John Frederick

Immigrant March 1852

The politics & economy of Hesse Cassel in 1850: "Hesse-Kassel or Electorate Hesse (Kurhessen) (was) a mid-size German state, strategically located between the main part of Prussia and the Prussian provinces of Westphalia in western Germany, traversed by two Prussian military roads. In the 1830s and 1840s, Hesse-Kassel was known chiefly for its poverty, its archaic agrarian structure, and its acrimonious constitutional politics. In the aftermath of the 1848 revolution, the very same issues which fed the constitutional conflict of the Vormärz resurfaced and, in 1850, jelled with the Austro-Prussian contest in Germany to produce a diplomatic crisis of the first order..."
See: www.ohio.edu/chastain/dh/hessek.htm

The story of Johannes Frederick, as he was known then, has long fascinated his descendants, and provoked much speculation. The story was that he had left then-Prussia quickly and could not return. He returned to England where his wife met him for the trip to America. She was pregnant with their first child at the time. Her sister and possibly one brother accompanied her. It was joked that "Aunt Mary" crossed the ocean but never saw it; Mary Frederick was born in August not long after they arrived in America in 1852. John Frederick's grandson, Fred Kline, said he knew the reason he had to leave, but wouldn't tell it, so to his mind it was a serious infraction. The area was in upheaval at the time, a confrontation with Austria developing. Johannes and Anna may have already planned to emigrate, and he was simply draft-dodging. The older houses in both Frankershausen and Hitzerode are three-part: the family living space, an equipment and feed storage space and finally the animal quarters. Another descendant through the Etzel line said their family story said that as their story went, "he escaped through the dung hole", where the cow manure was shoveled out of the animal quarters. So someone was at the door. I (See complete biography)
Note that John Frederick Dietrich was born in Hitzerode Germany in 1822, the same town and year as our ancestor John Frederick. John Frederick Dietrich settled in Allegheny County PA in 1840; his brother Wilhelm "William" Dietrich, also born in Hitzerode but in 1827, settled in Clarion Co. PA (date unknown to us) as did our John Frederick in 1852. Our John Frederick is thought to have made his initial trip to Pennsylvania alone, perhaps to purchase land before returning to England for the 2nd voyage with his wife in 1852. It is possible he met with John Frederick Dietrich or brother William to confer about available land; John Frederick Dietrich, and possibly brother William, having arrived in 1840 would have been well settled by then. Eventually two children of Johan Frederick would marry children of John Frederick Dietrich.
(Emlenton, Pennsylvania)

	Date	Location	Notes	Sources
Birth	17 Aug 1822	Hitzerode,Landgraviate of Hesse Cassel
Marriage	12 Oct 1850; 20 Oct 1851	Hitzerode or Frankershausen, Landgraviate of Hesse Kassel (See Source notes)	To Anna Catherine Kenemuth
Emigration from Germany	March 1852	Hitzelrode, Werra-Meissner-Kreis, Hessen	destination America
Death	12 Apr 1912 expect 1926 or later See source notes	Ashland Twp., Clarion Co. PA
Burial		Lieberum "Deutsch/> Dutch" Cemetery

Ancestry chart segment

 Generation 4           Generation 5          Generation 6
 
                                                     +-- Johannes Friedrich
                                                     |   (~1784-1831)
                            +-- John Frederick ------+
                            |   (1822-1912)          |
 Elizabeth Anna Frederick --+                        +-- Anna Margarethe Speck
 (1865-1921)                |                            (1785->1851)
                            +-- Anna Catherine Kenemuth
                                (1827-1889)
Source: 

Children

(all children with Anna Catherine Kenemuth

Name	Gender	Date of Birth	Birthplace	Spouse	Notes	Sources
Mary Frederick	F	13 Aug 1852		William "Will" Dietrich
Jacob C. Frederick	M	31 Oct 1854			died 1875, age 20
Frank J. Frederick	M	6 Nov 1856		Louisa Dietrich
Emma B. Frederick	F	1858		1) William Lintz 2) John Henry Jury
John Valentine Frederick	M	14 Feb 1862		Dena C. Lieberum
Elizabeth "Ella" Anna Frederick	F	13 Feb 1865		John Abram Kline	Direct line
Josephine Frederick	F				(died young)

Places of Residence

Location	Dates	Notes	Sources
Hitzerode, Germany	b. 1822
possibly Frankserhausen, Ger	by ( married)1851-1852
Fern, Ashland Twp., Clarion Co. PA	1852-d. 1912

Photo Gallery

The church at Hitzerode, Germany

Church at Hitzerode

Aerial view Hitzerode, Germany 2008

John Frederick and wife Anna Catherine Kenemuth

Frederick Bible, birth & death records

Frederick Bible, marriage record

Photo of John Frederick & wife Anna Catherine, and access to Frederick family Bible provided Sept.1991 by Della Frederick Francisco, now deceased.

From Complete Calling Card Book of Ella A. Frederick

Gravestone of John Frederick & wife Anna Catherine Kennemuth, Lieberum Cemetery, Ashland Twp., Clarion Co. PA

Inscription for Anna C. followed by a long poetry or scripture, overlaid by the later inscription for John Frederick

Inscription close-up, John Frederick

Gravestone of Jacob C. Frederick, Lieberum Cemetery

Lieberum Cemetery, transcriptions by E. W. Williams

These photos of John Frederick appear to be at the home of John Abram Kline and Elizabeth Frederick Kline. The photo at left shows him by the side porch before it was converted to a closed-in porch. Some of the stone steps used at this house were found down nearer the woods, the remains of the first house built on the property. The woman in the doorway could be his granddaughter Annie Kline. The center photo shows the front yard and a bit of the front vegetable garden, then plum trees to the left.

John Frederick & George M. Sheffer with grandchildren (possibly Hazel or Ailene Sheffer), Branfield & Dorothy Sheffer.

Family of John A. Kline, with John Frederick at far right

The family of John Abram Kline poses with John Frederick in front of the Kline farmhouse. From l.to rt. Beulah Gladys Kline, James Elgie Beals, Winnifred May Kline, J. Austin Sheffer, Anna Catherine Kline, Frederick Edwin Kline, John Abram Kline, Mary Philistia Kline, Elizabeth Anna Frederick, Sarah Elenore Myers Sheffer (Mrs. George M. Sheffer) in white blouse, and John Frederick.

Sources

Ref. Num.	Description	Image of original
1	1850 census. None of the Fredericks listed were a particularly good match. John was not naturalized at this point (see 1910 census).
2	1860 United States federal Census, Ashland Twp., Clarion Co., PA, pg 11. Census dated 4 July, 1860. Lines 22-27 list: John Fredrick, head, age 40, farmer, $600 real, $150 personal prop. born Hesse, Ger.; Catherine, age 35, born Hesse; children: Mary, 8; Jacob, 6; Franklin, 4; Emma, 1. Children all born PA.
3	1870 United States federal Census, Ashland Twp., Clarion Co., PA, pg 18. Census dated 8 July, 1870. Lines 15-22 list: John Fredrick, head, age 47, farmer; Catherine, age 43, keeping house. Both born Hesse, all parents foriegn born. Children: Mary, 17; Jacob, 15, in school; Frank J., age 13, in school; Emma, 11, in school; John, 8; Alice, 5. Children all born PA.
4	1880 United States federal Census, Ashland Twp., Clarion Co., PA Dist 63, pg 9. Census dated 9 June 1880. Lines 43-49 list: John Frederick, head, age 56, farmer, $1500 real, $829 personal property; Anna C., wife, age 53, keeping home. Both (and all parents) born Kuhrhessen. Children: Frank J., age 23, farmer; Emma, 21, divorced, at home; John V., 18, in school, Anna Alice, 15 in school. Children all born PA (parents b. Kuhrhessen), all read, write, speak English; Anna Bertha L., granddau., 3, born PA, parents born PA.
5	1900 United States Federal Census,Ashland Twp., Clarion Co. PA District 1 pg 5, ln. 84-89. Date of census: 11 June 1900. John Frederick born Aug 1822, age 77,married, (length of marriage not recorded; was actually widowered), born Germany, both parents born Germany, year of immigration 1837,number of years in the US 63, naturalized, farmer, owns farm free of mortgage. John V. Frederick, son, born Feb 1863, age 37, married 6 yrs, born PA, parents born Ger. Denie Frederick, daughter-in-law, born Dec. 1875, age 24, married 6 yrs, mother of 3 children, all 3 living. Dellie Frederick, g-dau. born Oct 1894, age 5, she & parents born PA William Frederick, g-son, born Oct 1895, age 4, all born PA Harvey Frederick, g-son, born May 1898, age 2, all born PA.
6	1910 United States federal Census, Ashland Twp., Clarion Co., PA Dist 1. Pg 7A. Dated 5-6 May 1910. Lines 3-8 list: John V. Frederick, head, age 47, mar. 16 yrs, b. PA, father and mother born Germany, General farming, owns farm, no mortgage; Dena, wife, age 34, mar. 16 yrs, 3 children, all alive, b. PA, father and mother born Germany; Della, age 15; William W., age 14; Harvey, age 11. Children all bo. PA (along with parents), all read, write, speak English; John, father, age 87, widow, born Germany, naturalized in 1852. Also on page are two families of Kennemuths.
7	Frederick Bible, published in Philadelphia 1882. Marriage record: "12 October 1850 in Hitzerode John Friederich Anna Catharina Kuhnemuth Franckersausen Birth records: "Johannes Friederich geboren 17 August 1822 fon Hitzerode. Anna Catharina Kuhnemuth 27 February 1827 in Franckersausen. Sie is gestorben 1889 Junie 26. John Friederich Efrau. Sie war alt 62 yer 4 monat 7 day. Tauf (wahr) irh." John Friederich born 17 Aug. 1822 in Hitzerode. Anna Catharina Kuhnemuth 27 Feb. 1827 in Franckersausen. She died 26 June 1889. Wife of John Friederich. She was 62 years 4 months & 7 days old. She was baptized.	Re. place of marriage, see (Frederick Bible Translation Notes).
8	Gravestone transcriptionLieberum Cemetery, Ashland Twp., Clarion Co. PA, 1991 by Elizabeth Wilson Williams: "Mrs. Anna C. Wife of John Frederick Born Feb. 27 1827 Died June 24 1889 Age 62 yrs 4m 24d". (There appears to be poetry, small & illegible, beneath her inscription, with John Frederick's inscription engraved over part of it.) "John Frederick B. Aug 17, 1822 D. Apr. 12 1912" Lieberum Cemetery transcriptions June 2007 by E W Williams: Jacob C, son of J. & A. C.Frederick, Apr ___ 1875 aged 20 yrs & 1 d.
9	Letter from Emma Jury , Fertigs, PA, Jan. 7, 1912, apparently to her sister Mary Dietrich. Names Estella, Papa/Father, Charley, Anna, John, Willie, Coates, Mabel, Edna, Dena, Ella. Signed Emma Jury. A note in German added and signed by John Friederich. A quarter of one page missing.	(See transcript)
10	Personal correspondence from Elna Frederick Whitling, granddaughter of John V. Frederick.
11	Interview with Della Frederick Francisco, 1991, granddaughter of John V. Frederick. Examined the Frederick Bible, various photographs, handwritten pages of notes from Jane Frederick.
12	Research Manuscript of Ella May Beals (Wilson) researched 1975-1985, including personal knowledge and interviews of her siblings Robert Beals and Bertha Beals (Chambers), and of her aunt Mary P. Kline (Fillgrove). Her notes say he spoke almost no English. He would offer the children hard candy from his pocket and say "Bissel candy, huh?". Sometimes, clinging to the candy, would be bits of loose tobacco also in his pocket. He smoked a pipe. He said he was from Hesse Kassel, Germany (which is the nearest large city in the area). She noted that he enjoyed getting presents and "having a fuss made over him" at Christmas. She noted the history of his having to leave Germany quickly for undisclosed reasons (see biography above). Ella Beals (Wilson) left the impression with her daughter that she had known her great-grandfather when she was a young child. However, according to his gravestone inscription, John Frederick died 5 years before Ella Beals (Wilson) was born. She includes the 1812 death date in her research notes, source not specified, so either overlooked its error, or concurred. See source notes: Sheffer children born 1918 & 1921 in photo with John Frederick.
13	Research of Nancy Elizabeth Beals (Walls), 1975-ongoing, in the Venango/Clarion Counties border area, including cemetery inventories, obituary collections, church records and library research, and interviews of community members.
14	Bertha I. Beals (Chambers) personal knowledge give through oral interviews and accompanying on farm and cemetery visits in Venango & Clarion Counties, PA.
15	Research of Dr. Kurt Guenther, parish at Albungen where the registers (after 1804) of Hitzerode are preserved. (Older registers, since 1626, preserved at Frankershausen). Johannes Friedrich, occupation carrier, born 4.3.1784; 16./20. 11 1831 (died 16th buried 20th Nov. 1831), at Hitzerode; married 23.7.1804 at (Hitzerode), to Anna Margarethe Speck (alive in 1851). Their son, Johannes Friedrich, farmer, was born at Hitzerode 17th Aug. 1822, christened 25th Aug 1822. His godfather was Jacob Speck, musician. Johannes Friedrich married 20 Oct 1851, at (Hitzerode)/Frankershausen (See source notes), to Anna Catharine Kuehnemuth. She was born in Frankershausen 27 Feb 1827; daughter of the shopkeeper Jacob Kuenemuth and Dorothea Schindewolf. She was age 23 when married.	See full text of report, Kurt Guenther Research, Church Records of Frankershausen & Hitzerode, Germany
16	Research & personal correspondence of Wilda Dietrich Dehart, 1992-1997. Emma B. Frederick's first daughter, Bertha Frederick, was raised by her grandparents John & Catherine Frederick. Bertha did housekeeping for John Frederick after Catherine died, so possibly knew more of their history. Bertha's daughter Alvida Coates related the following: When John (Johannes) Frederick left Germany, he escaped through "the dung hole", an opening for removing manure from the animal quarters section of the 3-part house/barn. So, apparently someone was at the door waiting to either arrest or conscript him. After Catherine Kennemuth (Frederick) died in 1889, John made several trips to Pittsburgh to visit daughter Mary Frederick (Dietrich). John remarried, and the 2nd wife committed suicide.
17	Records of the Hessian Institute for Regional History, research of EWW. Johannes Frederich departed Hitzelrode-Meissner-Kreis, Hesse, Germany in March of 1852; destination United States.

Source notes

• Hitzerode, Germany is about 20 miles SE of Kassel, in Hesse. Frankershausen is several miles from Hitzerode. Both are quite small towns. In 1852 and before, they were part of the Landgraviate of Hesse Cassel, NOT Kurhessen, a Natzi division of the Province of Hesse Nassau, as some researchers have it.
• Dr. Kurt Guenther, in typing up his notes on the Frederick & Kuhnemuth families, has indicated on the Frederick page that John Frederick & Anna Catherine Kuhnemuth were married in Hitzerode. On the Kuhnemuth page he indicates that they were married in Frankershausen.
• Lieberum Cemetery (land donated by the Lieberum family), also known as the "Dutch" (ie German) cemetery, is near the old Frederick farm. The cemetery is possibly at the site of the former St. Johns Reform Church.
• It is still unknown what the date of John Frederick's first trip to America was. It is presumed to have been in 1851 after the wedding, but that is not known for sure. It is doubtful that he went to America at age 15 (1837), as the 1900 census indicates. He was 78 at the time of that census and probably confused the date. Or perhaps the census taker misunderstood his gutteral German accent.
• The note (see sources, Wilda Dietrich DeHart) by a great-granddaughter (Alvida Coates) of John Frederick that he married a 2nd time, has not been heard by us from any other family source. That the 2nd wife committed suicide may have induced reticence among the older generation; that the marriage was possibly short may have meant that the younger generation of his other great-grandchildren wouldn't remember. The 2nd marriage is conceivable, but presently unconfirmed by primary source data.
• John Frederick spent Christmas of 1912 at daughter Emma Jury's house; possibly he lived there. Her letter reported his having a bad cold. If his gravestone inscription is accurate, he died 3 months later. This inscription's accuracy is now in question.
• The 1912 death date is in question; Ella Beals (Wilson), born 1917, said that she had known her great-grandfather as a young child; that she had probably been about age 7 when he died (i.e. ~1924). Her memories were few, but she related how he would offer hard candy ("Bissel candy, huh?") to the grandchildren from his pocket, and strands of loose pipe tobacco would be stuck to it; and that he said he was from what sounded to her like "Hessey Kussel" (Hesse Cassel). There is also a photograph of John Frederick with his great-grandchildren Wm.Otis Branfield Sheffer and his sister Dorothy Sheffer, born in 1918 and 1921 respectively. In the photo Dorothy appears to be 4 or 5 years old, so the year may be 1925 or 1926.

Conjecture

• The 1900 census reports John Frederick as immigrating in 1837, when he would have been only 15 years old. This date may be erroneous. It is believed that he did come to America once, before returning and immigrating with his wife in 1852.

Research

• The 1880 census of Richland Township, Clarion Co. PA lists August Frederick age 55, shoemaker, b. Hesse Cassel; Elizabeth, age 58, housewife, b. Hesse Cassel; Charles, age 25, shoemaker, b. Hesse Cassel. Note: August Frederick is only 3 years younger than John Frederick. Age-wise they could be cousins, or even siblings. However, "Hesse Cassel" is a political area, and Frederick is a common name. We believe that John Frederick's grand-daughter Mary P. Kline, who was interviewed for this genealogy, would have known if related Fredericks had lived in the neighboring township.

Research Wishlist

• Obituaries for John Frederick, Anna C.(Frederick), & possibly unknown 2nd wife of John Frederick, a suicide.