Sometimes it only takes one record or DNA to break down a genealogy wall.  That is the case for the parents of Mathias Matteer.

The Challenge

It took quite a bit of research before figuring out that Louisiana, wife of Lemuel McCracken who family said was a Johnson, was actually a Matteer.  I learned her father was Mathias  (sometimes spelled Matthias) Matteer and her mother was Mary Rodgers.  And, there I was stuck with both family lines.

Rodgers is a common name and research of the name is challenging in general.  Different spellings are Rodgers and Rogers.  It is also possible that the “s” is left off the name.

Researching the Matteer family also had huge challenges, as related names are spelled Matteer, Mateer, Mutter, Mitter, Mater, Matter, Motter, Mutter,  etc.  Basically, if a name is spelled

M

<any vowel>

<one or two t’s>

<one or two e’s, although another vowel may substituted>

followed by an “r”

the person might be related.  Of course, they also might not.  And, people with the various spellings can sometimes be found living in the same area or be in the same family.

DNA

When records get challenging, sometimes DNA can provide the breakthrough that you need.  But, sometimes it doesn’t.  With the Matteer family, quite a few DNA matches showed up leading me to believe that George Matter and Christina Karmindy were Mathias’ parents. Hence, they would be Louisiana’s paternal grandparents.

Yes, it was a different spelling that Mathias used.  However, Mathias’ children used the spelling Mateer, which was also different than the spelling used by their father.

George ad Christina were in the right area in Pennsylvania and had ties to the French-German border area, which Mathias claimed.  There was just one problem.  I could not find any records that showed George and Christina to be Mathias’ parents.

The Breakthrough?

I went back to re-look at the Matteer family this week.  I searched high and low with no luck.  Then, I decided to look at the family tree on Family Search.  I usually ignore it  preferring to focus only on records because anyone and everyone can update Family Search’s family tree.  In my experience, far too many entries are full of errors. 

Anyway, I looked at Mathias Matteer and in the sources was a record that had not come up in other searches on the site or any other site. 

The record information states:

Matheus Matter

Birthdate: 22 May 1806

Event: Baptism

Event Date: 6 Oct 1807

Event Place: Berrysburg, Dauphin, Pennsylvania, United States

 

There was some additional source information and down below was the following information:

Georg Matter Sr: Father: M

Christina Matter: Mother: F

 

The only question I had was whether the names listed actually came from the record or from the family tree on family search.  The logical option is to review the actual record.  Well, I couldn’t look directly at the record as it isn’t available online or through loan to a family search library. 

To see the actual record, I would be required to go to Saint John’s Lutheran Church near Berrysburg, Mifflin Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania where the original record is held.  Alternately, I could go to the Family Search’s library in Salt Lake City

Well, since I am located almost precisely in the middle between the two, but nowhere close to either location, seeing the actual record was not possible in the short-term.  Thus, I turned to researching if the parent information came from the actual record.  The answer was that it did indeed come from the record.  My experiments with other records where the image was available confirmed the answer.  Thus, I feel confident that this record confirms that Georg Matter and Christina Karmindy were Mathias Matteer’s parents.

 

The Next Generation

Now that my third-great grandparents in this family line were known, the obvious question was, “Can I find my fourth-great grandparents for this family line?”  The answer was “Yes, to some degree.” 

Georg’s father was Jacob Matter.  His full name was possibly Johannes/Hans Jacob Matter.  However, he used “Jacob” as his name.  I can confirm that Jacob was married to Anna Maria Wendling.  However, Georg’s christening record lists his mother as Margaretha Wandlin. Now, Wandlin could easily be a different spelling of Wandling.  However, Anna Maria and Margretha sound like two different women.  Was it simply mis-heard or an error?  Or, did Jacob have an earlier wife?  This will require additional research. 

Christina’s parents were Johannes “John” and Juliana Karminie.  At this point, I only have Juliana’s given name. 

Visual

The following image shows the ancestors of Louisiana (Matteer) McCracken.  In the image, the people in

• Blue boxes were previously known.
• Green boxes are new and are considered verified as an ancestor.
• Yellow boxes have some information that lead me to believe they are likely the parent of the later generation.  However additional work is required to move them to verified status.

 

Details on the Newly Found Ancestors

Georg Matter & Christina Karmindy

 

Georg Matter

Birth                Oct 30, 1753, New Holland, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Death              Jun 7, 1823, Annville, Lebanon, Pennsylvania

 

Christina Karmindy

Birth                1769, Pennsylvania    

Death              Lebanon County, Pennsylvania

George & Christina’s Marriage          29 Apr 1793, Annville, Lebanon, Pennsylvania

 

Jacob Matter & Anna Maria Wendling

 

Jacob Matter

Birth                  Nov. 17, 1722, Alsace, France (An area along the border with Germany,

 at times it was France and at times Germany).

Immigration    1751

Death                May 20, 1790, Quitapohila, Lebanon, Pennsylvania

 

Anna Maria Wendling

Birth                March 25, 1726

Death              August 31, 1809, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania

Jacob & Anna Maria’s Marriage         1751, Altdorf, Alsace Lorraine, France

It appears that Jacob Matter may have fought in the Revolutionary War.  I have seen records and read stories.  However, more research is needed to confirm that the records match our actual ancestor.

 

Johannes “John” Karminie & Juliana

Johannes “John” Karminie

Birth                March 4, 1737, Germany (specific location needs to be verified)

Death              Sept 1781, Annville, Lebanon, Pennsylvania

John & Juliana’s Marriage       Sept. 5, 1758, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania

It appears that John Karminie may have fought in the Revolutionary War.  I have seen records and read stories.  However, more research is needed to confirm that the records match our actual ancestor.

Even More Research

There is a lot to research to prove in the children of these people and learn more about their lives.

People have listed more generations for these families.  In the case of the Matter family, I have found information claiming to go back to the early 1600s to Jacob’s great-grandparents.  I’m going to have to sharpen my German research skills as naming conventions and map changes over the years can be quite challenging.

Stay tuned!  More to come!

 

Prompt: A Brick Wall Revisited

#52ancestors52weeks