[F] #14891 Mary Anna "Anna" Mechling ( John Mechling • John Theobald "Dewalt" Mechling◊ • Diebold "Theobald" Mechling◊ • Diebold Mechling◊ • Martin Mechling◊ )
Anna was born 16 Mar 1799 in Hempfield Twp., Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania. She was baptised 14 Apr 1799 in First Reformed Church, Greensburg, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania. She died 27 Apr 1854 in Hempfield Twp., Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania from cancer. She was buried in on John Mechling farm.
There are some minor conflicts between sources about Anna's birth date. A Mechling genealogy, [Mercy I-98], has Anna born 16 Mar 1799. A Barnhart genealogy, [Barnhart/Warter], has the date as 16 Mar 1800. Her death registration shows it as 1800 with no specific date. However, the [Mercy I-98] source mentions an uncited baptismal record for 1799, which raises some doubts. It may be that the year on the death registration was approximate since it doesn't give a specific date.
[Mercy I-98] has Anna's death as 24 Apr 1854. However, looking at the original of her death registration, the date listed is 27 Apr 1854 although the '7' does look somewhat like a '4'. The later date is consistent with her will, which was signed on 26 Apr 1854.
A more serious discrepancy is in the matter of marriage. Anna's next younger sister was Mary. Genealogies vary on which sister married whom. Mary Anne Sindorf's death registration lists her husband as George Sindorf. There is also a death notice for Anna Sendorf that mentions George Sendorf. The question is whether George's wife was the older Anna or the younger Mary. There are, essentially, three conflicting stories.
The Mechling genealogies (as represented by [Mercy I-98]) show Anna married to Jacob Kunkle. They show Mary married to Jacob's brother, Michael Kunkle, and then to John Sarver/Server. There is no mention of George Sindorf.
The Barnhart genealogies (as represented by [Barnhart/Warter]) show Anna married to George Sindorf. They show Mary married to Jacob Kunkle. They do not mention either Michael Kunkle or John Sarver. A handwritten amendment (presumably by Janet Warter) says that Mary may be "Anna Maria or Mary".
The Sindorf genealogies (as represented by [Sindorf]) indicate Mary married to George Sindorf, naming her Mary Anne or Anna Maria. They mention she had an older sister, Anna, but do not list any marriage information for her. They do not mention Michael Kunkle or John Sarver, and mention Jacob Kunkle only in passing as a possible marriage to Mary.
I think that Anna seems the most reasonably candidate. Mary was born and baptized in 1801, which is later than listed on Mary Anne's death registration. The year of Mary Anne's death is consistent with Anna; Mary is recorded as living until 18 Jun 1881. Mary's death date is also inconsistent with George Sindorf being married to Nancy in 1859, as noted in his will.
German naming customs of the time gave each child a saint's name as a first name while the middle name, the rufnamen, was often used as the everyday name of the person. For example, each boy in the family might have the first name John while each girl had the first name of Anna. In fact, Mary Anne's mother was Anna Catharine and went by Catharine. The two most common saint names used for girls were Anna and Maria. Anna appears to be more commonly used in Mechling families but, if we postulate that John & Catharine used Maria for their daughters, Anna might be Maria Anna and her younger sister Maria SomethingElse. The older daughter using Anna as her everyday name but signing legal documents as Mary Anne then makes some sense.
The remaining difficulty with this attempt to explain the discrepancies is, of course, Jacob Kunkle. The Mechling information wants to put him with Anna, noting an (uncited) marriage record 11 Jan 1822. The argument against this is that divorce and annulment were rather rare in those days and Jacob (1803-1875) didn't die early enough to leave Anna a widow free to marry George Sindorf by 1835.
The Barnhart information wants to put him with Mary. It's true that, by 1843, Mary is noted as a Kunkle widow in the newspapers announcements of her marriage with Mr. Zerver (Sarver). However, Jacob didn't die until 1875 so her Kunkle widowhood probably is from Michael (who was killed in an accident) as Mechling states and Jacob's marriage wasn't with her.
There are two other things worth noting. First, the Mechling information says that they know of no children to Jacob & Anna. If they did marry and then have a rare divorce or annulment, this would make sense.
Second, the 1850 Census for Westmoreland Co. (and the surrounding counties) shows only one Jacob Kunkle. The birth year listed for him matches the Jacob of the Mechling information. Living with him is Sarah Kunkle and seven children ranging from 3 to 15 years of age. At first, Sarah's age was interesting because the census transcriptions give it as 28 years old. This would have her born in 1822, the year of the supposed marriage of Jacob and Anna. She could have been a child of that relationship and the 13 year gap to Jacob's next child indicative of a divorce, followed by Jacob remarrying. If his second wife died between 1847 and 1850, she wouldn't be on the census. However, in looking at the original census image, Sarah's age is overwritten. It could be 28, but it could just as easily be 38. This would then make her his wife, married some time around 1835, and the children hers. Occam's Razor tends to favor the latter.
While I would like to have documented information about everything, my primary purpose is to collate family information and to preserve it. Therefore, I'm equating Mary Anne Sindorf with Anna, not with Mary, and keeping Jacob as a first, failed marriage of Anna's. That keeps all the information present until further source information is found.
Mary Anne's will, found in Westmoreland County No. 24 of 1854, reads:
Mary Anne Sindorf’s Will 1867In the name of God Amen I Mary Anne Sindorf of Hempfield Township Westmoreland County Pa. being sick, but of sound mind, memory and understanding, Thanks be to Almighty God for the same, being mindful of my mortality do make and constitute this my last Will and Testament. First and principly I commend my immortal spirit to God who gave it in hopes of a joyful resurrection, and my body to the earth when it shall please God to Separate my soul and body to be burried decently at the discretion of my executor according to the rites of church I belong and as to such worldly estate, whereith it hath pleased God to bless me with, I give and dispose thereof as follows: First I allow my husband George Sindorf to have my real estate during his natural life time, to have his support there from during his natural life time, and after his death by will and devise the same my real estsate to my two daughters Phebe Wallace and Lucinda Sindorf and to their heirs and assigned forever. And second I give and bequeath to my husband George Sindorff, and to my two daughters Phebe Wallace and Lucinda Sindorf all my personal estate to be divided (after payment of debts) equally between them, this bequeath to include what money to be do or coming to me from my father’s estate John Mechling died. And lastly, I do nominate and appoint my friend Solomon Mechling of Hempfield Township Wesmoreland County to be my Executor of this my last will and testament.
I publish and declare this, and none other to be my last will and testament. In witness where of, I have hereunto set my hand and seal the twenty sixth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fify four.
Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of God, who have subscribed in the presence of each other
Jacob Shumaker George Mechling
Mary Anne X Sindorf
23 May 1854 proven same day recorded death regisered and letter of testamentary issued to Solomon Mechling the executor named in the will that was sworn before Randal McLaughlin Register
The Solomon Mechling may have been her younger brother of that name. There are two or three George Mechlings who might be the witness.
Anna married first #22561 Jacob Kunkle.
Relationship notes |
They married 11 Jan 1822. |
Jacob was born 1803. He died 1875.
He is the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Kunkle.
Anna married second #22490 George Sindorf.
Relationship notes |
They married Bef 1835. |
George was born Abt 1794 in Pennsylvania Or Maryland. He died 1872.
He is the son of George & Anna Maria (Hemler) Zinndorff.
He and his mother show up on the tax records of 1817 for Hempfield Township. They are living on a 133 acre farm and have two horses and two cows.
On the 1830 Census George is no longer living on the Zinndorff farm. He has moved north of Greensburg and is living in Salem Township. His last name is listed as Sindorf and he is in the 30 to 39 year bracket of ages. Living with him are two males five years old or younger (Henry and John), one female five years old or younger (Esther), and one female 20 to 29 years old (Susanna).
The 1840 Census shows George living in Hempfield Township. The census index gives his name as Nindorf but the actual census record has it spelled correctly. This census may indicate an unnamed son born somewhere between 1836 and 1840. Two male children under the age of four are shown: one would be Solomon. For the other, William before him is too old and Dewalt after him hasn't been born, yet. Given the several year gap between Solomon and Caroline, there's a good chance of a child who died young. It's possible it was a child fostered in but the 1850 census doesn't show a child matching this age group so, we'd need a fostered child who died young and Mary Anne to have gone three years without a pregnancy during a period of one child per year. Henry and John are missing from this census, though they are still alive, so perhaps they have gone to live with relatives. Henry will show up in Florida in ten years.
The 1850 Census shows George, age 56, living in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania. George is a farmer with a property valued at $3600. Living with George are Ann and Caroline. Caroline died in 1842. However, the child on the census is listed as seven years old, Lucinda's age. This might mean that she was given the middle name of Caroline in memory of the sister who had just died. The absence of Esther is a little confusing. She won't marry Reuben Haynes for a couple of months, yet, but is not listed. Robert Furguson (18) and Arminis Perkins (20) are listed as laborers living on the farm. George's sister, Eve, married a Ferguson, this could be one of her children.
The 1860 Census shows George Sindorff still in Hempfield Twp. Nancy and Lucinda are living with him. He is listed as being a farmer and 66 years of age. His real estate is valued at $4000 and his personal property is listed at $2000. This census also indicates that George was born in Maryland.
The 1870 Census is the last census found for George. He is listed as being George Lindorf in the index but the actual census shows Sindorf. He is living in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Living with him is Nancy, age 46. George is listed as being 76 years of age at the time of the census and a farmer with real estate valued at $10,000 and his personal property at $800. This census again indicates that George was born in Maryland. We see in this census that Nancy has gotten younger. Her age is hard to read in the 1860 census and might be incorrectly interpreted. Living with them is a John Roblock age 15.
He left a will, dated 16 May 1859, listing another wife, Nancy. This will was proved on 20 Apr. 1872, so his death was probably shortly before this. As with his second wife's will, it names Solomon Mechling as executor and was witnessed by George Mechling.
Children of this relationship:
| #59176 | M | i | William Sindorf | (23 Jul 1835–30 Oct 1835) |
| #59177 | M | ii | Solomon Sindorf | (1 Jul 1836–28 Dec 1841) |
| #59178 | F | iii | Caroline Sindorf | (7 Jul 1839–24 Oct 1842) |
| #59181 | F | iv | Phebe Sindorf | (–Bef 16 May 1859) |
| #59179 | M | v | Dewalt Sindorf | (–Bef 26 Apr 1854) |
| #59180 | F | vi | Lucinda Sindorf | (May 1843–Aft 16 May 1859) |
Dorothy Hallarn Mercy, Mechlin Mechling Macklin - Descendants of Theobald Mechling, 1728-1998, Volume I-Dewalt Mechling, (Butler, PA: Mechling Associates, 1998). Ref. as [Mercy I-98].
Howard D. Barnhart & Janet K. Warter, The History of Casper Bernhardt and His Descendants, revision by Warter, (unpublished, 1998). Ref. as [Barnhart/Warter].
Mary Anne Sindorf death registration, registered 23 May 1854 by E. J. Keenan, Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, Deaths, 1852-1854 [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011., Reel: 673.
William Sindorf, Individual Report for George Sindorf, notes on George Sindorf and descendants.
Line Generation: 6
Relationship: First Cousins Five Times Removed through John Theobald "Dewalt" Mechling◊