Alva Wintermute

Notes:

Religion: Earned Christian; elder Stillwater church

Education: Harrison; remembered Washington's funeral.



Harold Van Auken writes (July 1998)

"We went to Stuben County, NY on our vacation at the beginning of July.



Sara, Henry, their daughter Hannah Naomi and Henry’s sister Eva Anna are buried together in the Glenview Cemetery, Pultney, Stuben Co., NY. Also, the wife of their son Arthur, L. Amelia who died on Aug. 30, 1890, is buried just behind them.



The area essentially has not changed in a hundren and fifty years. They have modern appointments, but the population density is very low, and the area is very rural and underdeveloped to say the least. It was enlightening to see how the towns
we have read about are related to each other and to understand the distances between them.



We stopped at the County Clerks office and looked through the deed books. The first record of a land purchase by Henry B. Wintermute was on June 1, 1842. He bought 100 acres for $421.00.



Henry also bounght 42+ acres from his son-in-law Charles Brown and daughter Drusilla on Dec. 6, 1856 for $1700. Guess this is the money they used to start up with in IL. Drusilla's mother, Sara had a brother, John W. Van Auken who moved to IL.
Also, Drusilla had two first cousins who lived there."





Certain records say that January 10, 1783, a number of persons, calling themselves members of the Reformed Association of Hardwick, signed articles of religious faith.... And in an entry in the church records, under date June 13, 1823, the
congregation met and were organized into a regular Presbyterian Church, of which Isaac and Henry Bernhardt Wintermute were made ruling elders.

Henry married Sarah Van Auken on 6 Jun 1811 in Sussex County, New Jersey. Sarah (daughter of Nathaniel Van Auken and Mary Maria Westbrook) was born on 1 Mar 1792 in Wallpack, Sussex Co., New Jersey; died on 5 Apr 1862 in Pultney, New York. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Residence: From Wallpack, New Jersey

Notes:

"Abstracts of Divisions of Warren and Sussex County Estates Filed at Sussex County Courthouse, Newton, NJ from 1789-1918" by Frederick R. Alleman and Virgina A. Brown, 1978: Estate John Wintermute, SB130; Map SB 135, Location: Hardwick Twp., on
the Paullinskill, adjoining Andrew Robbins, Dildine, Peter Wintermute, Joseph Anderson, et al. Heirs-at-law and relationship to deceased; children. Catherine Smith, nee Wintermute Anna Margaret Wintermute Eve Wintermute Henry B. Wintermute
Elizabeth Cassidy, nee Wintermute Susannah Wintermute Dated: May 29, 1811 Recorded: August 6, 1835

Johannes\John married Anna Margaretha Couse about 1781. Anna was born on 17 May 1761 in Frankford, NJ; died on 21 Jul 1854 in Stillwater, Sussex, New Jersey; was buried in Stillwater Cemetery, Stillwater, Sussex Co., NJ. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Residence: From North of Newton, New Jersey

Notes:

ancestor line of Bodewine Van Auken

Nathaniel married Mary Maria Westbrook on 18 Mar 1788 in Wantage Twp, Sussex County, NJ. Mary (daughter of Richard Westbrook and Mary Wilson) was born on 20 Jul 1774 in Montague, Sussex County, NJ; died on 26 Mar 1856 in Walpack, Sussex County, NJ. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

ancestor line of Bodewine Van Auken

Notes:

On May 11, 1711, Johann George Windemuth was born in the southwest region of the Rhineland-Palatinate just east of the Rhine River in Pfungstadt, Germany. Johann was the youngest son of Johann Christoph Windemuth, a wainwright, and Mary Marguerite Kleppinger, a tailor. It was a challenging time to grow up in the Palatinate region of Germany in those years. The many years of war with their French neighbors really took its toll. Other factors like severe winters crippled the local economy. The economy was directly affected by the weather dependent agricultural industry. It is no wonder why so many ?poor Palatines?, like Johann George Windemuth, decided to leave everything behind to take the treacherous journey to North America.

Johann?s journey to North America started in May of 1736. He took a small crowded scow up the Rhine River to the port city of Rotterdam, Holland. Confronted with an endless barrage of tolls, depleting all or most of your resources was inevitable. The feverish demand to get to North America fed the economic growth of the bustling Colonial City of Philadelphia. As the existing pool of laborers and craftsmen were running low, the influx of these Palatine Germans really filled that void. This new bond between Palatines and the growth of Philadelphia created a new trade that was no different than indentured servitude. The Palatines were the unintended architects of this new trade, where their debt was sold to the highest bidder. They were mandated to work off their debt, which in many cases lasted 3 or more years. It is debatable who ended up with the better part of this arrangement. Cheap labor or temporarily relinquishing your freedom to live free in a new fertile land. It was only around 30 years later that the bargain was tested as the Colonists were preparing to declare their independence from Great Britain.

The path to freedom starts in Rotterdam. It is there that brokers traded the freedom of these Germans in exchange for passage to Colonial North America . Fueled by the promise of a fresh start, Johann and thousands of others ended up trading their freedom in exchange for the cost of the trip. He quickly made arrangements with Captain Robert Harle whose ship was named ?Harle?. Harle had a decent reputation, but he, too, could not escape the pressure to maximize profit at the expense of the desperate Palatines. Once all this business was sorted out, it was off to London. While in London, the passengers were immedietaly expected to pledge their allegiance to the King of England in exchange for the right of way to the Colonies. The Crown was desperately hoping to flood the Colonies with presumed loyalists.

During the summer of 1736, Johann and others flirted with death across the Altantic on the ship Harle. Overcrowding, rancid provisions and sea sickness were only some of the dangers. This was certainly not a deterrent to Johann. After four harrowing months, Johann finally arrived in Philadelphia. Despite coming from a rural community, life in the city of Philadelphia was likely more comfortable and familiar than expected. By 1736, there were thousands of German speaking people residing in Philadelphia. Johann and his family became acquainted with Johan Peter Bernhardt and his family. Most likely Johann George?s father struck up a friendship with Johan Peter Berhardt. There is the possibility they were acquainted back in Germany. This relationship eventually led to Johann George marrying the daughter of Johan Peter Bernhardt, Margaret Elizabeth Bernhardten in 1739. Johann George was 25 and Margaret Elizabeth 18 at the time of their marriage. A few years later in 1741, Johan?s youngest daughter, Maria Catharine, ended up marrying a young Palatine man named Caspar Shaver (later to be known as Caspar Shafer).

This new alliance, the Wintermute-Shafer family, was now ready to build a new future together. They unleashed themselves from the shackles of debt and raised enough money to lease some land. While many German immigrants looked to settle in Pennsylvania. They decided to settle in the ?wilderness? of New Jersey. They made a deal with the London Company who were trading properties that were part of the William Penn tract. One of the members of the London Company was Dr. John Fothergill, a very close friend of Benjamin Franklin. Some of that unsold land ended up in Western New Jersey, in what is now called Sussex County. They chose to settle in a small village called Stillwater that was part of the town of Hardwick, New Jersey. The alluvial and limestone rich land they chose was along the Paulinskill River and across from a powerful spring called The Big Spring. Their risk was certainly paying off, but all they had to do was get there.

The not so easy path to Stillwater was following a trail north east along the ?Blue Mountain? ridge (now known as Kitattinny). This was a risky journey that required tenacity and the basic knowledge of survival. They would have had to negotiate with rough terrain and their new cohabitants, the Lenape Indians. They ended up in Stillwater sometime in 1742. They did not waste any time settling in. They quickly built a rudimentary log cabin and began clear cutting fields for farming. The Shafers and the Wintermutes evolved into a productive and successful family business enterprise. By 1755, Johann had four children - his oldest was Elizabeth Snook, the 2nd child was Margaret Kreter, his first son was George and the youngest was Peter. It was at that time he decided to build a stone house along the Paulinskill river. A few years later he built a fulling mill along the river, which is said to be the first or one of the first in Sussex county. Eventually, his son Peter operated the mill and was able to build his own stone house (now known as Bonnie Brook Farm) on the road with an eye shot of his father?s house. While history paints a picture that Johann was in his brother-in-law?s (Caspar Shafer?s) shadow, there is an untold story about how great this man really was. A man whose dreams came true and died free in a country that was built on courage, hope and the promise of prosperity. He remained in Stillwater the rest of his life and was buried in the Stillwater Cemetery on December 19, 1782. He was survived by his wife, 5 children and 15 grandchildren. Three of his grandchildren were born within just a few months prior to his passing. The Windemuth aka Wintermute family is alive and well today. They are very proud of their heritage and the Windemuth family organization has come to visit the home many times over the years. Stillwater would not be the community it is today without Johann George Wintermute.



You can find this article here:
https://thebonniebrookfarm.com/f/remembering-johann-george-wintermute

Johann married Johanna Margaretha Elizabetha Bernhardten in 1739 in Sussex County, New Jersey. Johanna (daughter of John Peter Bernhardt) was born on 5 Aug 1721 in Kezenheim, Grafschaft Bolander, Europa; died on 15 Feb 1800 in Stillwater, New Jersey; was buried in 1800 in Buried in Stillwater, N.J. Cemetery. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

From her toombstone:



Here Rests in God

Margaret Elizabeth Windemuth, born 1721, (Aug. 5) in the Kezenheim in the Grafschaft Bolander Europa, Came to America with father, mother and two sisters in the year 1731. Died Febry 15 1800 aged 78 years 6 months and 10 days.

Notes:

ancestor line of Bodewine Van Auken and Sarah Van Auken, wife of Henry Bernhardt Wintermute.



Information from Harold I. Van Auken (leighj@postoffice.ptd.net):

Daniel was baptized in the Dutch Reform Church in Raychester (Rochester), Ulster County, NY on February 2, 1735, Record # 4451; witnesses: Isaak Van Auken and wife, Rachel De Witt -- Uncle and Aunt on the father's side. Daniel was the son of
Abraham Van Auken (Aken) and Jannetjen De Witt (the Van Auken brothers married De Witt sisters.)

Daniel married Leah Kittel on 13 Dec 1753. Leah (daughter of Richard (Ritssert) Kittel and Rachel Van Etten) was born on 11 Jul 1736 in Wawarsing, Ulster County, NY; died in in Deer Park, Orange County, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

ancestor line of Bodewine Van Auken and Sarah Van Auken, wife of Henry Bernhardt Wintermute.

Notes:

ancestor line of Bodewine Van Auken

Richard married Mary Wilson. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

ancestor line of Bodewine Van Auken