John Light-Monterey,CA wrote: > > I believe I have found some of the elusive stones from the old > Light/Licht Family burial plot once located in east Lebanon aka "The > East Lebanon Cemetery", on the farm of Johannes Licht, 1725/26. > > I do not know if this is a new theory or not. I have not found > anyone, nor any new documents to propose other theories, > aside from the information compiled from P. C. Croll in 1894 and J.G. > Francis prior to 1958. As those in the know are aware, Francis' work > was finally published and edited in 1990 by Betty M. Light Behr; > however, I do not believe Betty added any comments to those of Francis > or his son Willard on this issue. > > I recently returned from visiting Ebenezer cemetery in North Lebanon. > After speaking with two very helpful, but equally stumped, caretakers > (one for the Covenant yard, and the other for the Greenwood yard), I > finally took to searching the yards stone by stone hoping to find the > one (or two) that belonged to John Light 1725/26 m. Anna Landis 1730. This would be II John Light (b. 2/21/26, d. 3/11/1806), the oldest son of I John Light, "The Immigrant". > The Convenant caretaker's workhouse had a very old and deteriorated map > of the cemetery on its wall. However, it was unreadable, and I had > nothing else to go on. (Has anyone requested help from or found > information through the Covenant church?) > > I found a stone that appears to be inscribed "Johannes Lic . . ." > Nothing much else readable, and with evidence of excessive rubbing > (!), and other stones to the left and right of it completely worn, one > completely broken off or missing, and on the other side of the worn > stone on the right, one belonging to "Johan Licht", 1767-1814. This would be III John Light (b. 12/29/1767, d. 1/10/1814), the seventh son of II Martin Light. An > American flag and Revolutionary War (SAR?) medallion sits between the > two stones on the right. > > The cemetery engraving/marker index I found at LCHS does list a > "Johannes Licht" with the dates in agreement with JG Francis' II John > Light. In the index it is immediately followed with reference to the > stone of "Johan Licht", the dates agree with Francis as Johan Licht of > 1767-1814. The inscription on the larger stone (this is the one I > suggest belongs to II John Light) is now completely worn. It was > partially worn when the index was compiled, but readable when > transcribed by Croll in 1894. > > These stones sit just southwest of the (old Ebenezer?) entrance where > the road circles round an area with the largest trees of the yards, > between the two yards. According to Croll, and as quoted by > Francis, John's and Anna's graves/stones were moved to Ebenezer in 1894, > but others had been moved earlier on according to other accounts. (1876, > 1886-88). > > However, the "Johan Licht" stone that sits here would not be their > child, nor their grandchild, but their nephew (son of II Martin, pgs 13, > 250 in Francis), "Martin, 1726" according to Daniel Wenger's online > database that is closely based on Francis. (I DO NOT have > Francis'/Behr's "Pioneers" book, btw, so I am having difficulty piecing > this together.) Rev. Francis says on p. 340 of the book edited by Betty Light Behr: "III John Light, p. 250, son of II Martin, m. Mary Light, doubtless the dau. of II John Light, p. 15, for III John calls Abraham Light, doubtless II John's son, his brother-in-law. II Martin conveys his home farm, the Mt. Leb. Cemetery Farm, to his son John (III John herewith) Mar. 2, 1798, and here John resided. He made his will Jan. 9, 1814, mentioning his wife Mary, his sons Abraham & David his daughter Mary who receives 1000 pounds. III John died rather young, age 46 years. His wife is not buried beside him. She may have remarried. He is buried beside his Uncle II John in Ebenezer Cemetery & was doubtless previously buried in the same cemetery with him at 3rd and Lehman Sts. He (III John herewith) had buried a son here and not unlikely his father II Martin was also buried here and the marker destroyed." This "Johan Licht" is too young to be (one of) the > revolutionary soldiers John Light. > > An online essay on these stones with photographs in html format can be > found at: > http://www.redshift.com/~jblight/Licht.htm > > My queries here now are for those who have the Francis book or > additional knowledge or would like to help me figure this one out. I am > seeking translation of the Old German script inscriptions as recorded by > Croll (and included on the web pages). Anyone, please forward this > message to those who might be working on the line of II John Light > 1725/26-1806, and please refer to the web pages. I keep hearing rumor > that others are working on these early generations, but who(?), and why > is the research such "top secret" ;-) > > Croll discusses three or four stones (two belonging to John and/or Anna > Light 1725/26, as they agree in family description) but another he > describes as red sandstone belongs to Johannes Licht b. 1720. Does > this Johannes Licht 1720 appear in Francis' book? Does anyone have > additional theory on how he connects to the family? Is this stone the > source for the name Maria that keeps popping up as the wife of John > Light the Immigrant? However, these same accounts don't seem to place > this Johannes Licht as a first son to the senior immigrants. > > Why does "Johan Licht" appear to have a revolutionary medallion, isn't > it misplaced? One revolutionary war soldier was "Johannes Licht" > according to the cemetery index b. 1752 (but I didn't find this stone), > and Francis mentions III John Light ("John Light of Bethel" pg. 18) as a > soldier and gives no dates for him, but has him buried in "Light's > Graveyard" on Little Swatara Creek. Isn't it the SAR (or DAR) that > places the flags, and what information do they work from, do they have > information we do not have access to? Is the flag placed here because > Francis once believed and tradition holds that II John Light was > secretary to the Lebanon Resolves? > I quote excerpts from p. 400: "II Jacob Light, p. 13, third son of the immigrant I John Light, m. Eliz. Landis, b. July 30, 1734, d. Mar. 29, 1807. ..... Jacob was a soldier in the Revolution, designated "Jacob Light, Sr.", in Capt. Stone's Co., Class 6. —See Pa. Archives, 5th Series, Vol. VII, pp. 159 & 180. In this same Company was his son John, also his bro. Henry ("Henry Light, Sr."), Henry's son John, & his nephew Jacob, son of his brother Martin to the e. At this time his bros., Martin & John, were too old for the military service." On the same page the list of children of II Jacob Light includes no John or Johan but includes a III Hannes, b. Aug. 5, 1757, d. Sep. 3, 1822, and refers to p. 413. The entry on p. 413 says: "III John Light, p. 400, "Rich Hannessly", son of II Jacob, m. Veronica Light, b. Aug. 2, 1758, d. Apr. 7, 1824, one of the daus. of II John Light; .....John Light, Jacob's son was in the Revolution, Capt. Stone's Co., Class 2, 5th S. -Vol. VII, pp. 158 & 179, Pa. Archives." On p. 451: "Henry Light, p. 13, the youngest son of the Immigrant, ..... Henry m. Barbara Landis, b. Mar. 19, 1738, d. Apr. 16, 1813. They were doubtless first bur. in the old Light Cem. sw. cor. 11th & Mifflin St., but now rest at Ebenezer. ..... Henry was a soldier in the Revolution - "Henry Light, Sr." in Capt. John Stone's Co., the 6th, 2nd Bat. of Lanc. Co. Mil., 5th Class. See Pa. Archives 5th Ser., Vol. VII, pp. 159 & 179. His son John was in the same Company, Class 1, p. 179. Henry Light in Capt. Henning's Co., p. 184, was doubtless his oldest son Henry. His other sons were too young for service." The 12 children of II Henry Light on p. 451 include as the two oldest III Henry Light, b. Nov. 21 (Dec. 4), 1760, d. Oct. 3, 1830; and III John Light, b. Feb. 7, 1762 {no date of death given}, with a further reference to p. 496. On p. 496 it gives no more information about his military service or where he was buried. He was married to Magdaline Bachman, and possibly was married twice, being first married to Anna____. He and his wife Anna of Lower Paxton Twp., Dauphin Co., sold land that John Light had bought on Apr. 2, 1807. On May 13, 1829, John Light of Swatara Twp., Dauphin Co., and wife Magdalena also sold "land in said Twp." {This may indicate that it is unlikely that he was buried in Lebanon or at Ebenezer.} You are right that on p. 18 it states regarding III John Light of Bethel, the oldest son of II John Light, the following: "He was a soldier in the Revolution under Capt. Casper Stoever, Class 8, 3rd Co., 2nd Bat. Lanc. Co. Mil. - Pa. Archiv., 5th Ser. Vol. VII, pp.152 and 172." It also says, quoting the writing of Moses Light: "This (II) John Light took up about one section of land situated at the Little Swatara creek, on the road leading from Lebanon to Fredericksburg. The 3rd John Light, above mentioned (my grandfather got about one-half of this tract of land from his father as a legacy. He then built a house and barn on this tract, and later he built a large two story brick grist mill, which was called Light's Mill for a long time but now Stoever's Mill (now Freeport Mills-Ed.) located on the little Swatara creek where the stream makes a large bend, almost forming a peninsula. (John Light is listed as having a mill in Leb. twp. in 1780-Ed.) This John lived on this farm fifty odd years, and is buried on the same land, called Light's Graveyard." {Incidentally, I found on a map of Lebanon Co. that there is a Light Church Rd. at or near this location. - LJM} A further discussion relating to the military service of these men is on p. 593. "Dr. Shenk claims that what is now Lebanon County was undoubtedly represented in the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine and Germantown. This participation was undoubtedly responsible for naming that branch of the Quittapahilla which was mainly in Light land, the Brandywine. It ran through the lands of Martin Light, of Henry Light and of Jacob Light......It is reasonable to assume that the Lights gave the name. Martin is not listed with the non-associators, nor is Jacob's son John, taking the John listed as Jacob's brother. Might Martin and Jacob's son John have been in the battle? Jacob and Henry by 1781 had overcome their scruples and were in Capt. Stone's Company. When the enemy became so imminent in the Fall of 1777, might they too have met him at Brandywine? Somehow we are inclined to associate Henry Light with the naming of Brandywine Creek." On page 644 there is also a summary of those who served in the Revolutionary War. I won't copy this unless someone asks for it. > Does anyone have an alternative theory or know where else in the yard > the early stones might be, and if these are not those stones, do the > stones exist anymore? According to Francis and any recent research, do > any of the 2nd generation siblings have stones remaining anywhere in > Lebanon? > > Thanks for all your time and assistance. > > JL > I tried to copy the excerpts from the book faithfully, and I hope that I added no errors to those already there. Leroy Miller West Hills, CA