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Archiver > PANORTHA > 2003-03 > 1047388557


From: "Brian Bowers" <>
Subject: [PANORTHA-L] Conrad Hess
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2003 14:15:57 +0100


Hi Marie and others,
This is in response to questions about Conrad Hess - or actually several
Conrad Hesses.
The bottom line on Marie's question is that the Conrad in the deposition
appears to be another Conrad, perhaps the son of "my" Conrad's brother
Baltzar.
Following is my narrative about my Conrad Hess, who owned the Lofty Oaks
Inn in what is now Williams Township outside of Easton. He served as a
justice of the peace and held other low-level positions in the Northampton
County government in the 1750s.
In addition to this Conrad Hess, there was at least one other, as I
mentioned above. It sometimes gets a little difficult sorting these fellows
out. In fact, there was a LOT of bad research done in the mid-1900s that
confused these guys. Please see the footnotes - which are confusing because
the entire matter is confusing - attached to the end of the narrative.
By the way, I also have information on Conrad's father, Jeremiah, and his
son, Jeremiah. If anyone's interested in that, please let me know.
Brian

CONRAD and MARIA HESS
Johann Conrad Hess was the son of Jeremiah and Anna Hess, who were
German immigrants. Conrad may have been born in New Britain Township, Bucks
County, Pa. (1)
Married Maria about 1741. Her maiden name may have been Best. She was
born in about 1722. (2)
Children: (3)
John William.
Christian.
Jeremiah.
Frederick.
Johannes.
Maria. Married Jacob Grotz.
Elizabeth, bapt. July 23, 1758. Married Jacob Keller.
Ann. Married Tobias Scholl.
(The Daughters of the American Revolution file for Conrad, which
contains known errors, and History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, list a
Henry Conrad as a son. A younger Conrad does appear as a witness in some
records pertaining to the family but is not listed in Conrads will or a
deed that records the sale of his property after his death.)
Conrad seems to have been a prominent man in the early history of
Northampton County. He served in county government in the mid-1700s and
also operated an inn known as Lofty Oaks on the outskirts of Easton.
Upon the formation of the county, Conrad was appointed a supervisor for
Williams Township. The appointment was made June 16, 1752. Conrad was
appointed a justice of the peace for Northampton County on Nov. 27, 1757.
He was among the justices presiding over the Northampton County Orphans
Court, beginning March 22, 1758 and continuing until at least 1761. On Nov.
27, 1757, a council of colonial officials approved Conrad and others for
the Commission of the Peace for Northhampton. (4) In the 1761 tax lists
for Williams Township, he is listed as Conrad Hess, Esq., another
indication of his standing as a member of the countys legal community. (5)
Conrad probably held other positions, but I have not confirmed them.
History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania says he was prothonotary and Clerk
of the Quarter Sessions and Oyer and Terminer from 1760 to 1771. According
to a manuscript in the Hess file at the Wyoming Valley Historical Society in
Wilkes-Barre, he was appointed to the election board of Northampton County
in 1756.
Much of the work of the county court may have been done at Conrads
Lofty Oaks, according to a manuscript in the Hess family file at the
Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society. The name Conrad
Hess Esq. appears on file in the records of the Orphans Court of the County
of Northampton in Easton, Pa., for the period 1758-1771. Since the court
sessions of the county were held in taverns before the courthouse was built
in 1766 it is very likely the Loft Oaks tavern served in this capacity
during this period, the item says.
Loft Oaks was situated on 157 acres in Williams Township, which was just
south of Easton. Conrad received a warrant for the property on March 8,
1743, according to the Hess file at the Northampton society. Land records
say Conrad didnt receive a patent on the land until Sept. 12, 1796. Upon
his death, the land was divided among his children, who then sold it in
pieces. (6)
A brief note on Conrads Lofty Oaks Inn is included in Historic
Structures of Williams Township: A small one and one-half story stone
structure, now owned by the Joseph Link family, was once an inn and tavern
operated by Conrad Hess. It is located at the intersection of Industrial
Drive and Old Philadelphia Road at the northernmost limit of Williams
Township. A search of the deeds does not permit an accurate dating of the
structure nor a precise time period when is operated under Hesss
management, but a date prior to 1780 would appear plausible. Conrad Hess,
son of Baltzer Hess, was a major landowner, citizen, and parishioner of the
early Lutheran Church which stood on the site of the Easton Water Reservoir
... He is listed in the 1758 Horse and Wagon Census as Conrad Hess, Esq.,
and in the 1780 tax rolls as a well-to-do farmer. His son Jeremiah is
listed as the innkeeper. (7)
The family may have been Lutheran. Elizabeth was baptized in 1758 by
the Rev. Daniel Schumacher in the church at Williamstown across the river.
Schumacher was a Lutheran circuit preacher who served various parishes in
the region. (8)
Conrad died before Feb. 6, 1797, when his will was probated. Maria
probably died sometime before 1790 because Conrad is listed as living alone
in the 1790 Census of Williams Township.
(1) Philadelphia County Will Book G, No. 73, as cited in Collections of
the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Vol., IV, Abstracts of
Philadelphia Wills, Part II, 1726-1747, page 823. A facsimile of Jeremiah
Hess will appears in I Shook My Family Tree, by Thelma (Hess) Parsons,
pages 170-171. Much research has been done of Conrad, but some of it seems
to be faulty. Manuscripts at the Wyoming Valley Historical Society indicate
that several researchers have confused our Conrad and others of the same
name. Conrads parentage has been a matter of great dispute. Secondary
sources are confusing or conflicting. Historic Structures of Williams
Township, page 8, says his father was Baltzer Hess. It seems that there
was a Baltzer who was his brother. Conrads file with the Daughters of the
American Revolution says he was born about 1726 to Swiss immigrant Nicholas
and Catherine Hess. However, Nicholas son Conrad was born in the 1740s,
far too late to be our Conrad. The DAR file frequently confuses this Conrad
with others of the same name. Concerning his birthplace: I have obtained an
abstract and two transcripts of Conrads will but have not obtained a copy
of the original yet. They are at odds. The will was in German and had to
be translated, which probably explains some of the confusion. Conrad was a
resident of New Britain Township, according to a transcript in a manuscript
focusing on the Hess family, which is available at the Wyoming Valley
Historical Society in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and Abstracts of German Script
Wills, page 117, which is available at the Marx Room in the Easton Public
Library. However, a transcript supplied by Helen S. Gammon says he was born
in that township. I will check the original German to clear this up in the
future. (2) Wedding and birth dates and maiden name come from A History of
the Wapwallopen Region, by the Wapwallopen Historical Society, page 54.
Other secondary sources cited here mention the connection to the Best
family. (3) The children are listed in Northampton County Will Book 3, page
119, and in Northampton County Deed Book, E-2, page 143, the second of which
lists the married names of the females, except Ann. The females husbands
are named in History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, by Charles Rhoads
Roberts, page 566. Elisabeths baptism is listed in The Record Book of
Daniel Schumacher 1754-1773, translated by Frederick S. Weiser, Page 77.
(4) Source for posts are, respectively: History of Northampton, Lehigh,
Monroe, Carbon and Schuylkill Counties, by I. Daniel Rupp, page 22;
Pennsylvania Archives, Series 2, Vol. 9, page 812; Northampton County
Orphans Court Records B 1758 to 1762; and Colonial Records of
Pennyslvania, Vol. 7, page 769. (5) Northampton County Tax List for the
Year 1761, by the Works Progress Administration, page 25A. (6) Northampton
County Deed Book E-2, page 143. Patent in Pennsylvania Patent Book 28, page
398. (7) Historic Structures of Williams Township, by the Williams
Township Bicentennial Committee, page 8. (8) The Record Book of Daniel
Schumacher 1754-1773.




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