John Weaver and Anna Maria Weaver at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

What a fascinating time to be involved in genealogy research. The tools and databases available online are amazing in their breadth and depth, and many are completely free.

Today, on Google Maps, I located the cemetery where my fourth great grandparents, John and Anna Maria Weber aka Weaver, are buried in Manheim, Pennsylvania. I can even see the approximate location of John's gravestone. I believe it is the third one from the church directly above the top of the fountain.

John died January 3, 1877. Anna Maria preceded him in death, dying between 1840 and 1850. When John died, he stipulated the following in his will:

I direct that my body be buried in the Lutheran graveyard at Manheim in a Christian manner and that a common tombstone shall be erected to my memory. Also a tombstone shall be erected to the memory of my wife . . .

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery, Manheim, Lancaster, PA

John and Anna Maria were the parents of 9 known children:

Henry Weaver (born about 1814) who married Christina Susannah Tshudi or Judda

Rosanna Weaver (1818 - 1910), who married John Weaver

Sarah Weaver (1820 - 1915) who married David E. Frey

George Weaver (1823 - ?)

Elizabeth Weaver (1826 -1917) who married Jacob Flaud

John G. Weaver (1828-1898) who married Sarah (last name unknown) and Maria S. Hoffert

Magdalena G. Weaver (1830-1890) who married Abraham E. Kover

Frederick G. Weaver (1833 - ?) who married Catherine (last name unknown)

Susanna Weaver (1834 - ?) married (first name unknown) Landis

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church was founded in 1772. The present building, built in 1891, is the congregation's third house of worship.

To see the current neighborhood around this church, check out the link below and select the street view.

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

Conaway Taxes in Coshocton, Ohio 1821 to 1826

I've been analyzing the tax records for John Conaway and Charles Conaway in Coshocton, Ohio. To make sense of the information and understand what it meant, I also needed to learn about the tax laws and tax rates of the time.

The Family History Library has Coshocton tax records on microfilm from 1816 to 1838. I looked at the records from 1816 to 1826.

I was surprised to find that John didn't appear in the tax records until 1821. John made his first payment on the land in 1815. In researching this, I learned that land did not become taxable until after it had been entered for five years. The timing of John's first tax bill in 1821 makes sense in this case.

Here are the taxes John owed in 1821:

John Conaway, Non Resident proprietor

Range 9, Township 5, Section 7, Qtr Sect. NE

Acres 160, Rate 2

State Tax $1.20

Road Tax .60

Total Tax $1.80

Wondering what the tax rate means? Land taxes were based on whether fertility was “first rate,” “second rate,” or “third rate.”

In 1822, John is still listed as a "Non Resident proprietor."

Acres 160, Rate 2

State Tax $1.80

Road Tax .60

Total Tax $2.40

In 1823, John's status and the land tax rate are the same. Here's what he owed:

State Tax $4.15 8 mils (mil = 1/1000 of a dollar)

Road Tax 1.38 6 mils

Total Tax $5.54 4 mils

Years due 1822 (It appears John hadn't yet paid his 1822 taxes.)

The top picture shows the column heads for the 1823 tax records, Coshocton, Ohio.

The bottom picture shows the tax assessment for John Conaway.

In 1824 a couple things changed. John is finally listed as a "resident proprietor." And now, his land is categorized as third rate. At first, I thought that after working the land for a few years, John found it wasn't very fertile. But I did more research and found that this was a common occurrence - the fertility "rate" of the land was often reduced over the years. According to Ohio historians, this widespread practice was adopted by people to procure a lower tax rate!

1824

State Tax $.89 6 mils

Road Tax .40

Total Tax $1.29 6 mils

1825

State Tax $1.20

Road Tax $.40

Total Tax $1.60

In 1825, an act was passed abolishing the land classification system and replacing it with a value-based tax on land and personal property. Lands, town lots, and buildings, dwelling houses and carriages were to be valued  at their true value in money, while horses, mules, and asses were assessed at $40 each and cattle at $8.

In 1826, John is taxed on his personal property for the first time. And, Charles Conaway (believed to be his brother) shows up in the records for the first time, to be taxed on his personal property. Charles was not a Coshocton land owner, so he owed no real estate tax.

1826 John Conaway Property Tax

Acres 160

Rate of taxation 312

.62 4 mils

.78

.15 6 mils

Total tax $1.56

1826 John Conaway Personal Property Tax

2 horses valued at $40 each - $80

2 cattle valued at $8 each - $16

.19 2 mils - tax on horses

.24 - tax on cattle

.04 8 mils - tax on ?

Total Tax 48 cents

1826 John Conaway Total Property and Personal Property Tax Due $2.04

1826 Charles Conaway Personal Property Tax

Personal Property Tax

1 horse valued at $40

1 cow valued at $8

.09 6 mils - tax on horse

.12 cents - tax on cow

.02 cents 4 mils - tax on ?

Total Personal Property Tax 24 cents

Total Tax Due $.24

This is as far as I have gone in the tax records. There's one more mystery - why was John listed as a non-resident proprietor from 1821 to 1823? Was he living on other land during this time period? I'll need to do more research to try to answer this question.

Abraham L. and Ida Mae Cloe

I have been tracing the family of my great-great-aunt Ida Mae (Weaver) Cloe. Ida married Abraham Lincoln Cloe December 23, 1883, in Marion County, Iowa. Ida was the sister of my great-grandfather, James Baird "Jay" Weaver.

Ida Mae (Weaver) Cloe, Phebe (Linnens) Weaver, and Anna (Weaver) Gamble.

Phebe and John Weaver had  12 children, but only two daughters

(Ida and Anna) who lived into adulthood.

December 25, 1933 Riverside Daily Press

COUPLE OBSERVE GOLDEN WEDDING

Residents of Mockingbird Canyon Celebrate Anniversary

Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Cloe Saturday at their home in Mockingbird canyon celebrated their golden wedding anniversary, with two children, two grandchildren, and one great-grand child present on the happy occasion.

Married in Knoxville, Tenn., December 23, 1883, six children were born to the union, five of whom are living. Two were present at the anniversary dinner, Mrs. Olive Harrision, Hemet, and G. B. Cloe, Mockingbird canyon. Mr. and Mrs. Cloe are the grandparents of 26 children and great-grand parents of six.

They have been residents of Riverside for five years, removing here from Los Angeles. Both are in the best of health and are looking forward to many more happy years together.

August 12, 1940 Riverside Daily Press

CLOE - In Riverside, Calif., August 10, 1940. Mrs. Ida Mae Cloe, aged 74 years. Late resident of 3743 Van Buren street. Beloved wife of Abraham Cloe of Arlington. Mother of Mrs. Iona Mathers of Arlington, Mrs. Stella Neher of Los Angeles, Mrs. Pearl Booth of Tacoma, and Mrs. Olive Truman of Hollywood. Sister of O. E. Weaver of Omaha, W. H. Weaver of Canyon City, Colo.; Jay and John Weaver of Los Angeles and Charles Weaver of Riverside. Also survived by nineteen grandchildren and twenty-five great grandchildren. Funeral services will be conducted in the E. H. Preston Funeral Home chapel Wednesday afternoon, August 14, at 3:30 o’clock. Rev. William R. McGaugh officiating. Interment in Olivewood Cemetery.

July 13, 1942 Riverside Daily Press

Many Descendants Survive A. L. Cloe

Abraham Lincoln Cloe, whose family included 25 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren, passed away last Thursday. He was a resident of 3743 Van Buren street.

Funeral services were held Saturday afternoon. Dr. C. E. Burgess, pastor of First Christian church, officiated at the rites in the E. H. Preston chapel and interment was in Olivewood cemetery.

Born Nov. 12, 1860, in Marin [Marion] county, Iowa, he grew up and married Ida May Weaver there December 23, 1883. They left Iowa in 1899 and lived in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Washington before coming to California in 1921.

In 1929, Mr. and Mrs. Cloe moved from Los Angeles to Mockingbird cayon and then in 1937 to Arlington where she passed away two years ago.

Four daughters surviving are Mrs. Iona Mathers of Arlington, Mrs. Estella Neher and Mrs. Olive Trueman of Los Angeles and Mrs. Pearl Booth of Tacoma, Wash. The grandchildren include Mrs. Marva Babcock, Mrs. Doris Ubrun, Mrs. June Hoyles, Miss Velma Mathers and Ross Mathers, all of Riverside. Mrs Alice Shaffer of Marshalltown, Iowa, is a sister.