The story begins with a man named William Byrd II. He was born on March 28, 1674, in Charles City County, Virginia, to a very wealthy and prominent family. His parents were William Byrd I and Maria Horsmanden.

When he was seventeen years old, his parents sent him to London, England, for his education. But he ended up staying there for fourteen years. He studied the classics, as well as law, and he also became a member of "The Royal Society of London."

When his father died, in 1705, William returned to Virginia to take care of the family estate. In 1706, he married Lucy Parke, and they had four children. But Lucy died in 1716, of smallpox. William got remarried to Maria Taylor, in 1724, and they also had four children.

In 1730, William started building a large, three-story brick home, to replace the small, wooden house in which his parents had lived, on the 1,200-acre plantation that he had inherited from them. The home was completed in 1735, and he named it, "Westover." It is still standing today, and it's located about seven miles southwest of Charles City, Virginia, in between Richmond and Williamsburg. It overlooks the James River. It is considered one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture, in the country.

Link to Westover

While William was married to his first wife, her father, Colonel Daniel Parke II, had died, in 1711. William took over his property in Virginia, in order to keep it in the family. He was required to assume the debts that were associated with it, but he was not initially aware of how large those debts actually were.

As time went by, William often became short of money, particularly while he was building Westover, as he was trying to pay off the debts of his previous father-in-law. He sold some of his own land, to satisfy the creditors, but when that still wasn't enough, in 1734, he came up with an idea to make some money. He decided to colonize some land, specifically with Swiss immigrants.

In June of 1735, William received a patent for 100,000 acres along the Roanoke River, in the far southeastern part of Virginia, which was along the North Carolina border (see the map below).

He received this land, on the condition that, within two years, be brought in at least one family to settle there, for every 1,000 acres. That meant he needed to bring in 100 families. He later got an extension of time, until October of 1738, to bring in 100 families to settle on his land.

William only wanted to bring Swiss immigrants to his land, not only because they were hard workers, but because they were skilled in "diversified farming." In addition, he only wanted Protestants, because he believed that, "there were already too many Catholics" in the New World.

In order to attract the attention of Swiss settlers, William wrote a book titled, William Byrd's Natural History of Virginia -- the Newly Discovered Eden. In it, he described his land along the Roanoke River, in the far southeastern part of Virginia, in glorious detail. He wrote about the weather, the people, and the animals. He also wrote about the plants, the trees, the flowers, and the herbs. He made it seem as if southeastern Virginia truly was "The Land of Eden."

Link to William Byrd's book

William then needed to get his book into the hands of Swiss people who wanted to immigrate to America, so that they would settle on his land. He contacted The Helvetian Society, in Bern, Switzerland, which often made arrangements for ships to transport Swiss immigrants to America. One of their members, Samuel Jenner, translated William's book into German, because most Swiss people speak German (known as "Swiss German"). The Helvetian Society published William's book, in 1737.

The Helvetian Society used that book to persuade Swiss immigrants to settle on William Byrd's land, in the far southeastern part of Virginia. The first ship of Swiss immigrants sailed to America, in late 1737. Records show that the ship was headed for Virginia, but it somehow landed in South Carolina, where it shipwrecked. It was said that there was a second ship, but no information exists as to what happened to it.

By early 1738, William was getting concerned, because his deadline of October of 1738, to settle his land, was fast approaching. And so, in the spring of 1738, he sold 33,400 acres of his land along the Roanoke River to a large group of Swiss people, for 3,000 pounds. That way, he knew that they would settle on his land. Those people were soon scheduled to sail on the ship Oliver.

The ship had been built in Boston, in 1720. It was initially called, the Eagle, but in 1736, its name was changed to the Oliver. The ship was owned by three brothers who lived in the Netherlands: Archibald Hope, Jr., Isaac Hope, and Zachary Hope. Their company was called, "The Hope Brothers." The ship Oliver was a 100-ton vessel, and it had eight guns. It was a sturdy and trusted ship. By 1738, it had crossed the ocean safely, between Europe and America, many times. Nobody had any idea that it would soon be making its last voyage.

Old records from The Hope Brothers, and old articles from the Rotterdam newspaper, the Courant, indicate that the ship Oliver, along with four other ships (the Thistle, the Winter Galley, the Glasgow, and the Queen Elizabeth), arrived in Rotterdam, in mid-June of 1738. All five ships were then loaded with passengers and goods.

The captain of the ship Oliver was William Walker, and he had a crew of fourteen men. The records show that the ship Oliver was loaded with about 300 passengers, and they were specifically described as being "Protestant Switzers." However, some people were concerned that the ship was not built to carry that many people.

Link to the Perkiomen Region, Past and Present book

While the ship Oliver was docked at Hellevoetsluis, for a few days, several of its passengers got off the ship and refused to return, because of the overcrowding. Captain William Walker was also concerned about the overcrowding, as well as the excessive amount of goods, both of which were creating too much weight. He also got off the ship and refused to return, but he was soon replaced with Captain William Wright.

It should be noted that, the following year, in 1739, one of the passengers from the ship Oliver, Carlo Toriano, stated that he had arrived in Rotterdam, in June of 1738, and that he had boarded the ship in June. He further stated that the ship Oliver had docked in Hellevoetsluis for a few days, and it did not leave there until "early July of 1738."

In fact, the ship Oliver did leave Hellevoetsluis, in early July of 1738. It then headed for England, where it pulled into the port at Cowes, for its final inspections, and to pay the necessary fees. But it was not able to depart from there, for a few weeks, because the winds were not favorable.

Shortly after the ship left Cowes, a bad storm came up that caused quite a bit of damage to the vessel. The ship then had to pull into the port at Plymouth, England, in order to obtain the needed repairs. Those repairs took several weeks to complete. Finally, in early August of 1738, the ship Oliver headed out across the ocean, towards America. By that time, it was nearly two months behind schedule.

Old records indicate that the ship Oliver was hit by thirteen storms, as it crossed the ocean, one right after the other. A mast even fell off, during one of the storms. At some point, during the voyage, both the captain and the first mate died. A man named Francis Sinclair was then made the captain.

Since the voyage took much longer than planned, the food and the fresh water began to run out. During the voyage, about fifty passengers died, from starvation, dehydration, or disease. Most of them were children. Their bodies were thrown overboard, as their family and friends wept.

The November 24, 1738 edition of the Virginia Gazette newspaper (see below) featured a small article about the ship Oliver. Apparently, another ship had passed by the ship Oliver, out in the ocean, and the crews of each ship had shouted information back and forth, to each other. Information from the ship Oliver was then later reported to the newspaper. The newspaper article described the passengers onboard the ship Oliver as being Swiss ("Switzers"), and that they were going to settle on the "back lands," which was land that was inland, and "in back of" the coast. Obviously, this was referring to William Byrd's land along the Roanoke River. (This article is shown here, through the courtesy of The Virginia Historical Society.)

By the end of December, the food and water on the ship Oliver had completely run out, and so the passengers were practically hysterical. On January 3, 1739, land was finally spotted. The ship dropped anchor, near Lynnhaven Bay, Virginia, which is at the south end of the Chesapeake Bay (see the map below).

Suddenly, several of the passengers drew pistols and rifles, and they started a mutiny. They threatened to kill the captain, unless he, some of the crew, and some of the passengers, quickly went ashore on a small boat, located some fresh water and food, and then brought it all back to the ship. So that's what they did.

But when the men got to the shore, they were not able to find any fresh water or food, right away. As they continued to search, the weather took a turn for the worse. Before they could return to the ship, a bad storm came up.

As the men watched in horror, from the shore, strong winds dragged the ship Oliver over onto a sandbar. The bottom of the ship was damaged, and so the hull quickly filled with water. About fifty passengers were trapped down there, and they drowned. But about two hundred passengers were able to get off the ship, and they began to swim towards the shore.

However, it was January, and so it was bitterly cold. The water was also bitterly cold. It was late in the afternoon, and so it was also nearly dark. Of the two hundred people who tried to swim to the shore, about forty of them drowned. And of the ones who finally made it to the shore, seventy of them later froze to death that night, on the beach and in the nearby marshes.

Early the next morning, some of the residents from a nearby village found about ninety survivors. They took them into their homes, and they cared for them, until they recovered.

So, of the three hundred Swiss passengers who started the voyage, only about ninety of them survived. It was a terrible tragedy. The voyage was written about in the Virginia Gazette newspaper (see below), in both the January 12, 1739 edition, and the January 19, 1739 edition. (These articles are shown here, through the courtesy of The Virginia Historical Society.)

This voyage of the ship Oliver was also reported in these newspapers, in 1739: The New York Gazette (Jan. 22-29); The American Weekly Mercury (Jan. 23-30); The Pennsylvania Gazette (Jan. 25-Feb. 1); The Boston News-Letter (Feb. 15-22); The Boston Post-Boy (Feb. 19); The Boston Evening Post (Feb. 19); The New England Weekly Journal (Feb. 20); and The Pennsylvania Gazette (March 22-29). And in April and May of 1739, it was reported in three European publications: The Gentleman's Magazine, The Daily Gazetteer, and The Belfast News-Letter.

Colonel Brown

These two articles from the Virginia Gazette newspaper mention a man named Colonel Brown, who had four children onboard the ship Oliver. (All four of them somehow survived.) But Colonel Brown was actually an impostor and a thief. His real name was Joseph Braun. Four years earlier, in 1735, he had embezzled a great deal of money from the vineyard where he worked, back in Bern, Switzerland. He then fled to Holland, to avoid prosecution.

In the spring of 1738, his wife Catharina, and their five children (their son Louis; and their four daughters, Rosina, Catharina, Marianne, and Lisette) left Bern, and they headed to Rotterdam. They planned on meeting up with Joseph there, and then booking passage on a ship bound for America. They hoped to escape from their troubles in Europe.

In June of 1738, Joseph put his wife Catharina and their five children onto the ship Oliver. He then went to Lisbon, Portugal, where he booked his passage on another ship, in case someone had recognized him, in Rotterdam.

But when the ship Oliver pulled into the dock at Plymouth, England, Joseph's wife Catharina and their daughter Marianne got off the ship, for some reason, and they boarded another ship that was headed for America. (Perhaps they had become concerned about the overcrowding as well.) Catharina and Marianne arrived in America first, and so they waited in Williamsburg for the rest of the family to arrive. Joseph's ship arrived shortly thereafter. The three of them then waited for the ship Oliver to arrive.

When Joseph heard that the ship Oliver had shipwrecked near Lynnhaven Bay, he quickly went there, looking for his four children. He discovered that one of the people who had frozen to death on the beach was Joachim Lorenz Haeberline, who was the leader of the Swiss people from Bern, and an extremely wealthy man. Seeing an opportunity to make some quick money, Joseph attempted to claim the cargo that was still out in the bay, on the shipwrecked Oliver, knowing that it contained valuables. But when he tried to take possession of a large number of trunks, beyond what his children had, people became suspicious.

Those suspicions were reported to a local merchant firm called, "John Taylor, Campbell & Sproul." They had been hired by The Hope Brothers, to handle the unloading of the ship Oliver, in America. They knew that everything on the ship Oliver, besides the personal belongings of the passengers, belonged to Joachim Lorenz Haeberline. (Mr. Haeberline's brother, and his "cousin Fischer," also died.) The merchant firm had no idea who "Colonel Brown" was, and he was soon exposed as an imposter. Joseph ("Colonel Brown") then quickly left the area, even deserting his own family.

William Byrd II then took care of Joseph's wife Catharina and their five children, for a period of time. Catharina died, just a few years later, in 1745. At the time of her death, she owed money to several people, including William Byrd II.

On August 14, 1746, Joseph placed an ad in the Virginia Gazette newspaper, offering a reward for the return of his silver snuff box (see the article above). By that time, his wife was dead, and all of his children had returned to Switzerland. It was said that Joseph had "supported himself with instrumental music which he understood well." But nothing else is known about him, or his children.

Carlo Toriano

Another survivor of the ship Oliver was a man named Carlo Toriano. His family was originally from northern Italy, but they had moved to Soglio, Switzerland, where he had grown up. Several months after the shipwreck, on July 31, 1739, Carlo was asked to make a positive statement about his voyage. This request came from The Hope Brothers. They were trying to "build a case," in the event that anyone tried to sue them, by claiming that they were not responsible for what had happened on the ship Oliver. In his statement, Carlo glossed over all of the bad things that had happened, including the overcrowding and the lack of food and water. In fact, he wrote that, "...we sailed happily..." It is believed that he made that ridiculous statement, only because The Hope Brothers had paid for his return trip back to Switzerland.

It is highly probable that six of Carlo Toriano's relatives were also onboard the ship Oliver. This included a man named Schertorio "Sher" Toriano (born in 1695, in Soglio, Switzerland), his wife Luna, and their four children (Peter, Andrew, Schertorio Jr., and Mary). Sher's wife Luna had died, sometime during the voyage, but he and his children had survived, and then they swam to the shore, after the shipwreck.

Sher later changed the spelling of his name to "Scher Torian," but many records show his last name as "DeToriano." On May 5, 1740, he bought 200 acres of land in what was then Brunswick County, Virginia (now Lunenburg County), for 25 pounds. The land was along the Dan River, and about two miles east of the present-day town of South Boston, Virginia. His land was near (or part of) William Byrd II's land patent. Sher later remarried a woman whose first name was Anne. He wrote his will on May 16, 1748. He left his land to his sons, and he named his friend, Sylvestor Galvanol, as the executor of his estate. It was said that Sylvestor was also onboard the ship Oliver, but this has not yet been confirmed. (Sylvestor's last name was later spelled as, "Juniors" and "Juniels.")

Samuel Suther

Another known survivor of the ship Oliver was Samuel Suther. He was born on May 18, 1722, in Switzerland.

He was just sixteen years old, when he boarded the ship Oliver, along with his father and his thirteen siblings. His father and two of his sisters had somehow died, while the repairs were being done to the ship, as it was docked in Plymouth, England. The rest of his siblings had died, sometime during the voyage. Samuel was the only member of his family to survive the voyage. He had swum to the shore, after the shipwreck. He was one of the people who were found, still alive, on the beach, the next morning. He later stated that he had been taken care of by the "kind attention of an Englishman."

When Samuel got older, he moved to Philadelphia. By 1748, he was teaching school. He taught various subjects, in the "High German language," to German immigrants. Around 1750, he became ordained as a Christian minister, probably in Philadelphia. Also around 1750, he married Elizabeth Heyllman, probably in Philadelphia. They had several children, including John Henry (born 1752); Jacob (born 1756); Elizabeth (born 1760); and David (born 1770).

By 1751, Samuel and his family had moved to Orangeburg, South Carolina, where he worked as a preacher, and as a teacher, in several Reformed Churches, both in South Carolina and North Carolina. By 1771, he and his family had moved to North Carolina.

Just prior to the Revolutionary War, Samuel became a strong advocate for colonial rights. His beliefs later got him removed from The Brick Reformed Church, in North Carolina. During the Revolutionary War, he continued to strongly support the American cause. Because of that, British soldiers drove him and his family from their home, and destroyed their farm. After the war was over, he continued working as a preacher, and he also founded a few German Reformed churches, in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Samuel became very well-known as a preacher. Around 1786, he and his family returned to Orangeburg, South Carolina. He died there, on September 28, 1788. It was said that he was riding, on his horse, to a preaching appointment, when a bad storm came up, and he was killed by a falling tree. He was buried, somewhere in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

A historical marker was erected in 1975, to honor Samuel Suther, near The Gilead Reformed Church, in Concord, North Carolina, where he had preached for fourteen years (see the picture).

Samuel actually documented what had happened, during his voyage on the ship Oliver, in his diary, and that information was included with the obituary of his son, David Suther, who died on April 21, 1843.

David Suther's obituary was published in The Reformed Church Messenger newspaper, on May 10, 1843.

Link to David Suther's obituary

In addition, the November 18, 1892 edition of the Charlotte Democrat newspaper printed an article about Samuel Suther, which also described his experience on the ship Oliver (see the article). That article confirmed that the ship Oliver did actually encounter thirteen storms, as it crossed the ocean. However, it said that the voyage took four months. In reality, once the ship finally left England, in August of 1738, the voyage took about five months. It shipwrecked in early January of 1739. That article put the number of dead passengers at 220, which was about right.

The only other known survivors of the ship Oliver were two members of the crew: Francis Sinclair (who had taken over as captain); and James Russell (who actually later sued Mr. Sinclair). There were also some reports of a man named Hans Devauld Vonderberg being onboard.

The names of all the other survivors have been lost over time.

In October of 1952, the voyage of the ship Oliver was featured in a four-page article titled, The Tragic Shipwreck of the Protestant Switzers, in a prestigious scholarly journal called, The William and Mary Quarterly (see below). The article was written by Lloyd Haynes Williams. It clearly documented that the passengers on the ship Oliver were Swiss, and that they had sailed to America, in order to settle on land that they had purchased from William Byrd II. (The article is shown here, through the courtesy of The Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, and the digital library JSTOR.)

Now, the article did state that William Byrd had "...sold a group of Switzers and Germans a tract of thirty-three thousand acres..." But the article also stated that, "On leaving Switzerland, the settlers had sold all their property..." So it's also very clear that those few Germans in the group, who had bought some of William Byrd's land, had been living in Switzerland, before they boarded the ship Oliver. In fact, there have always been Germans living in Switzerland, because they share a common border, and a common language.

Other articles that were published later mentioned that there were "a few Germans onboard," who were identified as being "redemptioners." Those were people who sailed for free, but then they had to work off the cost of their voyage, after they arrived in America, as indentured servants, for seven years. At the end of that seven years, the redemptioner was given a new suit of clothes, and he was free to do as he wanted.

Most ships sailing to America, back at that time, often carried a very small number of redemptioners (around five or so), to fill up any remaining seats. But no ship carried a large number of redemptioners, and most certainly, no ship ever carried fifty-three redemptioners!

In 1984, a highly respected German historian named Klaus Wust wrote a historical research paper titled, William Byrd II and the Shipwreck of the Oliver. It was published by The Swiss-American Historical Society, in their June, 1984 newsletter.

In that paper, Mr. Wust stated that those fifty-three people from Freudenberg, including Hermann Bach (Harman Back), sailed to America on the ship Oliver (see below). Mr. Wust also stated in that paper that his source for that information was the book written by Dr. B.C. Holtzclaw, titled, Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia 1714-1750 (shown as source #35 below). Dr. Holtzclaw was the longtime "Historian" for The Germanna Foundation, which is a genealogical organization in northern Virginia. It was founded in 1956, and its members are some of the descendants of a small group of Germans, who had immigrated to America in the early 1700s, including Hermann Bach (Harman Back).

The problem was that Dr. Holtzclaw did not state in that book (or in any other book) that those people from Freudenberg had sailed on the ship Oliver. In fact, Dr. Holtzclaw clearly wrote in his book, Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia 1714-1750, that those fifty-three people from Freudenberg, including Hermann Bach (Harman Back), had sailed to America on a ship that had landed in Georgia, in the fall of 1738, but that he just didn't know the name of the ship (see below). Dr. Holtzclaw referred to the research that had been done by the highly respected Dr. Wilhelm Guethling, who was an expert on the history of Freudenberg. However, please note that Dr. Holtzclaw mistakenly wrote that Hermann Bach (Harman Back) and his wife had sailed with their daughter Anna Ella, but they had actually sailed with their son Hermann Jr. (later known as Harman Jr.).

IMPORTANT: It is obvious that Mr. Wust had not read Dr. Holtzclaw's book. He cited that book as being the source for his statement that those people from Freudenberg were on the ship Oliver, but nowhere in Dr. Holtzclaw's book did Dr. Holtzclaw say that, or even imply it. In fact, Dr. Holtzclaw specifically stated that those people from Freudenberg had decided to sail to Georgia (in fact, they had been recruited to sail to Savannah, Georgia); their pastor wrote in the church records that they were sailing to Georgia; they boarded a ship that was bound for Georgia; their ship landed in Georgia; and they had later left Georgia, and walked north, to Little Fork, Virginia. In contrast, the ship Oliver was bound for Pennsylvania, but it shipwrecked off the coast of Virginia.

In 1986, Mr. Wust wrote another historical research paper titled, The Emigration Season of 1738--Year of the Destroying Angels. In that paper, he also stated that those fifty-three people from Freudenberg, including Hermann Bach (Harman Back), were on the ship Oliver. However, he did not cite his alleged "source," because he had already done so, in his 1984 paper.

It is not known how Mr. Wust could have made such a serious mistake. (He died in 2003.) But it is believed that someone from The Germanna Foundation simply told Mr. Wust that Dr. Holtzclaw had written that in his book. And then Mr. Wust simply failed to verify it.

Many people believe that the person who told this to Mr. Wust was John Blankenbaker, because he was the only person who later directly benefited from that incorrect information, including financially benefiting from it. In addition, Blankenbaker knew Klaus Wust, and he was "friends" with him, during this period of time. (Blankenbaker used his so-called "friendship" with Klaus Wust, simply to promote himself, and to benefit himself.)

John Blankenbaker had joined The Germanna Foundation, around 1983, shortly before Dr. Holtzclaw retired. Blankenbaker was very jealous of Dr. Holtzclaw, and so, after Dr. Holtzclaw retired, in 1986, Blankenbaker actually appointed himself, to be the new "Historian" for the organization, even though he had no education or experience in history or genealogy. (He was a retired engineer who strangely liked to brag that he had invented the computer, even though what he "invented" was just a box with some wires and knobs; it was nothing like a real computer.) Ever since then, Blankenbaker has told people that Dr. Holtzclaw had made "lots of mistakes," and that he had appointed himself to "fix those mistakes." Strangely, Blankenbaker often jokes that he is the "unofficial Historian" for The Germanna Foundation, as if that is somehow funny.

Ever since Mr. Wust published his 1986 paper, Blankenbaker refers to that paper as being the "proof" that those fifty-three people from Freudenberg, including Hermann Bach (Harman Back), were on the ship Oliver. Blankenbaker is able to get away with that, simply because Mr. Wust did not include a source in his 1986 paper.

However, it is important to note that Blankenbaker never refers to Mr. Wust's 1984 paper, because that paper included Dr. Holtzclaw's book as being the source, and anyone who has read Dr. Holtzclaw's book knows full well that he never even mentioned the ship Oliver in his book, and he also clearly wrote that those people from Freudenberg had sailed to Georgia, but he just didn't know the name of the ship that they were on.

John Blankenbaker has made a name for himself, and lots of money, by telling his absurd lies about the ship Oliver, and how those people from Freudenberg were allegedly onboard. He has made money from selling his newsletter, which not only contains his lies about the ship Oliver, it is also packed full of his wordy, repetitive, and generally undocumented little stories about history and genealogy (most of which he copied from other places). He has worked very hard, over the years, desperately trying to portray himself as being an expert on history and genealogy, and an expert on the ship Oliver. But he is no expert.

John Blankenbaker has also been giving speeches about the ship Oliver, for many years. And every time he talks about the "tragic voyage" of the ship Oliver, the story becomes more and more dramatic. He just loves to embellish. Blankenbaker has brought in a tremendous amount of money for The Germanna Foundation, telling his lies about the ship Oliver, which is why they fawn all over him, give him undeserved (and downright ridiculous) awards, and worship him as if he is a hero. For example, following one of the recent conferences at The Germanna Foundation, their brochure stated, "Next on the agenda was the always captivating remarks of John Blankenbaker on the mysterious ship Oliver. With the skills of a great storyteller, John transfixed the listeners with the amazing tale of the Oliver and the Germanna ancestors who survived the ill-fated history of that ship." It is particularly nauseating, when you know that Blankenbaker knows full well that those people from Freudenberg were not onboard that ship. He's very devious, and he tells lies, but he's not stupid. He most certainly knows the truth about the ship Oliver.

John Blankenbaker has made up all sorts of other lies, to enhance his main lie about the fifty-three people from Freudenberg being on the ship Oliver. For example, whenever Blankenbaker is asked why the pastor at The Freudenberg Church wrote down in the church records that the fifty-three people from Freudenberg were going to Georgia, and not to Virginia (where the ship Oliver shipwrecked), he claims that, "they didn't know where they were going!" But that is absolutely absurd. Of course they knew where they were going! They were leaving their homeland for good, and taking a dangerous trip across the ocean, to a foreign land. Of course they knew where they were going! But Blankenbaker thinks that, if he just says something, no matter how absurd it is, it must be true, simply because he said it.

However, Blankenbaker always has a difficult time explaining how Hermann Bach's (Harman Back's) infant son, and Johann Friedrich Mueller's infant son (who also settled in Little Fork), could have possibly swum all the way to the shore, in those cold, dark waters of Lynnhaven Bay, from the shipwrecked Oliver. And he also has a difficult time explaining what the fifty-three people from Freudenberg were allegedly doing in Rotterdam, for two long months, in between the time they got there (in mid-April) and the time that the ship Oliver boarded passengers (on June 22). If you ask him any specific questions like that, he either changes the subject, or else he calls you a demeaning name and walks away. He simply refuses to discuss any legitimate questions about the ship Oliver, because he knows he is lying about it. He will never discuss or admit, the facts or the truth.

But it gets worse. In 1998, John Blankenbaker even took parts of Mr. Wust's 1986 paper, and then he re-wrote it, under his name. Then he posted that "revised paper" on his website, claiming that he wrote it, and claiming that it established him, as the expert on the immigration ships of 1738! In fact, Blankenbaker has created lots of articles, using Mr. Wust's published work, and then adding his name to it, to make it appear as if both of them wrote the articles together! Blankenbaker has manipulated, used, abused, and hijacked, Mr. Wust's work, for many years. Blankenbaker tries to make it seem as if he is just as knowledgeable as Mr. Wust was, and that he is on the same intellectual level as Mr. Wust was. It is truly revolting.

In 2010, Blankenbaker even published a new article on The Germanna Foundation's website that was titled, The Last Voyage of the Oliver, claiming that he wrote it with Mr. Wust (see below). But Mr. Wust had been dead for seven years (see the link below)! Mr. Wust's family was very upset about this, and they finally decided to do something about John Blankenbaker's plagiarism. They contacted The Germanna Foundation, and they demanded that the article be taken down, and it was. But a short time later, John Blankenbaker just brazenly put that article on his own website, which was a website that Mr. Wust's family knew nothing about. John Blankenbaker's behavior was, and still is, beyond repulsive.

Link to Mr. Wust's grave

SUMMARY: It is difficult to believe that The Germanna Foundation openly endorses telling lies about Hermann Bach (Harman Back), and proudly presents John Blankenbaker to spew his lies about the ship Oliver, just to make money. But that is exactly what they have done, and continue to do. In fact, The Germanna Foundation has a long history of unethical behavior, going back to the 1950s. But it has gotten much worse, in recent years, particularly since 2008.

Link to The Germanna Foundation

Link to more information about Harman Back

He was born in Freudenberg, Germany. His birth name was "Hermann Bach," but he later changed the spelling of his name to "Harman Back," after he arrived in America, in 1738. He was probably born in early May of 1708, because he was christened on May 13, 1708. His parents were Johannes Bach and Anna Margrethe Kray.

On January 3, 1737, Hermann married Anna Margrethe Hausmann. She was probably born in Bottenberg, Germany, in early March of 1712. She was christened on March 20, 1712, in nearby Oberfischbach, Germany. Her parents were Hermann Hausmann and Agnessa Loos.

Just two months after Hermann and Anna got married, Anna gave birth to twins, on March 10, 1737, in Bottenberg, Germany. They had a daughter they named Anna Ella, and a son they named Hermann Jr. The birth records indicate that Anna Ella was christened on the day that she was born (as indicated by the "C," on her record), but their son was not yet named on the day that he was born. Copies of the birth records for these two children are in the Prussian Birth Records, and they were recorded in the International Genealogical Index (see below). The copy below is an exact copy of the actual records. However, their daughter Anna Ella died as an infant, sometime before the spring of 1738. Hermann Jr. would be their only son.

Meanwhile, ever since 1730, or so, small groups of Germans had been sailing to America. They first went to Rotterdam, where they booked passage on a ship. Most of the ships were bound for either Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; or Charleston, South Carolina.

Sometimes, prominent men would be in charge of the voyages. They would recruit people to sail to America, and then they would make the arrangements for the ships to take them there. One of those men was General James Oglethorpe.

Link to General James Oglethorpe

General Oglethorpe had been born in Surrey, England, in 1696. When he was 26 years old, in 1722, he was elected to the British Parliament. In 1728, he became very concerned about the plight of the people who were locked up in London's debtor prisons. He thought that it would be a good idea to take them to America, and settle them onto some land that was located in between South Carolina and Florida. That land, of course, later became Georgia.

The reason for this was to make Georgia a "buffer zone," which would provide protection to Britain's colonies, which were located north of there, from the Spanish military forces, which were located south of there, down in Florida.

In November of 1732, General Oglethorpe sailed to Georgia with his first group of colonists. A few months later, he founded the city of Savannah, Georgia, on February 12, 1733. He laid out the city in a series of grids, which featured wide streets and twenty-four public squares (see the old drawing below).

Besides the people from London's debtor prisons, Oglethorpe also recruited people from other places, including Germany, Switzerland, France, and Scotland, to sail to America and settle in Savannah. He offered each settler fifty acres of land, along with a town lot, a garden plot near town, and an additional forty-five acres of farmland.

He personally directed the economic development of Savannah, to ensure its success, and he also defended it with his own militia. Those benefits were very tempting to immigrants. General Oglethorpe then decided to start recruiting Moravians to sail to America and settle in Savannah.

The Moravians were a Protestant religious group. They believed in "theology of the heart," which focused on the relationship between a person and Christ, instead of focusing on the doctrinal differences between various churches. Moravian beliefs are closely associated with Lutheran beliefs, which is why so many Lutherans empathized with Moravians, and they often converted and became Moravians. (The Freudenberg Church was a Lutheran church.)

Moravians lived in a communal lifestyle, with everyone living together as a group, not as individual families. They also shared their meals together, which they called, "lovefeasts." They followed a very simple and humble way of life. They dressed plainly; they refused to swear to oaths; and they refused to take up arms. They also believed in the great power of prayer. In their commune, there was always at least one of them praying, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Singing in choirs was also vital. They called each other, "Brother" and "Sister," and they washed each other's feet. One of the most well-known Moravians was Count Zinzendorf.

He was born as Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, on May 26, 1700, in Dresden, Germany, into a very noble and extremely wealthy family. Because of his family's status, he later became known as, "Count Zinzendorf." His father died when he was an infant, and he was raised by his maternal grandmother, the Baroness von Gersdorf, on her large estate.

Link to Count Zinzendorf

On September 7, 1722, Count Zinzendorf married Countess Erdmuthe Dorothea, who was his cousin. That same year, he also bought his grandmother's estate, which was called, "Berthelsdorf." However, wealth and position actually did not interest him at all.

A couple of years later, a group of Moravians asked him for permission to live on the grounds of his estate. He agreed, and so they set up a settlement there. It became known as, "Herrnhut" (see the old drawing below). After the Moravians moved onto his property, Count Zinzendorf became intrigued by them. By 1727, he was spending all of his time with them, at Herrnhut. He later became a Moravian bishop.

The Moravians had a strong desire to spread their beliefs to others, and so they began traveling to other countries as missionaries. In particular, they wanted to minister to people who were less fortunate, as well as people who had been neglected or mistreated. In 1732, a few of the Moravians went to the West Indies, where they lived among the slaves. Later, other Moravians went to Greenland, the Virgin Islands, England, Holland, and Germany. Several of them also went to Freudenberg, Germany, and they became well-known to the residents of that little town.

In 1735, General Oglethorpe recruited ten Moravians, who lived at Herrnhut, to sail to America, because he had known Count Zinzendorf for many years. Those Moravians sailed to Savannah, Georgia, on the ship Two Brothers. They were led by Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenberg, who was the assistant to Count Zinzendorf.

That first, small group of Moravians went to Savannah, in order to prepare the way for a larger group of Moravians who would be sailing there, the following year.

In 1736, that larger group of Moravians sailed to Savannah on the ship Simmonds. That time, General Oglethorpe was also onboard. Shortly after they arrived, Bishop Spangenberg left Savannah, and he walked north, to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where another group of Moravians were already living.

Also in 1736, a man named Tillmann Hirnschal, who was from Bockseifen, Germany, which was near Freudenberg, had immigrated to America. Records show that he had arrived in Philadelphia on the ship Princess Augusta, on September 16, 1736. But he wanted to return to Europe, in late 1737, so that he could bring back some needed items to his new home in America, as well as bring back his son, his son's wife, and their young child, to America.

An old newspaper article from the March 16, 1961 edition of the newspaper in Siegen, Germany, the Siegener, described Tillmann's return trip to Germany in detail (see below). Obviously, the article was printed in German, but the English translation of it is presented below the article.

The article reported that, before Tillmann had left America, for his return trip back to Germany, he had been hired to recruit his friends and neighbors, back in Germany, to immigrate to Georgia, in order to join the colonists and the Moravians who had been settling in Savannah, ever since 1732. Tillmann was supposed to tell his friends and neighbors how favorable the living conditions were, in Georgia, and to guide them through the emigration process. A government official also accompanied Tillmann, back to Germany, to assist him with this project.

This means that Tillman was actually what was known as a "newlander." Newlanders were people who had immigrated to America, and then later, they returned to Europe for a short time (either to visit their relatives, or to pick up some things that they needed for their new home in America), and then they went back to America. But before they left America, for their return trip to Europe, newlanders were often hired by shipping companies, which asked them to help recruit people to immigrate to America, because they needed to fill up the seats on their ships. Newlanders were paid a fee for each person they recruited, and they also got their return passage to America paid for.

This article also reported that Tillmann had signed up many of his friends and neighbors, to immigrate to Georgia, in February and March of 1738, and their names were listed. There were fifty-three people, including men, women, and children. Hermann Bach's name was on the list, as was his wife Anna, and their one child, who was their son Hermann Jr. (Their daughter Anna Ella had died, sometime before then.) There were thirty people from Freudenberg, and twenty-three people from three, little nearby villages. They all belonged to The Freudenberg Church, and so they were all later referred to as being from Freudenberg.

This newspaper article above also said that, on March 10, 1738, a sad and somber service was held in The Freudenberg Church, so that those fifty-three people could say good-bye to everyone, three days before they began their journey to the harbor, in Rotterdam, where they would board a ship bound for Georgia.

The Freudenberg Church was built back in 1585, and it is still standing today. It was built as a "fortress church," which meant that it was built to function as a military fortress, in case the townspeople needed protection from invaders.

The architecture of this church was in stark contrast to the majority of the buildings in Freudenberg, which were built in a style known as "half-timbered." This is when layers of big, strong, squared timbers were laid down, horizontally to the ground, on top of each other, to build the walls, and then a mixture of wet dirt and straw was packed in between each layer of timbers. After the mixture had dried, it was painted with whitewash, and the timbers were painted black or dark brown. Most of the old buildings in Freudenberg are still standing today. That's why the town of Freudenberg actually looks as if time has stood still, for the past several hundred years, because of this type of building construction.

On the morning that they left, March 13, 1738, Pastor Goebel wrote down the names of the people who were leaving, into "The Death Register" of The Freudenberg Church (see below). He did that because he knew that he would never see them again. And so, to him, it was the same as if they would be dead.

Although this old document is difficult to read and it is in German, translators have confirmed that this is an accurate listing of the people who were leaving that day for America. On the line for Hermann Bach, it shows his wife's name, Anna, and that they had "a child." (In German, "a child" is spelled as "a kind," which you can barely see, on that document.)

Pastor Goebel also wrote at the top of "The Death Register" that they were sailing to Georgia. Those fifty-three people had been recruited by Tillmann Hirnschal to specifically immigrate to Georgia, and to specifically settle in Savannah, and that was exactly what they were going to do.

The Freudenberg Church was a Lutheran church. And since it is known that some Moravians had gone to Freudenberg to do missionary work, several years before, and that Lutherans were particularly empathetic with Moravians, it is highly probable that at least some members of The Freudenberg Church had converted to become Moravians.

In fact, it was well-documented that these fifty-three people were well-acquainted with Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians, in a book titled, Freudenberg Past and Present. That book was written in 1956, by members of the Freudenberg City Council, and it was edited by Dr. Wilhelm Guethling. He was the Director of the Siegen Museum, for sixteen years; the Director of the Siegen City Library and Archives, for twenty-three years; the founder of the Siegen Research Center; and a member of numerous historical commissions. He was highly respected for his "phenomenal memory and knowledge," and he wrote many books and papers.

At the bottom of page 73, of the book, Freudenberg Past and Present (see below), it says, describing these fifty-three people from Freudenberg (translated into English): "What motivated these people to leave their homeland? It seems these were people who were close to Zinzendorf and his Moravian Brethren, or they might have even belonged to the Moravian Brethren, because when they arrived in Dover, Pastor Peter Bohler joined them. He was a close friend of Zinzendorf's, and he intended to do missionary work among the Indians in Georgia."

When these fifty-three people left Freudenberg, on March 13, 1738, for the harbor in Rotterdam (where all the ships bound for America departed), they first stopped at The Crottorf Castle, according to that 1961 newspaper article. That old castle had been built around 1550, and it was surrounded by a moat (see the old drawing below).

The old castle was located about four miles west of Freudenberg, and so it only took them about one day to walk there. They may have planned on meeting some other people there, who were also headed to Rotterdam. Old records described the castle as being, "a piece of paradise that fell from heaven."

They may have stayed at The Crottorf Castle for a day or so. When they left there, they would have headed west, towards the Rhine River. They needed to get to the river, so that they could get onto a boat that would take them down to Rotterdam. (The Rhine River flows north and northwest.)

The Rhine River is about forty-five miles west of The Crottorf Castle. Average walking speed is about three miles per hour, which is about twenty-five miles per day. But considering that these people were carrying lots of items, and they probably stopped frequently, to rest, they more than likely averaged less than one mile per hour, or just five miles per day. This means that it probably took them about ten days to walk to the Rhine River, which would have put their arrival there, towards the end of March.

They probably got to the river, somewhere around Cologne, Germany, which is about one hundred and sixty miles southeast of Rotterdam. It would probably have taken them another ten days or so, to get down the river, by boat, to Rotterdam, since they would have been stopped several times along the way by the authorities, as all travelers were. They would have had all their belongings inspected, and they would have had to pay fees, each time they were stopped. But even if extra time was needed, for weather delays or other problems, it can be assumed that these fifty-three people would have arrived in Rotterdam, around the middle of April, at the latest.

Once they got to Rotterdam, they would have booked their passage on a ship bound for Georgia, just as quickly as possible. Not only were they anxious to get to Georgia, they did not have the money, or the desire, to stay in Rotterdam for any length of time.

Now, shortly before those people got to Rotterdam, hundreds of other Germans, who also wanted to immigrate to America, had already arrived there. The city was swarming with Germans, and the Dutch were very angry about that. As a result, that April, the city's authorities began enforcing a law that prohibited Germans from being inside the city limits. Instead, all Germans had to go to a "holding area," which was near the ruins of the St. Elbrecht's Chapel, and near Kralingen, about two miles east of Rotterdam. The living conditions in that "holding area" were dreadful. Those fifty-three people certainly did not want to stay in that "holding area" any longer than they had to. They definitely would have booked their passage on a ship bound for America, just as soon as they could.

A few months before those fifty-three people had left Freudenberg, Count Zinzendorf had ordained a Moravian man named Peter Bohler, to be a pastor, in January of 1738. He then commissioned Bohler to minister to the black slaves, and to the Indians, in Savannah, Georgia.

Pastor Bohler soon began to plan his trip. What happened next was documented in the old records, and then, it was duplicated, many years later, in a book written by Adelaide Lisetta Fries, in 1905, titled, The Moravians in Georgia 1735-1740. Her book has now entered the public domain, and so it is available to read online, at no charge.

Link to Miss Fries' book

Adelaide Lisetta Fries (1871-1949) was actually a descendant of Count Zinzendorf (through her mother), and she had become fascinated with the Moravians, when she was a young girl. She was born in North Carolina, the daughter of John William Fries and Agnes Sophia de Schweinitz.

Link to more information about Miss Fries

Adelaide never married, and she lived with her parents until their death. She spent her entire life collecting, organizing, translating, and publishing, the records of The Moravian Church. She researched the Moravians extensively; she wrote numerous books about the Moravians; and she was highly respected for her work. She has always been considered to be the foremost authority on the Moravians, even to this day.

Her book, The Moravians in Georgia 1735-1740, stated that Pastor Bohler had arrived in London, on February 18, 1738, with another Moravian man named George Schulius. They first met with some other men, to discuss their religious beliefs.

Her book further stated that, on February 22, 1738, Pastor Bohler and the other men asked General Oglethorpe if they could sail to America with him and his regiment of soldiers. Oglethorpe agreed, and so further plans were made. General Oglethorpe also promised to provide them with Bibles, and some other things that they would need, so that they could build a school for the black slaves, in Savannah. And because Pastor Bohler and George Schulius knew very little English, General Oglethorpe also provided them with a translator, which was a young boy named Simon Peter Harper.

On page 206 of Miss Fries' book, she wrote that, "On the 28 of April, the baggage of the Missionaries was put aboard The Union Galley, [commanded by] Capt. Moberley, with instructions that Bohler and his companions should join her at Portsmouth" (see the screenshot from her book below).

It is critically important to note that Dr. Guethling wrote, on page 73 of his book, that those fifty-three people from Freudenberg, including Hermann Bach (Harman Back), sailed with Pastor Bohler, in the spring of 1738 (see above).

Therefore, it can be confirmed that the fifty-three people from Freudenberg, including Hermann Bach (Harman Back), sailed on the ship The Union Galley.

There is no doubt whatsoever about this.

The fifty-three people from Freudenberg were apparently considered part of this group of people who were identified as being "missionaries." Whether or not any of them were actually missionaries is not known. But Dr. Guethling described them as being "close to" Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians, and he also indicated that some of them may have been Moravian. Therefore, some of them could have also been missionaries.

Certainly, the people from Freudenberg empathized with the Moravians and their missionary work. Furthermore, it appears that all of the passengers may have simply been identified in the records as being "missionaries," in order to differentiate them from General Oglethorpe's "soldiers," who were going to be boarding the ship next.

And so, shortly after the fifty-three people from Freudenberg, the Moravians, and probably some other passengers, were loaded onto the ship The Union Galley, in Rotterdam, on April 28, 1738, the ship pulled out of the harbor. It then sailed down the Nieuwe Maas River, and then out into the North Sea. It turned south, went through the Strait of Dover, and into the English Channel. It then pulled into the port at Southampton, along the southern coast of England (see the map below). All ships bound for America had to stop at a port in England, for their final inspections, and to pay some required fees, before they could head out across the ocean, because America was a British colony, at that time. The Union Galley departed from Southampton, a few days later, on May 8, 1738, according to Dr. Guethling.

At that point in time, Dr. Guethling assumed that the ship was on its way to America, because he wrote in his book, Freudenberg Past and Present, "...On May 8, the emigrants put to sea from Southampton and after a voyage of 134 days reached Savannah in Georgia..." However, on May 8, the ship was actually on its way to another port, which was the port at nearby Portsmouth, in order to pick up either some additional cargo or some additional passengers.

Miss Fries' book continued: "On the 15 of May, Peter Bohler, George Schulius, and the lad Simon Peter Harper left London, but finding the ship not ready to sail, they went to Southampton where some of the vessels were lying." This statement indicates that The Union Galley was still at the port in Portsmouth, on May 15, and that Peter Bohler and the other two had decided to go to nearby Southampton for awhile, where there were some other ships that were going to be sailing with The Union Galley. Her book further stated, "Returning to Portsmouth, they [Peter Bohler, George Schulius, and Simon Peter Harper] embarked on May 22."

Her book then stated: "On the 30, the fleet sailed to Southampton for the soldiers." The soldiers, commanded by General Oglethorpe, boarded the ships, four days later. The book also said that the ships then sailed to Spithead, where they remained for awhile. Spithead is a small port near Portsmouth, which is protected from the winds. The ships waited there, for the winds to become more favorable, before they headed out into the open sea, towards America.

However, they ended up having to wait at Spithead for several weeks. During that time, Miss Fries' book reported that "a conspiracy" was discovered. It seems that the soldiers on one of the ships had planned on killing their officers, taking their money, and then escaping to France. But there was no further information as to what became of that problem.

Finally, according to Miss Fries' book, on July 16, 1738, The Union Galley, and the other ships, finally headed out to sea. This means that, the fifty-three people from Freudenberg, the Moravians, and the other passengers, all of whom were referred to as "missionaries," had been on the ship for over two months, before it even headed out towards the Atlantic Ocean. This explains why Dr. Guethling had written that their journey across the ocean took 134 days. Normally, voyages to America took about ten weeks, which is 70 days. Those additional 64 days were spent, off the southern coast of England, loading more cargo and passengers; loading the soldiers; sailing between Southampton and Portsmouth; and waiting for the winds to become favorable at Spithead.

According to Miss Fries' book, on July 29, 1738, the ships stopped at the Madeira Islands, which is a group of small islands located off the southwestern coast of Portugal (see the map below). Pastor Bohler and George Schulius got off the ship there, a few times, in order to meet with a Catholic priest who lived on one of the islands. The ships finally left the Madeira Islands, on August 8, 1738.

During the remaining part of the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, Miss Fries' book reported that there were many arguments and fights, involving the soldiers. They even fought with the sailors who were navigating the ships. In one drunken brawl, a soldier somehow cut off the hand of one of the young girls who was traveling with the missionaries. The book also reported that the Moravians quietly read their Bibles, during the voyage. They were not very happy about having to sail with the troublesome soldiers.

Miss Fries' book reported that the coast of Georgia was finally sighted, on September 18, 1738. Eleven days later, on September 29, The Union Galley, and the other ships dropped anchor, in the harbor at St. Simons Island. The book noted that the passengers watched the soldiers get off the ships "with grateful hearts."

It is also important to mention that Dr. Guethling reported that the ship carrying the fifty-three people from Freudenberg arrived in Georgia, 134 days after May 8, which would have also been September 18, 1738.

In fact, there are numerous sources that document the fact that these fifty-three people from Freudenberg landed in Georgia, in the fall of 1738.

Those sources include the following: The Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, page 60; Some Early Virginia Immigrants, by Gail Breitbard; The World Book of Back's, by Halbert's Family Heritage; and A Siegerland Emigrant List of 1738, by Otto Baeumer. Mr. Baeumer was from Freudenberg, and his research was translated by Don Yoder, in 1969 (see below).

The fifty-three people from Freudenberg, the Moravians, and the other passengers, were welcomed to Savannah, by the Moravians who were already living there.

But as time passed, the hot and humid weather in Georgia became quite bothersome to most of the people from Germany, because it was so different from what they had been used to, back home.

In addition, yellow fever became a serious problem. The disease was brought in by the black slaves from Africa, and it spread rapidly, due to all the mosquitoes. Pastor Bohler became very ill from it, during the summer and fall of 1739, and George Schulius died from it, on August 4, 1739. Other Moravians, and some of the people from Freudenberg, probably became ill, or died from the disease, as well.

Meanwhile, trouble was brewing down in Florida again, with the Spanish military forces that were stationed there. Back in February of 1737, fears had risen in Savannah that the Spanish were getting ready to invade. Some of the residents were so scared that they decided to take up arms and form a militia. However, the Moravians refused to join the militia; not only was it against their religious beliefs, but they had been previously promised exemption from military service by General Oglethorpe. In response, the people who had joined the militia told the Moravians that, unless they joined them and helped to defend the city, they would burn down their houses and kill them. The situation remained tense for several months. As a result, by the fall of 1737, many Moravians had left Savannah. Most of them had walked north, to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where Bishop Spangenberg had taken up residence, one year earlier. Others went to North Carolina and Virginia, and at least one of them returned to Europe. But the Spanish did not attack, and so the tensions later eased somewhat.

But in the fall of 1739, the Spanish began threatening to attack once more. And then, England declared war on Spain, that October. At that point, the people from Freudenberg, and the Moravians, knew that it was time to leave Savannah for good.

In late October, or early November, of 1739, the people from Freudenberg, and most of the remaining Moravians, left Savannah, and they began walking north, towards Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where the other Moravians from Georgia had gone to live, back in 1737. Miss Fries discussed this in her book. Dr. Guethling also discussed this, in his book, when he wrote this, about the people from Freudenberg: "When further news meets us, because of the unhealthy climate, they had later moved north, where they settled in the place Bethlehem."

It should also be noted that Miss Fries further wrote that, by the early spring of 1740, there were only six Moravians left in Savannah, and that they left in April, with Pastor Bohler, on a small boat called, The Savannah, which took them to Pennsylvania.

So, as the people from Freudenberg, and the Moravians, walked north, in the fall of 1739, they followed the coastline. Along the way, nine of them, including Hermann Bach (Harman Back), his wife Anna, and their young son, decided to stop and settle in Virginia, in a small German settlement located way up the Rappahannock River, called, "Little Fork." The reason they did that was because, one member of the group, Johannes Huffman, had a cousin named Henry Huffman, who was already living in Little Fork. (Henry had immigrated in 1734.) The other five people who wanted to settle in Little Fork were Johann Friedrich Mueller (and his wife Anna, and their infant son Matthias); Hermann Mueller; and George Weidmann, who was actually a cousin of Hermann Bach (Harman Back).

By the spring of 1740, Hermann Bach (Harman Back), his wife Anna, and their young son, Hermann Jr. (Harman Jr.), had finally settled in Little Fork, Virginia, which was then located in Orange County, Virginia, in the far northern part of the state. Little Fork was about 15 miles north of the present-day city of Culpeper, Virginia.

Hermann had changed the spelling of his name, from "Hermann Bach," to "Harman Back," either while he was in Savannah, or shortly after he had settled in Little Fork. His young son then became "Harman Jr." Many immigrants simplified the spelling of their names, so that other colonists could more easily pronounce it and spell it.

In 1741, Harman's friend Johannes Huffman died. (He had changed the spelling of his name to John Huffman.) Harman had immigrated with John, just three years earlier. Harman was appointed to be one of the three appraisers of John's estate, and he verified John's Inventory Report, with his signature (see below). Harman's signature on this document is proof that he knew how to write. (If he didn't know how to write, he would have signed the document with an "x," which was known as "a mark.")

On August 25, 1748, Harman bought 100 acres of land in Little Fork, from Jacob Holtzclaw and his wife Katherine, for 20 pounds. The land was along the Little Fork of the North Branch of the Rappahannock River, near the Fauquier County line. Curiously, Harman's wife Anna was not named in that land deed, which means that she must have died, sometime before then. That land deed was the last definitive record that has ever been found for Harman Back.

It is important to note that the tax lists started in Virginia, in 1782. They counted men who were between the ages of 21 and 50. However, in 1782, Harman was 74 years old, and so he would never have appeared on any tax list, even if he was still alive.

A map was made in the early 1900s, which showed the plot of land that Harman Back had owned, in Little Fork (see below).

Harman Back died in Little Fork, sometime between 1748 (when he bought that 100 acres), and September 15, 1789 (when his only son, Harman Jr., sold that 100 acres, which he had inherited from him). Furthermore, it is highly probable that Harman Back had actually died, sometime before 1782 (when the tax lists began), because his only son, Harman Jr., was listed on all of the tax lists as "Harman Back," not as "Harman Back Jr." That indicates that Harman Back Jr. was no longer considered to be a "Jr.," by the people in Little Fork, because his father had died, sometime before 1782.

Harman Back was probably buried on his 100-acre farm, in Little Fork.

It is believed that Harman's wife Anna had died, sometime before 1748, because she was not named in the 1748 land deed, when he bought that 100 acres of land, in Little Fork.

However, because The Germanna Foundation, and "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society," later created additional children for Harman, who they claimed were born, after Harman had arrived in America, those two organizations also claimed that Harman got remarried, even though they had no proof of it.

There are no marriage records for Harman Back, in Little Fork, or anywhere else. In fact, it does not appear that there were even any single women, or widowed women, who were around his age, in Little Fork, who he could have married. But, those two organizations had a reputation for "creating genealogy," without any documentation or proof.

Those two organizations claimed that Harman Back had gotten remarried to a woman whose first name was Katherine, although there was not one piece of evidence to support that. (In fact, Harman's only son, Harman Jr., married a woman whose first name was Katherine.) Then they claimed that Harman had the following additional children: John Back (1738-1794); Henry Back (1740-1809); and Joseph Back (1756-1832). However, they altered Joseph's year of birth to be 1742, to make it seem more likely that he was young enough to be Harman's son.

IMPORTANT: Those three men really did exist, but they were definitely not the sons of Harman Back. The proof of who those three men actually were is also presented on this website. John Back (1738-1794) and Henry Back (1740-1809) were actually brothers, but they were members of a completely different, and separate, Back family. That Back family was from Thuringia, Germany (not Freudenberg, Germany), and after they had immigrated, they lived 25 miles south of Little Fork, in The Robinson River Valley, practically next door to John Hoffman and his wife Maria Sabina Folg. John and Henry married two of their daughters, Margaret and Elizabeth. John and Henry are discussed, in another section of this website, below, called, "Harman Back never had sons named John Back or Henry Back."

Joseph Back (1756-1832) was actually the son of Harman Back Jr., which means that Joseph was Harman Back's grandson, not his son. Joseph is discussed in another section of this website, below, called, "The children of Harman Back Jr. (born 1737)."

Harman Jr. was born on March 10, 1737, in Germany. He had a twin sister named Anna Ella, but she had died, before she was one year old. Harman Jr. sailed to America with his parents, when he was just one year old, in the spring of 1738.

Harman Jr. (born 1737) probably didn't remember the voyage, or the brief time that he had lived in Savannah, Georgia. He grew up on his father's farm, in Little Fork, Virginia, and his Americanized name became Harman Back Jr.

Around 1755, Harman Jr. (born 1737) married a woman whose first name was Katherine. She was probably Katherine Fishback, who was the daughter of Jacob Fishback and Anna Catharina Holinghaus. They lived right next door (see the map of Little Fork, above). After the wedding, Katherine moved onto the Back's 100-acre farm, and the young couple established their home there. At some point, Harman Back (born 1708) died, and so his only son, Harman Jr. (born 1737), inherited the family's 100-acre farm.

Harman Jr. (born 1737) and his wife Katherine soon had a son who they named Joseph (born April 9, 1756). They later had a son who they named Harman Jr. (born around 1764), and they probably had another son named Jacob (born around 1770). They may have had more children than this, but no definitive records concerning any other children have been found.

In April of 1771, Harman Jr. (born 1737) placed an ad in the Virginia Gazette newspaper, reporting that he had found a horse (see below).

Harman Jr. (born 1737) was listed in all of the Personal Property Tax Lists, and all of the Land Tax Lists, from 1782 through 1789, in Little Fork, Virginia, in Culpeper County. Little Fork was located in the far northern part of the county, near the border of Fauquier County.

It should be noted that, prior to 1782, a man was considered to be a "tithable" (meaning, "counted for taxation purposes"), when he turned 16; but starting in 1782, that age was raised to 21. By definition, a "tithable" was a man who was "able-bodied," and therefore, subjected to being called for duty in the militia, or for doing road work. Men who were over the age of 50, or disabled, were not "tithable," and so they were not counted. Also, ministers, government officials, or men who were in the military, were not "tithable" (not counted).

If Harman Back (born 1708) had still been alive in 1782, he would have been 74 years old. Therefore, he would not have been listed on the 1782 Personal Property Tax List (or any subsequent tax lists), because he was over the age of 50, and therefore, not "tithable." However, if Harman Back (born 1708) really was still alive, in 1782, his son Harman Jr. (born 1737) would have been listed as "Harman Back Jr.," in order to differentiate him from his father. But because Harman Jr. (born 1737) was listed as "Harman Back," and not as "Harman Back Jr.," that would seem to indicate that his father, Harman Back (born 1708), was probably dead by then, and so, his son was no longer considered to be a "Jr.," by the residents of Little Fork.

In the 1782 Personal Property Tax List (see below), Joseph Back (born 1756), who was the son of Harman Jr. (born 1737), and the grandson of Harman Back (born 1708), was listed on the same line with his father; Joseph was then 26 years old.

In the 1782 Personal Property Tax List (see below), the first column indicated that there were 2 white men over the age of 21, which were Harman Jr. (born 1737) and his son Joseph (born 1756). It also shows that they owned 4 horses and 9 cows; the value of the animals was indicated, over to the right.

Curiously, Harman Jr. (born 1737) was also listed in the 1782 Personal Property Tax List, in Fauquier County. He leased some land over there, starting sometime before 1782, and he continued leasing it, until right before he and his family migrated to central Kentucky, in 1789. Little Fork was less than a mile away from the Fauquier County border, and so the land that he leased was not very far away. He probably needed some additional land, on which to raise crops. During the years, from 1782 through 1789, he was generally taxed on a horse or a cow, or both.

Harman Jr. (born 1737) was also listed in the 1783 Personal Property Tax List (see below). Just like the 1782 Personal Property Tax List, he was not listed as a "Jr.," because his father must have already died by then. His son Joseph was also listed on the same line with him, with a comment that he was over the age of 21. Reporting that Joseph was over 21 was probably simply done for clarification, since the rules had recently changed, the year before. The first column indicated that there were 2 white men over the age of 21, which were Harman Jr. (born 1737) and his son Joseph (born 1756). It also shows that they then owned 3 horses and 9 cows. The value of the animals was listed in the next three columns, and then, the column over to the far right, indicated the number of tithables, which was 2 (Harman Jr., and his son Joseph).

On September 16, 1783, Harman Jr. (born 1737) bought Treasury Warrant #19334, for 1,000 acres of land in Kentucky, for 1,600 pounds (see below). His father had probably died, sometime before this, and so he had probably obtained the money to buy this warrant from his father's estate. Harman Jr. (born 1737) was listed as "Harman Back," and not as "Harman Back Jr.," on this 1783 Warrant List, which is another clue that his father was already dead by then.

Purchasing a Treasury Warrant was just the first step, in obtaining land in Kentucky. The next step was to get the land surveyed, to make sure that nobody else had previously made a claim for it. That usually took a couple of years to get done. So typically, the purchaser of a Kentucky Treasury Warrant did not actually move onto their land, until several years after they had bought it.

At least fifteen young men, who had grown up on the farms right around Harman Jr. (born 1737), also moved to Kentucky and/or bought Treasury Warrants, around the same time that he did. In fact, two of them, John Crim and his brother Joseph Crim, bought their Treasury Warrants on the very same day that he did (September 16, 1783), as seen on the list above. Back at that time, many young men longed to move to Kentucky. It was a wild and special place, and many young men were fascinated by that, mainly due to the amazing stories of Daniel Boone. But actually getting to Kentucky was extremely difficult, because of the dense wilderness, and the dangers presented by wild animals and Indians. Thus, making the long and dangerous trek to Kentucky was generally only undertaken by younger people, not elderly people.

Harman Jr. (born 1737), and his son Joseph, were also listed in the 1784 Personal Property Tax List, in Little Fork (see below), in the same manner that they were listed in the 1782 and 1783 Personal Property Tax Lists.

It is suspected that Harman Jr.'s son Joseph soon went to Kentucky, to check on getting the land survey done, in either the fall of 1784, or a few months later. Therefore, Joseph was not listed in the 1785 Personal Property Tax List, in Little Fork (see below). However, another son of Harman Jr. (born 1737), who was also named Harman Jr. (born around 1764), had just turned 21 years old, and so, he was listed under his father as, "Harman Back Jun." (The tax lists had to be turned into the authorities, between March 10th and April 10th of each year, and so they were usually prepared in late February or early March of each year.)

In this 1785 Personal Property Tax List (see below), Harman Jr. (born 1737) had 3 horses and 6 cattle, and his son Harman Jr. (born around 1764) had 2 horses and 1 cow. The report also showed that there was 1 white man over the age of 21 in each house, and 1 tithable in each house.

Harman Jr. (born 1737) was also listed in the 1786 Personal Property Tax List (see below). One of his two sons was living with him; it was probably his son Harman Jr. (born around 1764). His other son Joseph was probably still over in Kentucky. In this report, the first column indicated that there were 2 white men over the age of 21, which were Harman Jr. (born 1737), and his son, Harman Jr. (born around 1764). The report also indicated that they had 3 horses and 11 cattle. There were 2 tithables reported in the far right column (Harman Jr., and his son Harman Jr.)

In the 1787 Personal Property Tax List, Harman Jr. (born 1737) was listed as living by himself (see below). That probably meant that both of his sons, Joseph and Harman Jr., were over in Kentucky, checking on getting the land survey done. However, his son Harman Jr. (born around 1764) may have been temporarily living on the 100 acres of land that he had bought, back in 1785. This 1787 Personal Property Tax List showed that Harman Jr. (born 1737) owned 3 horses and 8 cattle.

The 1788 Personal Property Tax List for the Little Fork area is no longer in existence. Harman Jr. (born 1737) would have turned 51 years old, in 1788.

In the 1789 Personal Property Tax List, Harman Jr. (born 1737) was listed, but only by name (see below). He was then 52 years old. However, he was clearly not counted as a tithable, as proven by the lack of a number in the first column, and a lack of a number in the column over to the far right. Only his name was listed, probably out of respect. This is extremely significant, because it proves that all of these listings in these Personal Property Tax Lists, ever since 1782, were definitely him, and not his father Harman Back (born 1708).

This is because Harman Jr. (born 1737) had obviously "dropped off" from being counted as a tithable, in 1789, because he had recently turned 51, and men over the age of 50 were not counted as a tithable. If his father Harman Back (born 1708) had still been alive, in 1789, he would have been 81 years old, and so, he would have been too old to have been counted as a tithable anyway, and he certainly would not have suddenly "dropped off," from being counted as a tithable, in 1789. This is absolute proof that all of these entries for "Harman Back," in all of these Tax Lists, from 1782 through 1789, were for Harman Jr. (born 1737), and not for his father Harman Back (born 1708).

This 1789 Personal Property Tax List (see below) also showed that Harman Jr. (born 1737) owned 3 horses. His son Joseph was listed below him, and he owned 2 horses. Joseph was counted as a tithable, because he was then 33 years old. Harman Jr.'s son, Harman Jr. (born around 1764), was not listed, and so it is assumed that he was either still over in Kentucky, or working his 100 acres.

A few months later, on September 15, 1789, Harman Jr. (born 1737) sold the 100-acre farm that he had inherited from his father, because he was ready to migrate to Kentucky. Harman Jr. (born 1737) sold that land to Thomas Clark Fletcher, for 50 pounds. A copy of that land deed has been obtained. A section of that deed clearly stated that Harman Jr. (born 1737) had inherited that land, because it referred to that land as being, an "indefeasible estate of inheritance" (see below). Everyone knows that the only way that a person can inherit something is if someone else dies (usually their parent).

In addition, in another section of the deed, it clearly described the land as being originally purchased from Jacob Holtzclaw and his wife Katherine, and that it was then in Orange County, Virginia. There is no doubt that this 100 acres that Harman Jr. (born 1737) sold, in 1789, was the same, exact 100 acres that his father Harman Back (born 1708) had bought, back in 1748. Also, since Harman Jr.'s father was dead by that time (and he already had a son named Harman Jr. himself), Harman Jr. (born 1737) was not referred to as a "Jr.," in the deed. He was simply referred to as, "Harman Back."

Harman Jr. (born 1737) could not write, and so he signed this deed with his "mark" (an "x"). His wife Katherine also could not write, and so she signed this deed with her "mark" (an "x") as well (see below). Please note that, in contrast, his Harman Jr.'s father Harman Back (born 1708) knew how to write, and he knew how to sign his name (as proven by his signature on that 1741 Inventory Report). Therefore, if it had been his father who had sold that land, his signature would have obviously been on that deed. Also please note that one of the witnesses to the signing of this deed was John Wigginton. He was the man who had prepared the Personal Property Tax Lists, in Little Fork, from 1782 through 1789, and so he obviously knew that Harman Back (born 1708), and his only son Harman Jr. (born 1737), were two different men, and that, after Harman Back (born 1708) had died, his only son Harman Jr. (born 1737) was no longer considered to be a "Jr."

Shortly after Harman Jr. (born 1737) sold the 100-acre farm that he had inherited from his father, he and his wife and children migrated to central Kentucky. They settled in Mercer County; that land later became Garrard County. They probably settled on the land that Harman Jr. (born 1737) had bought with Treasury Warrant #19334, back in 1783. However, according to the records at the Kentucky Archives, a survey on that land was never "returned" to the state, for that Treasury Warrant. (Sometimes, landowners simply forgot to do that, or they didn't think that doing so was all that important.)

Curiously, just six months later, on June 4, 1790, Thomas Clark Fletcher and his wife Millie sold that 100 acres, which they had bought from Harman Jr. (born 1737), to John Fishback, for 90 pounds. It is believed that John Fishback was a brother to Katherine Fishback, and that they had grown up on the farm that was next door to the Back family, in Little Fork. It is suspected that the Katherine who married Harman Jr. (born 1737) was Katherine Fishback.

On December 31, 1794, in Garrard County, Kentucky, Harman Jr. (born 1737) had someone write out his will for him, because he did not know how to write, and then he made his "mark" (an "x") at the bottom of it. He left his land (his "plantation") to his oldest son Joseph, and everything else to his wife Katherine (using her nickname "Catrine"). Two of his friends witnessed the will (see below).

His two friends who witnessed the will were Charles Spilman and William Hogan. It is important to note that both of these men were in the same age group as Harman Jr. (born 1737), and not his father Harman Back (born 1708). Many people mistakenly claim that this will belonged to Harman Back (born 1708), but that is not true. He had died in Little Fork, as evidenced by the fact that his son Harman Jr. (born 1737) had inherited his 100 acres of land. This will is the will of Harman Jr. (born 1737), the son of Harman Back (born 1708).

Charles Spilman was born in 1746, and William Hogan was born in 1750. So they were about ten years younger than Harman Jr. (born 1737). It would make sense that they were the witnesses to his will, and not to his father's will. Charles Spilman and William Hogan were about forty years younger than Harman Back (born 1708). It is highly unlikely that an elderly man would select witnesses to his will who were about forty years younger than he was, and even younger than his own son. Furthermore, Harman Back (born 1708) knew how to write and he knew how to sign his name. So, he would have written his own will, and he would have most certainly signed it.

Charles Spilman was born in Little Fork, and he had grown up with Harman Jr. (born 1737). Charles' father, James Spilman (1721-1790), was a neighbor to the Back family (see the map above). Around 1767, Charles married Elizabeth Fishback, who was born in Little Fork, around 1751. Her parents were John Frederick Fishback and Ann Elizabeth Holtzclaw.

Charles Spilman, his wife Elizabeth, and their children (including their sons, Thomas and James), had migrated to Kentucky, around 1782. Charles was seen on the 1789 Tax List, in Mercer County, which later became Garrard County. (Harman Back Jr. and his family had arrived in Mercer County after that 1789 Tax List had been prepared.) Charles Spilman's wife Elizabeth died in 1792, and she was buried in The Spilman Family Graveyard, in Buena Vista, in Garrard County. It is located just one mile west of The Harmony Church. Charles got remarried to Sarah Kemper. On June 5, 1797, Charles was appointed a justice of the peace, in Garrard County, and in 1810, he became the sheriff. His name was seen, as a witness, on many wills and deeds, in Garrard County, because of his position. He was seen in the 1810 Census Report, living in Lancaster, which is in Garrard County. Charles died in Garrard County, on March 15, 1826. His second wife Sarah died in 1828, and she was buried in The Spilman Family Graveyard as well. It is suspected that Charles had also been buried there.

The other witness to the will was William Hogan. He was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and his parents were James Hogan and Silence Lane. In 1779, William and his two brothers had left Virginia, and they migrated to Kentucky, to settle on land grants that they had received for their military service. In 1797, William's brother John named Jacob Back (born around 1770) to be the Executor to his will. Jacob Back was probably a son of Harman Jr. (born 1737).

William Hogan was seen on the 1800 Land Tax List, living in Garrard County, but shortly after that, he and most of his family moved to Madison County, Alabama.

Harman Jr. (born 1737) died, either in late December of 1797, or early January of 1798, because his will was entered into probate, in January of 1798. He was probably buried on his farm, in Garrard County, Kentucky.

The Inventory of the estate of Harman Jr. (born 1737) was ordered to be taken on February 5, 1798 (see below). It was taken by Vincent Wren, John Burks, and Gabriel Hall, and it was filed with the court on May 5, 1798 (see below).

It is known that Harman Jr. (born 1737) and his wife Katherine had at least two sons: Joseph (born April 9, 1756), and Harman Jr. (born around 1764). It is believed that they also had a son named Jacob (born around 1770). But there is no evidence that they had any other sons.

The 1800 Land Tax List for the State of Kentucky reveals three men with the last name of Back, who owned land, and they all lived in the central part of the state (see below). It is believed that these three men (Harman Jr., Jacob, and Joseph) were the sons of Harman Jr. (born 1737), and that they were his only sons. Jacob and Joseph lived in Garrard County, and Harman Jr. lived in nearby Fayette County. Records show that these three men probably remained in central Kentucky, all of their lives.

Harman Back Jr.'s son, Joseph: He was born on April 9, 1756. He married Winneford Harper, on January 19, 1786. She was born on November 16, 1766. Her father was Umpriss Harper; her mother's first name may have been Millicent, and her last name may have been Hall. They were from Dettingen Parish, in Prince William County, Virginia. Apparently, either one, or both, of Winneford's parents had died, before she was two years old, and so she became an orphan. Records from The Dettingen Parish Vestry Book (Part 2, 1749-1785, p. 60, acc.#1) show that she was apprenticed (similar to being adopted) to Jacob Holtzclaw, of Prince William County, Virginia, on May 11, 1768 (see below). He and his family raised her. They lived on 357 acres, on the north side of a branch of Hunger Run. The adoption papers indicated that Jacob's wife was to teach Winneford how to "sew, knit, and spin," and that Winneford was to be their servant, until she turned eighteen years old. It is believed that the man who adopted her was Jacob Holtzclaw (1738-1812), and his wife was Susannah Thomas Holtzclaw (1745-1821). Jacob had apparently inherited that land from his father, Jacob Holtzclaw (1683-1760), who was a German immigrant.

Joseph wrote his name and date of birth into his Family Bible, along with his wife's name and her date of birth. He also wrote down the names and dates of birth of all of his children. The first page of his Family Bible is shown below.

Joseph and Winneford had nine children: Nancy (born April 22, 1787); Enoch (born October 16, 1789); Sarah, who was known as "Sally" (born March 11, 1792); Elizabeth, who was known as "Betsy" (born August 13, 1794); Isaiah (born May 11, 1797); Polly (born July 17, 1799); Delilah (born May 7, 1801); Lydia (born September 30, 1803); and Jeremiah (born July 19, 1806). Sadly, their daughter Polly died before she was one year old, on March 11, 1800.

In 1789, Joseph and his family left Virginia, with his parents, and they migrated to central Kentucky. Tax records show that he owned 157 acres in Garrard County, in 1797, and he paid taxes on it. He also paid taxes on it, in 1799 and 1800. In the 1810 Census Report, Joseph and his family were living northeast of the town of Lancaster, near Back Creek, in Garrard County.

Joseph wrote his will on February 23, 1831 (see below). The witnesses were James Spilman, Thomas Spilman, and William N. Pulliam. James Spilman (1780-1832) and Thomas Spilman (1768-1833) were brothers, and they were the sons of Charles Spilman and Elizabeth Fishback. Charles Spilman had been a witness to Joseph's father's will (see above).

Joseph died, either in late December of 1831, or early January of 1832, because his will was probated in January of 1832. He was probably buried on his farm. His Inventory was not taken until 1834, for some reason, and it was quite extensive. His widow Winneford later moved in with her daughter Sally and her family, who also lived near Lancaster. She was seen living with them (as "Winney"), in the 1860 Census Report. She was then 94 years old. She died shortly after that. She was probably buried next to Joseph.

Joseph's friend, James Spilman, died shortly after he did, later in 1832. James and his wife were both buried in The Spilman Family Graveyard, near his parents. James' brother, Thomas Spilman, died the following year, in 1833. He was buried in The Harmony Church Cemetery, as was his wife Permelia Watson Spilman, which was near The Spilman Family Graveyard. Both James Spilman and his brother Thomas Spilman lived in Buena Vista, which was located about 15 miles northwest of where Joseph had lived (in Garrard County).

Some information has been found about Joseph and Winneford's children. Their daughter Nancy married James Back, on May 9, 1812. (He was her first cousin; her father Joseph was a brother to his father Harman Jr.) Their son Enoch married Sally Burks, on December 12, 1812. (A man named Thompson Burks gave his consent.) Their daughter Sally married Johnson Lane, on September 16, 1819. Their daughter Betsy first married Thompson Burks, on October 4, 1814; after he died, she married William Pulliam (who was a witness to her father's will), on August 15, 1827. Their son Isaiah married Nancy Turpin, on June 12, 1812. Their daughter Delilah married James Hanson Green, on July 15, 1819. Delilah died on May 10, 1854. Her husband got remarried to Martha Green, on October 3, 1854. Their daughter Lydia married Joseph Newton, on September 28, 1824. Their son Jeremiah married Sally Brown, on May 3, 1837.

Harman Back Jr.'s son, Harman Jr.: He was probably born around 1764, because he first appeared in the Culpeper County Personal Property Tax List, in 1785, which was probably when he turned 21 years old.

In 1785, Harman Jr. (born around 1764) was also seen in the Culpeper County Land Tax List, owning 100 acres, which he had recently bought from James Hackley (see below). That land may have been located somewhat south of Little Fork. Harman Jr. (born around 1764) may have simply wanted to own some land of his own, or perhaps the family needed more land, on which to grow crops. He was seen, still owning that land, in the 1787 Culpeper County Land Tax List (see below).

Harman Jr. (born around 1764) sold that 100 acres, shortly before he and his family left Virginia, and migrated to Kentucky.

It is believed that Harman Jr. (born around 1764) married a woman whose first name was either Martha or Margaret; her last name may have been Kinyon or Hoffman. They got married around 1783.

Harman Jr. (born around 1764) and his wife had at least seven children: Sarah Jane (born May 15, 1784); James (born about 1785); Catharine, known as "Caty" (born about 1786); Nancy Ann (born February 25, 1790); Carolina (born about 1791); Joseph (born about 1792); and Lydia (born about 1795).

As previously stated, Harman Jr. (born around 1764) and his family left Virginia, with his parents, and they migrated to central Kentucky, in 1789. In fact, some descendants of his daughter Nancy Ann report that she was born in Kentucky. (She was born in 1790, and so that proves that they were in Kentucky by then.) Records show that, in 1794, Harman Jr. (born around 1764) was drafted into The Fayette County Militia. He was paid 5 pounds and 15 shillings, for his services as a private. He was stationed at The Slate Creek Iron Works, near Owingsville.

Harman Jr. (born around 1764) and his family lived near the city of Lexington, in Fayette County. He was seen living there, in the 1810 Census Report. His wife was still alive then, and three of their children were still living at home. In the spring of 1812, Harman Jr. (born around 1764) signed as a witness to his daughter Nancy Ann's marriage. He was not seen in the 1820 Census Report, and so it is believed that he had died, sometime between the spring of 1812 and 1820.

Some information has been found about Harman Jr. (born around 1764) and his wife's children. Their daughter Sarah Jane married James Collins, in 1802. Their son James married Nancy Back, on May 9, 1812. (She was his first cousin; his father Harman Jr. was a brother to her father Joseph.) Their daughter Catherine married Henry Barker, on December 28, 1807; after he died, she married John Potts, on January 19, 1825. Their daughter Nancy Ann married John Buchanan, on April 12, 1812; she died on August 17, 1884. Their daughter Carolina married John Pickett, on August 15, 1816. Their son Joseph married Nancy Callaghan, on March 1, 1819. Their daughter Lydia married Brightsberry Webster, in 1811.

Harman Back Jr.'s son, Jacob: Harman Jr. (born 1737) may have had a son named Jacob, who appears to have been born around 1770. He also moved to central Kentucky with his family, in 1789. Jacob was listed on the 1797 and 1799 Tax Lists, in Garrard County, as owning 206 acres and two horses. In fact, records show three deeds for land that he owned in Garrard County.

It is known that Jacob bought about 47 acres along Sugar Creek, on November 4, 1799, from Abraham Stephens and his wife Ann. He paid taxes on that land, in 1800 and 1801. In fact, he was mentioned as being a resident of Garrard County, in a book that was written by Forrest Calico, which was titled, History of Garrard County Kentucky and its Churches.

Jacob may have gotten married around 1790, but the name of his wife is not known. And he may have had at least two children, because there were two marriage records for people with the last name of Back, in central Kentucky, whose parents are not known. Those two people were probably born between 1790 and 1800, and so they may have been Jacob's children. Jacob was not seen in the 1810 Census Report, or in any subsequent census reports, and so it is assumed that he died, sometime between 1801 and 1810.

There is no evidence anywhere that Harman Back ever had any other children, besides that set of twins (Harman Jr. and Anna Ella), who were born in 1737, in Freudenberg, Germany.

And he most certainly never had sons named John Back (1738-1794) or Henry Back (1740-1809), because those two men have been conclusively proven to have been members of a completely different, and completely separate, Back (Bach) family.

However, back in 1956, a man named Troy Lee Back (1904-1997) created the lie that John Back (1738-1794) and Henry Back (1740-1809) were the sons of Harman Back. Troy also created another lie. He claimed that Henry Back's widow, Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), moved to southeastern Kentucky, after Henry died, and founded his Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky with her (alleged) children, one of whom was Henry Back (1785-1871), who became Troy Back's great grandfather. (Those children actually belonged to another woman named Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back.) Troy created those lies, because he was desperately trying to establish genealogical lineage, between Harman Back, and his own Back (Bach) family, down in southeastern Kentucky.

John Back (1738-1794) and his brother Henry Back (1740-1809) were actually the sons of John Henry Back (1709-1789), who was from Thuringia, Germany (not Freudenberg, Germany). John Back and Henry Back also had a brother named Joseph Back (1745-1819). Joseph Back and his wife, Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), actually founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, with their children, one of whom was Henry Back (1785-1871), who became Troy Back's great grandfather. But, the reason that Troy lied, and claimed that he descended from Harman Back, with that inaccurate genealogy, was because he thought that he would make a great deal of money, by selling a genealogy book, based upon that inaccurate genealogy, and that it would also earn him recognition and prestige, as a genealogy expert. But his lies only caused a great deal of anger, bitter feelings, and needless confusion, within his own family. In fact, his lies tore apart his own family.

What Troy did, many years ago, still causes problems, to this day. That's because there are still a few people (called, "Back-Bach people") who cling to Troy's lies, despite the fact that there is absolutely no evidence anywhere that they are true. That's right. There is not one piece of evidence in existence, which proves that John Back and Henry Back were sons of Harman Back; and there is not one piece of evidence in existence, which proves that Henry Back's widow, Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), ever moved to Kentucky. However, there is substantial proof that John Back and Henry Back were not sons of Harman Back; and there is substantial proof that Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) did not move to Kentucky.

Let's start at the beginning of this bizarre nonsense.

Troy Lee Back (1904-1997): He was born and raised in Carr Fork, Kentucky, which is a very small community in Perry County, in southeastern Kentucky. He was certainly never recognized as being very smart, because he never even graduated from high school. However, Troy did know the actual genealogy of his own family, very well, just like everyone else in his family did, because it had been passed down, within the family, for generations, and it was frequently discussed, particularly at family reunions and at Christmastime.

The actual genealogy of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky: The family had originated in Thuringia, Germany, which was nowhere near Freudenberg, Germany, where Harman Back was from.

The family was related to the famous musical composer, Johann Sebastian Bach. They descended from Johann Sebastian Bach's cousin, Johann Christoph Bach, who was also a very talented musical composer and musician. The family originally spelled their last name as "Bach," but they changed the spelling to "Back," after they immigrated to America, just like how Harman Back did. But that is the only similarity between these two unrelated families; it really means nothing, because many immigrants simplified the spelling of their names after they arrived in America.

Troy Back's great, great, great grandfather was Johann Heinrich Bach (1709-1789), who was born in Germany. He and his wife Anna had sailed to America, in 1740. After they arrived, he simplified the spelling of his name to John Henry Back, and he was known as, "John Back." They settled in the far southern part of Orange County, Virginia, along Crooked Creek, near where it flows into the Robinson River, in what later became known as, "The Robinson River Valley." John Henry Back became a well-known millwright there. He and his wife had four children: John Back (1738-1794); Henry Back (1740-1809); Joseph Back (1745-1819); and a daughter whose name was probably Anna Back (1755-1804). In 1749, the land where John Henry Back and his family lived became the far southern part of Culpeper County; and it became Madison County, in 1792. It was about 25 miles southwest of Little Fork, where Harman Back lived, which was in the far northern part of Culpeper County. The two families probably didn't even know each other.

In 1791, John Henry Back's youngest son, Joseph Back (1745-1819), his wife, Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), and their children, migrated to southeastern Kentucky and founded the Back (Bach) family there, which became Troy Back's family. Joseph and Elizabeth's children included John Back (1774-1854); Mary Back (1777-1807); and Henry Back (1875-1871). Henry Back (1785-1871) became Troy Back's great grandfather.

THE TRUTH ABOUT TROY'S FAMILY: It is well-documented, and a proven fact, that all people with the last name of Back, or Bach, whose ancestors come from southeastern Kentucky, descend from Joseph Back (1745-1819) and Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), through one of their children. There is absolutely no connection between the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky, and Harman Back.

The Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky, and the Harman Back family, were two separate Back (Bach) families. They came from two different parts of Germany (Thuringia and Freudenberg); they immigrated in two different years (1740 and 1738); they settled into two different parts of Virginia (The Robinson River Valley and Little Fork); and their descendants later migrated to two different parts of Kentucky (southeastern Kentucky and central Kentucky). These two families were not related to each other, in any way whatsoever.

Family reunions: Troy's family, the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, held a family reunion every year, in the fall, organized by some of the family members, who called themselves, "The Bach Family Association." The family's well-known genealogy was always discussed at the reunions. Starting in 1933, those reunions were held on the farm of Miles Back, who lived in Breathitt County, in a little community called, "Quicksand." They had a very old Family Bible (actually a Catechism), which documented their genealogy. It was usually on display, at each reunion. It even contained a handwritten entry, from 1762, that said, "We came from Thuringia." John Henry Back (1709-1789) had bought that old Bible from his cousin, Johann Christian Bach (a son of Johann Sebastian Bach), in 1762, and when it arrived at his cabin, he made that handwritten entry into the old book. He obviously wanted his descendants to know where their family had come from. John Henry Back soon gave that old Bible to his youngest son, Joseph Back (1745-1819), because giving the Family Bible to the youngest son in the family was an old German tradition. Joseph took that old Family Bible with him, when he and his wife and children migrated to southeastern Kentucky, in 1791, and founded the Back (Bach) family there. Over the years, many members of the Back (Bach) family wrote their names and dates of birth into the old Bach Family Bible. There are also many other records in existence that provide definitive evidence of the family's genealogy as well, including tax lists, census reports, land deeds, marriage records, historical books, and old newspaper articles.

Practically every member of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky attended those family reunions, because they were so much fun. In fact, 400-500 people were usually there, sometimes even more. People brought a "basket lunch," and they sat outside, on the grass, sharing stories and pictures, and talking about their fascinating genealogy. That's why everyone in the Back (Bach) family, in southeastern Kentucky, knew who their ancestors were, including Troy Back. He attended the family reunion, nearly every year.

More about Troy Back: In 1927, Troy married his cousin, Margaret Brashear. By 1930, they were living in Betsy Layne, Kentucky, which was a "coal camp," also in southeastern Kentucky. A coal camp was a small community, where most of the men worked in the nearby coal mine. The men and their families usually lived in one of the small, run-down houses provided to them by the coal company. The coal company paid the men with "scrip," which was a form of money that they could only spend at the local "Company Store." Both Troy and his wife worked at the "Company Store," in Betsy Layne, for several years.

By 1935, Troy and his wife were living back in Perry County, in the small community of Vicco, which was only about one mile from where he was born. Troy was then working as a coal miner, probably for the Virginia Iron Coal and Coke Company.

Coal mining was dangerous and dirty work, and accidents often happened. As a result, back in 1910, the United States Bureau of Mines had been created (part of the U.S. Department of the Interior), in order to bring safety standards to all coal mines operating in the country. But since representatives of the federal government were not authorized to actually enter privately-owned mines, every mine appointed a "Safety Director," who was supposed to make sure that proper safety measures were followed, in their mine.

In 1941, Troy was appointed the Safety Director at his mine, in Vicco. Five years later, in 1946, he was sent up to Washington, D.C., to work at the headquarters for the Bureau of Mines. (He had applied for the job, so that he could get out of working in the coal mine.) He bought a house in nearby Arlington, Virginia. But he still returned to southeastern Kentucky, nearly every fall, to attend his family's reunion. Troy and his family lived in Arlington for twenty years, until he retired, in 1966.

Because Troy's job was a very simple, clerical position, he had lots of free time. So, he decided to research the genealogy of his mother's family (the Brashear's), and write a book about it, since he already knew the genealogy of his father's family (the Back's). During his research on the Brashear family, in the spring of 1956, he heard about a new genealogical organization that had just opened. It was called, "The Germanna Foundation." It was located in Locust Grove, Virginia, which was only about two hours south of his house. So, one day, he got in his car and drove down there.

The Germanna Foundation: This genealogical organization was formally established on March 12, 1956, although the members had been a loosely-knit group of genealogy researchers, prior to that. They were founded, in order to research the ancestors, and the descendants, of a small group of Germans, including Harman Back, who had immigrated to America, in the early 1700s. Those immigrants had settled in northern Virginia, northwest of the present-day city of Fredericksburg. They lived in the small settlements of Germanna, Little Fork, and Germantown.

The members of The Germanna Foundation consisted of some of the descendants of those German immigrants. The organization brought in a great deal of money, by selling genealogy books about the immigrants they researched, selling tickets to their annual genealogy conferences, and selling trips to Germany.

In the spring of 1956, when Troy Back visited The Germanna Foundation, he was absolutely mesmerized by how much money they made, from selling genealogy. He wished that he could somehow make a lot of money by selling genealogy as well, and so he hoped that he could find some sort of genealogical connection to The Germanna Foundation. He met with several people there, including Dr. Benjamin Holtzclaw, who was the "Historian" for The Germanna Foundation.

Dr. Holtzclaw recognized Troy's last name of Back, in two ways. First of all, one of the immigrants that The Germanna Foundation was researching was a man named Harman Back, who came from Freudenberg, Germany, and who settled in Little Fork, Virginia, in 1739. Dr. Holtzclaw told Troy that they didn't have any information about Harman Back's descendants, and so he wondered if Troy knew anything about Harman Back, or his descendants. Troy told him that he would have to "check on that later." (However, Troy knew full well that his family had come from Thuringia, Germany, but he just didn't say anything about that to Dr. Holtzclaw.)

Second, Dr. Holtzclaw told Troy about another family that The Germanna Foundation was researching, which was the family of John Hoffman (1692-1772). Mr. Hoffman was one of the early settlers in Germanna, Virginia. In 1729, he had married his second wife, Maria Sabina Folg; they soon left Germanna, and they migrated west, to some land along the Robinson River, which later became the far southern part of Culpeper County, Virginia. That area became known as, The Robinson River Valley. (After John Henry Back and his family had immigrated to America, in 1740, who were Troy's ancestors, they settled practically next door to John Hoffman and his family.)

John Hoffman had kept a Family Bible, in which he listed the names and dates of birth of each of his fourteen children. Dr. Holtzclaw told Troy that two of John Hoffman's daughters, Elizabeth Hoffman (born July 13, 1746) and Margaret Hoffman (born November 27, 1748), had married two brothers, John Back (1738-1794) and Henry Back (1740-1809). Troy immediately recognized Elizabeth's date of birth as being the same date of birth, on the gravestone for his great, great grandmother, "Elizabeth Back," in The Maggard Cemetery, back in Kentucky! Troy was absolutely elated! He had found a genealogical connection to The Germanna Foundation! He was going to "get rich"! John Hoffman's Family Bible was going to become the main piece of "evidence" that Troy utilized, in order to "prove" that his Back (Bach) family down in southeastern Kentucky descended from Harman Back. So, Troy went back to his house in Arlington, and he began to work on creating his "big lie."

Troy Back's "big lie": Troy figured that, if he could convince The Germanna Foundation that he descended from Harman Back, then he could make a lot of money, and "get rich," by selling a genealogy book about his Back (Bach) family, because that book would connect him to their highly profitable organization. In addition, he would also become recognized as a genealogy expert. So, in order to pretend that he descended from Harman Back, Troy had to create a fake lineage, to connect his Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, to Harman Back. He realized that, in order to accomplish that goal, he would have to do certain things, in three steps.

For the first step of his "big lie," Troy believed that he could easily convince The Germanna Foundation that Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg, and the wife of Henry Back (1740-1809), was his great, great grandmother. That's because there was a gravestone in The Maggard Cemetery, in Letcher County, Kentucky, near where he lived, that had the name of Elizabeth Hoffman Back on it (see below). It even had the same, exact date of birth on it (July 13, 1746) that was in John Hoffman's Family Bible. And even though the gravestone said that she was born in Thuringia, Germany, Troy believed that he could explain that away, by claiming that it was "just a mistake."

THE TRUTH ABOUT THAT GRAVESTONE: The gravestone in The Maggard Cemetery that Troy was referring to was erected in 1922, by Dr. Wilgus Bach. (It was not erected in 1826, when that woman died.) In fact, that gravestone was meant to describe Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), the wife of Joseph Back (1745-1819), because she was the woman who was actually buried there. However, Dr. Wilgus Bach had made two mistakes on the gravestone's inscription.

Dr. Wilgus Bach was known as "Dr. Wilgus." He had been researching the history and genealogy of his Bach (Back) family in southeastern Kentucky for many years. In 1922, he found a small stone marker, next to a large tree, in The Maggard Cemetery. It was inscribed simply as, "Elizabeth Back, died 1826." (There was no date of birth on the stone.) Dr. Wilgus knew that it was the marker for Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), the wife of Joseph Back (1745-1819), not only because all of the "old-timers" who lived around there had told him so, but because he knew that Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back had died in 1826, from his extensive research. Dr. Wilgus also knew that, prior to her death, Elizabeth had told people that she wanted to be buried next to that large tree. And then, years later, The Maggard Cemetery was created, around her grave. The cemetery was named, The Maggard Cemetery, because of her close connection to the Maggard family. (They had adopted her.)

Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back was Dr. Wilgus' great, great grandmother, and so, he wanted to honor her with a larger gravestone that had more information on it. Unfortunately, he made two mistakes on the inscription. Those two mistakes were the result of information that he had seen in the old Bach Family Bible; he had simply attributed that information to Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back by mistake.

The first mistake that Dr. Wilgus had made on the inscription was her date of birth (July 13, 1746). Dr. Wilgus had seen a handwritten entry in the old Bach Family Bible, from 1787, that showed the names and dates of birth for five people. It read as follows: "Elizabeth Back, born July 13, 1746; John Back, born November 19, 1774; Mary Back, born November 1, 1777; Henry Back, born February 6, 1785; and Lewis Back, born October 14, 1787."

Because the old Bible was later owned by Joseph Back and his wife, Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back, Dr. Wilgus assumed that the "Elizabeth Back," in that 1787 entry, was Joseph's wife. Therefore, he thought that July 13, 1746 was her date of birth. But it wasn't.

That 1787 entry into the old Bach Family Bible, for those five people, had been made by John Henry Back (1709-1789), who was the father of Joseph Back (1745-1819). John Henry Back was living in his cabin, along Crooked Creek, in the far southern part of Culpeper County, in The Robinson River Valley. His daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Hoffman Back, who was the wife of his son, Henry Back (1740-1809), and the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg, had come to his cabin that day, for a visit, and she had brought her newborn son Lewis with her. Meanwhile, John Henry Back's son, Joseph Back (1745-1819), had just left for Kentucky, to check on the status of getting a survey done, on some land that he had bought with a Treasury Warrant, back in 1782. Joseph's brother, Henry Back (1740-1809), may have gone with him. Joseph had also taken his wife, Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), and his oldest son, Joseph Back Jr. (1773-1802), to Kentucky with him. Joseph had left his three youngest children (John, Mary, and Henry) with their grandfather, while he was gone. So, John Henry Back simply made an entry into his old Family Bible, listing the names and dates of birth of the five people who were at his cabin that day. It was that simple.

But, 135 years later, when Dr. Wilgus saw that entry in the old Bach Family Bible for a woman named "Elizabeth Back," and her date of birth was July 13, 1746, he naturally thought that she was Joseph's wife. However, she was actually the wife of Joseph's brother Henry, which was Elizabeth Hoffman Back, who was actually born on July 13, 1746.

The second mistake that Dr. Wilgus had made on the inscription was her place of birth (Thuringia, Germany). Dr. Wilgus had seen another handwritten entry in the old Bach Family Bible, from 1762, that said, "We came from Thuringia." And once again, since the old Bible was later owned by Joseph Back and his wife, Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back, Dr. Wilgus assumed that Joseph and Elizabeth had both been born in Thuringia, Germany. But they weren't. They were both born in Virginia. That handwritten entry had also been made by John Henry Back (1709-1789), who actually was born in Thuringia. He had made that handwritten entry, in 1762, shortly after he had bought the old Bible, and it had arrived at his cabin. He wanted to make sure that his descendants knew where the family had come from.

For the second step of his "big lie," Troy believed that, since John Back (1774-1854), Mary Back (1777-1807), and Henry Back (1785-1871), were well-known as living in southeastern Kentucky, it would seem logical that they were the children of Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) and her husband Henry Back (1740-1809), since Elizabeth was buried in The Maggard Cemetery, in southeastern Kentucky. And since it could be easily proven that Henry Back (1785-1871) was Troy's great grandfather, Troy believed that he could convince The Germanna Foundation that he was a direct descendant of Henry Back (1740-1809) and Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746).

In essence, Troy was simply transferring the children of Joseph Back (1745-1819) and his wife Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), over to Henry Back (1740-1809) and his wife Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), for his inaccurate genealogy, and his "big lie."

However, Troy had a major problem, with the second step of his "big lie." He expected people to simply believe that, after Henry Back (1740-1809) died, his elderly, 64-year-old widow, Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), left Virginia (the only place she had ever known), with her three alleged children, and traveled 400 miles, through the dense and dangerous forest, full of wild animals and Indians, all the way down to the unsettled wilderness of southeastern Kentucky, for no apparent reason, where she had never even been before, where she didn't even know anyone, and then founded Troy's family there. But that's absolutely ridiculous. Why would an elderly widow do such a thing?

THE TRUTH ABOUT ELIZABETH HOFFMAN BACK: After her husband Henry Back (1740-1809) died, Elizabeth actually moved, just a short distance, to nearby Rockingham County, Virginia, to live next to her widowed sister Margaret Hoffman Back. Both sisters lived in Rockingham County, along Wolf Run, just east of the town of Elkton, until they died. This is well-documented by census reports, tax lists, and a 1816 land deed. That land deed clearly stated that Elizabeth's son Aaron had bought 50 acres for her, in Rockingham County, along Wolf Run, after his father had died, in 1809, which proved that she had moved there, not down to the dangerous wilderness of southeastern Kentucky.

The census report and the tax lists: Elizabeth was seen living with her son Aaron, and her daughters, in the 1810 Census Report, in Rockingham County, Virgina (see below). Aaron was listed as being the head of the household, and Elizabeth was indicated in the column for females age 45 and older. (She was then 64 years old.) Her two daughters were also indicated, and there was an unknown female indicated as well. Living right next door was Henry Hammer. Aaron would marry Henry's daughter, Margaret Elizabeth Luger Hammer, the following year (in 1811).

Elizabeth was also listed in all of the Land Tax Lists, and all of the Personal Property Tax Lists, in Rockingham County, Virginia, from 1810 through 1815. The 1810 Personal Property Tax List is shown below, as an example. It shows "Aaron and mother" as being the head of the household. Obviously, that was Aaron Back and his mother, Elizabeth Hoffman Back. Both the tax lists (from 1810 through 1815), and the 1810 Census Report, provide substantial proof that Elizabeth moved to Rockingham County, Virginia, after her husband died, and not to southeastern Kentucky.

Elizabeth died in Rockingham County, either in late 1815, or early 1816. She was either buried on her land along Wolf Run, or in an unmarked grave in the nearby Elk Run Cemetery (where her son Aaron's in-laws were buried). She never moved to Kentucky, and she most certainly was never buried in The Maggard Cemetery, in southeastern Kentucky.

The 1816 land deed: On April 10, 1809, Aaron Back, the son of Henry Back and Elizabeth Hoffman Back, bought 50 acres of land for his widowed mother to live on, along Wolf Run, in Rockingham County, Virginia, which was only about thirty miles from The Robinson River Valley. Aaron's aunt, Margaret Hoffman Back (his mother's sister), also bought 50 acres along Wolf Run that same day, for her to live on. It is believed that the two 50-acres parcels were located on opposite sides of the creek. The details of this 1809 land purchase were revealed, in the August 19, 1816 land deed, in which Aaron sold his mother's 50 acres, because she had recently died (see below). Aaron and his wife Elizabeth sold that 50 acres to his wife's brother, Henry Hammer Jr., for $1. Aaron and his wife then migrated to Preble County, Ohio. Other details in that 1816 deed explain that Margaret Hoffman Back's daughter, Elizabeth Hoffman Embry, and her husband John Embry, had initially owned that 100 acres along Wolf Run, and that they had sold 50 acres to Margaret Hoffman Back, and 50 acres to Aaron Back, on April 10, 1809.

However, let's continue on, with Troy's three steps.

For the third step of his "big lie," Troy needed to prove that Henry Back (1740-1809) was a son of Harman Back (1708-1789). That step was the difficult one, because Troy didn't have any proof of it (because it wasn't true). He also didn't have anything that he could claim was proof. So, in order to accomplish that third step, Troy knew that he needed to continually visit The Germanna Foundation, over a period of time, and simply tell them that Henry Back was a son of Harman Back, over and over. He hoped that, eventually, the people at The Germanna Foundation would come to the conclusion that Henry Back (1740-1809) had to be a son of Harman Back (1708-1789). Most importantly, Troy wanted to make it appear as if The Germanna Foundation had come to that conclusion themselves.

In addition, since it was well-known that the two Back brothers, John Back (1738-1794) and Henry Back (1740-1809), had married the two Hoffman sisters, Elizabeth Hoffman (born July 13, 1746) and Margaret Hoffman (born November 27, 1748), that would mean that John Back (1738-1794) had to be a son of Harman Back (1708-1789) as well. Later on, Troy would continually focus on emphasizing the fact that those two brothers had married those two sisters, instead of actually proving who the father of those two brothers was.

Troy had no proof whatsoever that the father of those two brothers was Harman Back, because they weren't. But he hoped that The Germanna Foundation wouldn't notice that he didn't have any proof. He also hoped that they wouldn't notice that those two brothers, and their in-laws (John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg), lived 25 miles south of Little Fork, in The Robinson River Valley, which was in a completely different tax district than Little Fork (as proven by the tax lists). In fact, starting in 1782, when the tax lists began in Culpeper County, in every Personal Property Tax List, and in every Land Tax List, Henry Back (1740-1809) and his brother John Back (1738-1794) were listed as living in the tax district that was in the far southern part of the county, in The Robinson River Valley; but yet, Harman Back Jr., who was the only actual son of Harman Back, was listed as living in the far northern part of the county, in Little Fork, 25 miles away, which was in a completely different tax district.

The reason that it is known that these two families lived in completely different tax districts was because the tax lists were prepared by specific men, who lived in their specific tax district. Up in Little Fork, the man who prepared the tax lists, from 1782-1786, was John Wigginton; and the man who prepared them, from 1787-1789, was Aaron Lane. Both men were well-known as living in Little Fork. But down in The Robinson River Valley, there were five different men who prepared the tax lists down there: Henry Field Jr. (in 1782); Henry Hill (from 1783-1786); Goodrich Lightfoot (in 1787); John Hume (in 1788); and John Gibbs (in 1789). All five of those men were well-known as living in The Robinson River Valley. In fact, Henry Field Jr. lived right next door to John Henry Back (1709-1789), who was the father of John Back (1738-1794), Henry Back (1740-1809), and Joseph Back (1745-1819). That fact is easily proven by land deeds. And when Madison County was formed from the southern part of Culpeper County, in 1792, John Back (1738-1794) and his brother Henry Back (1740-1809) were listed in those tax lists, until they died. Their brother Joseph Bach (1745-1819) had left Culpeper County, in 1789, headed for southeastern Kentucky.

The summer of 1956: Troy went back to The Germanna Foundation, in the summer of 1956, and he told his "big lie" to several people, including Dr. Holtzclaw. He told them that he descended from Henry Back (1740-1809) and his wife, Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), and that, after Henry died, his widow Elizabeth moved to southeastern Kentucky with her (alleged) children, including his great grandfather, Henry Back (1785-1871), and founded the Back (Bach) family there. He also told them that Elizabeth died in 1826, and she was buried in The Maggard Cemetery, as proven by her date of birth (July 13, 1746) on that gravestone there. (He probably didn't bother to mention that the gravestone had been created in 1922, not in 1826, when she died.) He also told them that Henry Back (1740-1809) and his brother John Back (1738-1794) were sons of Harman Back.

Pearl Day Bach: Meanwhile, while Troy was living up in Arlington, Virginia, and trying to impress the people at The Germanna Foundation with his lies, down in southeastern Kentucky, there was a woman named Pearl Day Bach (1887-1968), who had been researching the genealogy of the Back (Bach) family for decades. She had married William Everett Bach, who was Troy's cousin, back in 1906. Pearl had been very involved in genealogy and history, for many years. She had been the "Historian" for the Back (Bach) family reunions, ever since Dr. Wilgus had died, back in 1936. (Dr. Wilgus was well-known for researching and documenting the family's genealogy. He had been the "Historian" for the family, and for the family reunions, up until his death.) Pearl was also the Chairperson of the Kentucky Historical Society's Genealogy Department; the State Historian for the Kentucky Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution; and a prominent member of many other historical and genealogical organizations. So, she was highly-respected, for her work in history and genealogy. (Many of her old letters and research are maintained at Morehead State University, and some of the information they contain is included in this report.)

Pearl had known Dr. Wilgus very well, and he had shared his research with her. In 1940, she wrote a letter to a friend telling her that Dr. Wilgus had engaged a professional genealogist in Berlin, Germany, who had confirmed that the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky descended from the family of Johann Sebastian Bach. In 1943, she wrote to another friend that she actually had a copy of Dr. Wilgus' genealogy manuscript, and there was no mention of Harman Back being connected to the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky. That letter made it clear that Pearl had known about Harman Back, at least by 1943, and she also knew that he was not related to her husband's Back (Bach) family. In 1945, she wrote in another letter that Harman, or his descendants, had left Culpeper County, Virginia, in 1789, and migrated to what is now Garrard County, Kentucky, in central Kentucky (not southeastern Kentucky).

She also had written that Dr. Wilgus had even told her all sorts of additional information, which he had not yet written down in his genealogy manuscript. (He had died suddenly, before he could publish his manuscript into a book.)

Dr. Wilgus Bach: In the early 1900s, Dr. Wilgus had verified the family's genealogy, which had been passed down within the family for generations. He confirmed that the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky had originated in Thuringia, Germany, and that they were, in fact, related to Johann Sebastian Bach. (They descended from Johann Sebastian's cousin, Johann Christoph Bach.) Dr. Wilgus had also confirmed that the immigrant in the family, John Henry Back (1709-1789), had been a well-known millwright, in Culpeper County, Virginia, and that he and his wife Anna had four children: John Back (1738-1794); Henry Back (1740-1809); Joseph Back (1745-1819); and a daughter whose name was probably Anna Back (1755-1804).

Dr. Wilgus further confirmed that John Henry Back's youngest son, Joseph Back (1745-1819), had married a woman named Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back. (She had been orphaned as a child, and then she was adopted by Samuel Maggard, and so her name became, "Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back.") Dr. Wilgus also verified that Joseph and his wife Elizabeth had four children: Joseph Back Jr. (1773-1802); John Back (1774-1854); Mary Back (1777-1807); and Henry Back (1785-1871). In addition, Dr. Wilgus further confirmed that Joseph Back (1745-1819), and his wife and children, had migrated to southeastern Kentucky, in 1791, and had initially settled along Quicksand Creek, in what is now Breathitt County; and that Joseph and Elizabeth later moved down along the Cumberland River, around 1797, and lived in what is now Harlan County. Joseph died there, in 1819; and Elizabeth died there, in 1826. He proved that Joseph and Elizabeth were the people who had founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, by conducting interviews with countless elderly people, who lived around there, and who told him what they knew about their ancestors. He also obtained copies of all sorts of records, in both Kentucky and Virginia; and he consulted with various researchers, both in both in America and Germany. All of his research came to the same conclusions.

1956 family reunion in southeastern Kentucky: A few months after Troy had visited The Germanna Foundation, several times, in the spring and summer of 1956, he attended his Back (Bach) family reunion, down in southeastern Kentucky, like he usually did, in the fall of 1956. At that reunion, he told members of his family that he had recently uncovered "some new research" about the family's ancestors. He was very vague about what it was, because he was still formulating all the details, in order to make his "big lie" as believable as possible. He also knew that nobody would believe his "big lie," right away. He knew that he would have to get a few family members "on his side," first.

So, he began focusing on getting Pearl Bach "on his side." Troy knew that he would need her support, most of all, because she was the family's "Historian." Over the next several years, he wrote lots of letters to Pearl, giving her little pieces of his "big lie," which he "substantiated" with all sorts of invalid information, ridiculous assumptions, and preposterous conclusions. He continually tried to impress her with his so-called "genealogical skills," including telling Pearl that he had driven somewhere to do some research, or written a letter to someone, as if those two things "proved" that he was a real genealogy expert. At the same time, he fawned all over her, in his letters. He acted so subservient to her, even writing, "I'll do whatever you say." In practically every letter, he extended his "best regards" for her husband, and he usually ended every letter with, "Cordially yours." His letters were so overly polite, and gushing with such blatant insincerity and phoniness, that it was downright nauseating.

1957 family reunion in southeastern Kentucky: Troy also attended his Back (Bach) family reunion, down in southeastern Kentucky, in the fall of 1957. It was reported in the newspaper, just prior to the reunion, that he would be coming in, from Washington, D.C. That was because, ever since the 1956 family reunion, Troy had been telling people about his "new research." (He worked in Washington, D.C., but he lived in Arlington, Virginia.) Troy continued to be very vague about what his "new research" was, trying to make himself seem so important, and so dedicated to accuracy, that he wanted to "be sure of the facts," before he told everyone everything.

Troy's persistence: After his initial visits to The Germanna Foundation, in 1956, Troy continued to go back there, quite often, and he kept telling his "big lie" to the people there. He told them that he descended from Henry Back (1740-1809) and his wife Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), and that, after Henry had died, his widow Elizabeth moved down to southeastern Kentucky with her children and founded his Back (Bach) family there. He said that the proof of this was the fact that Elizabeth had been buried in The Maggard Cemetery, and that her exact date of birth was on her gravestone.

He also told them that Henry Back was a son of Harman Back. He never had any actual proof of that part of his "big lie," because it wasn't true, but he was extremely persistent, in telling them that it was true. Eventually, many people at The Germanna Foundation began to believe him, especially since there was no other information available about Harman Back's descendants, and they really wanted to have "something" about Harman's descendants, in order to attract people in the Back (Bach) family, to buy memberships in their organization, to buy their genealogy books, to buy tickets to their genealogy conferences, and perhaps, to even buy their trips to Germany. After all, making money from genealogy was the cornerstone of their existence.

Dr. Holtzclaw, who was the "Historian" for The Germanna Foundation, was under tremendous pressure from the other members of The Germanna Foundation, to believe Troy, because they were more interested in getting money from the alleged descendants of Harman Back, than providing an accurate genealogy. Dr. Holtzclaw was continually bullied, and was even directly told, to "go along with" Troy's lies, even though Troy had no proof of them.

By the summer of 1958: By that summer, Troy had convinced Pearl of the first part of his "big lie." He had convinced her that the woman who was buried in The Maggard Cemetery was actually Elizabeth Hoffman Back, who was the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg, because the date of birth on her gravestone (July 13, 1746), in The Maggard Cemetery, was the exact, same date of birth in John Hoffman's Family Bible for his daughter named Elizabeth. And since everyone knew that Elizabeth Hoffman (born July 13, 1746) had married Henry Back (1740-1809), that meant that Henry Back was the family's paternal ancestor, not Joseph Back. He also convinced Pearl that "those facts" meant that John Back (1774-1854), Mary Back (1777-1807), and Henry Back (1785-1871) were the children of Henry Back and Elizabeth Hoffman Back, not Joseph Back and Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back.

Troy specifically told Pearl that the father of Henry Back was not yet known, even though he had spent the last two years telling the people at The Germanna Foundation that Henry Back was the son of Harman Back. Troy was hoping that, that final piece of information, the most important part of his "big lie" (the part that would really make him rich), would soon be revealed by The Germanna Foundation, to make it seem that it came from them, and not from him. (What a deceptive and dishonest person he was.)

Troy pretended not to know that John Henry Back (1709-1789) was the "well-known millwright" in Culpeper County, who lived in The Robinson River Valley, and who actually was the father of Henry Back (1740-1809). In fact, Troy usually claimed that the "well- known millwright" was either John Back (1738-1794), the brother of Henry Back (1740-1809); or John Back (1760-1845), the Revolutionary War soldier, who was a first cousin of Henry Back (1740-1809). Troy actually made up all sorts of lies about John Back (1760-1845), the Revolutionary War solider, and his brother Jacob Back (1764-1839), who married Sarah Lloyd. Troy apparently either had no idea who they really were; or, he pretended not to know who they really were.

Furthermore, a simple check of the 1810 Census Report, would have proven that Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) had moved to Rockingham County, Virginia, in 1809, and not to southeastern Kentucky. She was seen living in Rockingham County, with her son Aaron Back and her two daughters. (There was only one man named "Aaron Back," in early America, and that was the son of Henry Back and Elizabeth Hoffman Back.)

That listing in the 1810 Census Report showed "Aaron Back" as being the head of the household, and his mother Elizabeth was indicated in the column for women over the age of 45. (She was then 64 years old.) Why didn't Troy check the census reports? (He probably did, but he pretended he didn't.) Why didn't Dr. Holtzclaw check the census reports? (He probably did, but he was pressured to not say anything.) It was so obvious that Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) was living in Rockingham County, Virginia, and not in southeastern Kentucky, especially since Aaron's future father-in-law (Henry Hammer) was listed as living right next door! Aaron married his daughter the following year. Also, Elizabeth's sister, Margaret Hoffman Back, was listed in the 1820 and 1830 Census Reports, living in Rockingham County as well! In addition, Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) was listed in the Rockingham County Tax Lists, from 1810 through 1815, as owning personal property, as well as owning 50 acres along Wolf Run. In fact, in the 1810 Personal Property Tax List, the listing was "Aaron Back and mother," which is absolute proof that was her. Elizabeth's sister, Margaret Hoffman Back, was listed in the Rockingham County Tax Lists, as owning personal property, as well as owning 50 acres along Wolf Run, from 1810 through 1830. Elizabeth was not listed in any Tax List after 1815, and so it is believed that she had died, either in late 1815 or early 1816.

How much more evidence does anyone need, to prove that Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) moved to Rockingham County, Virginia, after her husband Henry Back died, in 1809, and not to southeastern Kentucky?

IMPORTANT: Years later, it would be revealed that The Germanna Foundation's only "proof" of Troy's "new research" would simply consist of the lies that Troy had told them, without any actual documented evidence of any of it. But by then, it had gone on for so long, and so many people had been fooled by Troy and his lies, that The Germanna Foundation was simply too embarrassed to retract any of it. So they just went along with it. They still do.

Also bizarre was the fact that, whenever Troy was asked to prove who the father of Henry Back was, he replied that it had to have been Harman Back, because "there was no place else to put Henry." (What? "No other place to put him?" You call that, genealogical research?)

1958 family reunion in southeastern Kentucky: Prior to the 1958 reunion, all of the newspaper articles about the family reunions, every year, going back to 1933, had described the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky as descending from the family of Johann Sebastian Bach. The articles also stated that the immigrant was named John Bach; that he was a "well-known millwright" in Virginia; and that his son Joseph, his wife Elizabeth, and their children, including John Back (1774-1854), migrated to southeastern Kentucky and founded the Back (Bach) family there. That was an accurate summary of the family's genealogy.

However, one month before the 1958 family reunion, on August 19, 1958, Pearl wrote a letter to a friend, saying that she was going to get an article in the newspaper about the upcoming reunion. That article suddenly claimed that the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky descended from Elizabeth Hoffman Back, the widow of Henry Back! It also stated that Elizabeth was buried "near Cumberland," which referred to The Maggard Cemetery, near the Cumberland River! (The Lexington Herald, August 24, 1958, p. 22). Members of the Back (Bach) family who read that article were absolutely shocked. That was nothing like the genealogy that they already knew. The article also went into detail about The Germanna Foundation, and it implied that they had the "proof" of this "new research" (not Troy Back).

So, it is quite obvious that, by the 1958 family reunion, Troy had been able to get Pearl "on his side." At that reunion, Troy was also able to get two of his cousins, Madison T. Bach and Grannis Bach, "on his side" as well.

Troy was presented as a "genealogy expert," at the 1958 reunion, and he gave a report concerning the "new research" about the family. He said that it was Elizabeth Hoffman Back, the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg, and the wife of Henry Back, who was buried in The Maggard Cemetery, and so therefore, it was Elizabeth Hoffman Back who founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, not Joseph Back and his wife Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back. Troy made it seem as if this "new research" was research that had been done by The Germanna Foundation (not by him), and that he was just reporting on what they had discovered. Troy was then appointed to be the First Vice President, at the following year's reunion, as recognition for being such a "talented genealogist."

1959 family reunion in southeastern Kentucky: Troy Back was, in fact, the First Vice President, as shown by the flyer that was printed that year (see below). Pearl Day Bach ("Mrs. W.E. Bach") was still the "Historian." Just prior to the 1959 reunion, Troy had written Pearl and told her that, "We should come to a firm decision on what to do about the incorrect data on the tombstone of Elizabeth Hoffman Back." (He wanted to cover up the part of the inscription that said she came from Thuringia.) Troy even wrote that he was "certain that Dr. Wilgus Bach would want it corrected." Troy was incredibly anxious to get rid of the word, "Thuringia," on the gravestone of his own great, great grandmother, as quickly as possible, in order to make that gravestone completely agree with his "big lie." By that time, he actually believed that he was "in charge" of the genealogy of his family, and that he was "the only one" who decided what his own family believed, about their own ancestors.

At that reunion, Troy gave a very long and boring speech, trying to impress people with stories about several families named Back (or Bach), who lived back in England, and in Germany, hundreds of years ago. He mentioned the family of Johann Sebastian Bach, but said nothing about his family in southeastern Kentucky descending from them. He talked about a few people named Back (or Bach) who came to America, but he did not mention the names of his own ancestors. He had simply copied some information from a book, and then stood there and read it. He tried so hard to make it sound as if he was a real genealogist.

Troy then handed out a sheet of information about his "big lie." It was titled, Our Earliest-Known Back (or Bach) Ancestor and His Family. It was absolutely ludicrous. The paper first stated that, "About two years ago, a family record from an old Bible was discovered, which shed new and positive light on some of our early ancestors." (He was referring to John Hoffman's Family Bible, which he had found out about, at The Germanna Foundation, in 1956.)

The paper went on to state that John Hoffman's Family Bible said that his daughter Elizabeth Hoffman was born on July 13, 1746, and since that was the exact, same date on the gravestone in The Maggard Cemetery, for "Elizabeth Back," that meant that John Hoffman's daughter, Elizabeth Hoffman Back, had founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, and was buried there (not Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back). The paper further claimed that, since Elizabeth Hoffman Back's husband was Henry Back (1740-1809), that meant that Henry Back (1740-1809) was the family's paternal ancestor, not Joseph Back (1745-1819). And finally, the paper claimed that John Back (1774-1854), who married Catherine Robertson; Mary Back (1777-1807); and Henry Back (1785-1871), who he suddenly called "Henry Jr.," and who married Susannah Maggard, were the children of Henry Back and Elizabeth Hoffman Back, not Joseph Back and Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back. The paper concluded that, "In view of these newly-discovered records, the family's genealogy must be changed accordingly."

Troy then announced that he wanted to set up a "Book Committee," to write a book about the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, and he wanted the committee to pay for "any necessary expenditures." (He was just trying to get some money for himself.) Troy nominated Pearl Bach to be the "Chairman" of the Book Committee, because she was highly respected as a historian and genealogist, and he didn't want to be too obvious about his intentions. But, of course, Troy also nominated himself to be on the committee as well. The people in attendance at the reunion were absolutely stunned.

Extraordinary stupidity: The nine-year exchange of letters (1956-1965) between Troy Back and Pearl Back revealed that both of them lacked any real knowledge concerning how to conduct proper genealogical research. It was surprising to learn that, about Pearl, because she was supposed to have been so experienced in genealogy. In one letter, she even wrote that she thought that her Back family "were among that group of colonists in 1719" (in Germanna), without any proof at all. And Troy even wrote, in one letter, that he thought that his family descended from a man named John Back, who bought some land in 1662, in Rappahannock County, Virginia, simply because, later on, there were so many men in his family with the first name of John.

Both Troy and Pearl were continually confused about all the men named John Back, in their family; in fact, they never did sort them out correctly. That included John Back (1709-1789), the immigrant, who was the "well-known millwright," and whose full name was John Henry Back; John Back (1738-1794), who was the son of John Henry Back and the husband of Margaret Hoffman Back; John Back (1760-1845), who was the man who fought in the Revolutionary War; and John William Back (1722-1794), who was known as, "John Back," and who was the brother of John Henry Back and the father of the John Back who fought in the Revolutionary War. Troy and Pearl were also confused about the men named Joseph Back: Joseph Back (1745-1819), who was the man who founded the family in southeastern Kentucky, and the son of John Henry Back; and Joseph Back (1756-1832), who was the son of Harman Back Jr. (1737-1797), and who they mistakenly thought was the son of Harman Back (1708-1789). And they had no idea who Harman Back Jr. (1764-1820) was, even though he was the son of Harman Back Jr. (1737-1797), and the grandson of Harman Back (1708-1789). Troy had even found the 1740 Passenger List which showed that John Henry Back, his brother John William Back, and their cousin John Jacob Back, came to America, on the ship Lydia, but yet, neither he, nor Pearl, could ever figure out who they were.

Both Troy and Pearl created all sorts of "information" about Harman Back (1708-1789) as well. First, Pearl thought, for a long time, that there were two different men (Harman Back, and Herman Back), not realizing that it was simply a different spelling of his first name. Both Troy and Pearl claimed that Harman Back got remarried in Little Fork, without any proof at all. Then, they claimed that Harman Back was the father of John Back (1738-1794), Henry Back (1740-1809), and Joseph Back (1756-1832), although they changed Joseph's year of birth, to be 1742, to make it seem more likely that he was Harman's son. But they had no proof whatsoever that those three men were the sons of Harman Back. In fact, John and Henry lived over 25 miles away, down in the far southern part of Culpeper County, and they were well-documented as living there; they were obviously part of a different Back family.

IMPORTANT: There is not even one record for a man named John Back, or a man named Henry Back, ever living in Little Fork, Virginia. Not one. There is no man named John Back, or Henry Back, in any Tax List, in Little Fork. There is no man named John Back, or Henry Back, in any land deed, court record, or any other record, in Little Fork. Nobody by the name of John Back or Henry Back ever lived in Little Fork. That is simply a fact. So how could Harman Back, who was known to have lived in Little Fork, have had sons named John Back, or Henry Back, when there are no records for any man named John Back, or Henry Back, in Little Fork? Yet, there are records in Little Fork for Harman Back Jr., who was the only documented and proven son of Harman Back.

And then, Troy and Pearl claimed that Harman Back (1708-1789) sold his 100-acre farm in Little Fork, in 1789, and then he migrated to Garrard County, Kentucky. However, that deed clearly stated that the man who was selling that 100 acres had inherited it, which means that Harman Back (1708-1789) must have been dead by then. Furthermore, does anyone really believe that an elderly, 81-year-old man would migrate, all the way, from Little Fork, Virginia, through the dense and dangerous wilderness, to central Kentucky, a distance of over 500 miles? No, of course not! But Troy and Pearl simply claimed that he did. (Just like they claimed that an elderly, 64-year-old widow woman migrated, all the way, from The Robinson River Valley, through the dense and dangerous wilderness, to southeastern Kentucky, a distance of over 400 miles!) They never understood that Harman Back (1708-1789) had just one son, which was Harman Back Jr. (1737-1797). Nor did they ever understand that, after Harman Back (1708-1789) died (which was sometime before 1782), his only son, Harman Back Jr. (1737-1797), was no longer considered to be a "Jr.," by the people who lived in Little Fork, and so, he was then simply called, "Harman Back." That was extremely evident, in that 1789 land deed, as well as in all of the tax lists, in Little Fork. If they had bothered to study those tax lists, they may have realized that.

Pearl had found the 1794 will for a man named Harman Back, in Garrard County, Kentucky. She immediately claimed that it was the will of Harman Back (1708-1789), without any proof at all. Because the will left property to the man's son Joseph, she and Troy claimed that Joseph Back (1756-1832) was the son of Harman Back (1708-1789). But the will was actually the will of Harman Back Jr. (1737-1797), which means that Joseph Back (1756-1832) was the son of Harman Back Jr. (1737-1797). To this day, people mistakenly claim that it was the will of Harman Back (1708-1789), and that Joseph was his son, simply because Pearl and Troy had initially made that claim. Pearl and Troy caused so much trouble, not only in their own Back (Bach) family, but in Harman Back's family as well.

Neither Troy nor Pearl ever considered the probability that Dr. Wilgus had simply made an error on that 1922 gravestone. Pearl was so willing to simply toss aside all the years of serious research that Dr. Wilgus had done, and the hundreds of years of the family's genealogy that had been passed down, from generation to generation, simply because of that one error on that one gravestone. It was astonishing. In addition, neither Troy nor Pearl ever did understand that 1787 entry in the old Bach Family Bible that listed the names and dates of birth for Elizabeth Back, John Back, Mary Back, Henry Back, and Lewis Back.

And neither Troy nor Pearl ever bothered to check the 1810 Census Reports, in Virginia. If they had done so, they would have seen that, the widow, Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), was living in Rockingham County, Virginia, with her son Aaron and her two daughters, not down in southeastern Kentucky with her alleged children (John, Mary, and Henry).

And neither Troy nor Pearl ever bothered to check any of the tax lists in Virginia, either, which began in 1782. Everyone knows (or should know) that tax lists are a vital part of genealogical research, in early Virginia. Not only would the Rockingham County Tax Lists have proven that Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) had moved to Rockingham County, Virginia, after her husband Henry had died (not to southeastern Kentucky), but the Madison County Tax Lists would have proven that Elizabeth and Henry's actual son named Henry was born in 1783 (not 1785); and that their actual son named John was born in 1776 (not 1774). That's because men were first listed on the tax lists, when they turned 21 years old, and so it was relatively easy to determine their year of birth.

And, of course, the Culpeper County Tax Lists would have proven that Harman Back's only son, Harman Jr., lived in the far northern part of Culpeper County, while John Henry Back's sons, John and Henry, lived 25 miles away, in a completely different tax district, in the far southern part of Culpeper County, which later became Madison County. And finally, and most importantly, the Culpeper County Tax Lists would have proven that no men named John Back or Henry Back ever lived in Little Fork, because they were never seen on any tax list there (or in any other record there); they were only seen on the tax lists down in The Robinson River Valley, in the far southern part of Culpeper County, where John Hoffman and his family lived.

Even more startling was the fact that neither Troy nor Pearl had any idea why the family spelled their last name as "Bach," back in Germany, but then spelled it as "Back," in America. That shows a complete lack of understanding of the immigration to this country.

In addition, neither Troy nor Pearl knew anything about The Law of Primogeniture, in Virginia, either. That law was in effect until 1787. It mandated that, when a man died, all of his property automatically went to his eldest son. But when John Hoffman wrote his will, in 1762, he left land to each of his fourteen children, including his eldest son John. So, that will was in violation of The Law of Primogeniture. John Hoffman died, in 1772, but because of that law, his estate was not completely settled, until years later, in the early 1800s. That was when his eldest son John made a series of thirteen quitclaim deeds, to each of his thirteen siblings, giving up all of his rights to the lands that their father had willed to each of them, for $1 each. John's quitclaim deed to his sister, Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), was made on August 19, 1803. Troy found that deed, and he thought that the John Hoffman who made that quitclaim deed was Elizabeth's father, and because Elizabeth's husband Henry Back (1740-1809) was not named in that quitclaim deed, Troy thought that meant that Henry had died, sometime before 1803. That's ridiculous. First of all, Elizabeth's father had died in 1772, so how could he have executed a deed in 1803? Elizabeth's father had willed her that land, long before she had married Henry, and so it was willed only to her, because she was her father's daughter. So, of course, Henry would not have been named in that quitclaim deed.

Troy also said that Henry Back (1785-1871), who he claimed was a son of Henry Back (1740-1809) and Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), came to Knox County, Kentucky, before his mother did, and that he paid taxes on some land in Knox County, on March 14, 1808. (Part of Knox County became Harlan County, in 1819.) But that was not true. That was a different man. That man's name on that 1808 Tax List in Knox County clearly was "Henry Bolin Back," and he was listed in the Knox County Tax Lists, from 1807 through 1809. He was gone from Kentucky, by 1810. (Isn't it odd how Troy checked the tax lists in Kentucky, but he never checked the tax lists in Virginia? No, he probably did check the tax lists in Virginia, and when he saw that Elizabeth was living there with her son Aaron, he never said anything about it, because that information was in conflict with his "big lie!")

Troy made so many strange claims and assertions about the genealogy of his family. At one point, he even offered a $50 reward to anyone who found the marriage record of Henry Back (1740-1809) and Elizabeth Hoffman (born July 13, 1746), even though that document would not have actually proven anything. Troy even tried to get Dr. Holtzclaw to think that Harman Back was actually from Thuringia, and that it was Harman who wrote "We came from Thuringia," in the old Bach Family Bible. Troy tried to claim that Harman was from Thuringia, and that he had moved away from Thuringia, to Freudenberg, shortly before he immigrated to America, in 1738. But yet, Troy could not explain how the Freudenberg Church records had documented Harman Back's parents, and ancestors, as living in Freudenberg, back to 1610!

Troy's letters to Pearl exposed just how downright stupid he was. It's sad, but true. Troy actually wrote that he thought, "it was possible that John Back (1760-1845), the Revolutionary War soldier, could have been the father of Henry Back (1740-1809)." That was beyond bizarre. How could someone be the father of a man who was born twenty years before he was? Troy went on to say that, if that was so, "then the John Back (1738-1794) who married Margaret Hoffmann could not have been Henry Back's brother, because it is certain that there were not two John's in the same family." There are really no words to describe that level of stupidity.

Troy also spewed lots of false flattery upon Dr. Holtzclaw, just like he did to Pearl. Troy must have known that the other members of The Germanna Foundation had been pressuring Dr. Holtzclaw to go along with Troy's "big lie." After all, Troy often visited The Germanna Foundation, for years, and so he talked with lots of people there. Troy knew that Dr. Holtzclaw actually was an experienced historian and genealogist, who did actual research, and so he knew that Dr. Holtzclaw really didn't believe his "big lie." However, Dr. Holtzclaw was forced to go along with it, by the other members. So, Troy knew that he had Dr. Holtzclaw "under his thumb," and so he "rubbed his nose in it," from time to time. Troy even closed one of his letters to Dr. Holtzclaw with the comment, "May your work be crowned with complete success."

The Germanna Foundation conference in July of 1960: Troy had been telling Pearl all about The Germanna Foundation, ever since 1956. At Troy's urging, Pearl Bach, her husband, William Everett Bach, and their daughter and her husband, went to The Germanna Foundation's annual conference, in July of 1960, in Locust Grove, Virginia. This was even reported in the newspaper (The Lexington Herald-Leader, July 17, 1960, p. 43). Troy was anxious for them to talk to people at The Germanna Foundation.

There were hundreds of people there, and it was a well-organized and impressive event, with lots of food, and lots of presentations. It is believed that Troy Back was also there, as were his cousins, Madison T. Bach and Grannis Bach. It is also believed that all of them bought memberships in The Germanna Foundation that year as well. This is because their names were printed in The Germanna Foundation's Membership Roster, 1956-1966 (see below). At that time, memberships for individuals were $5/year, and $8/year for families. (You could also buy a lifetime membership for $100!)

Prior to that conference, Pearl had become convinced that, since the date of birth on that gravestone for "Elizabeth Back," in The Maggard Cemetery, was the same date of birth for the "Elizabeth Back" in John Hoffman's Family Bible, that meant that the woman buried in The Maggard Cemetery was John Hoffman's daughter, as well as the wife of Henry Back (1740-1809). Therefore, Henry Back (1740-1809) and Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) were the parents of John Back (1774-1854); Mary Back (1777-1807); and Henry Back (1785-1871), since those three children grew up in southeastern Kentucky. And so, the speakers at the conference simply reinforced that.

And then, the speakers at the conference started talking about Harman Back, from Little Fork. They said that Harman Back had four sons: John Back (1738-1794), who married Margaret Hoffman (born November 27, 1748); Henry Back (1740-1809), who married Margaret's sister, Elizabeth Hoffman (born July 13, 1746); Joseph Back (1742-1832); and Harman Back Jr. (1745-1820). However, The Germanna Foundation altered the dates of birth for Joseph and Harman Jr.

However, what Pearl and the others didn't know was that all of the information that was being presented about Harman's (alleged) descendants had actually come directly from Troy Back, a few years before. It was definitely not information that had been researched or verified by The Germanna Foundation. But yet, it was presented as if it was.

While Pearl was at the conference, she had met Dr. Holtzclaw, and she had asked him if he would please write to her, and put all of that information about the descendants of Harman Back in writing, so she could have it for her files. He agreed to do that. Troy told Pearl that he really wanted to see that letter as well. And so, in late July of 1960, after Pearl received that letter from Dr. Holtzclaw, she actually mailed it to Troy (instead of mailing him a copy). He then replied to Pearl, on August 8, 1960, and wrote, "I am returning your very interesting letter from Dr. Holtzclaw. Thank you for being so kind and thoughtful as to share it with me." Troy's letter then went on to make some very odd comments. He actually wrote, "Now to the statement of Dr. Holtzclaw that Harman Back was probably the father of Henry and John who married the Hoffman sisters. It seems very likely that Harman was old enough to have been their father, but I do not believe that he was. If he had been, I feel certain that the name Harman (or Herman) would have shown up in the descendants of our Henry." Of course, that was just another absurd statement from Troy, but what he was really trying to do there was to pretend that he was not 100% sure that Henry and John were the sons of Harman, in order to make it appear that it really was The Germanna Foundation who had created that (inaccurate) lineage, not him. (Troy did those kinds of things, all the time. He was very manipulative.)

Troy had finally accomplished the third step of his "big lie": By making sure that Pearl went to The 1960 Germanna Foundation's conference, so she could hear them say that Henry Back (1740-1809) was a son of Harman Back (1708-1789), Troy was able to accomplish the third and final step of his "big lie." He had finally made it seem as if the people at The Germanna Foundation had "proven" that Henry Back (1740-1809) was a son of Harman Back (1708-1789), and not him.

1960 family reunion in southeastern Kentucky: Back at the 1959 reunion, Troy had been appointed to be the First Vice President for the 1960 reunion, again, which was held on September 4, 1960. Obviously, that was because he was still the center of attention, due to his "new research." Troy's appointment to be First Vice President was reported in the newspaper, just prior to the 1960 reunion, and Pearl Bach (as "Mrs. W.E. Bach") was listed as the "Historian." The article also indicated that Troy was still living up in Arlington, Virginia.

However, Troy did not show up for the 1960 reunion! Instead, he sent a letter to Pearl, and he asked her to read it at the reunion. He did that because Pearl was a well-known and highly-respected genealogist, and she was also the "Historian" of the "Bach Family Association." So, by having her present his "big lie," that gave it tremendous credibility.

The letter talked about how The Germanna Foundation had determined that Henry Back (1740-1809) and his brother John Back (1738-1794) were sons of Harman Back (1708-1789), and that Henry's wife, Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg, was the woman who was buried in The Maggard Cemetery, because her date of birth in her father's Family Bible matched the date of birth on the gravestone in the cemetery. Troy sent that letter for Pearl to read to all the attendees, in order to provide even more distance between him, and the information that (allegedly) came from The Germanna Foundation. He wanted to make sure that it didn't look like the information came from him (although it most certainly did). Troy also had Pearl talk about how she and the others had recently attended The Germanna Foundation's conference, and he had her show the attendees a copy of The Germanna Foundation's Membership Roster, 1956-1966.

At the end of the letter, Troy had asked Pearl to ask the attendees to send him money, so that he could write a book about the genealogy of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky, based upon this "new research." He called it a "Research Fund." Once again, the people at the reunion were stunned. Why did Troy need money to write a book? Why doesn't he just sit down and write it?

Based upon the negative reception that Troy's appeal for money had received, Pearl later wrote to Troy that it would "have to be up to her, and to him," to raise money (outside of the people at the reunion). Pearl also wrote that, "we missed you terribly," at the reunion. (Troy really had Pearl "wrapped around his finger.")

Strangely, even though most of the attendees at the 1960 reunion didn't want to send Troy any money, and he hadn't even showed up for the 1960 reunion, he was actually appointed to be the President of the 1961 reunion! A few weeks after the 1960 reunion ended, someone mailed Troy a check for $55, for the "Research Fund." But Troy wrote back to the man and told him that it "wasn't enough" (after he had cashed the check, of course).

1961 family reunion in southeastern Kentucky: Even though Troy was supposed to be the President of the 1961 reunion, he didn't even show up for the 1961 reunion either! And once again, Troy sent Pearl a letter, asking her to read it at the reunion. It was basically the same letter that he had asked her to read at the 1960 reunion, but it strongly emphasized that the "new research" about the Back (Bach) family was being done "in Virginia," at The Germanna Foundation, and Troy was leading it.

At the 1961 reunion, Grannis Bach was elected to be the Third Vice President, for the following year's reunion. Strangely, Grannis died, just five days after the 1961 reunion. A few months later, Pearl wrote to a relative that she was "quite sure" that Harman Back was "part of our family."

1962 family reunion in southeastern Kentucky: The newspaper article about the reunion that year reported that, "The Bach Family Association is composed of the descendants of Henry Bach Sr. and Elizabeth Hoffman of the Germanna Colony in Virginia." So, it's obvious that Troy's "big lie" was being accepted at the Back (Bach) family reunion, at least by some people.

By 1962, Troy had also convinced nearly everyone at The Germanna Foundation that his "big lie" was true. They were not only thrilled to have several new members, who bought memberships, and tickets to their conferences, but they hoped that they would inspire other members of the Back (Bach) family to join their organization as well. By 1962, The Germanna Foundation had grown to over 400 members, from 32 states.

The 1963 Brashear family book: Troy finally finished writing the book about the genealogy of his wife's family, the Brashear's. No publisher was interested in publishing it, and so he had to self-publish it. It was titled, The Brasher Story: A Family History. It was a disgrace, and a complete joke. It was full of typos and misspelled words. But worst of all, it was full of "plugged" information. In other words, it presented no actual proof for much of its lineage; it just created lineage. It also contained a goofy numbering system, to organize the people in the book, which Troy had simply made up. He didn't even know about the two well-established numbering systems that real genealogists use. Troy would later use that same goofy numbering system, in the inaccurate genealogy book about the Back (Bach) family. Troy actually thought that, writing and self-publishing that terrible excuse for a genealogy book made him a "genealogy expert," and a "published author."

The 1963 Germanna booklet: In April of 1963, The Germanna Foundation published a small, 99-page booklet titled, The Germanna Record, Number Three. It was written by Dr. Holtzclaw. The booklet focused on John Hoffman, who was one of the original settlers in Germanna, but who had later moved to The Robinson River Valley, in 1729.

However, the booklet contained quite a bit of incorrect information concerning the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky, all of which had been provided by Troy Back. On pages 68-69, Troy's "big lie" finally got printed, even though Dr. Holtzclaw also clearly stated that, "Information about the descendants of Henry and Elizabeth (Hoffman) Back comes from Mr. Troy L. Back, 208 North Emerson St., Arlington Virginia, a descendant." But, Dr. Holtzclaw did not attempt to verify even one aspect of Troy's so-called "information." He simply printed it (because he had been told to, by the other members of The Germanna Foundation).

In fact, there was not one piece of evidence provided, in that booklet, to prove any aspect of Troy's so-called "information." That proves that Dr. Holtzclaw was under a great deal of pressure to print Troy's "information," by the other members of The Germanna Foundation, who were more interested in the potential income from members of the Back (Bach) family, than the accuracy of the lineage.

For example, on page 68 of the booklet, it stated that Henry Back (1740-1809) was a son of Harman Back, and that after Henry died, his widow Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) moved to southeastern Kentucky with her three sons. The booklet claimed that her three sons were John Back (1774-1854), Henry Back (1785-1871), and Lewis Back (born October 14, 1787)! So, Troy had brought in some new information!

Strangely, Lewis Back (born October 14, 1787) actually was a son of Henry Back (1740-1809) and Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July, 13, 1746)! He was the only one of three who was! The other two, John Back (1774-1854) and Henry Back (1785-1871), were actually sons of Joseph Back (1745-1819) and Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1745-1826).

The booklet stated that Lewis Back married a woman whose first name was Elizabeth, and that they had no children. That was incorrect. Elizabeth was Elizabeth Pennington. She married Lewis, on June 22, 1812, two years after she gave birth to an illegitimate daughter she had named Elizabeth. Lewis adopted that little girl, and then he and his wife Elizabeth had two daughters of their own (Rebecca and Katherine). In 1850, Lewis and his family migrated to the Ozark Mountains. Lewis Back, and his wife Elizabeth Pennington Back, later died in Missouri.

Also, on page 68 of the booklet, it stated that the old Bach Family Bible ("an old prayer book") had been owned by Joseph Back (1756-1832), who was also a son of Harman Back! That was incorrect. It was actually owned by Joseph Back (1745-1819), who was a son of John Henry Back, and they were both members of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky.

On page 9 of the booklet, it stated that, since John Hanback and Harman Spilman, who were apparently born in Little Fork, married Mary Hoffman and Catherine Hoffman, who were sisters of Elizabeth Hoffman and Margaret Hoffman, that somehow "proved" that John Back and his brother Henry Back were from Little Fork as well. (That's not valid genealogical research! That's just an invalid and ridiculous assumption!) If John Hanback and Harman Spilman actually were born in Little Fork, they had obviously migrated to The Robinson River Valley, when they were young men, where they met and married those other two Hoffman sisters; they then each lived on the land that their wives had inherited from their father. But that certainly does not "prove" that the sisters of Mary and Catherine also married men from Little Fork!

On page 58 of the booklet, it stated that a woman named Mary Hoffman (actually Mary Hoffman-Maggard) was a daughter of an unknown Hoffman family who lived along the Robinson River. That was also incorrect. Her parents were Nicholaus Hoffman and Barbara Elisabetha Koestnerin, and they had lived in Augusta County, Virginia. Her parents had died, back in 1770. Because Mary and her sisters were then still under-age, they were adopted by neighbors. Mary was adopted by David Maggard, and she later married his son, Jacob Maggard, in 1787. (Researchers refer to her maiden name as being "Hoffman-Maggard," because of that adoption.) Mary's sister, Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard, was adopted by Jacob Maggard's brother, Samuel Maggard; she later married Joseph Back (1745-1819), around 1773, and they later founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky. (Mary and Jacob got married in Culpeper County, and those marriage records still exist; Elizabeth and Joseph probably got married in Augusta County, but those marriage records no longer exist.)

1963 family reunion in southeastern Kentucky: At that reunion, Troy proudly displayed a copy of that 1963 Germanna Foundation booklet. He claimed that it "proved" that his "big lie" was correct. He also handed out more copies of his 1959 sheet of information about his "big lie," titled, Our Earliest-Known Back (or Bach) Ancestor and His Family. However, the vast majority of people in the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky were still extremely suspicious of Troy's claims. (They had apparently noticed that there was no actual proof of Troy's claims, in that booklet.)

Curiously, after the reunion was over, the newspaper reported that, Pearl Bach had given "a short talk on the history of the earliest Bach, coming from Thuringia, Germany, to Culpeper County," at the reunion. So, it is clear that Pearl was starting to wonder if Troy's claims were valid. She must have been doing some follow-up research on her own.

The 1964 Germanna book: Troy had continued going back to The Germanna Foundation with his lineage story (his "big lie"), even after that 1963 booklet was published. That was because he knew that Dr. Holtzclaw, who was the longtime "Historian" of the organization, was working on a much larger book, which would be titled, Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia 1714-1750. That book was going to fully document the ancestors, and the descendants, of all of the German immigrants being researched by The Germanna Foundation, including Harman Back, and it was destined to become a historic book for the organization. Troy was desperate to get his lineage story (his "big lie") into that very important book.

By that point in time, Dr. Holtzclaw had become increasingly suspicious of what Troy had told him, mainly because there was no proof of it. Furthermore, Dr. Holtzclaw knew that the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky was from Thuringia, Germany, because he had written in his book (on page 46) about a page in their old Bach Family Bible that he had seen, on which someone had written, "We came from Thuringia," back in 1762. Yet, Harman Back was from Freudenberg. So, Dr. Holtzclaw speculated that there were probably two separate Back families: one from Freudenberg, and one from Thuringia. However, even though Dr. Holtzclaw had correctly speculated that there were, in fact, two separate Back families, he never explored that obvious fact any further. Instead, he continued to entertain Troy's lies. Dr. Holtzclaw was simply under too much pressure from the other members of the organization, who insisted that he print Troy's information, for the "financial benefit" of the organization. Yet, to this day, scholars wonder why Dr. Holtzclaw allowed himself to be used like that.

Dr. Holtzclaw actually allocated ten pages in his 1964 book to Troy's lies. There was page after page after page of incorrect information. Not only did Dr. Holtzclaw print Troy's lie that John Back (1738-1794) and Henry Back (1740-1809) were sons of Harman Back, but he also printed Troy's lie that Joseph Back (1756-1832) was a son as well. (John and Henry were actually sons of John Henry Back; and Joseph was actually a son of Harman Back Jr.)

Dr. Holtzclaw's 1964 book even falsely claimed that John Back (1738-1794) had married twice, with some absurd story (obviously from Troy) that John had taken his two young sons, from his first marriage, John Back (1760-1845) and Jacob Back (1764-1839), down to southwestern Virginia, to Russell County, and then abandoned them there, while he returned to Culpeper County and married his second wife, Margaret Hoffman. That was ludicrous. John Back (1738-1794) never married twice, and he never had sons named John Back (1760-1845) or Jacob Back (1764-1839); he only married once, to Margaret Hoffman, the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg, and they had five daughters.

The John Back, who was the actual father of John Back (1760-1845) and Jacob Back (1764-1839), was John William Back (1722-1794), but he went by the name of "John Back." He had been born in Thuringia, Germany, and he was the younger brother of John Henry Back (1709-1789); they had immigrated to America together, in 1740. John Back (1722-1794) had married Mary Marberry, in Culpeper County, and they later migrated south, to Russell County, Virginia. They had a large farm along Copper Creek, where it flows into the Clinch River. Their son John Back (1760-1845) fought in the Revolutionary War, and was later buried in Monroe County, Indiana. Their son Jacob Back (1764-1839) married Sarah Lloyd, and they later migrated to Wayne County, Kentucky where they died.

Shockingly, there was also absolutely no understanding at all, in that 1964 book, about why the names and dates of birth for five people were written into the old Bach Family Bible, in 1787: Elizabeth Back (born July 13, 1746); John Back (born November 19, 1774); Mary Back (born November 1, 1777); Henry Back (born February 6, 1785); and Lewis Back (born October 14, 1787). The fact is, those five entries were made in 1787 by John Henry Back (1709-1789). He was simply documenting who was at his cabin that day.

That 1787 entry into the old Bach Family Bible not only proved that Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) had married into the family of John Henry Back (1709-1789), it also proved that Henry Back (1740-1809), who was Elizabeth's husband, was a son of John Henry Back (1709-1789), and not a son of Harman Back. That's because, people only wrote down the names of people in their Family Bible who were actually members of their own family.

However, to try to cover up the truth about that 1787 entry into the old Bach Family Bible, Troy told Dr. Holtzclaw that the old Bach Family Bible was owned by Joseph Back (1756-1832), who he claimed was a son of Harman Back!

There was so much incorrect information in that 1964 book. For example, Dr. Holtzclaw mistakenly wrote that Harman Back and his wife sailed to America with their little daughter Anna Ella. However, Anna Ella had died, shortly after birth. Harman and his wife had actually immigrated with Anna Ella's twin brother, Harman Jr.

Also, Dr. Holtzclaw mistakenly wrote that Harman Back had gotten remarried to a woman named Katherine, in Little Fork, and that they had sold his 100-acre farm, in 1789, and then they migrated to central Kentucky. However, Harman Back had never gotten remarried, and he had died, sometime before 1782. It was actually his only son Harman Jr. who had sold that 100-acre farm, in 1789, because he had inherited it from him. And it was actually his only son Harman Jr. who had married a woman named Katherine, and it was they who had sold that 100-acre farm, and then migrated to central Kentucky. The 1789 deed even stated that the 100-acre farm was inherited land!

Furthermore, it appears that that Dr. Holtzclaw was simply not aware of the existence of John Henry Back (1709-1789), who was the actual father of John Back (1738-1794) and Henry Back (1740-1809), and who was actually the "well-known millwright." The four land deeds that Dr. Holtzclaw referred to (on pages 39-40) belonged to John Henry Back (1709-1789), not his son, John Back (1738-1794). It is important to understand that, back in Germany, another old tradition was that, when a man had two first names, like John Henry Back did, they used their first, first name in public, such as on land deeds and tax lists; and they used their second first name in private, with their family. That is why John Henry Back's name on all of his land deeds was "John Back," but yet he signed his Bach Family Bible as, "Henry Back."

Virtually everything in Dr. Holtzclaw's book about Harman Back, and about the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky, was completely wrong, because it all came from Troy Back. It is extremely disappointing, and difficult to believe, that a man of Dr. Holtzclaw's knowledge and experience, in genealogy and history, actually allowed the other members of The Germanna Foundation to dictate to him what to write.

But Dr. Holtzclaw did state that, "There is no strict proof that John and Henry Back of Madison Co., who married the daughters of John Hoffman, were the sons of Harman Back of the Little Fork group." However, that one small piece of truth was buried (on page 45), in the middle of a massive amount of incorrect information.

IMPORTANT: With that 1964 book, written by Dr. Holtzclaw, Troy Back was able to get all of his inaccurate lineage story (his "big lie") about Harman Back published in a prestigious, historical book (Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia 1714-1750). That was a very important milestone for Troy, and for his "big lie."

1964 family reunion in southeastern Kentucky: Strangely, three weeks before the 1964 reunion, it was announced in the newspaper that the new President of "The Bach Family Association," James Everett Bach, of Moberly, Missouri, would preside at the business session that year, and that, "new officers will be elected." That seems to indicate that the rest of the 1964 officers, who had been elected at the 1963 reunion, had either quit, or they had been asked to leave. That upheaval was probably due to Dr. Holtzclaw's latest book, which had recently been published.

1965 family reunion in southeastern Kentucky: Also strange, was, two weeks before the 1965 reunion, it was announced in the newspaper that the new President of "The Bach Family Association," Mildred Bach Brandenburgh, of Louisville, Kentucky, would preside at the business session that year, and that, "new officers will be elected." That also seems to indicate that the rest of the 1965 officers, who had been elected at the 1964 reunion, had either quit, or they had been asked to leave. That upheaval was also probably due to Dr. Holtzclaw's latest book.

Pearl was still the "Historian" for the family reunion, in 1965, but that would be the last year that she was involved with it. It appears that she stopped being a part of the reunions, probably because she had finally figured out that Troy's "big lie" was a big lie. However, she continued to be involved in all of her other clubs and organizations, as proven by various newspaper articles. And then, in the summer of 1967, she was hospitalized. She died, six months later, in January of 1968, at the age of 80.

Troy moved back to Kentucky in 1966: In 1966, Troy qualified for his 20-year federal pension, and so he quit his government job and returned to southeastern Kentucky. He realized that things were getting rather "shaky," about his "big lie," and people were starting to question it (because there was no actual proof of it). Troy knew that he was going to have to do much more, to convince members of his family about his "big lie," so that he could "get rich" by publishing a book, claiming that his family descended from Harman Back. Obviously, the 1963 booklet, and the 1964 book, published by Dr. Holtzclaw, which contained his "big lie," simply were not enough. All those two publications really ended up doing was making people angry, and confused, at the reunions. But Troy knew that he had to wait until Dr. Holtzclaw died, before he could do much more, because he was afraid that Dr. Holtzclaw would eventually cause problems for him, if he tried to publish his inaccurate genealogy in a separate book.

At that point, Troy decided that he needed to take a much more aggressive approach. He decided that he had to get rid of all of the proof of the actual genealogy of his own family. That way, people would have to believe his "big lie." (Or so he thought.) He knew that the first thing he had to get rid of was that old handwritten statement, from 1762, in the old Bach Family Bible, which said, "We came from Thuringia." Dr. Holtzclaw had written about that handwritten statement being there, in his 1964 book, and most members of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky had either seen that entry themselves, in the old book, or they had heard about it.

Troy Back ruined his own family's Bible: The old Bach Family Bible had been brought to southeastern Kentucky, in 1791, by Joseph Back (1745-1819), whose father, John Henry Back (1709-1789), had bought it for him, back in 1762. Joseph had founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky. After Joseph died, he wanted the old Bible to be given to his son John Back (1774-1854). After John died, the old Bible was passed around to each of John's children, every year or so. And then later on, it was passed around to each of John's grandchildren, every year or so.

By 1911, the family of Henry "Snoot" Back (1849-1911), who was one of John's grandchildren, had the old Bible. After "Snoot" died, his family gave the old Bible to Dr. Wilgus, because he had been researching the genealogy of the family for many years. Dr. Wilgus had been interviewing elderly people, all over southeastern Kentucky, as well as doing research in Kentucky and Virginia, and collecting details about the family's genealogy. Dr. Wilgus had died in 1936, and so his wife Amanda Bach then had custody of the old Bible. She kept it at her house, and she let anyone come over and look at it. She also took it to the family reunion every year, so that people could see it.

So, shortly after Troy moved back to Kentucky, in 1966, he went to see Amanda. He took along a sharp razor blade, which he had hidden in his pocket. After he got inside of her house, he asked her if could see the old Bach Family Bible. After she got it out for him, she left the room for a few minutes, probably to get something for Troy to drink. That was when Troy pulled out that razor blade. He then quickly cut out, and ripped out, that old handwritten statement from the old Bible, and then he stuffed it in his pocket. Amanda had no idea that he had done that. When he got home, he simply threw it away. A few months later, while another family member was looking at the old Bible, they noticed that the old handwritten statement had been removed. Nowadays, you can clearly see where it was cut out, and ripped out, of the old Bible.

1969 family reunion in southeastern Kentucky: Pearl Bach had died, the year before, in 1968. She had been the respected "Historian" for the reunion, for over thirty years. She had also become very suspicious of Troy's "big lie," towards the end of her life. But, after Pearl had died, Troy knew that his most important critic in his family was gone, and so he attended the 1969 reunion, looking for a "fresh start," for his "big lie."

At the 1969 reunion, a few startling announcements were made. First of all, Troy was presented as being a "published author," and a "genealogy expert," simply because he had self-published one small, and very insignificant genealogy book, about his mother's family! (Nobody at the reunion knew that it contained "plugged lineage," and was full of typos and misspelled words.) Therefore, since he was a "published author," and a "genealogy expert," somehow, he was able to convince the officers and the attendees at that reunion "to commission him" (to hire him) to write a book "re-telling the history of the Back-Bach family!" It was astonishing. Apparently, because of all of the confusion that Troy had caused, starting at the 1956 reunion, by telling his "big lie," he told everyone at the 1969 reunion that he was going to clear up the confusion, and "re-tell" the family's history, in a book.

However, the people at the reunion thought that "re-telling" the family's history meant that Troy was going to change his "big lie," and "re-tell" the accurate genealogy, in a book. They had no idea that he was, in fact, going to write a book that presented his "big lie" as being true.

Even more startling was the fact that Troy had the nerve to actually ask the people at the reunion to, once again (a third time), raise money for him, so that he could do the research for the book. But that time, they agreed to do so! They announced that they were going to launch an "intensive campaign," during the following year, to raise money for him! (But, why in the world did Troy need any money to do the "research" that he had already "created?" The "work" was already done! In essence, members of his family were actually just beginning to get a glimpse into how greedy, and how evil, Troy Back really was.)

It is not known if anyone from the family reunion ever actually gave Troy any money, as a result of the 1969 reunion. But, after a year or so, Troy just seemed to fade away. He stopped going to the family reunions as well. Nobody knew it, but he was busy destroying the proof of the actual genealogy of his own family, so that, when he finally did publish his inaccurate genealogy book, nobody would have any proof, to question it. In fact, he would spend the next twenty years, or so, destroying the proof of the actual genealogy of his own family. He was completely obsessed about it.

Troy and his cohorts ransacked libraries: Troy thought that, if there was no proof of the actual genealogy of his family, in any library or historical society, then nobody could get hold of it, and then use it to question his inaccurate genealogy of the family. He didn't want anyone to be able to challenge him, in his sick quest to "get rich." He knew that it would be a large undertaking, to visit all of the libraries, and all of the historical societies, both in Kentucky and Virginia, and so he asked some of his cousins and friends to help him. He convinced at least one person to help him, which was his cousin, Custer Back. He told Custer that he was going to "get rich" from selling the book as well.

Custer Back (1906-2002) was Troy's half first cousin. Their grandfather was David Back (1837-1925), but they had different grandmothers. That was because David Back's first wife, Rachel Caudill, who was Troy's grandmother, had died in 1873. David Back then got remarried to Nancy Dixon, in 1875, and she became Custer's grandmother.

And so, one by one, Troy and Custer visited every library, and every historical society, in Kentucky, and then they did the same thing in Virginia. When they arrived at each facility, they searched through all the books and documents, and whenever they found anything about the actual genealogy of their family in it, they simply stole that book, or that document, from the building. And then later, they just threw it away. But, if they were caught, trying to steal a book or document from a building, they just went back later, and they used an ink pen to mark up the book or document. They simply crossed out the actual genealogical information, and then they wrote in something about the inaccurate genealogy. The most common thing that they did was, they crossed out the name of "Joseph Back," as being the founder of the family in southeastern Kentucky, and they wrote in, beside it, "Henry Back," because he was the husband of Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), who they claimed founded their family in southeastern Kentucky. That destruction was so widespread, particularly in the libraries across Kentucky, that some Kentucky librarians still talk about it, to this day.

Troy Back destroyed Dr. Wilgus' genealogy manuscript: Dr. Wilgus Bach had researched the genealogy of his Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky for many, many years. He had conducted interviews with countless elderly people, in order to document what they had remembered; he had also done extensive on-site research in various libraries and historical societies, in both Kentucky and Virginia; and he had consulted with several researchers, in both America and Germany. His research also included the genealogy of many other families, some of whom married into his family.

Dr. Wilgus died suddenly, in 1936, before he was able to turn his genealogy manuscript into an actual book. His widow Amanda Bach kept his manuscript at her house. But shortly after Amanda died, in 1977, one of her daughters donated that genealogy manuscript to The Kentucky Historical Society, in Frankfort, so that other people could read it. When Troy heard that Dr. Wilgus' manuscript had been donated there, he knew that he had to get there, fast. He knew that he would have easy access to the manuscript, because, several years before, he had written to Pearl Bach, thanking her for "making it so easy" for him "to get into The Kentucky Historical Society." Pearl must have provided him with special privileges there.

So, Troy immediately went to the Kentucky Historical Society. In his briefcase, he had a razor blade, a pair of scissors, a bottle of "White Out," and some ink pens. He also took along a copy of that typed page of his inaccurate genealogy, which he had handed out at the 1959 and 1963 family reunions. When he arrived there, he asked a librarian if he could see Dr. Wilgus' manuscript. It consisted of lots of loose pages, in a binder. After the librarian handed the binder to Troy, he went to a secluded area in the building. Over the next few hours, he secretly destroyed the portion of the manuscript about the Back (Bach) family. First, he simply removed most of the pages about the Back (Bach) family from the binder, and stuffed them into his briefcase. For the few pages that were left, in every place where it said that Joseph Back had founded the family in southeastern Kentucky, Troy crossed out the word "Joseph," with an ink pen, and then he wrote "Henry," next to it. He also applied some "White Out," to other areas of Dr. Wilgus' work, to cover up information of the actual genealogy of the Back (Bach) family. Troy actually changed Dr. Wilgus' accurate genealogy of the family, into Troy's inaccurate genealogy (his "big lie"). Finally, Troy inserted that typed page of his inaccurate genealogy into the binder. When Troy got home, he simply threw all those pages of Dr. Wilgus' research in the trash.

Nowadays, you can tell that most of Dr. Wilgus' research about the Back (Bach) family has been removed from the binder, and what little is left has ink notations scribbled all over it, along with some "White Out." ("White Out" was not invented until 1951, and so you know that Dr. Wilgus didn't use it, because he died in 1936.) And one has to wonder, just how in the world did that typed page of Troy's inaccurate genealogy get into Dr. Wilgus' manuscript? It even had Troy's name on it, along with the address of his prior residence, in Arlington, Virginia! By Troy inserting that piece of paper into Dr. Wilgus' manuscript, that proved that Troy was the one who had destroyed the manuscript. (Troy wasn't very smart.)

Troy got rid of everything else: There used to be a large number of old family antiques, artifacts, and heirlooms, which had either been brought to southeastern Kentucky, in 1791, by Joseph Back (1745-1819), or were later built by his son, John Back (1774-1854). Some of those items had been donated, in the early 1900s, by family members, to Dr. Wilgus, because he was the family "Historian." Dr. Wilgus then put all of those items on display at his father's store, "The Hiram Bach Grocery Store," so that everyone in the family could see them and enjoy them. The store was located in Stevenson, Kentucky, which was just a few miles from Quicksand.

The items at the store included old books, old documents, antique furniture, two old clocks, old spinning wheels, antique guns, some old survey chains, old tools, several old cooking kettles, an old-fashioned wooden bread bowl, an assortment of old kitchen utensils, and other antique household objects.

The old books included the Bach Family Bible (actually a Catechism), which had been once owned by Johann Christian Bach, who was a son of Johann Sebastian Bach. In fact, Johann Christian had probably inherited the old book from his father, since it is well-known that his father had owned a large collection of Bibles and Catechisms. Johann Christian had signed his name, in that old Bible, in 1735.

In 1762, Johann Christian Bach sold the old Bible to his cousin, Johann Heinrich Bach, who had immigrated to America, in 1740, and then changed the spelling of his name to John Henry Back (1709-1789). John Henry had wanted to buy an old Bible that had been in his family, for his youngest son, Joseph Back (1745-1819). Joseph later took it with him, when he migrated to southeastern Kentucky, in 1791. Many members of the Back (Bach) family had written their names and dates of birth, into the old book, over the years (between 1762 and 1911). It was certainly the most valuable item in the collection.

The old documents included the original 1836 deed, in which John Back (1774-1854) and his son Joseph bought 2,500 acres of land along Quicksand Creek from Wylie Cope; and the original 1812 marriage record of Lewis Back and Elizabeth Pennington.

The other items included a small, spinning wheel (which had belonged to Joseph Back's wife, Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back); a set of survey chains (which had belonged to Joseph Back); and a handmade mantle clock (which was said to have belonged to Joseph Back). There was also a lovely corner cabinet that John Back had built.

A list of some of the items inside of "The Hiram Bach Grocery Store" appeared in a 1941 book titled, In the Land of Breathitt (written by the W.P.A.). However, all of those items from the store, except for a few of them, have since vanished. The few that remain had been given to Dr. Wilgus' widow, Amanda Bach, many years ago. In other words, Troy Back, or some of his cohorts, got hold of the rest of those items, and either destroyed them, or threw them away. It's difficult to believe, but it's true.

Hiram Bach had given the old Bach Family Bible to Amanda Bach, after Dr. Wilgus had died. (In 1966, Troy visited Amanda, and he cut out the 1762 handwritten statement from that old book that said, "We came from Thuringia.") And then, after Amanda died, in 1977, the old Bible was inherited by her daughter, Mary Bach Engle, who later donated it to the Breathitt County Library, in 2009, where it remains today.

After Hiram Bach died, in 1950, some of the items in his store were given to Amanda Bach, including Elizabeth's spinning wheel, Joseph's survey chains, a wooden bread bowl, some scales, a "gritter" to grind up corn, and a coffee grinder. There was also a novelty item: an old brick, on which a wildcat's paw had been imprinted, while the brick mortar was still wet. And there was also some genealogical information, written by Dr. Wilgus, which was titled, Bach History-Genealogy. After Amanda died, in 1977, those eight items were also inherited by her daughter, Mary Bach Engle, who later donated them to the Breathitt County Museum, in 1986. According to the museum's curator, all of those items are still there today, except for the Bach History-Genealogy. The museum reports that it was stolen, shortly after 1986. Of course, that was Troy's doing as well.

Memory Hill: There were many other antiques and heirlooms that were owned by members of the Back (Bach) family, which had been in their families for generations. Some of those people decided to loan those items to the "Memory Hill Museum," in Caney, Kentucky, so that they could be put on display. The museum had been established around 1945, by Wardie Craft and his wife, Hazel Bach Craft (a direct descendant of Joseph Back). It was Wardie and Hazel's intention to collect antiques and historical items, from families in southeastern Kentucky, and to display them, in their museum, in order to preserve the heritage of those families.

Their museum was a large, two-story, colonial-style home, with twenty rooms; Wardie and Hazel lived there as well. Over the years, many people from southeastern Kentucky loaned them items to put on display, including furniture, dishes, tools, pictures, and quilts. Wardie even brought in eight old log cabins and placed them out in the side yard. Wardie and Hazel also established The Memory Hill Cemetery, in their back yard; nowadays, there are about fifty people buried there.

All of the items on display at the "Memory Hill Museum" were there as a loan, with the expressed understanding that they would never be sold, and that, if the museum ever closed, the items would be returned to their rightful owners. Because of that, Hazel maintained a very detailed list of who had loaned what.

However, after Wardie and Hazel died, their adopted daughter swooped in, and she simply sold off all of those loaned items, at an auction, in 2013, and she kept the money herself. She knew that those items had been loaned to Wardie and Hazel, and she knew that they belonged to someone else, and that they were never to be sold. She even had the detailed list that Hazel had maintained. But her greed got the best of her. Even worse was the fact that Wardie and Hazel had taken her into their home, when she was a young orphan, and they had raised her in their loving home, giving her everything that she ever needed or wanted. And that was how she thanked them. Her shocking ungratefulness and her extraordinary disrespect were absolutely appalling. Of course, she sold the house and the land as well.

Furthermore, that adopted daughter could have easily returned those items to their rightful owners, just by using that detailed list, but she didn't. She didn't even notify the owners that she was putting their property up for auction, so that, at least they could have gone to the auction and bought their property back. The ads for the auction were only printed in the newspaper in Owingsville, Kentucky (see below), which was 70 miles northwest of Quicksand. The auction itself was held in Mt. Sterling, which is about 60 miles northwest of Quicksand. That was all done on purpose. Nobody in Quicksand even knew about the auction. In addition, none of the people who bought those items had any idea where they came from, what their history was, or that they had, in fact, been stolen. All of those artifacts from the Back (Bach) family are now gone forever as well. Curiously, the auction even included a bust of Johann Sebastian Bach, which was included in the newspaper ad about the auction (see below).

IMPORTANT: It is truly sad how most of the actual genealogy of the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky, as well as most of the family's old artifacts, heirlooms, and documents, have been destroyed. It's all gone for good now. And for what? Just so some evil, greedy monster could publish an inaccurate genealogy book about his own family, hoping to "get rich." However, in the end, all that inaccurate genealogy book did was tear apart his own family, and ruin the legacy, and the heritage, of his own family.

Family reunions, from 1970 through 1997: Troy Back had stopped going to the family reunions, around 1970, because he did not want to face members of his family who were questioning what he was doing. Instead, he was busy destroying the actual genealogy of his own family.

So, by 1971, or so, some level of sanity had been restored at the reunions. The majority of the people in the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky had realized that Troy had not been telling the truth, and they went back to discussing the actual genealogy of the family at their reunions. That continued, for about 25 years. The newspaper articles about the family reunions, during that period of time, reflected the actual genealogy as well. Unfortunately, even more serious trouble from Troy was on the horizon.

The Maggard Cemetery: Troy Back realized that he would not be able to publish his inaccurate genealogy book, until Dr. Holtzclaw had died. That's because, even though Dr. Holtzclaw had been coerced into including Troy's "big lie" in his two books that were published by The Germanna Foundation, Troy was concerned that Dr. Holtzclaw would finally speak out against Troy, if Troy published a book about his "big lie" himself. So, Troy patiently waited until Dr. Holtzclaw had died, before he finalized his plans to publish his inaccurate genealogy book.

Dr. Holtzclaw died in November of 1986. Troy then began to plan the removal of the last major piece of proof, of the accurate genealogy of his own family. In the fall of 1988, he and his cousin Custer Back went to The Maggard Cemetery, in Letcher County, Kentucky. They actually pulled up, from the ground, the 1922 gravestone that Dr. Wilgus had made, for their own great, great grandmother, Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), and then they threw it over the hill. That is next to impossible to believe, but it most certainly is the truth.

Troy and Custer then erected a new, fake gravestone, which they had made, over their own great, great grandmother's remains (see below). The inscription on that fake gravestone described a completely different woman. It described Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), who was the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg, and the wife of Henry Back (1740-1809). That fake gravestone was meant to "prove" Troy's "big lie." It was meant to "prove" that Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) had founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky. Troy and Custer even listed the children of Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826) on the back of their new, fake gravestone, to "prove" that they were the children of Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746).

Troy and Custer didn't even try to hide what they were doing. They actually acted as if they were doing their family some great service. In fact, Custer even announced that they were going to get rid of their own great, great grandmother's gravestone, in an article that he was able to get published, in 1988, in The Filson Club History Quarterly (Vol. 62, No. 4, Oct. 1988, p. 467-473). In that article, he wrote, "Action has been taken to replace the marker at Elizabeth's grave with one bearing the true information."

When Wardie Craft and his wife Hazel Bach Craft heard about what Troy and Custer had done, they immediately went to The Maggard Cemetery. They retrieved Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back's gravestone and they took it back to their museum at "Memory Hill." They encased it in concrete, to protect it, and then they placed it in the back yard, in a grove of trees, overlooking The Memory Hill Cemetery.

A short time later, Troy found out what they had done. He was furious. So, one day, when he knew that Wardie and Hazel were not home, he sent a stone mason over to The Memory Hill Cemetery, and had him inscribe the word "INCORRECT," in big, black, bold letters, across the bottom of Elizabeth's gravestone (see the photograph below). It was reported that Troy had sent that stone mason there, on a Sunday morning, while Wardie and Hazel were at church, across the street. Wardie was the preacher there.

IMPORTANT: Someone needs to go to The Memory Hill Cemetery, in Caney, Kentucky, and retrieve our Elizabeth's gravestone (see below). It is in a grove of trees, overlooking that cemetery. Then, they need to take it back to The Maggard Cemetery, in Partridge, Kentucky, where it belongs. They need to first remove the fake gravestone for Elizabeth Hoffman Back (see the photograph above), because it is on top of our Elizabeth's remains. Then, they need to have that fake gravestone demolished, because she was not buried there; she was buried in some unknown location, in Rockingham County, Virginia. Then, a professional stone mason is needed, to remove the word "INCORRECT" from our Elizabeth's gravestone. Her gravestone needs to be re-installed over her own remains. Someone needs to correct this terrible wrong.

Will you correct this terrible wrong?

Will you be the one to preserve the family's legacy?

Troy was finally ready to produce the book: After Troy had convinced The Germanna Foundation that his family descended from Harman Back (because The Germanna Foundation was only interested in making money off of Harman's alleged descendants); and after he was able to get his inaccurate genealogy printed, in two books written by Dr. Holtzclaw; and after he had removed the handwritten statement from his family's old Bible that said, "We came from Thuringia"; and after he had removed the actual genealogy from Dr. Wilgus' manuscript, and replaced it with his inaccurate genealogy; and after he and his cousin Custer had removed all traces of their family's actual genealogy from libraries and genealogical societies, all across Kentucky and Virginia; and after he had destroyed as many of the family's heirlooms and artifacts as he could find; and after Dr. Holtzclaw had died (so he couldn't challenge Troy's lies); and after he and his cousin Custer had removed their great, great grandmother's gravestone from The Maggard Cemetery, and replaced it with a fake gravestone that supported his inaccurate genealogy; only then, did he feel confident that he had removed virtually all the proof of the actual genealogy of his own family, and had inserted his inaccurate genealogy wherever he could. So, at that point in time, which was in late 1988, Troy believed that he could finally start getting serious about publishing his inaccurate genealogy book, so that he could "get rich."

But, Troy realized that he was going to need some help, to publish such a large book, and to do it as quickly as possible. So, he began lining up some other people to help him. In addition to Custer Back, Custer's son Kenneth Back agreed to help, as did Custer's friend, Dexter Dixon. But none of those men knew anything about genealogy or history either. Custer worked as a janitor and HAM radio operator; Kenneth was a tax collector; and Dexter was a bookkeeper. (Custer and Dexter had both worked at the same coal mine, back in the 1940s, which was probably how they had met.)

Troy then decided to enlist the help of another cousin, Reedus Back, simply because he had a Ph.D. But Reedus didn't know anything about genealogy or history either. His degree was in education, and from what was then a second-rate school. Reedus had never held a real job in his life; strangely, he was only known for "turning storage rooms into classrooms." But Troy thought that Reedus' degree would provide them with some much-needed credibility. Reedus agreed to join them, but only if he could be "in charge." Reedus made himself the "Coordinator and Director of Publication," for the book, and he was most definitely "in charge." (In fact, just a year or so later, Reedus took over the entire project, and he somehow forced Troy, Custer, Kenneth, and Dexter to leave "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society." That's because Reedus wanted all the income from selling the book, and from selling everything else, only for himself.)

When Reedus joined up with Troy, in 1989, Troy told him all about The Germanna Foundation. Reedus was intrigued, and so he soon went up to Locust Grove, Virginia. He met with several people at The Germanna Foundation, including John Blankenbaker, who had appointed himself to be the new "Historian," after Dr. Holtzclaw had retired, back in 1982. (Dr. Holtzclaw had died, in 1986.)

John Blankenbaker: He was a retired engineer, who knew nothing about genealogy or history, but, for some strange reason, he was determined to "make a name for himself," as a "genealogy expert," at The Germanna Foundation.

By the time that Reedus went to The Germanna Foundation, John Blankenbaker had already read Dr. Holtzclaw's 1964 book, Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia 1714-1750, and so he knew that nine of the people who had settled in Little Fork, Virginia (including Harman Back) had originally come from Freudenberg, Germany. Blankenbaker also knew that those nine people had sailed on a ship that had landed in Georgia, in the fall of 1738, because Dr. Holtzclaw had written about that, in his book. However, Dr. Holtzclaw had also written that he didn't know the name of the ship.

So, because Blankenbaker liked to tell people that Dr. Holtzclaw had made "lots of mistakes," and that he had "appointed himself to correct those mistakes," he wanted to determine the name of the ship that those nine people had sailed on. During that research, Blankenbaker discovered information about a ship called, the Oliver. What a story that was! The ship had faced over a dozen storms, coming across the ocean, and since the voyage had taken longer than planned, the food and water had run out. Many passengers had died, of starvation, dehydration, or disease, during the voyage. Although the ship was bound for Pennsylvania, it shipwrecked along the coast of Virginia, in early January of 1739. The passengers who were still down in the hull, all drowned. The rest of the passengers tried to swim to shore, in the icy cold water, but many of them drowned. Of the ones that made it to the shore, many of them later froze to death, on the beach, that night. So, out of the 300 passengers who had boarded the ship, in Rotterdam, only about 90 of them survived the terrible ordeal.

Because the voyage of the ship Oliver was such a dramatic story, Blankenbaker wanted to find a way to "use it," to make himself appear to be a "genealogy expert." So, even though the ship Oliver had landed (shipwrecked) in early January of 1739 (in Virginia), and Dr. Holtzclaw had written in his book that those nine people from Freudenberg had arrived in September of 1738 (in Georgia), Blankenbaker simply claimed that those nine people were on the ship Oliver, since the arrival dates were just a few months apart! He just ignored Dr. Holtzclaw's research that they had landed in Georgia, and instead, Blankenbaker claimed that they had landed in Virginia, on the ship Oliver, without any proof.

Blankenbaker had no proof whatsoever that those people from Freudenberg were on the ship Oliver. In fact, there were many articles that had been written, which contained passenger lists of the immigrants who had landed in Georgia, and those nine people who ended up in Little Fork were on those lists, along with the other forty-four people from Freudenberg, who had sailed with them. But Blankenbaker simply ignored all of that documented research. He also ignored other documented research about the ship Oliver, including the article in the prestigious William and Mary Quarterly, which clearly stated that the passengers on the ship Oliver were from Switzerland, not Germany. Blankenbaker had his story, and that was that! He began writing articles about the fifty-three people from Freudenberg (including Harman Back), sailing on the ship Oliver, and he also gave speeches about it. The Germanna Foundation was absolutely thrilled! That dramatic story enhanced their information about Harman Back, and the other eight people from Freudenberg who settled in Little Fork, and so it helped to sell their genealogy books, sell tickets to their conferences, and sell trips to Europe! The Germanna Foundation couldn't heap enough praise onto John Blankenbaker! In fact, over the years, they have fawned all over him, and have presented him with numerous awards (all undeserved, of course). But he brings in lots of money for them, and that's all that counts, at The Germanna Foundation!

In 1983, John Blankenbaker had met a man named Klaus Wust, who was a highly-respected German historian, and who specialized in documenting the immigrant ships from Germany. Blankenbaker was very eager to impress Mr. Wust, and so he told him his story about how those fifty-three people from Freudenberg (including the nine people who had settled in Little Fork) had sailed to America on the ship Oliver. Blankenbaker also told Mr. Wust that Dr. Holtzclaw had written about that, in his 1964 book. But that was a lie. Dr. Holtzclaw never wrote anything about the ship Oliver, in his 1964 book, or in any other book. Dr. Holtzclaw had specifically written in his 1964 book that those fifty-three people from Freudenberg (including Harman Back) had sailed to America on a ship that had landed in Georgia, in 1738, but he just didn't know the name of the ship. Dr. Holtzclaw also wrote that, those people from Freudenberg (including Harman Back) left Georgia, about one year later, and they began walking north, headed for Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Dr. Holtzclaw further wrote that, as those people walked north, nine of them (including Harman Back), decided to stop and settle in Little Fork.

Unfortunately, Klaus Wust believed what John Blankenbaker had told him about the ship Oliver. He trusted Blankenbaker, and so he never even bothered to verify the information himself. Yet, all he had to do was spend about 30 minutes, reading that section of Dr. Holtzclaw's 1964 book! His failure to do so turned out to be catastrophic. It is surprising that such an experienced researcher such as Klaus Wust could make such a mistake, and not verify information that was simply told to him. But that's what happened. In 1984, Klaus Wust wrote a paper titled, William Byrd II and the Shipwreck of the Oliver. In that paper, Mr. Wust stated that those fifty-three people from Freudenberg (including Harman Back) sailed to America on the ship Oliver, and he cited Dr. Holtzclaw's 1964 book, Ancestry and Descendants of the Nassau-Siegen Immigrants to Virginia 1714-1750, as being the source for that information. But that wasn't a source! Dr. Holtzclaw never wrote that! And then, two years later, in 1986, Klaus Wust wrote another paper, titled, The Emigration Season of 1738--Year of the Destroying Angels. In that paper, Mr. Wust also stated that those fifty-three people from Freudenberg (including Harman Back) sailed to America on the ship Oliver. However, he did not cite a source for that information, in his 1986 paper, because he had already "cited the source," in his 1984 paper. (Well, not really!) So, ever since that 1986 paper was released, John Blankenbaker, and The Germanna Foundation, have used that 1986 paper as "proof" that Harman Back was on the ship Oliver. They get away with it, because Mr. Wust did not provide a citation for that information, in his 1986 paper.

So, when Reedus Back visited The Germanna Foundation, in 1989, and he met with John Blankenbaker, he heard all about Harman Back being on the ship Oliver. Reedus was very, very excited. He knew that the Oliver story would also help him sell his (inaccurate) genealogy book. Never mind that Dr. Holtzclaw had stated that those people had landed in Georgia, in 1738, but yet, the ship Oliver had landed in Virginia, in 1739. Never mind all the other facts, which prove that those people from Freudenberg were not on the ship Oliver, especially the significant research done by Adelaide Lisetta Fries, in 1905. Her research proved that those people from Freudenberg had sailed on the ship The Union Galley. No, John Blankenbaker and The Germanna Foundation, and Reedus Back and "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society," had books to sell, and tickets to sell, and trips to sell! They weren't going to let that little thing called, "the truth," get in their way!

While Reedus was at The Germanna Foundation, he also met with the President of the organization, who was William Martin. The two men "worked out a deal," in which Reedus would also sell memberships in The Germanna Foundation, for Mr. Martin. And, in exchange, The Germanna Foundation would support the (inaccurate) genealogy of "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society." They knowingly worked together, to promote incorrect information about Harman Back and the ship Oliver, because it financially benefited both of them. Later on, Reedus actually referred to The Germanna Foundation as being the "sister organization" of "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society," and he sold lots memberships in The Germanna Foundation. And when William Martin retired, in 2001, Reedus worked out the same "deal" with his successor, Thomas Faircloth. For many years, Reedus and Thomas staunchly defended each other, and defended each organization's inaccurate information, even though both men knew full well that it was inaccurate. All they were interested in was the money that the inaccurate information generated.

HERE IS A GREAT IDEA: The next time that John Blankenbaker gives his little speech about the ship Oliver, ask him about Mr. Wust's 1984 paper. Ask him to explain the source (Source #35) for Mr. Wust's information about the Oliver, which his paper claims is in Dr. Holtzclaw's 1964 book, but yet, there is nothing in Dr. Holtzclaw's book about the ship Oliver. Ask John, why does he only talk about Mr. Wust's 1986 paper, which has no source? Why doesn't he ever talk about Mr. Wust's 1984 paper, the one that actually has the ship Oliver in its title? Ask him, why does he continue to deceive people about the ship Oliver? Why does he lie about it?

"The Back-Bach Genealogical Society": When Reedus got back to Kentucky, he got to work. He got several of his cousins together, and he told them that he was "in charge of" preparing and publishing a genealogy book about their family, the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky. He told them that they were all going to "get rich," by helping him prepare the book, and so they all agreed to work on the book for free. He started having people type up information about their family, including lineage information from everyone that they knew. He also had them go all over southeastern Kentucky, and talk to everyone they could, in order to record as much information as possible. Over the next few years, those people did all of the work, not Reedus.

In 1993, Reedus formally created a little club, with his cousins who were working on the book. He called it, "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society," even though not one of the members was a genealogist, or knew anything about proper genealogical research. He just called it that, to make it appear as if everyone involved knew what they were doing. He designed his little club to closely resemble The Germanna Foundation. So, in addition to selling the inaccurate genealogy book, his little club would also later sell memberships in "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society" ($20/year, or $100 for a lifetime); as well as sell tickets to an annual conference, which Reedus first called, a "Secret Family Meeting," and then later, a "new family reunion"; along with selling trips to Germany. In fact, Reedus was actually setting up a genealogy business for himself, and only for himself. But none of the other members, including the other four founders (Troy, Custer, Kenneth, and Dexter) knew that.

Reedus made himself the "President" of his little club. He then did everything he could, to make his little club seem so professional, and so important. He started holding meetings, with the people who he had working on the book. He tried to make the meetings seem so serious. He also tried to make himself seem so distinguished and so authoritative. But he did so, simply by bossing people around, and pretending that he was so smart. (But he knew nothing about genealogy, nothing about history, and nothing about book publishing!) He even made the members follow "parliamentary procedures." In other words, he made the members go through a silly process, every time that someone wanted to do something. So, whenever someone had an idea, they had to formally propose the idea to the club. Then, someone else in the club had to "move it," before it could be discussed further. And then, if someone else "seconded the motion," the proposed idea would be implemented. It was all so unnecessary, and all so ridiculous. Reedus also wrote pages and pages of "rules." Of course, none of that was necessary either. He actually even wrote a "Constitution" for the club! Nobody else in the club understood why he did all of those things, but they just went along with it, because he kept telling them that they were going to "get rich," by publishing the book.

Reedus later told people that he had set up his little club as a non-profit corporation, and that he had obtained a "tax number" for it. But both statements were a lie. The State of Kentucky has no record of "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society" ever being established as any type of entity (a non-profit corporation, an LLC, or a for-profit corporation). And The Internal Revenue Service has no record of "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society" ever obtaining a tax number. But yet, Reedus kept on telling those lies, even in all of the bizarre newsletters that he later continually mailed out. So, because Reedus' little club was never set up as a non-profit, or as any type of legal entity, and he never got a tax number, that meant that there was no way for him to report all of that income, or pay income taxes on all of that income. Of course, Reedus knew that. (Later on, all the money that came in, from selling his inaccurate genealogy book, selling memberships in his little club, selling tickets to his "Secret Family Meetings" and his "new family reunions," selling trips to Germany, and selling everything else, simply went into Reedus' pocket.)

Reedus later gathered even more people together, to join his little club. He needed them to gather more information for his book, and to type up all the information for his book on a typewriter. He also told them that they were all going to "get rich," by publishing a genealogy book about the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky. The people who joined his little club were under the impression that the book was going to reflect the actual genealogy of their Back (Bach) family that they already knew, which had been passed down, in their family, for generations, and what was being discussed at the family reunions. They had no idea that the book was going to claim that their family descended from some man named Harman Back, who was from Freudenberg, Germany, through his (alleged) son Henry Back!

As time went by, and members of his little club started to find out about Harman Back, and the fact that the book was really going to present an inaccurate genealogy, they left the club in disgust. Reedus soon realized that it was going to be difficult to sell the book to people who lived in southeastern Kentucky, because they already knew the actual genealogy of their family. So, he decided to locate members of the Back (Bach) family who had been born and raised, outside of southeastern Kentucky, because they might not have ever heard about the actual genealogy of their own family, and so they would probably buy his book. Reedus spent a year or so, trying to locate members of the Back (Bach) family who lived in other states. He found several hundred people, who lived in nearly thirty different states, whose Back (Bach) ancestors came from southeastern Kentucky. So, he compiled a list of their names and addresses.

The book was finally finished, in early 1994. It was typed on a typewriter. Reedus came up with the title for the book, which was, A Back Family History: The Story of a Major Branch of the Back/Bach Family. He decided that the names of Custer Back, Kenneth Back, Troy Back, and Dexter Dixon, would be printed on the front cover, as being the authors, but Reedus didn't want his name on the front cover. His name was simply printed on the first page of the book, claiming that he was simply, "The Coordinator and Director of Publication." He did that for a reason. He knew that the genealogy contained in the book was all wrong, and in case someone filed legal action against the book, he could blame those four men whose names were on the cover, for writing it and publishing it. (Heck, he was just the "coordinator.")

Reedus sent the typed genealogical information to a company near Lexington, who he had hired to put it into manuscript form. Then he sent that manuscript onto a publisher, way up in Michigan. He ordered 500 copies to be printed, and so it was going to take several months, before the books were going to be done. That summer, Reedus mailed out letters to all of the people on the list that he had compiled. He told them that they were invited to a "Secret Family Meeting," which was going to be held on October 1, 1994, at the Ramada Hotel, in Lexington, Kentucky. He said that the "true ancestry of their Back (Bach) family would be revealed." He made it all sound so exciting, and so mysterious. It is very important to note that Lexington, Kentucky is about 100 miles northwest of southeastern Kentucky. Reedus selected Lexington for his "Secret Family Meeting," on purpose. That's because he didn't want anyone down in southeastern Kentucky to know about it.

Reedus also mailed a summary of the inaccurate genealogy to DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), because he had found out that Harman Back (1708-1789), as well as Henry Back (1740-1809), were recognized as "Patriots" in DAR. (Patriots were men who either had actually fought in the war, or had assisted the soldiers.) Reedus claimed that Henry was a son of Harman, and that Henry had sons named John Back (1774-1854) and Henry Back (1785-1871). Of course, Reedus had no actual proof of any of that, because it wasn't true. But, back then, DAR accepted just about any information that was submitted to them. (However, nowadays, their standards are very strict.) Reedus hoped that DAR would include his inaccurate genealogy in their Ancestor Database, and they did. After that, Reedus referred to the DAR's Ancestor Database as being "proof" that his inaccurate genealogy was valid!

During the Revolutionary War, Harman Back had donated some brandy to the soldiers, but he never actually fought in the war, because he was 68 years old, when the war began. Henry Back's name was on a list of soldiers, all of whom lived in the far southern part of Culpeper County, in The Robinson River Valley; whether or not Henry actually fought in the war is not known. However, as a result of that inaccurate genealogy being in DAR's Ancestor Database, many people, who actually descend from John Back (1774-1854) and Henry Back (1785-1871), obtained their membership in DAR, even though the lineage they used to get it was inaccurate.

By the time that Reedus sent out the invitations to that "Secret Family Meeting," in the summer of 1994, he had already forced Troy, Custer, Kenneth, and Dexter out of his little club. It is not known what devious, underhanded tactics he had used, to get rid of those men, but that's exactly what he did. In fact, old city directories show that Kenneth Back and Dexter Dixon had both moved to Ohio, sometime before 1992. And Custer Back had moved to California, sometime before 1993, because his wife died there, in 1993. Only Troy Back was still living in Kentucky; but he probably didn't even know about the October, 1994 "Secret Family Meeting," and he certainly was not invited.

However, Custer apparently somehow found out about the October, 1994 "Secret Family Meeting." And, although he had recently buried his wife, he returned to Kentucky and he told Reedus that he wanted to attend the meeting. Reedus had no choice but to allow Custer to be there. But Custer never attended another meeting, or family reunion, after that.

"Secret Family Meetings": At that October, 1994 "Secret Family Meeting," in Lexington, Reedus delivered the opening remarks, and then he let Custer give a speech about Harman Back. Custer talked about how Harman Back had sailed to America, in 1738, (allegedly) on the ship Oliver, with his wife, and their (alleged) infant daughter Anna Ella. He described how most of the passengers on the ship Oliver had died, either during the voyage, or after the ship had shipwrecked, off the coast of Virginia. He said that only a few "lucky" people had survived the shipwreck (including Harman, his wife, and their infant daughter), because they were able to swim to the shore, in the icy, cold water. (Imagine that! An infant was able to swim, all that way, to the shore, in that freezing water!) And oh, what a dramatic tale of survival that Custer told! He told the attendees "how lucky" they were, that Harman was able to get to the shore, so that "he could become your ancestor!"

Custer also talked about how Harman Back then settled in Little Fork, Virginia, and how he (allegedly) had four sons: John Back (1738-1794); Henry Back (1740-1809); Joseph Back (1742-1832); and Harman Back Jr. (1745-1820). However, "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society" had altered the years of birth for both Joseph and Harman Jr., to make those men "fit better," into their inaccurate genealogy; Joseph was actually born in 1756, and Harman Jr. was actually born in 1737 (in Freudenberg).

Custer said that John Back (1738-1794) later married Margaret Hoffman, the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg; and that John's brother Henry Back (1740-1809) later married Margaret's sister, Elizabeth Hoffman (born July 13, 1746). Then he claimed that, after Henry Back died, in 1809, his elderly, 63-year-old widow, Elizabeth Hoffman Back, (allegedly) left Virginia and moved over 400 miles, through the dense and dangerous forest, all the way down to southeastern Kentucky, where she had never even been before, and founded their Back (Bach) family there. Custer also named Henry and Elizabeth's (alleged) children, claiming that they included John Back (1774-1854); Mary Back (1777-1807); and Henry Back (1785-1871).

And to "prove" that Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) had migrated to southeastern Kentucky and founded their Back (Bach) family there, and then died there, Custer presented photographs of Elizabeth's gravestone in The Maggard Cemetery! He pointed out the fact that the gravestone said that she was born on July 13, 1746; she was the daughter of John Hoffman and Maria Sabina Folg; and she had married Henry Back (1740-1809). All of the information on that gravestone agreed with their (inaccurate) genealogy, so, that "proved" that their (inaccurate) genealogy was correct, right? Of course, he failed to tell the attendees at the "Secret Family Meeting" that he and Troy Back had that gravestone made, themselves, a few years before, and that they had erected it, in The Maggard Cemetery, themselves, after getting rid of the gravestone for the woman who had actually founded the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky!

Reedus then gave a speech, about "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society," and how he wanted to build an ongoing, profitable genealogy business for himself. He made no secret of that. He told people that they should plan on attending his annual family meetings, every year. He told them that they needed to buy a membership, every year, so that they "could enjoy being family." Or, they could simply buy a lifetime membership for $100! According to Reedus, you really weren't part of the family unless you bought one of his memberships. And then, Custer presented Reedus with an award for his "outstanding leadership," in getting the book finished and published. Everyone clapped.

Reedus had announced at the meeting that the book would be published in a few weeks, and it was $85. However, he said that people could "pre-order" one, with a $50 downpayment. Many people did just that. However, shortly after that "Secret Family Meeting" was over, someone in the Back (Bach) family, down in Quicksand, heard about the meeting, and heard about the inaccurate genealogy book that was being printed, up in Michigan. That man was really angry. He actually went up to Michigan, and was somehow able to get hold of the "plates" that had been used to print the book, and he destroyed them. That meant that no additional copies could ever be printed. So, if Reedus wanted to print more books, he would have to start all over. However, Reedus just shrugged it off. He simply had a CD made, from his copy of the book, and then he began selling those CDs, for $25 each (later, they were $45 each).

After the October, 1994 "Secret Family Meeting" was over, Reedus mailed out a newsletter, to the people on his newly compiled list, claiming that "over 100 people had attended," and that they had come from more than 20 states. He actually provided the name and address of every person who had attended, in the newsletter (without anyone's permission, of course). He also told people that there would be a meeting every year, from then on, so that people "could enjoy being family." He also reminded people to "buy a membership," and once again, he told them that was how he was going to build an ongoing, profitable genealogy business for himself. (The man had no shame.) That newsletter was actually the beginning of a long series of newsletters that Reedus would mail out, in the years to come. In every one of them, he begged people, over and over, to buy a membership. He claimed that, if they didn't buy one, they really weren't part of the family.

Reedus held three more annual "Secret Family Meetings," at the Ramada Hotel, in Lexington, in the fall of 1995, 1996, and 1997. However, a few months before the 1997 "Secret Family Meeting," in the summer of 1997, Troy Back had a massive heart attack and died. And Dexter Dixon, who had already moved to Ohio, died, in September of 1997, just one month before the meeting. Reedus casually mentioned their deaths, in his next newsletter, by simply writing "Farewell," next to their names.

By the end of the 1997 "Secret Family Meeting," Reedus had sold all 500 copies of his inaccurate genealogy book, along with countless copies of his CD. He also sold several hundred memberships in his little club. Reedus had made a great deal of money from those four "Secret Family Meetings." He was very proud of that.

Reedus also mailed copies of his inaccurate genealogy book to every library and historical society, in Kentucky; to the Family Search Library, in Utah; and to the Library of Congress, in Washington, D.C. He then claimed that, since his book was in all of those places, that meant that the genealogy it contained was accurate! (But all he did was mail it to those places!) But that does explain why so many people have heard about the inaccurate genealogy that is contained in that book.

Inside the book: The book was packed full of typos, misspelled words, and all sorts of other grammatical errors. The sloppiness was overwhelming. Then, of course, there was all of the incorrect information. There was not one piece of evidence in the book, which proved that the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky descended from Harman Back, or that Henry Back was Harman's son. The book simply claimed that Henry Back was a son of Harman Back, without any proof. The book simply claimed that, after Henry died, his widow Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) moved to Kentucky, without any proof. The book simply claimed that John Back (1774-1854), Mary Back (1777-1807), and Henry Back (1785-1871) were the children of Henry Back (1740-1809) and Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), without any proof. The only "proof" that was offered was the fake gravestone that Troy and Custer had placed in The Maggard Cemetery. The book was a joke. It was a disgrace. How could anyone believe that so-called genealogy, when there was no actual proof about any of it?

There were also massive errors in the information about the descendants of John Back (1774-1854), Mary Back (1777-1807), and Henry Back (1785-1871)! They couldn't even get that right! There were even errors about the people who had been born within the last 50-100 years! As a result, hundreds of corrections were sent to Reedus, by family members. Reedus then started printing the corrections in his silly newsletters, until there were so many corrections that it was impossible to keep up with them. He even admitted that he was "giving up" on providing corrections, because there were too many of them, and yet, they still kept coming in.

In order to organize all of the people in the book, Reedus used the same, goofy numbering system that Troy Back had used, in his Brashear book. It was just something that Troy had made up. It was awkward and ugly. Reedus didn't even know about the two basic numbering systems that all genealogists use (the NGSQ System, or the Register System). In addition, Reedus never even obtained an ISBN Number for his book, because he knew nothing about book publishing either.

And, of course, there was information about the "tragic voyage of the ship Oliver," in the book, and how Harman Back and his family were supposedly onboard. Reedus even included what he claimed was the exact wording of the first paragraph of that 1952 article from The William and Mary Quarterly, about that voyage. That first paragraph actually described the passengers as being, "Protestant Switzers," which meant that they were Protestant people from Switzerland. However, Reedus inserted the words "(and Germans)," right after the words, "Protestant Switzers," in order to "prove" that the people from Freudenberg, Germany were also on board. That was blatant deception. Reedus further claimed that, that one paragraph, "summed up" that article. No it didn't! That article was four pages long, and it went into great detail about how William Byrd wanted only Swiss people to live on his land, and that his land was located in the far southern part of Virginia, along the North Carolina border, which was 200 miles south of Little Fork!

And, of course, Reedus referred to Klaus Wust's 1986 paper, which falsely claimed that the fifty-three people from Freudenberg (including Harman Back) were on the ship Oliver.

On the first page of his inaccurate genealogy book, Reedus actually stated that, "Verification of the information was impossible." Can you believe that! Reedus obviously thought that, by making that statement, that would relieve him of any potential legal liability for the extraordinary lies in his book.

On the second page of the book, Reedus wrote, "One outstanding characteristic of the Back (Bach) descendants that has been handed down through the generations is their strong attachment to family and home. May this never change." That statement is particularly nauseating, when you know that Reedus knew the actual genealogy of his own family, because it had been handed down through his family for generations. But instead, he published that inaccurate genealogy book, simply because he thought that he would "get rich," by creating a connection to the highly profitable Germanna Foundation.

On the List of Acknowledgements page, Reedus listed about thirty people, who he claimed supported his book, even though the majority of them had either left his little club in disgust, or they had never supported his little club in the first place. Reedus even "thanked" Wardie and Hazel Bach Craft, who despised what had been done to the gravestone of Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back, and who wanted nothing to do with Reedus, or his book. Reedus also had the gall to "thank" Dr. Holtzclaw and Dr. Wilgus, on the Acknowledgements Page, by writing that their "earlier research and extensive documentation helped to make this book possible." That was truly stunning. Troy Back was able to get the inaccurate genealogy into two of Dr. Holtzclaw's books, simply because Dr. Holtzclaw was under pressure from the other members of The Germanna Foundation to do so, and there was absolutely no proof of the inaccurate genealogy in either one of Dr. Holtzclaw's books. As for Dr. Wilgus, Troy Back had destroyed his genealogy manuscript; he had changed it, from describing the actual genealogy of the family, to the inaccurate genealogy! The arrogance of Reedus Back was beyond belief.

"The new reunions": By the spring of 1998, Reedus was feeling extremely confident about what he had achieved so far, and his ever-increasing greed began to take over. He then mailed out newsletters to all members of the Back (Bach) family who lived in southeastern Kentucky. He announced that he was suddenly "in charge" of the annual family reunions. He also announced that he was moving the reunions, from Miles Back's farm, in Quicksand (in Breathitt County), where they had been held for nearly 70 years, down to some restaurant, in Whitesburg (in Letcher County), which was 60 miles away. He further announced that he was charging people $25 apiece, to attend the family reunion, and $20 apiece, to join "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society."

Well, one can imagine the response that those newsletters received! People were absolutely outraged! Nobody had ever paid any money to go to their own family reunion before, and nobody had any interest whatsoever in joining his stupid, little club! As a result, nobody in the Back (Bach) family, who lived in southeastern Kentucky, ever went to that "new reunion," in the fall of 1998, or to any of the subsequent "new reunions." The few people who went to the "new reunions" were from out-of-state, and so they had no idea what was really going on. Only about 50 people showed up, at the 1998 "new reunion."

At the "new reunions," at that restaurant, Reedus stood up at a podium, where he looked down upon the small group of attendees. The attendees had to sit quietly, in their chairs, look up at him, and listen to him. Only Reedus was allowed to speak about the family's genealogy. For over two hours, he stood up there and told everyone all about Harman Back, and that "tragic voyage across the ocean." He told them how "lucky" they were, because Harman had survived that horrific ordeal. Then, he told them how Elizabeth Hoffman Back, the widow of Harman Back's (alleged) son Henry Back, came to southeastern Kentucky, in 1809, and founded their family there. He told them that her gravestone was in The Maggard Cemetery, and he actually charged the attendees $15 each, to go and see it, the next day! (The cemetery is out in the country, and anyone can go there, anytime they want! There is no fee to go there!)

Reedus continually pestered the attendees to renew their membership, and buy one of his CDs. ("Buy another one as a gift!") He also pestered them to buy a ticket, for his upcoming trip to Freudenberg, "to see the places where Harman Back used to live, and worship!" (Reedus sponsored a trip to Freudenberg, every year. He overcharged the attendees, so that he got his trip for free.) Reedus also had several of his friends come to the reunion, who tried to sell all sorts of stuff to the attendees as well, including insurance policies, and Gideon Bibles. (Gideon Bibles are supposed to be given away for free.) At the end of his presentation, Reedus encouraged the attendees to buy the items that he had for sale, over on a side table. Those items included handmade quilts and dolls, candles, coffee mugs, and other assorted knick-knacks. Prior to the reunion, he had asked the attendees to donate items to him, so that he could sell them at the reunion, in order to raise money for his little club (actually, for himself).

At the "new reunions," if anyone ever asked about Johann Sebastian Bach, or anything pertaining to the actual genealogy of the family, Reedus would simply wave his hand at them, as if they were foolish, and then he openly laughed at them and made fun of them.

The "new reunions" lasted for just a few years. Each year, after 1998, there were fewer and fewer attendees. Finally, by 2008 or so, nobody showed up, and so the "new reunions" stopped.

Reedus Back was never held responsible for what he did: When Reedus Back first met with Troy Back and the others, in 1989, he immediately saw a golden opportunity for himself, to make a tremendous amount of money, all tax free. He knew, right from the start, that he was going to "get rid of" the other four founders, and take over the entire project for himself. He also knew that it was going to be relatively easy to do that, because the other four men were not very bright. He used them, he manipulated them, and he lied to them. They had done all of "the work," over the past twenty years or so (destroying the actual genealogy of the family), and then Reedus simply stepped in and took it all away from them. He was a real backstabber.

Within just a couple of years, one by one, Reedus forced each of the other four founders to leave "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society." Meanwhile, because he was "in charge," he had other people do all of the clerical work, including gathering more information for the book, and getting it all typed up. He really didn't do any work at all. (Using other people to do all the work, while he took all the credit, was something that he had learned how to do, during his "career in education.")

In fact, shortly after the book was sent off to be printed, two of the founders had died (Troy and Dexter). The other two founders had already left the state (Custer and Kenneth)! However, Custer found out about the 1994 "Secret Family Meeting," and so he returned to Kentucky, hoping that he could "worm his way" back into the club. But Reedus wasn't going to let that happen; Custer never came back again.

Reedus was not stupid. He knew the actual genealogy of his own family, and he knew that his family did not descend from Harman Back. And he also knew that Dr. Wilgus had simply made a mistake with the date of birth on that gravestone. But he realized that, because Troy had eliminated nearly all of the evidence of the actual genealogy of the family (including, from the Family Bible, from Dr. Wilgus' manuscript, and from all those libraries and historical societies), and he had put up that fake gravestone, there was a very good chance that lots of money could be made from selling an inaccurate genealogy book! In fact, Reedus sold 500 copies of that inaccurate genealogy book (at $85 each), which was about $40,000. He sold hundreds of CDs, which brought in at least $20,000. He sold hundreds of memberships, which brought in at least $30,000. He also made money from selling donated items at the reunions; from getting "kickbacks" from the hotels, for the rooms they sold to the people attending the reunions; and from charging the attendees for "side trips" to cemeteries and other places. He also got several free trips to Germany (by overcharging the other people on the junket). It is estimated that Reedus took in around $100,000, tax free, plus he got all those free trips, just for being in charge of "The Back-Bach Genealogical Society." Not bad, huh?

Moreover, Reedus loved being in charge of the "Secret Family Meetings" and the "new family reunions." He loved standing at up at the podium, looking down at everyone, bossing everyone around, and pretending to be so important. His arrogance was utterly revolting, particularly when you know that he knew that the genealogy he was peddling to members of his own family was all wrong.

Yes, he destroyed the family reunions that had been going on for nearly 70 years. But the real damage that he caused was publishing that big, orange book with the inaccurate genealogy in it. There was not one piece of evidence in the entire book, which proved that the Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky descended from Harman Back, or from Henry Back. Why anyone would believe the genealogy in that book remains a mystery.

Reedus' inaccurate genealogy book literally tore his own family apart. It pitted the people who knew the actual genealogy of their family, against the people who strangely believed the inaccurate genealogy. And yet, he never once apologized for what he had done. In fact, it has been confirmed that he actually threatened an elderly woman who later published an accurate genealogy book of the family, because he was afraid of litigation.

The damage that Reedus' book caused to his own family still reverberates today. There are still people around who believe that inaccurate genealogy; they refuse to even look at the facts, or to think for themselves. They enjoy pretending that they descend from Harman Back; they enjoy talking about that "tragic voyage of the ship Oliver"; and they enjoy their (invalid) membership in DAR. It's truly bizarre. That's why they are called, "Back-Bach people," which is not a compliment!

There are also a few people, who know that the inaccurate genealogy is all wrong, but yet they use that inaccurate genealogy for their own selfish reasons, like that woman with her rigged "DNA Project" (see the section below).

Reedus died in 2021. It's not difficult to figure out where he is now.

The lies still continue: In 2008, a woman, whose Back (Bach) ancestors come from southeastern Kentucky, made numerous postings on Genealogy.com, stating that she had studied her Back (Bach) lineage, for two years, and she realized that she did not descend from Harman Back. She was positive of it. She referred to the professional research done by Tilden "Sam" Bach, who wrote several books, documenting, and proving, the actual genealogy of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky. Just one of her many postings about that is shown below.

At some point, that woman had joined DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), because she had several "Patriots" on her mother's side of the family. (Patriots were men who either had actually fought in the war, or had assisted the soldiers.) Around 2009, she discovered that Harman Back was recognized as a Patriot in DAR, and so, although she already had several Patriots in her lineage, on her mother's side, which qualified her for a membership in DAR, she suddenly "had to have a Patriot on her father's side" (Harman Back), in order to really impress all of her DAR girlfriends.

She knew full well that her Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky did not descend from Harman Back, because there was no actual proof of it. But because he was recognized as a Patriot in DAR, she claimed that she descended from him, so that she could add him to her roster of Patriots. And then, to prove how "smart" she was, and what a "brilliant" genealogist she was, she decided to create some "proof" of that inaccurate lineage. In 2010, she set up a "DNA Project" on a DNA website called, "FamilyTreeDNA.com." She had already decided, in advance, that she was going to "prove" that her Back (Bach) family from southeastern Kentucky descended from Harman Back, using DNA. After all, people trust DNA as being accurate, and so people would believe her, right?

However, she completely rigged her entire "DNA Project." First, she had her brother submit his DNA sample; of course, his ancestors came from southeastern Kentucky. Then she found another man whose ancestors also came from southeastern Kentucky, and she had him submit his DNA sample. And, of course, those two DNA samples matched. Then, she found a couple of men who were descendants of Harman Back. She was able to obtain their DNA samples in a text file, which enabled her to change any of the numbers that she wanted to change. So that's what she did. She changed some of the numbers, in the DNA samples from the descendants of Harman Back, so that they matched the numbers in the DNA samples from the men from southeastern Kentucky. And voila! She claimed that, since all of the DNA samples matched, that meant that the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky descends from Harman Back! (In early 2023, FamilyTreeDNA.com stopped allowing text files of DNA samples, but by that time, she already had her "DNA Project" set up.)

According to the management at "FamilyTreeDNA.com," she has complete control over every aspect of her "DNA Project," despite her claims that she is "just an unpaid volunteer," and she "has no control over it at all." For example, according to the management at "FamilyTreeDNA.com," only she decides which DNA samples to include in her "DNA Project"; only she can write in whatever description she wants, to describe each man who submitted their DNA sample; and only she can write in whatever lineage she wants, in the "Paternal Ancestor" column, on the chart that shows all the results of all of the DNA samples. Of course, she wrote in that chart that Harman Back was the ancestor of each man who had submitted a DNA sample! She completely rigged her "DNA Project."

And then, in order to reinforce the falsified appearance of "validity" of her "DNA Project," she created a website about her family. She calls it a "Kaleidoscope," and she actually presents herself on it as being a genealogy expert. What a joke that is! She shows all sorts of documents, such as tax lists and land deeds, but she deliberately misrepresents who is featured on most of the documents, in order to align the inaccurate genealogy on her family website, with the inaccurate genealogy she created on her "DNA Project." The massive amount of misinformation, and blatant lies, on her family website, is absolutely shocking. Of course, on every page of her family website, she has a link to her "DNA Project," as being "proof" of her lies.

What that woman has done to her own family is far worse than what Reedus Back did. He just published a book. But she created a fraudulent "DNA Project" on the internet. She used the fact that people trust and believe that DNA is always accurate, in order to make people believe that the results of her "DNA Project" are valid. Then she coordinated that fraudulent "DNA Project" with her "Kaleidoscope" family website, which is packed with lies that align with her "DNA Project." She is deliberately deceiving members of her own family, about their own ancestors, just so she can impress her DAR girlfriends. How sick is that. Someday, she will have to atone for what she has done, just like Reedus.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM DAR: In early 2022, DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) posted several corrections into their Ancestor Database, for Harman Back and for Henry Back. Those corrections were the result of extensive research performed by their in-house genealogy experts. Those corrections absolutely confirm the information on this website. Please see the letter from DAR below.

As for Harman Back, DAR confirmed that he only had one son, which was Harman Back Jr. (1737-1797). That means that John Back (1738-1794), Henry Back (1740-1809), and Joseph Back (1756-1832) were definitely not sons of Harman Back. They confirmed that Joseph Back was a son of Harman Back Jr. They also confirmed that Harman Back had died, sometime before September 15, 1789, in Little Fork, Virginia. That means that he never went to Kentucky, and so the 1794 will in Garrard County was not his will; it was actually the will of his only son, Harman Back Jr. They confirmed that Harman Back had died, sometime before September 15, 1789, because that was the day that his only son, Harman Back Jr., had sold the 100 acres of land that he had inherited from him. They also confirmed that Harman Back Jr. had, in fact, inherited that land, because that was stated in that 1789 land deed.

As for Henry Back, DAR confirmed that, although he did have sons named John and Henry, they were not the John Back (born November 19, 1774), who married Catherine Robertson; or the Henry Back (born February 6, 1785), who married Susannah Maggard. Henry Back's actual son John Back was born in 1776 (not 1774); he later migrated to North Carolina; he never went to Kentucky. Henry Back's actual son Henry Back Jr. was born in 1783 (not 1785); he apparently died in Madison County, Virginia, sometime before 1805; he never went to Kentucky either.

Please note that the Personal Property Tax Lists, in Madison County, Virginia, prove these ages of the actual sons of Henry Back (1740-1809), because men were first listed on the tax lists, in the year in which they turned 21 years old. The 1797 Madison County Tax List proves that Henry's son John was born in 1776 (not 1774), because that was the first year that he was listed by name (see below). And the 1804 Madison County Tax List proves that Henry's son Henry Jr. was born in 1783 (not 1785), because that was the first year that he was listed by name (see below).

1. Harman Back and his family did not sail to America on the ship Oliver. They sailed on the ship The Union Galley, which landed in Georgia, in 1738.

2. Harman Back only had one son, which was Harman Back Jr. He was born in 1737, in Freudenberg, Germany, and he immigrated to America with him.

3. Harman Back died, sometime before September 15, 1789, in Little Fork, Virginia. That was the day that his only son, Harman Back Jr., sold his 100-acre farm that he had inherited from him. In fact, Harman Back likely died, sometime before 1782, because his only son, Harman Back Jr., was listed just as, "Harman Back," in all of the tax lists in Little Fork (which started in 1782), and on that 1789 land deed, because he was no longer considered to be a "Jr.," by the residents of Little Fork, after his father had died.

4. Harman Back Jr. married a woman whose first name was Katherine. In the fall of 1789, they left Little Fork, with their children, and they migrated to what is now Garrard County, Kentucky. Harman Back Jr. wrote his will there, in 1794, and he died there, in 1797. He had named his wife Katherine, and his oldest son Joseph (1756-1832), in his will.

5. Joseph Back (1756-1832) was not a son of Harman Back. He was a son of Harman Back Jr.

6. John Back (1738-1794) and his brother Henry Back (1740-1809) were not sons of Harman Back. They were the sons of John Henry Back (1709-1789), which was a completely separate Back family that came from Thuringia, Germany. They lived 25 miles south of Little Fork, in The Robinson River Valley, next to John Hoffman and his family. John Back (1738-1794) married John Hoffman's daughter, Margaret Hoffman (born November 27, 1748); and John's brother Henry Back (1740-1809) married Margaret's sister, Elizabeth Hoffman (born July 13, 1746).

7. Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), the wife of Henry Back (1740-1809), moved to Rockingham County, Virginia, after her husband died, to live next to her widowed sister, Margaret Hoffman Back (born November 27, 1748). Each woman lived on 50 acres, along Wolf Run, just east of Elkton. Elizabeth died there, either in late 1815, or early 1816. She was either buried on her land along Wolf Run, or in an unmarked grave in the nearby Elk Run Cemetery. Her son Aaron sold her 50 acres, on August 19, 1816, to his wife's brother. Elizabeth never moved to Kentucky, and she was never buried in The Maggard Cemetery there. A fake gravestone was erected for her, in that cemetery, in 1988, in a bizarre attempt to "prove" an inaccurate genealogy of the Back (Bach) family in southeastern Kentucky.

8. Joseph Back (1745-1819) was another son of John Henry Back (1709-1789). Joseph and his wife, Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), migrated to southeastern Kentucky, in 1791, and they founded the Back (Bach) family there. They had four children: Joseph Back Jr. (1773-1802), who was murdered; John Back (1774-1854), who married Catherine Robertson; Mary Back (1777-1807), who had a son named Alfred Back; and Henry Back (1785-1871), who married Susannah Maggard.

9. Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), the wife of Joseph Back (1745-1819), died in Harlan County, Kentucky, and she was buried in what is now The Maggard Cemetery. In 1922, Dr. Wilgus Bach made a larger gravestone for her, but he mistakenly inscribed her date of birth as July 13, 1746. In 1988, that 1922 gravestone was pulled up from the ground and replaced with a fake gravestone that described Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746), the wife of Henry Back (1740-1809). However, the remains of Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826) are still underneath that fake gravestone, in The Maggard Cemetery. In 1988, Wardie and Hazel Bach Craft quickly retrieved Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back's discarded gravestone, and they took it to The Memory Hill Cemetery, which was behind their home, in Caney, Kentucky, to keep it safe. They also encased it in concrete, to protect it.

10. Someone needs to go and get the gravestone of Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), from The Memory Hill Cemetery. They need to take her gravestone back to The Maggard Cemetery. They need to remove that fake gravestone for Elizabeth Hoffman Back (born July 13, 1746) from The Maggard Cemetery, and demolish it, because she was not buried there. They need to put the gravestone of Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back (1755-1826), back on top of her own remains, where it belongs. Also, a professional stone mason needs to remove the word "INCORRECT" from the bottom of Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back's gravestone; that word was inscribed there, in 1988, by the people who pulled it up from the ground, simply because they were creating an inaccurate genealogy of their own family, which did not include Elizabeth Hoffman-Maggard Back.

They clearly show the actual genealogy of these two separate Back families

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