Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
NameThomas Forshey 
Deathabout 1839
Memo(estate administration)
Children Names notes for Thomas Forshey
There are two important documents that name several young women named Forshey, some were clearly sisters, others probably cousins:
In 1839, Catherine, widow of Thomas Forshey, renounced administration of her husband's estate and she and his other heirs signed that renouncement:
Catherine Forshey signed — presumably the widow
Rachael Forshey signed — presumably an unmarried daughter
Nancy Forshey signed — presumably an unmarried daughter
Sarah Monaghan signed — presumably a married daughter
Joseph Forshey signed — presumably a son
Henry Rupe signed — presumably a son-in-law.
Then in 1843, Henry Roop of Huntingdon went into Orphans Court and requested guardians for six children he had with his wife Betsey, nee Forshey, named: Henry, William, Jane, Catherine, Thomas, Ann Eliza and George. (That sounds like seven children).
We might wonder why Betsey Forshey didn’t also sign the renouncement and I can’t be sure if her signature was not needed since her husband signed or whether she had already died by 1839. In any event, she clearly had died by 1843.
Curiously, a check of the 1850 Census shows the older children of Henry Roup to be Henry 16, William 14, Joseph 12, Thomas 8, Ann E 6 and George 5. If it was Joseph and not “Jane, Catherine”, that would be the six children. But notice the implied birth dates of Ann E (b.1844) and George (b.1845) must be off by a couple of years since Betsy had died by 1843.
In that Orphans Court document, the very next entry after Henry’s request is an almost identical request from Henry Fester of Huntingdon who said his wife had been Susan Forshey, deceased, and he requested a guardian be appointed for their son John Henry Fester.
I believe the only reason a father would need a guardian for his own children is that those children were heirs in some estate still being settled. My first thought, given the timing of two requests for guardians, was that Susan Forshey was also a daughter of Thomas. But what I then couldn’t explain is why neither Susan Forshey nor Henry Fester signed the renouncement. (When it comes to determining the ancestry of Sarah Martz, wife of Henry, no theory about who she was is not without seeming contradictions, it’s a matter of choosing which small apparent contradictions I can accept.)
And then I learned their was yet another Forshey woman in the mix. The death certificate of William Fester says he was the son of Henry Fester and Martha Forshey. Interestingly, both Henry’s perhaps did what I have observed in other instances where, when a man’s wife died young, he marries one of her yet unmarried sisters.
But note that Martha was not named on the renunciation either. So my current theory is that Martha and Susan were in fact sisters, but their father was not Thomas Forshey. I know there was a William Forshey who died at about the same time as Thomas, could he have been their father? Was he Thomas’ brother?
In 1839, Catherine, widow of Thomas Forshey, renounced administration of her husband's estate and she and his other heirs signed that renouncement:
Catherine Forshey signed — presumably the widow
Rachael Forshey signed — presumably an unmarried daughter
Nancy Forshey signed — presumably an unmarried daughter
Sarah Monaghan signed — presumably a married daughter
Joseph Forshey signed — presumably a son
Henry Rupe signed — presumably a son-in-law.
Then in 1843, Henry Roop of Huntingdon went into Orphans Court and requested guardians for six children he had with his wife Betsey, nee Forshey, named: Henry, William, Jane, Catherine, Thomas, Ann Eliza and George. (That sounds like seven children).
We might wonder why Betsey Forshey didn’t also sign the renouncement and I can’t be sure if her signature was not needed since her husband signed or whether she had already died by 1839. In any event, she clearly had died by 1843.
Curiously, a check of the 1850 Census shows the older children of Henry Roup to be Henry 16, William 14, Joseph 12, Thomas 8, Ann E 6 and George 5. If it was Joseph and not “Jane, Catherine”, that would be the six children. But notice the implied birth dates of Ann E (b.1844) and George (b.1845) must be off by a couple of years since Betsy had died by 1843.
In that Orphans Court document, the very next entry after Henry’s request is an almost identical request from Henry Fester of Huntingdon who said his wife had been Susan Forshey, deceased, and he requested a guardian be appointed for their son John Henry Fester.
I believe the only reason a father would need a guardian for his own children is that those children were heirs in some estate still being settled. My first thought, given the timing of two requests for guardians, was that Susan Forshey was also a daughter of Thomas. But what I then couldn’t explain is why neither Susan Forshey nor Henry Fester signed the renouncement. (When it comes to determining the ancestry of Sarah Martz, wife of Henry, no theory about who she was is not without seeming contradictions, it’s a matter of choosing which small apparent contradictions I can accept.)
And then I learned their was yet another Forshey woman in the mix. The death certificate of William Fester says he was the son of Henry Fester and Martha Forshey. Interestingly, both Henry’s perhaps did what I have observed in other instances where, when a man’s wife died young, he marries one of her yet unmarried sisters.
But note that Martha was not named on the renunciation either. So my current theory is that Martha and Susan were in fact sisters, but their father was not Thomas Forshey. I know there was a William Forshey who died at about the same time as Thomas, could he have been their father? Was he Thomas’ brother?