Johan Frederik Weigley was my fourth great-grandfather. He was born on May 22, 1773, in Brothersvalley Township, Pennsylvania, the son of Philip Wagerline and Anna Dorothea Fronica Krafft.

Johan was born into a family that had only recently established itself on the Pennsylvania frontier. His father Philip was among the earliest European settlers associated with Brothersvalley, while his mother belonged to the Krafft family, another German-American family already established in Pennsylvania.

Born Before Somerset County Existed

Modern family trees often list Johan’s birthplace as Brothersvalley, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Geographically, that describes the same general place, but historically it is not correct for 1773.

When Johan was born, Brothersvalley Township was part of Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Somerset County would not be created until 1795, when Johan was already twenty-one years old.

This distinction is important because changing county names in early Pennsylvania records doesn’t necessarily mean the family moved. In Johan’s case, political boundaries shifted around where he lived.

The Son of Philip Wagerline and Fronica Krafft

Johan was the second known child of Philip Wagerline and Anna Dorothea Fronica Krafft. His known siblings were:

• Susanna Eva Wagerline, 1769-1841
• Johan Frederik Wagerline, 1773-1836
• Catharine Wagerline, 1774-1834
• Philip Wagerline, 1775-1836
• John Wagerline, 1781-1836

Anna Dorothea Fronica Krafft was born on October 24, 1748, in what is now Franklin County, Pennsylvania. She married Philip on April 20, 1767, and died on July 28, 1792, at the age of forty-three.

An earlier version of my research stated that Anna Dorothea was born in Germany and came to America in 1744. That cannot be correct because she was not born until 1748, and the stronger evidence places her birth in Pennsylvania.

Was Johan Named for His Grandfather?

Johan’s maternal grandfather was Johann Frederick Krafft, so it is certainly possible that Johan Frederik received his name in his honor. The resemblance between the names makes the idea very plausible.

However, no surviving document currently explains why Philip and Anna Dorothea chose the name. I therefore consider this a reasonable family tradition rather than a proven fact.

Baptized in Maryland

One of the most valuable records from Johan’s infancy is his baptismal record. Although Johan had been born in Pennsylvania on May 22, 1773, he was baptized about seventeen months later, on October 20, 1774, at a German Reformed congregation in Maryland.

The record identifies his parents as Philip Wegerlein and Fronica. It also names Friedrich Krafft as Johan’s baptismal sponsor, providing another connection to his mother’s Krafft family.

The exact identity of Friedrich Krafft is not certain. Anna Dorothea’s father was Johann Frederick Krafft, but she also had a brother with the same or a very similar name, so the baptismal entry by itself does not establish which man served as sponsor.

It Wasn’t Yet Hagerstown, Washington County

The baptism is often indexed as having taken place in Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland, but those names describe the modern location rather than the political geography of 1774.

At the time of Johan’s baptism, the settlement was known as Elizabeth Town and was located in Frederick County, Province of Maryland. Washington County was not created until 1776.

The most historically accurate description is therefore:

• October 20, 1774
• German Reformed Congregation
• Elizabeth Town, Frederick County, Province of Maryland
  Now Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland

The record raises an interesting question: why did Philip and Fronica travel from Brothersvalley to Maryland for the baptism? Family connections, church networks, travel routes, or the availability of a German Reformed congregation may have influenced the decision, but no surviving document presently tells us exactly why they chose that church.

Growing Up During the American Revolution

Johan was only three years old when the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776. He was ten when the Treaty of Paris formally ended the Revolutionary War in 1783.

No evidence shows that Johan served in the Revolution, and he was far too young for meaningful military participation during most of the conflict. The war nevertheless formed the backdrop of his childhood on the Pennsylvania frontier.

Johan had been born a subject of the British Crown. By the time he became an adult, he was living in the newly independent United States.

Brothersvalley Changes Around Him

Johan apparently remained connected to Brothersvalley throughout his life, but the community around him changed dramatically. His father belonged to the generation that had cleared some of the first farms in the area, while Johan lived to see those early settlements develop into established towns, churches, schools, mills, and farms.

When Johan was born, Somerset County did not exist. By the time he reached middle age, Brothersvalley had become part of an established Pennsylvania county with a much more organized civic and economic life.

His young adulthood also coincided with the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, when resistance to the federal excise tax on distilled spirits spread through western Pennsylvania. No evidence connects Johan personally to the rebellion, so it should be treated as part of the historical setting of his life rather than his personal biography.

Marriage to Catharine

Sometime before 1801, Johan married a woman named Catharine. Reliable evidence has not yet established her maiden name.

Various online family trees have proposed identities for Catharine, but I have not found a marriage record, church record, land document, probate record, or other strong source proving her maiden name. Until such evidence appears, I prefer to leave her name simply as Catharine.

Their Children

Johan and Catharine had at least five known children:

• Anna Maria, born 1801
• Joseph William Wegley, born October 14, 1802
• Henrietta, born 1804
• Lydia, born 1807
• Theresa, born 1809

Their son, Joseph William Wegley, was my third-great-grandfather. Through Joseph, Johan’s direct line continued from Brothersvalley to McKean County and ultimately through Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Johan in the Census

Johan appears in federal census records associated with 1800, 1820, and 1830, as well as in Pennsylvania’s Septennial Census. These records repeatedly connect him with the same general region over several decades.

Early censuses did not work like the census records genealogists know after 1850. Usually only the head of household was named, while wives, children, and other household members were represented by tally marks within age and sex categories.

That limits what the census can tell us about Johan’s family. It does, however, help establish that he remained in the Brothersvalley area rather than following some of his relatives west.

What Did Johan Do for a Living?

One thing we cannot currently establish is Johan’s occupation. His father owned land, and the local economy was heavily agricultural, but that does not automatically prove Johan himself was a farmer.

No record currently identifies Johan with a specific occupation. It is safer to say that he lived in an agricultural community and belonged to a landholding family than to assign him a profession the surviving records do not support.

Wegerlein, Wagerline, Weigley

Johan’s records show how dramatically the family surname changed over time. He appears under forms including:

• Johan Fridrich Wegerlein
• Johan Friedrich Wegerlein
• John Friedrich Wagerline
• Johan Frederik Weigley

His father continued to appear as Philip Wagerline, while descendants increasingly adopted Weigley and eventually Wegley.

The family probably never consciously decided to change the surname. The transformation occurred gradually as German names passed through English-speaking clerks, ministers, census takers, courts, and later generations of the family.

His Father’s Final Years

Johan was still alive when his father Philip prepared his will in October 1830. Philip died the following year, in September 1831, at the remarkable age of ninety-two.

Johan had been born while Philip was still establishing the family in Brothersvalley. Father and son therefore spent nearly six decades associated with the same region, witnessing the transformation of an early frontier settlement into an established Pennsylvania community.

The Remarkable Year of 1836

Johan Frederik Weigley died in 1836, at approximately sixty-three years old. His exact date of death has not yet been firmly established.

What makes the year especially striking is that two of his brothers also died in 1836:

• John Weigley died March 11, 1836
• Philip Weigley died October 26, 1836
• Johan Frederik Weigley died sometime in 1836

Their sister Catharine had already died in 1834. By the end of 1836, all three surviving sons of Philip Wagerline and Anna Dorothea Fronica Krafft were gone, leaving their older sister Susanna Eva, then living in Ohio, as the longest-lived of the known siblings.

Did the Three Brothers Die From the Same Cause?

Three brothers dying during the same year naturally raises questions. It is tempting to assume an epidemic, severe winter, accident, or some other shared event caused their deaths.

So far, however, no evidence proves such a connection. John died in March, Philip died in October after what his gravestone described as a prolonged illness, and Johan’s exact death date and cause remain unknown.

The winter of 1835-1836 was severe in Pennsylvania, and infectious diseases were always a danger during this era. Neither circumstance is enough to explain the deaths without evidence specifically connecting the brothers to it.

For now, the safest conclusion is also the simplest: three brothers from the same family died during 1836, but we do not know why.

Is This Really a Photograph of Johan Frederik?

A photograph circulated for years on family websites and online trees identified as Johan Frederik Weigley. It cannot be him.

Johan died in 1836. The daguerreotype process was not publicly announced until 1839, and photographic portraiture did not become established in the United States until after Johan was already dead.

The man in the photograph may indeed be another member of the extended Wegley family. He simply cannot be Johan Frederik Weigley.

Johan’s Place in My Family

Johan Frederik belonged to the first generation of this direct family line born and raised entirely on the Pennsylvania frontier. His grandparents had known Germany, his father was born in colonial Pennsylvania, and Johan grew up while the American colonies became an independent nation.

He spent his life in the region his father helped settle, married Catharine, raised at least five children, and watched Brothersvalley change around him. Through his son Joseph William Wegley, his descendants eventually carried the family name far beyond Somerset County.

Johan’s records also preserve the surname’s continuing transformation. Wegerlein became Wagerline, Wagerline increasingly became Weigley, and later generations would carry the name forward as Wegley.

• Birth: May 10, 1699 • Lampertheim, Hesse, Germany
• Death: December 7, 1763 • Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
• Immigrated: September 18, 1732 • Port of Philadelphia
• Relationship: 6th great-grandfather

Johann Paul Wegerle is my sixth great-grandfather and the immigrant ancestor who begins the American chapter of my Wegley family. He was born on May 10, 1699, in Lampertheim, in what is now the German state of Hesse.

For years, identifying Johann correctly proved surprisingly difficult. His surname appears in records in several forms, and other German men lived during the same period with very similar names, making it easy for unrelated records to attach to the wrong family.

The first Wegley to come to the US, at least in my line, is Johann Paul Wegerlin.  He is my 6th-great-grandfather and was born on May 10, 1699, in Lampertheim, Bergstraße, Hessen, Germany. When I first started this website, I was sure I knew everything I could about him. But in time I learned that just because someone else says something is true doesn’t make it so.

Is Johann Hana Paul Michael Wägeli the same as Johann Paul Wegerlin or Paulus?

That’s what I really needed to figure out. Only it’s not exactly that easy. FamilySearch hosts the German birth, death, and marriage records, and not a single image is available. The translated data is, but as we all know, it could be wrong. My question is simple … what is our real family name … not our anglicized name, but our original name? Simple enough question, right? Well, not so easy to answer.

In the same batch of German records, here are the 15 common variations of our family name.

• Wegerlin
• Wegelin
• Wägerlin
• Wegerlein
• Wägele
• Wägeli
• Waegerlen
• Waegerlin
• Weckherlin
• Weekerlin
• Wegerle
• Weikhelin
• Wiegerlin
• Wigerli
• Wigerlin
• Waeckherlin
• Wuekherlin

I even went so far as to hire someone from Germany who does translations to ask him how you pronounce the name Wägeli. Was it why-gull or wu-ghel-ly or something different altogether?

He ended up telling me that the “ä” has a sound that is unique; there is no way to write it correctly for an English speaker, but if you had to sound it out like why-gull, he said the closest would be the one that you said, “wu-ghe-ly,” but it’s only close and not the right way. Here is a recording of him saying it so you can hear it in his native German tongue.)

What I can say for sure is that Johann Paul came to America, specifically the Port of Philadelphia, when he was 33 years of age, on September 18, 1732.

His Parents

Johann Paul’s parents were Hanß Philipp Wegerle and Barbara Keßler, whose surname is also commonly written Kessler in English-language records. A published transcription of Lampertheim marriage records identifies Hans Philipp Wegerle and Barbara Keßler as a married couple, with additional records giving their marriage date as June 19, 1691, in Lampertheim.

This replaces some of my much earlier research in which I considered Zacharias Wägeli as a possible father or grandfather. Based on the evidence I have now, I use Hanß Philipp Wegerle and Barbara Keßler as Johann Paul’s parents.

What Was His Real Last Name?

This question has followed my research for years because the family surname appears in an extraordinary number of forms. Wegerle, Wegerlin, Wegerline, Wägerlin, Wägeli, Waegerlin, Wegerlein, and several other variations appear in German and American records.

For a time, I believed Wägeli might have been the family’s definitive original surname. The deeper I researched the family, however, the less comfortable I became with treating any single spelling as unquestionably original.

The surviving records associated most directly with Johann and his immediate family support Wegerle as the best primary form to use today. At the same time, Johann appears as Johann Paul Wegerlin, Paulus Wegerlin, and Paul Wegerline in other records connected to his family, so those variants are not errors to be discarded.

The surname variation itself is part of the family story. Ministers, clerks, ship officials, and later genealogical indexers recorded German names differently, and standardized spelling mattered far less then than it would later.

Johann and Ottilia

On July 7, 1721, Johann married a woman whose given name most consistently appears as Ottilia. Other records render her name as Obtilia, Otella, Otelia, and similar variations, but those differences appear to refer to the same woman.

Her maiden name remains unknown.

For years, family trees identified her as Ottilia Bayer, and I once believed I had found supporting evidence in a Lancaster County will belonging to a woman of that name. Closer examination showed that the Ottilia Bayer named in that document had children named Maria Magdalena, John, and Peter, people who do not match the documented children of Johann Paul and Ottilia Wegerle.

That means the Bayer will belong to another woman. It should not be used as evidence for Johann Paul’s wife’s maiden name, so until another reliable record is discovered, I consider Ottilia’s maiden name unknown.

Their Children in Germany

Johann and Ottilia began their family before leaving Germany. At least four children traveled with them when they emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1732.

• Katharine Wegerle, born 1727
• Ottilia Wegerle, baptized June 28, 1729
• Anna Clara Wegerlin, baptized April 16, 1731
• Johann Jacob Wegerline, born by 1732
• Johan Simon, born in Pennsylvania in 1736
• Philip, born in Pennsylvania in 1739
• Barbara, born in Pennsylvania in 1740
• Adam, born in Pennsylvania in 1744

The baptismal records of daughters Ottilia and Anna Clara are particularly important because they connect the family in Germany directly to the people who later appeared together on the passenger list to Pennsylvania. Ottilia’s baptismal record identifies her parents as Johann Paul Wegerle and Ottilia, while Anna Clara’s identifies them as Johann Paul Wegerlin and Ottilia.

These records also demonstrate why surname spelling alone cannot determine whether two records belong to the same family. Within only a few years, the father of the same family appears as both Wegerle and Wegerlin.

Leaving Germany

By 1732, Johann and Ottilia made the enormous decision to leave Germany with four young children. Johann was thirty-three years old when the family embarked on the journey that would permanently move this branch of the family to America.

They traveled aboard the Johnson Galley of London, commanded by David Crockatt. The ship carried German-speaking emigrants from Rotterdam, stopped at Deal in England, and then crossed the Atlantic for Pennsylvania.

On September 18, 1732, the Johnson Galley arrived at the Port of Philadelphia. The surviving passenger record groups the family together and lists them as Paul Wegerline, Otella Wegerline, Jacob Wegerline, Oteliea Wegerline, Katharine Wegerline, and Anna Clara Wegerline.

The following day, September 19, adult male immigrants appeared before Pennsylvania authorities to qualify under the laws governing foreign arrivals. Johann appears in that record under yet another variation of his name, Paulus Wegerlin.

Rather than weakening the identification, these records strengthen it because the same family members repeatedly appear together. A man named Paul or Paulus appears with Ottilia, Jacob, Katharine, Ottilia, and Anna Clara, the same family reconstructed from the German church records.

A Family Begins Again in Pennsylvania

Johann and Ottilia did not arrive in Pennsylvania alone and begin their family from scratch. They arrived as an established household with four children who had already spent their first years in Germany.

After settling in Pennsylvania, at least four more children were born to the family: Johan Simon in 1736, Philip in 1739, Barbara in 1740, and Adam in 1744. Their household therefore grew to at least eight known children.

Philip, born September 15, 1739, would become especially important to my direct family line. He later moved west into the Brothersvalley region and became one of the earliest documented settlers associated with the area that eventually became Somerset County.

From Wegerle to Wegley

It would be convenient if the family name changed in one clear step from Wegerle to Wegerline and eventually to Wegley. The evidence instead shows a much messier evolution.

Johann himself appears under several surname forms. His son Philip later appears predominantly as Wagerline in Pennsylvania records; later descendants appear as Weigley, and eventually the spelling Wegley becomes established in my direct branch.

That gradual change makes more sense than imagining that Johann deliberately “Americanized” the name immediately after arriving. Different clerks and different generations recorded the name differently, and over time some of those forms became permanent.

His Final Years

Johann eventually made his home in Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He died there on December 7, 1763, at age sixty-four.

Ottilia also died in 1763, although the surviving evidence about her death is less certain. The couple who had married in Germany, crossed the Atlantic together, and raised children on both sides of the ocean therefore appear to have died during the same year.

By Johann’s death, more than thirty-one years had passed since the family arrived in Philadelphia. The children who had crossed the Atlantic with their parents were now adults, while the children born in Pennsylvania represented the family’s first American-born generation.

The Beginning of the American Wegley Family

Johann Paul left us no diary explaining why he left Germany, no portrait showing what he looked like, and no letters explaining what he thought about beginning a new life across the Atlantic. What survives instead is a collection of records that, when placed together, tells us something almost as important.

We have his family in Lampertheim. We have his marriage to Ottilia, the baptisms of their daughters, a ship carrying that same family to Philadelphia, the oath record of Paulus Wegerlin, children born later in Pennsylvania, and descendants who carried evolving forms of the family name across America.

Johann Paul Wegerle died in 1763, but his 1732 journey changed the course of every generation that followed in my direct Wegley line. From Lampertheim to Pennsylvania, and eventually from Pennsylvania across several American states, the family story I am documenting on this website begins with him.

So, is Johan Michel Weigel the same as Paulus Wegerline?

I’m sorry to say, but Johan Paul and Johan Michel Weigel are not the same person. And I can prove it with old, obscure German birth records. Johan Michel Weigel married Anna Elisabetha, and yes, they had a child named Anna Catharina, but that’s not the same person.

Paul, or Paulus, Wegerlin married Obtilia. We know this because they came to America together, and we have a zillion records showing they came over together with two of their daughters, for whom we also have old German birth records.

Another piece of evidence is that, in the 1736 PA Early Census Index, Johan Michael Weygell lived in Philadelphia County, and we already knew Paulus lived in nearby Lancaster County during that period.

His wife was Obtilla Wegerlin, born February 26, 1701, in Lampertheim, Bergstrasse, Hessen, Germany, and she died in November 1763 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

I have a document that is supposed to be her last will and testament, translated. Here is what it says.

This document is a Last Will and Testament written by Ottilla Bayer, dated April 6, 1763, from Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Below is a summary and transcription of key sections for clarity.

Summary of Key Details:

1. Introduction:
   • The document begins with Ottilla Bayer declaring this as her final will and testament. She acknowledges her faith in God and discusses her intent to settle her worldly affairs.
2. Bequests:
   • Specific Property and Money: Ottilla distributes her possessions, property, and any remaining funds among her children and heirs. She names the recipients and provides detailed instructions on how her assets are to be divided.
   • Care for Relatives: There is mention of provisions for family members, possibly ensuring care for those unable to support themselves.
3. Execution of the Will:
   • She names the executor(s) responsible for carrying out the terms of her will. Executors are likely close family members or trusted individuals.
4. Closing Statement:
   • Ottilla closes her will with blessings for her family and reiterates her intent that this document be followed after her death.
5. Witnesses:
   • The document is signed by witnesses and includes legal phrasing to validate the will under the laws of the time.

Transcription of Select Sections:

(Exact wording may vary slightly due to the old-style cursive handwriting.)

1. Opening Paragraph:
   

   “In the name of God, Amen. I, Ottilla Bayer, of Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, being weak in body but of sound and disposing mind and memory, blessed be God for His mercies, do make and publish this my Last Will and Testament, revoking and making void all former wills heretofore by me made.”

2. Bequests (Example Language):
   

   “I give and bequeath unto my son [Name], the sum of [specific amount], to be paid out of my estate, and to my daughter [Name], I leave [specific property or asset], with the intent that she shall have the care of [specific individual].”

3. Executor Appointment:
   

   “I nominate and appoint [Name(s)] to be the executor(s) of this my last will, to ensure all my debts and funeral expenses are paid and the remainder of my estate divided according to this my will.”

4. Closing Statement:
   

   “In witness whereof, I, Ottilla Bayer, have hereunto set my hand and seal this sixth day of April in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and sixty-three.”

5. Witnesses:
   

   “Signed, sealed, and declared by the said Ottilla Bayer as her Last Will and Testament in the presence of us, [Names of Witnesses].”

This document outlines Ottilla Bayer’s wishes for distributing her property, ensuring care for her family, and appointing executors to manage her estate. It reflects her effort to ensure her legacy and responsibilities were handled according to her faith and values.

Here’s the catch: if you dig deep into the transcript, you see that in Ottilla Bayer’s Last Will and Testament, she distributed various items and properties to her heirs, specifying who received what. Here’s a breakdown of other people mentioned in the will and what they were given, along with their locations or the location of the items:

Heirs and Bequests:

1. Maria Magdalena (daughter):
   • Items Given: A feather bed with all its furniture, the largest chest, and one cow (as transcribed earlier).
   • Location: These items were likely in Ottilla Bayer’s household in Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
2. John (son):
   • Items Given: Several farming implements, tools, and a specific parcel of land.
   • Location: The land was likely located in Warwick Township or nearby areas as part of Ottilla’s estate.
3. Peter (son):
   • Items Given: Ottilla bequeathed him a parcel of land or rights to a property, along with some livestock and farming tools.
   • Location: The land location is likely documented in Lancaster County, PA.