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A Historical Sketch of Andrew Seitz (1768-1851)
My earliest known Seitz ancestor was Andreas
"Andrew" Seitz, my 3rd Great
Grandfather. He was born abt 1768 in all likelihood, what is now Lincoln Co., North Carolina. The identity of
Andrew's parents are unknown at this time, but it is assumed that either his parents or
his grandparents immigrated to Colonial America from one of the German
Provinces.
We know that Andrew was of German heritage. This is evident in a number of documents including some deeds and the marriage bond of his eldest daughter, Mary Seitz, who married Jacob Rinck in Lincoln Co., North Carolina. In these documents, Andrew signed his name "Andreas Seitz" in German script. Throughout his lifetime, Andrew used the original S-e-i-t-z spelling, and a number of variations in which included S-i-d-e-s, S-i-t-e-s, and S-i-t-z. He had much earlier, begun to use the anglicized form of his first name. Many of the German immigrants anglicized their names, by choice, or by necessity. This may have been done to "blend in" with an increasingly English speaking community, or was the result of the influences of their local governments.
In many early historical accounts, as late as 1820, the predominant language in many areas in the vicinity of Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, and Catawba counties was "Pennsylvaishe-Deutsche" or "Pennsylvania Dutch," as the English referred to it. This was a peculiar mix of German and English that the settlers had acquired while living in Pennsylvania, and was given up only with great reluctance, but out of necessity, since at some point the State required that legal affairs be conducted only in English. The use of German in religious matters did continue. The tendency to cling to their native German language must have been strong for Andrew and his wife also, for stories passed down through the family indicate that they spoke only very broken English until their deaths. Some of their grandchildren, reportedly had learned and sang songs in German.
According to family tradition passed down through Seitz descendants in Alabama, our Seitz branch was said to have originated in Frankfurt, Germany. This story was also recounted by a descendant of our Seitz relatives in Tennessee. The fact that both accounts agree, even though they were told by members of two family lines that have been separated for 160 years, indicates that there may be some validity to this.
Information from another descendant says the family settled first in Pennsylvania after arriving in America. This is probably true, given the number of German immigrants who migrated during this period. Most of them settled in Pennsylvania for a period of time, where many remained while many others moved on to other areas. Historians estimate that over 200,000 Germans immigrated to North America in the 1700's with nearly 70,000 having settled in Pennsylvania between 1727 and 1775. Some of the factors that contributed to this mass migration were war, taxation, and other political influences, famine, harsh winters, and religious persecution. It may have been for one or perhaps a combination of all of these reasons that Andrew's family chose to come to America.
According to a family history account written by a GGgrandaughter of Andrew in 1943, the parents of Andrew and his siblings came to this country in 1791 from Holland. Andrew was said to have been 12 years old at the time of their arrival. They settled first in Pennsylvania and later moved to Virginia. Sometime later, as an adult, Andrew is then said to have moved to Tennessee. According to this account, an unnamed brother is said to have moved his family to Ohio. This has yet to be verified. There were and are a number of Seitz/Sites families in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio, but no known connection to our Andrew exists.
Another account of our family's origins claims that our branch of the Seitz family were Dutch and were members of a Dutch Colony that settled in Orange Co. SC. Unfortunately, no Orange Co. in South Carolina has existed, but an Orangeburgh District has, and an Orange Co. North Carolina does as well. It is difficult to say which location the account spoke of. As far as the "Dutch" origins, It is believed that it was more accurately German, as "Dutch", "Pensylvania Dutch", and "Flatheaded Dutchmen" were used to refer to these Germans immigrants. It may have been the fact that many of these immigrants sailed from Dutch ports such as Rotterdam.
There are obvious inconsistencies with both of the accounts above, given what we do know of the life of Andrew. The first account states he was 12 years old when he arrived to this country, making his birth year abt 1779-80. This is not consistent with census information for Andrew. The first account makes no mention of Andrew migrating to North Carolina (where we know he resided) only that he went from Pennsylvania to Virginia and then to Tennessee.
If Andrew was born in North Carolina the exact location is not known. Land records show that the area he eventually settled in was then in Lincoln Co. (now in present-day Catawba Co.) This was an area that was already heavily settled by Germans, many of whom had migrated from Pennsylvania, in search of cheaper land and fleeing Indian uprisings.
Henry Sides (Johan/Jonathan Heinrich Seitz), Adam Sides (Johan Adam Seitz) and his sons George Adam, and Jacob Seitz/Sides, had settled in this area by the 1750's. Adam Sides was a tailor by trade, and sons George and Jacob were coopers by trade, making and repairing barrels, tubs and other staved vessels. Apparently Andrew knew something of the trade, as some cooper's tools were among property items that were sold off after his death. George, Jacob, and John Seitz, a son of George, left wills in Lincoln Co., North Carolina, but neither will mentions Andrew. If George, Jacob, John, and Adam were related to Andrew, the relationship is unknown.
There are a number of accounts, both in print, and online, that show Andrew as the son of Johannes Heinrich Seitz "Henry Sides" and his wife Dorothea Elizabeth Felsinger, but this is unlikely as Henry Sides' year of death is generally accepted as being 1766, a year or two before Andrew's birth. Numerous attempts have been made by researchers to link Andrew to Johann Heinrich Seitz Jr. or "Henry Sides Jr., who is believed to be the son of the Johann Heinrich Seitz, or Henry Sides Sr. mentioned above. This Henry Sides Jr. (b. 1734-d. 1830) migrated to Alababama about 1818, settling first in St. Clair, then in Walker Co. I suspect the basis for this claim is only because that Sides family and Andrew's family both eventually settled in Alabama. This Henry, may indeed be the father of Andrew, but to date, no documents have been found that would indicate any connection between them.
No marriage record has been found for Andrew, but documentation exists which strongly suggests that Andrew married Mary Magdalena, the daughter of William Bost. These sources include the will of William Bost (dated 1811), and historical articles on the Seitz and Bost families of Catawba Co., written by Colonel George M. Yoder in 1899. Land records indicate that at least one of the properties owned by Andrew was adjacent to land owned by William Bost, which would indicate a possible relationship as well. Other documents indicate a relationship between the Seitz and Bost families.
The earliest record known to date, for Andrew Seitz is a record of deed in Lincoln Co. North Carolina for the purchase of 100 acres of land, from Eve Weaver (Lincoln Co. NC Deed Book 17, p. 233) on 9 May 1794. (This property bordered on William Bost's property.) This was probably a year or so after his marriage to his wife Mary Magdalena Bost. Andrew later sold this property to Godfrey Bolick on 6 Aug 1800. On 9 August 1808, Andrew purchased 340 acres from the estate of Jacob Miller. This land was located on Whitener's Creek, a small branch of the Henry Fork River, about four miles west of the town of Newton. This spot of land was only a short distance west from the property purchased on Anthony's Creek in 1794, and about three miles from Old St. Paul's Lutheran Church, where William Bost attended and, possibly Andrew attended as well. Andrew resided there until 23 August 1817, when he sold the property to Jacob Lutes, (Lincoln Co., NC Deed Book 28, pp. 471-2). Sometime shortly thereafter, Andrew, along with his family and extended family moved to Warren Co., Tennessee.
Andrew bought 110 acres of land in Warren (now Grundy Co.) Tennessee, from James Tate and Meridith Price. He later purchased another 50 acres from the U.S. Government by land entry in 1828. Andrew sold all 160 acres of his property to Fredrick Stepp on 7 Apr 1834. The property was located north of Beersheba Springs, and bordered on the Collins River. If the land was low-lying and bordered the river, it may have been prone to flooding, which would have been disastrous to a family whose livelihood was dependent upon farming, and may have prompted Andrew to sell. Also the Indian lands in Alabama had begun to open up, in Alabama, and the Government's price of $1.25 an acre may have proved to be a factor. Whatever the reason, Andrew and all of his children and their families, (except his eldest son William B., who remained in Tennessee and purchased several thousand acres of land there) migrated to Alabama.
The land that Andrew settled in Alababama would remain Indian Territory for about another year, until the cession of Cherokee land in 1835. It officially became part of Dekalb Co. on 9 Jan 1836. However, this area of land was still occupied by the Cherokee until the removal in 1838. The place where Andrew chose to build his home was about six miles northeast of the present city of Attalla near an area which about 1900, became the busy mining town known as Crudup. The log cabin that he built stood until about 1930 when it was torn down and the rocks from the chimney and fireplace were used in another house that still stands nearby.
Andrew and his son Andrew Jr., (incidentally, about 1835-45, Andrew and his descendants began to use the S-I-T-Z spelling consistently) purchased 160 acres by joint land entry on 25 Jan 1843 (this was the northeast quarter of Section 4, Township 11 South, Range 6 East, land entry # 6587) which included the land on which Andrew Sr. resided. Most of the property was sold before Andrew's death, but a portion of it remains in ownership of his descendants even now. The spot where the old cabin stood is still discernable.
Although no tombstone exists for Andrew, we know that he died in either December of 1850 or January of 1851. This can be stated with certainty, since he appeared in the 1850 census, which was taken in December of that year. However in January of 1851, there is mention in Dekalb Co. probate records of his estate being divided. Older descendants of the family insist that Andrew was buried in Fairview Baptist Cemetery, on Lookout Mountain in Gadsden, AL., despite the fact that the church was not founded until 1854, and the church property was not purchased until 1859. Andrew's son John did purchase the land on which Fairview Church now sits, and apparently a portion of where the cemetery lies, from the U.S. Government on 1 Mar 1851. Although this was a month or more since Andrew's death, it is possible that John his son had some sort of possession of this land prior to the actual purchase.
A descendant of Andrew relates a story which lends further support to the idea of Andrew's burial place at Fairview. While visiting the cemetery in the 1960's, she overheard an elderly couple who were tending the graves, remark, "Well, let's go clean off uncle Andy Sitz's grave next." The couple reportedly had been tending the cemetery for many years, and had learned the location of the grave from other descendants of Andrew many years prior. The grave sites for Andrew (and presumably his wife) are near the present markers numbered 106 and 107. There are some other Sitz graves a few feet away, one Jeremiah Sitz, Andrew's grandson, and Jeremiah's daughter Mary Ellen who died in 1863. Her grave is the earliest date in the cemetery, and must have been one of the first graves there.
No record has been found to indicate how the property was transferred from John Sitz to Fairview Church. The church deed states that the property was purchased from Thomas Moore and Pleasant Barnes, but some descendants maintain that the land was in fact donated to the church by John.
Andrew had nine known children, mentioned in his estate settlement records. The following is a brief history of each:
1. Mary or "Polly", his oldest child, was born about 1792 in Lincoln Co., NC. She married Jacob Rinck, son of Frantz "Francis" Rinck. Jacob and Mary "Polly" Rinck were the parents of 5 children. Jacob and Mary are buried in Bethany Cemetery in Reece City, Etowah Co., AL.
2. William B., possibly named for his maternal grandfather William Bost, was born about 1801, and remained in Grundy Co., Tennessee until his death. His tombstone gives 1872 as his death date, but he appears in records after that date, indicating the tombstone is in error. William married twice, first to Elender Choate, and second to Malinda Campbell. William and Elender had at least three sons and seven daughters. William and Elender are buried at Falls Creek Cemetery in Grundy Co., TN.
3. John, born about 1805, married Celia Dykes, daughter of Isham and Prudence Choate Dykes. John and Celia had 12 children.
4. Milly or Mattie, born about 1808, married Laban Ellis and resided in St. Clair Co. Alabama. They had at least nine children.
5. Sarah Saloma, born about 1811, married Vachel Lankford whose younger brother Silas, married Mary, a daughter of William B. Sitz.
6. Andrew Jr., born about 1814, married first to Susan Wilson and had one daughter. Sometime soon after her birth, Susan died. He then married Sarah Ellis and had thirteen children, ten daughters and three sons. Andrew Jr. moved his family to Franklin Co., TN in the 1860's.
7. Jonathan, born about 1816, married Nancy M. Wilson and had eight children. He drowned in Big Wills Creek in Etowah Co., AL in 1892. I descend from Jonathan, through his son Levi Sitz.
8. Elizabeth, born about 1819, married Humphrey Pleasant McBrayer, who bought the remaining 77 acres of land at Andrew Sr.'s death. Humphrey was Justice of the Peace in Dekalb Co., Alabama in the 1830's and 1840's, and also served with John Sitz as administrators of Andrew's estate. Humphrey and Elizabeth had at least twelve children, and in the 1850's moved to St. Clair Co., Alabama.
9. Mary Ann, born about 1820, married John W. Ellis in 1835, but is listed as deceased in Andrew's estate records, dated Jan of 1851, She left behind her husband and five young daughters. Interestingly enough, two of Andrew Sr.'s daughters had the first name Mary. Since the only source to date that gives her name as "Mary Ann" is the estate records, perhaps "Marianne" was the intended spelling.
Considering the seven year gap between the births of Andrew's first two children, it is possible that there were other children who died at an early age.