'The BALLIETS of SUGAR LOAF"
Please be advised that some of Mr Balliet's conclusions about the John BALLIET families in the Sugar Loaf and Butler Twp areas are incorrect. On page 797, the author himself refers to the "rather involved" documentation which "in some respects [is] vague and fragmentary." And, "although the picture presented is unfinished, the available pieces of the jig-saw puzzle seemly [sic] fit into place. Further research may disprove some of the conclusions narrated, but overall the recapitulation is compatible with all known facts."I think the author did an incredible job of piecing together an entirely plausible scenario based on what he had to work with.
My maternal grandmother was Aurelia Rosamina 'Rae' CULP(1900-1987)the youngest ch of Wm Franklin (1862-1927) & Catherine Ann (1861-1944)BALLIET CULP. For several years prior to her death, 'Grandma Rae' supplied both myself and my mother with family info about the numerous aunts, uncles and cousins on both sides of her family.
Catherine Ann BALLIET CULP was the the daughter of William(Nov 1822-Jul 1894) & Deborah Ann(Dec 1827-Nov 1889) SWEARER BALLIET.Their family consisted of:
1)Amandab 1846mar Samuel SEIWELL
d
5 known ch
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2)Peterb 5 Oct 1848, mar Catherine A LEWIS
d 1926 KS.
1 son, 1 daughter
family moved to KS.
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3)Jamesb1849-50d bef 1860
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4)Johnb1851-52, mar 1)Amanda?
2)Ludy? W
3)Rosa
d aft 1920FL.
father of 17 children
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5)Reuben S bFeb 1853,mar Ellen J
d aft 1920FL?
1 daughter
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6)Margaret Elizabethb 21 May 1856d 16 Jul 1867
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7)Jacob Rb 1858-59d aft 1879KS?
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8)Catherine Annb 30 Oct 1861
mar 22 Dec 1883 Wm F CULP
d 1 Nov 1944
4 children
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9)Samuelb1864d
never married
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10)Edwin/bNov 1867mar Catherine
Edwardd aft 6 Aug 1938 CT?
3 known children
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11)Maryb ca1872mar Theodore FISHER
d
children?
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William's death certificate states that he was the son of John & Maggie BALLIET. William, Deborah and their dau Margaret are all buried at St Johns (Hughesville) Luth & Ref Cem, not far from John (27 Dec 1798-3 Apr 1873) & Mary Magaret (12 Jan 1803-7 May 1877)"wife of John BALLIET".
In his book, Mr Balliet concluded that the John b 1798 was the s/o the John b 1780, and that the 1798 John had m twice, firstly to Henrietta,b ca 1809 who was the mother to most of his "twelve children" and who d ca 1853, and secondly marrying Marie b ca 1802, d bef 1880. There is a widowed John BALLIET age 79 listed as father in law to Nathan MOCHAMER on the 1880 census, but it can't be John born in 1798 the husband of Mary Margaret, as he had already been dead for 7 yrs.
Instead,I believe that the 79 year-old widower John "BALLIET" can found in other records as John BARRIOT and Johannes BERLET. St John's Cem Tombstone Transcriptions include:
"BARRIOT, Henrietta d 13 Aug 1854, aged 44y18m5d[sic], wf of John BARRIOT".
When one compares this data to the burial records of the Nescopeck Valley Congregation, some more details emerge. Those records include:
"BERLET, Henrietta nee SANTER8 Oct 1809-13 Aug 1854aged 44y9m5d, wf of John BERLET",
"BERLET, Nathan son of Johannes & wf Henrietta 12 Jan 1845-18 Sep 1848", and
"BERLET, Maria little dau of Elias & wf Cath[WINTER] died Sun 12 Nov age 4y7m29d". (based on perpetual calendar charts and the sequence within the burial records,this death occured in 1820).
Indeed, the name BERLET and variants pop up on a recurring basis in many different record sources. Adding to the confusion the 1850 Butler Tp census clearly lists the "John & Henrietta BERLET" family as BALLIET, while giving the name "BOLLIARD" to John & Margaret BALLIET's family.
In 1860, widower John, age 60 is listed as BALLIED and has only a dau Hetty, 18 living at home. The family of our John b 1798 age 61, complete with wf Maria M age 58 and 2 of their ch are several pages away, with others of their children comfortably nearby.
I think that what happened is that Mr Balliet inadvertantly mixed two families and their surnames together;sometimes he pulled the right combination out of the hat and sometimes not. However, with the research improvements available today and careful analysis this particular mix-up should be correctable.
We still won't know for sure what John & Henrietta' s last name really was, but we'll be able to tell their families apart!
More Replies:
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Re: 'The BALLIETS of SUGAR LOAF"
Nancy Helvig Watson 7/19/05
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Re: 'The BALLIETS of SUGAR LOAF"
DONNA HAENCHEN 7/23/05
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Re: 'The BALLIETS of SUGAR LOAF"