Hedrick Family

 

Hedrick Family History

I have spent many years tracing my Hedrick line. For about 20 years I have been stuck at my second great grandfather Jacob J. Hedrick born about 1798 in Virginia. Through an obscure estate record found in the vertical files at the Marion Public Library in Grant County, Indiana, we find Jacob listed as an heir to John Headrick who died about October 1841 in Grant County. Although no relationship was given between the heirs and the deceased, it can be assumed that they were the children of John Headrick.

My previous research showed that John Headrick was the son of John and Susan (Horn) Hedrick; this information has been proven to be incorrect by a descendant of this particular John Headrick named Mike Sellers, who answered my guestbook posting about this family and provided proof that I was wrong. Sadly, due to the Rootsweb crash, I lost this information and his contact information.

After this bombshell several years ago, I sent a research request to the court house in Giles County, Virginia ago and got back a letter with some information detailed within and a few copies of various marriage records. The letter was in regards to a John Hedrick/Headrick who apparently owned a few hundred acres, more or less, in said county.

12 October 1814 John Hedrick purchased land from Daniel Towney and wife for $183 in Giles County, Virginia [Deed Book A pg. 460].

1822 John Headrick owned 125a & 200a on Sinking Creek and his residence was listed as "Giles Co."

1825 Land Taxes John Headrick living in Giles County owned 125 acres on Sinking Creek located in the eastern section of said county and another 200a adjoining that. Said land was about 17 miles east of the court house.

1825 Land Taxes listed the William Bane estate consisting of 145a on Doe Creek about 12 miles east of the court house.

1832 was listed same as above.

1835 Land Taxes John owned 135a & 200a on Sinking Creek but his residence was listed as "unknown".

In all the land and tax records for this early time period, John Hedrick/Headrick was the ONLY Hedrick listed as living in Giles County according to a courthouse researcher. It was surmised by said researcher that this John Headrick either died in 1835 or removed from the area. No estate papers were found for him in Giles County so it could be assumed that this John Headrick is the same man who came to settle in Grant County, Indiana by 1840.

Marriage records in Giles County exist for Jacob Hedrick to Mary Bane 7 November 1823, bondsman was William Bane; and a record for Elizabeth Hedrick to Joseph Mays 2 June 1823, bondsman was John Headrick. Interestingly enough, another marriage license piqued my curiosity now that I have typed all of this information in order, and that is the marriage of Abram Hedrick to Salley Tawney on 27 September 1814, bondsman was Daniel Tawney, just one month before John purchased his land from Daniel Towney. Maybe Abram is another son of John's?

According to a biography about Abraham Hedrick (1806-1894), he started out to Indiana in 1833; however, his brother's biography says that they were in Indiana by 1832 because Saulus Hedrick (1811-1888) helped to build the first court house in Grant County. Both biographies state that the men were sons of Jacob Hedrick of Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Abraham's bio says that his mother was Catherine Meese, so we know they were not sons of John Headrick of Giles County, but, they may have been his relatives (possibly even nephews) because it appears that they traveled to Indiana with John and his family, stopping along the way in Preble County, Ohio.

Both bios also state that the brothers migrated back and forth between Virginia and Indiana over the years; Abraham to visit his parents and siblings for short amounts of time and Saulus seems to have only traveled back home once in 1843 to procure a wife, whom he married in Pittsylvania County. Saulus' "visit" lasted several years as his first four children were born there.

An estate record found in the vertical files of the Marion Public Library tells us that a John Headrick died there sometime in or before October 1841 and that he left a widow named Mary, and several heirs:  Jacob Hedrick, John Hedrick, Mary Bane nee Hedrick, Ann Norman nee Hedrick, Charles Hedrick, David Hedrick, Elizabeth Mays nee Hedrick, and George P. Hedrick.

Located in the Lobdell-Hummel Cemetery in Grant County, Indiana is a tombstone for Maria Magdalena (Waggoner) Hedrick w/o John born 29 November 1778 died 4 January 1864; also buried in this cemetery was Abraham Hedrick and his wife, along with several of the heirs and descendants mentioned in the John Headrick estate paper.

According to a manuscript titled "Jacob Hedrick Genealogy and Related Families 1755-1973" by Marjorie (Williams) Cowherd, Jacob Hedrick was born c. 1772-73 in either Holland or Berks County, Pennsylvania. The story that was passed down to her was that he was born in Holland and came to Pennsylvania with his parents as a child. His parents lived in the upper Rhine Valley of Germany and had fled to Holland to await passage to America, arriving in Pennsylvania around 1770. This first statement obviously contradicts itself because Jacob could not have been born in Holland if the family arrived in Pennsylvania in 1770 and he was born in 1772 or later.

The 1790 census for Berks County listed only two Hedrick men, Henry Hedrich of Bern Township whose household consisted of 1 male, 1 female, and 3 males under 16 years of age and Peter Hedrich, also of Bern, whose household consisted of only himself and a wife (or other adult female). Henry owned 12 acres of land and one cow in 1767 Berks County according to Ms. Cowherd, therefore, he was not likely the father of Jacob unless her research on his immigration is incorrect. If, in fact, Jacob was from Berks then it stands to reason that Henry was most likely his father if the children in his household in 1790 were his biological children; unfortunately, we may never know the answer to that questions because the 1790 census did not itemize each member of the household.

This Jacob removed to Pittsylvania County, Virginia by 1794 along with his brother Capt. Phillip Hedrick and his family, and quite possibly other brothers or relatives. Further research by Ms. Cowherd states that Jacob was married at least once before his marriage to Catherine Mease/Meese in 1801 because he had a son named John who was listed in census records as being born around 1795 in Virginia.

Now, going back to a previous statement where Jacob and his brother Capt. Phillip Hedrick came to Virginia; it was stated that Phillip's bible is on display in Henry County, Indiana where he eventually settled. If this is so, then I doubt that Phillip was a brother to Jacob because he was over 20 years older than Jacob; while not impossible that he was a sibling, it doesn't seem likely.

 

So, if you have any suggestions, corrections, or leads, please feel free to email me.

 

Update 18 February 2019:

DNA has become a very useful took in genealogical research, and, for the Hedrick family, it is proving everything that was known WRONG!

All of the "presumed" children listed as heirs in the John Hedrick 1841 estate, have living descendants that I am genetically matching. Not only am I matching them, but so is my brother and my paternal aunt. As abovementioned, all of those people who just blindly copied the known research still refuse to believe that they may have something wrong. I'm open to be proven wrong, but, everything I am finding, confirms what I believe and disproves what I'm finding in these trees online.

The first problem is Elizabeth (Hedrick) Mays Ferguson. I've matched several descendants of the Ferguson line and many of them have her as John Hedrick & Mary Waggoner's daughter. However, there are a few people online who have her listed as the daughter of John Hedrick & Margaret Kile. Not only do they list her as their daughter, they also have an older daughter named Elizabeth listed in this family. While it's not impossible for there to be two daughters with the same name, it's unlikely that they would both be named the same and be living. Usually a name was recycled when a child died young, or, it could be a matter of Eliza and Elizabeth. But, these trees both say there are two daughters named Elizabeth. I think this is an indicator that these people have attached the wrong Elizabeth to this family and she belongs to my family.

None of these trees show a son named Jacob born to John & Margaret; therefore, in order for me to match to Elizabeth's descendants at the generation I match, she has to be John & Mary (Waggoner) Hedrick's daughter or we all have our trees wrong and there is yet another set of parents out there.

Another genetic match descends from George P. Hedrick but the father was listed as Henry Hedrick. Again, there was an heir to John 1841 that was named George P. Hedrick; therefore, either I'm wrong again and my Jacob is a son of this Henry, or, the other person is wrong and their ancestor is another sibling to my great-great grandfather Jacob J. Hedrick.

Then, today, my suspicions have been confirmed about Abram Hedrick who married Sallie Tawney; I'm a genetic match to someone who descends from this Abram/Abraham!!!! I have found another sibling to my great-great grandfather.

Right now, I'm waiting to hear back from another genetic match who descends from Charles Hedrick and Barbara Conrad. This couple has a son named John who could actually be my John 1841. It's possible this person has the wrong John attached to Charles and I might now know who my fourth great grandparents were! I have been stuck at Jacob J. Hedrick since day one; since 1997.

 

Update 6 October 2019

Looking at a few trees online, it's still possible that I am wrong, and my previous theory was correct, that my John Hedrick WAS the son of John Hedrick and Susan Horn. If other family trees are correct, then Charles Hedrick who was married to Barbara Conrad was a brother to John Hedrick married to Susan Horn.

However, I'm connected to people who descend from Charles Hedrick and not anyone who has John and Susan as a direct ancestor; I wish I had a better understanding of how to use DNA.

 

 

 

 

 

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Information on this site should be used as a guide, and should not be taken as factual and final.
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