ret to eur & brt 300 new colonists Event 3: Sept 30 Arr in Phil on ship "Molly.

Martin Kundig (Kendig) 1 (John (Jacob) , Jorg , Peter ) was born 2, 3 about 1670 in Ittlingen, Hiedelberg, Baden, Germany. He died 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 on 10 Mar 1749 in Strasburg Township, Lancaster, PA, USA. He was buried 9 about 1748 in Strasburg Trolley Road, Lampeter, Lancaster, PA, USA. He had other parents. Martin signed a will on 10 Mar 1748/1749 in Will Proved in Conestoga Twp.. He was employed as in Land agent. He signed a will on 10 Mar 1748/1749 in Will Proved in Conestoga Twp.. He was employed as in Land agent.

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"Early Pen. Land Records" Egle 1976 Martin Kindig pp622,624,627,679 524,529

1 PROP 2 PLAC Sold land to Emanuel Herr will book 1748 JI-115 116 1 PROP 2 DATE 1710 1 PROP 2 DATE 1710 2 PLAC Warrented land in present Lanc. Co.

[Martin Kendig Anc.FTW]

Best (?KA342) b. ca. 1670; wp. Mar. 10, 1749, Connestoga Twp.; land agent; in 1710 warranted land in present Lancaster Co. m.(1) (?before 1708, Elizabeth/Els Bar (BD11); b. ca. 1675 ; d. between 1729 and 1736); m.(2) by 1736, Barbara _____; d. after Oct. 20, 1748; widow of brother Heinrich Kendig (?KA343).

1. ↑ Family Archive number 652, Land Records: Bucks and Lancaster Co., 1682-1825, Ed. 1, Records.