Susannah Harpole

Notes:

Twin.

1738-Nicholas arrived as a child in Philadelphia with his mother and young brothers aboard the British belinder (two-masted ship) the "Thistle." It should be noted that on disembarkation in the new world his age was thought to have been recorded in Philadelphia as "8" on the ship's captain's list. Later evidence suggests that this was probably a misreading by the transcriber of the numeral "3" in the perhaps poorly written original record held in the archives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is much more likely Nicholas was in fact three years old. (From "Harpole Cousins"). His family name was spelt both as Herbolt and Herbold by transcribers of the original ship's list. The family name was probably written either as Herboldt, Harpoldt or Harbold in the German script. It is also probable that the spelling had not been standardized in German written form by 1730. It would probably have been vocalised by native German speakers as Hairbolt (emphasis on hair) to the English speaking ear. It should be noted that in German "b" and "p" were used interchangeably both at the beginning and in the middle of words.

It is probably that the family stayed in the Philadelphia area. The assumed remarriage of Anna Herboldt ca 1740 and marriage of Nicholas ca 1754 should be researched at the local parishes. It is probable that Nicholas went to a German church school, and it is almost certain that he was fluent in English by the time he moved to Virginia.

It is noticeble that Nicholas does not appear to have been involved in the hostilities of the French and Indian War (1754-1763). If he had been a soldier in the Virginia Militia, he would have been. This suggests he did not arrive to Virginia until after 1763. Indeed, He was involved in a lawsuit that same year (Peter Steenberger vs. Nicholas Harbold--Defendant [living] on [the valley of the] South Branch [of the Potomoc], [and in this lawsuit it was indicated that he was] not [a resident] in this County [of Augusta, West Virginia as of February 1763]. However, according to the book A HISTORY OF PENDELTON COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA (1910) by Oren Morton, Nicholas Harpole (age 28) moved to the frontier in what was then Augusta County, Virginia in 1763. {Augusta County, (West) Virginia Court Judgements}.

The following land transactions were also recorded: "Same to Nicholas Harpole, $15, 195 acres, on Mill Creek [This creek was a branch of the South Branch of the Potomoc River. It was an area later to be located in the jurisdiction of Hampshire County] as above, &c. [dated 24th May 1763] Delivered Nicholas Harpole, October, 1766 {Augusta Co Deed Book 11, pg 458}

"Nicholas Harplore (sic), Paul Shaver and Jacob Wees, to view road on North Mill Creek from the Upper Tract to the County line below Jacob Peterson [dated March 21, 1765]. {Augusta Co, (West) Virginia Court Records. Order Book IX , page 251}.

"[195 acres, on Mill Creek] Delivered Nicholas Harpole, October, 1766. {Augusta Co, (West) Virginia Deed Book 11, pg 458}.

In 1767 Processioners (an Episocopal Church position) appointed, viz; ... .... Nicholas Harpole and Martin Peterson on North Mill Creek... ... (Augusta Parish Vestry Book, page 429.)

1772-George Fult's (Foltz) will--To wife Catherine Barbara, .... etc. ....Teste: Adam Loff, Adam Harpole, Nicholas Oswedy. Proved, 16 March 1773 (written in the "German Tong" and translated by Anthony Ayler) by Adam Lock and Adam Harpole. Widow Catherine Barbara qualified with Nicholas Harpole, Adam Lock." (Chalkley, Lyman (1912) Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County 1745-1800 (Published in three volumes) Vol 1, page 173.)

1773--Nicholas Butcher's bond (with John Poage, Nicholas Harpole) as administrator of Valentine Mischoris Butcher [dated 16 March 1773]. (Augusta County, (West) Virginia Will Book No, V, pg. 47).

1773--Nicholas Harpole qualifies (to act as an) Ensign (on 17 August 1773). An ensign was a commisioned officer in the Augusta county Colonial Militia. The rank was between a second Lieutenant and Cornet. The entry in the Court minutes records him, in effect, taking the requiste oath of office to the Crown. (Chalkley, Vol 1, page 173).

1774--On petition of John Hopkins, Samuel Moral, Peter Vaminon, Michael Wolf, John Gordon, and Nicholas Harpole--to view a road from the widow Moses's to Gabriel Cock's (dated 18 May 1774). (Augusta County, (West) Virginia, Court Records. Order Book No. XV, page 471)

--[Adam Harpole] Volunteered [in Lord Dunmore's War] in August, 1774 under Capt. John Skidmore, Lieut Robert Davis and Ensign Nicholas Harpole (his father or uncle?) in Augusta County, Virginia; marched from there to Kanahay (Kanawah River, now in West Virginia) to a place called Point Pleasant where he met the Indians and had a battle [on 10 October] in which we were successful. We were about 1,500 [militia men]....we had about 80 killed and wounded. Thence to near the town of Chillicothe and peace being made with the Indians we were marched home....[Adam] served on this tour something more than three months....[Adam Harpole (?) Revolutionary War Application No. 4632 held at the National Archives] Presumably Nicholas Harpole served about the same length of time as his close relative, Adam Harpole, recounted that he had served. Nicholas' name has not yet been found on militia lists of this period.

1775--There is no record of Nicholas Harpole, now forty years old, serving in any rank as a Revolutionary War soldier between the years 1775 and 1783. [Gwathmey, John H. (1938) HISTORICAL REGISTER OF VIRGINIANS IN THE REVOLUTION---SOLDIERS, SAILORS, MARINES 1775-1783

This is in stark contrast to his son, Solomon's, maternal uncle-in-law, Nicholas Harper, also born in Germany; who lived locally and was the same age. Many German colonists were loyalists. Clearly, Nicholas Harper did not fit this category. Nicholas's son (or nephew) Adam was later refused a revolutionary war pension as he could not prove six months continuous service.

1776-Nicholas Harpole and Adam Lock, securities for Barbara Oldham, widow and administratix of George Fultz, but now wife of John Oldham, demand counter security [Augusta County, (West) Virginia, Court Records, Order Book No. XVI, page 101]

1782-Nicholas Warpole (sic) [made a successful claim for financial compensation, recorded at the Rockingham County Courthouse for two impressed bullocks, dated Monday 23rd September 1782. Mathias Dice, both spelled correctly and incorrectly and on the same list in another place totally incorrectly, is listed a number of times just below. Mathias' daughter, Anna Christina, was to marry Nicholas Harpole thirteen year old son, Solomon, nine years later and lived nearby. Also listed near Nicholas as claiments are the Harpers, Jacob and Philip; Anna Christina Dice's uncles. The DAR records that Nicholas Harpole had provided patriotic (as opposed to military) service in Virginia. Presumably this was the service so described. [Abercrombie, Janice L & Slatten, Richard (c. 1980) VIRGINIA PUBLICK CLAIMS, 3 Vols.---Vol 1 reference to Rockingham County Court Revolutionary War Public Service Claims Booklet dated 29 August 1782)

1786-A Nicholas Harpole paid tax in Hardy Co, (West) Virginia [Fotherfill, Augusta B. and Naugle, John Mark (1940) VIRGINIA TAX PAYERS 1782-87] The parent county of Hardy was Hampshire, in turn Hardy's parent count was Augusta. Could this have been a reference to a namesake son of Nicholas?

1794-Nicholas Harpole purchased 19 acres on Mill Creek in Pendelton Co, (West) Virginia in 1794 [Pendelton County, West Virginia, Deed Books Vol 1, page 115] Might this also have been a namesake son instead of 64 year old Nicholas?

1800-Death of Nicholas Harpole in Virginia [Harpole, Belma Carroll & Agnes S. (1986) HARPOLE COUSINS-THE HARPOLE-HARPOLD-HARPOOL FAMILIES IN AMERICA West Point, Mass (privately published)]

Nicholas married Margaret ??? about 1754 in Pennsylvania. Margaret was born after 1735; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Said to be the son of Hans Adam and Eva Catherina Herboldt.

Baden was a small principality on the river Rhine beside the Palatine; this area was later to become part of the heart of modern Germany. Hans Adam Herboldt is not recorded arriving in Philadelphia with his young family, which means that he may have died prior to the date of their emigration. No records have been found of him in the New World. The family was almost certainly Protestant.

Hans married Anna Barbara Barball about 1724 in Germany. Anna was born about 1709 in Germany; died about 1769 in Pennsylvania. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mrs Anna Barbara Harpole and her family arrived in Philadelphia on Oct. 28th, 1738. She was a twenty-nine year old Protestant widow with five young sons. They arrived aboard the bilander Thistle of Philadelphia. George Houston was the captain. The ship had sailed from Rotterdam, Netherlands, via Cowes, England. This was because only British ships were permitted to land at American ports of the period. The passengers imported on this voyage consisted of forty-two men, thirty-six boys, forty-one women and twenty-three girls. A total of 142 passengers.2 3

A bilander was a two masted vessel and its distinguishing feature was the large trapezoidal mainsail, the forward end of which came as far forward as the middle of the ship. Steerage passengers were densely packed, often with poor food and bad water. Disease was commonplace. Christopher Sauer, a German printer in Philadelphia, mentioned in a letter, in that same year of 1738, that 2,000 Germans had just died of a "pest" on immigrant ships. No doubt this was an exaggeration, Sauer was crusading on behalf of the German immigrants; but we can be sure there was some truth in his assertion.

Upon arrival in Philadelphia, Anna, as head of the family, was probably immediately marched under guard to the Court House where she was required to swear the Oath of Allegiance to the Protestant King George the Second and explicitly state her refusal to give any allegiance to the former Catholic King James, or any of his heirs. She was then taken back to the Thistle.

Afterwards Anna would have been free to leave the vessel if she had enough passage money. If she did not, she was consigned, along with others in that sorry state, to a merchant. An advertisment would have been printed in a Philadelphia newspaper. Buyers would have bargained with her for a stated period of her domestic or other service. After the Indenture, her sworn and witnessed agreement, was signed by her. The buyer would have paid the merchant her passage money and any other debts that she owed to the Captain. The buyer then received the servant in exchange. Families were often divided at this point, the able-bodied children being "sold" into temporary servitude to pay the family's passage.

What precisely happened in the Herboldt family's case is currently unknown. Nicholas, we can be reasonably certain, was too young to be separated. Anna must have found some immediate employment. It is at least possible that she had a contact in the New World and some money before she made the fateful decision to take her young family across the Atlantic. The probability is that Anna made the transition successfully as we know that her son Hans was later apprenticed to a brickmaker.

1782 - A "Widow Harple" of New Hanover Township, County of Philadelphia, was assessed for ?0.18.9 being her annual effective supply tax. Her total valuation was listed as ?150.4

1783 - A "Widow Harple" of New Hanover Township, County of Philadelphia, was listed as possessing 85 acres but no horses, cattle, sheep or negroes for her annual Federal tax assessment.5

1790 - A "Widow Harple" was living in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania with, presumably, her five children all under sixteen; three girls and two boys. Census 1790

A John Harple of Montgomery county, PA, [born 1752] is listed as a Pennsylvanian [Military] Pensioner, [former rank of] pr[ivate in the] P[ennsylvanian] L[ine, pension payments were activated on] March 1 1821[when he reached the age of 69]; [he then] d[ied on] June 22, 1832, [at the age of] 80.6 Square here brackets denote assumptions.

Harple, John, Pa., Mary/Maria/Maricha, W3138 7 These papers would be available.



Sources
1. Harpole, Belma Carroll & Agnes S. (1986) Harpole Cousins - The Harpole-Harpold-Harpool Families in America West Point Miss.(privately published)
2. Strassburger, R. B. & Hinke, W.J. (1934) Pennsylvania German Pioneers Vol 1
(List 63 A) A List of Palatinate Passenger's Names
3. Rupp, I. Daniel 1876 (rp.1965) A Collection of Upwards of Thirty Thousand Names of German, Swiss, Dutch, French and other Immigrants in Pennsylvania from 1727 to 1776 etc.
4. Montgomery, Thomas Lynch edit. (1906) Pennsylvanian Archives Harrisburg Publishing Company:Harrisburg PA Third Series Vol. 16 page 259.
5. Montgomery, Thomas Lynch edit. (1906) Pennsylvanian Archives Harrisburg Publishing Company:Harrisburg PA Third Series Vol. 16 page 624.
6. Montgomery, Thomas Lynch edit. (1906) Pennsylvanian Archives Harrisburg Publishing Company:Harrisburg PA Third Series Vol. 23 page 512.
7. Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications in the National Archives (1976)
8. Harpold, William Cody Rev. (1986) Correspondence with B. C. & Agnes S. Harpole
quoting genealogist
Cornelia Schrader-Muggenthaler, Heimeranstrabe 2, 8000 Munchen 2, Germany

Courtesy of
Kenneth C. Harvey
iconoclast@truvista.net