Melchior Ruckle

burial in

Hidlay Cemetery

North Centre

Columbia County

Pennsylvania, USA

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=21099191

Melchior Ruckle first entered the record books in 1782 as a private listed as belonging to the Northampton County militia., Third Battalion, in the Second Company under the command of Captain Jacob Clater. This has been verified by the Division of Archives and Manuscripts in the Pennsylvania Archives, Harrisburg. Melchior is also listed on the tax records mentioned above, beginning in 1785 in Allen, later hanover, Township.

Sometime after 176, Melchior married Maria (sometimes written Anna Maria).

When Melchior died in 1826, he left a will stated: "Melchior Ruckel fo Bloom Township, being very sick but of sound mind, he wrote his last will and testament as follows: (to wit) his wife to have one third of all the income or profits of the farm where he now lives and as much of the household goods as she may think necessary for her own use, a good room in the house in which to dwell, to have her firewood hauled to her, to have two cows and keeping therefor, the farm to be sold after her death and the proceeds equally divided amongst his children, his daughter Catharine, to have out of the personal estate such an outset as his other daughters got, his sons Joseph and George to have each a house (horse?) equal in value to them to those given to John, Peter and Jacob, his son John and so-in-law Conrad Hagenbuch to be his executors and his debts to be paid out of his personal estate as soon as convenient and the rest of his estate to be divided equally as above stated. Martha Reece to have an outset worth twenty dollars provided she stays with the widow until she is eighteen years of age. Directed in the presence of us the 10th day July 1826 in the County of Columbia." Uzal Hopkins and Catharine Bright were the two subscribing witnesses.

He was the son of emigrant parents, Balthasar & Elizabeth (Kelher) Rockel.

He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Melchior enlisted twice, first in the "Flying Camp" under Captain Peter Runio and second in 7th Co. 4th Battalion under Captain George Rondebush.

After the war he married Maria Waltman, daughter of Conrad Waltman. They lived in Northampton and Columbia counties , Pennsylvania.

He was the father of ten children; 1.Maria Magdalena b-4 Apr.1792 2.Elizabetha-13 Jan 1795 3.Johannes b-16 Mar 1797 4.Peter Heinrich b-28 Nov 1798 (twin) 5.Heinrich Peter b-28 Nov 1798 (twin) 6.Jacob b-2 Jan 1801 7.Joseph b-13 Jan 1803 8.Maria Catharina b-10 Feb 1805 9.Johann George b-9 Feb.1810 10.Catharine b-1812* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jun 27 2021, 3:44:56 UTC