They attended the Forks Lutheran Church. John and Anna are buried in the Forks Cemetery.
John Sr. was a Private in the Sixth Class, Sixth Company, of Captain John Lyle's Company of the Second Battalion of Northampton County militia as per Muster Rolls that were dated 1781. After leaving the militia, John became a farmer. Between 1740-1750, John and his father, Carl Werkheiser, bought 240 acres from Thomas Graeme. Around 1770, Graeme's still owns the 240 acres, but their is a big influx of German names, including the surnames that intermarried with the Werkheisers, such as: Messinger, Schweitzer, Abel, Beck, Knecht, and Butz. Around 1790, the land splitting continues and John, Peter, and Valentine Werkheiser appear as land owners. John bought Peter's property around 1795, and Peter with his family moved to Briar Creek, Columbia County, Pennsylvania. More German families are buying land and the intermarriages are growing with names like: Fenner, Sandt, Shook, Schwartz, Kemmerrer, Kahler, Schneider, Sickman, Frace, and Miller.
John died without a will, so the Orphan's Court appointed his sons John Jr., Valentine, and George to settle their fathers estate. They signed a bond for $14,000.00, which was witnessed by Christian Fleming (butcher), John A. Probst (clergyman), and Frederick Seitz (brewer). It was dated November
4, 1831. The witnesses were all from Easton, Pennsylvania.
The sons did file an inventory of their fathers possession on November 24, 1831, but they did not complete the task. At his death, John Werkheiser Sr. was a man of no small means. He owned almost 1400 acres. The historians have no letters or stories handed down to them about the living conditions and experiences of that generation. The following is a list of the inventory:
page 1. cash on hand-$644.11
Money in bank deposit-$800.00
5 horses at $100, $65, $20, $60, and $40. One mare $75, and 1 colt $65, for a total of $425.00
8 cows $112, 17 swine $49.25, 7 sheep $8.75, for a total of $170.00
5 wagons and bodies $75, $60, $35, $12, and $10
4 ploughs $11, 2 harrows $2.50, 4 sleds $4.50, and 1 sleigh $18, for a total of $257.00
5 pair of ladders $5.50, horse hareness $20.60, cutting box $3, for a grand total of $2,296.11.
page 2. Hay by the ton, 6 ton $60, 7 ton $49, 3 ton $15, 2 ton second crop $20, flax unprepared $1.10, 1 bundle $1.25, for a total of $136.35
1 lot of boards $1.50, scale for a woman $1, 1 ot of scandlings $10, 4 bushel clove seed $16, 1 lot of planks $3.50, 29 bags $7.25, 2 flax brakes $1, pitch fork $1.25, 5 cow chains $1.25, 2 wind mills and thrashing flails $2, 2 scales $.75, and 3 wooden shovels $1.50, for a total of $75.68 and a grand total of $2,508.14.
page 3. 1 trough-.125, apple mill-.125, bench-.25, iron kettle-.75, copper kettle-$7, wheel barrow-$2.25, 5 barrels with cider-$5, Bundle of wedges and hoes-$3, cabbage plane-$1, 21 gallons of apple whiskey-$7.82, 6 cider barrels-$2.75, 1 tar barrel-$1.12, 135 bushel of potatoes-$27, 20 pounds of tallow-$1.60, for a total of $2,589.56
page 4. stove pipe-$9, 1 gun-$8, 10 chairs-$3.50, 8 day clock and case-$30, 3 beds and bedheads-$13, spun yarn-$4.50, chest and spinning wheel-$2, Bible-$5, grindstone-$3.50, secretary-$1, 25 heads of cabbage-.25, chest of drawers-$1, cradle and scythe-$1.25, table-$4, 2 hatchets-$2, corner cupboard-$2, total of $2,724.44
page 5. grain on hand-$85.20, grain in ground-$14.63, wheat-$807, wheat-$1,011, rye-$380.10, John Rice owed him-$175.70, corn-$480, Jacob Jumper owed him-$35.20, buckwheat-$24.50, John Correll and Valentine Uhler owed him $5.60 for a total of $6,280.00
page 6. Notes outstanding agains the following: Philp Meixell & son-$542, P.F.B. Schmid, espr.-$26.20, George Tindel-$41.06, John Nice-$74.20, George Seiple-$98.41, Abraham Bellesfield-$19.08, George Werkheiser-$16.27, Valentine Weaver-$272.16, Leonard Breidinger-$9.46, Andrew Albert-$35.10, George Rice and Nicholas Werkheiser-$12.85, Henry, John, and Andrew Butz-$212.82, David Gum-$23.70, and Philip Correll-$575.75.
Received for grain from Jacob and Samuel Seiple-$409.95, David Wagener-$24.50, George Seiple-$57.61, and Fred Seitz-$202.61. For a grand total of $9,177.85.
John Werkheiser Sr. paid the bills from Dr. Joseph Smith from the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia for his son Henry. There is at least one reference to Henry as being a lunatic. John Sr. also settled up the estate and paid the debts of his son Jacob who died young leaving a widow and five children, four of whom were minors. These expenses for his two sons were added to the inventory of his estate. The final inventory for John Werkheiser Sr.'s estate amounted to $11,107.14.
John and Anna had eight children:
21. Jacob Werkheiser (8/16/1784/85-1817) married Salome Messinger (1/22/1788-3/10/1860) on April 19, 1807. They are both buried in the Forks Cemetery. They had five children:
dd>211. Jacob Werkheiser Jr. (8/16/1806-1/28/1842).
212. Catharine Werkheiser (b. 3/29/1808) married Jacob Farrell on May 19, 1824.
213. Elias Werkheiser (1810-1832).
214. David Werkheiser (5/3/1812-1/28/1832).
215. Sarah Ann Werkheiser (b. 5/3/1814).
22. John Werkheiser, Jr. (5/1/1786-8/29/1869) married Susanna Schwartz (6/6/1790-2/19/1829) on January 10, 1808 at the German Lutheran Church in Easton, Pennsylvania. They are buried in the Forks Cemetery. You may read more about them on their own home page. Just follow the links at the bottom of this page.
23. Valentine Werkheiser (8/14/1788-2/16/1858) married Sarah Messinger (1/21/1792-1/1/1867) on November 25, 1810. They resided in Forks Township. Valentine and Sarah are buried in the Forks Cemetery. You may read more about Valentine and Sarah on their own home page. Just follow the links at the bottom of this page.
24. Elizabeth Werkheiser (5/25/1791-7/4/1869) married Martin Seiple (7/22/1788-1/30/1864). You may read more about them on their own page. Just follow the links at the bottom of this page.
25. Margaret Werkheiser married George Seiple on April 9, 1818.
26. Henry Werkheiser (5/11/1797-6/12/1832) married Margaretha ? They are buried in the
Forks Cemetery. They had four children:
261. Peter Werkheiser.
262. Carl Werkheiser.
263. Susanna Werkheiser.
264. Henry Werkheiser.
27. Anna Mary Werkheiser (5/29/1800-1/15/1894) married Henry J. Messinger (4/18/1800-1/21/1874).
28. George Werkheiser (3/26/1802-6/29/1873) married Catharine Metzger (2/6/1807-3/7/1894) on August 12, 1827. George was a farmer. George and Catharine are buried in the Forks Cemetery. They had nine children:
281. Enos Werkheiser (b. 1827) married Ebezena Schug.
282. William Werkheiser (b. 1829) married Anne Eliza Shimer.
283. Daniel Werkheiser (b. 1830) married Elizabeth Mann.
284. Ellen Werkheiser (b. 1835) married Peter Shimer.
285. Sarah Ann Werkheiser (b. 1836) married Josiah Ackerman.
286. Mary Ann Werkheiser (b. 1841) married George Norton.
287. Melchior Werkheiser (b. 1846) married Sarah Engler.
288. Martin Werkheiser (b. 1849) married Anna Schlough.
289. Sabina Werkheiser (b. 1853) married Jeremiah Keller.
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