MDGARRET-L Archives

From: "Nicholas Sturm" <>
Subject: Lost families of western Maryland
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2005 13:18:47 -0500

A couple of years ago I came upon a write up that connected the Fazenbackers with the Ayers and the Barnes in a family that appeared to have lived for a time in Calhoun and/or Gilmer Counties in WV. At least some of the Ayers (descended from Margaret (Gainer) Ayers) migrated from Allegany county, MD to the Gilmer county, VA-WV area where they reconnected with Gainers (of the George Gainer line) and the Flings (also connected to George Gainer's daughter). The Polands (became Polings mostly by 1830s but Polin in Valley of Va) also were involved in the initial move to Randolph county, VA before many of the descendants of Vannoy, Gainer and Poling moved to the general area of Gilmer county (west of Lewis and Harrison counties) and generally in counties east of Wood (Parkersburg). I would be interested in any information regarding this complex which had a long history of moving and maintaining confused traditions of their travels from New Jersey to the Augusta region of Virgin!
ia, then to Allegany, MD and subsequently to Randolph county, VA and eventually Gilmer county in VA (they also made connections to some settlements in northern Ohio by the Poland-Polings. In particular I seek information regarding their connections in Allegany/Garrett and those they left in this region. At least the Polands also ventured into Hampshire from Maryland.

I am also interested in the Wilson of Frederick and Allegany that seem to have ventured into Cove District of northeastern Barbour county (at one time northwestern Randolph county) on more than one migratory urge -- at least once in about 1880 and again in the 1830-early40s when
other families of Allegany were also moving into WV.

The Kaufmanns of Frederick appear to have developed a strong tendency to use the Coffman (and Caufman and Crughfman) spelling as they left for the Valley of Virginia (Shenandoah) and Kentucky and into the Monongahela-Tygarts area in WV. Almost all of one very large family that included one or two wives seems to have left Maryland with only a few traces in the church records.

The Howarter family of Frederick largely left that area with a strong tendency to use the spelling Hovater when they (Jacob) went to NC and GA and the spelling Hovatter when they went to Randolph Co., Virginia. The church records tried to coerce the name into being Hochwaerter in Frederick. I would be interested in firmly identifying the girls of this family who married in Maryland, but that seem to have had strong connections with the 1800 migration of Christopher Hoater to Randolph Co., Virginia.


Nicholas Sturm

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• Lost families of western Maryland by "Nicholas Sturm" <>