| Peter > Schubach > Fruth> Souder > Hicks (H6a1a) | |||||||||
| Kit # 508696. Eva Maria Peter, b. 1762 Beindersheim, Pfalz, Germany, d. 1823 Germany + Johannes "Jakob"Schubach 1790 > Maria Margaretha Schubach b.c. 1802, Germany, d. 1851 Seneca County, OH + Johannes "Georg" Fruth, III, 1818 > Sybilla M. Fruth b. 1839 Seneca County, OH, d. 1908 Cherokee Co, KS + George Frederick Souder 1858 in OH > Louise M. "Lucy" Souder b. 1959 OH, d. 1908 Cherokee County, KS + E. C. Hicks in 1881 | rHVR1 Haplogroup | H5 | |||||||
| HVR1 Mutations | 16362C | ||||||||
| 16482G | |||||||||
| HVR2 Mutations | 239C | ||||||||
| 263G | |||||||||
| 309.1C | |||||||||
| 309.2C | |||||||||
| 315.1C | |||||||||
Peter > Schubach > Fruth> Souder > Hicks (H6a1a)
Generation 1: Eva Maria Peter was born 12 April 1762 in Beindersheim, Pfalz (often translated as Palatine), Germany, the daughter of Johann Peter, Jr., and his wife. Eva Maria married Johannes "Jakob" Schubach on 5 January 1790 in Beindersheim, and she died on 13 January 1823 in Beindersheim. (A closer inspection of Beindersheim records Eva Maria Peter was the daughter of Johannes Peter and Anna Maria Diehl).
Generation 2: Maria Margaretha Schubach, born ca. 1802, was the daughter of Eva Maria Peter and Johannes Jakob Schubach. On 12 February 1828 Maria Margaretha married Johannes "Georg" Fruth, III, descendant of Hans Martin Fruth, born ca. 1650, for whom records can be found beginning in the late 1600’s in Beindersheim, Germany.
The marriage of Maria Margaretha to Johannes "Georg" Fruth, III, was recorded in Evangelisch-Lutherische, Heuchelheim, Frankenthal, Pfalz, Bavaria, and following is the civil court record that shows not only the importance of marriage and the extended family, but also the German proclivity for thorough record keeping:
1828 Marriage
Maria Margaretha Schubach and Johannes Georg Fruth
In the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight, on the 12th of February, at one o’clock in the afternoon, there appeared before me, John Nagel, mayor of the community of Beindersheim, Kanton and Landkommissariat at Frankenthal, Royal Bavarian Rhine-District, in order to contract a marriage: Firstly Georg Fruth, single, twenty-nine years and four months old, a small farmer residing here, son of Georg Fruth and Anna Maria nee Fruth, also small farmers residing here; secondly Maria Margaretha Schubach, single, twenty-four years and one month old, without special occupation, residing here, daughter of Jakob Schubach, a small farmer here, and of Eva Maria nee Peter, deceased.
The two requested me to proceed with the celebration of their matrimonial union, the announcement of which had taken place at the main entrance of the town center, the first one on January 27 at eleven o’clock in the morning, the second one on February 3 at the same hour.
After this, the future spouses presented to me their respective birth certificates and a death certificate, which I will attach to the present paper, and since there was no legal objection made to this marriage, I complied with their request after the documents mentioned above and the sixth chapter of the Civil Code of Laws had been read to them. I accordingly asked the future spouses if they wanted to marry each other as man and wife, whereupon each one individually answered with yes.
I therefore declare in the name of the law that Georg Fruth and Maria Margaretha Schubach are joined in marriage.
To certify that, I drew up this document in the presence of Heinrich Fruth, IV, forty-two years old, and Franz Fruth, III, thirty-two years old. The former is related to the groomsman in the first degree, and the latter in the third degree; Abraham Peter, II, forty-four years old, and Abraham Schubach, twenty-six years old. The third witness is related to the wife in the third degree and the fourth one is related to her in the first degree. All of them are living and residing in Beindersheim today.
After the document was read to the witnesses, they signed it and the contracting parts together with me.
*The original of the above document was hand copied from old German script into modern German by our cousin Charlotte Fruth Esswein of Germany, and translated from modern German into English by Wallace Souder in 1977.
Mention should be made regarding the repetitive naming patterns of German children. Marriage and baptism records have been extracted and published for the Beindersheim region, and there were 230 records extracted for the Fruth family from Evangelical Church records of Frankenthal, Heuchelheim,* Pfalz, Germany. Of these 230 Fruth entries, there were 49 entries for a female named Margaretha Fruth, and 20 entries for a female named Sybilla Fruth. It should be noted that a child was almost always called by his or her middle name.
The Peter and Fruth families have been extensively studied by Herr Wilhelm Schardon, family historian of Beindersheim, Germany, and Dr. Arta Fruth Johnson (1921-2001), professor of Languages at the University of Ohio. Herr Schardon and Dr. Fruth made extensive genealogy descendant charts for all the early families living in the region of Beindersheim. Although these two researchers had charts for many of the Beindersheim families, this author requested only the Fruth chart when she was researching in the mid-1980’s.
By today’s standards, there was an exceptionally high degree of intermarriage among relatives in the Pfalz region of Germany. Fruth cousins in Germany were aware of this and told the Souders that the purpose of the custom was to consolidate farms and wealth within the family.
In the case of Maria Margaretha Schubach and Johannes Georg Fruth, the parents of the groom were first cousins. Further, the bride, Maria Margaretha Schubach, was Georg Fruth’s second cousin once removed through his father's side, and was also his third cousin once removed through his mother's side.
The first three children of Maria Margaretha and Georg Fruth died in infancy. Evangelical Church Records in Beindersheim show the following:
These painful losses, as well as difficult financial times, may have prompted Georg and Maria Margaretha Fruth to leave Germany and join relatives who had previously immigrated to Ohio. On 6 August 1833 Georg and Maria Margaretha Fruth departed Beindersheim for New York and continued their journey to Seneca County, OH. A record of their departure can be found under the annotation of "Emigrants to America from Beindersheim, situated near Frankenthal, south of Worms in the Rhineland-Palatinate: This account covers 100 departures during the 19th century, with considerable information on the families." The bibliographical source was SCHARDON, WILHELM. "Auswanderer aus Beindersheim nach Amerika. In Pfaelzisch-Rheinische Familienkunde: Pfaelzische Familien- und Wappenkunde (Mitteilungen zur Wanderungsgeschichte der Pfaelzer," no. 2, 1977), vol. 8:11 (Aug. 1977), pp. 467-472.
After their arrival in 1833 and up until 1839, there are no records of children born to Maria Margaretha Schubach and Johannes Georg Fruth, but family historians suspect that during this time they had additional children who died.
Finally, beginning in 1839, while living in Seneca County, OH, Georg and Maria Margaretha Fruth had three children who survived:
In the German language the "th" combination is a hard sound, and pronounced like the English word "fruit." Also, it was common for all German persons to be known by their middle names.
The 1840 census for Seneca County, OH, shows the household of George FRUIT, age 40-50, and wife (Margaretha Schubach), age 30-40, with a young son and daughter. Their household was only two households away from that of Jacob FRUIT and his wife (Elizabetha Peter), both, age 50-60, and five if their children. Jacob and Elizabetha immigrated in 1830 and were also listed on Wilhelm Schardon’s records of emigrants from Beindersheim. (This couple was Johann "Jacob" Fruth and wife Susannah "Elizabetha" Peter, who had married in 1812 in Beindersheim, and although this latter family was related in multiple ways to George and Margaretha Schubach Fruth, their precise relationships have not been determined by this researcher).
On the 1850 census George FRUIT, age 53, and wife Margaret, age 47, were enumerated in Louden Township, Seneca County, OH, with their three living children. George owned a farm valued at $800 in Louden Township, and two households away was a young family headed by a likely kinsman, Abram Peters, age 26 and born in Germany.
The Fruth and Souder families worshiped in a rural church in Louden Township with other members who were from Germany. The church was begun in 1833 by Jacob Fruth, George Fruth, and Jacob Heiserman, among others. It was first called "The Dwelling House," and then "The Fruth School." In 1851 John Cramer donated one acre for the frame building and cemetery, and later a large brick church was erected on the site.
The name of the church changed several times throughout the years. In 1900 the name changed to "The St. John Evangelical and Reformed Church," and in 1910 it changed to "The United Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed Church." In 1934 the name changed to St. John’s Evangelical and Reformed Church, and in 1957 the church united with the Congregational Church, to become known as the St. John United Church of Christ.
Maria Margaretha Schubach Fruth was the first person buried in the church cemetery. This cemetery is interesting in that in the older part of the cemetery persons were buried in the order of their deaths, not beside their relatives. Maria's tombstone says Mary M. Fruth, wife of J. G., d. July 9, 1851, age 50 y, 7 m, 22 d. Johannes Georg Fruth is six graves away. His says John G. Fruth, d. Apr. 24, 1859, 60 y, 6 m, 26 d.
Generation 3: Sybilla M. Fruth, born 12 February 1839 in Seneca County, OH, married George Frederick Souder on 3 June 1858 in Tiffin, Seneca County, OH. The language spoken in the homes of both sets of their parents was German, and they later learned English. Sybilla and George were the parents of seven known children, with four of them dying in their youth. The four children who died were William (age 3), Adam (age 15), George (age 10), and Anna (age 6). Their living children were:
A lengthy biography of the husband of Sybilla M. Fruth (George F. Souder) was published in "History of Cherokee County, KS, and Representative Citizens," edited & compiled by Nathaniel Thompson Allison, Columbus, Kansas, Biographical Publishing Company, Chicago, 1904, and a portion is extracted below:
GEORGE F. SOUDER, a farmer residing in section 6, in Salamanca township, is one of the very oldest settlers of Cherokee County, and a gentleman whose influence has been powerful in molding her institutions. Mr. Souder is a "Buckeye" by birth, having been born in Fairfield County, Ohio, on March 14, 1839.
The subject of this sketch was reared for the most part in Fort Ball, now known as Tiffin, Ohio. He received a common school education, and remained at home until his marriage, in Tiffin, to the lady who has been his faithful companion and helpmate, Sybilla Fruth. Mrs. Souder is a native of Seneca County, Ohio, and is a daughter of George and Margaret (Shubach) Fruth, natives of Germany. Soon after their marriage, Mr. And Mrs. Fruth removed to Seneca County; they are now deceased; a daughter is still living at the old homestead. Mr. Souder followed farming in Ohio with good success, owning at different times several farms, all of which were improved and sold to advantage. He served the government for a time during the (Civil) war, in the barracks at Lima, Ohio, but was not in service in the field. Since coming to Kansas, he has devoted himself exclusively to farming. He is not one of those that fear the recurrence of drought, holding that wet weather has done Kansas more damage than the lack of moisture.
It was on May, '69, when Mr. Souder, accompanied by a Mr. Tice and another gentleman, drove up to the town-site of Columbus, having made the trip from Tipton, Missouri. They were in search of a place to locate, and after some figuring with Hannibal Scovel, one of the two merchants then at that point, Mr. Souder purchased his stock, together with the northeast quarter of the section upon which the town-site was located, the geographical center of the county being the southwest comer of this quarter. The purchase price of the goods and land was about $1,500. The location of the building was about the center of the west side of the square.
Mr. Souder conducted the store for a time, and then sold out. The land he cultivated for about six years, building a house and improving it otherwise. In 1875 he traded the farm for the one he now owns. When this came into his possession, it had a small house of four rooms and a bit of orchard, and but four acres of it were broken out. This was a little better than virgin prairie, so that the splendid farm he now owns is the product of his labor and intelligent management. Besides the quarter section, he has an 80-acre tract adjoining, and in Ross Township he also owns a tract of 225 acres. About four years ago, Mr. Souder built the large and modernly appointed house in which the family now resides, the whole constituting one of the best farm properties of the county.
The above constitutes a brief review of one of Cherokee County's best families. Mr. Souder takes little part in politics; he is a Populist, in principle, but reserves the right to vote independently. He belongs to the German Evangelical Church. The esteem in which he and his family are held throughout the county is universal.
One of his favorite funny stories that George liked to tell was that for a time he was also the county marshal. He took a prisoner from Columbus, the county seat of Cherokee County, to the jail at Ft. Scott, in Bourbon County. The man was put in jail at Ft. Scott, but after George left, the prisoner escaped, stole a horse, and beat George back to Columbus! Another venture of George Souder’s was beginning a mining operation in Cherokee County.
Sybilla died at their farm on 12 July 1908 in Cherokee County, KS, and George had a very large tombstone erected for their graves in the Park Cemetery in Columbus, KS. He had an expensive photograph taken of himself standing beside Sybilla’s grave so he could send copies to their relatives back in Ohio. George Souder died on 2 March 1917.
Death of Mrs. Geo. F. Souders (sic)
Mrs. George F. Souders died at her home northwest of town at 11:40 a.m. on Sunday, after an extended illness of 18 months, age 69 years. She and Mr. Souders were married 50 years ago the 3rd of June, at Tiffin, Oh., and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in St. Louis where Mr. Souders had taken her for treatment, hoping that the specialists of that city could aid her, but it was not to be.
Mrs. Soders (sic) said her husband came to the place where Columbus now stands in 1867.
Three children survive her, Mrs. Lucy M. Hicks, wife of E. C. Hicks, Wm. H. Souder and Chas. A. Souder, all of whom are married but reside nearby.
The funeral was held from the family residence at 1 p.m. Tuesday, conducted by the Rev. Naffziger.
The Modern Light, Thursday, July 16, 1908, page 1, Columbus, Cherokee County, KS.
OBITUARIES
At 11 o’clock Sunday forenoon Mrs. George Souder died at the home in Salamanca township at the age of 69 years. She was a most estimable woman who will be mourned by all who knew her. She was among the first settlers, their first home having been on the "quarter" where east of town now stands, they having located there in 1867 before the town of Columbus was thought of. About 1874 they moved to the present home in Salamanca township, which grew to be one of the best known places of the county, and where, surrounded by her husband and children, she peacefully passes away, and where in the shade of forest trees she had tenderly cared for, her funeral service will be held at 1 o’clock Tuesday afternoon, conducted by Rev. John Naffziger. In early life she had been an active member of the Lutheran church, and had never transferred it. To George Souder, the good man who survives her, and to her sons, William H. and Charles A Souder, and to the daughter, Mrs. Lucy M. Hicks, deep sympathy is given in their loss.
The Columbus (KS) Weekly Advocate, Thursday, July 16, 1908, page 7.
SALAMANCA NEWS
In the death of Mrs. Sibylla Souders (sic), wife of George Souders (sic), Salamana loses one of its oldest and best citizens, but keeps the memory of her kindly name and her example. The principles of right that she has instilled into the minds of her children will never die, but go on and on through endless time. Her influence for the best in life was felt by all who knew her.
The Columbus (KS) Weekly Advocate, Thursday, July 16, 1908.
GEORGE F. SOUDER DEAD
End Came at Home of Son, Charles Souder
George F. Souder, aged 78 years, 11 months and 16 days, died at the home of his son, Charles Souder, 5 miles northwest of Columbus, Friday morning at 9:00 o'clock. He had been ailing from a complication of diseases for more than a year. This, coupled with his advanced age, was cause of death.
Mr. Souder was one of the county's old settlers. He came here in 1867. He is survived by a daughter and two sons: Mrs. E. C. Hicks of near Sherwin; and William and Charles Souder of northwest of town.
Funeral services for Mr. Souder were held Sunday morning at 11:00 o'clock, conducted by Rev. Emerson Hull and John Nalfziger. Interment was at the city cemetery.
The Modern Light" March 8, 1917, page 1 column 1, Columbus, KS.
The Will of George Souder divided his farm property among his three children, Louisa M. "Lucy" Hicks, William Henry Souder and Charles Albert Souder.
Generation 4: Louise M. "Lucy" Souder, born 1 March 1859, married Ernest "Clyde" Hicks on 13 February 1881 in Columbus, Cherokee County, KS. The couple had four children:
The following biography for Lucy’s husband was placed at the end of the above biography of George. F. Souder:
E. C. Hicks, son-in-law of Mr. Souder, owns a 120-acre farm in section 6, Salamanca township, and 80 acres in section 1, Lola township. He was born at Tremont, Illinois, in 1859. He is a son of Elah Hicks, now of Coal Center, Pennsylvania. Mr. Hicks came to Cherokee County with his parents. He learned telegraphy at Columbus, and spent about 20 years in the service of railroad companies, being with the Missouri Pacific for years at different points. He is independent, in politics, and is a member of the Masons (Blue Lodge and Chapter) and of the A.O.U.W., I.O.O.F., and the O.R.T. Mr. And Mrs. Hicks have had four children, - Edna; Gladys; Archie; and Lee, who is now deceased.
Lucy and Ernest Hicks, both ages 41, were enumerated on 15 June 1900 in Salamanca Township, Cherokee County, KS. Ernest was a farmer on land they owned. Lucy had been the mother of four children, with three living. In their home were Edna, age 18, Gladys, age 17, and Archie, age 15. The family lived next to her father, George F. Souder and wife Sybilla Fruth, and on the other side of her parents were her brother, William H. and Annie Bergman Souder, and their five children.
On 21 April 1910 Lucy and E. C. Hicks, both age 51, lived in Salamanca Township, Cherokee County, KS, where E. C. was a farmer. They had been married for 19 years, and Lucy had been the mother of four children with three living. Also in the home was their widowed daughter Edna S. Knapp, who had had been married for nine years, along with Edna's children, Herbert, age eight and born in Oklahoma, and Margarete, age seven and born in Kansas. On this census they lived between the Boggs and Ritterhouse households.
In 1915 Lucy and E. C. Hicks, both age 55, were enumerated on the Kansas State Census. They lived alone in Salamanca Township, Cherokee County, KS, next to Lucy's brother, W. H. Souder, his wife, Annie E., both age 57, who had six children.
On 22-24 of March 1920, Lucy and Ernest Hicks lived in Salamanca Township, Cherokee County, KS, next to Lucy's brother's family, William and Anna Bergman Souder. Ernest was a truck and fruit farmer who owned the land free of mortgage. Also in the home was their grandson, Herbert Knapp, age 18 and born in Oklahoma.
In 1925 Lucy and Ernest Hicks, both age 66, were enumerated on the Kansas State Census. They lived in Salamanca Township, Cherokee County, KS, next door to the family of her brother, William and Anna Bergman Souder. All of the men on this page had a designation as to whether they owned their land and whether it was "F" (free of mortgage). Lucy was the only female on this page that said SHE owned the land free of mortgage. Perhaps this was a farm she inherited from her father. There were no children in their home.
Funeral of Mrs. Hicks.
Funeral services for Mrs. Lucy Hicks will be held here at the Christian church at 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon, conducted by Rev. L. A. Johnson. Mrs. Hicks, who lived five miles northwest of Columbus, was taken Saturday afternoon to the Mt. Carmel Hospital in Pittsburg (KS), for treatment. She died in the hospital at 4:30 yesterday morning.
The Columbus (KS) Daily Advocate, Wednesday, April 25, 1928, page 4.
In addition to the published works of Herr Wilhelm Schardon and Dr. Afta Fruth Johnson, I am deeply indebted for the assistance of Charlotte Fruth Esswein, Leonhard and Edeltraut Sperling Fruth, Archie and Clara Rinebold Fruth, Sr., Archie and Ann Merkle Fruth, Jr., Larry Fruth, Rev. Glen and Mary Wine Fruth, Robert P. Fruth, Rev. Ronald D. Fruth, Barbara A. Templin, Janet Calland, Kevin Reinhard Roger Holman, Raymond Souder, Edward Souder, Wanda Souder Benninghoff, Joan Dysinger, Kristina Kuhn Krumm, Lois Fruth Waeltz, Susan Platt, Linda Fruth Grenwalt, and Helen Rice Souder.
Mitochondrial DNA Matches as of February 2018 for Participant 508696, a straight-line maternal descendant of Eva Maria Peter,born 1862:
HVR -1 = 987
HVR - 2 = 493
Full Genome Sequence = 3
A link to family correspondence from Christine Herbert (1845-1925) of Seneca County, OH, and Adam Fruth (1816-1906) of Beindersheim, Germany, can be found here: Family letters: 1861-1895.
Last Updated on 2/05/2018
By Wallace W. Souder