Seventh Generation

96. Jacob Andreas WACKER²⁴ was born on 31 March 1749 in Weil im Schonbuch, Württemberg, GER.²⁵ This birth year is quite controversial, and leads to questions concerning his parentage. Another source gives his birth year as 1746. A newspaper article quotes descendants as saying he was eight years old (rather than an infant) when he came to America with his family in 1749. These earlier dates all seemingly conflict with the German records researched by the author of the definitive Walker genealogy. Yet, they seem more reasonable given the dates of his naturalization and marriage.

A reference to his father in the Berlin, PA 200th anniversary book claims his father's name was Francis and that he emigrated to Maryland in 1732, this obviously also causes confusion regarding his German ancestry. But, Charles J. Walker (the principal genealogist who studied this Walker family) believed he established with a high level of certainty that Jacob (I) was the son of Martin Wacker who emigrated to America in 1749.

In any case, neither his birthdate nor his parentage have any bearing on the credibility of the events of his adult life: his naturalization, his marriage, his children, his relocation to Pennsylvania, his Revolutionary War service, or his tragic death.
He died on 8 April 1783 at the age of 34 in Berlin, PA. His tragic death resulted from a riding accident during a race to stake claims on lots in what was to be the new town of Berlin, PA. He succumbed to the injuries about a month after the race, allowing him to prepare a Last Will and Testament prior to his death. In the compiled genealogies, he is known as Jacob (I) Walker.

After proving he was Protestant (in his case Lutheran) and swearing an oath of allegiance to the King, he legally became a "naturalized resident" of Maryland in 1765. This was done in accordance with British law, which encouraged German Protestants to take up residence in His Majesty's American colonies.

Jacob received title to his father's property in Maryland (the tract known as Work Easy) in 1766, when his father, mother, and sister apparently returned for a time to Germany. He sold the land in 1773 to William Douglas, at which time he moved his family to Bruder Tal (Brother's Valley) in Bedford County, PA. [Later, Somerset County was formed out of Bedford County.]

On 10 December 1777, he joined Capt. Henry Rhoads Company of the First Pennsylvania Battalion at Bedford and began his Revolutionary War service. In 1778, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant. His assignment was primarily to patrol the surrounding wilderness and protect families and homes from the British and the natives they had incited against these frontier residents.

According to Bedford County tax records, in 1781 he was assessed taxes on 300 acres of land.
Elizabeth WERSHENBACH and Jacob Andreas WACKER were married in 1765 in Hagerstown, MD. At the time of the marriage, she was a young widow. Her first husband's name was Kuhlman (Coleman). There were seven children of her marriage to Jacob Wacker.

97. Elizabeth WERSHENBACH was born in 1746 in Hagerstown, MD. She died in 1836 at the age of 90 in Berlin, PA. Her family name was later anglicized to Washabaugh.

It is believed that she and her daughter Maria Barbara went "over the mountains" in 1790 to live with her daughter Elizabeth Wacker Bittner. She later "surfaced" in Paris, OH but is believed to be buried with her daughter Elizabeth in Westmoreland County, PA.

Children were:

	i.	Philip WACKER²⁶ was born on 30 August 1766 in Leitersburg, Fredrick Co, MD. He died on 5 September 1833 at the age of 67 in Brother's Valley, Somerset Co, PA. He married Elizabeth Kuhlman (later spelled Coleman) on 10 Oct 1790 in Brothers Valley. There were nine children of this marriage.
48	ii.	Jacob WACKER.
	iii.	Peter WACKER²⁷ was born on 21 April 1773 in Leitersburg, Fredrick Co, MD. He died on 2 January 1853 at the age of 79 in Brother's Valley, Somerset Co, PA. He married Charlotte Romesburg on 13 Nov 1792 in Brothers Valley. There were 13 children of this marriage.
	iv.	Elizabeth WACKER²⁸ was born in 1775 in Brother's Valley, Somerset Co, PA. She died in Ligonier, Westmoreland Co, PA.
	v.	John George WACKER²⁹ was born on 29 September 1777 in Brother's Valley, Somerset Co, PA. He died on 18 February 1847 at the age of 69 in Brother's Valley, Somerset Co, PA. He married Catherine Coleman in 1797. There were 12 children of this marriage.
	vi.	Frederick WACKER³⁰ was born on 25 July 1780 in Brother's Valley, Somerset Co, PA. He died on 11 November 1843 at the age of 63 in Freidens, Somerset Co, PA. He married Catherine Maurer. There were six children of this marriage. In 1830 he married Christine Fritz Mosholder, there were no children of this marriage.
	vii.	Maria Barbara WACKER³¹ was born on 24 May 1783 in Brother's Valley, Somerset Co, PA. She died in 1813 at the age of 30 in Paris, Stark Co, OH.

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