Bolstering Beechroots with Hagenbuchs, Sheffers, Irvins, and Hymeses
As we approach the end of the tenth year of writing articles for Hagenbuch.org (yes, that will be 520 articles!), Andrew and I have discussed, “Where are we going from here?” The impetus of this question was from another question, “What had we hoped to accomplish when we started this endeavor in October of 2014?”
Well, back in 2014 we realized that our family had a lot of stories to tell. These would need to be supported with plenty of ephemera: photos, documents, letters, and so on. As with any project that needs to thrive, it has to evolve—and we certainly have! Early articles were mostly about the work I had done over the years: genealogical information recorded on the LDS (Latter Day Saints, Mormon) sheets, reviews of the newsletter “The Beech Grove” which I had published from 1982 to 1993, various family stories, and family history from the arrival of Andreas Hagenbuch (b. 1715) in America up through to the present.
The Beechroots homepage noting the over 5400 family records entered there
But, it didn’t take long for the evolution of Hagenbuch.org to mushroom, as Andrew and I found that our family genealogy was much more than just people with the surname of Hagenbuch. Our genealogy was like a huge ball of string that kept rolling, growing larger, and intertwining with the history of our country. We realized that something were were missing was an online family tree that would grow in tandem with the articles we researched and wrote.
Andrew launched Beechroots in late 2016, and it was officially announced in an article on September 19, 2017. Beechroots became just as important as the articles we were writing for Hagenbuch.org. It could be used by anyone, and it could detail any surname, although we primarily focused on Hagenbuchs and the surnames related to our family. Soon, we found that as we wrote an article for Hagenbuch.org, we were not always diligent about entering the names, dates, and places we found into Beechroots. This is one piece of our family history that we need to rectify!
So, as we look to the future, Andrew and I will be making a concerted effort to add to Beechroots the names, dates, and places that are in an article we have written for this site. The recent piece about Judy Hymes’ family that I wrote two weeks ago is an example of this. To really do justice to Judy Hymes (b. 1941), her ancestors and some of their life stories should be detailed and then put in Beechroots.
Julia (Hagenbuch) Sheffer, 1875
As the September 3rd article listed, Judy is descended from Andreas Hagenbuch’s eldest son, Henry (b. 1737). Her line continues through Henry’s son, Joseph (b. 1778), who married Maria Magdalena Mickley (b. 1778). Joseph and Maria Magdalena are mentioned in two previous articles written by Andrew: one from February 16, 2021 and the other from September 12, 2023. In 1802, the couple left Northampton County, Pennsylvania and traveled north to Northumberland County. They stayed there until 1829, when they relocated further north to Tioga County. Judy’s lineage follows through Joseph and Magdalena’s daughter, Julia Hagenbuch (b. 1822).
Julia (Hagenbuch) Sheffer was born in Tioga County, PA on January 26, 1822 and died September 22, 1905. She married Joseph Sheffer who was born in 1815 and died in 1881. They are buried at the Friedens Lutheran Church Cemetery, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. Census records list their children as Laura (Sheffer) McIntyre, Lucetta (Sheffer) Artley, Margaret Minerva (Sheffer) Irvin, Clara (Sheffer) Werline, Harriet (Sheffer) Bacon, and William Sheffer.
Wedding photo of David and Margaret Minerva “Margarite” (Sheffer) Irvin, 1867
Judy Hymes’ line resumes with Margaret Minerva “Margarite” Sheffer, who was born in 1845 and died in 1924. She married David Irvin in 1867. They are buried at the Church of Christ Cemetery, Ogdensburg, PA. According to the census, David worked as a retail merchant. He also served as a corporal in the Union Army during the Civil War in Company D, 106th Regiment. Company D participated in the bloody battle of Antietam, and they were at Gettysburg in July of 1863 to repulse the attack of Pickett’s Charge. David was wounded at the battle of Petersburg, VA on June 18, 1864 and was mustered out later that year in September.
David and Margarite (Sheffer) Irvin had nine children: Ida (b. 1868, m. Charles Vermilya), Ernest (b. c. 1869, d. 1870), Edith (b. 1870, m. Harry McCloskey), Bertha (b. 1872, m, Henry Stull), Cora (b. 1875, m. David Robbinson), Charles (b. 1879, m. Anna Dann), Libby (b. 1883, never married), Leola (b. 1886, m.1. Amos Beach, m.2. Edward Clarke), and Hazel (b. 1890, m. Harry Banzhaf). Numerous descendants exist from these children. However, Judy Hymes is descended from Charles Irvin (b. 1879).
Gravesite of Raymond and Madeline (Irvin) Hymes, parents of Judy Hymes. Evergreen Cemetery, Tioga, PA. Credit: Findagrave.com/Patti Carleton Sanders
Charles Irvin was listed in the 1910 census as a salesman at a general store in the town of Union, Tioga County, PA. He had married Anna Dann in 1901. By 1920, they had 3 children: Margaret (b. 1903, d. 1997, m. to a Mr. Haischer), Madeline (b. 1907, d. 1980, m. Raymond Hymes), and David (b. 1911, d. 1967, m. Marie Krieger). Madeline Irvin (b. 1907) and her husband, Raymond Hymes, are Judy’s parents. They lived in Lancaster, PA when they passed away and are buried at the Evergreen Cemetery, Tioga County, PA.
The rest of Judy’s history can be found in the previous article and her obituary, although obituaries can never fully account for the importance of a person’s life. Names, dates, and places relating to a person’s life and genealogy can be added to Beechroots. Yet, as I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, more work will continue on Judy’s and other relatives’ history to bolster what is available in Beechroots.
