Zachariah German was born c. 1806 in Greene County, NY. He was the son of Isaac F German and his first wife, Rachel Husted. Zachariah was married to Mary (Polly) Chamberlain of Greene County, NY from c.1830 until perhaps September of 1857. Until early 1855 he lived about 5 miles west/southwest of Prattsville NY, in Roxbury township of Delaware County, next to Isaac and Ezekiel German.
Zachariah's children with Polly who lived to adulthood were Mary Jane, Samuel, Pratt and Abel.
This is a transcription of the 1850 census entry for Zachariah in Roxbury township:
1532 GERMAN Zachariah 44 M Farmer 1200 NY
Polly 49 F NY
Mary Jane 19 F NY
Samuel 16 M Laborer NY at sch
Pratt 13 M NY "
Abel 11 M NY "
In February 1855 Zachariah and Polly jointly sold all of their land in Roxbury Township. The 1855 census of Prattsville, dated June 15, shows Polly living with Willson and Mary Howard, her daughter and son-in-law. This census indicates that Polly had been living there for three months. Zachariah and his sons do not appear in the 1855 census in either Greene or Delaware counties.
In January 1856 Polly German purchased a house and land in her own name in the village of Prattsville. In December 1856 Zachariah bought 51 acres of land in Ogle County, Illinois; Zachariah and Polly sold the same on September 23, 1857 to their sons Samuel and Pratt acting as trustees for Polly German. Samuel and Pratt issued a mortgage for $600 that same day to William Garrett, payable in three installments of $100, $200 and $300.
Probably the boys were Trustees for Polly because the installments were not scheduled to be completed until 1858. Samuel and Pratt sued the buyer on September 8, 1858 for $500 for trespass, apparently forcing payment of the final two installments, because they released the mortgage in October. Zachariah and Polly also sold 2 1/2 acres of land in Carroll County, Illinois on September 23, 1857. These records are in the courthouses at Oregon, Illinois and Carroll, Illinois.
It seems that Zachariah and his sons moved to Illinois after the sale of their land near Prattsville, NY in February 1855, before the 1855 census was taken. Polly was also in Illinois in September 23, 1857 for those land sales, even though she bought a house in Prattsville in 1856. We do not know whether or where Zachariah and Polly were divorced, but it seems that Polly's last in-person involvement occurred on September 23, 1857. By 1858 it appears that Polly was no longer in Illinois as the final Illinois land transactions by her sons were done on her behalf.
Probably the boys were Trustees for Polly because the installments were not scheduled to be completed until 1858. Samuel and Pratt sued the buyer on September 8, 1858 for $500 for trespass, apparently forcing payment of the final two installments, because they released the mortgage in October. Zachariah and Polly also sold 2 1/2 acres of land in Carroll County, Illinois on September 23, 1857. These records are in the courthouses at Oregon, Illinois and Carroll, Illinois.
It seems that Zachariah and his sons moved to Illinois after the sale of their land near Prattsville, NY in February 1855, before the 1855 census was taken. Polly was also in Illinois in September 23, 1857 for those land sales, even though she bought a house in Prattsville in 1856. We do not know whether or where Zachariah and Polly were divorced, but it seems that Polly's last in-person involvement occurred on September 23, 1857. By 1858 it appears that Polly was no longer in Illinois as the final Illinois land transactions by her sons were done on her behalf.
Sometime after the 1860 census Zachariah married Sarah Snodgrass of Vienna, Maries County, Missouri. They were married by 1869, when they bought and sold some land together as Zachariah and Sarah German. The Maries County Courthouse burned in 1868 and all older records were lost. The local newspaper burned in the early 1870's and all older editions were lost.
In 1879 the Maries County clerk wrote this to Samuel German:
Zachariah died between July 17 and August 7 of 1880. His will and probate records are in the Maries County courthouse in Vienna.
The record of pre-1910 deaths for Maries County states that Sarah died July 13,1883 and is buried in the Hutchison Grave Yard. This is also known as the Elrod/Union Hill cemetery. Location: N 38.19650 degrees, W 91.85857 degrees.
In 1879 the Maries County clerk wrote this to Samuel German:
Zachariah died between July 17 and August 7 of 1880. His will and probate records are in the Maries County courthouse in Vienna.
The record of pre-1910 deaths for Maries County states that Sarah died July 13,1883 and is buried in the Hutchison Grave Yard. This is also known as the Elrod/Union Hill cemetery. Location: N 38.19650 degrees, W 91.85857 degrees.
This summary of Sarah's Letter of Administration and of Zachariah's will states that the witnesses to Zachariah's will were Joseph Hutcheson and C. J. Elrod.
This cemetery was walked on July 16, 1983 and the resulting list of stones does not include either Sarah or Zachariah. If they are buried there, it is without a readable tombstone.
Correspondence 9/2013 with the Maries County Historical Society:
My ancestor, Zachariah German, was the 4th husband of Sarah Snodgrass (who previously married Davidson, Malone, Myers). Zachariah lived near Vienna from c. 1860 until he died in 1880; Sarah died there in 1883. They farmed 120 acres east of town on what is now Hwy 42, about 1 mile past the Gasconade River and 1 1/2 miles before the Union Hill Baptist Church.
My ancestor, Zachariah German, was the 4th husband of Sarah Snodgrass (who previously married Davidson, Malone, Myers). Zachariah lived near Vienna from c. 1860 until he died in 1880; Sarah died there in 1883. They farmed 120 acres east of town on what is now Hwy 42, about 1 mile past the Gasconade River and 1 1/2 miles before the Union Hill Baptist Church.
According to Sarah’s probate records, she was buried in the Hutchison Cemetery, which I’m fairly confident is now the Union Hill Cemetery across the road from the Union Hill Baptist Church. My guess is that Zachariah is buried there too. We walked the cemetery last Monday and, as recorded on-line, they don’t have readable stones if they are there, but there are half-a-dozen unreadable stones.
Mr. German,
You're right the Hutchison Cemetery is now called Union Hill Cemetery. And there have been other names used as well-Elrod and Bend being two that I know of.
It is my guess that Zachariah and Sarah are probably there together. But I can't find any record to prove that. When my friends walked all the Maries County cemeteries in the early 1980's and recorded everything on the tombstones, they did not find stones for either of the German's.
So often fieldstones were used because people couldn't afford to buy tombstones. So those fieldstones sink into the ground or get carried away because the caretaker doesn't want to mow around them.
I even called a family whose parents were overseers of the cemetery many years ago to ask if there may have been an old plat map. However the answer was "No."
I wish I could provide the exact spot, but I know of no one who can do that. You mentioned the Baptist Asssociation-the cemetery was there well before the church was. And people were not concerned about a map. They knew where grandpa and grandma were buried and had no thought of people wanting that information 125 to 150 years later.
Mr. German,
You're right the Hutchison Cemetery is now called Union Hill Cemetery. And there have been other names used as well-Elrod and Bend being two that I know of.
It is my guess that Zachariah and Sarah are probably there together. But I can't find any record to prove that. When my friends walked all the Maries County cemeteries in the early 1980's and recorded everything on the tombstones, they did not find stones for either of the German's.
So often fieldstones were used because people couldn't afford to buy tombstones. So those fieldstones sink into the ground or get carried away because the caretaker doesn't want to mow around them.
I even called a family whose parents were overseers of the cemetery many years ago to ask if there may have been an old plat map. However the answer was "No."
I wish I could provide the exact spot, but I know of no one who can do that. You mentioned the Baptist Asssociation-the cemetery was there well before the church was. And people were not concerned about a map. They knew where grandpa and grandma were buried and had no thought of people wanting that information 125 to 150 years later.
Note 1: The obituary for Zachariah’s son Abel says that he moved to Polo, Illinois (Ogle County) when he was 14, which would have been in 1853 or 1854. We think it’s unlikely that the family moved to Illinois before selling their land in Prattsville in February 1855, and that it’s more likely Abel’s obituary is wrong about his age for an event that happened 50 years before his death. In February 1855, when the land was sold and about the time we think they moved, Abel would have been 15 years old, not 14. The June 1855 census for Prattsville shows Polly living with her daughter and son-in-law for 3 months, so it's likely that Zachariah moved to Illinois in February or March of 1855.
Note 2: In addition to Zachariah's children with Polly (Mary Jane, Samuel, Pratt and Abel) King in his history of Maries County states that Zachariah also had a son named Alonzo with Sarah Snodgrass. References to Alonzo appear with both surnames: German, and Sarah's prior husband's name of Myers. The timing of Alonzo's birth (c. 1860) does not clarify whether he was Zachariah's natural son or adopted. We note that Zachariah's will, which leaves $5 to each of his children and lists them by name, does not mention Alonzo. The 1880 census lists Alonzo Myers as Zachariah's stepson. So far we have not been able to determine when Sarah's husband prior to Zachariah, Gabriel Myers, died. The 1860 census shows Zachariah living by himself, so the timing of Gabriel Myers' death, Alonzo's birth and Zachariah's marriage to Sarah is unclear.
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