A DVD of the Facemires Family Tree is available for a donation of $15.00 Shipping and Handling are free. Send Postal Money to Don E Facemire 209 Big Oak Road South Charleston, WV 25309.

This DVD contains hundreds of Photos with Index, about hunderds of pages of Genealogy with Index, over 64 facemire's Death records and much much more. The DVD also contains General Information on Christian and Aaron Facemire. If you have any Questions please feel free to e-mail me at facemire@ntelos.net or don@facemires.com or don@facemirefamilytree.com

Don't forget to visit our sister site facemires.com This site is updated weekley.

The New Facemire's Genealogy DVD Index, is now on the DVD Name Index page.

Christian Facemire

Johnnes Facemire arrived in Philadelphia on 20 Oct 1752. The ship was Wirtemberg, from Rotterdam, Holland, He took the oath of allegiance at the Court House. I believe Johnnes to be the father of Christian. Information is found on Johnnes arrival in a book Thirty Thousand Names of Immigrants in Pennsylvania in the WVa Archives. The first census taken of the United States in 1790 list Christian as being born in Germany in 1733 and list his son John living in Oxford Township, Philadelphia.

Michael Fesenmeier who is associated with the G.B.S.Brewing Company, of Baltimore, Maryland, came to America in 1842, his origin was Wurtenberg, Germany, this may be some indication as to the area Christian came from.

On 16 April 1755 the Germantown paper reported that Samuel Flower and Benedict Bartholomae advertise that three German servants ran away from Reading Furnace, Chester County: a wheelwright named, Jannewein, Christian Fismeyer, 22 years old, and Andreas Golden, 20 years old. It is believed that Christian was required to work at the Reading Furnace for his passage to America. A few miles east of Reading the Schwarzwald Church records indicate Pastor Daniel Schumacher on 17 Oct 1756, Baptized Maria Margaretha Fesmeier father Christian Fesmeier, wife Helena.

11 Jan 1758 Christian Fitzmire and John Fitzmire serving in the French and Indian War each received one horse. Ref: The Pennsylvania Archives Vol. 1 Fifth Series.

14 Feb 1761 Fridsburg Emanuel Lutheran Church Baptismal records indicate Johann Heinrich Wesemeier was born, his father is Christoffor Wesemeier & Mother Helena.

27 Jan 1764 Fridsburg Emanuel Lutheran Church Baptismal records indicate George was born, his Father is Christopher Wesemeier and Mother Helena.

18 Nov 1766 Fridsburg Emanuel Lutheran church Baptismal records indicate Anna Maria Barbara was born, her Father is Christian Freysemeier and Mother Helena.

In Bridgeton there is a place called Facemire corner and for over a century it has been known as Carls Corner, Pearl street has been described in old deeds as the "Road to Facemires Corner".

Christian Who ?

Fesemeyer, Facemire, Fesmeier, Fesmire, Fessmeyer, Fitzmire, Facemyer Facemeyer, Facemyre,Faasemeyer, Freysemeier, Wesemeier,Fasmire, Facemires, Fasemire,Facemyers, Fesemire, Fassmire, Faugmier, Fasewmeyer, Fasemuyer,Fasenmier, Feasenmeyre, Fosmire,Fesenmayer

PS.

I'm sure there are many more spellings of the name that I have not listed above. So if I have missed yours, please forgive me.

The following information was reported in the New Jersey Genesis Volume 16, Number 4, dated July 1969. and I Quote “

                             CUMBERLAND COUNTY MILITIA

                                               1793

                                   DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP

                                 Continued from page 707

GEORGE FISSMIYER – Was born January 27, 1764, a son of Christian and Helena Facemire. This name is spelled several ways in early records. Some of the variants are: Faismeyer, Fasemeyer, Fasmire, Fesmire, Fishmire, Freysemeir and Wesemeier. A letter written on July 15, 1771 by Christian Facemire is signed “Christian Facemire”.

At the outset of the German emigration to the American colonies, in the 1730’s a considerable number who arrived in Philadelphia made their way down into Salem and Cumberland counties, New Jersey. They parted company, many of whom were closely related, with their fellow passengers in Philadelphia. Brothers and sisters and their families went separate ways: some going into Pennsylvania while others crossed the Delaware River into New Jersey. Members of the Facemire family went both directions. Some of them settled in old Oxford Township in the neighborhood of Frankford (now the 35th Ward of Philadelphia). The Germans of New Jersey were of the same general stock as those who settled in Pennsylvania, but were seldom calles Dutch. The writer believes that the overworked term “Pennsylvania Dutch” had its origin in a fictional or commercial way.

The center of the religious and social life of the south Jersey Germans was the Lutheran Church at Friesburg in Upper Alloways Creek Township, Salem County. It was founded in 1738 or 1739. The members lived throughout a considerable area. They settled in Upper Alloways Creek and Pittsgrove Townships in Salem County and in the high parts of Deerfield, Hopewell and Stow Creek Townships in Cumberland County. Germans avoided land bordering the marshes and other low country.

Registers of the Lutheran Church at Friesburg are fairly complete except for periods when no Lutheran missionaries were available, During these times visits were made by Moravian missionaries and Jesuit priests (Society of Jesus). Father Schneider and Father Ferdinand Farmer, both Germans are connected with St. Joseph’s Church in Philadelphia, made almost regular visits to Friesburg. They baptized and married quite a number of persons attached to the Lutheran Church. Their Registers have apparently been overlooked by most persons interested in the genealogy of the early German families in Salem and Cumberland Counties. The Editor of the “Genesis” has full copies of these Registers. It is interesting to note hear that Father Farmer baptized Simon Miller, son of Matthisas Miller of Deerfield, in 1761, and almost certainly the last public rite he performed, for it is the last that he recorded before his death, was the marriage of this same Simon Miller to Hannah Hoover of Salem County, in 1786. Father Farmer was the founder of the Roman Catholic Church in New York City.

It has been said over and over in print that the inducement for the settlement of the first German in Salem and Cumberland Counties was employment in the glassworks of the Wistars at Upper Alloways Creek. These statements are not entirely true. Nearly all of the glassblowers and other workers at Wistarburg were of German origin, but only a handful of these emigrants were connected with this industry. Germans were interested in acquiring and farming rich land. When one of their number,” Michael Dilshofer”, was buried at Friesburg on September 11, 1753 his pastor called him a “plantage man” Such substantial member of the German community as Adam Hohenschilt (Hoshel), Jacob Fries, Adam Mensch (Minch), John Hann, Michael Tielshofer (Dilshaver), Philip Sautet (Souder), Henry Rothkap (Rocap), Hans Michael Miller and his son-in-law, Peter Johnson, and others were owners of good glassmaking, In a recently printed account of the Gill Janson family it is stated that Peter Johnson was a Gill Janson and of Swedish decent. This is not true. Peter Johnson was a German emigrant and was born in 1732. He married, November 31, 1754, Barbara, daughter of John Miller, as is stated in the Gill Janson article. Michael, son of Peter and Barbara (Miller) Johnson, born April 15, 1756, was the ancestor of many persons named Johnson, and otherwise, now living in Salem and Cumberland Counties. Nearly forty years ago, the writer was shown an ancient German edition of the Bible that had belonged to this Miller family. It contained records dating to the early 18th century. In Cumberland County.

Christian Facemire settled on a small farm on the east side of the present extension of West Avenue in Bridgeton. It is the first land north of the run (formerly called Northwest Branch) that crosses West Avenue and leads from the present Mary Elmer Lake into Cohansey River. This lake is the original millpond formed by a dam erected by Ananias Ireland in 1769 for his mills. Facemire lived on this place only a few years. He complained that there was not enough pasture for his “creatures”.

He leased this farm from Israel Pemberton of Philadelphia and it was part of the latter’s 5000 acre Winchcomb Manor tract. The writer has seen the original survey of this land made by John Worlidge for Cornelius Mason of London in 1689. The run forming Mary Elmer Lake was then called “Winchcomb River”. Beebe Run was called “Adam’s Branch” and West Branch was Eve’s Branch. Between these two branches was “Eden Field”. This survey covered all of the land on the west side of Cohansey River in Bridgeton north of Oak Street and extended to West Branch in Upper Hopewell Township. Not a single person lived on this land in 1689 except Indians.

In 1773 Christian Facemire sent a written notice to his landlord, Israel Pemberton, of his intention to move and invited inspection of his farm. This was not routine procedure with all of Facemire’s neighbors who leased from Pemberton. Inspection was the last thing they wanted. Several of them ran out on their leases after stripping their place of nearly everything of value. Fence rails were burned for firewood after the timber had been consumed and then came doors and other parts of houses for the same purpose. It was the English tenants who were largely responsible for this destruction and they were not entirely to blame. Some of them had lived on winchcomb Manor as early as 1732 and felt that the lands they had occupied for so long were rightfully their property. They had leased from the original proprietors, the Masons of England, until Israel Pemberton had bought the entire 5000 acre Manor from the Mason heirs in the 1750’s. He was practically a resident landlord; living as he did only about 45 miles distant in to Philadelphia. The Masons never saw their Manor in America and dealt with their tenants through agents in Philadelphia who were often not too forceful in collecting rent.

The principal objectors to Pemberton’s claims were Silas Parvin, Joshua Clark, John Jarman, James Loper, Sr., Jonathan Jaggers, Elnathan Davis (not the surveyor), Benjamin Maul and a few others. The West New Jersey Society owned a large tract adjoining the north line of Winchcomb Manor and Nathaniel Harris and John Carll had bought the greater part of their farms from this Society. Unlike the people whose farms were entirely within the bounds of Winchcomb Manor, they had no serious argument with Pemberton, but nevertheless they defended their neighbors who had much to lose. The most active objectors to Pemberton’s claims were Silas Parvin, James Loper, Sr. and Benjamin Maul. The former stood in front of the surveyor’s compass thus preventing it from working properly. Loper and Maul stepped on and broke the surveyor’s chain. They later “repented for their folly” and eventually took deeds and paid Pemberton for their farms. Pemberton was a friend and actually sympathized with most of the tenants problems. There were some like “old Belding” who deserved no consideration. Pemberton’s charges for the land were reasonable and in some instances below the actual worth.

Christian Facemire applied to Alexander Moore, Esq., the great land proprietor of Cumberland County, for a lease on a farm of 365 acres. Judge Moore (probably having heard of Facemire’s good traits and knowing that he was a German) granted him this lease. It ran for many years and long after Judge Moore had died. This place was long called Facemire’s Corner and for nearly a century and a half has been known as Carls Corner. Perl Street in Brigeton was described in old deeds as the road to Facemire’s Corner.

CHILDREN OF CHRISTIAN AND HELENA FACEMIRE.

Mary

Born 1753; died Jul 3, 1829 and buried in Bridgeton Methodist Episcopal Cemetery. Married 1st, July 17 1795, John Dalton, by Jonathan Jarman, Esq. Married 2nd, by 1805, Benjamin Lupton, son of Daniel, Jr. and Prudence Loder(Cox) Lupton. They had only one child, Hannah Lupton, born September 16, 1807. She married, May 20, 1828, Captain Robert Woodruff, of Bridgeton, son of Captain Abraham and Mary (Bevan) Woodruff. About 1850, Hannah Lupton made an interesting sampler. She worked the initials of thirteen relatives on it. “M L” in red (her mother); “B L” in black (her father who was deceased) etc. This sampler and Hannah’s little red Windsor sewing chair remains in the family. The chair was made by Richard Hand an early chairmaker of Bridgeton.

Henry

Born February 18, 1761; died 1791. Baptized at Friesburg as “Johann Heinrich”, son of “Christoffer and Helena Wesemeier”. Confirmed at Friesburg November 22, 1778 by Rev. Pastor Kunze. Married Sarah ( ). She married 2nd, James Randle.They lived east of Shiloh in former Minch neighborhood.

George

Born January 27, 1764; died December (buried 11th), in Bridgeton Presbyterian Cemetery. He and his wife, Maria, were baptized at Friesburg on June 8, 1790. Married Mary ( ). They had children: Jacob, born March 22, 1789; Christina, born

April 21, 1790; George, born April 22 1792, married December 4, 1810, Sarah Brooks, by Rev. Holmes Parvin. These three children baptized at Friesburg on June 8, 1793. George Facemire lived at Facemire’s Corner and later at the Indian Fields east of Bridgeton. He and his sister, Mary Facemire (Dalton) Lupton, were active in buying and selling timberland and cedar swamp.

Anna Maria Barbara

Born November 18. 1766, daughter of “Christian Freysemeier and his wife Helena”

Lewis

Date of birth and death unkown, but living in 1919. Married, by 1804, Hannah ( ? ). He lived on the Indian Fields and was active in the wood trade. Probably had son, Zachariah Facemire, who lived about where Lewis lived.

C. M. W.

July 29, 1969” End Quote.

It was reported in The Braxton Democrat March 12, 1936 on page 6 column 1 & 2 and I Quote “

Bug Ridge 48 Years Ago

-by R. M. Coombs-

In the year of 1888 was my first year of free school. The school house stood on the head of Two Lick Run and was known as the old Charley Facemire hewed log school house. Jake Friend was the school teacher at the time. The seats of the building consisted of puncheon four-auger holes with pins driven in to sit on. The library was a stand table with a little wooden drawer.

The day before school began my father took an ax and picked out the most suitable route from our cabin through the woods to the school house, blazing bushes on the right and left, so us children could find our way to and from the school.

It was during this same year of 1888 that I heard the first sermon of my life preached. The minister was old Uncle Nathan Barnett. Young as I was I will never forget this sermon. It seems to me that I can see him standing beside that little table with the Bible in his hands and the tears streaming down his cheeks. The hymn they sang that day when service was over was “When I Can Read My Title Clear”.

Well, we will go to the settlers of Bug Ridge known to me at that time: The first settler south of Sutton on Bug Ridge farm was an old Irishman by the name of Johnnie Joice. The next was farm was that of Bill Marlow. Then came the John Marlowe farm. Next farm was that of John Gillespie, and was adjoined by the Julius Dillon farm. Next was the Harvey Boggs farm. The first and oldest settler of Bug Ridge, Aaron Facemire, resided on the next farm. The next farm was that of Elizabeth James, and then the Kanie Hoover farm. The last farm on Spring Ridge, was that of Alvin Hall’s. These were the settlers known to me at this day and time.

There were no roads on the ridge at all, only a path. These pioneer farmers traveled to and from their homes by narrow roads to the creek. No doubt there are many folks who wonder where our ridge got its name of Bug Ridge. The story has been handed down to me and I know it to be correct. During the year of 1856 there was a family by the name of McCartney living in an old hewed log house on the Aaron Facemire farm. There were two young men, Bill Perrine and John Gillespie, who visited at the McCartney home over night. The following day these two young men were asked how they fared the night before. They replied they had got along fine except that the bed bug had nearly eaten them up. So from then on for a number of years the ridge went by the name of Bed Bug Ridge. That seemed to be a little too strong so we removed the first name and left the name Bug Ridge.

Now as I look around and study about my school mates and childhood acquaintances I find there are but four living here who were born and reared on the ridge. They are Jim Marlowe, Tulley Coombs, Robert Coombs, and Emory James. The scripture says that the time will come to pass when there will be two working in the field and one will be taken and one left; there will be two on the house top and one will be taken and one left. Now if this should come to pass in our day and time it will catch the other four I suppose. Should Tulley and Emory be of the elect and Jim and I left to mourn the loss, my prayer to God and I know Jim will join me is that we be left under a Democratic administration so there will be a way possible to make our escape. For the scripture says that if the righteous scarcely be saved where will the publican and the ungodly appear?” End Quote.