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Fortman, Johann Heinrich Josef
Kötter vor dem Moore, * Vechta (Hagen) 28.10.1789, + Delphos, Allen County, Ohio 31.05.1848, [] Delphos, Allen County, Ohio, St. John's cemetery SJ?
History of the Joseph Fortman Family
As written by Lewis German with the help of his brother Anton J. German about 1927.
Joseph Fortman was born near the Village of Vechta, Province of Oldenburg, Germany. He was married to Elizabeth Pund. The following children were born to them: Elizabeth, Joseph, Bernard, Mary, Anton and Bernadina.
They immigrated to America in the summer of the year of 1834, on a sail ship ("Minerva"), the voyage taking nine weeks, a longer time than usual to cross the ocean. Their provisions and water supply had run very low. They landed at Baltimore 20 September, 1834 and made the trip to Wheeling, West Virginia by wagon and horses through the Cumberland Mountains. They stayed at wheeling six weeks. Since there was no work to be found, they went to Cincinnati, Ohio by way of the Ohio River. Finding no work there, they went to Dayton, Ohio by way of the Miami and Erie Canal which was then finished to Dayton, where they found work.
Joseph driving a team. His wages were $2.50 a week. His children, Elizabeth, Joseph, Bernard and Mary went to work in a cotton factory. they received from $1.25 to $2.50 a week. The wages for the five workers amounted to $11.25 a week. Elizabeth married John Klausing and move to Teutopolis, Illinois in about the year 1836.
the other members of the Josph Fortman Family stayed at Dayton about three years, when on the advice of a Doctor they moved to Putnam County near Fort Jennings, Ohio on Congress Land which they purchased a few years later.
Upon arriving at this place, Joseph Fortman built a log cabin with the help of his new neighbors and moved in the same day, not even having a floor of any kind. When they got up the next morning the first thing they did was step in mud, ankle deep.
Trees stood all around the house. None of the land was cleared of timber so they could not plant any crops for bread. They had corn which if they had Ground into meal, they had to take to Fort Defiance or pound it between two Stones or make hominy of it. For meat they hunted game. For drink they had water of milk. They had one cow.
Money was very scarce. Work was to be gotten by going to the Canal which was being dug at that time. Joseph and his two sons, Joseph and Bernard, worked for several years helping to dig the Canal. The was done with shovel and pick and the dirt wheeled onto the bank of the Canal. In this way they got money. His wife, Elizabeth, and children, Mary, Anton, and Bernadina ran the farm. In the winter the men cleared the farm.
Neighbors lived along the Anthony Wayne Road about 1/2 mile apart. The ride having been made by Anthony Wayne and used during the War of 1812. It lead from Cincinnati to Toledo. Neighbors were very friendly and very helpful in sickness and need.
The second year Mary left home. She and another girl by the name of Mary Discher, both girls being about 14 years of age, walked all the way along The Miami and Erie Canal through the mud to Dayton, no boats being run yet on the canal. Mary Fortman stayed at Dayton about three years, then going to Cincinnati, Ohio where she married Bernard German II.
Joseph Fortman lived about 13 years on his farm when he had the misfortune of falling off a horse and receiving internal injuries. He died the third day after the accident at the age of about 50 years and was buried in Delphos, Ohio.
Elizabeth stayed on the farm the rest of her life, with the three boys, Joseph, Bernard and Anton. She lived to the age of 78 years which was about in the year 1868. Her son, Joseph never married and lived to be 84 years old.
Bernard Fortman married Clara Hemker and lived to the year of 1867, he was 44 years old.
Bernadina Fortman went to Cincinnati and married Martin Dickman. She lived to be about 30 years old leaving no living children.
Anton married Anna Hemker and had no children. He lived all his life on the home farm and lived to be 87 year old.
There are no immediate relatives left by the name of Fortman.
Other facts concerning the Fortman Family
Records in the Allen County Court House state that Joseph Fortman purchased his land at Sandusky, Ohio from the United States Government, On October 1, 1846. President James K. Polk's signature is on the deed.
Joseph Fortman helped build the first Catholic church, Saint John the Evangelist, at Delphos, Ohio.
It took Mary Fortman and Mary Discher a little over three days to walk the distance of about 80 miles through the mud from Delphos, Ohio to Dayton, Ohio. At night they lodged in farm homes along the way. On the third evening they were close enough to hear the Angels bells ringing but they were unable to reach their destination that night.
Elizabeth Fortman and her husband John Klausing went to Teutopolis, Illinois with a company of people to settle the new country. He was a blacksmith. Elizabeth and her husband died young leaving three young children orphaned; Bernard age nine, Mary age seven, and Joseph age five. Many of Elizabeth's descendents live in the Delphos area today.
oo Vechta 15.06.1817 Elisabeth Pund
Quellen: family tree of Lammers
http://www.delphos-ohio.com/history/St%20John/f%20sj.htm
Erstellt mit dem Programm AHNENBLATT (www.ahnenblatt.de).