Person:Johan Stöver (1)

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Estate Records of John Casper Stover

• Pages 238-38. John Gasper Stover. Estate Account, with Col. Henry Willis. May 1739. Balance divided between Mary Magdalene Stover widow, John Gaspar Stover, exr., Eliza. Catherine Countz, Phillip Stover and [____] Stover. £158-13-8¾. Signed by John Grymes, exr. of Henry Willis, John Casper Stover, execr. to my father. Wit: Jonath. Gibson, James Porteus. 25 Nov. 1742. Returned to Court. [Orange County Virginia Will Book 1, Dorman, pg. 46].

• Page 170. John Gasper Stover. Estate account.

To proving the will in Philadelphia £1.11.6

To translating the will from German to English £1.0.0

John Gaspar Stover, admr.

27 Aug. 1741. Account allowed.

[Orange County, Virginia Will Book 1, Dorman, pg. 34].

Notes

Rev. John Casper Stoever travelled throughout Pennsylvania and Virginia and performed and recorded many marriages, births and deaths. The marriage, baptismal and other records recorded by him and his son, Rev. John Casper Stoever, Jr., are among the only early records in the Pennsylvania area in the early to mid 1700's. For some years, Rev. Casper Stoever and his son were the only German Lutheran preachers in much of Pennsylvania and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

http://members.aol.com/butch17449/GRAND.html

Johann Kaspar (Stover) STOEVER, I. b. 13 Jan 1685, Frankenburg, Hesse, Germany, occupation Minister, m. (1) Gertraudt ______ , m. (2) Maria Magdalena POOLE. Johann died ca 1738, Died at sea returning from Germany. John Caspar Stoever (III) was actively involved in the local community. He was elected as overseer of the poor for Bethel Township in 1768. In 1772, he was elected as constable and in 1782 as overseer of the roads. When war with England became imminent, militia units were formed in Lebanon County. John Caspar Stoever was elected as the Captain of the First Company of Colonel Philip Greenawalt's Battalion. He received his official commission on the 25th of August 1777. He took the oath of allegiance to the state of Pennsylvania on the 19th of November 1777. For the years of 1780, 1781, and 1782 he served as Captain of the Third Company, Second Battalion, Lancaster County Militia, under the command of Col. Thomas Edwards. In 1805, John Caspar Stoever and family moved to Montgomery County, Ohio. He and his wife lived on his son's, John Caspar Stoever, (IV), land in a separate house. The family name was starting to make changes in the spelling in this generation. Gertraudt ______ b. abt 1685, Frankenburg, Hesse, Germany, d. ?.

Citations

http://www.changesurfer.com/Family/PS05/PS05_107.htm

Person Sheet

Name John Caspar Stoever Rev. Birth 13 Jan 1684/1685, Frankenburg, Hesse-Nassau, Germany Death 13 May 1779, Lebanon Co., PA *** s/b 1739 (NOTE: This date of death is apparently incorrect! It is the date of death for John Casper Stover, JR. Other records indicate that John Casper Stover, SR. died in 1739 at sea, while returning to the Virginia Colony). Burial Hill Church, north of west of Lebanon, Pa. Occupation pastor Of the Hebron Church founded by the 1717 Germanna Colony Religion Lutheran Father Dietrich Stoever (~1660-) Mother Magdalena Eberwein (1657-)

Spouses: 1 Gertraudt? Death bef 1733

Marriage bef Nov 1707

Children: Anna Elizabetha Catherine Johann Caspar (1707-1779)

2 Maria Magdalena Poole

Marriage bef 1733

Notes for John Caspar Stoever Rev. Johann Kaspar Stover

John Kasper Stoever, (I) was a Lutheran educator and pastor. He left Germany in the spring of 1728 to go to the Land of Penn (Pennsylvania, USA). John Kaspar Stover, (I), his son John Caspar Stover, (II) and his daughter Elisabetha Carherina Stover left England the 15th of June 1728, aboard the ship JAMES GOODWILL and arrived on the 11th of September 1728. Apparently, his wife had died before they left Germany, because there are no records of her on the ship and John Kaspar Stoever, (I) remarried shortly after arriving in this country. The Stover's changed the family name to Stoever. He became an ordained Lutheran minister on April 8,1733, in Trapp, PA. He was ministering to the needs of the German Lutheran Congregation in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. He went to Germany in 1735 to raise money for the church and died on the return voyage in 1738. [In the original publication of his baptisms and marriages published in 1896, it says "Rev. Johann Casper Stoever died at his residence, west of Lebanon, Pa, May 13th, 1779, and was buried at Hill Church, north of west of Lebanon, Pa.]

There are extensive notes from Holtzclaw on the colony up at: http://www.concentric.net/~sgtgeorg/germhist.shtml

Rev. John Caspar Stoever served as minister from 1731 to 1779. His personal records have also been published on the Web at http://www.chm.davidson.edu/pagenweb/churches.html, including "Early Lutheran Baptisms and Marriages in SE Pa., The Records of Rev. John Casper Stoever from 1730 to 1779," with an index by Elizabeth P. Bentley. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD 1982, and available at: http://www.chm.davidson.edu/PAGenWeb/records/StoeverBaptisms.txt

Hinke, Wiliam John, 1871-1947. ÒThe 1714 colony of Germanna, VirginiaÓ Virginia magazine of history and biography. Vol. 40-41 (1932-33) (OCoLC)1642879 Richmond: Virginia Historical Society, (1932 1933) v. 40, p. 317-327; v. 41, p. 41-49 ; 24 cm.

1.   Historical Annals of Lebanon County.

   This article was published in the Souvenir Program for Lebanon's Bicentennial, celebrated June 30 - July 5, 1940.
   
   Historical Annals of Lebanon County
   
   "This history of Lebanon has been prepared with the hope that it will offer some enlightenment to present and future generations concerning the hardships and splendid accomplishments of our forefathers, whose work has made it possible for us to have the bountiful advantages which we enjoy today; and with the trust that this record of their success will serve to stimulate us to greater achievements."
   
   "Scotch-Irish settlers were probably here before 1720, but the principal settlers of Lebanon and environs came here in 1723 from the Schoharie Valley in N. Y. State. Following these early settlers came successive waves of Swiss and French Huguenots, along with many Germans of the Mennonite, Dunker, Reformed and Lutheran Faiths. Before that time, the Indians dwelt in the beautiful Valley, which abounded in deer and other game. However, the Indians actually held title to all the land within the limits of Lebanon County until 1732. On September 7 of that year the chiefs and sachems of the Delawares made a treaty with the whites ( through Governor Patrick Gordon ) by which they disposed of all land in Pennsylvania lying between the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers and south of the Blue Mountains, not previously purchased. This plot included what is now known as Lebanon County. The Indians gave up the land of their own free will, and for it received brass kettles, blankets, guns, shirts, flints, tobacco, rum. and many trinkets in which their simple hearts delighted."
   
   "In 1723, fifteen families of Germans came to the present Lebanon County and Berks region. About 1725 Balzer Orth and his boys, Balthazer (aged 11) and Adam (aged 7), were among those residing here. In August, 1729, Michael Burst arrived and squatted two miles northwest of the present city of Lebanon. When George Steitz arrived he located southeast of Burst on the Quittapahilla. From 1725 to 1735 there was another great influx of Germans of varied religious opinions. Because of their industry and thrift. combined with the goodness of the soil. Pennsylvania forged ahead in agriculture, with exportation of farm products to keep pace with the increasing population."
   
   "Gala indeed was the year 1731 in the history of the wilderness colony, for that marked the performance of the first marriage ceremony. The contracting parties were George Reynolds and Eleanor Steitz, daughter of George. The rite was performed by the Rev. John Caspar Stoever, the first Lutheran Minister to come to Lebanon."
   
   "It is to George Steitz that credit is given for the laying out of the present city of Lebanon during the decade 1740-1750. It is recorded that Steitz and Francis Reynolds took out warrants for adjoining tracts of land in what was then Lebanon Township -- a part of Lancaster County. After the death of George Reynolds in 1762, his land fell into the possession of George Steitz, and with these he ( Steitz ) laid out additional lots. The town originally had been made for the township but for many years it was called Steitztown or Steitza, after the fashion of calling a town for the proprietor."
   
   "The town grew. About 1756 there were over 200 homes, and during the perilous years of 1750 to '60 Lebanon was a refuge for those families driven from their frontier homes by the savages. As many as 60 families took refuge in the house of John Light at one time. On March 28, 1799, Lebanon became a borough, but the first election was not held until the first Monday in May, 1821. At this election, held by Leonard Greenawalt and Philip Huber, commissioners, the following officers were elected: Chief Burgess, Jacob Goodhart; assistant burgess. Jacob Arndt; councilmen, John Nagel, Conrad Fasnacht, Jacob Light, Adam Ritscher, Leonard Greenawalt, John Uhler; high constable, Rudolph Kelker. The election was held 22 years later for the reason that the people never accepted the provisions of the Act of 1799, and so it remained dead, until February 20, 1821, when a new Act was passed repealing the first act and creating anew the borough of Lebanon with a charter of more ample powers than the previous Act."
   
   "That year (1821) Lebanon contained 300 dwellings, 10 taverns, 10 stores, 1 grist mill, 1 clover mill, a foundry, and many mechanic shops. The original Market House stood on the south side of Ninth street."
   
   "During the prosperous years of 1751 to 52 a much-needed improvement, a road to Lancaster. was begun. The road is now Ninth street. Conrad Weiser was busy arranging affairs with the friendly Indians and with the settlers on the basis of an alliance against the French and the hostile tribes threatening Pennsylvania. But in 1755, the entire region was startled by the news of Braddock's defeat at Fort Duquesne. On a black day, October 16th, 1755, the sad news came that more than 20 persons had been killed by Indians in this territory."
   
   "On June 26, 1756, while four young men of the Bethel Congregation were plowing near Swatara Gap, they were attacked by a band of hostile Indians and cruelly murdered. Scouting parties were organized and in the autumn of 1756 an actual skirmish with Indians was fought two miles northeast of Hebron Church. According to the historians of the times, about 150 white people were the victims of these raids. Following the French and Indian War, came the Revolutionary War, at the end of which America declared her independence, and in which theatre of war Lebanonians played a vital role. "After the Boston Tea Party, December 16, 1773, little Lebanon, despite some hanging back on the part of other residents of Pennsylvania, was one of the first to respond to the appeal of the city of Boston and to send contributions to those who were suffering for the cause of liberty. On Saturday, June 25, 1774, the inhabitants of Lebanon and adjoining townships met at the inn of Captain Philip Greenawalt to consider the state of public affairs. Elected as leaders were Major John Philip DeHaas, President; and John Light, Secretary. At this meeting the group declared unanimously: "1. That the late act of the British Parliament by which the port of Boston is shut up is an act of oppression to the people of that city and subversive of the rights of the inhabitants of America." "2. That while we profess to be loyal subjects of Great Britain we shall not admit to unjust and iniquitous laws as we are not slaves but freemen." "3. That we unite with the inhabitants of other portions of our country in such measure as will preserve us our rights and our liberties."
   
   "A committee was appointed to collect contributions for the Bostonians. Philip Greenawalt, Thomas Clark, Michael Ley, Kellian Long, and Curtis Grubb, committeemen, sent flour and other supplies to Philadelphia where it was forwarded with other contributions to Boston. By May 10, 1775, all males between the ages of 15 and 50 had their names enrolled for military purposes. Two companies had been organized under the leadership of DeHaas. By the fall of '75, Greenawalt formed a battalion with Philip Marsteller as Lt. Col.; Caspar Stoever, Capt. of 1st Co.; Philip Weiser, Capt. of 3rd Co.; Leonard Immel, Capt. of 6th Co.; John Gossert, 2nd Lt. of 7th Co.; John Rewalt, of 9th Co.; and George Frank, Ensign of 8th Co. In the spring of '76, Peter Grubb, Jr., organized a company and went with Col. Miles' battalion, participating in the disastrous battle of Long Island, where the Pennsylvania Germans forever covered themselves with star-spangled glory." "In December of 1776, 1,000 Hessian prisoners with many Tories passed through Lebanon on their way to Reading. By the end of August, 340 Hessian prisoners arrived in Lebanon in charge of Col. Grubb and most of them were kept in the Moravian Church at Hebron, much to the disgust of the pastor. Arrangements had been made to move them to a log church in Lebanon, but since that log church (Old Salem) was to be used for a powder-magazine, at the Moravian church they remained."
   
   "Lebanon's role in the Revolution was an important one, since it was a depot of supplies, and a storehouse for ammunition during the occupancy of Philadelphia by the British. It was during the Revolution that the furnaces at Cornwall supplied large quantities of iron for cannon and balls. The inhabitants not only volunteered in service but also contributed flour and meat, clothing and leather, and hauled it to Valley Forge during the terrible winter of '77 and '78. Families participating in this were the Earlys, Henrys, Kreiders, Millers, Meilys, Immels, Orths, Schaeffers, and others."
   Our earliest known ancestor was Dietrich ST…VER and wife Magdalena EBERWEIN of Frankenberg, Germany. Their son, John Kasper ST…VER, (I), left Germany with his son, Johann Casper ST…VER, (II), and daughter, Anna Elisabetha Catherina ST…VER in the spring of 1728. They arrived in Philadelphia on September 11, 1728 aboard the ship James Goodwill.
   
   The spelling of the family name changed to STOEVER shortly after arriving in America. Both father and son were well known Lutheran Ministers in the Pennsylvania and Virginia areas. The younger STOEVER was the first German Lutheran Minister ordained in the US.
   
   http://www.leba.net/~history2/text/annals.html

2.   Palatine Project.

   THE JAMES GOODWILL
   
   [List 8 A] List of the Mens Names above 16 years old aboard ye James Goodwill, Master David Crokatt, Commander, from Rotterdam to Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, arrived the 11th September 1728: (including) Johan Caspr. Steffer, Sr. and Johan Casper Steffer, Jr.
   
   "At a Council held in the Courthouse of Philadelphia, September 11th, 1728..... A List was presented of the Names of Forty two Palatines, who with their Families, making in all about Ninety persons, were imported here in the Ship James Goodwill, David Crockat, Master from Rotterdam, but last from Deal, as by Clearance from the officers of the Customs there, bearing Date the Fifteenth day of June, 1728." From the Minutes of the Provincial Council, printed Colonial Records, Vol. III, p. 331. [List 8 B] Palatines imported in the Ship James Goodwill, David Crockatt, Master, from Rotterdam, but last from [Deal] as by clearance dated...... Subscribed the forgoing declaration 11th September 1728: Johann Caspar Stšver, Miss. and Johann Caspar Stšver