Andreas Ludwig Casselman

He arrived in America at New York Port with his fathers family on ship Midfort June 14, 1710. Feb. 7, 1714, he took communion as a member in the Lutheran Church at West Camp, NY.

On Oct. 19, 1723, he was one of the original patentees of a 12,700 acre Patent near the Mohawk River in Albany Co., NY. Ludwig did not draw lots but kept all of his share in the undivided lands of the Patent. (Stone Arabia). On April 5, 1742, Ludwig Casselman sold half of the yet undivided 28th share of Stone Arabia, inherited from his father-in-law.

The Castleman Family was among one of the earliest to settle in Frederick Co., VA. On Aug. 17, 1749 he received two land grants, 300 acres and 404 acres, on the Wappacomo or Great South Branch of Potomac in Frederick Co., VA. On May 15, 1753, he was granted a town lot of 1/2 acre in the town of Winchester, VA.

June 17, 1754, "Castlemans wagon" to be kept & used near Wills Creek & Redstone by Col. Washington's Regiment. On April 12, 1757, he was paid for his horse used by Washington's Regiment. The Regiment also hired horses from William and Jacob Castleman.

Sept. 27, 1757, Lewis was one of a number of people in Winchester, VA accused of possessing sundry goods suspected to have been purchased or stolen from the soldiers. It was reported that Lewis Castleman said, "items were left at his house by an Indian, at the time some were imprisoned in the town."

On Nov. 19, 1757, he was charged with the murder of James Haines, a Virginia soldier. He and witnesses were examined by the court and the court decided he should be jailed and tried by the court in Williamsburg, VA. Haines died Nov. 10, 1757 at Ft. Loudoun in Winchester. He was in Col. George Washington's Regiment, as were the witnesses. One witness was Joseph Hancock. No further record of the trial or the verdict was found.

Between 1759 & 1761, Ludwig married Mary (Bush) Wallace Hancock, twice a widow with five children. In 1761, he and his wife Mary moved to a 300 acre plantation on Dunnings Creek, about 4 miles from the town of Bedford in Cumberland Co., PA.

On Jan. 30, 1789, Lewis/Ludwig's will was written and signed with his mark. He gave everything he owned and 400 acres to his wife Mary. Ludwig died between Jan. 30 & Sept. 5, 1789 in Bedford Co., PA at 90 years of age.

Sources: The Papers of George Washington, W.W. Abbot , Hampshire Co., VA, Frederick Co., VA and Bedford Co., PA Deed books.

Note: Deeds by Ludwig, usually Lewis Castleman with in the deed but Lodowick or Ludwig Casselman as signer.

Andreas was born 6 November 1698 at Adelshofen, Deutchland. (Modern day, Baden Wurttemberg, Germany). Later in life, after he moved to Pennsylvania he used the Americanized version "Lewis".

When he was about ten years old his father moved the family from their homeland to escape the religious persecution, wars, and accompaning famine that was sweeping over that part of Europe, an area known as "The Palatine" in what today is Southern Germany. (See Johannes Dietrich story for details).

There was some mention of Andreas as the son of Dietrich recorded in England in 1709, in arrival records at New York and records of the Church at Schoharie, but the first record of note as an adult was recorded in the Albany Common records on 17 January 1716. "One Ande. Lod'k Casselmann was naturalized as a American citizen here".

Andreas Lodewich Casselmann, now called by the name Ludwig and later Lewis, married Margaretha Elisabetha Schafer and they had eight children. Although records are extremely sketchy during this period the following names are listed in the journal of Pastor Sommer of the Schoharie, Albany County, New York, Lutheran church records as being "the children of Andreas Ludwig Casselman". Johannes (see note #1), Joh. Dieterich, Joh. Conrad, Anna (see note #1), Joh. Jacob, Joh. David, Elisabet and Sophia.

Andreas and his oldest son William (Johannes Vilhelm) received land grants from Lord Fairfax of Virginia on 23 August 1749 and sometime in 1750 the family moved to Hampshire County, Virginia. There were additional land grants to the family and they stayed in the area until after the end of the Revolutionary war, and the new nation began it's expansion West.

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Ludwig now called Lewis Castleman of Bedford Twp., PA, wrote his will 30 Jan 1789, making his mark, witnessed by Michael Smythe, James Taylor and John Chrisman. He willed his 400 acres land, horses and all other animals and all other property movable or unmovable to his wife Mary. This will was probated in Bedford Co. Court, PA, 5 Sept 1789.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~acastleman/castleman/cas2_...