Felix Hoover, Sr.

Felix, Sr.'s parents, Felix and Maria Huber (Hubart) arrived at the Port of Philadelphia on the ship Jamaica Galley, captained by Robert Harrison (Harris?), from Rotterdam on the 7th of February in 1739.  The ship records list his age at 38 years old and gives an alternate spelling of Hubert.  The ship came from Rotterdam by way of Cowes, England.  Passengers were Palatinates from Germany.  They took this "Oath of Allegiance:"

Oath of Allegiance: We Subscribers Natives and late Inhabitants of the Palatinate upon the Rhine and places adjacent, having transported our Selves and Families into the Province of Pennsylvania, a Colony Subject to the Crown of Great Britain, in hopes and expectation of finding a retreat and peaceable Settlement therein DO solemnly promise and engage that we will be faithfull and bear true Allegiance to his present Majesty King George the Second and his Successon Kings of Great Britain and will be faithfull to the Proprietor of this Province and that we will demean our Selves peaceably to all his Majesties Subjects, and Strictly observe and conform to the Laws of England and of this Province to the utmost of our power and best of our understanding.

http://www.immigrantships.net/v2/1700v2/jamaicagalley17380207.html

http://www.progenealogists.com/palproject/pa/1739jam.htm

Felix was born to Felix Huber and Maria (unknown) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1752.  His birth was unrecorded because the Lutheran Church was without a pastor during the year of his birth.  However, we do have church records of his 4 sisters and 2 brothers: Catherine in 1745, Anna Barbara in 1747, Maria in 1749, Tobias in 1750, Johann Jurgen in 1753, and Mary Catherine in 1756.  Felix later became a Baptist.  His wife's name was Sarah Clark, daughter of William and Mary Clark.

Felix served in the Revolutionary War as a private, enlisting on March 4, 1777.  His name appears on the Roll of Captain James Ross' Company, 1st Continental Line of Pennsylvania, Morgan's Rifle Regiment Co., payroll of Captain James Parr's Co. of Riflemen in the detached Regiment commanded by Col. Daniel Morgan (Nov. and Dec. 1777) and January, February, March, April, and July of 1778, company payroll of Captain Michael Simpson Co. April, May, June, July, August and September 1779.  He served in George Washington's Army at Valley Forge from July 1777 to Sept. 1779. He is listed on the Friends of Valley Forge Muster Roll:  http://www.valleyforgemusterroll.org/muster.asp  Felix also served in all local Pennsylvania battles:  Germantown, Paoli, and Brandywine, and perhaps the battle of Monmouth in New Jersey.  We have copies of 9 pay vouchers for Morgan's Rifle Regiment, Continental Troops with his name spelled several different ways; also a Revolutionary War list of privates from the History of Lancaster County, PA.  Felix is credited with military service as a "spy" and "scout" for the Kentucky Volunteers.  In 1800 Felix was on 2 different lists for Flemming County, Kentucky.

Morgan's Rifle Regiment was a provisional rifle corps organized in June 1777 and consisted of several provisional rifle companies.  Some of them detached to Gates' Northern Army and participated in the battles of Saratoga returning to Washington's Main Army in November 1777.  They disbanded in November 1779.

The main field officer was Colonel Daniel Morgan with Company Commanders Capt. Hawkins Boon, Capt. William Henderson, Captain James Knox, Capt. James Parr, Capt, Thomas Posey, Capt. A.L. Smith, Capt. Van Swearingen, Capt. Benjamin Taliaferro, and Capt. Thomas Willis.

Felix came to Ohio shortly after 1800 by way of Kentucky, living in Green County and Miami County for awhile before he settled in Montgomery County, Ohio.  Both Felix and his wife's father, William Clark, appear on the tax roles in KY during the 1790's and 1800.

It appears that the Felix Hoovers were large land owners in Miami County.  There are many deed records as follows:  Deeds for land in Bethel Township, 1813, 1818, 1820, 1822 twice, 1824, 1826, 1831, 1835, 1840.  Deeds for land in W. Charleston are for 1815, 1817, and 1824.  There are also records for cemetery government stones in 1808 and 1847.  As of now we are not sure whether these records are for Felix Hoover Sr. or Felix Hoover, Jr.  Felix Hoover, Sr. died in 1828.

In 1815 he joined a group of investors to purchase the land for a school and place of worship known as the German Reform Church of Phoneton.

Felix and wife Sarah, first appear in Ohio in the year 1802 when according to records of the Cincinnati Land Office he received a Land Grant on Christmas Day for over 300 acres in section 21, township 3, and range 7 in Greene County.  Greene County later records the sale of this same property for $4000 in January of 1814.

In 1813, the Hoovers began to acquire land in Miami County, when for $1500 they purchased land in Section 25, Towhsip 2, Range 9 from Ralph and Elinor French.  In May of 1814, U.S. Land patent #6178 granted Felix Hoover 161.94 acres in Section 26, Township 2, Range 9 in the SE quarter of Miami County.  Most of this land was later parceled out to their children in the form of sales or bequests.  Even after locating in Washington Towhship, Montgomery County, Felix Hoover traded in land in MIami County as late as March of 1828, less than 3 months before his death.

From its beginning, Felix and Sarah Hoover were active members of the German Reformed Church of Phoneton, Bethel Township, and several of his children and many of their descendants are buried there.

Felix Sr. and Sarah had at least 3 children, probably more.  Felix, Jr. was born April 5, 1808, married Lydia Ann Fry in 1830 in Miami County, died October 13, 1847 and is buried in the old Phoneton Cemetery, just south of Phoneton, Ohio.  Also buried there are a daughter Rachael, born about 1806, and her husband Jonathan Fry.  (Lydia and Jonathan are children of Isaac and Anna Maria Fry.)  Felix's son, William B. Hoover who was born Dec. 22, 1797, and his wife Sophia Young, daughter of Casper and Susannah Yost, are likewise buried there.  They are reported to have had 15 children.  Two other Hoover names are mentioned as possible children of Felix and Sarah.  They are John and Peter.

The will of Phelix (Felix) Hoover, Sr. as recorded in the Montgomery County Probate Court makes bequests only to wife Sarah, daughter Rachel Fry, and son Phelix (Felix) Hoover Jr.  Sales of land in Miami County by Felix and Sarah Hoover to both John and William Hoover in 1822 at nominal prices may easily be inferred to have been a part of his estate.

Felix Sr. is listed in a Genealogical Index of Pioneers in Miami Vally, Ohio by Lindsey Brien, and also in Early Ohio Settlers, Ohio Tax Records of Green and Miami Counties.  Felix is also mentioned in Biographical Sketches of many of the Pioneers and Prominent Men.  The book is written by Fanklin Ellis and Samuel Evans, published in Philadelphia by Everts and Peck 1883, page 45, as joining Captain james Ross's Company on March 4, 1777.  The same information is contained in the Pennsylvania Archives, 5th series, vol 2, pg 658.  Huber - Hoover History written by Harry M. Hoover in 1928, pg 38 lists all Hubers who served in the Revolutionary War, one of whom was Felix of Lancaster County.

Felix died on June 10, 1828, in Dayton, Ohio, Montgomery County.  His grave was finally located but had no marker.  Two of his descendants worked hard to get a new government gravestone placed on Felix's grave at the Sugar Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Centerville, Ohio on May 29, 1999.  A formal re-dedication was held thanks to the efforts of Barbara Hodalski of Florida and Beverly Schimp of Troy, Ohio. Felix Sr's name was placed on a plaque in 1941 at the old Court House in downtown Dayton, Ohio.