Many years ago I embarked on a journey to uncover my family heritage. One of the families I researched was the Kilmer family. Little did I realize it would be almost a 20-year journey that would unfold a story about German immigrants that settled in Colonial New York in the 18th century.
My research began at a time when computers were not commonplace. As a result, it required a good many vacations spent at town clerk offices as well as letters to many of our good historians like Dorothy Southard of Ira and Hallie Sweeting of Sterling. With my sister in tow, we also walked many cemeteries. Over time, little clues emerged from the townships and surrounding areas where they lived. With the advent of computers, the traditional manual search was not eliminated but rather enhanced. On-line indexes and similar resources helped to better identify the records that were needed
The Kilmer Family
One factor that complicated my search was having several generations of grandfathers all named George Kilmer!
The fourth in this series of George's was a civil war veteran, having enlisted with two of his brothers at Ira. He was a mason by trade but like many people of Port Byron his employment was diverse. For a time he ran a boat on the Erie Canal. He also went to New York where he was employed at New York Central Harbor. For a short time, he even delivered the mail from New Hope to Auburn.
He and his wife, Julia Etta Culver, were the parents of only two children. Their daughter, Minni, died as an infant. Their son, William, would later have 14 children of his own with 12 surviving to adulthood.
Of William's descendants, many of you may recall Elmer Kilmer Sr. and Elmer Jr., proprietors of the Port Byron Lumber Co.
George and Julia are buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Port Byron. He was born in Fleming, a son of George (the third), a farmer who came with his parents to Fleming prior to 1830 from Columbia County. His father was also named George (the second).
Finding the next generation would not be as easy. Columbia County is heavily populated with the Kilmer surname, with an abundance of men named George Kilmer, many being of similar age. I became so frustrated that for a time I abandoned the search. When I returned refreshed from a break, I decided to send for George's 1812 bounty file. Amazingly it contained the name of his father as well as the name of the township where he enlisted. This was the break I had been waiting for.
His father was also named George, and he was a veteran of the French & Indian War. This George transferred from the St. Thomas Lutheran Church at Churchtown, to the Hillsdale Reformed Church or Krum Church at Hillsdale in October of 1780. He also served as an elder at the Hillsdale church and was a second generation American.
The oldest known ancestor of the Port Byron Kilmer's was George Kilmer who was born in 1621, and his burial was recorded in the Altengroneu Parish Register on 7/22/1706. Altengronau is located in the Sinn Valley in the Hanau region east of Frankfurt. The church records indicate he fathered twins in 1702. There are no records of this family at Altengronau past 1709 when his son, also named George had left for America.
The Traver Family
There is another Port Byron family that was part of the same migration, the Traver family. Their story was heart breaking. Anna Maria Hoffman married Johann Niclaus Treber (Traver) on July 2, 1693 at Wollstein. He was a wheelwright by occupation. They with their eight children left for America, but by the time they landed at our shores, only Anna and two of her sons survived. Her husband and six of her children had perished during the journey.
Anna Maria quickly remarried another German immigrant by the name of Joseph Reichart. The family settled at Rhinebeck in Dutchess County. One of her Traver son's would later have descendants living at Port Byron. Jacob I Traver was a third generation American and was a farmer. He fathered 22 children between his two wives. He was a resident of Mentz but also lived at Montezuma where he is buried. The last of his 22 children to pass was his daughter Ellen Traver who died in 1931 at Auburn at the age of 94. Many of you may remember Clair Traver, former Mentz Town Clerk for 20 years. He was a second great grandson of this Jacob.
The Kilmer and Traver family were among the 3,000+ immigrants that consisted of 847 families that left Germany in 1709 to settle along the Hudson River in Colonial New York in 1710. They were but a small part of the 15,000+ that wanted to come to the Americas. Many were sent to Ireland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and some were even rejected. In attempts to reduce the flow of Germans, groups of Palatines were labeled as Catholics, even though some were not, for the purpose of sending them back to Holland where they could be returned to Germany.
Next week, I will continue with the migration stories of such families.
Dawn Roe is historian for the village of Port Byron. She can be reached at 776-8446 or by e-mail at beatatune@tds.net
The Kilmer Family
One factor that complicated my search was having several generations of grandfathers all named George Kilmer!
The fourth in this series of George's was a civil war veteran, having enlisted with two of his brothers at Ira. He was a mason by trade but like many people of Port Byron his employment was diverse. For a time he ran a boat on the Erie Canal. He also went to New York where he was employed at New York Central Harbor. For a short time, he even delivered the mail from New Hope to Auburn.
He and his wife, Julia Etta Culver, were the parents of only two children. Their daughter, Minni, died as an infant. Their son, William, would later have 14 children of his own with 12 surviving to adulthood.
Of William's descendants, many of you may recall Elmer Kilmer Sr. and Elmer Jr., proprietors of the Port Byron Lumber Co.
George and Julia are buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Port Byron. He was born in Fleming, a son of George (the third), a farmer who came with his parents to Fleming prior to 1830 from Columbia County. His father was also named George (the second).
Finding the next generation would not be as easy. Columbia County is heavily populated with the Kilmer surname, with an abundance of men named George Kilmer, many being of similar age. I became so frustrated that for a time I abandoned the search. When I returned refreshed from a break, I decided to send for George's 1812 bounty file. Amazingly it contained the name of his father as well as the name of the township where he enlisted. This was the break I had been waiting for.
His father was also named George, and he was a veteran of the French & Indian War. This George transferred from the St. Thomas Lutheran Church at Churchtown, to the Hillsdale Reformed Church or Krum Church at Hillsdale in October of 1780. He also served as an elder at the Hillsdale church and was a second generation American.
The oldest known ancestor of the Port Byron Kilmer's was George Kilmer who was born in 1621, and his burial was recorded in the Altengroneu Parish Register on 7/22/1706. Altengronau is located in the Sinn Valley in the Hanau region east of Frankfurt. The church records indicate he fathered twins in 1702. There are no records of this family at Altengronau past 1709 when his son, also named George had left for America.
The Traver Family
There is another Port Byron family that was part of the same migration, the Traver family. Their story was heart breaking. Anna Maria Hoffman married Johann Niclaus Treber (Traver) on July 2, 1693 at Wollstein. He was a wheelwright by occupation. They with their eight children left for America, but by the time they landed at our shores, only Anna and two of her sons survived. Her husband and six of her children had perished during the journey.
Anna Maria quickly remarried another German immigrant by the name of Joseph Reichart. The family settled at Rhinebeck in Dutchess County. One of her Traver son's would later have descendants living at Port Byron. Jacob I Traver was a third generation American and was a farmer. He fathered 22 children between his two wives. He was a resident of Mentz but also lived at Montezuma where he is buried. The last of his 22 children to pass was his daughter Ellen Traver who died in 1931 at Auburn at the age of 94. Many of you may remember Clair Traver, former Mentz Town Clerk for 20 years. He was a second great grandson of this Jacob.
The Kilmer and Traver family were among the 3,000+ immigrants that consisted of 847 families that left Germany in 1709 to settle along the Hudson River in Colonial New York in 1710. They were but a small part of the 15,000+ that wanted to come to the Americas. Many were sent to Ireland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and some were even rejected. In attempts to reduce the flow of Germans, groups of Palatines were labeled as Catholics, even though some were not, for the purpose of sending them back to Holland where they could be returned to Germany.
Next week, I will continue with the migration stories of such families.
Dawn Roe is historian for the village of Port Byron. She can be reached at 776-8446 or by e-mail at beatatune@tds.net
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