Mary Schenk

Birth: 1718 Lancaster County Pennsylvania, USA

Bio: As a child John lived on his father's farm on Pequea Creek. Later on his father's farm on Conestoga Creek. In Deed Book G, p 81-82 in Lancaster Co., a deed is recorded which shows the purchase of 100 acres for John. The land and the home already built on the property, was on a large loop in Conestoga Creek extends to the south from present day Millersville and the loop includes the community of Wabank. John's land was just south of Wabank, at the bottom or south end of the loop. Deedsmade a few years later show that John's wife was named Mary and the farm that they bought in 1743, sandwiched between his father's land and Hans Moyer's land. Mary received land from her father Hans Moyer in his will. This proves that John married Mary Moyer, thus adding Hans Moyer's name to the list of our early grandfathers. John was a Mennonite Minister and was the first minister of the church of Connestoga twp. called Eshlemans, then Miller and now River Corner. The stone building there today is the third at the site. John and Mary lived on Conestoga Creek until the end of 1766. On the 15th of December in 1766, they sold out their holdings for 2000 pounds and signed the deeds 12 Jan 1766.They then moved to York County where John became minister of another church. On 1 April 1767 they bought a 150 acre tract of land in Mannheim twp for 700 pounds. They remained there for 24 years. In 1744 12 acres of land was set aside around the church for a schoolhouse and cemetary. This was called Bairs Mennonite Church and is still in existence. It is on Highway 116, 3 miles out of Hanover, Pa. There is a date stone embedded in the upper gable end of the church that reads "Menno Simmons Meetinghouse. Built A.D. 1860. Rebuilt A.D. 1908".In 1791 preacher John moved again to take another Mennonite Church called Flohrs located on Marsh Creek, near Cashtown in the county of Adams on old Highway 30. John and Mary bought a 550 acre plantation on the south side of Marsh Creek just a bit west of Gettysburg, Pa. John's health was not good at this time. He made his will on 24 July 1791 and received his deed to the 550 acres on 27 July1791. He died less than one mont later. His gravesite is unknown, but quite possibly he was buried in the old Mennonite Cemetary in Flohrs. John's will shows that he was relatively affluent. His inventory of his estate, outside his land, was 1248 pound and it lists and uncommonly large library of religious books for a man of his times. His signature appears in a firm, clear German script, suggesting that he was highly literate. His will is recorded in York County and is in Will Book H , Vol, 1, p.257. John's sons Michael, Christian and Adam of Botetourt and Greenbriar Co. in Virginia signed one affidavit in Greenbriar County in Va. on 27 Jan 1803. These documents are probably the only documents anywhere in existence which definitely prove and connect our Shank line of Va. into a particular Shank in line in Pa. which extends back to the year of 1717. (LDS:Ancestral File (AFN:KZHN-KS) LDS Ancestral File (AFN:S7ZK-TX) " The Shanks of Pequea Creek ,)by J. Arthur Shanks: fm Leigh Blount Marr Plac Conestogo Twp, Pa!Hoover: Also confirms Bairs Menno Church via Mennos of York , by LB Mesckly.jsc'95Will:H1-257YCCH,Deed:A-1=268 ACCH,Inv:22 Aug 1791 York. He married Mary Moyer, about 1739 in Conestoga Twp.,Lancaster, Pa. 3 Mary Moyer-3640. Born Abt. 1718 in Lanc. Pa.

Family links:

Spouse:

 Johanne Schenck (1717 - 1791)*

• Calculated relationship

Burial: Body lost or destroyed Specifically: unkown buriel

Created by: Rose Gardner Record added: Dec 05, 2015 Find A Grave Memorial# 155713047