Alexander Mack the T Unker and Descendants

Alexander Mack the Tunker and Descendants BY REV. FREEMAN ANKRUM, AB. PUBLISHED BY TH£ HE;RALO P~ESS, SCOTTOAt..F::, PENNSYL..VANIA 1 FOR REV. FREEMAN ANKRUM, A.B. MASONTOWN, Pl:NNSYLVANIA 1943 COPYRIGHT 1943 BY REV. FREEMAN ANKRUM All Rights Reserved PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY HERALD PRESS, SCOTTDALE, PENNSYLVANIA 1845 · 1945 ~, ~ ~~;~ ,, / ~ . -:❖ 11·~11-vr· ~<8~ CYthtom/&~~ --(l e1. ... ALEXANDER MACK THE TUNKER ARD DESCENDANTS Rev. Freeman Ankrum, A.B. TO ONE VVHO NEVER FORGOT, NOR NEGLECTED, TO INSTILL INTO THE MINDS OF HER CHILDREN, THOSE FUNDAMENTALS INDICATED AS BASIC BY HER AN CESTORS," WHO HAS KNOWN HARD WORK ALL HER LIFE AND THE CARES OF A LARGE FAMILY, YET PATIENTLY AND FAITHFULLY TAUGHT THEM BY PRECEPT AND EXAMPLE, AND LOY ALTY TO GOD AND THE CHURCH, THIS BooK Is HUMBLY DEDI CATED To LUCINDA MACK ANKRUM, BY HER SoN THE AUTHOR. PREFACE THE WRITER HAS NEVER KNOWN a time when he has not been surrounded by, and grounded in, the history of the Mack Family. Since he was of the family, it was taken as a matter of course, and little more than ordinary thought was given it. However, there was instH!ed through the years a desire to capture and place upon the records stories that were handed down and dates and records, which in the course of time would be lost. The rich opportunity of securing much material from an individual who sat at the feet of one who was educated in Germantown, Pennsylvania, and who was thirty years of age when his Grandfather Alexander Mack, Jr., passed away at his Germantown, Pennsylvania, home, was a rare privilege. Older members of the illustrious family are passing from the scenes of life. Their treasured memories of incidents of another day, unless captured and confined to the printed page, will soon be 1ost. Seventeen years ago actual collection of material was begun and notes were made with the expectation of finally publishing the matter in a volume in which it might be preserved for posterity. The first effort in publishing was in the Brethren Evangelist of May 24, 1930, and was just a limited sketch. It had been our privilege to visit with the venerable Rev. J. H. Moore in his Sebring (Florida) home in the beginning of the collecting of ma terial. After the article appeared in the Evangelist, he pointed out some errors of dates, of which the author was aware. The late Brother Moore writes: Sebring, Florida May 27, 1930 DEAR BRO. ANKRUM : Your -article in the late Evangelist, about your Descent from Alexander Mack, has been read with special interest. You seem to have a pretty clear record. Possibly you are in position to write a little history of Mack and his descendants. You say more about the family than I have seen in any other report. * * * You have the coming of Mack's wife with him to America and dying on the date given by Bro. M. G. Brumbaugh. Most writers differ with Brumbaugh on this point, holding that the wife died in Germany. Among these I name Quinter, Holsinger and the writers vii PREFACE of the history of Eastern Pennsylvania. In Rupp's list of Thirty Thousand Names of Emigrants Coming to Pennsylvania from r727 to r776, it is maintained that Mack's wife died in Europe. This is a point of dispute that I would like to see run down, for there seems to he· good authority on both sides. My age and strength will not permit me to give it the attention required to get at the real fact. If you have any special data on the point I would appreciate a word from you. Pardon me for troubling you with this letter, but I feel an interest in what you say of your relation to Mack in the rlesh as well as in the spirit, and so I write you. Fraternally, J. H. Moore. In this production the writer has formed the conclusion based on evidence mentioned in the chapter pertaining to Alexander Mack's wife, that she died in Germany, and not in America, as was stated in the article in the Eva11gelist. The work was held up for approximately seven years while the author was searching for material and the grave of William Mack, the third link in the chain. He was the son of Alexander Mack, Jr. The writer was in contact with the late Ex Governor M. G. Bru:n baugh in this search. He, too, was keenly interested in the Mack genealogy. As to William Mack we give you his letter: Juniata College Huntingdon, Pennsylvania 2-25-30 DEAR B1w: ANKEmM: I do not ha,·e the genealogy of the Mack family. I think Stoler Good of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, can supply you with the dates. He's an Alumnus of J. C. and the Macks settled in lower Cumberland Valley after Germantown. If this fails you, try the Pennsylvania German Society, Norristown, Pennsylvania. They have a new Genealogical Dept. Its help is free. You ought to be a member. Why not? Your pamphlet is good. I am glad you hold to the religion your family set up and lived. Be sure to send me this data when published. I cherish all such things. Cordially yours, M. G. Brumbaugh. After William Mack was traced to Waynesboro, it was the sup plying of the material collected by J\'[iss Sudie Wingert of W aynes- viii PREFACE boro which ended the seven-year search. It must be recalled that means and time did not permit an intensive search, but only as occasion permitted. Miss Wingert is a genealogist of note. Her assistance in securing and supplying material is highly appreciated by the writer. She is continually giving of self and time to the work of the church and of assisting others. Each time the writer presumed to impose upon her time, it was highly remunerative to him. While the writer was located at Linwood, Maryland, as pastor of the Linwood Brethren Church, the work there was such that time was permitted to make research. This is of course a section of the brotherhood rich in history. At Historic Pipe Creek Church the first minutes to be recorded of the Annual Meetings known to be in existence were recorded at Pipe Creek in 1778. Here the church stands, with three sections of its commodious structure erected in three different centuries. Here we were fortunate in having the aid of Rev. Wm. Kinzie, of New Windsor, and Dr. E. C. Bixler, also of New Windsor. Dr. Bixler well stated to the writer one day when he said, "You find a date today and a contradiction to morrow." The writer naturally must depend upon the records of others, and many times they were incorrect. It was deemed better to leave out that which might in any way be questioned and in sert that which was best known to be correct. An instance of this is shown in the records kept in the court house in Uniontown, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. Here the old records, evidently copied in years past by a copyist, state that "Jacob Mack bought land and a Mill on Browns Run in 1786." It is also stated that his wife signed the indenture. While the writer has known some precocious Macks, yet for one to be married at thirteen years of age and to pay over three thousand do1lars ·for a mil[ and site, and then proceed to operate the same, simply shows that someone in his copying of records put clown an "8" when it should have been a "9." The records carved upon the tombstones are naturally taken as being correct. The writer knows of only one case, and not con cerned in this production, when evidently the wrong date was inten tionally carved upon the stone. Search was made through numerous cemeteries. The self-effacing of many of the Dunker pioneers and their humility prevented some ix PREFACE of the graves from being well marked. f'.hotographs of the early leaders of the church were frowned upon in the same way. It was a thrill for the writer in visiting Mr. A. D. Rowzer of Windber, Pennsylvania, to he able to show him a tintype of his Grandfather George Mack Holsinger, whom he had never seen and as far as be knew had never had a photograph taken. It was also a privilege of having access to many old Bibles, which offered evidence reliable in every way. Among these were the Bible owned by Alexander Mack, Sr., mention of which is made in the text, and a Saur Bible published in 1743, owned by J ohannis (John) Mack, the brother of Alex.antler Mack, Jr. This Bible is well preserved and is in Waynes·boro, Pennsylvania. While the family Bible of Alexander Mack, Jr., was not found, one of each generation with one excep tion down to the present time was located. In this connection we want to express appreciation to Dr. John S. Flory of Bridge water, Virginia, for his interest in this work. Those not men tioned in the text who have made their contributions, we desire to mention in the Preface. Prof. F. E. Mallott has been highly in terested in the production and has aided in it. Mr. Homer Sanger, of Chicago, Illinois, an uncle of Mrs. Ankrum, has aided and has been interested in the production. We also desire to credit Mr. Frank Connell, Jr., of Masontown, Pennsylvania, for fine con structive criticism of the manuscript. He, a printer, was able to add much of value toward structure.

Load more