For a long time, there has been misinformation
concerning Harman Back:
about his voyage to America,
when and where he died, and who his descendants were.
It's time to document the true story of his life.
Harman Back was born as "Hermann Bach," in early May of 1708, in the little town of Freudenberg, Germany, which is about 90 miles northwest of Frankfurt, in the western part of the country. The town is still known for its quaint, half-timbered houses (see the picture).
Old records show that he was christened, on May 13, 1708, in Freudenberg.
He simplified the spelling of his name to Harman Back, after he immigrated to America, in 1738.
On January 3, 1737, Hermann married Anna Margarethe Hausmann, in the nearby town of Bottenberg, Germany. On March 10, 1737, she gave birth to twins: Hermann Jr., named after his father; and Anna Ella, named after her godmother Anna Ella Hausmann (see below).
The twins were born on March 10, 1737, in Bottenberg, Germany. Anna Ella was christened that day (indicated by the "C"), but Hermann Jr. was actually not named until later. Sadly, Anna Ella died, shortly after birth. From the old Prussian Birth Records, and recorded in The International Genealogical Index. This is an actual copy of The International Genealogical Index.
Hermann Bach and his wife Anna belonged to the Freudenberg Church (see the picture). By the spring of 1738, they, along with other members of the church, and a group of Moravian missionaries (a religious sect), who lived nearby, had decided to immigrate to America.
A man named Tillmann Hirnschal, who was from the nearby town of Bockseifen, had already sailed to America, back in 1736. But he had returned to Germany, in 1737, for a short time, to pick up his relatives and take them to America. He had also been hired by the government to recruit people to immigrate to America, and to settle in Georgia, where General James Oglethorpe had established the city of Savannah, in 1733. Tillmann signed up 53 people from the Freudenberg Church (including Hermann Bach, his wife, and their infant son), along with a group of Moravian missionaries, in order to immigrate to Georgia. The Moravians wanted to minister religion to the Cherokee and Creek Indians, in Georgia.
General Oglethorpe had already taken two groups of Moravian missionaries over to Savannah, Georgia (in 1735 and 1736), so they could minister to the Indians, because he was good friends with Count Zinzendorf, who had allowed a large number of Moravians to live on his estate, and who had become a Moravian himself. Click here.
This was all documented in the March 16, 1961 edition of the Siegener newspaper, in Siegen, Germany (see that article and its translation below).
This was also documented in a 1956 book, edited by the highly respected Dr. Wilhelm Guethling, titled, Freudenberg Past and Present (see that page and its translation, further down below). Dr. Guethling was an expert on Freudenberg. He had been the Director of the nearby Siegen Museum for 16 years; the Director of the Siegen City Library and Archives for 23 years; the founder of the Siegen Research Center; and a member of numerous historical commissions.
“With the Permission of the Authorities…”
“I cannot help but stare at you, I have to look at you constantly and wonder how you manage to turn over your belongings so eagerly to the ship owner.” At the time when a poet wrote these lines while observing an emigration vessel leaving, thousands of people had been forced to leave their fatherland in order to find a new home abroad.
During the months of April and May 1736, a representative of the British Consulate visited the Dukedom of Nassau-Siegen, in order to sign up colonists for the State of Georgia, a territory located between South Carolina and Florida. It belonged to the British, and white people started to settle there in 1733. The representative was soon accompanied by Tillmannus (Tillmann) Hirnschal from Bockseifen, who had emigrated before and was brought back at the expense of the British government. Hirnschal’s mission was to tell his former friends and neighbors how favorable the living conditions were in the new country, and he had to lend support to those who wanted to emigrate and guide them through the emigration process. At the beginning, there were 412 people living in the dukedom who wished to emigrate. However, some of them changed their minds. Those coming from Freudenberg and the surrounding area trusted their own friend and neighbor, and all of them signed the emigration papers.
They were ready to leave in the month of March, in the year 1738. They had to say goodbye to their relatives and friends living in the parish, to the woods and fields, which were just blooming in spring, to everything that was home to them. On March 10, the emigrants and those who stayed behind gathered for the last time at the old familiar small church. Never again has there been a church service where one could feel how heavy the hearts of the emigrants were, and how worried they were, embarking on this uncertain and dangerous trip. Never before has a congregation sung the following song with so much passion for their departing members: “Entrust your way and what grieves your heart to the most faithful care of him who governs heaven! He who gives to the clouds, air and winds their way, course and path will also find a way where your feet can go.”
Everyone, who was able to, accompanied the loaded up wagons on the day of departure to Crottorf and even further on. Pastor Goebel, who served the parish at that time, wrote the names of the emigrants into the Death Register of the Evangelical church.
He wrote: “This is the information I wrote down today on March 13, 1738. On this day, the following married men, their wives and children, and single men left for Georgia, which is a new island under the protection of His Royal Majesty of England. They left with the permission of our authorities:
Freudenberg: Tillmanus (Tillmann) Seelbach with his wife Anna Beata, his son-in-law and daughter. Gerlach Waffenschmidt with his wife Anna Maria and their four children. Heinrich Ernstorf with his wife Anna Catharin and their three children. Hermann Bach with his wife Anna Margreth and one child. Johann Friedrich Muller with his wife Anna Maria and one child. Hymenaus Creutz with his wife Elisabeth. Georg Weidman, single, who is the son of the late Heinrich Weidman. As well as: Tillmanus (Tillmann) Steinseiffer, who is the son of the late Johann Heinrich Steinseiffer. Johannes Hoffmann from Dirlenbach, the son of Johannes Hoffmann. Johann Heinrich Schmidt, who is the son of Christian Schmidt. Johannes Klappert, who is the son of the late ducal mayor Johann Klappert. Tillmanus (Tillmann) Gudelius, who is the son of Christophel (Christoph) Gudelius. Hermanus (Hermann) Muller, who is the son of the bailiff Hermanus (Hermann) Muller.
Plittershagen: Johannes Halm and his wife Anna Catharin with two children.
Boschen: Johann Heinrich Schneider and his wife Maria Catharin with two children. Johann Georg Hirnschal and his wife Anna Catharin with one child. His father Tillmanus (Tillmann) Hirnschal had left already two years before. He returned and left with them again.
Anstoss: Heinrich Schneider and his wife Anna Margareth with two children. Hanna, widow of Johann Schneider, with her son Johannes Schneider and his wife, born in the Hadamar country, with four children.
VERIFICATION: This translation was performed by Dr. Elke Hedstrom, who was born and raised in Germany, and came to America around 1965. She is a respected German translation expert. She has a Master's Degree in Library Science, and a Ph.D. in German Language and Literature. Click here.
The last paragraph, at the bottom of page 73, of this book
Translation of that paragraph (by Dr. Elke Hedstrom)
The Siegener newspaper article stated that, after those 53 people from the Freudenberg Church (including Hermann Bach and his family), and that group of Moravian missionaries, left Freudenberg, they first stopped at the Crottorf Castle (see the picture), on their way to the harbor at Rotterdam, where all the ships were departing for America.
The castle was located about 4 miles west of Freudenberg. It had been built around 1550, and it was surrounded by a moat. It was probably a meeting place for people who lived in the area, and who were headed to the harbor at Rotterdam.
After a day or so, the 53 people from the Freudenberg Church (including Hermann Bach and his family), and the group of Moravian missionaries, left the castle, and they headed west, towards the Rhine River, which was a 45-mile walk. They needed to get to that river, so they could board some small boats that would take them down the river, to Rotterdam.
Average walking speed is about three miles per hour, which is about 25 miles per day. But considering that they were carrying items, and they probably stopped quite often, to rest, they more than likely only averaged less than one mile per hour, or just 5 miles per day. Therefore, it probably took them about ten days to get to the Rhine River. That means they probably got to the river, shortly before the end of March.
After they boarded the boats on the river, it would have taken them about ten days to float down the river, to Rotterdam, because they would have been frequently stopped along the way, by the authorities, as all travelers were. They would have had their belongings inspected, and they would have had to pay fees, each time they were stopped. But even if extra time was needed, for weather delays or other problems, it can be assumed that they would have arrived in Rotterdam, around the middle of April, at the latest.
Once they got to Rotterdam, they would have booked their passage on a ship bound for Georgia (in America), just as quickly as possible. Not only were they very anxious to get to Georgia, they did not have the money, the desire, or a reason, to remain in Rotterdam for any length of time.
Furthermore, Rotterdam was swarming with Germans, at that time, all of whom wanted to sail to America. The residents of the city were extremely angry about that. As a result, the city's authorities had started to enforce a law that prohibited Germans from lingering inside the city limits. They made the Germans go into a "holding area," which was located near the ruins of the St. Elbrecht's Chapel, near Kralingen, about two miles east of Rotterdam. The living conditions in that "holding area" were dreadful. Those 53 people from the Freudenberg Church, and that group of Moravian missionaries, certainly did not want to stay in that "holding area" any longer than they had to. They would have booked their passage on a ship bound for Georgia, just as soon as they could. And so they did.
Meanwhile, before those 53 people from the Freudenberg Church, and that group of Moravian missionaries, had left Freudenberg, a Moravian missionary named Peter Bohler (see the picture) had been ordained as a bishop by Count Zinzendorf.
Peter Bohler and his assistant, George Schulius, were then appointed by Count Zinzendorf, to go to South Carolina, to minister religion to the black slaves. By February of 1738, Bohler, Schulius, and their companions, were in London, making preparations for their voyage. They asked General James Oglethorpe if he could arrange for their passage to America, because he had already commissioned two ships of Moravian missionaries, to sail to Georgia, back in 1735 and 1736, to minister religion to the Indians. General Oglethorpe said that Bohler and his companions could sail on his next voyage, with his soldiers, but that ship was not leaving Rotterdam until late April. He also said that the ship was bound for Georgia, like his other ships had been, but Bohler knew that he and his companions could walk to South Carolina, from there. So, Bohler and his companions stayed in London for about three more months, waiting until their journey could begin.
In early April of 1738, Peter Bohler and his companions went to Portsmouth, England, to wait for the ship that General Oglethorpe had commissioned. That was because they knew that most of the passengers, and most of the cargo, would be loaded on the ship first, in Rotterdam, and then the ship would sail over to Southampton, England, for its required inspections. After that, the ship would sail to Portsmouth, to pick up some additional passengers and cargo, including Bohler and his companions, and then finally, it would pick up Olglethorpe's soldiers, last.
The ship was The Union Galley. It has been proven that the 53 people from the Freudenberg Church (including Hermann Bach and his family), and that group of Moravian missionaries, boarded The Union Galley, in Rotterdam, on April 28, 1738. (See below, for the impressive research done by Dr. Adelaide Lisetta Fries.)
The Union Galley then sailed to Southampton, England. After the inspections were completed, the ship left Southampton, on May 8th. Dr. Guethling initially thought that the ship then headed out across the ocean, towards America, because he wrote in his book, Freudenberg Past and Present, "...On May 8, the emigrants put to sea from Southampton and after a voyage of 134 days reached Savannah in Georgia..."
However, on May 8th, the ship was actually on its way to Portsmouth, where Peter Bohler and his companions boarded, on May 22nd. After that, the ship sailed back to Southampton, in order to pick up General Oglethorpe's soldiers; they boarded on June 3rd. Finally, the ship was ready to sail across the ocean to Georgia. There was also at least one other ship that was going to join The Union Galley, on its voyage across the ocean.
However, bad weather and high winds suddenly came up, and the ships had to pull into the port at Spithead, which was near Portsmouth. Spithead was a small port that was protected from the winds, and so the ships waited there, for the winds to become more favorable. But the ships were not able to depart for America, until July 16th.
This means that, the 53 people from the Freudenberg Church, and that group of Moravian missionaries, had been onboard The Union Galley, for two and a half months (80 days), before it even headed out into the open sea! And by the time they spotted land, in Georgia, on September 18th, they had been onboard for nearly five months (144 days)! That was about double the number of days for a typical voyage to America.
It is important to note that Dr. Guethling actually knew that the people onboard had spotted land, in Georgia, on September 18th, which was why he counted the number of days, backwards, from September 18th, to May 8th (which was 134 days), because he thought that May 8th was the day that they had headed out across the ocean. However, he just didn't know the name of the ship.
After the crew of The Union Galley spotted land (in Georgia), on September 18th, they dropped anchor, on September 29th, in the harbor at St. Simons Island, which was about 80 miles south of Savannah, their destination. On October 6th, the 53 people from Freudenberg, that group of Moravian missionaries, and Peter Bohler and his companions, boarded a sloop (a small sailboat with one mast) and they sailed to Savannah. But due to high winds, the sloop did not arrive until October 16th. The small group of Moravian missionaries who were already living in Savannah heartily welcomed them. The 53 people from Freudenberg, and that new group of Moravian missionaries, then settled there. But Peter Bohler and his companions left Savannah, on October 21st, to walk north, to South Carolina.
The foremost authority on the Moravians was, and still is, Dr. Adelaide Lisetta Fries (see the picture). She was born in 1871, in North Carolina, the daughter of John William Fries and Agnes Sophia de Schweinitz. She was actually a descendant of Count Zinzendorf, on her mother's side. (He was her great, great, great, great grandfather.)
When Adelaide was a young girl, she become fascinated with the Moravians. She never married, and she lived with her parents until their death. (She died in 1949.) She spent her life collecting, organizing, translating, and publishing, the records of the Moravian Church. She researched the Moravians extensively; she wrote numerous books about the Moravians, and she was highly respected for her work. Click this link. Click this link.
One of her earlier books, The Moravians in Georgia 1735-1740, was published in 1905. That book provides the proof that the 53 people from Freudenberg (including Hermann Bach and his family) sailed to America, on The Union Galley, in the spring of 1738. Her book is now in the public domain, so it can be found on the Internet, for free.
The best copy is a PDF from the Digital Library of Georgia: Click here. (When the page opens, just scroll down and select the PDF download that is called, "Digital Object URL." The PDF will open in a new window.) There are numerous other places on the Internet to find her book, but most of them either do not include the page numbers, or they are difficult to read, such as the one on The Internet Archive. Click here.
Copies of the pertinent pages from her book are shown below.
Page 204: On February 22, 1738, General Oglethorpe told Peter Bohler that he would take him and his companions to Georgia, on a ship, with his soldiers. Bohler and his companions knew that, from there, they could walk north, to South Carolina.
Page 206: On April 28, 1738, in Rotterdam, the Moravian missionaries boarded The Union Galley. Captain Moberley had been given instructions that Peter Bohler and his companions would be boarding, after the ship had arrived in Portsmouth, England. On May 15th, Bohler and his companions went to Southampton (see the next page).
Page 207: On May 22, 1738, Peter Bohler and his companions boarded The Union Galley, in Portsmouth. On May 30th, the ship sailed to Southampton, to pick up the soldiers, who became very troublesome.
Page 207: On July 16, 1738, The Union Galley, and some other ships, headed out to sea, bound for America. They stopped at the Madeira Islands for a few days.
Page 208: On September 18, 1738, the people onboard The Union Galley spotted land (in Georgia). The ship dropped anchor on the 29th, at St. Simons Island.
Page 202: On October 16, 1738, Peter Bohler and his companions, and the group of Moravian missionaries, finally arrived in Savannah, Georgia.
Dr. Fries stated, in her book, Moravians in Georgia 1735-1740, that a group of Moravian missionaries sailed to Georgia, with Peter Bohler, on The Union Galley, in the spring of 1738 (from Rotterdam, where all voyages of European immigrants to America began).
And, Dr. Wilhelm Guethling stated, in his book, Freudenberg Past and Present, that the 53 people from Freudenberg (including Hermann Bach and his family) sailed to America with Peter Bohler, in the spring of 1738 (from Rotterdam).
Therefore, because it is known that Peter Bohler sailed on The Union Galley, in the spring of 1738, and it is known that the 53 people from Freudenberg (including Hermann Bach and his family) sailed with Peter Bohler, in the spring of 1738, it can be concluded, and confirmed, that the 53 people from Freudenberg (including Hermann Bach and his family) sailed to Georgia on The Union Galley.
Furthermore, the Siegener newspaper (see that section of this website above) had reported that the 53 people from Freudenberg (including Hermann Bach, his wife, and their one child), and from three other small towns, had been recruited by Tillmann Hirnschal, to sail to Georgia.
That newspaper article also reported that the names of those 53 people had been written into the "Death Record" of the Freudenberg Church, by Pastor Goebel, before they left. He did that, because, to him, and to the rest of his congregation, since those 53 people would never be seen again, it was as if they would be dead. A copy of that original "Death Record" has been found (see the picture).
That newspaper further reported that, at the top of that "Death Record," Pastor Goebel also clearly wrote that those 53 people were emigrating to Georgia.
In addition, Dr. Fries wrote that The Union Galley spotted land on September 18, 1738, and Dr. Guethling also wrote that the 53 people from Freudenberg spotted land on September 18, 1738. This is further proof that the 53 people from Freudenberg were on The Union Galley.
Please note that Dr. Guethling also wrote that the 53 people from Freudenberg were going to meet Peter Bohler, in Dover, but that was not completely accurate. They actually met him in Portsmouth, when he boarded the ship there, on May 22, 1738. There is no record of The Union Galley making a stop in Dover, although it certainly may have.
Dr. Fries also wrote that The Union Galley dropped anchor, along the Georgia coast, on September 29, 1738. She wrote that the group of Moravian missionaries from that ship then settled in Savannah, and then, shortly after that, Peter Bohler and his companions left for South Carolina. Obviously, the 53 people from Freudenberg (including Hermann Bach and his family) also settled in Savannah, with the Moravian missionaries.
Dr. Fries further wrote that most of the Moravian missionaries left Savannah, in the fall of 1739, mainly because they refused to take up arms to fight the Spanish, who were threatening to invade and attack them, from their command post, down in Florida. But they were also weary of the hot and humid weather, and the increasing number of people dying from yellow fever. Moreover, the Cherokee and Creek Indians had moved further inland, and so the Moravian missionaries were no longer able to even reach them, to minister to them.
So, in the fall of 1739, as Dr. Fries wrote, most of the Moravian missionaries walked north, to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where there was another community of Moravians living. Dr. Fries wrote that there were only six Moravian missionaries left, in Savannah, by the spring of 1740, and that they left for Bethlehem as well, on April 13, 1740, on a sloop called, The Savannah. Interestingly, Dr. Guethling wrote about the Moravian missionaries, saying that, "...because of the unhealthy climate, they had later moved north, where they settled in the place Bethlehem."
**Please read the 26-page PDF report, "The ship Oliver," at the bottom of this website, which presents the documented and proven story of The Oliver. Many people mistakenly believe that Hermann Bach and his family sailed to America on The Oliver, but they most certainly did not. This PDF report provides the true story of The Oliver, which proves that Hermann Bach and those other people from Freudenberg were not onboard that ship.**
It is quite obvious that, when the Moravian missionaries left Savannah, in the fall of 1739, the 53 people from Freudenberg (including Hermann Bach and his family) left Savannah as well, and they all began walking north, towards Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
As all of these people walked north, they probably followed the coastline. Some of the Freudenberg people probably walked all the way up to Bethlehem, with the Moravian missionaries. However, nine of them decided that they wanted to stop and settle in Virginia. Those nine people were Hermann Bach, his wife Anna, and their infant son; Johann Friedrich Mueller, his wife Anna, and their infant son; Hermann Mueller (brother to Johann Friedrich); Georg Weidman; and Johannes Huffman.
The reason those nine people did that was because Johannes Huffman had a cousin named Hans Heinrich Huffman, who was already living in a small, German settlement, in Virginia, called "Little Fork." It was located way up the Rappahannock River, in the far northern part Virginia, in Orange County. (Nowadays, it's part of the small town of Jeffersonton.)
Little Fork: So, Hermann Bach and his family, and the other six immigrants, then followed the Rappahannock River, from its mouth at the Chesapeake Bay, up to Little Fork, which was a distance of about 150 miles. They settled there.
At some point, Hermann Bach simplified the spelling of his name, so that other colonists could more easily spell it and pronounce it. That was something which many immigrants did. His new name was Harman Back, and his son became Harman Back Jr. (known as "Harman Jr.").
Shortly after Harman Back, and the others, arrived in Little Fork, his friend Johannes Huffman died, in 1741 (Orange County Will Book #1, p. 161). Harman was one of the three appraisers of his estate, and he verified the Inventory Report with his signature, in 1741 (see below). This proves that Harman Back knew how to write.
Harman bought 100 acres: On August 25, 1748, Harman bought 100 acres of land in Little Fork, for 20 pounds, from Jacob Holtsclaw and his wife Katherine (Orange County Deed Book #11, pp. 85-86). The deed shows that Harman bought the land by himself, without his wife Anna. (Her name was not on the deed.) Therefore, it can be assumed that Anna had died, sometime before then. In 1748, Harman's 100 acres was in Orange County, but in 1749, that land became part of Culpeper County. (Little Fork was located in the far northern part of Culpeper County.) In the early 1900s, a map was made of the land parcels that had been owned by the first twelve families in Little Fork, including Harman Back (see below). Harman raised his only child, his son Harman Jr., on that 100-acre farm. There are no records of Harman Back ever having any additional children, besides Harman Jr., or of Harman ever getting remarried.
Harman Jr. got married: Around 1755, Harman Jr. got married to a woman whose first name was Katherine. She may have been Katherine Fishback, whose family lived next door. Harman Jr. and his wife lived on his father's farm, and they had three sons: Joseph (born April 9, 1756); Harman (born about 1764); and Jacob (born about 1770).
The Tax Lists: According to the Tax Lists in Little Fork, the only men with the last name of Back, from 1782 (when the Tax Lists began), through 1789 (after which the Back family left Little Fork, to migrate to central Kentucky), were Harman's son, Harman Jr., and two of Harman Jr.'s three sons (Joseph and Harman). Harman Back was 74 years old, when the Tax Lists began, in 1782, and so he was too old to have been listed on any Tax List, even if he was still alive then. (Men who were over the age of 50 were not listed on the Tax Lists.)
PLEASE NOTE: In 1994, an inaccurate genealogy was published, which claimed that Harman Back had sons named John Back (1738-1794), Henry Back (1740-1809), and Joseph Back (1756-1832); and that Henry Back (1740-1809) had sons named John Back (1774-1853) and Henry Back (1785-1871). However, none of that is true.
Joseph Back (1756-1832) was actually the son of Harman Back Jr. (born 1737); John Back (1738-1794) and his brother Henry Back (1740-1809) were actually the sons of John Henry Back (1709-1789), which was a completely different Back family; and John Back (1774-1853) and his brother Henry Back (1785-1871) were actually the sons of Joseph Back (1745-1819), who was also a son of John Henry Back (1709-1789).
**Please read the 53-page PDF report, "The Tax Lists: 1782-1807," at the bottom of this website, which presents all of the Tax Lists, from both Little Fork (where the Harman Back family lived), and from the Robinson River Valley (where the John Henry Back family lived). These were two separate Back families.**
It is important to note that Harman Jr. was listed on all of the Tax Lists, which started in 1782, as "Harman Back," and not as "Harman Back Jr." This means that his father had died, sometime before 1782, and so Harman Jr. was no longer considered to be a "Jr." by the people who lived in Little Fork. (His father would not have been listed anyway, because he was over the age of 50.)
A third Harman: Curiously, Harman Jr. had a son named Harman (born 1764), and so, when Harman Jr.'s father died (sometime before 1782), Harman Jr. was no longer called "Harman Jr.," and Harman Jr.'s son Harman (born 1764) was then known as "Harman Jr." In fact, Harman (born 1764) was seen in the 1785 Personal Property Tax List in Little Fork, listed as "Harman Jr.," along with his father, who was then called, "Harman Back" (born 1737).
DAR: Shortly after the Revolutionary War began, in 1775, Harman was said to have "rendered material aid" to the American soldiers. That means he provided some of the soldiers with either food or ammunition. Records show that he donated one-quarter gallon of brandy, to some soldiers, on September 19, 1780. As a result, over a hundred and fifty years later, he became recognized as a "Patriot," in DAR (The Daughters of the American Revolution). Some incorrect information about Harman had been entered into the DAR database, years ago, by the people who created that inaccurate genealogy, but that information has been recently corrected (see the letter from DAR, further down below).
Treasury Warrant: By 1783, Harman Jr. had decided to migrate to Kentucky. On September 16, 1783, he bought a Treasury Warrant, for 1,000 acres. He paid 1,600 pounds for it, which was a great deal of money (see below). The only way that he would have suddenly had that much money was if his father had given it to him, or if his father had died and left it to him. In addition, Harman Jr. was listed on that Treasury Warrant List as "Harman Back," and not as "Harman Back Jr.," because he was obviously no longer considered to be a "Jr." That must have meant that his father had already died by then.
Harman Jr. sold Harman's 100 acres: Although it appears that Harman Back had died, sometime between 1775, when he rendered aid during the war, and 1782, when his son Harman Jr. was listed as "Harman Back" on the 1782 Personal Property Tax List, it can certainly be confirmed that Harman Back died, sometime between 1775, and September 15, 1789. That's because his only son, Harman Jr., sold his 100-acre farm that day, on September 15, 1789, which he had inherited from him (Culpeper County Deed Book #P, pp. 186-189).
The deed clearly stated that Harman Jr. had inherited that land through an "Estate of inheritance" (see below). The only way that someone can inherit something is if someone else dies. In fact, the "Law of Primogeniture" was in effect, in Virginia, up until 1786. That law stipulated that, when a man died, his property automatically went to his oldest child.
The deed referred to Harman Back Jr., as "Harman Back," because he was no longer considered to be a "Jr.," because his father was obviously dead by then. The deed also clearly stated that the land had first been purchased by Harman Back, back in 1748, from Jacob Holtsclaw and his wife, when it was still in Orange County, and that the deed for that 1748 purchase was still at the Orange County Courthouse.
Harman Jr. sold that 100-acre family farm to Thomas Clark Fletcher, for 50 pounds. When Harman Jr. "signed" the deed, he "signed" it with an "x," because he could not write. This is further proof that it was Harman Jr. who sold that land, and not his father, because his father could write, as proven by that 1741 Inventory Report that he had signed.
Migrated to Kentucky: Harman Jr., his wife Katherine, and their three sons, then left Little Fork and migrated to Kentucky, in the fall of 1789. They settled in the central part of the state, in what is now Garrard County. Harman Jr. had his will written for him, on December 31, 1794, because he could not write, and he "signed" it with his "mark" (see below). He left his land (1,000 acres, which he called his "plantation") to his son Joseph, and everything else to his wife Katherine. (Garrard County Will Book #A, p. 50).
The two witnesses to his will were Charles Spilman (1746-1826) and William Hogan (1750-1827). Charles had grown up with Harman Jr., in Little Fork; and William's brother, John Hogan, had named Harman Jr.'s son Jacob to be the executor of his will. Charles and William were around the same age as Harman Jr., and so they were about forty years younger than Harman Jr.'s father.
Some people mistakenly claim that this will belonged to Harman Jr.'s father. However, no elderly man would have selected witnesses to his will who were forty years younger than he was, and even younger than his own son. Furthermore, it has been clearly proven that Harman Jr.'s father had died, sometime before September 15, 1789, back in Little Fork, when his only son, Harman Jr., sold the land that he had inherited from him.
Harman Back Jr. died, either in late October, or early November, of 1797. His will was recorded in Garrard County, on November 6, 1797 (Order Book #1, p. 37). His will was then probated in Garrard County, in January of 1798 (Order Book, Vol. #1, p. 49). None of his three sons, or any of his grandchildren, ever migrated to southeastern Kentucky. In fact, none of his descendants have been found to have migrated to southeastern Kentucky either.
When Johannes Huffman died, Harman Back signed his Inventory Report, in 1741. His signature proves that Harman could write. (But his son Harman Jr. could not.)
On August 25, 1748, Harman Back bought 100 acres in Little Fork. That parcel can be seen on this map, which was created In the early 1900s. This map shows the twelve original families, who owned land in Little Fork, including Harman. Jacob Fishback lived next door; his daughter Katherine may have married Harman's son.
Harman Back is in in the database for The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). It shows that he only had one son, Harman Jr. (Incorrect information about Harman was sent to that database, years ago, to promote an inaccurate genealogy. But DAR has since corrected those errors.)
On September 16, 1783, Harman Jr. bought 1,000 acres in Kentucky, with Treasury Warrant #19334. He paid 1,600 pounds for it. Many of his friends from Little Fork had gone to Kentucky and bought warrants as well. Even though Harman Jr. never filed a "return" (the survey) on that land, with the state, he definitely owned it, because he had bought it.
On September 15, 1789, Harman Jr. sold the 100-acre family farm that he had inherited from his father. The deed clearly stated that Harman Jr. had inherited that land as an "indefeasible Estate of inheritance." Harman Jr., his wife, and their three sons, then migrated to central Kentucky. Where they lived became Garrard County, in 1797. Harman Jr.'s sons and his grandsons continued to live in central Kentucky; they never migrated to southeastern Kentucky.
Harman Jr. had someone write his will for him, on December 31, 1794. He "signed" it with his "mark" because he could not write.
Many years ago, an inaccurate genealogy was created about another Back (Bach) family, but they were originally from Thuringia, Germany, which is nowhere near Freudenberg, Germany. That other Back (Bach) family founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky. Here are the facts about that other family.
The Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky: The immigrant in that family, Johann Heinrich Bach (1709-1789), sailed to America in 1740, with his wife and their young son John. They settled in the far southern part of Culpeper County, Virginia, along Crooked Creek, near where it flows into the Robinson River, in the Robinson River Valley. Where they lived became Madison County, in 1792. This was 25 miles south of Little Fork, where Harman Back lived. It's doubtful that the two families even knew each other.
Johann Heinrich Bach simplified the spelling of his name to John Henry Back, after he arrived in America.
Two of John Henry's sons, John Back (1738-1794) and Henry Back (1740-1809), married two sisters, around 1775. John married Margaret Hoffman, and Henry married Elizabeth Hoffman. Margaret and Elizabeth were the daughters of John Hoffman, who owned 3,525 acres along the Robinson River, and who lived practically next door to John Henry Back and his family.
John Henry's youngest son, Joseph Back (1745-1819), married Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard (1755-1826), around 1773. Her parents had died, when she was a young girl, and she was adopted by the Maggard family. That's why modern-day researchers spell her maiden name as "Hoffman-Maggard." They also do that, in order to differentiate her from her sister-in-law, Elizabeth Hoffman Back (who married Joseph’s brother Henry).
Joseph Back and his wife Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard migrated to southeastern Kentucky, in 1791, with their four children: Joseph Back Jr. (1773-1802); John Back (1774-1853); Mary Back (1777-1807); and Henry Back (1785-1871). John Back's best friend, Samuel Maggard (1774-1855), went with them. (In fact, Samuel Maggard was the grandson of the man who had adopted Elizabeth.) They first settled along Quicksand Creek, in what is now Breathitt County; they later moved down along the Poor Fork of the Cumberland River.
Joseph Back died in 1819, and he was buried next to his cabin. His wife Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back died in 1826, and she was buried next to a tree near the Poor Fork of the Cumberland River. Because of her close connection to the Maggard family, the Maggard Cemetery was created, around her grave.
Joseph Back and Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, which now has thousands of descendants, all across the country. Some of their descendants spell their last name as Back; and some spell it as Bach. Their Back (Bach) family is not related to Harman Back, in any way whatsoever.
The inaccurate genealogy: However, in 1993, a few people, in that Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky, who were direct descendants of Henry Back (1785-1871), created a little club they called "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society," even though not one of them was a genealogist. And even though they already knew the actual genealogy of their own family, because everyone in the family knew it, they published an inaccurate genealogy, in a big, orange book, simply because they thought it would make them rich. They had found out that The Germanna Foundation (a large genealogical organization) made an enormous amount of money, from selling genealogy books about a small group of German immigrants, who had settled into northern Virginia, in the early 1700s, including Harman Back. So, they thought that, if they could "connect" their Back (Bach) family, to Harman Back, in a genealogy book, they would make lots of money as well, by selling that book.
So, they claimed that their Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky descends from Harman Back, through his alleged son Henry Back (1740-1809), even though Harman never had a son named Henry, and Henry's father was actually John Henry Back (1709-1789)! They further claimed that Henry Back (1740-1809) and his wife Elizabeth Hoffman were the parents of John Back (1774-1853) and Henry Back (1785-1871), even though those two brothers were the sons of Joseph Back and Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back!
Understandably, the rest of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky was absolutely outraged at the members of that little club, for creating an inaccurate genealogy about their own family, and so they called them, "Back-Bach people." (That was not a compliment!) Nowadays, people who continue to support that inaccurate genealogy are still known as "Back-Bach people."
The "Back-Bach people" did some very bad things, many years ago, to try to "prove" their inaccurate genealogy, including the following: (1) they published a big, orange book containing an inaccurate genealogy about their own family that tore their family apart; (2) they ruined their family's annual reunions that had been going on for seventy years; (3) they destroyed all sorts of family artifacts, including books, documents, furniture, and household items; (4) they cut out a handwritten statement, from 1762, from their own Back Family Bible that said, "We came from Thuringia"; (5) they removed countless books and documents that contained their family's actual genealogy, from libraries in Kentucky and Virginia, and they used ink pens to cross out the accurate genealogy in the books and documents they were unable to remove; (6) they scribbled all over their family's original genealogy book (which contained the accurate genealogy) that had been written by Dr. Wilgus Bach, in the early 1900s, changing what he had written, to reflect their inaccurate genealogy, and they also removed a large number of pages from his book; and (7) worst of all, they went to the Maggard Cemetery, in Partridge, Kentucky, and they actually pulled up, from the ground, the gravestone of their own great, great grandmother (Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back), threw it over the hill, and then they placed a new, fake gravestone over her sacred remains that described the woman who they claimed founded their Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, which was Elizabeth Hoffman Back, the widow of Henry Back (1740-1809). They claimed that, after Henry had died, in 1809, his 63-year-old widow Elizabeth left Virginia, and moved 400 miles, all the way down to the dangerous wilderness of southeastern Kentucky, for no apparent reason, and founded the Back (Bach) family there. It was all so ludicrous, especially since they didn't have even one piece of evidence for any of their claims.
The "Back-Bach people" further claimed that, when Elizabeth Hoffman Back moved all the way down to southeastern Kentucky, in 1809, her alleged sons, John Back (1774-1853) and Henry Back (1785-1871), "went with her and founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky." But those two men were definitely not her sons. Her actual son John was born in 1776, and her actual son Henry was born in 1783; neither of them ever moved to Kentucky.
The "Back-Bach people" claimed that John Back (1774-1853) and his brother Henry Back (1785-1871) were the sons of Henry Back (1740-1809) and Elizabeth Hoffman Back, because those two brothers were very well-known as living in southeastern Kentucky. However, there is substantial, and overwhelming, proof that that they were the sons of Joseph Back (1745-1819) and Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826).
Elizabeth Hoffman Back: To be clear, there really was a woman named Elizabeth Hoffman Back. Here is the truth about her. She was born on July 13, 1746, in the far southern part of Culpeper County, Virginia, along the Robinson River, in the Robinson River Valley, 25 miles south of Little Fork. She was the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg. She married Henry Back (1740-1809), around 1775. Henry was her neighbor, and the son of John Henry Back, whose farm was practically next door to her family's farm. Henry Back (1740-1809) was the brother of John Back (1738-1794) and Joseph Back (1745-1819). Elizabeth Hoffman's sister Margaret Hoffman married Henry's brother, John Back (1738-1794), also around 1775.
Elizabeth Hoffman Back and her husband Henry Back (1740-1809) lived on 150 acres that she had inherited from her father, along the Robinson River. They raised their eight children there, including their son John (born 1776), and their son Henry (born 1783). Their son John migrated to North Carolina in 1798; and their son Henry died in Madison County, Virginia around 1805; neither man ever went to Kentucky.
After Elizabeth's husband Henry had died, in 1809, Elizabeth's son Aaron, and her widowed sister Margaret bought 100 acres along Wolf Run, in nearby Rockingham County, Virginia: 50 acres was for Elizabeth, Aaron, and her two daughters to live on; and 50 acres was for Margaret and her two daughters to live on. So, Elizabeth then moved to that land along Wolf Run.
Elizabeth Hoffman Back lived on that 50 acres along Wolf Run, in Rockingham County, for the next six years, until her death. She died there, in 1815. Her son Aaron sold her 50 acres in 1816. His 1816 land deed proves that he had bought that land for her, in 1809. Elizabeth Hoffman Back never moved to Kentucky; she was not the mother of John Back (1774-1853) or Henry Back (1785-1871); and she was not buried in the Maggard Cemetery in Patridge, Kentucky. These facts can be easily and decisively proven, by the old Back Family Bible, census reports, tax lists, land deeds, newspaper articles, and numerous other historical documents.
To summarize: First, the "Back-Back people" claimed that Henry Back (1740-1809) was a son of Harman Back. (He wasn't.) Then, they claimed that, after Henry Back died, in 1809, his 63-year-old widow Elizabeth Hoffman Back moved 400 miles, down to the dangerous wilderness of southeastern Kentucky, for no apparent reason, with her children. (She didn't.) Then, they claimed that the children of Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back were Elizabeth Hoffman Back's children. (They weren't.)
Their inaccurate genealogy was absolutely, 100% inaccurate. It was all untrue, and the people who created it, knew it was untrue, when they created it
Now there is a staged DNA Project: Strangely, around 2010, one of the "Back-Bach people" actually set up a "DNA Project," on a DNA website, to try to, once again, "prove" that the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky descends from Harman Back. She calls it, the "Bach to Back Project." But the woman who created that "Project" staged it, and then she lied about the so-called "results."
She claims to have DNA test results, from both the descendants of Harman Back, and the descendants of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky. She further claims that her DNA test results "prove" that the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky descends from Harman Back. But her "Bach to Back Project" doesn't "prove" that at all, and she knows it. That's because she deliberately staged her "Project." It's all rigged.
First of all, she does not reveal who any of the participants are, or prove who they are. Second, three of the test results are 100% identical, which is physically impossible; obviously, two of them are copies of the other one. Third, it is strongly suspected that she altered the test results of the participants who sent her their test results in a text file. (The DNA website where she hosts her "Bach to Back Project" stopped allowing text files of test results, in January of 2023. However, she had already uploaded all the text files to her "Project,"that she needed, before then.) Fourth, according to the management of that DNA website, she was the one who wrote in the name of "Harman Back," in the "Paternal Ancestor Name" column, of her "Bach to Back Project," as being the ancestor for each one of the participants, and she was also the one who created each of the lineages for each of the participants. She did that, just to make it look like each one of the participants descends from Harman Back. She deliberately staged her "Bach to Back Project," to get the results that she wanted. That is so wrong.
Independent DNA experts, who have reviewed this matter, emphatically state that, her "DNA Project" is actually just a "Surname Project." It cannot possibly define lineage, or prove who descends from who.
Furthermore, those independent DNA experts have also confirmed that, even if some of the test results were not altered, any similarities between the test results would simply mean that, about 15 generations ago, back in the 1500s, back in Germany, the people who submitted their DNA test results may have shared a common ancestor. It most certainly does not mean that, in the 1700s, in America, members of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky suddenly jumped over and became descendants of Harman Back. It's all so ridiculous.
But the woman who created that "Bach to Back Project" actually claims that the common ancestor for each of her participants was just "a few" generations ago, not 15 generations ago. She has deliberately misinterpreted the DNA website's "common ancestor parameters," and just made up her own.
It has even been proven that she actually ordered some of the test kits herself, so there is no way to know who actually submitted their DNA samples, in those test kits. In addition, it has been proven that her own brother is one of the participants!
Furthermore, the "results" of her "Bach to Back Project" appear to show that there is no DNA at the DYS425 marker, for any of the participants, which she claims is "extremely rare," and so she claims that this so-called "rarity" somehow "proves" that all of the participants are related. But that is completely false. Having no DNA at the DYS425 marker is actually extremely common, according to all DNA experts. (You can read about that, on the Internet.).
Her "Bach to Back Project" is completely staged. It's completely rigged. The woman who created it needs to be held accountable for what she has done to both families.
That "Bach to Back Project" is nothing but a grotesque attempt to somehow "prove" that members of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky descend from Harman Back. BUT WHY? WHAT IS THE POINT?
That "Bach to Back Project" is certainly the most brazen, and the most bizarre, scheme yet, to be perpetrated by "the Back-Bach people," who have been promoting their inaccurate genealogy since 1994. They obviously have no shame, and no conscience.
The DAR: It is also important to note that, many years ago, the "Back-Bach people" actually submitted their inaccurate genealogy to the prestigious genealogical organization, The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), because Harman Back had "rendered aid," during the Revolutionary War, and the name of Henry Back (1740-1809) was on a list of soldiers, in the far southern part of Culpeper County, in the Robinson River Valley (not up in Little Fork). Their involvement in the war qualified each man to be a "Patriot," and to be included in DAR's database of Patriots. But back then, the DAR did not require any actual proof, before they included a Patriot in their database, and so they included the inaccurate information from the "Back-Bach people," about Harman Back and Henry Back, in their database.
However, in early 2022, DAR's genealogy experts reviewed all of the evidence, and they came to the following correct conclusions: (1) Harman Back had just one child, who survived to adulthood, which was Harman Back Jr.; (2) Harman Back died, sometime before September 15, 1789, in Culpeper County, Virginia, which was when his only child, Harman Back Jr., sold his land that he had inherited from him; (3) Harman Back Jr. (born 1737) had his will written, in 1794, in Garrard County, Kentucky, not Harman Back (born 1708); and (4) Henry Back (1740-1809) did not have sons, John Back (1774-1853) who married Catherine Robertson; or Henry Back (1785-1871) who married Susannah Maggard. Therefore, it is obvious that the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky does not descend from Harman Back.
PLEASE READ THE LETTER FROM DAR, DOWN BELOW.
Please do what you can to spread the truth. Please challenge anyone who tries to promote the inaccurate genealogy, or tries to claim that the staged "Bach to Back Project" is valid. We must preserve the truth about our own ancestry, for our children and our grandchildren, in both families.
Be sure to check out a website called, "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society," for more information. Click here.
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