- Born: October 14, 1802, Brothersvalley Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania
- Died: June 23, 1879, Wetmore Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania
- Relationship: My third great-grandfather
Joseph William Wegley was my third great-grandfather. He was born on October 14, 1802, in Brothersvalley Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, the son of Johan Frederik Weigley and his wife Catharine, whose maiden name has not yet been established.
Joseph occupies an especially important place in my family’s history because his generation marks the period when the surname used by my direct ancestors begins to look like the name we use today. Earlier generations appear in records as Wegerlin, Wegerline, Wagerline, Weigley, and other variations, while Joseph increasingly appears as Wegley.
That does not mean Joseph personally changed the family name or that he was the first person anywhere in the family to use the spelling. His own surname still varied in surviving records, including the form Weagley in 1860, but Joseph is the earliest ancestor in my direct line for whom the Wegley spelling is firmly documented.
Born in Brothersvalley
Joseph was born into a family already established in Pennsylvania for several generations. His grandfather, Philip Wagerline, had been born in Lancaster County in 1739 before eventually settling in Brothersvalley, while Joseph’s father, Johan Frederik Weigley, was born there in 1773.
By the time Joseph was born in 1802, Somerset County itself was relatively new. It had been created in 1795 from part of Bedford County, so unlike some earlier family events, Joseph’s birthplace can properly be described as Somerset County.
Joseph belonged to the third American-born generation of my direct family line. His grandfather Philip was born in Pennsylvania in 1739, his father Johan Frederik followed in 1773, and Joseph was born in 1802.
The Son of Johan Frederik Weigley
Joseph’s father, Johan Frederik Weigley, spent his life in the Brothersvalley area. Johan’s surviving records use several spellings of the family surname, including Wegerlein, Wagerline, and Weigley.
Joseph was one of at least five known children of Johan Frederik and Catharine:
- Anna Maria Weigley, born 1801
- Joseph William Wegley, born 1802
- Henrietta Weigley, born 1804
- Lydia Weigley, born 1807
- Theresa Weigley, born 1809
Johan Frederik died in 1836, when Joseph was 33. Joseph would survive his father by more than forty years.
Marriage to Eve Berkebile
Around 1831 or 1832, Joseph married Eve Berkebile. Joseph was approximately twenty-nine or thirty years old, while Eve, born in 1811, was about nine years younger.
Her surname also appears in variant forms, including Berkebile and Berkeybile. As with the Wegley surname, such spelling variations were common in nineteenth-century records and should not automatically be interpreted as different families.
Joseph and Eve remained together for the rest of his life. Their marriage produced a large family whose descendants eventually spread far beyond Somerset County.
Joseph and Eve’s Children
Older family trees have attributed as many as eleven children to Joseph and Eve, including several different sons named Jonathan. However, after comparing the federal censuses with later records, the strongest evidence currently supports at least nine children.
They were:
- Theresa Wegley, born about 1831
- Jonathan George Wegley, born about 1836
- Josiah Wegley, born about 1838
- Susanna Eva Wegley, born about 1840-1841
- Frederick Wegley, born about 1843-1844
- Adeline Wegley, born about 1845
- Mary Amanda Wegley, born July 30, 1847
- Austin Wegley, born July 4, 1851
- John Wesley Wegley, born June 29, 1858
The approximate years should remain approximate where they are based primarily on census ages. Nineteenth-century census records frequently differ by a year or more from later vital records.
The 1850 Census
The 1850 United States census gives us the first detailed look at Joseph and Eve’s household because it was the first federal census to name every free person living in a household. Joseph and Eve were living in Shade Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Joseph was recorded as forty-eight years old, which is compatible with an October 1802 birth date.
The household consisted of:
| Household member | Age |
|---|---|
| Joseph Wegley | 48 |
| Eve Wegley | 39 |
| Theresa Wegley | 19 |
| Jonathan Wegley | 14 |
| Josiah Wegley | 11 |
| Susanna Wegley | 10 |
| Frederick Wegley | 6 |
| Adeline Wegley | 5 |
| Amanda Wegley | 2 |
| Elizabeth Berkebile | 61 |
The last person in the household, Elizabeth Berkebile, was Eve’s mother. Her presence is an especially useful genealogical clue because it independently connects Eve to the Berkebile family. Austin and John Wesley do not appear because neither had been born yet. Joseph’s occupation was not recorded on this census.
Mary Amanda Provides Another Family Connection
Joseph and Eve’s daughter Mary Amanda Wegley, later Mary Amanda Repine, provides additional documentation of her parents. Her Pennsylvania death certificate records her birth as July 30, 1847, in Somerset County and identifies her father as Joseph Wegley and her mother as Eva Berkebile.
Mary Amanda died on February 18, 1928, at the age of eighty. Her record was created decades after Joseph’s death, but it provides another independent link between Joseph Wegley and Eve Berkebile.
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| Document type | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Certificate of Death |
| Full name | Mary Amanda Repine |
| Sex | Female |
| Race/color | White |
| Marital status | Widowed |
| Husband | Joseph Repine |
| Date of birth | July 30, 1847 |
| Age at death | 80 years, 6 months, 19 days |
| Birthplace | Somerset, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Housewife |
| Father’s name | Joseph Wegley |
| Father’s birthplace | United States |
| Mother’s maiden name | Eva Berkebile |
| Mother’s birthplace | Unknown |
| Place of death, county | Warren County, Pennsylvania |
| Place of death, township | Conewango Township |
| Residence/place of abode | Appears to be Warren State Hospital, Warren, Pennsylvania |
| Length of residence at place of death | 4 months, 17 days |
| Date of death | February 18, 1928 |
| Time of death | 8:12 a.m. |
| Physician began attending | October 1, 1927 |
| Physician attended through | February 18, 1928 |
| Last seen alive by physician | February 17, 1928 |
| Primary cause of death | Chronic myocarditis |
| Duration of chronic myocarditis | Unknown |
| Contributory condition | Senile psychosis |
| Duration of senile psychosis | 10 years |
| Where disease was contracted | Kane, Pennsylvania |
| Operation before death | No |
| Autopsy performed | No |
| Diagnostic test listed | None recorded |
| Physician | Appears to be Robert H. Howell, M.D. |
| Physician’s address | Warren, Pennsylvania |
| Physician signed certificate | February 18, 1928 |
| Informant | Appears to be R. H. Howell, M.D. |
| Informant’s address | State Hospital, Warren, Pennsylvania |
| Place of burial | Kane, Pennsylvania |
| Burial date | February 21, 1928 |
| Undertaker | Appears to be A. J. or A. G. Brown, handwriting uncertain |
| Undertaker’s address | Kane, Pennsylvania |
| Certificate filed | February 18, 1928 |
| Registration district no. | 888 |
| Primary registration district no. | 3390 |
| File no. | 21538 |
| Registered no. | 66 |
The Family in 1860
Joseph and Eve were still living in Shade Township, Somerset County, when the 1860 federal census was taken. By then, several of their older children had left the household and begun their own lives. Joseph was recorded as Joseph Weagley, showing that the surname spelling had not yet become completely fixed. He was fifty-eight years old and working as a day laborer.
The household included:
- Joseph Weagley, 58
- Eve Weagley, 49
- Adeline Weagley, about 14
- Amanda Weagley, about 12
- Austin Weagley, about 10
- John W. Weagley, about 2
Joseph’s reported ages progress remarkably consistently. He was forty-eight in 1850 and fifty-eight in 1860.
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| Census | 1860 United States Federal Census |
| Enumeration date | July 24, 1860 |
| Township | Shade Township |
| County | Somerset County |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| Post office | Buckstown |
| Head of household | Joseph Weagley |
| Surname spelling in this record | Weagley |
| Joseph’s age | 58 |
| Joseph’s approximate birth year | 1802 |
| Joseph’s sex | Male |
| Joseph’s race | White |
| Joseph’s birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Joseph’s occupation | Day laborer |
| Value of real estate | None recorded |
| Value of personal estate | $80 |
| Wife | Eve Weagley |
| Eve’s age | 49 |
| Eve’s approximate birth year | About 1811 |
| Eve’s sex | Female |
| Eve’s birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Daughter | Adaline Weagley |
| Adaline’s age | 14 |
| Adaline’s approximate birth year | About 1846 |
| Adaline’s birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Adaline attended school during the year | Yes |
| Daughter | Amanda Weagley |
| Amanda’s age | 12 |
| Amanda’s approximate birth year | About 1848 |
| Amanda’s birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Amanda attended school during the year | Yes |
| Son | Austin Weagley |
| Austin’s age | 10 |
| Austin’s approximate birth year | About 1850 |
| Austin’s birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Son | John W. Weagley |
| John’s age | 2 |
| John’s approximate birth year | About 1858 |
| John’s birthplace | Pennsylvania |
| Total people in household | 6 |
| Children living at home | 4 |
| Household members | Joseph, Eve, Adaline, Amanda, Austin, and John W. Weagley |
| Literacy marks | No inability to read or write is marked for Joseph or Eve |
| Disability columns | No household member is marked as deaf, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict |
| Important genealogical evidence | Confirms Joseph and Eve were still living together in Shade Township in 1860, with their four youngest children at home |
| Important surname evidence | Demonstrates another contemporary spelling variation, Weagley, between the earlier Weigley forms and the later Wegley spelling |
| Important age evidence | Joseph’s age of 58 continues the consistent census progression from age 48 in 1850 and supports an approximate 1802 birth year |
Leaving Somerset County
Sometime between the 1860 and 1870 censuses, Joseph and Eve made one of the most important moves in this branch of the family’s history. They left Somerset County and traveled north to McKean County, Pennsylvania.
By 1870, they were living in Wetmore Township. Their household had become much smaller because almost all of their children were now adults. Only their youngest son, John Wesley Wegley, remained at home.
Nearly Seventy and Still Working
The 1870 census recorded Joseph as sixty-eight years old. Even at that age, he was still performing physically demanding labor and was listed as a wood chopper. That occupation makes sense in the environment he lived in. McKean County was heavily forested, and timber had become an important part of the regional economy.
We cannot prove that lumber employment was the reason Joseph and Eve moved north. Still, the fact that a Somerset County day laborer later appears in McKean County working as a wood chopper during the region’s lumber expansion is significant.
A Changing McKean County
Joseph arrived in McKean County at a particularly interesting moment in its history. Timber was already economically important, while the discovery and development of oil around Bradford in the 1870s began to transform the region.
The population grew rapidly as workers, merchants, speculators, and businesses entered the area. Joseph spent his final years in a county changing from a heavily forested rural region into one increasingly shaped by timber and petroleum development.
His occupation placed him directly within that changing economy. The farmer’s world of old Brothersvalley had given way to a very different environment by the final decade of his life.
When Did Joseph Actually Die?
For years, I listed Joseph’s death as June 1880 because he appears in the mortality schedule associated with the 1880 United States census. Further research revealed an important problem with that interpretation.
The 1880 mortality schedule did not record deaths occurring only during the calendar year 1880. It covered the twelve-month census year running from June 1, 1879 through May 31, 1880.
Joseph’s entry gives his month of death as June. Because June 1880 was outside the reporting period, the entry refers to June 1879, not June 1880.
A separate genealogical report published by the Minnesota Genealogical Society and later extracted by the Indiana Historical Society identifies him as William Joseph Wegley, born October 14, 1802, and states that he died on June 23, 1879, in Wetmore Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania.
The mortality schedule itself does not give the day of death. Therefore, June 23, 1879 remains the best-supported specific date currently available rather than a date independently established by the federal mortality schedule.
His Age at Death
Joseph’s known census ages form a remarkably consistent progression:
- 1850: age 48
- 1860: age 58
- 1870: age 68
Those ages are entirely compatible with an October 14, 1802 birth date.
The mortality schedule, however, reportedly gives Joseph’s age as seventy-nine. If the October 1802 birth date is correct, Joseph was actually seventy-six years old when he died in June 1879.
A discrepancy of several years in a nineteenth-century mortality schedule is not unusual. The consistency of the earlier census records strongly supports the 1802 birth year.
Cause of Death: “Old Age”
Joseph’s mortality record gives his cause of death simply as “Old Age.” To modern readers, that may sound unusually vague, but nineteenth-century death records frequently used broad descriptions rather than precise medical diagnoses.
Because the surviving record provides no specific illness, I would leave the historical wording intact rather than attempt to assign Joseph a modern medical cause of death. “Old Age” is what the source actually records.
Eve After Joseph’s Death
The regular 1880 federal population census, taken after Joseph had died, provides another important piece of evidence. Eve remained in the McKean County area and was recorded as a widow.
Eve survived Joseph by almost nine years. She died on March 8, 1888, in the Kane area of McKean County.
From Brothersvalley to McKean County
Joseph’s life marks an important geographic transition in my direct family line. His grandfather Philip Wagerline had helped establish the family in Brothersvalley, and his father Johan Frederik spent his life there.
Joseph was born there as well, but he did not remain there.
By moving north to McKean County, Joseph and Eve broke the direct family’s long attachment to one part of Pennsylvania. Their children and grandchildren would continue that pattern, eventually establishing branches in Ohio, Minnesota, North Dakota, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and elsewhere.
The Wegley Name
Joseph’s life also marks an important transition in the family surname. During earlier generations, the name had appeared in many forms: Wegerlin. Wegerline. Wagerline. Weigley. Weagley. Wegley.
Joseph’s own documents still demonstrate that instability, but during his generation the spelling Wegley became firmly established in my direct ancestral line.
His youngest son, John Wesley Wegley, carried that spelling into the next generation. From John came Frederick Wegley, then my grandfather Raymond Edward Wegley, and eventually the family generations that followed.
Joseph’s Place in My Family
Joseph William Wegley left behind no famous political career, great fortune, or lengthy autobiography. What survives instead is something much more typical of nineteenth-century family history: census entries, family relationships, occupational details, later vital records, and the descendants who carried his name forward.
Those records allow us to watch his family change over nearly thirty years. In 1850, Joseph and Eve lived in a crowded Somerset County household filled with children and Eve’s mother. By 1860, several children had left home. By 1870, Joseph and Eve had moved hundreds of miles north, and only their youngest son remained with them.
Joseph began life in the old German-American communities of Brothersvalley and ended it among the forests of McKean County. Along the way, the family name settled into the form his descendants still recognize today.
Joseph William Wegley died on June 23, 1879, in Wetmore Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania. He was seventy-six years old, and through his large family, he became the ancestor of Wegley descendants who would eventually spread across much of the United States.