Johann Paul Wegerlin

The first Wegley to come to the US, at least in my line is Johann Paul Wegerlin.  He is my 6th great grandfather and was born on May 10, 1699, in Lampertheim, Bergstrasse, Hessen, Germany.

When I first started this website, I was sure I knew everything I could about him. but in time I learned that just because someone else says something is true, doesn’t make it so.

Is Johann Hana Paul Michael Wägeli the same as Johann Paul Wegerlin or Paulus?

That’s really what I needed to try and figure out. Only it’s not exactly that easy. The Germany birth, death and marriage records are hosted by Family Search and not a single image is available. The translated data is, but as we all know, that is very possibly wrong. My question is simple … what is our real family name … not our anglicized name, but our original name? Simple enough question, right? Well not so easy to answer.

In the same batch of Germany records, here are the 15 common variations of our family name.

• Wegerlin
• Wegelin
• Wägerlin
• Wegerlein
• Wägele
• Wägeli
• Waegerlen
• Waegerlin
• Weckherlin
• Weekerlin
• Wegerle
• Weikhelin
• Wiegerlin
• Wigerli
• Wigerlin
• Waeckherlin
• Wuekherlin

I actually went as far as to hire someone from Germany who does translations to ask him who you even pronounce the name Wägeli. Was it why-gull or wu-ghel-ly or something different altogether?

He ended up telling me that the “ä” has a sound that is unique, there is no way to write it correctly for an English speaker but if you had to sound it out like why-gull, he said the closest would be the one that you said “wu-ghe-ly” but it’s only close and not the right way.

Here is a recording of his saying it so you can hear it said in his nature German tongue. 🙂

What I can say for sure is that Johann Paul came to America, specifically the Port of Philadelphia when he was 33 years of age, on September 18, 1732. Once in America, he would become known as Paul Wegerline. This “Americanization” of names wasn’t uncommon. More specifically he  arrived in the Port of Philadelphia on board of the Johnson Galley of London. We have the passenger list that tells us on that day he had with him his wife, Ottilia and four of their children … three girls, one boy.

And we aren’t even sure if her name was Ottilia or Obtilia or Otella or Otelia. I will say this though, Lancaster County, PA records her death in the year 1763. They have a copy of her will on file in book J, volume 1, page 344, again listing the spelling of her name as Wegerlin, Obtilia.

• Katharine Wegerlin became Catherine Wegerline
  

  1727 – 1800

• Ottilia Wegerline

  1729 –

  Anna Clara Wegerline

  1731 – 1784

• Jacob Wegerline

  Born sometime between 1716 and 1732
  

When they came to America, the original oath translations listed them as

Paul Wegerllue, (husband)
Jacob Wegerline, (son)
Otella Wegerline, (wife)
Oteliea Wegerline.. (daughter)
Katharine Wegerline. (daughter)
Anna Clara Wegerline. (daughter)

See how easy it is to lose track of someone when names are often times so misspelled? Also, I should note there is a separate entry for a Paulus Wegerlin.

We have a birth record for Anna Clara and on that record, it tells us that her mother’s name is Ottilia and her father’s name is Johann Paul Wegerlin. This record tells us that Anna Clara was baptized on April 16, 1731, in the city of Darmstadt in Germany, which is just south of Frankfurt.

The exact record reads “Evangelisch,Lampertheim,Starkenburg,Hesse-Darmstadt” but this is a translation mistake. “Evangelisch” tells us that she was baptized in the Evangelical Church in Germany. The identifying location is “Lampertheim, Starkenburg, Hesse-Darmstadt” which is actually the city of Darmstadt, in the province of  Starkenburg in the German state of Hesse. I asked a few different people from Germany and got varied results. While most agree it was in the city of Darmstadt a few said it meant she was baptized in the town of Lampertheim, a small town near Darmstadt in Germany.”

Google maps tells us that Lampertheim is about 25 miles south of Darmstadt.

So now we’ve matched the mother, father, and at least one child in two different records – the immigration passenger list and the child’s baptismal records. So this tells us that his full name is “Johann Paul Wegerlin” and when he came to America, it became Paul Wegerline.

Next, we have the baptismal records of their daughter Ottilia. She has her mother as Ottilia, but the father is Johann Paul Wegerle. This is a perfect example of why I wished we could see the actual records because obviously, the person who transcribed the data made a mistake. We know from other sources, though, that Wegerle is a common misspelling of Wegerlin / Wegerline.

So, moving forward, we now have three records that group this family together. It may not seem like a lot, but keep in mind these are records from hundreds of years ago, and there were a lot of people with similar names.

There was a Johann Nicklaus Wegerlin who married a Clara and had a daughter named Ottila, who also happened to be baptized in the exact same place as our own Ottila Wegerlin. Of course, we know this wasn’t our Ottila because this one was baptized in January of 1735, and by then, our Ottila was already in America. There was also a Paulus Wegerlein who married an Ottila Beyer and came to America but they are not the same as our Paul and Ottila.

I AM STILL WORKING ON VERIFYING SOME OF THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER IT 100% ACCURATE AT THIS TIME.

It is possible his full name is Johann Hana Paul Michael Wägeli or Johann Hana Paulus Michael Wägeli or Johann Hanß Paul Michael Wägeli.

It is possible that his father is Zacharias Wägeli, and his grandfather is possibly Hanß Wegerlin …. although at this time, I can not say for sure. It could be that Zacharias is his grandfather, making his father possibly Han Philipp Wegerle, which to me seems far more likely if you do the math.

So, is Johan Michel Weigel the same as Paulus Wegerline?

I’m sorry to say, but Johan Paul and Johan Michel Weigel are not the same person. And I can prove it with old obscure German birth records.

Johan Michel Weigel was married to Anna Elisabetha, and yes, they had a child named Anna Catharina, but it’s not the same.

Paul or Paulus Wegerlin was married to Obtilia. We know this because they came to America together, and we have a zillion records to prove that they came over together with two of their daughters, whom we also have old German birth records.

Another proof is that during the 1736 PA Early Census Index, Johan Michael Weygell lived in Philadelphia County, and we already knew Paulus was living in nearby Lancaster County during that period.

His wife was Obtilla Wegerlin, who was born on February 26, 1701, in Lampertheim, Bergstrasse, Hessen, Germany, and she died in November 1763 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

There is a document that is supposed to be her last will and testament, so I had it translated. Here is what it says.

This document is a Last Will and Testament written by Ottilla Bayer, dated April 6, 1763, from Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Below is a summary and transcription of key sections for clarity.

Summary of Key Details:

1. Introduction:
   • The document begins with Ottilla Bayer declaring this as her final will and testament. She acknowledges her faith in God and discusses her intent to settle her worldly affairs.
2. Bequests:
   • Specific Property and Money: Ottilla distributes her possessions, property, and any remaining funds among her children and heirs. She names the recipients and provides detailed instructions on how her assets are to be divided.
   • Care for Relatives: There is mention of provisions for family members, possibly ensuring care for those unable to support themselves.
3. Execution of the Will:
   • She names the executor(s) responsible for carrying out the terms of her will. Executors are likely close family members or trusted individuals.
4. Closing Statement:
   • Ottilla closes her will with blessings for her family and reiterates her intent that this document be followed after her death.
5. Witnesses:
   • The document is signed by witnesses and includes legal phrasing to validate the will under the laws of the time.

Transcription of Select Sections:

(Exact wording may vary slightly due to the old-style cursive handwriting.)

1. Opening Paragraph:
   

   “In the name of God, Amen. I, Ottilla Bayer, of Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, being weak in body but of sound and disposing mind and memory, blessed be God for His mercies, do make and publish this my Last Will and Testament, revoking and making void all former wills heretofore by me made.”

2. Bequests (Example Language):
   

   “I give and bequeath unto my son [Name], the sum of [specific amount], to be paid out of my estate, and to my daughter [Name], I leave [specific property or asset], with the intent that she shall have the care of [specific individual].”

3. Executor Appointment:
   

   “I nominate and appoint [Name(s)] to be the executor(s) of this my last will, to ensure all my debts and funeral expenses are paid and the remainder of my estate divided according to this my will.”

4. Closing Statement:
   

   “In witness whereof, I, Ottilla Bayer, have hereunto set my hand and seal this sixth day of April in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and sixty-three.”

5. Witnesses:
   

   “Signed, sealed, and declared by the said Ottilla Bayer as her Last Will and Testament in the presence of us, [Names of Witnesses].”

This document outlines Ottilla Bayer’s wishes for distributing her property, ensuring care for her family, and appointing executors to manage her estate. It reflects her effort to ensure her legacy and responsibilities were handled according to her faith and values.

Here’s the catch: if you dig deep into the transcript, you see that in Ottilla Bayer’s Last Will and Testament, she distributed various items and properties to her heirs, specifying who received what. Here’s a breakdown of other people mentioned in the will and what they were given, along with their locations or the location of the items:

Heirs and Bequests:

1. Maria Magdalena (daughter):
   • Items Given: A feather bed with all its furniture, the largest chest, and one cow (as transcribed earlier).
   • Location: These items were likely in Ottilla Bayer’s household in Warwick Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
2. John (son):
   • Items Given: Several farming implements, tools, and a specific parcel of land.
   • Location: The land was likely located in Warwick Township or nearby areas as part of Ottilla’s estate.
3. Peter (son):
   • Items Given: Ottilla bequeathed him a parcel of land or rights to a property, along with some livestock and farming tools.
   • Location: The land location is likely documented in Lancaster County, PA.

Our Obtilla didn’t have any children by those names. Maria, John or Peter. So, while there may have been a woman living in Pennsylvania by the name of Obtilla, it is, in fact, not the one married to Johann Paul Wegerline.

So, is his wife’s maiden name Bayer? No.

By the time she came to America, she was already married, and all official documents list her as Obtilla Wegerline (or some variation of that spelling). They married on July 7, 1721, in Germany.

When they came to America from Germany (September 18, 1732), they already had four children, and those four children came to America with them.

Another document lists them as …..

• Paul Wegerllue, (husband)
• Otella Wegerline (wife)
• Katharine Wegerline (daughter)
• Oteliea Wegerline (daughter)
• Anna Clara Wegerline (daughter)
• Jacob Wegerline, (son)

When they got to America, they had 4 more children.

• Johan Simon (1736)
• Philip (1739)
• Barbara (1740)
• Adam (1744)