Posted By:	Jerry
	Email:
	Subject:	History of Eberts/Eppards/etc. in America
	Post Date:	August 24, 2003 at 10:54:57
	Message URL:	http://genforum.genealogy.com/ebert/messages/614.html
	Forum:	Ebert Family Genealogy Forum
	Forum URL:	http://genforum.genealogy.com/ebert/

ORIGIN OF THE NAME "EPPARD" The following article appeared in a California newspaper in 1964 giving the origin of the name "Eppard". The source of the information to the paper was not traced at the time, however, the article is here reproduced as it appeared in the paper and was copied by Claude and Carolyn Eppard. " The name Eppard is a French form of the German surname "Eppert". Far back in Medieval times Eppert originated as the Hero-Name "Agabert", meaning Brilliant Swordsman. Dialectical German and French alterations resulted in the name Agabert being changed to Egbert, Ebert, Ebbert, Eppert, and Eppard." SPELLING OF THE NAME "EPPARD" In the pioneer days of our country very few people could read or write, and as a consequence could not spell their own name. Public officials that could read and write such a Clerks employed in County Court houses, were often at a loss as to how a name should be spelled; so they asked the Will and Deed maker to pronounce his name and they recorded it by "Phonetic Spelling" i.e. as it sounded. The deed maker then made his mark (x) in the space provided on the document. Those bearing the name Eppard are already aware that in addition to pronouncing the name, they usually follow up by spelling it because others will interpret it as Eppert, Epert, or Epart. In fact in tracing several early Eppard ancestors the authors found the name spelled eight different ways, some two or three different ways in the same document. The different version were: Ebert, Ebbert, Eberth, Eppert, Epert, Epart, Epard, and Eppard. In the early 1800's, the families finally settled on the spelling as Eppard. With the above described spelling situation, the reader will necessarily understand the laborious work involved in making positive identification of our very early ancestors. We have undoubtedly lost some early Eppards by not being able to identify them because of other pioneer families by the name of Ebert. TRADITIONAL EPPARD LEGEND We have found that a legend has been carried down in two independent branches of the Eppard family, unbeknown to the other until a couple of years ago, concerning the "origin" of the Eppard family in America; and strangely enough, the stories coincide. The legend carried by the Andrew and John Sr. lines is that two Eppard brothers migrated from Holland to America in the early 1700's and settled in Page County, Virginia. Our research tells us that this is true only in a broad sense, a more factual explanation being that our people probably came from the Rhineland of Germany into Holland and there boarded a ship for America, landing at Philadelphia, PA. as we shall later see. IN THE BEGINNING Any one who has had experience in tracing his ancestors soom learns that the longer the trail the dimmer the pathway becomes. Eventually the steps become so blurred that fancy and imagination can easily give way to facts. We hope we have stopped short of this point in tracing our earlies Eppards. Many factors plus an early Church Record lead us to believe that the two brothers were Hans (John) George Ebert and Hans (John) Michael Ebert. It is thought that one or both were married before coming into America because there is a record of the marriage of George's son Johanne Eberth (John Jr.) to Elizabeth Richm in 1750. In those days men deferred marriage to an average age of 24 or 25, so this son must have been born around 1726, if we can depend on average circumstances. There is also a church record of the Christening of two sons later on in 1733. There were other children in the two families because we find some fourteen people who are associated by proper name, dates and places that tie them to these early Eppard lines. Later on we trace these same people by names and land Deeds from Pennsylvania on down into Maryland. EUROPEAN EPPARDS It is now believed that the European Eppards lived in the Rhineland Provinces of Germany, generally identified as the Palatine. The reasons for their decision to migrate to America can best be explained by a brief history of events taking place in the 1600's in that part of Europe as well as America. In 1681, King Charles II of England, granted 40,000 square miles of land in America to William Penn in liquidation of a dept of 16,000 Pounds which the Crown owed to William Penn's father. In order to obtain Settlers for his land, Penn visited the Rhine Provinces where once peaceful valleys, thriving fields and vine-clad hills had now become the hunting grounds of political and religious fanatics. Personally, and through agents, William Penn diseminated news of his American lands and invited the Rhinelanders to help him found a State in America in which Religious and Civil Liberties would prevail. Some 100,000 people answered his call. EMIGRATION TO AMERICA It is most likely that our people joined the great migration from the Rhineland Provinces to America between 1683 and 1808. The logical route was down the Rhine river on barges or flat-boates our of Germany and into Holland, and thence to Rotter-dam where the Rhine river flows into the sea. Here the people boarded ship with their worldy belongings and sailed by way of England (to take on fresh water and provisions) before undertaking the long and perilious voyage to America. Practically all of the Immigration sea routes to America terminated at various ports on Chesapeak Bay, the most noteable of which was Philadelphia at that time. ARRIVAL IN AMERICA When the Pioneers arrived, the government of Pennsylvania was in the hands of British subjects, William Penn's agents were Englishmen, and the English language was used as well as English Common Law. Early, it became a matter of concern to these Englishmen that so large a number of "Continentals" speaking another language and accustomed to another form of government should be admitted to the land. In order to correct this situation the Provincial Council passed a law in 1727 requiring all Continentials who arrived in Philadelphia to take "Oaths of Allegiance" to the British Crown. Two years later "oaths of Abjuration and Fidelity to the Proprietor" (William Penn) and the laws of the Province were also required. When taking these Oaths, the emigrant was required to sign his name or place his (x) mark along side where his name had been entered by a Clerk, who more than not mis-spelled the name. The original lists with the Pioneer's signatures are still in the possession of the State of Pennsylvania Archives, and have been published by Rupp and Strassburger. Many emigrants arrived before the oaths were required and others disembarked at other ports so the lists cover only some 30,000 names of those landing at Philadelphia. OUR ORIGINAL EMIGRANTS Legends sometimes have a way of proving to have real substance. From the "Minutes of the Provincial Council in Philadelphia" we find the following: "At the Courthouse in Philadelphia, Sept. 21, 1731, a list was presented of the names of 106 Palatines who with their families making 269 persons, were imported here in the Ship Britannia of London, Michael Franklyn, Captain from Rotterdam, but last from Cowes, England". LIST 16-A. In this list, we find two names, one following the other, indicating the two people were together. Hans George Ebert Age 30 Born 1701 Hans Michael Ebert Age 35 Born 1696 PENNSYLVANIA EPPARDS One can only surmise what the newly arrived brothers did on setting foot in America. They may have stayed on in Philadelphia for several months plying a trade to make a living while at the same time learning to speak the English language; or they may have gone directly to the location of earlier emigrants back in the wilderness. In any event, the first record we have of George and Michael after leaving Philadelphia is the Christening of two sons as recorded by Rev. John Casper Stover, Pastor of the Falckner Swamp Evangelical Luthern Church, New Hanover, Pennsylvania in 1733 as follows: "Jacob Eberd to George Eberd 5-31-1733 Colebrookdale, Bern Twp., Berks County, PA. "Tobias Ebert to Michael Ebert 11-13-1733 Colebrookdale, Bern Twp., Berks County, PA. The Falckner Swamp area and Church was named after Daniel falckner, son of Rev. Daniel Falckner who owned considerable land in the area. It was the younger Falckner who wrote "Curieuse Nachricht Von Pennsylvania", a veritible encyclopedia of the Pennsylvania area and published in Germany to inform and entice prospective Emigrants on how to prepare to come to America, and what they would find after arriving. It seems logical to conclude that our two Emigrant brothers and their families headed directly for the area they had read about. We have also found land records showing that George and Michael purchased lands in the Counties of Philadelphia, Lancaster and Berks, from 1734 and 1746. In 1752-54, John Ebbert and Andrew Eber, sons of George Ebert purchased land in Berks County, PA. The next exciting evidence we have of the Eppard's in America is the finding of the "Naturalization listing" for John Sr., Andrew, Philip and Valentine, sons of George and Michael. PENNSYLVANIA ARCHIVES -- BOOK 2 PAGES 421, 425 At the Supreme Court held in Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania Sept. 10, 1761, and later days, the following persons being foreigners (not English) and having inhabited and resided the space of seven years and upwards and having taken the Sacrement of the Lords Supper in some Protestant or Reformed Church Congregation in this Province within three months before said Court, took and subscribed Oaths -- to entitle them to the benefit thereof and thereby became Natural Born Subjects of Great Briton. Andrew and John Sr. were registered from Berks County, and Philip and Valentine were listed from adjacent Lancester County. The date of Sacrement for Andrew was 9-18-61, for John Sr., 9-21-61, and for Valentine 8-21-61. MIGRATION TO MARYLAND As new frontiers opened up we find the four people listed above moving Southwestward through Libertytown into Frederick and Baltimore Counties, Maryland in 1769. One exception is where a Windle (Evert) Eppard migrated to Agusta County, Virginia around 1754 and later moved over the Blue Ridge Mountains into the Shenandoah Valley in 1761 where he patented a large tract of land on Naked Creek in 1764. In later years, Eppards from Maryland migrated to this same area on Naked Creek. There are records where Andrew and John Eppard Sr. each purchased 250 acres of land in Maryland, called the "Plains of Paron", located in Baltimore County. Other Eppard's owned land in Frederick County and in Baltimore City on Fayette Street. MIGRATION TO VIRGINIA Andrew Eppard moved with his family to the Shenandoah Valley around 1790-91 and purchaed land not far from where Windle Eppard had patented his tract of land on Naked Creek. In 1802, we find George Eppard, son of John Eppard, Sr. being married to Catherine Beasley, and later purchasing land adjacent to Naked Creek. George evidently left his home in Maryland and decided to homestead in Virginia where his Uncles had settled. The procedure for obtaining a "Land Patent" was to secure a probationary grant for the land from the Crown Council of Virginia. Once armed with this grant, the applicant had to establish residence on the land for three years and build a house after the "manner of Virginia buildings", which meant a log house at least 16 ft. by 24 ft. Successful completion of the three year tenancy and other stipulated conditions, resulted in a full grant or "Confirmation of the Patent". The first U.S. Census of 1790, lists John Epard, Sr. with two males under 16, and 2 females including wife: a John Epard, Jr. with one male under 16 and wife; both Epards living in Baltimore County. John Sr. had a son John, so this must be the John Jr. listed. A Philip Epperd was listed from Frederick County, Maryland as well as his brother Henry. The latter two along with Valentine are believed to be sons of Michael (Ebert) Eppard. In 1792, we find Andrew and John Eppert listed in the 10th Legion list of Tithables for Rockingham County, Virginia, so we know these two Eppards came to Virginia between 1790 and 1792, to the area on "Naked Creek" where Windle Evert (Eppard) had patented his land holdings. MIGRATION TO OHIO, INDIANA, ILLINOIS, IOWA, DAKOTAS, AND CANADA In the 1840's, 50's and 60's, new lands were being opened up in the Midwest for people willing to brave the Indians and homestead the land; so the Sons and Grandsons of the Virginia settles migrated to these areas, settling in Clermont County, Ohio; Madison County, Indiana; and at Anderson and Peru, Indiana; in Madison County, Iowa; and other scattered locations. We know of and have contacted Eppards in Missouri, and Spokane, Washington, but have not at this time been able to relate them to our line, due to lack of time to search the records. SUMMARY With this background of Real and Shadowy information we have elected to put together two "Original Families". selecting the children principally by name association that we know has been carried down in later Eppard lines. Pages 1 and 2 following is the ASSUMED (not proven) familes for Hans George Ebert (Eppard), and Hans Michael Ebert (Eppard); together with sons and grandsons for which we have factual data. This is presented primarily to acquaint you with a family structure so that later generations will readily fall into place. All dates listed are factual unless they are preceded by an asterisk (*).