This document is about what David Hartzell saw and did. Therefore, instead of saying "Adam Hartzell's brother Frederick" it tends to say "David's uncle Frederick Hartzell".

This is the grave of David & Barbara Hartzell, at the Ash Grove Christian Church, 1.5 miles southeast of Windsor, Illinois, on the east side of the church. Looking east toward Ohio and Virginia from where they came. When I first saw this grave at my grandfather's funeral in 1953, I was 14 years old and overwhelmed with curiosity. Virtually nothing was known about them. Little did I know it would take 48 years to find the full story, nor that it would launch a website on a world-wide computer network called the Internet. Because so little was known about David Hartzell, and because he is the link to our older Hartsell ancestry, this separate life story was written.

Table of Contents (when printed with 1" margins)

Latest version (corrections, updates, additions):
www.jdhartsell.com/DavidHartzell
or
freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jdhartsell/DavidHartzell
or
Do an internet search for "The Life of David Hartzell".

Companion documents:
Click on my home page links
"Hartzell Land in Virginia"
"VA Families to Union Co. IN"
"The 1850's homesite of David Hartzell"
"1856 Connersville"
"Evidence for Ancestry of David Hartzell"
"Sink/Zink Family History"
"Ancestry of James A. & Sophronia (Walker) Hartsell"

David Hartzell was born Wednesday, November 20, 1805, west of Boone's Mill, Franklin County, Virginia. His birthdate is according to his age at death shown on his gravestone. Thomas Jefferson was President of the United States. The Lewis & Clark expedition had just reached the Pacific Ocean, and began building Fort Clatsop to spend the winter (Astoria, Oregon). George Washington had died only 6 years ago (Dec. 14, 1799), and Benjamin Franklin about 15 years ago (Apr. 17, 1790). The Revolutionary War had ended in 1789.

Near the center is Rocky Mount, Franklin County, Virginia. Between Rocky Mount and Roanoake is Boones Mill, about 10 miles south of Roanoke. The family lived in this area from 1792 to 1815. In 1810, Adam Hartzell's family was west of Boones Mill and north of Algoma.

David Hartzell was the youngest son of Adam and Christina (Sink) Hartzell, who were married about 1786 in Pennsylvania. Adam Hartzell was born about 1765 in Bethlehem Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, near Allentown. Adam's father was Johann Philip Hartzell. Adam's grandfather Hans Jacob Hertzel came to America as an 11-year old, with his father Hans George Hirtzel, in 1727 on the ship William & Sarah, from The Palatinate (Germany). David and another brother (Daniel?) were the only ones born in Virginia; the other children were born near Arendtsville, York (now Adams) County, Pennsylvania, near Gettysburg. David's known brothers and sisters were Philip, born 1787; Jacob, born 1790; John, born 1793; George?, born abt. 1795; Catherine ("Kate"), born bef. 1794; Elizabeth ("Betsy"), born 1798; Leonard, born 1799; and Daniel?, born abt. 1802.

As to the spelling of the name, in a letter from Jacob Hartzell to his brother Philip in 1816, the name is clearly spelled "Hartzell" repeatedly. The letter is on my website.

The Hartzell family arrived in Franklin County, Virgina by 1792. The route they took from Pennsylvania may have been along where interstate 81 is now located. The distance is about 300 miles.

In February, 1792, while George Washington was President, David Hartzell's grandfather Philip, at the age of 49, purchased 150 acres of land for 160 pounds southwest of Boone's Mill, Franklin County, Virginia. See Settlement Map below. 150 acres is about 1/3 the size of the rectangle for Boone Mill, and if square, almost 1/2 mile on a side (almost a quarter section). Since the land touched or crossed both Little Creek and Mill Creek, it had to be where the creeks were about half a mile to a mile apart at that time. It was on a branch of Mill Creek, and adjoining George Griffith's land. According to a USGS map, the branch of creek south of Bunker Hill was part of Little Creek. I would say the land was just south or southwest of Boone's Mill, and 8 or 9 miles NNW of Rocky Mount.

Adam's children were born in Pennsylvania up to Leonard in 1799. The 1799 Tax List does not show Adam in Virginia yet. Adam was a surety in Franklin County, Virginia, October 1794, for the marriage of his sister Catherine. I'm not sure if he had to actually be there. Adam's family moved after 1799.

Note that the 1800 Virginia census was destroyed during the War of 1812.

Two pages after Adam Hartzell's name in the 1810 census, David's grandfather Philip Hartzell is listed 3 names from Moses Greer, which puts him just west of Gogginsville. Philip may well have been on his son Abraham's land.

Since the Hartzells lived close to William Toney's land by 1810 (upper left corner below), here is a description of William's land from the Toney website. "In 1773, William took his family and moved to the Blue Ridge. The site was a small meadow beside a mountain stream flowing off Cahas mountain into the North Fork of the Blackwater River. The cabin was built beside a flowing spring. Finger ridges extend out from the mountain on both east and west sides. The family cemetery was placed in a grove of trees in the saddle of the east finger ridge, close above the cabin. The graves are marked only by rough uncut field stones. In 1774, a survey shows a second tract of land obtained by William Toney. It included both finger ridges and far up the south face of Cahas Mountain."

From Settlement Map, NW Franklin County, Virginia, 1786-1886
Made for the Franklin County Historical Society; Mrs. Gertrude C. Mann, Historian-Researcher, 1/1/1976
Area of Philip Hartzell's 1792 land purchase,
around Mill Creek & Little Creek (red "X"), just southwest of Boone Mill.
Width of map is 18 miles. It is 5 miles from Boone Mill to Toney's land, and to Googinsville.
Abraham Hartzell's 1796 land purchase was immediately south of Moses Greer's land.
For more information on this map, click on my home page link "Hartzell Land in Virginia".

Abraham Sink, a likely brother of Adam's wife Christina Sink, went from Pennsylvania to Virginia at the same time as Philip Hartzell, and settled near Philip on a branch of Mill Creek.

At left: closeup of the area of David Hartzell's birthplace. Height of image is about 1.5 miles. You can see in this narrow valley there isn't much cultivated land. You can match the fish-shaped piece of cleared land to the zoomed-out image above. This is where David Hartzell spent his early childhood. This location was decided upon according the the order of names in the 1810 VA census, and the Settlement Map of Franklin County. Adam Hartzell and George Hartzell, fairly close to each other (8 names apart), are listed near the names John Webster, James McVey, Luke Webster, and Samuel Webster (top left of Settlement Map). (The Lybrooks and Toneys had left before 1810.) This puts them close to William Toney's 1774 land. No record has been found of Adam Hartzell buying land in this area.

Below was Boone’s Mill in Franklin County, Virginia, built around 1790 near where David’s family lived. Boone's Mill was not yet a town. The mill was surely seen by David Hartzell when he was a child. David’s cousin Clarisa (Hartzell) Kinsey married Jacob Boone in 1817, and they lived at the mill. The area around the mill site is now the town of Boone’s Mill, Virginia.

Boone's Mill

Compelling evidence linking David Hartzell to the Adam Hartzell family is through George Hartzell of 1820's Union County, Indiana. There is no doubt of a close connection between David and George. The details are in my "Evidence" document, so to make a long story short, George was most likely a cousin of Adam Hartzell, and a son of Adam's uncle & aunt John & Catherine (Schneider) Hartzell. George must have lived in Adam's household, in Franklin County VA, by 1808 (about age 23), since George's parents were still in Pennsylvania. George at this age could have been like a son to Adam, and like a brother to David. George married into the Toney family in 1809 in Franklin Co. VA as we will see below. The Toney's lived near Adam Hartzell in the Blackwater River Valley. George was also related by marriage to the Sink family. George named his first son John and first daughter Catherine, which would be after his parents. He named his second son Adam.

Another interesting find is D.A. Hartzell, born 1802 in Virginia, and keeper of a boarding house in Cincinnatti, Ohio, in 1860. He could very well be the unidentified next older brother of David, and could have been named Daniel. Nothing else is known of D.A. Hartzell. More on him later.

On March 28, 1809, George Hartzell married Susannah Toney in Franklin County Virginia. Surety was James Toney, son of William Toney. It is presumed James Toney was Susannah's father, and that he stayed behind in Virginia when the other Toneys moved to Union County, Indiana. Note William Toney's land on the Franklin County map, east of Boone Mill. James Toney's brother Jesse married Frony "Fanny" Sink, daughter of Stephen Sink. Stephen Sink was a possible brother of Christina Sink (David's mother). Again, see "Evidence" document.

By 1818, another George Hartzell (m. Nancy Goode 1823?) had land that was adjacent to the land that Jacob Hartzell bought in 1818. This adds to the possibility that this second George and Jacob (and David) were brothers. George and Jacob were fairly close in age, about 5 years apart. George's land was also adjacent to Toney's land and to John Webster's land.

Also in 1810, presumed brother of David Hartzell's mother Christina Sink, Stephen Sink (Sinck), is listed on page 580 with 3 other Sink households, listed alphabetically: David Sinck, Daniel Sinck, and Henry Sinck. These are Stephen's sons, born in 1794, 1789, and 1783, respectively.

The 1810 Census for Franklin County Virginia shows in the household
of Adam Hartzell (page 592):

1 male 26-45     - Adam Heartsell      b. 1765-1784  (abt. 1765)
1 female 26-45   - Christina           b. 1765-1784  (abt. 1768)
1 male 16-25     - must be Jacob       b. 1785-1794  (1790)
1 male 16-25     - must be John        b. 1785-1794  (1793)
1 male 10-15     - George?             b. 1794-1800  (m. Nancy Goode?)
1 female 10-15   - must be Elizabeth   b. 1794-1800  (1798)
1 male under 10  - must be Leonard     b. 1800-1809  (1799)
1 male under 10  - Daniel?             b. 1800-1809  (abt. 1802)
1 male under 10  - must be David       b. 1800-1809  (1805)

Son Phillip was married and had his own household.
Catherine must have married.

The 1810 Census for Franklin County Virginia shows George Hartzell living 8
names from Adam. In George's household were (page 592):

1 male 16-25      - George Heartsell    b. 1785-1794
1 female 16-25    - Susannah            b. 1785-1794
1 female under 10 - Catherine           b. 1800-1810 (1810)

We have daughter Catherine born about 1811-12.

For Adam's father Philip Hartzell, the 1810 Franklin County Virginia Census shows on
page 594:

1 male 45 & over   - Philip Heartsell   b. before 1765
1 female 45 & over - Christina Barbara  b. before 1765
1 male 16-25       - Frederick?         b. 1785-1794
1 male 10-15       - ?                  b. 1794-1800
1 female 10-15     - ?                  b. 1794-1800

The spelling of the name as "Heartsell" suggests the same census taker did
all three.

Also in Ohio was David's uncle Frederick Hartzell. Frederick was in Butler County, Ohio before 1810, where he married Sarah Houghman Nov. 10, 1810 (IGI record). Butler County is next to Montgomery County. Frederick arrived in Ohio before his cousin George Hartzell (of Union County, IN), and maybe about the same time as David's uncle Abraham Hartzell. Frederick was still in Butler County (Wayne township) in 1820. In 1830 Frederick was in the Indianapolis area.

At the start of the War of 1812, David was in Virginia, age 6. In 1814, when David was 8, the British burned Washington, and "The Star Spangled Banner" was written.

Something rare in those days, David Hartzell knew his grandparents Philip and Christina Hartzell. He must have had some memory of them later in his life. Philip died after 1820. He may have told his grandson what it was like before and during the American Revolution.

In late 1815, when David Hartzell was 10 years old, the family moved to Montgomery County Ohio. They obviously followed family members, leaving Virginia Sep. 1, 1815, and arriving in Germantown, Montgomery County, Ohio, on Christmas day.

Montgomery County, Ohio The Adam Hartzell family lived in or near Ellerton, between Miamisburg and Liberty along route 4, SW of Dayton (see detail map below). The Indiana border (and Union County Indiana) is 25 miles west.

They were probably also following many of their Franklin County Virginia neighbors: Lybrook, Toney, Moss, Kingery, Webster, etc.. They seemed to have migrated as a group to Montgomery & Preble Counties, Ohio, and over to Union County, Indiana. In Union County, George and Susannah (Toney) Hartzell were surrounded by their neighbors from Virginia. There is a lot more on this in the "Evidence" document.

To get insight into the settling of Montgomery County, Ohio, go to brookville.dcoweb.org/twp, and click on the various townships, like Jefferson and German. On those pages are a map of the township, and an 1882 history by W.H. Beers & Company. Also see Rev. Merle Rummel's "The Virginia Settlement" at www.union-county.lib.in.us/GenwebVA4mile/Table%20of%20Contents%204M.htm.

From a first settlers plat map of Montgomery County, Ohio, we find that by 1806 all the land in Jefferson Township was being homesteaded, most of it during 1802-1805. From the 1882 histories, we find that by 1815, much of the land had been cleared of trees. Most houses were log cabins, many abandoned as their builders moved on. The 1882 histories tell of our own Abraham Hartzell, Adam's brother, being in the group of the first white settlers (actually sqatters) in German Township in 1798. At that time the country was a dense forest, inhabited by numerous tribes of Indians. Abraham later homesteaded (in 1802?) 60 acres just west of the future site of Germantown. Also mentioned is Adam's son-in-law Jacob Mullendore, who settled on the present site of Gettersburg (later Ellerton) in 1802, "and there lived for many years". In 1800, Elder Jacob Miller of the Blackwater River Valley in Virginia, settled in Jefferson Township. The only town was Dayton. Germantown, Gettersburg/Ellerton and Miamisburg did not yet exist in 1815.

Here is roughly the orientation of the Indiana-Illinois counties in which we will be interested; left is West:

Rush County Indiana

Fayette County Indiana

Union County Indiana

Preble County Ohio

Montgomery County Ohio

(From July 2002 Smithsonian magazine.) "In April 1815, Indonesia's Mt. Tambora erupted, the most destructive explosion on earth in the past 10,000 years. Ash filled the atmosphere world-wide. In the northeastern United States, the weather in mid-May of 1816 turned cold, with summer frost striking New England and as far south as Virginia. On July 4, water froze in cisterns and snow fell. It was the year without a summer. Failing crops and rising prices in 1815 and 1816 threatened American farmers. Odd as it may seem, the settling of the American heartland was apparently shaped by the eruption of a volcano 10,000 miles away. Thousands left New England for what they hoped would be a more hospitable climate west of the Ohio River. Partly as a result of such migration, Indiana became a state in 1816 and Illinois in 1818."

Ellerton, Ohio (center). Hemple Road and a cemetery is to the north. David's parents are buried there. Height of map is about 8 miles.

At the time of the family move in late 1815, son David was 10 years old, so he surely remembered this trip. They left Virginia about 7 months after the War of 1812 ended. (The following from Paul Swan.) "It took them just over sixteen weeks, their covered wagon probably having been drawn by oxen. Their most likely route was west-southwest to the Kentucky border, then west along the main wilderness trail, or circling south into Tennessee over a slightly longer but easier route. They then would have gone north through the Cumberland Gap, across the Cumberland River a little way west, and then turned and made their way due north, up Boone's road and beyond across the Ohio River into western Ohio. This would have amounted to about a 480 mile trek, at a little over four miles per day. They first headed to where George Sink, a possible uncle of Christina, had settled in 1804, about 20 miles north of Germantown. They settled in or near Ellerton, about 5 miles northeast of Germantown."

This was almost the edge of the frontier. In 1815, Connersville Indiana was a small Indian station on the outposts of the white settlements. However, most of Jefferson Township, Montgomery County, Ohio was "entered" (for homesteading) by 1805.

After 1815, and until he went to Indiana by 1835, David lived near the town of Ellerton, Ohio.

On November 19, 1816, David's brother Jacob Hartzell, who stayed behind in Virginia, married Hannah Capper. On October 15, 1818, David's sister Elizabeth ("Betsy") married Moses Rentfrow in Montgomery County, Ohio. On October 19, 1819, David's brother John married Susanna Heck in Montgomery County, Ohio.

The 1820 Montgomery County Ohio Census, Jefferson Township, shows for the Adam Hartzell family (p. 116):

1 male 45+       - Adam Hartsell   
1 female 45+     - Christina 
1 male 16-26     - Must be Leonard, age 21
1 male 16-26     - D. (Daniel?) A. Hartsell (age 17-18)?
1 male 10-16     - Must be David, age 14

Area around Ellerton, Ohio, 2007. Image height = 2 miles.

David Hartzell's world in the summer of 1820: David was 14 years old, the same age as I when, 133 years later, I first saw his gravestone. In the aerial image above, he was living about in the center of the map in the vicinity of present-day Ellerton. In his time it was not a town, but a cluster of log cabins and houses later became known as Gettersburg, later named Ellerton. The family was surely living in a log cabin that they either built, or in one that was built by an earlier settler who had moved on. As a child, David surely explored Bear Creek, and surely hauled water from there for household use. David's father either rented land from, or worked as a farm laborer for, John Getter, probably in Section 27, just east of Ellerton. David was at home with his parents, and his brothers Leonard and Daniel(?). In 1820, the family's immediate neighbors were David's brother John Hartzell, and David's sister "Betsy" & her husband Moses Rentfro. "Two doors away", were Catherine Heck, over 44 years old (possible mother-in-law of David's brother John), and John Moyer, age 26-44, for whom Adam Hartzell either worked or rented land. Also in the area was David's uncle Jacob Mullendore, who had arrived at the site of Gettersburg in 1802, and later had a tannery. Jacob was married to Adam Hartzell's sister Katrina (David's aunt).

NOTE: Erroneous information from "The Hartzell Ancestral Line" says that Adam Hartzell married Mary Spiekard Aug. 11, 1821 in Montgomery County, Ohio. In the "Marriage Book, Montgomery County", there is "Marriage of Hetzel; Adam to Mary Spickard Aug. 10, 1826". Since there was also an error on David Hartzell marrying a Margaret Nievel (another NOTE below), and an error on Adam's son George Hartzell marrying Margaret Yaughey (wrong George), I am ignoring the marriage of our Adam to Mary Spiekard. There is still another NOTE below on a land purchase by an Adam Hutzel in 1827.

About 1825, Leonard Hartzell married Delilah Weiss in Montgomery County, Ohio.

By Nov. 1826, George & Susannah (Toney) Hartsell were in Union County Indiana, where George was witness to the will of a John Stanley. In Oct. 1828, George Hartsell purchased 160 acres 2 miles east of Kitchell, Indiana in Union County, in the NE corner of the county, 1/2 mile from the Ohio border. It was the SW 1/4 of Section 24 in Harrison Township.

Below is a drawing of the Elder William Moss cabin, built about that time, across the road from George Hartzell. David Hartzell surely saw this cabin, and may have lived in one like this on his 1853 land.

By permission of Rev. Merle C. Rummel, "The Virginia Settlement".

There is no known record of Adam Hartzell buying or selling land in Montgomery County, Ohio.

NOTE: The land purchase described below must be the Adam Hetzel who married Mary Spikard 8/10/1826, and who was not our ancestor.

On May 17, 1827, Adam "Hutzel" and his wife Mary purchased, for $500.00, 50 acres off the west end of the south half of the northeast quarter (S 1/2 NE 1/4), Section 26, Township 2, Range 7, Montgomery County, Ohio. This land is in Van Buren Township, about 9 miles as the crow flies from Ellerton. Notice it was 9 months after their marriage. On June 13, 1827, they purchased, for $60.00, the remaining 30 acres on the east end of the S 1/2 NE 1/4. This land was between the "great and little Miami Rivers". Five years later, on June 2, 1832, Adam "Hurtzel" sold this land for $1000.00.

The 1830 Montgomery County Ohio Census, Jefferson Township, shows for the Adam Hartzell family (p. 235; census taker marked 30-39 instead of 20-29):

1 male 60-69     - Adam Hartsell b. 1761-1770
1 female 60-69   - Christina
1 male 30-39     - assumed to be D.A. Hartsell age 20-29 (age 27-28)
1 male 30-39     - assumed to be David Hartsell age 20-29 (age 24)

I am going to take the logical path and assume the census taker mismarked the census.

David Hartzell's world in the summer of 1830: David was 24 years old, still at home with his parents, along with brother Daniel(?), age 27-28. Going by the names in the census, they were still in the same location as in 1820. Nearby were David's brothers Leonard and John, who lived next to each other. Next door to David's family was John Getter, who arrived in 1820 and must have bought John Moyer's land. Gettersburg was on John Getter's land and was named after him. The town name was later changed to Ellerton. Adam Hartzell's presumed arrangement with John Moyer apparently continued with John Getter. In the 1850 Census, John Getter owned $14,300 in real estate ($335,000 in today's money). This would include his house and outbuildings.

More evidence that Adam Hartzell's family was close to or within future Gettersburg, the 1850 census shows many households directly above John Getter's name with the following occupations: lawyer, preacher, tavern-keeper, cooper, tailor, gunsmith, potter, tailor, carpenter, doctor, gunsmith, cooper, clerk, plasterer. Down a few names below John Getter was a wagon maker and shoemaker.

NOTE: Erroneous previous information said that David Hartzell married Margaret Nieval in 1830 in Montgomery County Ohio. In "Montgomery County, Ohio Marriage Journals 1803-1850", Vol. B, page 38, there is "on the 29th of April 1830 David Hetzel and Margaret Nievel". David Hetzel was born May 4, 1806 in Rehrersburg, Berks County, PA; son of John and Catharina (Thomas) Hetzel.

Adam (and Christina) appear to have died in the early 1830's, maybe in a cholera epidemic (there was a big one in 1833). David's children never knew their Hartzell grandparents. It is believed that Adam and Christina were buried at Ellerton, north of Germantown, but that their graves were destroyed when Hemple Road was straightened.

It was about this time that David Hartzell moved west into Indiana. Perhaps D.A. Hartzell also moved elsewhere, but it appears he never married, and we find him only in Storrs Township, Hamilton County, Ohio (now Lower Price Hill, Cincinnatti) in 1860.

East Central Indiana Along Route 44 is Rushville (Rush County), Connersville (Fayette County), and Liberty (Union County). Carthage is NW of Rushville. Kitchel is NE of Liberty. Springersville and Alquina are east of Connersville. 1838 Metamora, a "must see" if you're in the area, is south of Connersville, or visit www.metamoraindiana.com.

My dad's cousin Don Hartzell remembered hearing, when he was a kid, that some old shoemaking tools, still at G'ma Sophronia's, had belonged to one of our grandfathers. He had always connected it with another story that he had heard that one of our grandfather Hartsells was a one-legged shoe cobbler. David's daughter-in-law Sophronia would have known. She died in 1926. It seems that the story would have been more definite than this if it was David, so I rather doubt it. The 1860 Census shows David's occupation as "farmer".

The 1830 Union County Indiana Census shows for the George Hartzel family:

1 male 40-49     - George Hartzell          b. abt. 1785
1 female 30-49   - Susannah Hartzell        b. abt. 1792
1 female 20-29   - Catherine Hartzell       b. abt. 1811      (1st dau.)
1 female 10-14   - Frances/Fanny Hartzell   b. abt. 1815
1 male 5-9       - John Hartzell            b. Nov. 28, 1820  (1st son)
1 female 5-9     - Susannah Hartzell        b. Aug. 18, 1822
1 male under 5   - Adam Hartzell            b. Dec. 9, 1825   (2nd son)
1 female under 5 - Salina Hartzell          b. Mar. 10, 1827

The 1830 Union Co. IN Census shows James Alexander's family as:

1 male 20-29     - James Alexander      b. abt. 1806 Tennessee
1 female 20-29   - Catherine Alexander  b. abt. 1811 Virginia
1 child under 5  

James & Catherine were to have sons David and Adam after 1844.

David's brother Leonard, who married Delila Weiss, was still in Ohio in 1831 when his daughter Susanna was born. Daughter Nancy was born in 1832 in Indiana. When Leonard migrated to Indiana, he surely stopped by George Hartsell's place. (This is leading up to how David may have met his future wife Barbara in Rush County.) David may have gone to Rush County with Leonard at this time. Remember, David was a shoemaker and wasn't tied down to any particular location. They would have passed through Connersville, probably the largest town in all three counties.

In Sept. 1832, Leonard bought land in the northern part of Rush County, Indiana, about 2.5 miles east of the present town of Carthage, halfway between Richmond and Indianapolis. It was 46 acres in Center Township, Section 22. He sold this land in 1835. In March 1840, he bought the S 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Section 16 in Ripley Township, 1/2 mile from his 1832 land. Leonard was David's older brother by 5 or 6 years. By now Leonard and Delilah's children were Willis, Lewis, Adam, Susanah and baby Nancy. These were David's nephews and nieces.

Now, as already mentioned, there was a world-wide cholera epidemic that affected the region in 1833. We had noticed a large number of deaths that year, and this is why. Some quotes from internet searches are: "1833 Worldwide cholera epidemic reaches Bloomington; Indiana College students abandon town for a month." "Harriett Sells died 23 Nov 1832 in cholera epidemic, Rush County Indiana." "In the summer of 1833, a cholera epidemic killed 500 Lexingtonians in two months, and half the population fled the city in fear."

It is difficult to imagine what life was like in the early 1830's in Indiana. Log cabins were the usual form of housing. Matches were not yet available, so it was easier to "keep the home fires burning" all the time, even in the summer, rather than the arduous task of starting a fire with flint & steel. This made cabins very hot in the summer. Window screens had not yet been invented, so flies, mosquitos and gnats were a constant nuisance, along with flies on the food. People made or grew almost everything they used, and depended on barter for manufactured goods. In summer, adults as well as children went barefoot most of the time. Corn, game and pork were the principle items of diet. Meat had to be salted and dried for preservation. Liquid mud made roads impassable after a heavy rain. Lighting came from candles and lanterns. Water came from wells or streams. The only ice they saw was in the winter.

Around this time, David's brother Phillip had moved to Miami County Ohio, just north of Montgomery County. Brother Jacob had remained in Virginia when the family went to Ohio in 1815 (he married Hannah Capper in 1816 in Franklin County). Brother John and sister Elizabeth were in Montgomery County Ohio. Sister Catherine (Kate) was probably in or near Montgomery County Ohio; it was her husband who fled there to escape the War of 1812. I wonder if David visited his brothers and sisters, or vice versa.

By 1835 David had met Barbara Nipp. Since she was apparently living with her uncle George Nipp just east of Rushville in Rush County, we had wondered how they met. With George about 8 miles from Leonard's land, they may have been going to the same church, and maybe that's how they met. George Nipp, who married Rebeccah Townsend in Wythe County, Virginia in 1809, had arrived in Connersville in 1815. He bought land in Rush County, Indiana in 1821. To put this in perspective, the western portion of Fayette County belonged to the Indians until 1818; as late as 1820, "Connersville was filled with them every day." In 1820 the white male voters in all of Fayette County totaled 1,153. Barbara arrived in 1831 at the age of 15. Her father Phillip remained in Virginia; her mother had recently died, and there is reason to believe her father was disabled and could not support Barbara. This explains why she would be with her uncle. Uncle George did farming in the summer and shoemaking in the winter. David probably did not meet his future father-in-law. Much information on the ancestry of Barbara Nipp is on my website.

Since David Hartzell never owned enough land to make a living in farming, shoemaking must have been his year-round occupation. It would have been difficult to make a living out in the rural areas, so David must have had a shop in town. Maybe at first it was in Rushville, nearer to where his brother Leonard lived, and perhaps this is how he came to know Barbara Nipp. Maybe George Nipp worked with David in the winter. By 1836 his shop must have been 17 miles east in Connersville, which was most likely a larger town.

On May 15, 1836, 30-year-old David married 20-year-old Barbara Nipp in Connersville. The minister who performed the wedding ceremony was George Harlan, M.G. (Regularly ordained minister of the gospel in the Church of Christ). The church was probably the Christian Church (marked "L" on the Connersville map) at Harrison and Water Street (now 5th and Water). 5th Street becomes Route 44 going east. When coming into town in David's time, this church was about the first building you would see. This church seems to be the one the family attended, since David's son James was also married there 22 years later. The minister (George Harlan) was David's age, his wife's name was Sarah, and they had 3 children: James, George, and Rhoda. These are people David knew.

Connersville, Indiana, 1856

Now that this seems to be the church they attended, it may answer the question why no Hartsells are buried at Springersville Cemetery, where the Walkers are buried. David's daughter Eliza J. may be buried in the cemetery that was used by the congregation of this church, probably nearby. There is a cemetery, shown on the 1856 plat map, a little north of town, and about 7 blocks north of where the church was. It is now called the old City Cemetery, at 13th and Grand.

1856 Plat Map, Part of Fayette County, Indiana. Width = 5 miles.

David & Barbara made their first home about 3 miles east of downtown Connersville along what is now Route 44, on what was probably Alex Walker's land. This may be how the Walker family came into the picture. Alex's brother Joseph was the father of Sophronia, future second wife of David's son James.

On the 1856 plat map, they were living in the lower right of the map, in Section 28, above the "28" along the road (now route 44). In the lower left is 1856 Connersville, a much larger town now.

On Mar. 18, 1837, David's son James Alexander Hartsell was born. He was very likely named after the James Alexander of Union County, who must have been highly regarded.

On Mar. 11, 1838, daughter Margaret was born, perhaps named after David's Aunt Margaret.

Daughter Rebecca was born in Oct. 1839. She was possibly named after her mother's aunt Rebecca Nipp.

In the 1840 Indiana Census, Union County, James Alexander (his last name) is shown with children John, George, and youngest child Thomas (who later became a doctor), born Sept. 25, 1839.

Daughter Eliza J. was born in 1841, but apparently died after 1850. She may be buried in the old City Cemetery in Connersville.

Daughter Barbara was born Oct. 30, 1842, probably named after her mother.

Around 1845, David's brother Leonard moved from Rush County to Wabash County, Indiana, about 100 miles north, north of Marion, Indiana. James A. Hartsell was only 7 years old, so this may explain why there is no family memory of David's brother Leonard. David probably didn't pack up the whole family if and when he went to visit his brother. The 1840 census shows an Adam Hartsell, b. 1800-1810 (not David's father or George's son) in Wabash County, Noble Twp., the same township where Leonard was in the 1850 census. Adam was not there in 1850.

Sometime in the 1840's David & Barbara had moved 1 1/2 miles north, on or near the land they were to buy in 1853. We have reason to believe they were living in a log cabin in a small wooded area.

Son William was born Apr. 16, 1848. He could have been named after William Walker, father of Alex, Joseph, etc. Walker (see www.jdhartsell.com for Walker family details).

In 1849 news arrived of gold in California. The stories made people believe they could just walk along and pick up the gold.

David's sister "Betsy" Elizabeth (Hartzell) Rentfrow, 1849. About 51 years old, and presumably living in Kosciusko County, Indiana, between South Bend and Fort Wayne. She died in 1881. Her husband, Moses Rentfrow, died April 20, 1849 and is buried in Syracuse Cemetery, Kosciusko County, Indiana.

The 1850 census shows that David owned $500 worth of real estate, but no record of previous buy or sell has been found. I recently realized land in town may be in a different book, and maybe David had a city lot in Connersville where he may have had a shoemaking shop. This should be looked into.

By 1850, James Alexander, still in neighboring Union County Indiana, had added 3 children to his family: Fanny, David, and Adam. Interesting choice of names. James was to leave Indiana in 1852. He died in 1867, and his wife Catherine died in 1879. In the 1880 Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas census, David and Adam Alexander, ages 36 and 29, were in the State Insane Asylum (after parents died).

Let's try to picture the scene in 1850. Try to visualize pictures you've seen of frontier people and houses before the Civil War. David had 6 children so far and was now 44 years old. Barbara was 34. Eldest son James A. Hartsell was now 13 and not attending school (normal in those days). It is difficult in modern times to picture what life was like. Picture living in a two or three-room primitive cabin in the damp, cold woods of late autumn. There is no plumbing, no sinks, no bathroom. The "sink" is a bowl on a table. No TV, radio, telephone, or electricity. Furniture is very basic. Beds are wooden and possibly homemade. Several sleep in the same room. In the morning when you wake up it is very cold in the cabin. Someone lights a kerosene lantern. Someone starts a fire in the fireplace, cookstove, or pot-belly stove over in the corner. You can smell the smoke from the fire and the burning kerosene. You go outside to the outhouse or bushes. You wash your hands and face in a washbasin filled with water that was carried from the well. The dirty water is dumped outside. You take a bath once a week or so. The clothes you put on are ragged and still dirty from the last few days. If you're going to school you walk on dirt roads that are often very muddy. Travel is by walking, on horseback, or by horse and wagon. There are horses in the pasture, and probably cows, pigs and chickens.

Fayette County Courthouse, 1849. Connersville, Indiana, looking north. This is how David Hartzell saw the courthouse and this corner at Madison and Monroe (see building marked "A" on the 1856 Connersville map). This corner is now 4th (left) and Central (right).

Daughter (Mary) Celestia was born in 1852. She was later known as Aunt Let and her gravestone says Mary C. She is listed in the Census as Celestia (1860) and Salesta (1870).

On Aug. 27, 1853, David bought 20 acres in Jennings Township about 1 mile west of Springersville, and 3 1/2 miles east of Connersville. He bought it from Jonas Scholl for $500. It was 8 acres in the NE corner of Section 21, and the adjoining 12 acres in the NW corner of Section 22. He may have already been living on this land, quite likely in a log cabin. A local farmer said there used to be a log cabin here.

We are extremely lucky that there is (or was) an 1856 plat map of Fayette County in the courthouse hallway in Connersville, parts of which are shown above and below. David's and Walker family names are on this map. It is a snapshot in time that shows the roads that existed then, towns, churches, streams, neighbors, etc. Using the 1850 Census, and following the census taker's route against the names on the 1856 map, you can find where people lived even when they didn't own land. You can even find the names of the kids that David's children played with when they were kids. How else could you do all this! The map also shows the streets of Connersville at that time. I have photographed this map in segments, and the pictures, along with my partial Index of Owners, are on my website at www.jdhartsell.com.

Another lucky break is that 16 miles south of Connersville, there is the fascinating town of 1838 Old Metamora ( www.metamora.com). If you're ever in the area, you absolutely must see this place. My wife Connie and I have stayed at the Metamora Inn, built in 1845, right in Old Town. There are buildings there that David Hartzell must have seen.

The map below is an 1856 closeup of sections 21 and 22 of Jennings Towhship, along with Waterloo Township sections 16 and 15. You can barely read "D. Hartsel" right in the center, but it is more clearly seen on the original map. A section is one mile wide. The angled road is now Springersville Road. The creek going through David's property is still in about the same place, and the railroad track is still there. Straight east (right) from David's property, at the right edge of the picture, is Springersville, which was laid out in 1840. The Springersville Cemetery is also there. There is a church at Springersville, and 1/2 mile south is another church (there's a drawing of a church), and the Union Cemetery behind this church is where David's daughter Barbara is buried. In the SE quarter of section 16 is what is now north-south farm road 325E, and in 1856 it did not connect with Springersville Road as it does now. There was another church 1/2 mile north of David's property, where there is a drawing of a church, on James Walker's land. The church is no longer there. As mentioned previously, David's family probably attended the Christian Church in Connersville. The names on the map were his neighbors, and he is surrounded by Walkers.

David's land was first occupied in 1813 and 1816. In 1813, David Fletcher homesteaded the NW 1/4 of Section 22. In 1816, Oran Stoddard homesteaded the NE 1/4 of Section 21. The 20 acres David bought were first divided out in 1826 when Jonathon Sutton sold it to James Rumbly. The land is at the border of Waterloo Township, 1/2 mile north of the land where William Walker (Joseph's father) was living. William Walker bought 320 acres there in the 1820's. It is shown here as belonging to his sons Willis, Samuel and John Walker. At this time William Walker was probably living at the bottom center of the map.

On the map, the angled road towards Connersville is now Springersville Road. From this road you can turn north on farm road 325E. From 325E, David's land begins 220 yards east, midway across the field. Given that a rod is 16.5 feet, and starting from the NE corner of section 21, his land went 40 rods west (660 feet), 60 rods east (990 feet), and 32 rods south (528 feet).

In the far NW corner of the 12 acres in section 22 is (as of 2001) a major surprise. It is a preserved timber area with evidence of a homesite with a rock-lined well. Even more fascinating is that a local farmer said there used to be a log cabin here. There is also evidence of a "driveway" going east along the north edge of Section 21 to what is now farm road 325E. This has to be where David Hartzell lived.

Below, finally found in 2007, is the actual location of David Hartzell's land. I never knew exactly where the section line was. The Mapquest scale shown at bottom right of the images is off. On another zoomed out image, I measured from Road 250E on the west edge of Section 21 to Road 450E on the east edge of Section 22. This is 2 miles. From this I finally found the Section 21-22 line midway in between. 660 feet = 1/8 mile. 990 feet = 3/16 mile. 528 feet is close to 1/10 mile. The heavy horizontal line marks the township boundary. The heavy vertical line marks the section boundary.

David Hartzell's land is marked with the less heavy lines. The homesite location, described below, is at the round white dot, which we now know is in Section 22. The wooded area is probably still like it was in 1853! The cultivated area is about 10 acres.

Below is a zoomed out image showing the reference roads. David's land is in the lower left. The farmhouse immediately above the "325" road marker is the one pictured farther down this web page.

Going back to the 4-section map above the Mapquest maps, David's neighbors to the south were Abram & Sarah Sutton, about the same age as David & Barbara. Abram was probably related to the Jonathon Sutton mentioned above who used to own David's property. Abram's children were James, Jane, William, Samantha, Elizabeth, Lafayette, Thompson and Mary, who must have played with David's children. Neighbors to the north were Daniel & Matilda Gise/Guise and their children David and Minerva. Daniel was a carpenter. (Here's a Daniel, beside David's brother or cousin Daniel, who could have given David the Bible.) Also to the north was John Scholl. To the west was John Spivey; east was another piece of land owned by Daniel Guise.

David probably walked what is now Springersville Road into town. (If it was less than 3 or 4 miles, it seems that it was quicker to walk rather than saddle or hitch up a horse.) The ground level drops as you approach Connersville on this road, and all you see are trees until you get close.

Around 1854 a railroad was put through within 1/2 mile from David's home as shown on the 1856 plat map. They could hear the train from their house, and they must have gone to watch the amazing spectacle of a steam train. The tracks are still in the same place.

Here I am in 1983 at David Hartzell's 1853 land and possible homesite, in the SW corner of the timbered area, looking east. Square nails were in the rotted boards. A stone-lined well is in the backround (covered). In 1999 the boards were gone, and the well had a wire mesh fence around it. A local farmer said there used to be a log cabin here!

 
 
 
 

The stone-lined well, about 3 feet in diameter. In 1983 it appeared to be about 25 feet deep, but had probably been filled in some. The well is about 30 feet east of the homesite. Many more pictures are at www.jdhartsell.com.

From inside the timber area, at the north edge of the property, looking west; this must have been the driveway into the property from the "main" road (now 325E). The driveway must have been along the north edge of section 21. The homesite is south (left) of this spot.

Farmhouse just inside Waterloo Township, looking north on farm road 325E. To the right (east), across the field, is the land David Hartzell owned.

Daughter Elizabeth (Sarah/Sade/Sallie) was born 1854-55. She was later known as Aunt Sade; her gravestone says Sarah. Everyone had nicknames, it seems, and even nicknames had nicknames.

David's oldest brother Phillip died Dec. 1855 in Covington, Miami County, Ohio at the age of 68. David was 50.

On May 6, 1858, at the age of 21, James Alexander Hartsell married (Mary) Elizabeth Palmer, age 21, in Connersville. The wedding ceremony took place at the same church and by the same minister as his father and mother 22 years before. Elizabeth died in 1866 and is not our ancestor. At the time of his son's marriage, David Hartzell was 52 years old.

In 1859, Joseph Walker's family settled in Shelby County Illinois, shortly after his father William died.

In 1860, David Hartzell's possible brother D.A. (Daniel?) Hartzell, age 58, was living in the Cincinnatti, Ohio area. He was unmarried, and keeper of a boarding house in what was then Storrs Township, Hamilton County. That township is now Lower Price Hill, in southwest Cincinnati, on the Ohio River. The census was taken June 16th, so he was born in the second half of 1801 or first half of 1802, and born in Virginia. He was 40 miles south of Adam Hartzell's 1830 Ellerton, Ohio homesite.

In 1860, David Hartzell and his family moved 235 miles west to Shelby County, Illinois, in the vicinity of Windsor. Joseph Walker had come back with his two children to help with the move. We don't know why they decided to move. It could have been because of the drought in 1859-60. Moving in order to obtain land could not have been the reason because David's son James did not buy land until 1872. It is curious that David did not sell his 20 acres in Indiana until 1863. They probably could have used the money. Perhaps he thought he'd be coming back. Perhaps the move was because of the impending Civil War: Joseph Walker, who was an avid reader and was well informed, saw what was coming and could have recommended that the Hartsells should move. James A. was military age at 23.

They left Fayette County after the June 1860 Census. From the census taker's route, they were in Alquina. The staging area for the wagon train was apparently the town of Alquina (one mile south of SE corner of Section 27 on the 1856 plat map). The 1860 census shows the David and James A. "households" next to each other, with Joseph and his children in David's household, and children Phoebe & Adonija Sutton in James' household. There is only one reason I can think of why they would be listed in the census at this location, and not back on their land: they had already loaded their possessions in the wagons, the departure of the wagon train was imminent, and they were near the wagons because that's where their stuff was - plus insuring nothing would be stolen. The wagons must have had a canvas shelter and a place to sleep, so they would have been like a traveling home. Since this was June, you may wonder about their crops and why leave now (except for the drought)? Joseph was already living in Illinois, and had come back just to help with the move. David wasn't really a farmer so he had no crops to worry about. I think at this time son James had been earning money as a farm laborer.

1985 photo of old building in Alquina, Indiana. That's my rented Camaro.

One more thing: it's gone now, but as of 1985 there was a large old building in Alquina that could very well have been a boarding house (photo above). Maybe the families stayed there just before leaving. The 1860 census showed the families next to each other with some doubling up, like in a boarding house. The building looks like it could have been there in 1860. If built around 1850, it would have been 135 years old in 1985 - not unreasonable.

There were at least 4 households in this wagon train, most likely more, with their possessions and possibly some horses and cows in tow:

1. David (54) & Barbara (44) Hartzell and children Margaret (22), William (12), Celestia (8) and Elizabeth (5).
2. James A. Hartsell (23), first wife Mary Elizabeth, and someone else's children Phoebe (13) & Adonijah Sutton (8).
3. Joseph Walker (43) and his children Sophronia (11) (James A's future wife) and Amos (9).
4. David's daughter Rebecca (20) and her husband Timothy Small.

It must have been painful for David & Barbara to leave without their daughter Barbara. A year before, at the age of 16, she had married 36-year-old Samuel Walker, Joseph's brother, and stayed behind in Indiana. Daughter Margaret never married and lived with her parents after the move.

Phoebe & Adonija Sutton must have been the children of David's neighbor Abram Sutton. Abram must have gone ahead to Illinois.

They probably traveled on the National Road, now U.S. Route 40. On this trip, somewhere in Indiana, the youngsters were scolded by their mother (Barbara) for yelling "hurrah for Lincoln" as they were going thru a town and admonished "don't make trouble". You can read all kinds of things into this. The children must have heard the adults talking, and they must have been in an area of southern sympathizers. Lincoln wasn't President yet, but they knew about him. Joseph Walker probably talked a lot about the slavery situation. The children must have been high-spirited and not suffering much so far on the trip.

Windsor, Illinois, bottom center.

Try to imagine what this caravan of covered wagons looked like. It must have been in June or July. Eight adults (counting Margaret), and seven children ages 5 to 13. Joseph Walker was hauling some of the other's belongings, having already settled in Illinois, but there must have been 3 household's worth of furniture. Think what they must have taken with them. Foodstuffs, tables, chairs, cupboards, heating woodstoves, dishes, pots & pans, bedding, clothes, tools and maybe a plow, David's shoemaking tools, the children's toys, and even family heirlooms (like the old Bible). There had to be at least 4 wagons. Plus, the usual mode of travel in those days was to tie a spare team of horses to the back of the wagon, and switch horses periodically to give the pulling horses a rest.

David Hartzell had now traveled over 700 miles in two family moves, by wagon train, from Virgina to Windsor, Illinois.

It is thought that David & Barbara, along with their younger children, lived with widower Joseph Walker after the move, probably in Windsor Township. (In 1870, after David died, Barbara was a live-in housekeeper in the home of Joseph Walker in Windsor Township. Margaret (32), William (22) and Celestia (18) were also in the household. In 1880, shortly after Barbara died, Margaret was still in the household at age 41.)

David was 55 years old when the Civil War began April 12, 1861. James A. was 24.

Illinois was recognized as a northern state during the war although there were many southern sympathizers. Trainloads of soldiers from Chicago passed through Windsor on their way to the South. Injured and dead soldiers were going north. Immigration of new settlers virtually stopped during the war.

In 1863, during the Civil War, David sold his land in Fayette County Indiana for $500 to Richard Slithens. The fact that he kept it this long implies he may have planned to go back. Maybe he gave up with the war lasting so long. He must have gone to Connersville to sign the papers, and must have visited daughter Barbara.

On Sunday, March 5, 1865, David Hartzell died, at the age of 59 years, 3 months, and 13 days. He and wife Barbara are buried at Ash Grove (now Cochran's Grove) Cemetery, east of the church, in Ash Grove Township, Shelby County, Illinois, about 1.5 miles SE of Windsor.

David died 6 weeks before Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, and 2 months before the Civil War ended.

The cemetery had its first burial 7 years earlier in 1858, so it must have been fairly small with all of it east of the church. At David's burial, it was winter and probably cold. No leaves on the trees. Horses and wagons were tied up nearby. Among the people at David's graveside were his widow Barbara, age 50; son James, age 28, & his wife Mary Elizabeth, age 21, who was to die a year later; daughter Margaret, age 27; daughter Rebecca, age 25, & her husband Timothy Small; son William, age 17; daughter Celeste (Let/Mary), age 14; and daughter Elizabeth (Sarah), age 10. Daughter Barbara, age 22, was living back in Indiana and may not have been there. Joseph Walker, age 51, was surely there, along with his children Sophronia, age 15, and Amos, age 14. They were all dressed like people you see in pictures during the Civil War era.

David Hartzell died before and never knew the following events: On Feb. 25, 1866, his daughter-in-law Mary Elizabeth died at the age of 29, 8 years after marriage. There were no apparent children by this marriage. On Dec. 23, 1868, James A. Hartsell, age 31, married Sophronia Walker, age 20. On Aug. 21, 1870, their baby Mary Elizabeth (note the name) died at the age of 1 year, 8 months and 22 days. All are buried next to David Hartzell's grave.

So now, the grave of David Hartzell no longer stands as a mystery. He had parents. He had brothers and sisters. We now know where he was throughout his life.

SUMMARY OF DAVID HARTZELL'S LIFE

David Hartzell's great-great grandfather Hans George Hirtzel came to America in 1727, along with David's great-grandfather who was 11 years old. The family first settled in Pennsylvania, and moved to Virgina in 1792. David Hartzell was the son of Adam and Christina (Sink) Hartzell. David was born Nov. 20, 1805 near Boone's Mill, Franklin County, Virginia, about 10 miles south of Roanoke. He was 10 when the family moved in 1815 to Ellerton, Montgomery County, Ohio, about 10 miles SW of Dayton. David appears to be still with his parents in Ohio in 1830, and was probably in Rush County Indiana around 1832. David was a shoemaker. He married Barbara Nipp on May 15, 1836 in Connersville, Fayette County, Indiana. They lived in Jennings Township, near Springersville, about 3 miles east of Connersville. In 1860, David and his family moved to Shelby County, Illinois, in the vicinity of Windsor. David Hartzell died Mar. 5, 1865 in Windsor Township, Shelby County, Illinois.

Region Around Zurich, Switzerland

The earliest known generations of our Hirzel-Hirtzel-Hertzel-Hartzell family lived in Pfäffikon Parish of the Zürich Canton in Switzerland, some ten miles east of the city of Zürich (note the scale in the top right of the map). A Canton is a small territorial division in Switzerland. It appears that Pfäffikon Parish is now simply called “Pfäffikon”. The name Hirzel was very well known in Zürich (Canton?), where eleven of them served as the burgermeister or mayor. There are several volumes of history and genealogy published on the prominent Hirzel line in Switzerland. At least one of these is in the library at SLC. It is in German, and takes the genealogy of the Hirzels back to the early 1300s. An Annemarie (Hirzel) Fariña wrote: “All the Hirzels have their origin in Pfäffikon, Canton Zürich. My genealogical tree starts with Niklaus Hirzel who lived from 1402 till 1446 at Pfäffikon. According to the first official document dated 811 AD the village was then "Faffinochova"; in the year 1308 AD it is documented as "Pfeffinkon". “

Off the map, near the southern shore of Zürich See (Lake) lies the village of Hirzel. It unfortunately has no connection to our ancestors.

David's great-great-great-great-great-grandfather Jacob Hirzel (pronounced “Hirtzel”) was born in 1580 in Pfäffikon Parish, Zürich Canton, Switzerland, and christened Feb. 14, 1581 in Fehraltorf (less than 2 miles NW of Pfäffikon). He married Madalen Keller Aug. 2, 1601 in Pfäffikon Parish. They had their first five children in the parish of Pfäffikon, and lived "in Hochfalden in the congregation Hittnau, same Parish" in 1610 and 1611. After that they were in the towns of Balm and/or Fierersbalm, probably for the rest of their lives, but we have no death record for either. All of these locations are within a few miles of the town of Pfäffikon. Jacob died before 1634 in Balm, Pfäffikon Parish.

David's great-great-great-great-grandfather Heinrich Hirzel was born Jan. 12, 1619 in Pfäffikon Parish, Zürich Canton, Switzerland, and christened Feb. 28, 1619 in the same parish. He married Maria Steiner Jan. 12, 1646 in Lysslingen, Switzerland. After their marriage they resided in Sulzberg with his brother Felix. In 1653, they emigrated to Reihen, Kries Sinsheim, Baden, The Palatinate (SE of Heidelberg, Germany). Heinrich died June 23, 1663 in Reihen, near Sinsheim, Baden.

David's great-great-great-grandfather Clemens Hirzel was born Feb. 20, 1659 in Reihen, Kries Sinsheim, Baden, The Palatinate. He married Anna Sinter Nov. 23, 1680 in Reihen, Baden, The Palatinate. Clemens' godfather was the Rev. Clemens Hirzel, as of 1651 Pastor of the Reihen Evangelishe (Reformed) Kirche. The pastor emigrated from Winterthur, north of Pfäffikon, and may have headed the emigration from Switzerland to Reihen. Our ancestor died Mar. 25, 1707 in Reihen, Duchy of Baden, The Palatinate.

David's great-great-grandfather Hans Georg Hirtzel was christened May 30, 1686 in Reihen, near Sinsheim, Baden, The Palatinate. He married Anna Margaretha Conrad before 1714 in Reihen. He emigrated from The Palatinate, arriving in Philadelphia by Sep. 14, 1727 on the William and Sarah, from Rotterdam by way of Dover. His 11-year old son, Hans Jacob (below) accompanied him. Anna died before or during the trip. Hans Georg died after Nov. 12, 1747 in Lower Saucon, Bucks (now Northampton) County, Pennsylvania.

David's great-grandfather Hans Jacob Hertzel was christened Apr. 16, 1716 in Reihen, Baden, The Palatinate. He came to America as an 11-year old with his father in 1727 on the ship William & Sarah. He married Barbel “Barbara” Ritter about 1743 in Northampton, Pennsylvania. He moved about 1755 to Bethlehem Township in the recently created Northampton County. He died Feb. 11, 1781 in Bethlehem Twp., Northampton County, Pennsylvania, and was buried in Dryland Cemetery, Northampton.

David's grandfather Johann Phillip Hartzell was born Apr. 20, 1743 and christened May 1, 1743 in Old Williams, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. He married Christina Barbara Kreiling on Apr. 30, 1765 in Dryland, Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. By 1781 he moved to York (now Adams) County, Pennsylvania, on the Maryland border. After 1792 he moved his family to the Boones Mill area, Franklin County, Virginia. He died after 1820 near Rocky Mount, Franklin County, Virginia.

David's father Adam Hartzell was born about 1765 in Bethlehem, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. He was about 13 years old when his father moved the family around 1780 from Northampton County to York (now Adams) County, Pennsylvania, on the Maryland border. Adam married Christina Sink in 1786 in Pennsylvania. Adam's father moved to Boones Mill, Franklin County, Virginia (south of Roanoke) by 1792. Adam followed after 1799. In 1815, Adam’s family moved to Ellerton, Montgomery County, Ohio, southeast of Dayton. Adam & Christina probably died in the 1830’s, perhaps in a cholera epidemic. It is believed they were both buried at Ellerton.

David Hartzell's birthdate as Nov. 20, 1805, not Nov. 22. For some reason, on recalculation, I had changed it to the 22nd, but the 20th is correct. On Feb. 20, 1865 he would have been 59 years and 3 months old. On March 5, 1865 he was 59 years, 3 months, and 13 days old (28 days in February, 1805).

Information on David's sister Elizabeth ("Betsy") from her descendant Harlan Rentfrow. Elizabeth was born in 1798. Her picture is shown at the 1849 period of this document.

Hertzel vs. Hartzell: the letter from Jonas Hartzell to his brother Philip (David's grandfather) spells the name as "Hartzell". Likewise in the early Franklin County Virginia marriage records. I'm going with "Hartzell" from Philip down to David.

Changed web address from www.jdhartsell.com/david/david.html to www.jdhartsell.com/DavidHartzell.

1792 land purchase by Philip Hartzell, 1796 purchase by Abraham Hartzell, Settlement Map of Franklin County, VA 1786-1886, and new conclusions on when the family moved to Franklin County.

Introduced George Hartzell of Union County Indiana as a possible son or cousin of Adam Hartzell. If a cousin, he may have been the son of John & Catherine (Schneider) Hartzell. Whichever it is, he still provides a positive connection of David Hartzell to Franklin County, Virginia.

Added information about where the family lived in Franklin County, Virginia.

Removed the marriage of our Adam Hartzell to Mary Spiekard Aug. 11, 1821. It was an Adam Hetzel who married Mary Spikard Aug. 10, 1826. There was a Hetzel family.