Isle of Que
Will of Frederick Womelsdorf referencing Isle of Cue. ^
You know I am overly absorbed or even obsessed by genealogy but you learn cool things.
Most of us have heard of Conrad Weiser, the Indian Interpreter, in the mid 1700s, and his good friend
Chief Shikilemy. It is a legend, at least, that Chief Shikilemy gave an Island in the Susquehanna to his friend Weiser and it apparently was the Isle of Que. Weiser is our 6th great grandfather, whose son, Frederick, had a daughter, Anna Eva, who married Daniel Womelsdorf, and had a son Peter Womelsdorf, who had a daughter Rebecca Womelsdorf, who married Daniel Boyer Siegfried, who then had a son, Henry W. Siegfried, who married Barbara Alice Boyer (some type of relationship there, but not sure the connection to Daniel Boyer Siegfried) who had a child named Hattie Siegfried, who married Elmer Ellsworth Lines, who had a child named Anna May Lines. Following the connection here?
In my digs through documents I have found that Frederick had in his possession (found it in his will) an island in the Susquehanna, which I think he gave to his daughter, who gave it (or he just got it because they were married and property became the husbands back then) to her husband Daniel. I found in documentation that Daniel had “an island in the susquehanna above Harrisburg” which supposedly was given to him for his service during the Revolutionary war. That was in a genealogy book. I followed those leads and found that it was not a land bounty because his wife, Anna Eva and he, sold it to some people named Rupley (maybe- can't find the paper at the moment) or some such name, and that later, John, brother to Anna Eva, sold the rest of the island to the same people. (So it must have been a divided gift or bequest from Frederick to Anna and her brother John.)
Moving forward, I read in a newspaper article from 1943 (I have a subscription to Newspapers.com)
that the island was called Clemson Island, and I did some research on that, to discover that it was a
prehistory Native American site. So I thought that was a dead end. HOWEVER, I just today found another newspaper article from 1921 (see below) that explains the Weiser Shikilemy giving of the island, and the name of the island.
So I then did some research on the Island of Que and found this:
https://www.flipkey.com/selinsgrove-cottage-rentals/p984250/
It is not big enough for a reunion, sadly, but looks beautiful and wouldn't it be a kick to stay at a place that in some past time belonged to your ancestors?
I should turn this into a blog!
Love and hugs,
Me
OBVIOUSLY I decided to do just that and then I found these articles:
http://www.dailyitem.com/news/was-the-isle-of-que-really-isle-of-dead/article_56c05af5-5b05-5cbe-a67b-4a4e03946743.html
https://krichardsbrown.wordpress.com/tag/isle-of-que/
and this little piece; beautiful picture!
http://www.scenicusa.net/120412.html
and this
http://susquehannagreenway.org/isle-que
and this
http://selinsgrove.net/play/a-perfect-day-in-the-grove/
This one, interesting in itself, mentions fleetingly, Conrad Weiser.
http://www.srbc.net/pubinfo/techdocs/publication_229/native%20american%20report.pdf
This one has some great pics too.
http://jillgoes.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-isle-of-que.html
The will (above) is where I came across the mention of the island in the Susquehanna and was written in 1773, or at least that was the year Frederick died. Frederick was a very wealthy guy with many landholdings. However, wealthy is not everything. The interfamily animosity caused by the bickering and lawsuits of one family member to another only subsided in 1793. The children sued their mother and each other, although I think it was mostly the minor children at the time of their father's death that were really involved with the lawsuits. Anna Eva Womelsdorf (Frederick's daughter) was under 21 when her father died, but old enough to choose her own guardian. She married Daniel in 1774, the year after her father's death and I did not see her mentioned in the other papers regarding the will.
The will has such small writing that I read it in patches because it made my eyes hurt. However, re-reading it today, I have found a reference to the Isle of Cue (his spelling) which is close to the bottom and how he wanted the land sold by the executors of the will to the best advantage to be shared by all his children.
However it came about, I did find the mention of the sale from The Weiser family : a genealogy of the family of John Conrad Weiser, the elder (d. 1746) : prepared on the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of his arrival in America, 1710-1760. Manheim, Pa.: John Conrad Weiser Family Association, 1960 which mentions the Womelsdorf tract..
"John Weiser inherited certain land from his father, Frederick, in connecion with his brother, Conrad. One piece of 92 acres, half of a portion willed to them jointly, Conrad deeded to John, Jacob Seltzer, and John Keiser on Jan. 26, 1797. By then, however, both Conrad and John had left Berks County, John joining his brother-in-law Daniel Womelsdorf in East Penns borough, Cumberland County. On Feburary 27, 1792, Jacob and Maria Rupley deeded to the two jointly, a tract in the township, touching the Susquehanna River and the Connedoguinnet Creek. The following day they deeded two acres of this tract to the Rupley's. The remainder they divided, each possesing 122 acres. John held his share until April 23, 1802, when he sold to Abraham Neidig who had purchased the Womelsdorf part of the tract."
which is what I surmised was the Isle of Que but perhaps it is not.
When I find where I have filed the will of Frederick, I might do a blog on that and post the will itself. It is tough going, but very interesting. I have the printed page where he mentions the Isle of Cue and made it into a .pdf which I have posted above. See what I mean about the smallness?! Headache making!
The pages of the itinerary of his possessions, not including land, cover pages. The monetary measurement is the English pound, as in 1773 we were still a British colony. It includes items such as4 buckets, a sleigh, an old chest (imagine the age of that now), 2 iron potts, 10 geese, 22 hoggs, all the hay in the large barn, all the hay in the small barn, all the hay in the least barn, 1 brindled cow, and so much else, some of which I can not decipher. It is a kick, though.
Seeing his signature on the bottom of each page of the will gives me such a feeling of connection, as it does when I see papers with my parents writing on it. Oh, well, just one of my quirky foibles.
At any rate, I hope I don't wait six months before I post something new!
Hugs to all.
You know I am overly absorbed or even obsessed by genealogy but you learn cool things.
Most of us have heard of Conrad Weiser, the Indian Interpreter, in the mid 1700s, and his good friend
Chief Shikilemy. It is a legend, at least, that Chief Shikilemy gave an Island in the Susquehanna to his friend Weiser and it apparently was the Isle of Que. Weiser is our 6th great grandfather, whose son, Frederick, had a daughter, Anna Eva, who married Daniel Womelsdorf, and had a son Peter Womelsdorf, who had a daughter Rebecca Womelsdorf, who married Daniel Boyer Siegfried, who then had a son, Henry W. Siegfried, who married Barbara Alice Boyer (some type of relationship there, but not sure the connection to Daniel Boyer Siegfried) who had a child named Hattie Siegfried, who married Elmer Ellsworth Lines, who had a child named Anna May Lines. Following the connection here?
In my digs through documents I have found that Frederick had in his possession (found it in his will) an island in the Susquehanna, which I think he gave to his daughter, who gave it (or he just got it because they were married and property became the husbands back then) to her husband Daniel. I found in documentation that Daniel had “an island in the susquehanna above Harrisburg” which supposedly was given to him for his service during the Revolutionary war. That was in a genealogy book. I followed those leads and found that it was not a land bounty because his wife, Anna Eva and he, sold it to some people named Rupley (maybe- can't find the paper at the moment) or some such name, and that later, John, brother to Anna Eva, sold the rest of the island to the same people. (So it must have been a divided gift or bequest from Frederick to Anna and her brother John.)
Moving forward, I read in a newspaper article from 1943 (I have a subscription to Newspapers.com)
that the island was called Clemson Island, and I did some research on that, to discover that it was a
prehistory Native American site. So I thought that was a dead end. HOWEVER, I just today found another newspaper article from 1921 (see below) that explains the Weiser Shikilemy giving of the island, and the name of the island.
So I then did some research on the Island of Que and found this:
https://www.flipkey.com/selinsgrove-cottage-rentals/p984250/
It is not big enough for a reunion, sadly, but looks beautiful and wouldn't it be a kick to stay at a place that in some past time belonged to your ancestors?
I should turn this into a blog!
Love and hugs,
Me
OBVIOUSLY I decided to do just that and then I found these articles:
http://www.dailyitem.com/news/was-the-isle-of-que-really-isle-of-dead/article_56c05af5-5b05-5cbe-a67b-4a4e03946743.html
https://krichardsbrown.wordpress.com/tag/isle-of-que/
and this little piece; beautiful picture!
http://www.scenicusa.net/120412.html
and this
http://susquehannagreenway.org/isle-que
and this
http://selinsgrove.net/play/a-perfect-day-in-the-grove/
This one, interesting in itself, mentions fleetingly, Conrad Weiser.
http://www.srbc.net/pubinfo/techdocs/publication_229/native%20american%20report.pdf
This one has some great pics too.
http://jillgoes.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-isle-of-que.html
The will (above) is where I came across the mention of the island in the Susquehanna and was written in 1773, or at least that was the year Frederick died. Frederick was a very wealthy guy with many landholdings. However, wealthy is not everything. The interfamily animosity caused by the bickering and lawsuits of one family member to another only subsided in 1793. The children sued their mother and each other, although I think it was mostly the minor children at the time of their father's death that were really involved with the lawsuits. Anna Eva Womelsdorf (Frederick's daughter) was under 21 when her father died, but old enough to choose her own guardian. She married Daniel in 1774, the year after her father's death and I did not see her mentioned in the other papers regarding the will.
The will has such small writing that I read it in patches because it made my eyes hurt. However, re-reading it today, I have found a reference to the Isle of Cue (his spelling) which is close to the bottom and how he wanted the land sold by the executors of the will to the best advantage to be shared by all his children.
However it came about, I did find the mention of the sale from The Weiser family : a genealogy of the family of John Conrad Weiser, the elder (d. 1746) : prepared on the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of his arrival in America, 1710-1760. Manheim, Pa.: John Conrad Weiser Family Association, 1960 which mentions the Womelsdorf tract..
"John Weiser inherited certain land from his father, Frederick, in connecion with his brother, Conrad. One piece of 92 acres, half of a portion willed to them jointly, Conrad deeded to John, Jacob Seltzer, and John Keiser on Jan. 26, 1797. By then, however, both Conrad and John had left Berks County, John joining his brother-in-law Daniel Womelsdorf in East Penns borough, Cumberland County. On Feburary 27, 1792, Jacob and Maria Rupley deeded to the two jointly, a tract in the township, touching the Susquehanna River and the Connedoguinnet Creek. The following day they deeded two acres of this tract to the Rupley's. The remainder they divided, each possesing 122 acres. John held his share until April 23, 1802, when he sold to Abraham Neidig who had purchased the Womelsdorf part of the tract."
which is what I surmised was the Isle of Que but perhaps it is not.
When I find where I have filed the will of Frederick, I might do a blog on that and post the will itself. It is tough going, but very interesting. I have the printed page where he mentions the Isle of Cue and made it into a .pdf which I have posted above. See what I mean about the smallness?! Headache making!
The pages of the itinerary of his possessions, not including land, cover pages. The monetary measurement is the English pound, as in 1773 we were still a British colony. It includes items such as4 buckets, a sleigh, an old chest (imagine the age of that now), 2 iron potts, 10 geese, 22 hoggs, all the hay in the large barn, all the hay in the small barn, all the hay in the least barn, 1 brindled cow, and so much else, some of which I can not decipher. It is a kick, though.
Seeing his signature on the bottom of each page of the will gives me such a feeling of connection, as it does when I see papers with my parents writing on it. Oh, well, just one of my quirky foibles.
At any rate, I hope I don't wait six months before I post something new!
Hugs to all.