52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #32 Anna Stiver nee Unknown surname

This is my thirty-second  posting for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge

This week, I will focus on my fourth great-grandmother on my mother's side. We know her as Anna, wife of John Stiver [Stoeber]. 

Anna was likely born around 1749 in what would become Germany, possibly in the Duchy of Hanover. 

Anna and John had six known children. There are some gaps of more than two years, as determined by the estimate of the year each child was born, so some children might not have survived or they remained in Europe when the family left to go to the new world. There is also the possibility that Anna might not have been the mother of the oldest children. Two also were born after they came to North America.

The eldest child we know about is Mary Ann who was born about 30 September 1775 according to a calculation using the information on her tombstone at Bethesda Lutheran Cemetery in Unionville, Ontario. While they were in the United States, she married John Helmke, a widower, with one child. 

Next came Peter who was born about 1778. He would marry Nancy Spring in 1803.

There is a jump of about six years to when Anna, who I wrote about last week, was born in about 1784. She married Josiah Hemingway.

Henry came next in about 1786 and he would marry first Nancy Wagoner and then Margaret Galbraith. 

It is with these four children that John and Anna would leave their birth country with other travellers under the leadership of William Berczy. They were headed to northern New York near Corning. Next week's post about John Stiver would talk more about their time in the United States. 

While they were in the United States (1792-1794), Anna gave birth to Francis. He would marry Elizabeth Lindsay.

After they came to Markham, Anna gave birth to John Henry. He is said to have been the first white child born in Markham Township. 

Anna died about 3 October about 1825. Although, there is no tombstone marking her final resting place at Bethesda Lutheran Cemetery. Her death date is taken from the St. Phillip's Lutheran Church records, listed as Stover, first name not given. aged 76 years buried here at the church wife of Stover, Joh. Sr. The Stover surname was a Mennonite surname in the community, so I expect this is an error. The Stober surname evolved into Stiver. Quite a few of the Stiver family are buried in this cemetery. 
© 2014 Janet Iles