Johannes Yoho
7th great grandfather
Johannes Yoho -1712
Eva Catrina Yoho-1741 George Lemley-1768 Catherine Lemley-1793 Hannah Okey-1819 Edward Brown-1838 John Waggonfield Brown-1860 Ira Edward Brown-1894 Elisha Kane Brown-1921
Kathleen Elizabeth Brown Hill-1947
The first recorded evidence of Yoho immigrants to the US was in 1738. Pennsylvania German Pioneers (Genealogical Publishing Company 1966) recorded a list of all the Palatine Passenger on board the ship "Snow Two Sisters", James Marshall, Master, from Rotterdam, last from Cowes in England, in the year 1738. The ship landed in Philadelphia. Among the passengers were Johannes Joho age 37 and Sussana Joho age 44. It is interesting to note that the last name was also spelled Johe in the list of those signing or placing an "X" by their names in an Oath of Allegance. An "X" was placed by Johannes' name.
Johannes was reportedly born in Alsace a region and former province of Eastern France between the Rhine and Vosges Rivers in 1712. His father, also named Johannes, was born in 1678 and was a meat cutter. He was reported to have served as a soldier in Alsace. He married Sussana Gelker and had at least four children: Johannes Conrad born 1705 died 1729, Johannes Michael born 1718 died 1735, Johannes (the first immigrant), and Anna Maria born 1714 with death date unknown.
Sussana born about 1714 was the daughter of Theobald Lau who was a blacksmith in Sulzthal Alsace. The date of her death and burial site is not known.
Johannes and Sussana moved to Conewago in Adams/York County, Pennsylvania. Conewago is an Uroquois name meaning “below the riffles.” Martin Kitzmiller first purchased this land in a proprietary tract known as "Digges Choice" in 1737. The tract as surveyed contained 6,822 acres and was described as lying on “Little Conewago Creek.” It principally lay in what is now Adams County, but passed into York County. In this county it comprised the present limits of Germany and Conowago Townships.
In August 1745, a re-survey was made and 3,679 acres were added to the former survey. This tract was 4 miles north of the temporary line between PA and Maryland surveyed in 1732. Subsequent disagreements led to the murder of Dudley Digges by Jacob Kitzmiller in Feb 1752. From 1735 to 1752 Germans came by the thousands. In the fall of 1749 no less than 20 ships arrived in Philadelphia bringing 12,000 passengers.(Egle) For those looking for historical records, there are several churches in this area. Conewago Chapel was originally a Jesuit chapel built in 1787. This chapel is on U.S. 30 four miles south of New Oxford. Christ Reformed Church is 3 miles east of Little Town and 5 miles northwest of Hanover. The grave yard has graves of many pioneers.
While living in Conewago, Johannes and Sussana had two daughters. Maria Christina was born March 14, 1740. She was baptized on May 20, 1740 with her sponsors being Janeslaus Wuchtel and Maria Christina Baumann. There is no known record of her marriage or death. Eva Catarina was born May 26, 1741. She was baptized June 25, 1741 with her sponsors being Wentzel Buchtrueckel and wife. Eva married George Lemley. George settled just north of the Mason Dixon Line along Dunkard Creek in 1797 on a tract of land named in the patent "Cheval-de-Frise". Family tradition says he was born in Germany about 1742. He died June 11, 1813. Eva his second wife bore him eleven children. She died Nov 5, 1825.
Johannes and Sussana moved to near Winchester, Virginia. The date is unknown but must have been approximately 1745. Their oldest son Peter was born in 1745 eighteen miles from Winchester. The exact location of their land may near or on a tract sold by another son John to Alexander Machir in 1771.
Seven additional sons and daughters were born to Johannes and Sussana while they lived near Winchester.
Fish Creek, Marshall county, West Virginia
The final move of Johannes and Sussana was to western Virginia now West Virginia. They settled in what is now Marshall county near Fish Creek in the Ohio Valley which is in the northern panhandle of the state. They probably arrived sometime shortly prior to the Revolutionary War. Their son John sold his land near Winchester in 1771 and probably joined his family in western Virginia. Virginia tax records of 1785 and 1795 lists John, Jacob, Peter, and Henry as living near Fish Creek. Johannes died about 1795 and is thought to be buried in the Yoho Cemetery. Sussana's death date is not known. She is probably also buried in the Yoho Cemetery.