There is no part of our Bramble Bush that has more originally sourced records than the Buchner line.
When I decided that I wanted to feature an authentic will for this weeks blog I chose my husband's X5 great grandfather John Buchner.
If you are asking yourself if you just heard about John - you aren't wrong.
Johannes Theis (John) Buchner has made an appearance two weeks in a row.
It seems I have changed my own rules!
Johannes Theis Buchner, who was known as John. He was born in Unnau, Westerwald, Hessen, Germany. He died in Hardwick, Sussex, New Jersey, United States.
John's wife was Catharine who was born about 1730 somewhere in Germany, and died in New Jersey, USA at some point. That is all we know about X5 great grandmother Catharine.
I have found very little sourced information for her. It's possible her maiden name was Mueller, but that isn't sourced adequately even though it's rampant on Ancestry and other web based genealogy sites.
The only real proof I find of Catharine's existence is in John's will.
Below you will find the same will in what I believe is it's original spelling and writing style.
I have failed as a researcher.
I saved the document below to my ancestry tree back in January. I found it originally via another who saved it in 2013 to their Ancestry tree.
The original source is unknown at this time.
"In the Name of God Amen I John Buchner of the County of Sussex, Township of Hardwick and State of New Jersey...do Constitute and order this my Last will and Testament...I give to my Dear and Loving wife Catharine Bucher Her (Dict) and Apparels in as Decent a Manner as She Requires Likewise one Good and Gentle Riding Beast and Side Saddle two Good milks Cows he Bed and agreable Bedding of Covering to ot Six pounds of Woll and a Good agreeable (Bd)room in the House on the Premises one Iron pott one Large Brass Kittle one Chest for (uses) and I give to my Ten Children now Living or to their heirs The (Real) and Remaining Part of my Estate to be Equally Dividied, Namely Philip Mary Margaret John Henry Jacob Christopher Daniel Frederick and Peter Buchner allowing Such Sums as have been paid unto any of them to be Deducted out of their part of Divided unless it be one Good Milk Cow (Her) Bed Bed and Bedding one Heifer Cow one Good Hunting Side Saddle to be Given to my Daughter Mary which is Not to be taken our of her Dividend one Bay Horse Colt which John Claims to be his property Likewise one Brown Mare and Colt which Federick Claims to be his property the choice of Two Colts now Living (and my) Property to be Peters and the other Daniels which is Not to be(deducted) of their Dividend Likewise Sex pounds (Good) money to be paid to my Son Cristopher and Six Pounds of Like Currency to be paid to my Grand Son John Son of Philip Buchner and if the Child Lives they Shall as Soon as Convenient after the Sale of the (place ) buy or purchase with the Sd. Six pounds one Mare Colt for the use and property of the Sd. boy...and Lastly I constitute and appoint My True and Trusty Sons Philip Buchner John Buchner and Christopher Buchner Executors of this my Last Will and Testament and Trustees for my wife and Children in Witness whereof I have hereunto settmy hand and Seal this Eleventh Day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand and Seven hundred and Ninety one 1791..."
Even if we don't know it's original source it does make an interesting read. The details in the summarized are the same - just a little less flowery.
It was this document that I was able to add more members to our Bramble Bush. Now that I have them in our tree I will be able to source the documents to back it up. For now the details in my tree are noted as unsourced, but not in question.
Wills and obituaries have a wealth of information just waiting to be mined.
Finding your ancestors document by document!
This is why I search -
Cause ...
You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***
Sources:
Ancestry trees & search
Links:
Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/
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