Johannes Katronnes Wilhelm
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===Version B=== | ===Version B=== | ||
| - | The second version of the story comes from a cousin, Verda Foutz. The way the story is told in her family is that two Wilhelm brothers stole passage to America. When they arrived they couldn't speak English and had no money. They stole food and clothes and were spotted. | + | The second version of the story comes from a cousin, Verda Foutz. The way the story is told in her family is that two Wilhelm brothers stole passage to America. When they arrived they couldn't speak English and had no money. They stole food and clothes and were spotted. They were being chased and decided they would have a better chance if they separated. One of them slipped away in the crowd while the other swam the Potomac and changed his name to Williams. |
==The Facts== | ==The Facts== | ||
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The first version of the legend states Johannes Katronnes Wilhelm is the father of [[John Benjamin Williams]]. So far all research shows that John's father was [[John Andrew Williams]] who was born in Germany as Johann Andreas Wilhelm. When an oral legend such as this is passed down over several generations, it's quite possible that the name "Johann Andreas" morphed into "Johannes Katronnes," especially when you consider that the eldest of John Benjamin Williams' children was only 10 when John died in 1851 on the plains of Missouri, far from any other relatives who may have been familiar with the story. | The first version of the legend states Johannes Katronnes Wilhelm is the father of [[John Benjamin Williams]]. So far all research shows that John's father was [[John Andrew Williams]] who was born in Germany as Johann Andreas Wilhelm. When an oral legend such as this is passed down over several generations, it's quite possible that the name "Johann Andreas" morphed into "Johannes Katronnes," especially when you consider that the eldest of John Benjamin Williams' children was only 10 when John died in 1851 on the plains of Missouri, far from any other relatives who may have been familiar with the story. | ||
| - | The story starts to fall apart, however, when you consider that Johann Andreas Wilhelm likely came to America with his parents when he was very young, based on existing family group sheets for his parents Justus and Clarissa[http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/AF/family_group_record.asp?familyid=4539342]. If he came to America as a toddler, then it is very unlikely he was a member of the Prussian Army. More research needs to be done to determine if, in fact, he did immigrate with Justus and Clarissa. There always remains the possibility that he was left behind for a time, and later joined the Prussians, or possibly was a part of the Hessian forces sent to America during the American Revolution. For that matter he could have been a member of the American forces, as he would have been 16 in 1776. He did marry Mercy Farrington, but she is not an Englishwoman. Her family did come from England, but they arrived in the 1600s. Not much is | + | The story starts to fall apart, however, when you consider that Johann Andreas Wilhelm likely came to America with his parents when he was very young, based on existing family group sheets for his parents Justus and Clarissa[http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/AF/family_group_record.asp?familyid=4539342]. If he came to America as a toddler, then it is very unlikely he was a member of the Prussian Army. More research needs to be done to determine if, in fact, he did immigrate with Justus and Clarissa. There always remains the possibility that he was left behind for a time, and later joined the Prussians, or possibly was a part of the Hessian forces sent to America during the American Revolution. For that matter he could have been a member of the American forces, as he would have been 16 in 1776. He did marry Mercy Farrington, but she is not an Englishwoman. Her family did come from England, but they arrived in Massachusetts in the 1600s. Not much is known about his early life, or any fortunes he may have amassed, but he was indeed a farmer in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. John's son John Benjamin did indeed join the Mormon Church shortly after John died, but John Benjamin had married Clarissa nearly fours years before that, so that part of the story is not entirely accurate. As for any family fighting over inheritance, Clarissa's journal mentions nothing. |
In a taped interview conducted by his son John in 1992, [[Carl LeRoy Wilhelm|Roy Wilhelm]] had this to say about the story of Johannes Katronnes Wilhelm: | In a taped interview conducted by his son John in 1992, [[Carl LeRoy Wilhelm|Roy Wilhelm]] had this to say about the story of Johannes Katronnes Wilhelm: | ||
