Eliza Ann Corpening

Albert married Sophronia Harshaw. Sophronia (daughter of Jacob Harshaw and Barbara Weaver, daughter of Elizabeth Corpening and George Hamilton Dula) was born 11 Jun 1813; died 13 Nov 1901. [Group Sheet]

Abraham married Lettia Estes 1810. Lettia was born 23 Nov 1790; died 29 Oct 1851. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

 

They had 12 children total, the names of the other are undetermined at this time.

Jacob married Barbara Weaver. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

 

Albert Corpening came to Pennsylvania before the Revolutionary War.

These sketches were originally written by Col Thomas George Walton (1815-1905). 1st published in the old Morganton Herald in 1894

The CORPENING FAMILY

"ALBERT CORPENING, a native of the Netherlands, settled in Pennsylvania and married a lady of German parentage, BARBARA PROPST. He removed to Burke County about the year 1777, purchased a large tract of land on John's River from the heirs of Gen. JOSEPH MCDOWELL, (KNOWN AS "Ash Hill), on which Gen. MCDOWELL lived at the time of his death in 1801. Mr. CORPENING was the ancestor of five sons, JOHN, GEORGE, JACOB, ABRAM, and DAVID CORPENING., all of whom were respected, industrious. Well-to-do farmers of ample means, owning good lands on the Catawba , Linville and John's Rivers and Lower Creek. All by the name of CORPENING of this county are descendants of these five brothers. Mr. ALBERT CORPENING had one daughter, MARY, who was the wife of Major FORNEY of Upper Creek. Mrs. Forney was known for all those good qualities...industry, thrift, hospitality and benevolence, characteristic of the better class of Germans."

"They came to North Carolina in the winter of 1774, settling in Lincoln County. When they came to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia they were snow-bound for about forty days and during that time they lodged with a farmer. Corpening helped the farmer at one shilling and board per day, and his wife helped the farmer's wife for her board.

It is said that another man came with them. He was not inclined to work at only a shilling per day and would pay his board. One made $5.00, the other spent $5.00

Albert Corpening lived about a year in Lincoln County, then moved to Burke County (now Caldwell County) and settled on Lower Creek. The log house that he built on the east side of Lower Creek was still standing in 1920. The land Albert Corpening owned was granted by Earl Granville under King George II - being granted to Philip Kearns January 8, 1761. It was conveyed to Conrad Mitchel in 1762, then to John Conrad Kearns in 1744, then to Christopher Beckman in 1780, and to Albert Corpening in 1780."

From a paper in my possession.

The family that left North Carolina for Maryland and later Pennsylvania spelled their name Chorpening.

"Tradition has it that there were four brothers in the family that came across from Netherlands. Also that their home had been in Netherlands only a short time. It is believed that they were originally French Huequenots. They settled first in North Carolina. At an early date three of the Corpening men in company with one, John Walter, moved from North Carolina to Washington County, Pennsylvania, where they formed the acquaintace of the Dewalt Aukneys, French Huguenots direct from France. After several years residence in Maryland (Washington County) the men of the family with John Walter and the Aukneys went to Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where they bought farms. Tradition says that on account of trouble with the Indians in that section the families were left behind in Maryland for safety until such time as seemed discreet for them to be moved to Pennsylvania. During this period the men made several trips back and forth, finally moving the families about 1780. At the time the Corpenings settled in Pennsylvania, the population was almost entirely German, which accounts for many ideas we have held for years. Van Corpening is on some of the old tombstones in Pennsylvania and seemed to confirm the idea that they were German. But this was only through intermarriage most probably."

From letter of Mrs. Betty Corpening Blair, Clarksburg, West Virginia.

In 1790 Burke County had 13 militia companies: "The seventh company, with Albert Corpening as Captain had 98 heads of families, and lay on John's River, some of which is in present Burke territory but included 90 heads of families from Caldwell."

From "Here Will I Dwell"

"Albert purchased a large acreage on both sides of Lower Creek in the Copenhagen section of Caldwell County from Christian Beckman. Other large tracts were added to this."

From Heritage of Caldwell County.

Albert married Barbara Propst 23 Jun 1774, Northampton County, PA, USA. Barbara (daughter of Johann Michael Propst and Anna Maria Kerr) was born 2 Feb 1754, Lynn Township, Hampton City, York County, Pennsylvania; died Abt 1829, Burke County or Caldwell County, North Carolina; was buried 1829. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

 

In 1774, shortly after their marriage, Albert and Barbara began a trip to North Carolina. They were held up by a snow storm and stayed the winter with a farmer where Albert helped with the farm work for a shilling and board per day, and Barbara helped the wife. They finally arrived in Lincoln County, North Carolina, where their first child, John, was born April 3 1775.

Coming into what is now Caldwell County, NC, they purchased a large acreage on both sides of Lower Creek in the Copenhagen section on the present Calico Road from Christopher Beckman.

All of this information is from "The Heritage of Burke Co, NC", 1981, pp 149-153.

According to Elaine Schwar and Carolyn Price (noted Brobst historians), Barbara was a daughter of Johann Michael Probst (1701). Some other records do not show her in that family, but those records do not show her anywhere else, either.

Other records (Lee Ann Propst) show that she had a brother, Henry, who moved with her and Albert from Pennsylvania to Rowan County, North Carolina shortly after their marriage. Because of bad weather, they had to lay over in Western Virginia for some time before moving on to NC in 1775. But Johann Michael Probst didn't have a son named Henry. Henry may have been a cousin or a nephew.

It was once thought that she might have been a daughter of Johann Michael Propst (1712), not Probst, and so belongs to the West Virginia Propsts. However, if in fact, she was born in Lynn Township, Northampton (Lehigh) County, PA, then she is probably correctly placed in the family of Johann Michael Probst (1701). Considering the date of her reported birth -- 1754, and marriage in Penna in 1774, when Johann Michael Propst was already in Pendleton Co, WV (Rockingham Co, VA) by then, so she could not have been his daughter.

The 1713 German Bible which belonged to Barbara Probst is in a vault in the Asheville [Pack Memorial] NC Library. In that Bible, her name is shown as Probst. The Bible does not contain any ancestry data; only the statement: "Bible belonging to ancestors of Barbara Probst (Mrs. Albert Corpening) mother of David Corpening and Catherine Corpening (Mrs. John Shuford) of North Carolina".

Pending any further evidence, I have shown her as a daughter of Johann Michael Probst (1701) and Anna Maria Kerr (abt 1710).

Another record shows that she lived as a widow in Somersettown, PA, in 1796, 1804, and 1814, and died in Somerset, PA. But Albert didn't die until 1827, and she was still alive -- named in his will. This record appears clearly to be in error; must have been some other Barbara Probst/Brobst.

Her will was probated in January 1830 in Burke (now Caldwell) Co, NC.

Ancestor of Daniel Conley , Nell Wise , Nita Shephard , Charles Brinkley Sedona, AZ

Notes:

 

After marriage in 1774 they came to Lincoln County, North Carolina, the next winter, as their oldest child was born in Lincoln County in 1775. As they came to North Carolina they were snow bound in Virginia about forty days, and during that time they stayed with a farmer. Corpening threshed wheat at one shilling and board per day, and his wife helped the farmers wife for her board. It is said that there was another man who came with them, he said he would not work for one shilling per day, but would rather pay that amount for board.

Albert lived about one year in Lincoln County, then moved to Burke County (now Caldwell County) and settled on Lower Creek. The log house that he built on the east side of Lower Creek was still standing in 1920. The land Albert owned was granted by Earl Granville under King George II - being granted to Philip Kearns, January 8, 1761. It was conveyed to Conrad Mitchel in 1762, then to John Conrad Kerns in 1744, then to Christopher Beckman in 1780, and to Albert Corpening in 1780.

The family that left North Carolina for Maryland and later Pennsylvania spelled their name Chorpening.

Married:
Spouse: Barbara Corpening (born Propst), Jr.

Daniel married Andrew Jackson Corpening. Andrew (son of John Corpening and Elizabeth Mason, son of Gus Little and Barbara Propst) was born 4 Feb 1818, Burke, North Carolina, USA; died 31 Dec 1904. [Group Sheet]