| Notes |
- RESEARCH_NOTES:
1. FHL book 929.273 EL54ejg "John Jacob Eller and His Descendants with Other Pre-1800 Eller Immigrants to America...," by J. Gerald Eller, Edward K. Eller, and Janine Eller Porter (The Eller Family Association, 1998), pp. 22-27:
"George Michael Eller
Many gaps in our knowledge of the genealogy of descendants of George Michael Eller are revealed in Table VI. Until new information was reported in the Eller Chronicles, the published genealogy of this immigrant and his descendants came exclusively from Hook (1925, 1955, 1957, 1957A). His genealogies were limited largely to descendants of four sons: Peter, Leonard, Jacob, and George. His listing of Jacob, as a son (1957, pp 53-63), has been questioned; this point is discussed further in chapters 8 and 10. Other researchers have now contributed extensively to the genealogy of this line, as shown in the bibliography at the end of the chapter. As can be seen in Table VI, little is known of the descendants of the daughters of immigrant George Michael Eller.
Table VI
George Michael Eller married (1st)? (2nd)? (3rd) Eva Maria. Frederick County, Maryland. Their children and grandchildren:
1. Peter, married Elizabeth Dick, children John, Catherine, Peter Jr., Elizabeth, unnamed daughter, Jacob, Mary, Henry, George.
2. Elizabeth married Heinrich Reb. Nothing more is known
3. Leonard married Elizabeth Mast, children: Adam, Elizabeth, John, Joseph, Sarah, Mary Lucinda, Jacob, Henry, George.
4. Jacob. No other known record unless he was the Jacob Eller of Chapter 8.
5. George died in Davidson County, North Carolina, before 1841; his wife was Susanna. Children: George Jr., Henry, David.
6. John married Catherine Fight (Fort)? Nothing more is known.
7. Eve. Nothing more is known.
8. Catherine married Peter Lehman? Nothing more is known. (From Hook, 1957, pp. 15-16).
9. Maria (Mary) married Jacob Eller; Children: Cloah (Chloe) "Glory" Eller. (Troutman and File. EC, XI:1, Sp. Ed., Feb. 1997).
Primary centers from which known descendants spread: Frederick Co., MD, Rowan Co., NC, Ashe Co., NC, Wilkes Co., NC, Miami Co., OH, Hamilton Co., IN, Wapello Co., IA.
An arrival record for George Michael Eller has led to some confusion and differences of opinion. Two different records, possibly for George Michael Eller, are cited in reports: "Sept. 30th 1743. The Foreigners imported in the ship Phoenix … and in the Ship Robert & Alice ... from Rotterdam … list from Cowes." Among passengers listed was: "Michael x Ellen," and "October 7, 1743, list of Men's Names pr the St Andrew … Qualified October 7, 1743 ... ''Geo Eler" and "Hans Jerg Ohler".[1] See Appendix Q for the most recent analysis of these two arrival records which shows that Geo Eler and Hans Jerg Ohler were apparently the same individual. Some other aspects of the family history of George Michael Eller of Frederick County, Maryland are muddled by different reports among the several documents, mainly family group sheets prepared by various individuals, now in circulation.
Other records for a Michael Eller, may or may not be for George Michael Eller. This applies to the deed for twenty-five acres to a Michael Eller dated 12 April 1753, and recorded in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania[2] and to the Michael Eller on a 1759 tax list for Rowan County. North Carolina,[3] also to a Michael Eller on a 1772 tax list for Randolph County, North Carolina.[4]
As already mentioned, early Ellers in Rowan County were known to sometimes transcribe the name "Melchior" as "Michael," and more than one Melchior Eller was in that county during the early period. However, the Randolph County record of 1772 may indeed refer to George Michael Eller since land records show that three or four of his sons were in North Carolina in the 1770s, and his son Leonard was a large land owner in Randolph County.
Descendants of George Michael Eller are searching for evidence that he lived in North Carolina before he settled in Frederick County, Maryland in 1773. That same year one report places his eldest son Peter in Rowan County, North Carolina.[5] By 1778 his other sons were in that area of North Carolina.
A Bible record for Leonard, second son of George Michael Eller, gives his birthplace as Fort (Ford) Litters, North Carolina, but no record of such a place has been found.[6] Another puzzling part of this record says Leonard's father was born in Bebon. Germany. Bebon may have been intended for Baden, but this is not certain. A record cited by Hook (1957, p. 32) says Leonard was born in Germany, but most researchers say he was born in the United States. He married Elizabeth Mast, daughter of John and Barbara Mast of Randolph County, North Carolina. From the late 1770s until after 1821 Leonard Eller owned land in Rowan and Randolph Counties, North Carolina. About 1801 he took his family to Miami County, Ohio, and later to Indiana, where some of his descendants still live. Leonard Eller was a large land-owner in three states. He continued to own land in Randolph County, North Carolina until after 1821.[7]
George Eller, another son, left descendants in Davidson County, North Carolina, where he died before 1841, but the Eller Family Association has yet to establish contacts with descendants of this line. An abstract of George Eller's will from the Division of Lands Book, pp. 32-33, Davidson County, North Carolina was obtained from the Public Library in Lexington, North Carolina. His heirs listed in the May Term 1841 Court Record includes: Caroline Sowers, Katharene Darr(?), Sally Warlow, Dolly Long, David Eller, Christene Waggoner, Elizabeth Reket(?), George Eller, Sally Haines, Polly Reed. We would like to know more about his descendants. Hopefully, other records will appear in future issues of the Eller Chronicles. For more information on this family see Hook (1957), p 64-68.
For John, another son of George Michael Eller for whom Hook (1957, p. 16), found no "identifiable record," and speculated that some of the John Eller records in Rowan County, North Carolina, might be for this John Eller. Hook encountered the problem already mentioned - too many Eller men with only the single name of John living in the county at the same time, making final identifications impossible.
Based in part on an Eller family oral tradition in Rowan County, Maria, youngest daughter of George Michael Eller, a recent report says she married Jacob Eller, a grandson of immigrant (John) Melchior Eller.[8] Louise Barringer File of Salisbury, North Carolina, now in her eighties, has vivid memories of being told by her grandmother, Joyce Delinda Eller Morgan, of her descent from George Michael Eller, and how intermarriages among descendants of four different Eller immigrants enabled her and many other Ellers to claim four immigrant Ellers as ancestors. As previously mentioned, intermarriages among the four lines, taken from the work of Troutman and File (1997), appears as Fig. 2, Chapter 2, p. 10.
The earliest American record that lists the full name, George Michael Eller, is a land deed, dated 14 April 1773, showing he purchased land known as Hammond's Strife in Frederick County, Maryland.[9] There he lived until his death, which came before 25 August, 1778, when his will, written in German, was recorded. The relatively large sum of money (950 pounds) dispersed by his will suggests that he was a wealthy man for his time. His will mentions Children: Peter, Leonard, Elizabeth, Jacob, George, John, Eve, Catherine, Maria and a wife, Anna Maria, who apparently was not the mother of his older children.[10] Some think he was probably named three times, the first being in Germany.
"If all facts were known, they might show that George Michael Eller was married three times and that his eldest son, Peter, was a child of his first wife and the others by a second or third spouse. Peter was a grown man with a wife and child in Rowan County, North Carolina by 6 March 1773.[11] Hook goes on to report that Peter Eller was the only Eller in North Carolina listed outside or Rowan County, North Carolina in the 1790 census. However, by this date, John Jacob Eller Jr. had been living in Sullivan County, North Carolina over a decade, but because census records for 1790 were lost for the Tennessee region his presence there was unknown lo Hook. In 1790. Peter Eller was living on Bones (Roans) Creek in Wilkes (later Ashe) County, North Carolina.[12]
Troutman and File (1997) compiled an extensive genealogy of descendants of four Rowan County, North Carolina Eller immigrants including George Michael Eller, that was based in part on the family tradition, concerning his daughter Maria, described above. This, with the mass of new information previously reported in the Eller Chronicles, and the gaps in his genealogy (Table VI) the need for a new book on George Michael Eller and his descendants is obvious.
A project by the Eller Family Association to develop a computer data base for descendants of George Michael Eller has been under way for sometime. A new book may come from this project in the next few years. Hopefully it will include more genealogy* for each of [the] Children, especially his daughters.
Many questions about George Michael Eller remain to be answered. Where in Germany was he born and who were his ancestors? Did he ever live in North Carolina? If so, where and when? How was he related to other immigrants to America, especially to John Jacob, Christian, and John Melchior Eller of Rowan County, North Carolina and Henry Eller of Frederick County, Maryland? What of his son Jacob? How many wives did he have and who were they? Many of these same questions remain to be answered about all pre-1800 Eller immigrants to America.
When did sons of George Michael Eller Arrive in North Carolina?
Hook (1957, p. 21) "Peter Eller was living in Rowan County, North Carolina as early as 6 March 1773."|
Land Deeds. Rowan County, North Carolina:
"#3068, 1778, Leonard Eller 300 A on both sides of Sheit's Crk., adj Widow Bower. & Valentine Beard, including his improvements." (R. A Enocks, Indianapolis, 1988, p. 233).
"#1605, 28 Sep 1778, Philip Sewell 100 A on the headwaters or Reedy Creek & Tinkers Crk [adj] Joseph Mizzell, William Oliver & Lewis Defore, including his Improvements. Made to George Ellor by the Enterer." (ibid, pg. 115.)
"#1608, 28 Sep 1778, William Oliver 100 A on waters of Reedy Crk adj Philip Sewell, Joseph Meizell & Peter Eller, including his Improvements. Made over to Ja's Cheney." (ibid, pg. 115.)
Marriage Records, Rowan County, North Carolina; Hook (1957) p. 16: "This writer's guess is that this was the John Eller (s/o Geo. Michael) who married Catherine Fight (Fort) 10 Aug 1785."
End Notes:
1. Strassburger & Hinke, 1:349, 350, 351 (Geo. Eler); 1:345-346 (1992) (Michael x Eller)
2. Hook (1957), p. 1.
3. Norlh Carolina Department of Archives and History. Tax List Rowan Co., NC, File No. 85.007.1.
4. Ratcliff, Clarence A. North Carolina Tax Payers 1609-1790; ibid 1701-1786, Geneal. Publ. Co., Inc., Baltimore, pp. 61, 63.
5. Hook (1957) p. 21."Peter Eller was living in Rowan County, North Carolina as early as 6 Mar 1773 on which date the Patriarchal Blessing or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints states that Peter Eller's daughter Catherine was born in Rowan County, North Carolina."
6. Hook, (1957) p. 32. William Eller, Bible record of 1819-1894. "William Eller was Born July 26, A.D. 1819 John Eller was mi father he was Born in Ashe County, North Carolina his father was Leonard Eller he was born in at fort (ford, fork) litters, North Carolina and his father came from Bebon (Baden) Co." Note: This enigmatic record, obviously based on memories that were not perfect, has never been verified. No such place as Fort Litters, North Carolina is known. That Leonard Eller ever lived in Ashe county has never been proven; that he was born in Germany in 1690 is untrue.
7. Davidson Co., NC, Deed Bk. 1:257-258. Abstract, 13 June 1821 Leonard Eller, County of Miami and State of Ohio. Land situated in Randolph County on Cariway where he did live and left in the hand of Jacob Hoover. Three tracts in Rowan, one on waters of Lick Creek, other on Sheets Creek in possession of Jacob Hoover, late dec'd. He now appoints Samuel Hoover of Randolph County Attorney for him. Wit John Hoover, Jr., Henry Hoover acting Justice of Peace in Ohio, William Norwood, one of the Judges of Court of Law and Equity and affirmed appointment." Note: For more on the Eller-Hoover relationships, see Lyle (1994). These Hoovers were of the ancestral line of President Herbert Hoover.
8. Troutman and File (1997). This tradition was long established in the Eller ancestral line of Louise Barringer File of Salisbury, North Carolina.
9. Hook (1957) p I, Deed Bk. S96-98, Frederick County Maryland
10. Ibid. Will Book G.M. No. 1, pp. 76-78, Frederick County Maryland Reprinted: EC, V:2:106-107 (1992).
11. Hook (1957), p. 21.
12. Ibid. p. 5.
New Information on George Michael Eller and His Descendants from the Eller Chronicles (EC):
Ashley, Melissa Kay Kemp, Kirby Luke Eller of Ashe County. NC. VII:2:104-110 (1994).
Baldwin, Myrell, Nebraska Eller Family History, VI:1:43-48 (1992).
Black, Kay, Descendants of America Elizabeth Eller (1850-1925), VII:2:68-82 (1993).
Collidge, Louise Eller, Cleveland Eller, Honor Guardsman at President Lincoln's Funeral, VI:1 (1992).
Eller, A. Wm., Descendants of Robert Tracy Eller, Vol. III:1:14-18 (1989).
1992 Reunion of Descendants, Chugwatcr, Wyoming. VII:2:170 (1993)
The Nebraska Ellers, VI:1:67-69 (1992).
Eller, Byron H., John Cleveland Eller and Jane Rebecca Montgomery. VI:2:120-122 (1992)
Eller, George C. II, Lucius Elom Eller, Vol IX:2:53-56 (1995).
Eller, George C. III, Genealogical Relationships Between Byrkits and Ellers, X:4:1-10 (1996).
Eller, J. Gerald et al, Tributes to Gertrude Eller Waddell, VI:4:226-241 (1992).
Review - Franklin Plato Eller & John Carlton Eller by Jay B Hubbell (1909), VI:4:242-249 (1992).
James W. Hook, III:3:48, 67, 80-82.
Genealogy of the James Eller Family of Ashe Co., NC. VI:4:250-254 (1992).
Eller, James, Letter from Rev. J. Ben Eller, 1925, VIII:3:160-162 (1994).
Eller, Joseph Burton Jr., Lineage of Joseph Burton Eller, Jr., V:4:264-273 (1991).
Eller, Lucile, Family Group Data, V:2:91A-98 (1991).
Eller, Lynn, Harvey Eller 1819-1906, IV.4:169-177 (1990).
Another Reunion, Another Time - 1925, V:4:237-241 (1991).
William Hamilton Eller, 1842-1922, IV:3:101-108 (1990).
Letters from J. W. Hook - Research in Germany, VII:2:153-169 (1993).
James W. Hook Remembered in III:3:82-84; VI:1:82-85, VII Suppl. Pp 82-83 (1989).
Eller, Nora Robinette, Descendants of James Madison of Wilkes Co., NC, 1974, VII: 1:18-43 (1993).
Eller, Raymond, Past Reunions of the Harvey Eller Family, II:2:68-70 (1988).
An Eller Family in Nebraska at the Turn of the Century, V:3:142-168 (1991).
Eller, Robert C., My Pedigree and Some Relatives in Wilkes Co., NC, X:2:34-35 (1996).
Eller, Van, Leonard Eller, VII:4:308-311 (1993).
Ellis, Rose Eller, Descendants of Anderson Eller, Wilkes Co., NC. X:2:29-33 (1996).
Additions and Corrections to J. W. Hook, 1957, X:3:81-83 (1996).
Evans, Calvin Welker, A Family's Lifetime Research, IV:3:108-113 (1990).
Green, Connie, Descendants of Henry Cleveland Eller, Sr., IX:2:57-64 (1995).
Greer, Charles, Julia Caroline Greer: Ancestral Chart. VII:2:142-146 (1993).
Clinton Eller, VIII:69-71 (1994).
Honeyman, Gale, E.S., Additions and Corrections to Hook (1957), II:3:126-128 (1988).
Hook, James W., Genealogical Field Trip to North Carolina, VII:1:12-15 (1993).
Hubbell, Paul E., James Eller Family and the Bushwhackers, 1864-1865, VI:1:54-65 (1992).
Johnson, Phyllis Tollison, Mananna Faye Eller: Ancestral Chart. I:1:28.
Phineas H Eller, Ancestral Chart, VI:1:29 (1992).
Kemp, Melissa Kay (Ashley), A Biography of Kirby Luke Eller, VIII:2:104-110 (1994).
Kidd, Elise P., Sarah "Sallie" Eller and John Haines, Davidson Co., NC, III:1:11-13 (1989).
Kilburn, Deborah Eddington, Kurt Jeffrey Kilburn: Ancestral Chart, IX:1:15-16 (1995).
Leonard, Daphne Eller, Ethel B. Eller, Ashe County, NC, VIII:1: 61-66 (1994)
Lyle. Edith D.. Hoover - Eller Family Relationship. VIII:4:194-199 (1994).
McNeil, George and Joyce, Wilkes Co., NC, Eller Cemetery Records, VI:2:90-109 (1992).
Murray, Pat Wheeler, Elizabeth "Betty" Eller, Wilkes Co.. NC, IX:1:12 (1995).
Newbold, Dorothy W., Bible Record George Eller of Davidson Co., NC, IV:3:150 (1990).
Oliver, Jean, Leonard Eller, VI:3:161-179 (1992).
Ancestry and Descendants of Jean Oliver, VI:3:158-159 (1992).
James W. Eller (Portrait and Biographical Record of Madison and Hamilton Co., IN. Chicago, 1893). VI:3:162-163 (1991).
Early Eller Families of Hamilton County, Indiana, VI:3;156-160 (1992).
Miscellaneous Eller Records from Hamilton Co., IN, VI:3:166-179 (1992).
Overton, Kathleen Stoker, Linkage of Kathleen Stoker Overton, Sp Ed., IX:3:1-15 (1995).
Pell, George P., Adolphus Hill Eller, Bio Hist. of NC. (Chas. L. Van Noppen). III:1:1-8 (1989).
Pilker, Iona Fisher, America Elizabeth Eller and Abraham Covert Fisher, VII 3:213-247 (1993).
Ratcliffe, Clarence A., North Carolina Tax Payers 1679-1790, Geneal. Publ. Co., Inc. Baltimore, 1987, p. 61; ibid 1701-1786. p. 63.
Reese, Michael A., Julius Marion Eller: Going to Texas, V:3:127-141 (1991).
David and Henry Eller, sons of Peter Eller, Jr., and Mary Pennington, II:18-20 (1987).
Schoen, Kathleen A., Family Group Data, I:1:12-13 (1987).
Family Group Data, V:2:99-105 (1991).
Schweers, Lovetta Miller, William and Elizabeth Stike Eller, IX:1:13-14 (1995).
Descendants of Mathias and Sarah Amanda Roark Eller, Sp. Ed., IX:2:1-26 (1993).
Stelle, Bethel, Eller, Thomas A., III:2:39-41 (1989).
Israel Curtis, Otis R., and Thomas R. Eller, III:4:133-135 (1989).
Troutman Peggy A. and Louise B. File, EC. XI:1, Sp. Ed., (Feb. 1997)."
2. Ordinance Index reports wife as Anna Maria ____. This is the same name that appears in husband's will.
3. There are many varying pedigrees going way back from this individual which to the best of my research are all spurious and undocumented. See notes with the father of this individual for a discussion of what is known of the Eller ancestry. Thus far there has been no documented connection with the European ancestry and places.
4. So far I only list two brothers, George Michael and Henry. There may be some relationship between these two with John Jacob, Melchoir, and Christian Eller of Rowan County, North Carolina. Rowan County was the original furthest west North Carolina County in colonial days and later was divided up into more than 20 other counties and the State of Tennessee. The following article is from the online "Eller Chronicles;" the author, J. Gerald Eller, is well respected in the Eller Family Association. Copied from website http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~adelr/feb94/feb94p5.htm. He notes:
"Were John Jacob, Christian, John Melker, George Michael and Henry Eller close relatives, even brothers? Present evidence supports only a limited answer. That John Jacob and John Melker were brothers is considered proven; a preponderance of evidence supports the same relationship existed with Henry and George Michael Eller. Christian was a probable brother or close relative of Jacob and Melchior. If all five were not brothers, they appear, as J.W. Hook inferred, to have been close relatives who probably came from the same place in Germany. The search for that place is a current Eller Family Association sponsored research project."
See their father's notes for more extensive article on the other three North Carolina Ellers, their migration, and other interesting notes on early Eller days in North Carolina.
5. FHL Book 929.273, film 6005243, "John Jacob Eller and His Descendants with Other Pre-1800 Eller Immigrants to America," by the Eller Family Association, 1998, 817-297-1280. The book in chapter 5 comments on current thinking of the Eller Family Association (EFA) on Hook research into George Michael Eller (GME) which I summarize as follows:
"A Henry Eler (Eller) and wife were baptized at Conestoga Church, a Dunkard Church in Lancaster Co., PA, by Elder Michael Franz on Apr. 14, 1754. The will of Dunker Zachariah Albaugh (Frederick Co., MD) also reveals the Dunker relationships of Henry Eller who was a witness to his will dated July 4, 1782. J.M. Henry describes Henry Eller as a Brethern (Dunkard) (Brumbaugh, M.G., pp. 202-203). This same Henry Eller later removed to Frederick County, Maryland and took up land in 1767. In 1773, George Michael Eller took up land adjacent to that of Henry Eller. Henry and George Michael Eller lived on Pipes Creek, Frederick County, Maryland until their deaths, George Michael in 1778, and Henry in 1788. Henry belonged to the Pipes Creek Dunkard Church which was located near his farm. George Michael Eller may also have been a Dunkard, although records show two of his daughters were married in Lutheran churches (Hook-1957, p. 10). There are no records that Henry or any of his children ever lived in North Carolina."
6. FHL Book 929.273, film 6005243, "John Jacob Eller and His Descendants with Other Pre-1800 Eller Immigrants to America," by the Eller Family Association, 1998, 817-297-1280: Chapter 1, concerning migration patterns in Colonial North Carolina and early pre-1800 immigrants:
"When the Ellers... arrived in Pennsylvania, they found all the productive land occupied, or available only at high prices. In the favored easterly sections, the cost of farms was almost prohibitive. Under these conditions the newly arrived German immigrants began to move southward, some stopping in Maryland, and some in the Shenandoah Valley. When word came of cheap and abundant land in North Carolina, particularly in Rowan County, that became the choice destination for a growing stream of German migrants who traveled south on the Great Wagon Road... [The Ellers presumed path from their homeland was] German Palatinate - Rhine River - Rotterdam - England - Philadelphia - Montgomery County, Pennsylvania - Great Wagon Road - Crane Creek on the Yadkin River in Rowan County, North Carolina... Their arrival there began about 1745, the number increased markedly prior to 1760, and except for a decline during the French and Indian War, continued until the Revolutionary War. A large number of Scotch-Irish settlers had settled in Rowan County, and taken up the most fertile land prior to the arrival of the Germans. This left the land of less fertile soil to the east and southeast of Salisbury for the Germans."
"In colonial times two major travel routes entered North Carolina from the north. The Great Wagon Road began in Philadelphia, passed through the Shenandoah Valley, and entered the northern border of North Carolina. After crossing the Yadkin River at the 'Shallow Ford' west of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the road continued south to Rowan County and beyond. This was the route taken by most of the Pennsylvania Germans who came to North Carolina."
"Another route known as the Trading Path began in tide-water Virginia at Petersburg and joined the Great Wagon Road at the Trading Ford on the Yadkin River only a few miles east of the present town of Salisbury, Rowan County, North Carolina… Until after the French and Indian War, which ended in 1761, the Indians, principally the Catawba and Cherokee tribes, were not far to the west of Salisbury."
"From the Trading Ford, the road continued southward into Cabarrus and Mecklenburg Counties and on into South Carolina. Situated strategically at the confluence of major travel and trading routes, Salisbury, founded in 1755, remained for decades the most western frontier town in North Carolina. Rowan County extended westward beyond the Appalachian Mountains to include the present state of Tennessee. This gave the distinction to Rowan County of being the largest ever in the United States. The trans-mountain region was destined to become the state of Tennessee in 1796, but first it was a part of the Cherokee Indian Nation, as was most of the mountain area of present western North Carolina… [It was] reported that settlers were coming from the north in hundreds of wagons, and in 1755 it was reported that 5,000 had crossed the James river in Virginia bound for Rowan County..."
"[During the French and Indian War of 1759-1760 which disrupted life in Rowan County, immigrant] Christian Eller [was] listed in a militia company in 1759 that was called up after an Indian attack near Salisbury. (Clark-1983, p. 851. Christian Eller listed on 'muster roll of Captain Morgan Bryan's Scouts.")…Three young Eller men from Rowan County fought in the Revolutionary War (John Melchior Eller, son of immigrant John Jacob Eller; John and Joseph Eller, other probable sons of immigrant John Jacob Eller.)…]… In the last 16 years of the Colonial Era… south bound traffic along the Great Wagon Road was numbered in the tens of thousands. It was the most heavily traveled road in all America… A significant number [of settlers] moved to the head waters of the Yadkin River, then crossed the Appalachians on the Boon Trail, to settle… in an area that was destined to become the northeastern corner of the state of Tennessee… Some descendants of immigrant Eller families of Rowan County were drawn toward the western frontier. Peter Eller, eldest son of George Michael Eller, moved to the headwaters of the Yadkin in time to acquire choice land in Wilkes (now Ashe) County, North Carolina. George Eller, eldest son of Christian Eller, moved to the southeastern corner of Virginia; and John Jacob Eller, Jr., eldest son of John Jacob Eller, crossed the mountains, perhaps as early as 1779, into the Holston Valley in the future state of Tennessee…"
"The Germansrans and records suggest they worshiped at the Peint (Pine) Church, the predecessor of today's Union Lutheran Church on Bringle Ferry Road near Salisbury…"
"The first known Eller record in Rowan County was a 1758 court record for a Jas Eller. This was followed in 1759 by a record for Christian Eller, already mentioned, and a Michael Eller. Then came the first records for Jacob Eller, and John Melchior Eller, another record for Christian Eller (1762), and another record for (John) Melker (Melchoir) Eller (1764)…"
"These Eller families may have arrived some years before their names appeared in public records. Some researchers think the Michael Eller of the 1759 was George Michael Eller, but this is not certain because the name Melchior was sometime recorded as Michael, and there was a Melchior Eller in Rowan County who probably arrived there before 1759. The presence of George Michael Eller in North Carolina has never been proven beyond some doubt, but several of his children lived there as adults and one, Leonard, was said the have been born there.
"Land records and plat map at the Public Library in Salisbury show that Jacob, Melker (Melchoir) and Christian Eller settled near one another on sizable farms on Crane Creek, a few miles south of the Trading Ford on the Yadkin River. This stream arises southwest of Salisbury, and enters the Yadkin River some seven miles to the southeast of the town. Jacob Eller lived at the mouth of Crane Creek, only a few miles down stream on the Yadkin River from the home of his famous contemporary, Daniel Boone…"
"As mentioned, the land settled by the Eller families… was not highly fertile… [which] may have been the major reason why second generation Ellers left Rowan County in the last quarter of the 18th Century…"
The book explains it is difficult to sort out all the Eller families in North Carolina since the same given names were recycled among successive generations. Another problem was the use of the same first name, i.e. John, whereas the middle name would change but not always be recorded with some public records of Rowan County usually listing only one given name, sometimes the first, often the second, but rarely both. The Eller Family Association has not been successful to date in placing all of the Ellers of Rowan Co. into a broad and linked genealogy.
J. Gerald Eller, one of the principals and founders of the modern Eller Family Association, presents in the book a chronological listing of all known pre-1800 Eller immigrants to America beginning in 1663 in Virginia including 26 total. Included in the list with his comments are:
No. 9: George Michael Eller, 'he may have been the George Eller, aged 20, who came on the ship St. Andrew with Hans George Oehler, aged 43, both of whom took their oaths 7 Oct 1743.' No descendants are known. Note: This is not George Michael Eller."
No. 10: "Michael (+) Eller (1743, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), "…imported in the ship Phoenix…from Rotterdam…last from Cowes, (S&H, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, Vol. 1), P. 356). (Note: Other evidence says this was George Michael Eller of Frederick Co., MD for whom many records exist - see Chap. 4.
No. 12: "Henry (H) Eller (1746, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), '…imported in the Neptune… from Rotterdam …last from England…' (S&H, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, vol. 1), p. 362. Note: This is thought to be Henry Eller of Frederick Co., MD for whom many records exist. He signed his name with an H rather than an X."
No. 13: "Christian (x) Eller (1747, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), "…imported in the Restauration …from Rotterdam …last from Lieth…inhabitants of the Palatinate and places adjacent." (S&H, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, vol. 1), p. 365). Note: this is thought to be Christian Eller of Rowan County, North Carolina, for whom many records exist."
No. 14: Jacob Eller (1753, Red Hill, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania), Lutheran Church Marriage Record: St. Paul's Lutheran (Red Hill) Churchbook, Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania. Burgert, Annette K. 'Eighteenth Century Emigrants, Vol. II, The Western Palatinate,' (The Pennsylvania German Society, Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, 1985), p. 142. Note: This was John Jacob Eller of Rowan County, North Carolina."
No. 15: "Michael Eller (1753, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania), Deed: 25 Acres, April 12, 1753. Egle, William Henry (Ed.), Wm. Stanley Ray, 'Provincial Papers: Warrantees of Land in the Several Counties of the State of Pennsylvania, 1730-1898, Vol. II, 1898,; p. 402. Note: This possibly was George Michael Eller who later removed to Frederick County, Maryland."
No. 16: "Henry Eler (Eller) (1754. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania), Church Record: "Henry Eler and wife baptized 14 April 1754 by Elder Michael Franz, Conestoga Dunker Congregation, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Cocalico District" by Martin Baumbaugh, 'A History of the Brethern, (Church of the Brethern Press, Elgin, Illinois, 1899), p. 312. Note: This Henry Eller removed to Frederick County, Maryland, and was perhaps the same Henry Eller as listed above #12 above."
No. 17: "Melchior Eller (1756, The New Hanover Lutheran Church, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania), 'Pennsylvania German Church Records of Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Burials, etc., From the Pennsylvania German Society Proceedings and Addressed Vol. II., Baltimore,' (Geneal. Publ. Co., Inc, 1983), p. 299. (Note: This is the confirmation record for 'Melchior Eller, son of the late Casper Eller, in his 20th year,' and the immigrant Melchior (Melcher) Eller, of Rowan County, North Carolina.)"
Chapter 2, concerning kinships among the early Eller families:
"Christian Eller purchased land in 1764 near that of John Jacob and John Melchior Eller in Rowan County, North Carolina, but the degree of kinship to the latter two remains unsettled. As an executor of Jacob's will, he was called 'my well beloved friend'. This phrase has led some to doubt that Christian was a brother to John Jacob and John Melchior Eller. However, this phrase was applied to his brother-in-law, John Gitchey (Ketchey) (Jr.)."
The book states that James Hook in his early 1925 book (but not in his last 1957 book) tried to connect the American Eller line to the nobility line of Elner-Eller families of the two Eller towns, one in the Dusseldorf area and the other in the Moselle River area. The book convincingly disputes this connection with expert quotes from German authorities on the Elner/Eller family.
"The association of the name of Eller with the alder tree is the version most widely quoted, although it is listed as the second choice in the 'Dictionary of Surnames,' Oxford University Press, 1988, 'Eller: 1. German: habitation name from places in the Rhine and Moselle areas, so called form an old stream name Elera, Alira, possibly of Celtic origin. 2. Low German: topographic name for someone who lived by an alder tree; from Modern Low German Elre, Alre, Alder; Old High German, Elira; Modern German Erle from Erila, (alder)…"
"…[We] learn from German authorities that the surname of Eller originated independently at different times and places, and that many German Eller families are totally unrelated. These reports have altered greatly our initial assumption that all past and present Eller families of Germany were related and originated from one ancestral family and place - this, we have learned, is totally incorrect…"
The book notes that in German the Palatinate area is known as the Pfalz. Also that Hook could never make the connection in Germany to his dying day even though he had worked extensively in trying to connect to the Dusseldorf noble line of Ellers. One German authority noted that nobility did not immigrate to America. The authors of this book indicate past efforts to connect our immigrants to their European ancestral places and families have been unsuccessful but the association has hired recent professional research to continue the effort.
Chapter 4, concerning the George Michael Eller:
"Many gaps in our knowledge of the genealogy of descendants of George Michael Eller are revealed in [the following:]
George Michael Eller married (1st)? (2nd)? (3rd) Eva Maria [Why Eva and not Anna - later in same article they use Anna Maria]. Frederick County, Maryland. Their children and grand-Children:
1. Peter, married Elizabeth Dick; Children: John, Catherine, Peter Jr., Elizabeth, unnamed daughter, Jacob, Mary, Henry, George.
2. Elizabeth married Heinrich Reb. Nothing more is known.
3. Leonard married Elizabeth Mast; Children: Adam, Elizabeth, John, Joseph, Sarah Mary Lucinda, Jacob, Henry, George.
4. Jacob. No other known record unless he was the Jacob Eller of [Botetort Co., Virginia].
5. George, d. in Davidson County, North Carolina before 1841; his wife was Susanna; Children: George Jr., Henry, David.
6. John married Catherine Fight (Fort)? Nothing more is known.
7. Eve. Nothing more is known.
8. Catherine married Peter Lehman? Nothing more is known.
9. Maria (Mary) married Jacob Eller; Children: Cloah (Chloe) 'Glory' Eller (Source: Troutman and File, 'Eller Chronicles,' XI:1, Sp. Ed., Feb 1997)
The book comments on current thinking of the Eller Family Association (EFA) on Hook research into George Michael Eller (GME) which I summarize as follows:
A. The two arrival records, Michael Eller in the ship "Phoenix" and Geo. Eler and Hans Jerg Ohler of the "St. Andrew" continue to lead to some confusion and differences of opinion. Recent analysis has led the Eller Family Association to believe that Geo. Eler and Hans Jerg Ohler were apparently the same individual. The clarification of the misinterpretation is that EFA does not feel that Hook documented where he got an age of 43 for Hans Georg Oehler. According to the actual records as reported by EFA as found in Strassburger and Hinke, Vol. 1, pp. 348-352: List 103A, p. 349, 'Geo. Eler listed age 20 and between Johannes Mayer and Peter Warner; List 103B, p. 350, Hans Jerg Ohler listed between Johannes Mayer and Peter Warner; List 103C, p. 351, Hanes Jerg Ohler listed between Johannes Mayer and Peter Warner. My note: did not the age come from the Oaths of Allegiance taken in 1743 in Pennsylvania right after the 1743 ship arrivals?
B. The 1753 deed in Lancaster Co., PA to 25 acres, the 1759 Rowan County tax list, and the 1772 Randolph Co., NC, tax list for Michael Eller may or may not be for George Michael Eller. Specifically EFA thinks the 1759 tax list may actually be for Melchior Eller whom was in Rowan County at that early date - Melchior sometimes being rendered as Melker or perhaps even Michael. On the other hand, four of GME's sons were in NC in the 1770s including Leonard as a large landowner in Randolph County making the 1772 Randolph Co. tax list a possibility. There is still no concrete evidence that GME was in North Carolina before his 1773 evidence of being in Frederick Co., MD. 1773 was the same year Peter, his eldest son, first shows in Rowan Co. and it wasn't until 1778 that his other sons were in NC.
C. The Bible record of Leonard being born at Fort (Ford) Litters, NC and his father from Bebon (Baden?) continues to puzzle researchers. No record or location of Fort Litters has yet been found. Most researchers believe Leonard was born in the United States and not Germany as reported by Hook on page 32. My note: I don't believe that Hook ever stated one way or the other except to quote what the Indiana history book he cites had quoted.
D. A will for George Eller, son of GME has been located. An abstract of his will from the Division of Lands Book, pp. 32-33, Davidson Co., NC was obtained from the Public Library in Lexington, NC. His heirs listed in the may Term 1841 Court Record includes: Caroline Sowers, Katharene Darr(?), Sally Warlow, Dolly Long, David Eller, Christene Waggoner, Elizabeth Reket(?), George Eller, Sally Haines, Polly Reed.
E. As for John, son of GME, no further record has been found. EFA acknowledges that the name John Eller is too unspecific making it difficult to identify which John Ellers if any of Rowan Co. may be him.
F. "Based in part on an Eller family oral tradition in Rowan County, Maria, youngest daughter of GME, a recent report says she married Jacob Eller, a grandson of immigrant (John) Melchior Eller. Louise Barringer File of Salisbury, NC, now in her eighties, has vivid memories of being told by her grandmother, Joyce Delinda Eller Morgan, of her descent from George Michael Eller, and how intermarriages among descendants of four different Eller immigrants enabled her and many other Ellers to claim four immigrant Ellers as ancestors from all four immigrants. The connection with GME purports to be Maria, GME's dau., marrying the grandson of Melchior Eller.
G. Questions still to be answered according to EFA: Where in Germany is he from, how was he related to others original immigrants (John Jacob, Christian, Melchior, and Henry), what of his son Jacob and his daughters, and how many wives did he have and who were they?
H. When did the sons of GME arrive in North Carolina?
Hook (1957, p. 21). "Peter Eller was living in Rowan Co., NC as early as 6 Mar 1773."
Land deeds of Rowan Co., NC:
"#3068, 1778, Leonard Eller 300 A on both sides of Sheit's Crk., adj Widow Bower, & Valentine Beard, including his improvements." (R.A. Enocks, Indianapolis, 1988, p. 233.)
"#1605, 28 Sep 1778, Philip Sewell 100 A on the headwaters of Reedy Creek & Tinkers Crk [adj] Joseph Meizell, William Oliver & Lewis Defore, including his Improvements. Made to George Ellor by the Enterer." (ibid. pg. 115.)
"#1608, 28 Sep 1778, William Oliver 100 A on waters of Reedy Crk adj Philip Sewell, Joseph Meizell & Peter Eller, including his Improvements. Made over to Ja's Cheney." (ibid, pg. 115.)
Marriage Records, Rowan County, North Carolina: Hook (1957) p. 16: "This writer's guess is that this was the John Eller (s/o Geo Michael) who married Catherine Fight (Fort) 10 Aug 1785."
7. Index of miscellaneous deeds from the book "Our Stoker Family Histories 1731-1881," Vol. II, comp. and ed. by Elayne Stoker, 2004, printed by Stevenson's Genealogy Center, Provo, UT. I am not sure of the relationship, if any, of all the parties herein listed and this is for reference only:
"Some Frederick County Maryland Deeds:
E-125 Joseph Grable to Jacob Funk, March 20, 1753
E-509 Joseph Grable to Jacob Funk, August 21, 1754 Agreement
F-244 Joseph Grable to Jacob Funk, May 28, 1757
F-393 Joseph Grable from James ___, February 11, 1758
K-782 Joseph Grable to Jacob Roland, November 19, 1766
K-782 Samuel Grable from Leonard White, November 14, 1766
K-743 Joseph Grable to Jacob Funk - Release
K-803 Martin Garver from Jacob Danner, December 19, 1766
K-1284 Henry Eller to Jacob Flora, June 6, 1767
L-515 John Garver from Jacob Danner, October 1, 1768
N-396 Leonard Kitzmiller from Samuel Stringer, October 10, 1770
N-505 Peter Wampler from Richard Coroxal, December 15, 1770
S-96 George Michael Eller from Edward Gaither
O-3 Henry Eller to David Buzzard, January 14, 1771
L-665 John Grable to Jacob Roland, May 1772
P-128 Henry Eller from Leonard Kitzmiller, June 13, 1772
P-110 Leonard Kitzmiller to Samuel Carver, June 13, 1772
BD1-539 John Garver to Jacob Danner, May 22, 1775- did not find
BD6-34 John Grabill to Jacob Danner, June 20, 1775
WR-2-543 Peter Grable to Michael Christ, May 26, 1779
WR-3-71 John Grabell to Wm. Renner, July 27, 1782
GM2-444 Peter Wampler, 1782
WR-4-98 Peter Grable to Michael Christ, May 26, 1779
WR-6-4 Henry Eller to Philip Fishburn, June 22, 1784
WR-6-84 Henry Eller to Francis B. Sappington, August 19, 1784
WR-3-205 John Grable from John Bowman, Bill of Sale
WR-7-332 John Grable and others to George Kitzburger, June 12, 1787
WR-7-616 John Grable to Paul Clapsdale, December 4, 1787
WR-8-505 John Grable from John Shuk, June 8, 1789 Bill of Sale
WR-9-194 John Grable from Sam Cole, April 30, 1790
WR-9-250 John Grable from Joseph Boyer, June 1, 1790
WR-9-46 Peter Grable from Martin Sheets, July 8, 1790
WR-9-546 Peter Grable from Henry Repp, December 7, 1790
WR-11-279 John Garber and others, September 24, 1791, Agreement
WR-11-210 John Wampler to Lazarus Findburg, November 21, 1792
WR-11-199 Joseph Wampler from Michael Baer, November 19, 1792
WR-11-587 Joseph Eller from Jacob Baer, May 31, 1793
WR 12-41 John Garber, Upton Scott and others, May 9, 1794 Agreement
WR 12-445 John Grable from Balser Riam, June 3, 1794
WR 12-447 John Grable from Balser Riam, June 3, 1794
WR 12-456 John Grable to Christian Ebey, June 6, 1794
WR 12-451 John Grable to Christian Ebey, June 6, 1794
WR 12-535 John Grable from Conrad Cragon, August 14, 1794
WR 12-516 John Grable to Rebecca Reynolds, July 30, 1794
WR 13-153 John Grable to Conrad Hi , March 26, 1795
WR 13-126 Joseph Eller from Frederick Murray, March 24, 1795
WR 13-449 Martin Garber from Richard Cook, August 11, 1795
WR 13-263 Martin Garber from Philip Fishburn, May 6, 1795
WR 15-481 John Grable from Negro Bill, July 5, 1797
WR 15-595 Joseph Eller from John Kerr, September 6, 1797
WR 15-518 Martin Garber from Richard Coal, August 8, 1797
WR 15-519 Joseph Grable from Martin Garber, August 8, 1797
WR 15-395 David Wampler from Joseph Grable, June 8, 1797
WR 17-44 Jacob Grable from Wm. Hardin, May 24, 1798
WR 19-71 David Wampler from Christian Simmons, October 8, 1799
WR 12-245 Peter Wampler from Samuel Chase, March 1794
WR 16-463 John Wampler from Joseph Baker, May 2, 1795
WR 17-302 John Garber from ___ Scott, October 2, 1798
WR 19-247 Joseph Eller from Jacob Young, January 16, 1800
WR 19-250 Joseph Eller to Jacob Pofsbarger, January 17, 1800
WR 19-252 Joseph Eller to Michael Minor Sr., January 17, 1800
WR 19-444 John Wampler to John Iler, April 16, 1800
WR 21-466 John Grable from Christian Leasner, September 17, 1801
WR 21-541 Jacob Garber to Joseph Baker, October 21, 1801
WR 23-227 Martin Carver and others to Samuel Garber, July 29, 1802
WR 23-228 Samuel Garber from Christian Garber and others, July 29, 1802
WR 23-229 Samuel Garber and others to Christian Garber, July 29, 1802
WR 23-231 John Garber from John Wampler, July 29, 1802
WR 23-234 John Wampler to Martin Garber, July 29, 1802
WR 22-548 Moses Grable from Craig Marshall, May 15, 1802
WR 20-41 Martin Garber from Wm. Head, June 21, 1800
WR 20-43 Martin Garber from Peter Kramer, June 28, 1800
WR 22-4 Moses Grable to Michael Freeze, November 3, 1801
WR 25-579 John Garber from Israel Bigler, May 8, 1804
WR 26-71 John Garber from Anna Garber and others, September 5, 1804
WR 27-544 Joseph Grable to Peter Grable, October 10, 1805
WR 39-561 John Grable from Peter Grable, May 22, 1811
WR 42-380 John Grable and others to State of Maryland, May 31, 1813
WR 44-85 John Grable to Louis Mottier, April 5, 1813"
8. The book "The Howard Leytham Stoker Von Dollen Family Histories," FHL 929.273 H833a, by Doris Lewis, 2017 So. 80th Ave., Omaha, Nebraska, 68124, p. 88 [FHL book 929.273 P684pn: "Graybill/Stoker/Eller/Smith/Koons/Pitt Connections," by Norman E. 'Gene' Pitt, 1996, pp. 119-123, has almost the same verbatim except what I note in brackets]:
"...James Hook wrote a history of 'George Michael Eller and His Descendants in America.' Much of the information I have on the Ellers come from this book or a book by Judge Johnson J. Hayes, called 'The Land of Wilkes,' a history of Wilkes County in North Carolina. In the ninth century Alamans, Teutons of Jutland, moved into Westallgan as early settlers. One group, called Ellers, started at the foot of Hirshberg in the Algauer Alp area near Bregenz, on Lake Constance. [They may have stayed in this general area for 600 years. This is the same area of the Palatinate that the Graybill religious refugees from Switzerland had fled and the same time frame. So the Ellers and Graybills may have known each other as neighbors or fellow churchmen.] Alta March, of Herman, Nebraska, has an Eller genealogy based in Germany, which probably connects with our family. In this record a Bartl and Barbara Swartz Eller had three children, Joseph, George and George Michael, the latter thought born in Baden, Sept. 5, 1695 and emigrated to America. He could well have been the father of our George Michael Eller, for he was a bit old to start his family in 1748. [The American Ellers apparently came from the Palatinate of Germany in the first half of the 18th century. The Pennsylvania Archives, 2nd Series, Vol 17, records the arrival of 13 Eller families who took the oath of allegiance between 30 Sep 1740 and 3 Nov 1772.] A Geo. Eller [age 20] emigrated on the ship 'St. Andrew,' and took his oath in Pennsylvania on Oct. 7, 1743 and [a George Michael Eller, apparently this same George Eller,] bought land he called 'Hammond Strife,' in Frederick County, Maryland. A Michael Eller aboard the ship Phoenix, took oath on September 30, 1743, and was on the tax list of Rowan Co. in N.C. in 1759. George Michael Eller, our ancestor, who may be the son or one of the above, was in Rowan County with Jacob, Christian and Melchoir Eller [Pitt book does not say location of the above three Ellers] at that same time and may have been there for a number years since his son Leonard said he was born at Fort Litters, N.C. in 1759. George Michael Eller bought land next to his brother Henry, in Frederick Co., MD in 1773, so he went back to Frederick County. His wife's name was Anna Marie and was the known mother of the last seven children, and may well have been Peter's and Leonard's mother. The Ellers of North Carolina have been connected with education since that state's earliest days. Academies in Virginia and North Carolina were started by Ellers and a list of the public school personnel today in N.C. is sprinkled with Ellers. [In 1790 there were 11 Eller families shown in the Rowan Co., NC census. At that time, members of the Eller family also were in Wilkes Co., NC and in Botetort Co., VA.] Children:
a. Peter, b. [1746/]1748 [possibly in Germany]; d. [bef] 29 Jul 1799 at Ashe Co., NC; m. [abt 1766/7 probably of Frederick Co, MD] Elizabeth Dick.
b. Leonard, b. 20 Mar 1752 at Ft. Litters [20 Mar 1754 probably in NC, possibly in Germany]; d. 1839, [probably] Hamilton Co., IN; m. Elizabeth Mast [Elizabeth ___].
c. Elizabeth, b. 1756; d. 1777; m. Henry Repp [10 Jun 1777 to Heinrich Reb, s/o Caspar Reb of Bucks Co., PA].
d. Jacob, b. 1758; d. 1830 [between 10 May 1830 and Oct 1830, Botetort Co., VA], m. Magdalena [___].
e. George, b. 1760 [d. probably abt 1839, Davidson Co., NC; m. Susannah [___].
f. John, b. 1762; m. [possibly] Catherine Fight [or Fort].
g. Eve, b. 1764.
h. Catherine, b. 1767; m. [probably 27 May 1788, Frederick Co., MD] Peter Lehman.
i. Maria, b. 1769."
9. FHL book 929.273 P684pn: "Graybill/Stoker/Eller/Smith/Koons/Pitt Connections," by Norman E. 'Gene' Pitt, 1996, pp. 119-123:
"George Michael Eller, b. 1722, probably Germany; d. Frederick Co., MD bef 25 Aug 1778; md. (1) to ___; md. (2) to Anna Marie ___. George apparently had a brother, Henry (d. 1788; md. to Elizabeth Bigler). George Michael is first found in the records 14 Apr 1773, when he was deeded 100 acres of land in Frederick Co. MD. this land was part of a 1230 acre tract called Hammond's Strife, located about 10 miles east of Frederick Town, Frederick Co., MD."
10. FHL Book 929.273EL54h "George Michael Eller and Descendants of His in America," compiled by James W. Hook, 1957, also on FHL film 896571, item 2, pp. 6-14:
"George Michael Eller died in Frederick County, Maryland before 25 Aug 1778 when his will, written in the German language and translated and put on record by Thomas Schley, was proved in the Frederick County court. The fact that his will was written in German indicates that he was born in Germany. No George Michael Eller is shown in any list of foreigners who took the Oath of Allegiance to the State of Pennsylvania between 1727 and 1775 nor in any other list of immigrants that this writer has seen. He may or may not have been the Michael Eller who came on the ship 'Phoenix' and took his oath 30 Sep 1743, or he may have been the George Eller, aged 20, who came on the ship 'St. Andrew' with Hans Georg Oehler, aged 43, both of whom took their oaths 7 Oct 1743. Or he may have come to America as a lad before 1727 before importee lists were kept and, of course, he may have been one of those immigrants whose name was lost in the mutilation of the 1727-1775 lists that occurred before they were gathered together and published by the State of Pennsylvania in Vol.17 of the second series of Pennsylvania Archives. Finally, he may not have landed in Pennsylvania at all but in Maryland which state kept no record of individual German importees.
William Eller, 1819-1894, son of John Eller and grandson of Leonard Eller and great-grandson of George Michael Eller wrote the following in a family Bible, published in 1880, and now owned by Mrs. Paul Joseph Harrop, 1613 W. Riverview Av., Dayton, Ohio: 'William Eller was born July 26, A.D. 1819 John Eller was mi father he was Born in Ashe County, North Carolina his father was Lenard Eller he was born in at fort (ford, fork) littors, North Carolina his father came from Bebon (Baden) Co. Germany in the year 1690.'
All parts of this Bible record are proved by public records except the birth place of Lenard (Leonard) Eller, the place (Bebon Co., Germany where Leonard's father was born and the date (1690)… Fort (ford, fork) Littors, North Carolina and Bebon Co., Germany have not been located at this writing by this writer and 1690 as the arrival date of the father of Lenard (Leonard) Eller, born in 1754 is not tenable. The date of 1690 would not have been unreasonable as the birth year of Leonard Eller's father and 1730 to 1745 as the time of his arrival in America. (Note by J.W.H. - Peter Eller, elder brother of Leonard Eller, lived on land described in the land grant as 'beginning at a spruce pine on the Upper Ford of Rones Creek.' Trading Ford on the Yadkin River was an early landmark in Rowan Co. It was located about 6 miles north east of the town of Salisbury, probably where the present road to Lexington crosses the Yadkin River near the fork of the two branches of the river. It is mentioned as early as 1701 and doubtless was on the primitive road called the 'Trading Path' down which many of the settlers traveled on their way to N.C. from PA and MD. Littors Fort (Ford, Fork) of above Bible record may be the same. At any rate, the river crossing of the road that runs from Salisbury to Lexington is very near the place where all the Ellers first settled in NC.)
The wife of George Michael Eller as given in his will was Anna Maria, but the way the will reads it is apparent that she was not his first wife and very likely not the mother of any of the children named in same. The will bore no date but was proved by its witnesses 25 Aug 1778. This writer suspects that it was written several years before his death. It reads as follows, (Will Book G.M., No. 1, p. 76, Frederick Co., MD):
'In the name of God amen. I George Michael Eller of Frederick County in the province of Maryland living, am for this time sik and not right well but in my sound memory thanks be given unto God therefore seeing my nullity, ordain herein my Last Will and Testament in full love. I recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it and my body to the earth, to be buried in a Christian like manner at the discretion of my Executors, my Executors shall in the first place pay out of my Estate all my just debts, and the overplus what the Lord gave me in this world I ordain as followith, my beloved wife, Anna Maria I give fifty pounds lawful Money, the small red cow with a white head, thirty bushels of wheat, her bed and her chest she bought (brought) to me, also the small and large Iron Potts, a half dozn peuter plates, one peuter basin, a dozn peuter spoons and a small melt pan, three iron kettles, a small washer tup a water tup and the churn, her spinnin wheel, her lamp, her Bible and Psal mody, one quart tin mog, and a pint do, on quart bottle, and every year fifteen pounds as long as they can live together also her clothing out of my Estate they can agree together, the aforesaid fifteen pounds to be paid to her in the first year only out of my whole estate, and if they can agree to live longer together, then the six younger children shall pay her the same by themselves out of my good consideration I caused to be right and is my last will and Testament that my oldest son Peter Eller, shall have the sum of 97 pounds lawful money, and my son Leonard Eller shall have the sum of 82 pounds and my daughter Elizabeth shall likewise have 82 pounds lawful money; and these said three children shall have that money three years after my decease then my two Executors, namely Henry Eller and Martin Gerber, shall be impowered to sell the Place, wagon and horses, all the creatures and moveables, and shall pay to my beloved wife her part of the same; and the overplus shall be divided by my Executors among my six youngest children namely, Jacob Eller, George Eller, John Eller, Eve Eller, Cathrine Eller and Maria Eller; further Jacob Eller shall have the Bible and to pay to George ten shillings, also shall Jacob have the young colt, if it mare bring the same luky. This is George Michael Eller his x mark and Seal X (Seal) Attested by John Bergers and Henry Schmaus (Smous) - John Bergers, Henry Smouse the above witnesses were sworn Frederick County, 25th August 1778. Then came the above Thomas Schley and made oath on the holy Evangelists of Almighty God, that the within and above writing is a just and true Translation to the best of his knowledge of the original Will of the above named George Michael Eller, which is written in the German language and that he hath not knowingly or intentionally translated any matter of substance contrary to the true meaning of said Will. Certified by George Murdock, Regr.'
The phrases in the above will pertaining to his wife and the things 'she brought to me' and the legacies to her that were made contingent on his six youngest children and her being able 'to live longer together,' indicates that she was not their mother. The name of his first wife was not found. The Evangelical Lutheran Church records of Frederick County, Maryland, records the baptism, on 8 Nov 1756, of Marie Magdalena Aller, daughter of Michael Aller and his wife Salome. (Evangelical Lutheran Church Records, p. 40, Maryland Hist. Soc.) This, doubtless, was another family because in the same year (1756) Carl Aller baptized a daughter Anna Barbara and in 1775 one Michael Aller was recorded as owing money to Mr. Hass, the same probably being for the church. (pp. 42 and 49 Ibid.)
If all facts were known they might show that George Michael Eller was married three times and that his first son Peter was a child by his first wife and all others by his second. Peter was a grown man with a wife and child as early as the late seventeen sixties. His brother, Leonard, was born 20 March 1754. Peter Eller was called 'my eldest son' in the George Michael Eller will and the latter's children, Jacob, George, John, Eve, Catherine and Maria, called 'my six youngest children,' were given the residue of the estate in equal shares. The son, Peter, was given 97 pounds and the son, Leonard, and daughter, Elizabeth, were given 82 pounds apiece. All of this adds up to the fact that Peter, Leonard and Elizabeth were his eldest children and that Peter probably was some years older than the other two, and, maybe, their half brother.
It would be sheer guesswork to give a name to George Michael Eller's first wife. His son, Peter, whose wife was Elizabeth, named his first daughter Catherine, doubtless in honor of his wife's mother whose name was Catherine. Miss Addie J. Stoker of Lovelock, Nevada and some other descendants of Peter and Elizabeth Eller say that this daughter's full name was Catherine Martha which, if true, could mean that Martha was in honor of her father's mother, the child thus bearing the name of her two grandmothers. No sound evidence, however, has been found to support this conjecture.
Tradition in the Eller families who descended from Peter and Elizabeth Eller of Wilkes and Ashe Counties, N.C. is that these Eller ancestors came from the Palatinate of Germany as German Baptist Brethren or Tunkers, sometimes called Dunkards. The North Carolina branch impressed by the similarity of their faith with that of the American Baptists whose church, in the late 18th century, was growing so rapidly in western North Carolina, flocked to that church in great numbers. By the end of the 19th century it would be difficult to find any Ellers in Wilkes and Ashe counties in North Carolina who were not Baptists. The same may also be said for their descendants in Iowa and Nebraska. The Eller family of Roanoke Co., Virginia, descendants, this writer believes, of George Michael Eller, are members of the Church of the Brethren some of them presently serving as pastors. [Kerry's note: the Virginia connection is contested by many modern researchers - for full discussion on this issue, see notes for Jacob Eller, son of George Michael Eller.]
The new church along with members of other sects who refused to join one of the three state religions, namely the Catholic, Evangelical Lutheran and German Reformed (Calvinists), that were given exclusive religious liberty by the treaty of Westphalia in 1648 which ended the 30 years' war, were notoriously persecuted and driven from place to place. In 1719 Peter Becker, one of the founder members of the German Baptist Brethren Church in Schwarzenau brought his church in Krefelt, Germany to Germantown, Pennsylvania. He was followed in 1729 by Alexander Mack who found going congregations at Wissahicton near Germantown, at Coventry in Chester Co. and at Conestoga some fifteen miles south of Lancaster, all in Pennsylvania. From these starting points the church spread to Conowego in York County and thence to Maryland including Pipe Creek in 1758 and Beaver Dam in 1762/3. The Pipe Creek Church, organized about 1758, was located, I believe, at Union Bridge in Carrol Co. about two miles northeast of the Eller farms. Beaver Dam Church, organized about 1762 was located, I believe, on Beaver Dam Creek and was still nearer to the Eller farms. The Annual Meeting of all Brethren Congregations in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia were held at Pipe Creek in 1778, 1783, 1787, 1799, 1804, 1814, 1830 and 1867. (See 'History of the German Baptist Brethren' by Martin Grove Brumbaugh, 1890 and 'History of the Church of the Brethren in Maryland' by J. Maurice Henry, 1936.) The exceedingly sparse records of the Conestoga Church show the following adult baptisms of new members which are pertinent to this genealogy. First, on 24 Apr 1748, Adam Dick and his wife, Odilga. Second, on 29 Mar 1752, Daniel Seiler. Third, on 26 Aug 1753, George Eder and wife, her name not given. It is possible that George Eder was the same as George Michael Eller. Fourth, on 14 Apr 1754, Henry Eler (sic) and wife, her name not given (Ibid). Very likely he was the Henry Eller who with George Michael Eller later acquired land called Hammond Strife on the waters of Little Pipe Creek in Frederick Co., MD. The records of the Conestoga Church from the Sept. 1755 to the year 1763 have not been found. (Ibid)
One of the churches that served the Pipe Creek and Beaver Dam Brethren may have been on a 4 acre tract of land described as a part of 'Browns Delight,' that, on 8 Oct. 1765, was deeded to the 'Dutch Congregation of Pipe Creek' by John Grider, (Garber). This land was located on the Clemson branch of Sam's Creek in Frederick Co., about two and a half miles southeast of the farms of George Michael and Henry Eller. If these nearby churches had made records that were now extant they, doubtless, would show George Michael Eller and Henry Eller as members. Neither is shown in the records of the Evangelical Lutheran or the German Reformed Churches of Frederick Co., MD except for the marriage of Elizabeth, daughter of George Michael Eller who is recorded in the Evangelical Lutheran Church as having married Henrich Reb, 10 Jun 1777. Very probably Reb was a member of the church.
Both the Evangelical Lutheran and the German Reformed Churches were organized early in Frederick County. Simon Kern, Michael Hoffner, Philip Kuntz and others, 'who built the church in the mountains,' declared their loyalty and faith on 31 Oct 1746 'when the Swedish Pastor, Mr. Nasman, was here.' (Evangelical Lutheran Church Records, page 490 at Md. Hist. Soc., Baltimore.) Apparently this was not the Frederick Town Church because that church was not built until 1761. (Frederick Co. Deed Books B, p. 574 and F, pp. 535-536.) The Reformed German Church was built about 1747-48. Thomas Schley (b. 1712; d. 1789) who brought a party of Germans to Maryland about 1740-45 and served as their teacher, interpreter and friend, was a member of this church and its organist for many years. He was an educated man and translated the wills of deceased Germans for the county records. One of the wills which translated was that of George Michael Eller shown above.
The Estate of George Michael Eller was settled by the executors Henry Eller and Michael Gerber, 26 Oct 1779. It was valued at 956 pounds, 15 shillings and 5 pence, a substantial sum for those early times. The widow received 50 pounds, the son, Peter Eller, 97 pounds, the son, Leonard and daughter, Elizabeth Reb, 82 pounds each and 'the youngest children, namely Jacob, George, John, Eve, Catherine and Maria' the balance, amounting to 645 pounds, 15 shillings and 5 pence, in equal portions.
George Michael Eller is first found in the records, 14 April 1773, when he was deeded 100 acres of land in Frederick Co., MD by Edward Gaither and his wife Eleanor. (Deed Book S, pp. 96-98, Frederick Co., MD) When he appeared, 17 Aug 1773, to pay his alienation fine his name was given as George Eller, the Michael being omitted. This land was a part of a tract called Hammond's Strife. Hammond Strife, containing 1230 acres, was patented to John Hammond 10 Aug 175
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Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy
Abt 1711 - Bef 1778 (~ 67 years)