Johann Jacob Storts
Johannes Christian Stotz was born about 1653 in Laufen, Baden, Wurttemberg, Germany He married Maria Fetzer June 12, 1677 Pfeffengen, Baden, Wurttemberg, Germany. Maria was born about 1657 at Pfeffengen, Baden, Wurttemberg, Germany. Johannes Christian Stotz and Maria Fetzer had the following children; Dorothea Stotz, Peter Stotz, Christian Stotz, and Hans Adam Stotz,
Johann Christian Stotz was born in 1711 at Lauffan, Eyach, Baden Wurttemberg, Germany and died in 1791 in Pennsylvania. He was the son of Peter Stotz and Magdelena) He married Anna Justina Fauberchin on August 6, 1738 at Oberhessen, Hessen, Germany. Children of Johann Christian Stotz and Anna Justina Fauberchin; Johannas George Sturtz was born May 27, 1739 Oberhessen, Hessen, Germany Elizabeth Sturtz was born Oct 11, 1742 Oberhessen, Hessen, Germany Christian Sturtz was born 1743 Lauffen, Eyach, Baden Wurttemberg, Germany and died 1826 Southampton, Somerset County, Maryland. Ludwig Sturtz was born May 13, 1745 Germany Peter, Christian and Ludwig Stotz (Stortz, Storts, Sturtz) arrived in Philadelphia aboard the ship Osgood on September 29,1750 from Laufen en der Eyach(River), Wuerttemberg, Germany. Peter and Ludwig are Johann Christian Stotz brothers Samuel Sturtz was born Dec 20, 1752 Northampton, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
Christian Sturtz married Catherina Hahn April 11, 1762 at Salisbury, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. She was born in 1742 at Northampton, Pennsylvania and died in 1826 at Southampton, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. ( Daughter of Johann Jacob Hahn b. Dec 27, 1747 Frenchenfeld, Pflaz, Germany d. Nov 1, 1801 Linconln, Catawba County, North Carolina)
Christian Sturtz married Catherina Hahn April 11, 1762 at Salisbury, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. She was born in 1742 at Northampton, Pennsylvania and died in 1826 at Southampton, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. ( Daughter of Johann Jacob Hahn b. Dec 27, 1747 Frenchenfeld, Pflaz, Germany d. Nov 1, 1801 Linconln, Catawba County, North Carolina).Family tradition says Christian came to PA at 4 or 5 yrs of age. He sailed from Rotterdam with his father and mother, but they died at sea and he was indentured in PA to pay for his passage. He was a child when his parents immigrated to America. Christian was a revolutionary soldier who served with the Continental Army. It is believed that the Sturtzs were Moravians, deeply religious and lived in what is now a part of Czechoslovakia.
Christian Sturtz served as a Major with the 5th PA Battalion, Continental Line. His military duty lasted from October 1, 1776 to December 31, 1780. He also appears on the 1800 census list for Londonderry Twp, Somerset County along with Jacob, Adam, and Christian, Jr Sturtz. 1826 he was living in Somerset County. On the farm where Christian Sturtz lived, three generations lived there and were born there.
She states John Jacob Storts stated in his request for a pension in 1852 that he was born in Bucks Co. PA, July 10, 1763 and that his birth was recorded in German. He enlisted from Red Hill, PA April 5, 1777. He was in the battle of Valley Forge and served in the artillery. He stated in his pension request that he marched to Maryland to guard the prisoners and troops at Fredericktown in 1781. In June or Sept. 1781 he re-enlisted from Fredericktown under Capt. Ben Fickle. Also served under Capt. Brown and Bentley and Col. Joseph Wood. After the war he stated he lived in Frederick Co, MD, later in a county in PA, and then in Ohio. John Jacob Storts enlisted in the Continental Army at the age of 14, taking the place of his father. His father returned to care for his large family.(1929 Newspaper clipping in the Sturtz file at the Somerset Historical Society.) Son John Jacob Sturtz moved to Ohio after service in the Revolutionary War. He had received 1000 acres of land on Perry Co., Ohio for service in the Revolutionary War. Land records changed the name to Storts and the family never corrected it. The inscription on a monument in Perry Co., Ohio states " John Jacob Storts died 12 Jan. 1852, age 88 yrs. 6 mo. 2 da. Enlisted at Red Hill, Pa. 5 April 1777. Was with Washington at Valley Forge."
Relatives in Ohio say that the original name in Pennsylvania was Sturtz and that when families moved to Ohio some of the mis-spelling occurred in land deeds, and were never corrected.
John Jacob Storts stated in his request for a pension in 1852 that he was born in Bucks Co. PA, July 10, 1763 and that his birth was recorded in German. He enlisted from Red Hill, Pennsylvania April 5, 1777. He was spent a winter at Valley Forge where in his journal he stated he woke up to find his hair frozen to the ground. . He also stated in his pension request that he marched to Maryland to guard the prisoners and troops at Fredericktown in 1781 .He was also at Cornwallis surrender. In June or Sept. 1781 he re-enlisted from Fredericktown under Capt. Ben Fickle. Also served under Capt. Brown and Bentley and Col. Joseph Wood. After the war he stated he lived in Frederick Co, Maryland, later in a county in Pennsylvania, and then in Ohio. He died in Perry Co, Ohio in 1852 and is buried in an old family cemetary known as "Bear Run". He is buried with both of his wives.
John Jacob Storts (1763) married Christina Keller in 1783 in Frederick, Maryland. She was born March 5th, 1765 in Berks, Pennsylvania and died August 21, 1823 in Bearfield, Perry Co, Ohio.John Jacob and Christina had 3 sons,John Jacob, John , and Daniel. John Jacob remarried after Christina's death to Mary Ann "Polly" Burkhardt, a widow. She had four children from a previous marriage the youngest was one and half years old when she married John Jacob Storts. She was twenty eight years old and John Jacob was sixty seven. John and Mary Ann had five children the youngest was Mariah Storts Allen who was Ohio's last living "Real Daughter" of the American Revolution.
John Jacob their son was born January 15, 1787 at Somerset, Pennsylvania. He married Elizabeth Harter who was born April 1792 at Somerset, Pennsylvania. Their son John Harter Storts was born June 25, 1817 in Bearfield Township, Perry , Ohio. And died October 21, 1900 AT Linn, Linn county, Iowa. He married Hannah Ward November 15, 1841. They had the following children: Lucy Jane, Nancy Salina, Hannah Letitia, Charlotte D, John and Nancy.
,
Lucy Jane Storts was born near New Lexington, Ohio, August 26, 1842. At the age of eleven years she came with her parents to Iowa, driving by team to McConnellsville, Ohio where they embarked on board a river steamer and after a trip of about three weeks they were landed at Muscatine, Ia., From there the family and household goods were hauled to a settlement on Blue Creek in Benton county. on a bright May morning 1853. She married James Sparr Ketterman September 23, 1860. Lucy died June 7, 1925 at Urbana, Benton county, Iowa,
There were several Eclipse boats. This was the largest sidewheeler to carry the Eclipse name, with 42-foot side wheels, operating from New Orleans to Louisville.She was built in 1852 in New Albany, Indiana. She was 350 foot long and weighed 1117 pounds and was damaged beyond repair at New Orleans in 1860 when she was blown from the levee into the path of another boat.
This typical of the steamboat for that era that Lucy Jane Storts would have taken from McConnelville, Ohio to Muscatine, Iowa in 1853. In this typical Currier & Ives scene, the Eclipse is loading cotton. Much more information on Steamboats in the midwest can be found at Steam Boat Times