George Balser HESS (II)
George married Sarah IMMELL on Apr 11, 1809 in Columbus, Franklin Co, OH, USA. (Sarah IMMELL was born on Feb 27, 1792 in Mayes, Licks, Bonneville, Ky, USA, died on Jan 14, 1858 in Goshen, Elkhart Co., IN, USA and was buried in Hess Cemetery, Goshen, Elkhart Co., IN, USA.) |
Noted
events
The list of children for Bolser (Balser)Hess (II) and wife Sarah Immell numbers
15. Most were born in Columbus, Ohio
before their move to Goshen, Indiana before 1830.
Bolser, Jr.
donated this land in Goshen, Indiana for the Hess Cemetery established there.
White gravestones
of Bolser (Balser) Hess, II and his wife Sarah
are in the middle back of photo.
White gravestones
of Bolser (Balser) Hess, II and his wife Sarah
More information gathered:
Since finding
the Centennial History book written in 1901, I have acquired a copy
of 'History of Balser Hess 1747-1806 and Descendants' compiled by
Frank E. Hess of Goshen, Indiana in 1950.
From the Hess book, a more comprehensive history of the Hess family is understood
and
it serves to correct some information that was given in the Centennial History
book.
Balser Hess II was born February 14, 1786 at Bedford, Pennsylvania, the third child of Balser Hess and Mary Eve Hensel. He spent his early childhood in Bedford where he attended school and worked in his father's shoe shop and leather goods store, located on the southeast corner of Pitt and Richard Streets. He spent some time with his grandparents, the Hensels, who lived twelve miles south of town. Here he received early training in the art of handling the tools of that day: the axe, saw, sickle, trowel, etc. He also learned to drive the ox team, the farm-power of that day. This training came in handy later as he moved to Ohio and Indiana.
In 1798 he moved with the family from Bedford to Hopetown, Ohio where the Hess family joined their old Bedford County neighbors, the Michael Cryders, who had preceded them to Hopetown two years before. He did a boy's share to establish the family on land adjoining the Cryders. In 1802 when land title trouble developed between Cryder and Hess, he again moved with the family to Franklinton, Ohio, fifty miles north, where his father purchased 400 acres of land in Clinton Township, Franklin County, Ohio.
Balser was now sixteen years old, sturdy, a good horseman, a crack rifleman, the family hunter and a fair craftsman. A craftsman of that day had to be a carpenter, a mason, a blacksmith and architect all rolled into one. He loved the wilds and was the Esau of this combination of Daniel and Balser team of brothers. At Franklinton he helped cut the road north from the the settlement to their farm site, clear the land, build the first log house and other buildings.
When his father died, December 27, 1806, he was nearing twenty-one and took the place of a man in the family. He helped his mother and brother Daniel run the farm and rear the younger children.
On April 11, 1809 he married Sarah Immell, who was born February 27, 1792 and was a granddaughter of Michael Cryder. This was the third Hess marriage into the Michael Cryder family. He must have met her through the Cryder family at Hopetown, as his two oldest sisters had already married sons of Michael and lived in Hopetown. He had inherited 140 acres of the original 400 acre purchase of his father, but had not been able to get this farm cleared and building erected thereon prior to his marriage.
For several years immediately after his marriage, he engaged in the bakery business in newly started Columbus, with a partner George Rayburn. The business was located on Scioto Street, one block south of the Broad Street Bridge. While he was conducting this business and living in Columbus, his first three children were born: John, the eldest at the home of his Grandmother Hess and Elias and Mary Eve in the home on Scioto Street. During these few years he built buildings on his farm and then sold the bakery business and moved to the farm just west of the homestead occupied by his mother and younger children.
He engaged in farming, which was to be his life's vocation. He saw the next nine children born and saw three of them die. He completed the clearing of the farm and the erecting of farm buildings. This first twenty years of marriage was spent near his mother, brothers and sisters. He prospered, was of mutual help to the family and they to him and he had nine strong healthy children. This must have been the happiest twenty years of his life.
In the fall of 1828 the wanderlust spirit began to work on Balser II. Life on a cleared farm of 140 acres was getting dull. Divided among nine children, this would be small acreage. He must have more land for his large and growing family. This is the spirit that settled and build the Middle West. Reports of the fine land to be homestead in Indiana and Illinois were trickling back to Ohio. He must investigate.
He fitted himself for a prospecting trip. He had a fine black horse called Old Nig, of which he was unduly proud. In company with his brother John Moses Hess, he rode northwest to Fort Wayne where a settlement had been founded, then up the Indian Trail, which later became the Fort Wayne-Goshen Road, stopping on the Elkhart River at Benton, Indiana, where Matthew Boyd had a small tavern for the benefit of early travelers and land seekers.
The next morning they inspected Elkhart Prairie and Elkhart River. They were impressed by the fertile prairie where no clearing was necessary and by the flowing springs on the east bank of the river and west fringe of the prairie, just two miles south of the present city of Goshen. They pressed on westward and rounded the south-end of Lake Michigan to Fort Dearborn, now the City of Chicago. They certainly were not favorably impressed by this swamp. The story is told that a man who had homesteaded eighty acres just west of the Fort, and now Chicago's Loop and near West Side, offered Balser II the tract for Old Nig, his cherished riding horse. The swamp was worthless to a practical farmer, there was no market for mosquitoes, and Old Nig was valuable. How would he get back to Columbus without his mount? There was no deal. His eyes were set on Elkhart Prairie, its river and springs.
He returned to Columbus, sold his well improved farm to a man from Maryland, made ready for the long move and on April 1, 1829, started for Elkhart County, Indiana. The family consisted of nine children, the eldest son John being nineteen and Martha, who later married Samuel Rensberger, being the youngest. This must have been another sad day in the long life of Mary Eve Hensel Hess when this son and large family of grandchildren, who had so far been reared just across the fields, pulled stakes, broke the home ties, and started for the West. Although she lived twenty-six years from the day of this parting, she saw only two or three of the family again and never saw the three born in Indiana: Lydia, Jacob and Catherine.
With this caravan loaded with food and supplies, furniture, tools, farm equipment, oxen, horses, cattle and other farm stock, it was impossible to make more than ten to fifteen miles per day. Camp had to be set up every night and broken up and loaded every morning. Balser II and the two oldest sons, John and Elias, took turns driving the ox team. There was always the problem of safe water for drinking and cooking. They followed the same route Balser II had followed the preceding fall. They passed through Fort Wayne and on northwest, arriving at the Elkhart River at or near the point where Benton is now located, on the evening of April 26, 1829. This was the south edge of the prairie. It is said Baler II was ready to call it good and wanted to stake out his claim near this spot, but Mother Sarah objected, saying: "Take us to the springs on the river you have told us about." They loaded again, for the last time, and crossed Elkhart Prairie to the Elkhart River to a spot seven miles west of Benton and two miles south of Goshen, where they pitched their tent on April 27, 1829. This was to be home. Sarah was delighted with the running water, cold and crystal from the east bank of the river. It is not difficult to see who had the final say to the Balser Hess II home!
It was a busy spring, with the log house to be built and the spring planting to be done on the west fringe of the prairie. Being one of the very first settlers to arrive, Balser II had no one to lean on except the family. Major Violett and Daniel Cripe arrived and settled adjoining tracts in a matter of weeks. It is said 1829 was good to these early pioneers and they were rewarded with good crops from the fertile virgin prairie land. The winters were severe, so corn in the crib, wheat in the bin, potatoes in the cellar and ham in the smoke house were the social security of that day. By fall, they were prepared. With their supplies supplemented by the wild game prevalent in the county, all survived the rigors of that first long winter.
The family prospered and grew. More land was broken each year and timber cut on the land across the river to the west. As soon as the land could be entered under the homestead lawn then in force, Balser II rode Old Nig to the land office in Fort Wayne, 56 miles away and made the necessary payments and alter received deeds for some 1200 acres in Elkhart Township, Elkhart County, Indiana. He was attaining his goal: a farm for each of his children.
Balser Hess II had served three short enlistments of one year each in the War of 1812, while a resident of Franklin County, Ohio. He was stationed at Fort Meigs on the Maumee River in Ohio and other Ohio points. The records of the War Department in the office of the Adjutant General in Washington, D.C. shows one Baltzer Hess served in above war as a private in George Skidmore's Company of Riflemen, attached to the Second Regiment, Ohio Militia, commanded by Col. James Renick. For this service he received an honorable discharge and a land grant or warrant for 160 acres. He probably used this warrant for a part of above purchase. The present name of the homestead (in 1950) is 'Sunset', one-half mile south of the city limits of Goshen, now owned and occupied by Ralph S. Penn.
Balser Hess II is said to have been five feet ten and one-half inches tall, with blue eyes and olive complexion. He was quiet, good-natured and peaceable with a keen mind and strong will and with perfect control of his temper. He spoke excellent German and nearly perfect English, which was the result of the training the family received from the Easter lady, governess in the Ohio home for several years. He followed the occupation of a farmer and stock raiser and acquired much land, which he cleared and improved. He died December 16, 1856 at the homestead south of Goshen, Indiana, less than two years after his mother died at the Ohio homestead. He is buried in Hess Cemetery, one mile west of the Indiana homestead, which was a part of the farm and was set aside for cemetery purposed in his will. His wife, Sarah Immell Hess, who died January 14, 1858, is buried by his side.
Both Balser II and his wife Sarah belonged to the Baptist Church. It is claimed he was the first to suggest the name Goshen for the town when founded in 1831. Since he was a preacher and a farmer, that name would have been a natural for him to suggest. It is certain they were religiously inclined, and being financially well-to-do for that day, they were good to the poor and unfortunate, always ready to lend a helping hand. Their door was never closed to the early pioneers. Prior to the Civil War, their home was an underground station for escaping slaves making their way to Canada.
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