Introducing the Hawk Family

It's time to introduce the most interesting family in our tree, the Hawk family. Its patriarch, Hans Jerg HAG arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1748 aboard the ship "Hampshire" at age 41 with his son(s) and his wife, Anna Caterina Hanselman. He was probably known as "George" since the German tradition was to go by your middle name. Jerg/George Hag was well documented by his many, many descendants, so we were lucky to be related to such a prominent pioneer of Pennsylvania!

Hans Jerg HAG's son, Conrad Haack (later to be spelled HAWK) b. 1741, was somewhat famous in his day, and several books and articles about Westmoreland County, the early churches of Brush Creek, the early settlements of Pennsylvania, and several Hawk family histories document his life in detail. Nevertheless, the many spellings of Hawk - including Hag, Haag, Haack, Hauk, Hack, Hawks, and other variations, along with the highly common German names of Jurg, George, and Conrad, created some confusion among the families. There was a nearly identical Hawk family in Maryland and a second Conrad Hawk in Pennsylvania with similar dates. It was important to connect the dates and geography to make sure we were following the right Hawks when it came to finding the census records, church records, etc..

I first hit upon our Hawk family when I discovered a website dedicated to the Hawk family tree, and one called "Find a Grave." Because of the accuracy of the Hawk family site and the work our Hawk cousins provided listing pictures and locations of many of our Hawk relatives' graves, I was able to find an ancestor born in the USA as early as 1733. Later, we would find ancestors in the USA as early as 1630, but we'll get to those folks later.

From "Find a Grave" I found Lydia Mable Hawk, Grandpa's mother, who married Henry John Dillemuth in 1901 in Oil City, PA. Lydia's father was David Keppel Hawk, whose father was Daniel Hawk, whose father was Michael Hawk, whose father was George Hawk, whose father was Conrad Hawk, whose father was Hans Jurg Hag. There is absolutely no doubt about this, as we have volumes of documentation to satisfy even the most fastidious genealogist.

From all accounts, our earliest ancestor from this line is George Yerian (Anglicized from the German name, "Irion") who was born in Northampton County, PA in 1733. His father, Mathias Irion, arrived in 1732 as a Palatinate refugee escaping religious persecution. The story goes that Mathias was a "redemptioner" - an immigrant who paid for his passage to America through several years of indentured servitude. Mathias married Mary Magdalena Pfister, whose family ultimately came to Pennsylvania as well.


George Yerian was married twice. His first wife, Anna Barbara Fosselman, grew up on the farm next door to the Yerians in Lehigh County, PA, where George lived until Anna’s death in 1770. Anna and George had a daughter, Dorothea, who would marry Michael Keppel, brother of Daniel Keppel, who would marry George's other daughter Anna Elizabeth with his second wife, Molly Williams. In other words, two Keppel brothers married two Yerian half-sisters.

Anna Maria "Molly" Williams' father was Thomas Williams (Wilhelm), b. 1724 in Alsace. He arrived in Pennsylvania in 1736 on the ship "Harle" with his parents, Johannes and Anna Margareta. His wife was Naomi/Naema, another German immigrant whose origins we cannot determine. Thomas and Naomi had seven children, five of whom marry into the Hawk family. So, for all intents and purposes, we have more Williams DNA than any other, although there is plenty of Keppel and Yerian DNA, too.

Here is how the Williams sisters commandeered the men of our family:

Thomas Williams and Naomi’s eldest daughter was Anna Marie Williams, who married Nicholas KEPPEL. Nicholas Keppel and Anna Marie had two sons who married YERIANS:  Michael KEPPEL who married Dorothea YERIAN, and DANIEL KEPPEL who married Elizabeth, Dorothea's half-sister. Dorothea YERIAN was the daughter of George Yerian and his first wife, Anna Fosselman. Elizabeth was the daughter of George Yerian and his second wife, Molly Williams.

Sarah Catherine Williams, Thomas and Naomi’s second daughter married CONRAD HAWK b. 1741 (our direct ancestor). Their son was Johann Jurg Hawk, who went by the name GEORGE HAWK, b. 1760.

Thomas WILLIAMS, Jr. (son of the elder Thomas Williams, above) married Magdalena Mary YERIAN. Her father was George YERIAN and her mother was Anna Barbara Fosselman. So, she was Dorothea YERIAN’s sister (who married Michael Keppel, above). Her husband, Thomas, was her stepmother, Margaret WILLIAMS YERIAN’s brother! Hence, she married her stepmother’s brother! It gets even weirder.

Thomas and Naomi’s youngest daughter, Francina WILLIAMS married Ludwig OTERMAN. Their daughter, Catherine OTERMAN married JACOB HAWK, our ancestor George Hawk’s brother.

As mentioned, Daniel KEPPEL married Elizabeth YERIAN. Daniel’s parents were Nicholas KEPPEL and Anna Maria WILLIAMS. Elizabeth’s parents were George YERIAN and Margaret WILLIAMS. Since Anna Maria WILLIAMS and Margaret WILLIAMS were sisters, that means that Daniel Keppel and Elizabeth YERIAN were first cousins. (Slim pickins’ back in 1700s!)

One of their daughters was SUZANNAH (also spelled Susanna) KEPPEL who married Michael HAWK (b. 1788), our direct ancestor, son of George HAWK, b. 1760. Susanna and Michael HAWK’s son was DANIEL HAWK, b. 1820. Susannah Keppel Hawk, being the granddaughter of Anna Maria Williams and Margaret Williams (who were sisters), married her second cousin, since Michael Hawk's grandparents were Conrad Hawk and Sarah Catherine Williams, who was also Anna and Margaret Williams’ sister.

DANIEL HAWK married outside the Williams/Yerian/Keppel clan, thankfully, as he married Elizabeth Ann BUZZARD (BUZARD). Their son was DAVID KEPPEL HAWK b. 1842 (also known DK). David Keppel Hawk married a complete outsider as well, SARAH ELIZABETH SNYDER, whose parents and story we will reveal later.

David Keppel HAWK and Sarah Snyder begot LYDIA MABLE HAWK (b. 1883), and she really cleaned up the gene pool by marrying HARRY (HENRY) JOHN DILLEMUTH.

There will be a quiz.