The Mystery of the Parentage of Jonathan Berkey(April 5, 1825-November 7, 1906)

(Draft One – March 4, 2007)

 

Since I may be the sole source or perhaps only the partial source of the theory of the parents of Jonathan Berkey which has proliferated on the internet, I thought I would take this opportunity to send/post my reasoning behind my theory.  The theory basically stated is:  Jonathan Berkey(1825-1906) was the child of Barbara Kauffman Berkey, widow of David Berkey(1781-1821) and her son-in-law Samuel Spicher.

 

The theory I have posited and which has spread across the internet is now being modified somewhat.  Some are even adjusting Jonathan’s birth year to 1821 so as to show that he is truly a son of David and Barbara Kauffman Berkey.  Jonathan’s death certificate and the census from 1850 through 1900, are consistent with 1825.

 

This parentage relationship is based on circumstantial evidence gathered over more than 35 years of research on my part.  It is based on interivews with and/or letters to/from Vesta Burkey Williams(descendant of Jonathan Berkey through Jesse Burkey), Dorothy Barnett Anderson(descendant of David Berkey 1816-1881 through his son David b. 1850), Paige Berkey(descendant of David Berkey 1816-1881 through his son Samuel b. 1848), Freeman West(descendant of Jonathan Berkey through George Burkey), Albert Rerigh Burkey(descendant of Jonathan Berkey through George Burkey).  Also, I interviewed Norris Rairigh(1882-1973) who knew Jonathan Berkey personally and described his features and height and position in the church they both attended.

 

Freeman West explicitly stated that Jonathan Berkey was related/descended from the "old Spichers."   By this, after questioning him and others, I determined he meant the Spichers who founded the Montgomery Church of the Brethren in Indiana Co., PA in the 1840s.

 

Then in the early 1990s, I first obtained the first edition of "The Berkey Book" by Ruth Reichley based on 50 years of research of her father.  I interviewed her and asked her about this explicit statement in the book.  It appears as follows from p. 245 of the second edition:

===================

6 Magdalene Berkey b. 1803 d. May 1880 m. Samuel Spicher, b. 1801, d. 1879

 

Magdalene's mother lived with her.  She became the mother of a son, by her son-in-law, who bore the name Jonathan Berkey and who married Margaret Ruffner.

===================

 

I quizzed her closely on the source of this statement and she indicated it was from a Daniel Ralston Berkey family member.  In her second edition, she has Daniel Ralston Berkey marked as “informant” several pages earlier on p. 234.

 

Daniel Ralston Berkey is the grandson of David Berkey(1816-1881) and father of Paige Berkey.  Paige Berkey indicated to me several times that Jonathan Berkey was related to his family both having come from Somerset County by way of Armstrong County to Indiana County.

 

Hugh F. Gingerich in his book “Amish and Amish Mennonite Genealogies” has the following children for David Berkey and Barbara Kauffman:

 

?Isaac ca. 1802; ??daughter; ?Jacob ca. 1808; ??Sarah ca. 1809; ??son; ??daughter; ??daughter; ?John ca. 1817; ?Joseph R. ca. 1819.

 

For this same family, Ruth Reichley, in her book “The Berkey Book” 2nd edition, 1995 has for David Berkey and Barbara Kauffman:

 

Isaac b. ca. 1802 d. 1874; Unknown Berkey, daughter; Jacob b. ca. 1808; Sarah b. ca. 1809 m. Jacob Berkey; Son Berkey; Daughter Berkey; Daughter Berkey; John Berkey b. ca. 1817 m. Rachel(this John she has a 4th child born in 1849 named Jonathan Berkey); Joseph R. Berkey b. September 14, 1819 d. Feb. 9, 1890.

 

She has David listed as a descendant of Line 1: Jacob Berkey and Elizabeth Blaugh.

 

HERE IS WHERE RUTH REICHLEY diverges from my theory and the circumstantial information mentioned above from my own interviews.  She has the information listed above between the equal signs (====) on page 245.  It is a little hard to work backwards through her book, but it appears that she has on page 229 the following listing for a Henry Burkey who she has as part of Line 2: Christian Berkey and Catrina Saylor:

 

 

4 Henry Burkey, r. Hillsdale, Indiana Co., PA  Had five sons, all in the War, and all lived in same community.  Some wrote BARKEY, BERKEY and BURKEY.

            5 Henry Burkey

            5 William (David?) Burkey d. in mid-life, left at least 2 sons and a daughter.

                        6 Henry H. Barkey 12/25/1811-3/6/1883

                        6 Elizabeth Berkey 10/15/1813- m. Peter Beer

                        6 David Berkey, Sr. 5/15/1816-9/13/1881

                        6 Magdalene Berkey b. 1803 d. May 1880 m. Samuel Spicher (see listing about mother having child name Jonathan Berkey)

                        6 Jonathan Berkey 4/5/1825-11/7/1906 [this would be to the mother of Magdalene]

 

SO, NOW you can see the major divergence between Hugh Gingerich and Ruth Reichley and my theory sort of merging Henry H., Elizabeth Berkey Beer, David Berkey, Mary Magdalene Berkey Spicher in with the listing for David Berkey and Barbara Kauffman Berkey’s children.

 

The 1820 United State Census for Jenner Township, Somerset County, PA has the following listing:

 

David Berky – Head

2 males under 10 years

3 males of ten and under 16 years

0 males between 16 and 18

1 male of 16 and under 26

1 male of 26 and under 45 (this would be David, most likely)

2 females under 10 years

1 female of 10 and under 16

1 female of 16 and under 26

1 female of 26 and under 45 (this would be wife Barbara most likely)

 

So by my theory, this would be:

 

Descendants of David Berkey

 

                                                               

 

    1          David Berkey        b: 1781 in Berne Twp., Berks Co., PA               d: Abt. Feb 05, 1821 in Somerset Co., PA                        

..      +Barbara Kauffman      b: in Berne Twp., Berks Co., PA                                       

.....   2      Isaac Berkey         b: Abt. 1802                                          

.....   2      Mary Magdalene Berkey    b: 1803 in Somerset Co., PA               d: May 1880 in Indiana Co., PA                        

.........                       +Samuel Spicher   b: 1801 in Somerset Co., PA               d: Jun 21, 1884 in Montgomery Twp., Indiana Co., PA  src: Indiana Times Newspaper                m: Abt. 1821 in Somerset County, PA             

.....   2      Jacob Berkey        b: Abt. 1808                                          

.....   2      Sarah Berkey         b: Abt. 1809                                          

.....   2      Henry Barkey        b: Dec 25, 1811      d: Mar 05, 1884                    

.........                       +Rachel Jane Ripple            b: Apr 06, 1805      d: Aug 17, 1890  src: Obituary                           

.....   2      Daughter Berkey  b: Aft. 1813                                           

.....   2      [1] Elizabeth Berkey             b: Oct 15, 1813 in PA           d: Jun 16, 1882 in PA                          

.........                       +Samuel Brown    b: 1807    d: Apr 22, 1891                     

.....           *2nd Husband of [1] Elizabeth Berkey:                                                           

.........                       +Peter Beer                            d: Abt. 1830 in PA                m: Bef. 1829          

.....   2      David Berkey        b: May 15, 1816    d: Sep 13, 1881                     

.........                       +Elizabeth Smith   b: May 18, 1814    d: Oct 16, 1899                     

.....   2      John Berkey          b: Abt. 1817                                          

.....   2      Joseph R. Berkey b: Abt. 1819                                          

 

HOWEVER, my theory has a serious flaw based on the 1820 census, because, if true, David, John and Joseph R., would all have been under 10!!!!  That means, the 1820 should show 3 males under 10.  Perhaps, even 4 males under 10 if Henry is included.  This flaw may not be insurmountable.

 

This is why I keep telling people, “I AM SEEKING MORE EVIDENCE TO CORROBORATE.”

 

SO, my theory could be WRONG, but it still appears strongly consistent that Jonathan Berkey was born to Samuel Spicher and his mother-in-law.  That mother-in-law may have been Barbara Kauffman Berkey, widow of David Berkey, OR Unknown mother-in-law Berkey wife of what Ruth Reichley has listed as William (David?) Berkey.  Ruth Reichley does have that tantalizing parenthesis (David?) which may be a pointing to David and Barbara Kauffman OR maybe not.  There seems to be no mention of a William in other records including Gingerich.

FINALLY- Three “Tantalizing” Possible Hints:

 

  1. Jonathan Berkey’s first child was Barbara Berkey.  Could she be named after his real mother?
  2. One of Jonathan Berkey’s sons is named Samuel S. Spicher.  Could that “S.” stand for Spicher, his real father?
  3. Also, Peter Speicher, the father of Samuel Spicher was connected to the estate of David Berkey (1781-1821), I believe as executor or witness.  I will check this again.

 

IT WOULD BE REALLY NICE TO FIND A WILL OR OTHER PROBATE RECORD FOR DAVID BERKEY AND/OR BARBARA KAUFFMAN BERKEY LISTING ALL CHILDREN.

 

Anyone who reads this, please give me your thoughts, corrections, and especially any proofs and evidence one way or the other.