Abraham Price (1799–1870) – Genealogical Research Report

Birth and Early Life

Abraham Price was born on 2 December 1799 (calculated from age at death). Some family sources state he was born in Maryland, though one census record lists Pennsylvania as his birthplace. No contemporary birth or baptism record has been found in the connected sources to definitively confirm his birthplace. It is known that Abraham later lived in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and local history suggests he originated from the “Dutch Corners” area of Bedford County. The term “Dutch Corners” refers to a community of Pennsylvania German (“Dutch”) settlers, hinting that Abraham’s family may have had ties to the early Germanic/Lutheran or Brethren communities in that region.

While Abraham’s parents are not named in surviving records retrieved, genealogical research hints at a possible ancestry: One unsourced compilation proposes that he was the son of an older Abraham Price (born c.1764) and Barbara (Rhoads) Price (born 5 June 1781 in Bedford County) [6] (https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Category:Unsourced_Profiles&from=Price-12377&limit=200). Barbara Rhoads’ family was from Bedford Township (her father being Gabriel Rhoads, a German Lutheran settler). This theory would align with Abraham’s connections to Bedford’s “Dutch” community. However, no primary document (such as a church baptism, will, or deed) has yet been found in the cited sources to prove this parentage.

Further research in Maryland and Pennsylvania church records of the 1790s (Lutheran or Reformed churches near the MD–PA border) may be needed to verify Abraham’s birth and parental names. At this time, the identity of Abraham Price’s parents remains unconfirmed in the available records.

Marriage to Hester Ann “Hetzel” Price

In the mid-1820s, likely in Bedford County, Abraham Price married Hester Ann Hetzel (also recorded as Holzel/Helsel). Hester Ann was born 31 December 1800, probably of Pennsylvania German heritage [6] (https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LCCG-TVF/hester-ann-hetzel-1800-1889).

No official marriage record was found in the connected sources, but the couple’s long union is well documented by later records. A family summary on FamilySearch notes that Abraham “had at least 4 sons and 8 daughters with Hester Ann Hetzel.” This is consistent with the large family shown in census data. Hester Ann lived until 1889 and spent her later years in West Providence Township, Bedford County.

Known Children (1850 U.S. Census):

• Michael H. Price, 23, laborer (born ~1827 in PA)
• Julia Ann “Juliann” Price, 21 (born ~1829 in PA)
• John B. Price, 20, laborer (born ~1830 in PA)
• Hester Price (likely Henrietta Price), 18 (born ~1832) – later known as Henrietta Price Kimberling (1834–1892) [13] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/98299964/hester-price)
• Mary Ann Price, 17 (born ~1833) – later Mary Ann Price Wilkins (1831–1908) [13] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/98299964/hester-price)
• Sarah A. Price, 12 (born ~1838)
• Rebecca J. Price, 9 (born ~1841)
• Susan(nah) Price, 5 (born ~1845) – later Susannah Price Dodson (1845–1895) [13] (https://sv.findagrave.com/memorial/206353716/susannah-dodson)

(The couple may have had additional children not in the 1850 household, possibly older children who left home or infants who died young. Family accounts refer to 12 children in total.)

These records establish that Abraham and Hester’s children were born in Pennsylvania, confirming the family’s residence in Bedford County through the 1820s–1840s. By 1860, most of the older children had married or moved out, and Abraham’s household in West Providence Twp. included younger offspring entering adulthood.

Residence in Bedford County and Census Records

Abraham Price spent the bulk of his life in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. The History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties (1884) identifies Abraham Price as an early settler in West Providence Township, stating that he “moved from ‘Dutch Corners’ to West Providence, where he lived to an advanced age” [3] (https://www.pa-roots.com/bedford/history/historyofbedford/chapter32.html).

In West Providence, Abraham was a farmer of modest means. The 1850 census shows him farming with real estate valued at $300 [2] (https://www.us-census.org/pub/usgenweb/census/pa/bedford/1850/pg0106b.txt). A decade later, the 1860 census (not shown here) likely found him still in West Providence/East Providence area (note: Providence Twp. was later split into East and West). The unincorporated community of Mench – where Abraham eventually died – is in West Providence Township, indicating he remained in that vicinity for the rest of his life.

Abraham’s immediate neighbors in 1850 included families with German surnames (e.g., Weaverling, Sparks, etc.), reflecting the Pennsylvania Dutch community. Notably, the Weaverling family was connected by marriage to Abraham’s son John (see below). Such records illustrate the network of local families among whom the Prices lived.

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John B. Price and the Civil War

Abraham’s eldest son, John B. Price (b. 1828/1830), provides further insight into the family’s story. John married Eve Garlick in 1851, and they settled nearby. According to the county history, John Price enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War, serving for one year. Tragically, he “died in 1865 from the effect of disease contracted while in the army.” His widow, Eve (Garlick) Price, remarried to Joseph Weaverling, a member of another prominent local family [3] (https://www.pa-roots.com/bedford/history/historyofbedford/chapter32.html).

John B. Price’s children — Abraham’s grandchildren — remained in the area and continued the Price presence in Bedford County. The 1884 history lists John and Eve’s children as David Price, Gideon Price, Mary J. Price, and Elizabeth (“Lizzie”) Price, noting that “all of whom live in the same neighborhood” in West Providence as of the early 1880s [3] (https://www.pa-roots.com/bedford/history/historyofbedford/chapter32.html). In fact, David L. Price and Gideon Price later purchased and farmed land from the Sparks family in that township. These family links show a continuation of Abraham’s lineage in Bedford County and might offer clues through records like later censuses, land deeds, or church registers in the area.

Death and Burial

Abraham Price lived to see the post-Civil War years. He died on 26 December 1870 in Mench, West Providence Twp., Bedford County at the age of 71 years and 24 days. This death date and age are recorded in the register of Mt. Pleasant Evangelical Lutheran Church in East Providence Township, where the pastor, Rev. George C. Probst, kept a list of deaths: “Abraham Price died Dec. 26, 1870 at the age of 71 yrs, 24 days” [1] (https://www.pa-roots.org/data/search.php?425,search=,author=4171,page=49,match_type=USER_ID,match_dates=0,match_forum=ALL,match_threads=).

This church was likely the family’s place of worship in later years, indicating that Abraham was affiliated with the Lutheran congregation (possibly through his wife’s background). Abraham was buried in Union Memorial Cemetery in Mench, Bedford County. His grave is indexed on Find A Grave as “Abraham Price (1799–1870)” [4] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/98299964/hester-price).

Abraham’s wife, Hester Ann (Hetzel) Price, outlived him by nearly two decades; she died 5 April 1889 in Mench at age 88 and is buried beside Abraham at Union Memorial Cemetery. Their tombstones (as documented on Find A Grave) corroborate their dates and ages. Several of their children are also buried in Bedford County cemeteries under their married names (e.g., Mary Ann (Price) Wilkins 1831–1908, Henrietta (Price) Kimberling 1834–1892, Susannah (Price) Dodson 1845–1895), all linked as children on Hester Ann’s memorial [4] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/98299964/hester-price).

The church death register provides an exact age for Abraham, which as noted confirms a birthdate of 2 Dec 1799 (consistent with family records). Unfortunately, Bedford County’s civil death registrations for 1870 were not yet in the statewide system. Thus, the church record and cemetery marker are the primary direct death documentation.

Estate Records:
A search of Bedford County probate indices around 1870 for Abraham Price could be worthwhile, though none was found in the immediately connected sources. If Abraham died intestate (without a will), there may have been an administration file listing his heirs. The Bedford County Register of Wills holds estate papers for that period, but an online index for 1870 did not turn up an abstract in our sources. Given that Abraham’s property was modest (farm valued $300 in 1850 [2] (https://www.us-census.org/pub/usgenweb/census/pa/bedford/1850/pg0106b.txt)), a formal probate might have been minimal. Family land may have simply passed to Hester Ann or to the sons via informal means. Checking Bedford County deed books post-1870 for any transfer by Hester or the children could provide clues to how Abraham’s property was distributed.

Conclusion and Further Clues

In summary, Abraham Price (1799–1870) was a farmer of Bedford County, PA, who married into a Pennsylvania German family and raised a large family in West Providence Township. He is well documented in Bedford County through census records and the local Lutheran church death register [1] (https://www.pa-roots.org/data/search.php).

His children’s lives (especially John B. Price’s line) are traced in local histories [3] (https://www.pa-roots.com/bedford/history/historyofbedford/chapter32.html), illustrating the family’s continued presence in the area.

However, Abraham’s own parentage remains a mystery pending further evidence. The “Dutch Corners” origin noted in local history suggests that Abraham’s family may have been among early German/“Dutch” settlers in Bedford County or migrated from neighboring Maryland where many German families had settled in the late 1700s. The hypothesized parents – Abraham Price Sr. and Barbara Rhoads – if correct, would connect him to a Bedford Township Rhoads family and perhaps to an earlier Price line from Franklin County or Maryland [6] (https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Category:Unsourced_Profiles&from=Price-12377&limit=200).

Researchers should seek out church baptismal records in Maryland (e.g., Frederick or Washington County Lutheran/Reformed churches circa 1799) and in Bedford County (the German Reformed or Lutheran records) for any mention of a birth or baptism of Abraham, son of Abraham Price. Additionally, Bedford County land records or Orphans’ Court records around the 1820s might mention a partition or estate of a deceased Abraham Price (Sr.) if one died in 1826 as the theory suggests.

So far, no such record was found in the connected sources, but the Mt. Pleasant Lutheran Church records have proven invaluable for family events and might also contain earlier entries (such as confirmations or family register notes) that could list Abraham’s origins. It is also notable that Hester Ann’s surname “Hetzel” implies a German Lutheran family – her relatives’ records (baptisms or obituaries) might shed light on Abraham’s background if the families had interactions.

In conclusion, Abraham Price’s life in Bedford County is well-attested by census, church, and cemetery records, which document his marriage to Hester Ann Hetzel and their children. His ancestral line, while not confirmed by primary evidence in these records, likely ties into the broader tapestry of Maryland and Pennsylvania Price families of the late 18th century. Ongoing research in regional archives – focusing on church registers, early tax lists, and family papers – may yet uncover the names of Abraham’s parents and clarify his Maryland roots. For now, the available evidence paints the picture of a patriarch who settled among the “Dutch Corner” community of Bedford, helped establish a farming family in West Providence, and left a legacy carried on by numerous Price descendants in southern Pennsylvania.

Sources

• 1850 U.S. Census, Bedford County, PA, West Providence Twp., p.106b, Oct. 3, 1850 – household of Abraham Price [2] (https://www.us-census.org/pub/usgenweb/census/pa/bedford/1850/pg0106b.txt)
• History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania (1884), p.373 [3] (https://www.pa-roots.com/bedford/history/historyofbedford/chapter32.html)
• Mt. Pleasant Evangelical Lutheran Church Death Register, 1869–1873 [1] (https://www.pa-roots.org/data/search.php)
• Find A Grave: Hester Ann Hetzel Price [4] (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/98299964/hester-price)
• FamilySearch Ancestors Tree – Abraham Price [5] (https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/GWJS-CSY/abraham-price-1799-1870)
• WikiTree – Unsourced profiles for Abraham Price Sr. and Barbara Rhoads [6] (https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Category:Unsourced_Profiles&from=Price-12377&limit=200)