I am seeking direction concerning one of my German ancestors for whom I am presently at a dead end. I am in possession of a copy of a letter dated 1907 which suggests that my ancestor, Moses Tapp, married "Mary Bach, a German girl." Here is my dilemma: The alleged Mary Bach (if that was indeed her name) married said Tapp in Culpeper County circa 1784 based on the ages of their oldest children in later census records. This would place Mary's birth circa 1755/1765. I have contacted Dan Back, who is presently updating the book, A Back Family History, and he advises that out of the more than 40,000 descendants of the immigrant BACK/BACH family that settled in northern Virginia (the part which eventually became Culpeper County), there is not a single Mary Back/Bach of the right age to have been my Mary. One or two of Hermann Back's sons apparently had daughters named Mary, but they were not born until circa 1777, much too early to have been my Mary. So, I have the research of Dan Back and his colleagues ostensibly precludes a Back/Bach connection. To further complicate matters, the name Back/Bach does not appear to be closely associated with the Tapp in Culpeper County land records. In fact, those records appear to place the Back family quite a distance away from the Tapp family. These dead ends leave me with no alternative but to seek fresh ideas to possibly help identify my alleged Mary Bach. Consider the following speculation: There are land records which connect Frederick FISHBACK to the Tapp family. (In fact, he appears to have had a daughter named Mary of the right age to have married Moses Tapp.) The UTTERBACK family is also found living on an adjacent plat to my Tapp ancestors. There are no doubt other families of German origin residing in Culpeper County at the time with last names ending in "back," "boch" or "bach." Were there any of these families known to have shortened their names to Back or Bach? I have read where some immigrants intentionally changed their names for a variety of reasons. I have even considered the possibility that one or more of the Bach males could have fathered an illegitimate daughter whose name does not appear in the Back family register? One other possibility, I suppose, is that Mary Bach could have been the young widow of a Bach male rather than a Bach by birth. However, I presume Dan Back would have advised of that possibility in his response to my inquiry if. I know I am grasping for straws here, but such is my plight at this point. I would appreciate any ideas the list can provide that might help me refine, add to or eliminate the above possibilities. At this point, anything is possible. David

Bach, Fishbach, Holtzclaw, Jett, Tapp, Hoffman, Duncan >From a copy of KY land grant (# 4414) Treasury warrant # 13855 = surveyed on March 19th 1785 for Stephen Jett and Joseph Bach, Slate Creek, Fayette Co. Ky, corner of "Jacob Fishbach" entry. A "James Morgan" also appears on document....Will be glad to send copy if you will email me at: wfred.duncan@gmail.com Now, to Duncan side of family - John Duncan of Botha Va appears to have had a daughter, Mary, who married William Morgan. William Morgan's daughter, Phoebe Morgan, appears to have married "Jacob Fishback" ( my info: married 9/13/1751). His parents appear to be John Fishback and Ann Elizabeth Holtzclaw, daughter of Jacob Holtzclaw. Excerpts from JACOB HOLTZCLAW Will Item. I Give & Bequeathe unto *my Grandson, John **Fishback**, son to ** Frederick** **Fishback*, one hundred & seven acres of land lying in Loudon County on Gooss Creek being the Remaining Part of the Tract of land whereon a Part is Given to *my Daughter Eve Wiley above me*ntioned, to him & His Heirs forever. .........Now to Granville County NC in 1768 (Tax list) 1768: List of *Stephen Jett* Includes on his list: ** John Duncan Mary Duncan Widow, *Ambrose Harrison Duncan, *& William Duncan, 2 (My ancestor, Ambrose Harison Duncan is a Y-DNA cousins of John Duncan who married Eliz Holtzclaw around 1760) Question to all the Fishbach & Holtzclaw researchers : Did John Fishbach die or was he divorced from Eliz Holtzclaw, and John Duncan marry this Elizabeth Holtzclaw 2nd. Next question to my Hoffman side (from note previously posted by Barb Price, I think) There is a Mary Back that was born in 1777, the daughter of Henry Back and Elizabeth *Huffman*, the daughter of *John Hoffman*/Huffman (1714 Immigrant) and his second wife Maria Sabina Folg. She's the right age to be the wife of your Moses Tapp, but nothing further is known about her according to BC Holtzclaw in the Bach/Back section of Ancestry and Descendants. My Duncan ancestor married a dt of Jacob Schlotterer (who came from Germany in 1749) and is said to have married a "Mary Hoffman". He landed in PA in 1749, but didn't show up in Granville Co., NC until 1757 ...Is their a unplaced Mary Hoffman in this family. There is a record of aJacob Schlotterer & Mary Hoffman marriage in PA in 1761, but can't prove it's my Jacob at this time. On Sun, Aug 31, 2008 at 4:53 PM, David McCarley <Opv@knology.net> wrote: > I am seeking direction concerning one of my German ancestors for whom I am > presently at a dead end. I am in possession of a copy of a letter dated > 1907 which suggests that my ancestor, Moses Tapp, married "Mary Bach, a > German girl." > > Here is my dilemma: The alleged Mary Bach (if that was indeed her name) > married said Tapp in Culpeper County circa 1784 based on the ages of their > oldest children in later census records. This would place Mary's birth > circa 1755/1765. I have contacted Dan Back, who is presently updating the > book, A Back Family History, and he advises that out of the more than > 40,000 > descendants of the immigrant BACK/BACH family that settled in northern > Virginia (the part which eventually became Culpeper County), there is not a > single Mary Back/Bach of the right age to have been my Mary. One or two of > Hermann Back's sons apparently had daughters named Mary, but they were not > born until circa 1777, much too early to have been my Mary. > > So, I have the research of Dan Back and his colleagues ostensibly precludes > a Back/Bach connection. To further complicate matters, the name Back/Bach > does not appear to be closely associated with the Tapp in Culpeper County > land records. In fact, those records appear to place the Back family quite > a distance away from the Tapp family. These dead ends leave me with no > alternative but to seek fresh ideas to possibly help identify my alleged > Mary Bach. > > Consider the following speculation: > > There are land records which connect Frederick FISHBACK to the Tapp family. > (In fact, he appears to have had a daughter named Mary of the right age to > have married Moses Tapp.) The UTTERBACK family is also found living on an > adjacent plat to my Tapp ancestors. There are no doubt other families of > German origin residing in Culpeper County at the time with last names > ending > in "back," "boch" or "bach." Were there any of these families known to > have > shortened their names to Back or Bach? I have read where some immigrants > intentionally changed their names for a variety of > reasons....>>>>>>clipped. > > -- Fred Duncan 136 Kirk Adams Road Angier, North Carolina 27501