Johann Peter HAMMAN

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• _UID: 2BB6880DCB45458595ED77E3ED6F15EF8CC3

Notes:

Although several family trees on Rootsweb and Ancestry.com connect this Peter Hamman as the the son of Georg Adam Hamman of Kürnbach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, recent DNA evidence from the Hamman DNA project shows this not to be the case.
http://www.brian-hamman.com/Hamman_Y_chromosomeResults.htm

Peter is connected to the southeastern Hessen-Darmstadt group, which leads to an interesting possibility. The evidence strongly suggests that this is the Johann Peter Hammann born on 5 Sep 1753, in Langstadt, Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany; if so, then this is the long lost Peter Hamann who deserted the Hessian Army in 1781 after seven years of service. Please see the following link for more details as John Helmut Merz has extensively researched Hessian soldiers who settled in the US and Canada. John was the list moderator for the Rootsweb American Revolution Hessian mailing list and provided a wealth of information and expertise.

http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.hamann/122.1/mb.ashx

The Hammans from Langstadt serving in the Hessen-Hanau troops included:

Hamann, Jacob, 1752/53 born in Langstadt/Hessen, returned to Langstadt, married and lived a long and happy life.
Hamann, Konrad, 1754/55 born in Langstadt, married and is the progenitor of the Canadian Hammans, and died in Canada,
Hamann, Peter, 1752/53, Langstadt, deserted 1781 in the US.

The military records that "Peter" disappeared in the U.S.A. in 1781 just as the American Revolution was ending.

It is possible and plausible that this is the Peter who was a Hessian deserter. He would have found a large German population in the Shenandoah Valley, but his service as a Hessian soldier would have made him an outcast.

According to the Hammond Genealogy, Peter supposedly came from PA into Valley of VA, settled in Botetourt Co., then part of Augusta Co. and became owner of Heibst/Hypes/Hipes estate. Fiske Edwards Hammond, author of the Hammond Genealogy, uses the stereotypical genealogical convention of three brothers coming from x, in this case Pennsylvania, settling in y, the Valley of Virginia, Botetourt County. In this instance, instead of the other brothers migrating to other sections of the country never to be heard from again, these 2 brothers die without marrying, and no offspring, leaving Peter being the progenitor of this family.

Fiske Edwards Hammond indicated Peter was known to enter shooting matches and horse races and was middle aged when thrown from a horse and killed. [Source: The Hammond Genealogy, 1919, p.12] As a skilled, professional soldier Peter would have been an excellent shooter and perhaps rider. So this bit of biographical information has a ring of truth to it.

Also it makes sense that Peter would provide general information about coming from PA which had large German settlements and be evasive about his past since he married into a German Palatinate family who supported the American Revolution. Having Hessian military connections would not endear one to some of the patriot populace. He marched through PA as a prisoner of war, so he came "from" PA to Virginia. While not a complete lie, it disconnected him from his role in fighting for the British, and in all probability, he wasn't too enthusiastic to be fighting against German-speaking colonists.

With the results of the DNA tests, the likely ancestors of Peter are provided at the following link:

http://www.brian-hamman.com/ANCESTORS-OF-27019.htm

Information from Dr. Ernst Hamman, Hessen-Darmstadt on Hessian soldiers from Langstadt, Hessen-Darmstadt who fought in the American Revolution has Peter listed as a soldier in the Hess-Hanaulschen Regiment, with the word "erbprinz or Crown Prince," also known as the Prince Hereditaire Regiment He enlisted July, 1774 and was active until July, 1781. He is listed as a deserter.

There was a Hesse Hanau Erbprinz Regiment that was one of the units from Hesse-Hanau that fought in the American Revolution. The Hessian soldiers were regular or professional army units hired out by the German leaders to Great Britain. The Germany of the 1700's was not a unified country like it is today. It was divided up into many different principalities, each one with their own ruler. These princes often found themselves running short of money. One method they had of making money was to rent out their armies to other countries.

The Hessians made up about 25 percent of the forces sent by the British in the American Revolution. The use of Hessian troops angered the American colonists, and pushed more Loyalists to be in favor of the revolution. The British use of non-English speaking foreign troops to put down the rebellion was seen as insulting.

Family records of Johann Nicholas Bahner(t), one of the Hessians captured in the Battle of Trenton, indicate that some of the Hessian soldiers enrolled in the service of King George III of England under the false pretense that they were needed to defend the American Colonies against Indian incursions. It was not until after they arrived upon American shores that they discovered they were enlisted to fight against, rather than for, the colonists.

About 30,000 of these men served in America with the majority returning home. Hesse-Hanau sent 2,422 men and officers with 981 not returning to Germany from death or desertion.

The Patriots enticed Hessians to desert and join the large German-American population. The US Congress authorized the offer of 50 acres of land to individual Hessian soldiers to encourage them to desert. Most of the former Hessian solders married and settled amongst the population of the newly formed United States.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hessian_soldiers

The Hesse-Hanau Erbprinz Regiment was taken at Saratoga on Oct. 17, 1777. They made up part of the left wing of Lt. General Burgoyne's army as part of the 2nd Brigade under Brigadier General Wilhelm von Gall. After the fall of Fort Ticonderoga, the Infantry Regiment Erbprinz was left behind as a garrison, and most likely did not see combat.

There were over 2,000 German troops who were part of the British surrender. All British, German, and Canadian troops had to leave their weapons on the field of surrender, and from there march to Boston, Massachusetts, to be put aboard ships and never return to fight again. They were known as the Convention Army. At Cambridge, called the Winter Hill prison camp, Brunswick and Hessen Hanau Regiments were kept in barracks for a whole year. The American Congress did not ratify the surrender agreement. British ships that came to pick up the prisoners according to the original agreement, were refused entry into Boston harbour. Some of the prisoners went out to work by special permits. Some deserted or joined the American forces. The soldiers themselves were still under the command of their officers, and kept together within their regimental units.

In November 1778, these surrendered troops started their march towards Virginia, arriving in Charlottesville on Jan.14, 1779. They found unfinished barracks and deplorable conditions. The Brunswick and Hesse Hanau prisoners stayed until the end of Feb.1781, when they were ordered to march north towards Winchester, VA, and Frederick, MD. Hessian solider prisoners were kept in Lancaster, PA, York, PA, Carlisle, PA, Lebanon, PA, Philadelphia, PA, and Reading, PA. Since Johan Peter's last record is July, 1781, we assume he deserted somewhere in PA. He made his way from PA, escaping as a prisoner of war, to Botetourt County, VA where he married into the prosperous Heibst/Hypes family in 1789.

Source: http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~amrevhessians/hpnah.htm

Until there is newer evidence to contradict the DNA indications, I will assume Peter is the lost Hessian soldier and these are his ancestors.


Birth:
Information from Dr. Ernst Hamman, Hessen-Darmstadt on Hessian soldiers from Langstadt, Hessen-Darmstadt who fought in the American Revolution. He provides Peter's date of birth.

Johann married Anna Barbara Heibst 15 Dec 1789, Botetourt Co. VA. Anna (daughter of Johann Nicholas Heibst and Apolonia Abigail Wamser) was born 02 Jul 1771, Botetourt Co. VA; died 1829, Botetourt Co. VA. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Married:
Original data: Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.

Name: Peter Hammond [Hamman]
Gender: Male
Marriage Date: 8 Dec 1789
Marriage Place: Botetourt, Virginia
Spouse: Barbara Hypes Or Hipes
FHL Film Number: 30734
Reference ID: pg 51
Household Members
Name: Barbara Hypes Or Hipes
Name: Nicholas Hipes
Name: Peter Hammond

1. John HAMMAN was born 1790, Botetourt Co. VA; died 25 Mar 1868, Botetourt Co. VA.
2. Jacob HAMMAN was born 24 Nov 1791, Botetourt Co. VA; died 20 Feb 1853, Craig Co. VA.
3. Peter HAMMOND, Jr. was born 1795, Botetourt Co. VA; died 22 Mar 1850, Botetourt Co. VA.
4. Mary Susan HAMMAN was born 1796, Botetourt Co. VA.
5. Catherine HAMMAN was born 22 Nov 1797, Botetourt Co. VA; died 18 Dec 1881, Dundas, Rice Co. MN.

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• _UID: 5E744F5585604EE99E82EFEE98896BB9D430

Notes:

His last name was spelled Hammann. His occupation was listed as "Feldgeschworener."

A Feldgeschworener (usually there were 7 of them in a community) marked the borders of fields in order to prevent or to settle land disputes. These men set boundary stones. As a means to find out, whether the boundary stones had been moved (in case of a dispute),they put a secret sign on the stone itself or together with the stone. Each community and each team of Feldgeschworener had its own secret of
course. This secret was known by them only. They were sworn in (=geschworen) to keep the secret, only the seven of them knew about it. And only when one of the seven died, another one was sworn in and told the secret sign. So he was a settler of boundary disputes, a "field juryman"

He was most likely employed by the local court to check the boundaries of the fields and settled boundary disputes to make sure no one was plowing a tract of land that actually belonged to someone else. There were no fences, just stones marking where one property started and someone else's ended.

Peter was born and died at Kleestädter Straße im Haus Zum Kloster.

Johann married Anna Catharine Sauerwein 21 Jan 1749. Anna was born 21 Feb 1724, Langstadt, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hessen, Germany; died 24 Feb 1787, Langstadt, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hessen, Germany. [Group Sheet]

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• _UID: DAF587C5988D490B9A8D643564B46D18F174

Notes:

Born Hintergasse 20

Died Haus Zum Kloster