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Descendants of Mathias Ambrose

Generation No. 1

1. MATHIAS¹ AMBROSE¹ was born February 17, 1695/96 in Germany², and died August 10, 1784 in Frederick Co., MD³. He married (1) ELIZABETH WILHIDE⁴ Bef. 1725 in Germany(?). He married (2) CATHERINE SPOUGH/SPONGH/SPOHN⁵ Abt. 1733.

Notes for MATHIAS AMBROSE:
NOTE: The following is quoted directly from Mary Ambrose's work:

The earliest ancestor of our Ambrose family that can be confirmed is Frederick Ambrose. However, there is strong family tradition and a good possibility that Frederick was the son of Mathias Ambrose of the Monocacy settlement in Frederick (then Prince Georges) Co Maryland. At this time there is no proof of this relationship.

One of the passengers debarking in Philadelphia on October 11, 1732, from the ship Pleasant was a man named on the three lists of passengers, once as Marthies Ambrose, age 37, and twice as Matheis Ambrosi. Ship captains usually did not list women and children, as they were supposed to, so we have no definite knowledge of whether he was accompanied by a family. Research indicates that he had two children, but his wife, Elizabeth WILHIDE, may have died at sea, as he soon remarried. The only clue to where Mathias came from is a notation on a DAR record indicating that he was the son of Pierre d'Amboise of Lorraine, France. The DAR no longer has the records to support this notation. His birth date, 17 February, 1696, is given on his tombstone.

Mathias, with several other of the immigrants, settled first in the Conestoga area of Cocalico twp, Lancaster Co., PA. He soon married again, and his wife supposedly was Catherine SPOUGH/SPONGH/SPOHN, sometimes said to be the daughter of Adam Spough. This is incorrect, as Adam was too young, (b. ca 1700) to have a marriageable daughter. She may have been his sister-again we are at a loss because of the failure to list women on the ships. Mathias had the baptism of four sons recorded in Pastor Stoever's record of the Muddy Creek Church book between 1734 and 1741. However the sponsors for the last two indicate that he had moved sometime in 1737 or 1738, with others who had come from Germany with him, to the Monocacy area. Prince Georges Co., now Frederick Co., MD.

The first record of Mathias Ambrose in the Monocacy area is in 1738 when he applied for a warrant for 50 acres of land on "Beaver Run also called Carroll Creek that runs into the Monocacy River." (All Maryland land records have been obtained from the Maryland Hall of Records, Annapolis, MD.) This is south of present day Frederick. He sold this warrant to Conrad Kemp in 1746. Mathias established a mill on Owens Creek, about half way between present Frederick and the Pennsylvania border, but no land records have been found for it. Ambrose's Mill, the forerunner of the present town of Thurmont, was used as a reference point on many of the old road maps. In 1742 Adam Spough obtained a warrant for a parcel or land containing 100 acres, known as "Gap," located on "Captain's (Owens) Creek being a branch of the Monocasy River about a half mile above Ambrose's Mill." Spough never patented the land, but in 1752 it was assigned to Mathias Ambrose who did patent it. Two years later he transferred "Gap" to his son, Jacob.

About this time the large holdings of Arnold Livers, an early settler, were being broken up. In 1754 Mathias bought from Liver's executors 125 acres of "Arnold's Delight" on Little Owens Creek, very near to his mill, in fact the mill may have been on this land. There is no record of the sale of this land during his lifetime. At the same time he purchased 500 acres of "Arnold's Chance," on Pipe Creek about 15 miles east of the Monocacy settlement, near present day Westminister. In 1759 Mathias end his wife, Maria Catharina, divided this land and deeded it to three of their children. All three sold their land in 1761.

The first church building in the area was the old Log Church, the location of which is still in dispute. The marker placed east of the Monocacy River opposite Creagerstown is probably in error. Several sites west of the River are possibilities, with the most likely about 3 miles west of Creagerstown. Mathias' youngest child was baptized at this church by Pastor David Chandler in 1743, just a year before Chandler died. Naturalization records of these German settlers give the church at which they attended communion and sometimes the name of the pastor. In October 1743, Mathias Ambrose was one of eight men naturalized from the Monocacy Lutheran Church, David Chandler, Pastor. This old log church was served by itinerant ministers, both Lutheran and Reformed, and lay readers were appointed until 1789, but by that time the church had been largely replaced by eight Protestant churches in the Monocacy area. Frederick town was laid out about 1747, and a new church was started there, but the older more important settlement was still on the plateau between Hunting Creek and Owens Creek, known as the Turkey.

In 1750 Peter Apple deeded one acre of land east of present day Thurmont to Mathias Ambrose, Jacob Mathias and Jacob Ambrose as trustees for a schoolhouse, and church services were probably held in the schoolhouse. A log church was built on the same lot by 1765, which was served by Reformed ministers coming from "Conocheague," and Lutheran ministers from Greencastle, PA. This became known as Apple's Church, and the present stone building was built in 1826. The Lutherans later withdrew, and the Reformed Church is still active there.

Mathias made his will in 1782, leaving Ł3 to Apple's Church, and remainder of his estate to his daughter. Catherine Weller and her husband. John Weller, stating "-none of the other children shall have claim, I having given them their share." Mathias died 10 Aug 1784, and Catherine, his wife, had probably died earlier as she is not mentioned in his will. He is buried in Apple's Church cemetery, and his sandstone marker was broken off at ground level. James and Elizabeth Gilpin. of Salt Lake City, had the stone reset flat in concrete about 1983. There is no marker for his wife, and no empty space adjacent to his stone, but his marker may have been moved from its original place while broken off.

More About MATHIAS AMBROSE:
Fact 1: October 11, 1732, Debarked ship Pleasant, Philadelphia, PA⁶
Fact 2: DAR record indicating Mathias was son of Pierre d'Amboise of Lorraine, France⁷
Fact 3: Abt. 1732, Settled in Conestoga area of Colalico twp, Lancaster Co., PA⁸
Fact 4: 1750, Peter Apple deeded 1 acre of land to Mathias for a schoolhouse.⁹
Fact 5: 1765, Log church built on same site, became known as Apple's Church.¹⁰
Fact 6: 1782, Made his will leaving his estate to daughter Catherine.¹¹

Notes for ELIZABETH WILHIDE:
She may have died at sea on the trip from Europe.

Notes for CATHERINE SPOUGH/SPONGH/SPOHN:
Sometimes said to be the daughter of Adam Spough. This is probably incorrect. If Mathias and Catherine were married shortly after he arrived in 1732, Adam would have been too young (b. ca 1700) to have a marriageable daughter. She may have been his sister but because women were not listed on the ships' passenger lists, it is hard to determine.

Children of MATHIAS AMBROSE and ELIZABETH WILHIDE are:

2.	i.		CATHERINE² AMBROSE, b. Abt. 1725, Germany(?); d. 1804, Bardstown, Nelson Co., Ky.
	ii.		JACOB AMBROSE, b. Abt. 1734¹²; d. Bef. 1780¹³; m. CATHERINE SALOME, Bef. 1779¹⁴.

Children of MATHIAS AMBROSE and CATHERINE SPOUGH/SPONGH/SPOHN are:

3.	iii.		JOHN PHILIP² AMBROSE, b. February 06, 1733/34; d. March 1776.
	iv.		AUGUSTUS HEINRICH AMBROSE, b. February 06, 1735/36¹⁵; m. MARY EVE UNKNOWN.

Notes for AUGUSTUS HEINRICH AMBROSE:
His baptism appears on the records of the Muddy Creek Church in Lancaster Co., PA. There were apparently at least two men named "Henry Ambrose" in the Monocacy settlement. Henry was named as the son of Mathias when Mathias deeded part of "Arnold's Chance" to him in 1759. When Henry sold this property in 1761 his wife was listed as Mary Eve. Another Henry, also known as William Henry, was in the area at this time, as Henry and Sarah Ambrose had a child baptized at Apple's Church in 1770. (Henry and Sarah moved to Berkeley Co., VA, now WV.) This can hardly be a second marriage for Mathias' son Henry, as in 1771 when Henry sold his part of "Arnold's Delight" his wife appears on the record as Mary Eve. This would indicate that there was more than one Henry Ambrose. There is no record of any children for Henry and Mary Eve and no other records for Henry past the 1771 sale of "Arnold's Delight".

More About AUGUSTUS HEINRICH AMBROSE:
Fact 1: 1759, Mathias deeded "Arnold's Chance" to Henry¹⁶
Fact 2: 1761, Henry and Mary Eve sold "Arnold's Chance"¹⁷
Fact 3: 1771, Henry and Mary Eve sold "Arnold's Delight"¹⁸

	v.	MATHIAS AMBROSE, b. October 02, 1739, Frederick Co, MARYLAND¹⁹; d. Bef. December 31, 1808, Dublin Twp, Bedford Co, PENNSYLVANIA²⁰; m. MARIA BARBARA MATHEWS, Abt. 1765²¹.
4.	vi.	JOHN FREDERICK AMBROSE, b. June 20, 1741; d. July 29, 1821.
5.	vii.	MARIA BARBARA AMBROSE, b. January 24, 1742/43, Frederick Co, MARYLAND; d. Aft. 1813, Westmoreland Co, PENNSYLVANIA.

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