UPDATE Emera Altizer is NOT my 6th great grandfather as was previously thought.
Turns out his daughter was the second wife of my ancestor George Reed, Sr.....
He was a German immigrant and was a Private in the American Revolution...
Turns out his daughter was the second wife of my ancestor George Reed, Sr.....
He was a German immigrant and was a Private in the American Revolution...
Emera Ambrose von Althausen was the son of Johann Peter Althauser and Elisabetha Christiana Laucks. He was born in 1736 in Bingen on the Rhine, Hesse, Germany and died in September, 1819 in Montgomery Co, Virginia. His first name may have been Emmerich at birth.
He is believed to be buried in the Althizer Family Cemetery, near Chestnut Ridge, Montgomery County, Virginia. The stone in the cemetery is for a "Pvt Emera V. Altizer," who died in 1819. The stone is more recent than 1819, which could result in an error in the name (the "V" could have been for von), but this is Emera's correct death and military service.
He married (1) Anna Maria Pitzer in 1765 in Allengheny Co, Virginia and had four children. It is believed that he married (2) Mary Miller of Maryland and had four more children. It should be noted that in a DAR application, this marriage has been called into question. There is extensive documentation of a Revolutionary War pension for a Mary Altizer, but her birth name or parentage is not found in the application. In the application, her husband is listed as "Emory" Altizer. The pension account was W. 4,720.
Emera served in the Virginia Infantry for eighteen months during the American Revolution, under Capt. Wallace. His DAR number is A002076. He was discharged from service after the surrender of Cornwallis. One family legend claims that he was brought to America to serve in a war but was too young and was adopted by a German immigrant family, later marrying their daughter Anna Maria. The dates don't quite fit this tale, charming as it is.
As with many European names in early American history, variations of spelling abound. His birth name was most likely Althausen or von Althausen. You will also find Althausen, Althauzer, Altizera (DAR records) , Althizer and Altizer, the last being the most commonly found variation in modern times. Another family tale has the name Altizer being a creation made from ALT of his name and IZER from his wife's name. More likely, it was an Americanized spelling based on the sound of the original German name.
Children of EMERA ALTIZER and MARY PITZER are:
- ELIZABETH ALTIZER, d. Abt. 1858; m. GEORGE REED.
- NANCY ALTIZER, b. Abt. 1790; d. Aft. 1860., married Adam. Akers.
- JOHN ALTIZER, b. 1765; d. December 11, 1850; m. ELIZABETH ELKENS.
- EMERY ALTIZER, b. 1769; d. 1872.
Children of EMERA ALTIZER and MARY MILLER are:
- WILLIAM ALTIZER, d. Aft. 1820.
- ELIAS ALTIZER, b. March 1776, Montgomery Co, Va; d. November 13, 1840, Posey Co, Indiana.
- DAVID RILEY ALTIZER, b. 1784; d. September 26, 1854, TAZEWELL COUNTY, VIRGINIA.
- JONAS ALTIZER, b. 1791; d. August 1861; m. (1) SALLY RATCLIFFE; m. (2) SARAH SIMP?.
Links to additional material:
- http://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search_adb/?action=full&p_id=A002076 - be sure to follow the links for the genealogies of his descendants.
- http://boards.ancestry.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=1&p=surnames.althausen
- http://www.geni.com/people/Emera-Altizer-Sr/6000000003478797042
Emera Altizer was born in Rhinebeck New York to Johannes Althauser. The reason for the spelling Altizer is because it is a Phoneticization of the German Althauser (a with umlaut) which sounds like Alt-HOY-zer. The Grave marker was applied for by a member of the Altizer Family in 1935. The V was just a guess based on Emera's will (He could not write so someone transcribed his will and the V seems to have been a Typo) He would not have been named Von Althausen because Althausen sounds completely different than Altizer and because Von signifies an honorific, and the Altizer's were not nobility.
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