Anna Maria Catharine Hamman ^{5 6 7}

   Other names for Anna were Maria Catharina Bicher,¹¹ Anna Maria Catarina Hamann,³ Anna Maria Catherine Hamman,¹² Catherine Hamman, Maria Catarina Hamman ^{2 13} and Catharina Heckendorn.

   FamilySearch ID: KJ5S-BDT.

  General Notes:

When Catherine married her first husband Johannes Heckendorn on Aug 21, 1770, her name was spelled as Hammann, not Haman, in the marriage records of Rev. John Casper Stoever.

  Noted events in her life were:

1. Alt. Name:,. ¹⁴ Her maiden name appears as Haman in some records, including her baptism records. Her father's name is Hamman on land warrants, but when Catherine married her first husband Johannes Heckendorn on Aug 21, 1770, her name was spelled as Hammann, not Haman, in the marriage records of Rev. John Casper Stoever. In her death record at Salem Lutheran Church, her maiden name is spelled Haman.

2. Baptism on 8 Nov 1747 in South Whitehall Twp., Lehigh County, PA. ⁹ Maria Catharina Haman, b. 25 Sep 1747, bapt. 8 Nov 1747, daughter of Balthasar Haman and Margretha. Sponsors: Georg Adam Fischer and Anna Maria Acker.

3. Church: 23 Oct 1762, South Whitehall Twp., Lehigh County, PA. ¹⁵ Jordan Lutheran Congregation: Anna Maria, daughter of Balth. Haman, was sponsor for the baptism of Anna Maria Hoffman, son of Jerg Hoffman and Anna Maria.

4. Church: 25 Dec 1763, South Whitehall Twp., Lehigh County, PA. ¹⁶ Jordan Lutheran Congregation: Maria Catharina, daughter of late Balt. Haman, was sponsor for the baptism of Anna Catharina b. 27 Nov 1763, daughter of Michel Stirby and Barbara.

5. Church: 15 Feb 1765, South Whitehall Twp., Lehigh County, PA. ¹⁷ Jordan Lutheran Congregation: Catharina, daughter of late Balt. Haman, was sponsor for the baptism of Johann Jacob Steininger, son of Lönhardt Steininger and Elisabetha.

6. Census in 1790 in Lebanon, Dauphin, PA. ¹⁸ In the 1790 census Jacob Beacherd is listed in Lebanon township, Lancaster County, with this household:
Males under 16 (born 1775-1790) = 2 (sons Jacob and William)
Males 16 and over (born <=1774) = 1 (father Jacob)
Females = 2 (daughter Magdalena and mother Catherine).

7. She owned land on 5 Nov 1795 in Lebanon, Lebanon, PA. ¹⁹ An 1806 deed wherein Solomon Haman sold land to John Elser reveals considerable information about its prior ownership by Jacob Bicher, and more importantly his relationship to his wife's Haman relatives! Here is a summary of what the deed reveals:

According to the recitals in this deed, Jacob Beecher did not acquire the property as a single unit; rather, he painstakingly assembled the 79-acre farm in Lebanon Township through two separate transactions in the mid-1790s.

The First Parcel (1795): On November 5, 1795, Jacob Beecher purchased a tract of 41 acres and 20 perches from Peter Arnold and his wife, Catharine. This land originally stemmed from a larger patent granted to Jacob Shroob in 1768.

The Second Parcel (1797): Two years later, on April 11, 1797, Beecher expanded his holdings by purchasing an adjoining tract of 38 acres. He bought this second piece from Daniel Hahn (and wife Barbara) and Philip Killian (and wife Elizabeth).

Jacob Beecher held this consolidated land for exactly four years after his second purchase. On April 11, 1801, Jacob Beecher and his wife, Catharine, sold the entire estate (both the 41-acre and 38-acre parcels) to George Hamman.

Following this sale, George Hamman and his wife, Susana, held the property until May 17, 1805, at which point they conveyed it to Solomon Haman.

It is historically significant that Jacob Beecher sold this land to a "Haman" and that it subsequently passed to Solomon Haman because in 1779 Jacob Beecher married Anna Maria Catherine Haman (aka Hamman). Given that Beecher sold the land to George Hamman, who then sold it to Solomon Haman, it is highly probable that this transaction kept the land within the extended family. George and Solomon Haman were likely close brothers of Catherine Beecher (née Haman), or perhaps Solomon was her son-in-law.

Based on the detailed recitals found in the 1806 deed, here is the complete chronological history of the land, tracing its ownership from the original patent in 1768 through the consolidation by Jacob Beecher and finally to John Elser.

September 20, 1768: The Proprietaries of Pennsylvania granted a large tract of land to Jacob Shroob (also spelled Shroop or Schropp in other records).

February 24, 1770: Following Jacob Shroob's death, his children and heirs collectively sold their respective shares of this large tract to Peter Arnold.

February 2, 1790: Peter Schrob (likely a son of the original Jacob Shroob) and his wife, Catharine, formally sold and conveyed their specific rights and estate in the large tract to Peter Arnold to clear the title.

November 5, 1795: Peter Arnold and his wife, Catharine, sold a 41-acre parcel to Jacob Beecher.

April 28, 1796: Peter Arnold and his wife, Catharine, sold a 38-acre parcel to Daniel Hahn and Philip Killian.

April 11, 1797, Beecher purchased the adjoining 38 acres from Daniel Hahn (and wife Barbara) and Philip Killian (and wife Elizabeth). Jacob Beecher had successfully united these two parcels into a single farm totaling 79 acres and 20 perches.

April 11, 1801: Jacob Beecher and Catharine sold the entire property to George Hamman.

May 17, 1805: George Hamman and his wife, Susana, sold the property to Solomon Haman.

April 3, 1806: Solomon Haman sold the full 79 acres and 20 perches to John Elser. Elser paid £1,978, 2 shillings, and 6 pence in gold and silver money.

The deed describes two distinct parcels that make up the total farm. The neighbors bordering these lands are listed below.

Parcel 1 (41 Acres, 20 Perches)
The Great Road: The property fronted a main public road.
Christopher Waltz: Bordered to the North/East.
Conrad Huein: Bordered to the East/South.
Peter Arnold: Bordered to the South/West. (Note: This is the same Peter Arnold who originally sold this tract to Jacob Beecher).

Parcel 2 (38 Acres)
David Krause: Bordered to the North/West.
The Great Road: This parcel also fronted the road, indicating the two parcels likely sat on opposite sides of the road or met at the road.
Jacob Beecher: Significant Finding: The deed lists Jacob Beecher as a neighbor to this specific parcel. Since Beecher had already sold this land to Hamman five years prior, this suggests Jacob Beecher owned a third, separate tract of land immediately adjacent to this farm which he retained after the 1801 sale.
Conrad Allwein: Bordered to the East/South.
John Sherer: Bordered to the South/West.

Summary of Family Connections (Haman & Beecher)
Based on the deed's timeline and common naming patterns of the era, the relationships likely break down as follows:

Jacob Beecher (Husband): The accumulator of the land.

Anna Maria Catherine Haman (Wife): Married Jacob Beecher in 1779. Listed as "Catharine" in the deed.

George Hamman (Purchaser 1801): Likely Catherine's brother. It was common to keep land in the family by selling to a brother-in-law.

Solomon Haman (Purchaser 1805): Likely George's brother or son. He held the land briefly (1 year) before selling it out of the family to John Elser.

The deed repeatedly mentions the properties are bounded by the "Great Road." In 1806 Lebanon Township, this likely refers to the Berks-Dauphin Turnpike, present-day Route 422.

8. Census in 1800 in Lebanon, Dauphin, PA. ²⁰ Jacob Becher is listed in the 1800 census in Lebanon boro, Dauphin County (today's Lebanon County) with this household:
Males (born)
26-44 (1756-1774) = 1 (son Jacob or William)
45 & over (<=1755) = 1 (father Jacob)
Females (born)
26-44 (1756-1774) = 1 (?)
45 & over (<=1755) = 1 (mother Catherine)
.

9. Census in 1810 in Lebanon Twp., Dauphin Co, , PA. ²¹ Jacob Beker is listed in Lebanon Township in Dauphin County with this household:
Males (born)
16-25 (1785-1794) = 1 (either son Jacob or William)
45 & over (<=1765) = 1 (father Jacob)
Females (born)
Under 10 (1801-1810) =
10-15 (1795-1800) = 1 (daughter Magdalena)
45 & over (<=1765) = 1 (mother Catherine).

10. Census in 1820 in Lebanon, Lebanon, PA. ²² In the 1820 census Jacob is indexed as Jacob Beesher (FamilySearch.org) or Jacob Busher (Ancestry.com) in Lebanon in Lebanon County. In 1820 Jacob Bicher Sr. (b.1758) would be 62 and his wife Catherine 73. His son, John Jacob Jr. b.1782 would be 38 except he died in 1812, so Jacob Sr. raised his son's children, who by 1820 would have these ages: Lydia 11, William 9, and Jacob 8. All of these fit perfectly into the Census record found which shows:

Males (born)
Under 10 (1811-1820) = 2 (grandsons Jacob 8 and William 9)
26-44 (1776-1794) = 1 (Jacob's son J. William b. 1785?)
45 & over (<=1775) = 2 (father Jacob and ?)
It is not known who the other male aged 45+ was, perhaps a butler, worker or brother-in-law?
Females (born)
Under 10 (1811-1820) = 1 (J. William's daughter?)
10-15 (1805-1810) = 1 (granddaughter Lydia 11)
45 & over (<=1775) = 1 (wife Catherine).

11. Census in 1830 in Lebanon, Lebanon, PA. ²³ Jacob Beicher is listed in Lebanon Borough on page 35 in the 1830 Census with this household:
Males (born)
Under 5 (1826-1830) = 2 (?)
15-19 (1811-1815) = 1 (grandson William or Jacob)
70-79 (1751-1760) = 1 (father Jacob)
Females (born)
40-49 (1781-1790) = 1 (Mary Michael or a maid?)
80-89 (1741-1750) = 1 (wife Catherine)
The female 40-49 could be Mary Bicher (nee Michael), wife of John Jacob (born 1782), since her husband died in 1812, or perhaps a maid. This lady is likely the mother of the 2 very young children?

This appears to be the household of Jacob Bucher born 1758. His age would be 72 in 1830, and his wife Catherine 83, explaining the two elderly household heads perfectly.

Since his son, John Jacob (born 1782 who would be 48 in 1830) had died of an accident with a sickle, the 15-19 year old male could be either grandson Jacob (born 1812) or William (born 1811). Likely the older William age 19 was already off living on his own, as was Lydia age 21, and this is Jacob.

The female 40-49 could be Mary Bicher (nee Michael), wife of John Jacob (born 1782), since her husband died in 1812, or a live-in maid taking care of the elderly Jacob and Catherine.

12. Obituary: on 8 Dec 1830 in Lebanon, Lebanon, PA. ⁵ The burial records of the Salem Lutheran Church record the following: Bicher, Mrs. Anna Maria Catherine Heckedorn (nee Haman). Buried December 10, 1830, died December 8, 1830. Age 83 years, 2 months, 13 days. Born Sept. 25, 1747. Parents Balsar Haman and wife Margt. Baptized and confirmed. Married Joh. Heckedorn who died in 1778. April 11, 1779 she was married the second time to Jacob Bicher. She had 3 children. She was sick a very long time. She was buried near her husband and daughter.

13. She has conflicting burial information of Graves moved to Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Nov 1898 and Lebanon, Lebanon, PA. ⁸ Jacob Bicher Sr., his wife Maria Catharina, and their son Jacob Jr. were all buried in the old Salem Lutheran Church yard cemetery that was behind the Salem Lutheran Church on the corner of 8th and Willow Streets and set apart for burial purposes in 1765.
Unfortunately, when the cemetery land was needed by the church for a new Memorial Chapel and parking lot, the old cemetery graves were reinterred in September-November 1898 to Mount Lebanon Cemetery in a single vault with no identification. The church notes for the graves show some of the tombstone inscriptions were unreadable. Luckily, the tombstone inscription was described years earlier in Egle's History of Lebanon County published in 1883. The tombstones read according to Egle:
Jacob Bicker b. Dec 1, 1758 d. Feb 23, 1842
Johan Jacob Bicker b. Dec 18, 1782 d. 1812
Maria Catharina Bicker Sep 25, 1747 Dec 8, 1830
In addition the church records show this tombstone existed:
Maria Magdalena Bicher Jan 27, 1780 Aug 8, 1812.
Note that Egle listed the names as Bicker whereas the church records record them as Bicher, which is consistent with the church christening records. Obviously the worn "h" on old tombstones looked like "k" to Egle.

Another list of burials is in Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church; Lebanon, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania; burial records, 1773-1876 by Frederick Weiser, published in 1969.

14. Book: The Heckendorn-Heckathorn family in America, 1736-1982, 1985. ¹³
Daniel's oldest son, John (Johannes), married Maria Catherine Hamman on 21 August 1770 in Lebanon. John died in 1778 and his will mentions no children. His widow, Catherine, married Johan Jacob Bicher on 11 April 1779. When she died in 1830 her obituary noted that she had three children.

Anna married Johannes Heckendorn, son of Daniel Heckendorn and Maria Catharina Dennen, on 21 Aug 1770 in North Annville Twp.: Hill Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lebanon, PA.^{1 2} (Johannes Heckendorn was born on 12 Nov 1744 in York, York, PA and died in Apr 1778 in , Lebanon, PA ^{5 13}.)

Anna next married Jacob Bicher Sr., son of Johann Engel Buecher and Elizabeth Catharina, on 11 Apr 1779 in Stouchsburg: Christ Lutheran Church, Berks, PA.^{3 4 5} (Jacob Bicher Sr. was born on 1 Dec 1758 in Brecknock Twp., Lancaster, PA,^{8 24} died on 23 Feb 1842 in Lebanon, Lebanon, PA ^{8 24 25} and was buried on 26 Feb 1842 in Lebanon: Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lebanon, PA ^{8 24}.)