In researching just a small section of our family tree I have truly learned a few important lessons to doing genealogy. First, double-check every source and every piece of information that you discover. Two, be adaptable to changes in names. Three, keep notes and records on where you discovered each tid bit of information whether it is a date, place, and relationship.

When I began working on the surname Zickafoose I "knew" that Susannah Zickafoose married George Wimer, Jr. of Pendleton Co., WV, Susannah was the daughter of Elias Zickafoose, son of Peter Zickafoose and a direct ancestor for our family.

Point Number 1: Double-check every source.

One of the first pieces of family information I found came from "The History of Pendleton Co., West Virginia, O. F. Morten, page 317. "Peter Zickafoose: Zickafoose, Unp. 1. Peter (Catherine) -d. 1814. 2. Elias (Sarah E. (-)-d. 1814. 3. Isaac-1803. 4. Samson (Sarah Simmons) - 1814. 5. Susannah (Rudolph Buzzard)- m. 1797. 6. Frances (Mills Western)-m. 1811. 7. Elizabeth (Moses Arbogast) - m. 1891. 8. Henry (Barbara Simmons)-m. 1825. 9. George (Catharine Zickafoose)-m. 1800. 10. Elias (--)."

From this listing I "discovered" that Peter had nine children, but I was soon to "learn" that was not the case at all.

Another record appeared to contradict the above. Augusta Co., VA Court Records, Section 1, page 208, Buzard vs Zickafoose- os.276, NS 97 - Bill Nov. 1814. (Also repeated in Chalkey's Vol. II, page 208) "Complaints are, viz: Catharine Zickafoose, widow of Peter Zickafoose, deceased: Sampson Sicafoose, Susan Buzzard and Reuben, her husband; Mary Fleisher and Henry, her husband; Fanny Mills and Western, her husband; Sally Zickafoose, infant. Peter Sickafoose died, intestate, leaving above widow and children and George and Elias Zickafoose, the two elder sons, owning land in Pendleton County, Crab Bottom. Elias died shortly after his father, leaving widow Elizabeth and infant children, Susanna, Elias, Elizabeth, Henry, and Mary."

Now I have a listing that shows Peter with seven children, Sampson, Susan, Mary, Fanny, Sally, George, and Elias. In this estate settlement every child that is noted in "The History of Pendleton Co., WV" is sited. However, the children Susanna, Elias, Elizabeth, Henry, and Mary are children of Elias (the son) not children of Peter (the father), Elizabeth is shown as the wife of Elias (the son) not as a daughter to Peter. Also in conflict is the name of the gentleman that married Susannah Zickafoose. "The History of Pendleton Co., WV lists him as Rudolph Buzzard yet the Augusta County Court Record shows Reuben Buzzard. The written history shows Francis marrying Mills Western, but the Augusta Court Record shows him as Western Mills. Also to be double-checked is Morten's listing of Sarah E, (?) as Elias' wife and Augusta's recording her as Elizabeth. "The History of Pendleton Co., WV" does not record Isaac.

A second court record seems to confirm the estate settlement record of 1814,

'This Indenture made 20 April 1833 between George Zickefoose & Katharine his wife of County of Greenbrier, Rudolph Buzzard & Susan his wife, formerly Susan Zickefoose, & Western Mills [or Miles?] & Frances his wife, formerly Frances Zickefoose, of the County of Pocahontas, Sampson Zickefoose & Sarah his wife, Jehu Flesher & Katharine his wife, Peter Flesher & Susan his wife, George Eagle & Susan his wife, formerly.Susan Flesher, & Joseph Flesher of Pendleton Co., Charles Dean & Barbara his wife, formerly Barbara Flesher of Greenbrier Co., John Flesher & Elizabeth his wife of Augusta Co. heirs of Peter Zickefoose dec'd & George Wimer & Susan his wife, formerly Susan Zickefoose, Elias Zickefoose & Sarah his wife, Henry Wimer & Elizabeth his wife, formerly Elizabeth Zickefoose & Mary Zickefoose of Pendleton Co. heirs of Elias Zickefoose dec'd of the one part & Sarah Zickefoose of the other part of Pendleton Co. for $640.00 paid by Sarah & also the said heirs of Peter Zickefoose dec'd for 318 pounds paid by Elias Zickefoose sold to Sarah their claims to one tract in Crabbottom containing 89 acres. - LDS microfilm #818705 of Pendleton County, West Virginia records. Volume II Deeds 1833-38, page 390 recorded on 30 December 1835

Again, this record breaks the children listed into two groupings, those that are the heirs of Peter Zickafoose and those heirs of Elias Zickafoose. Elias's children are notes as Susan (Zickafoose) Wimer, Elias Zickafoose, Elizabeth (Zickafoose) Wimer, and Mary Zickafoose. Again, Elizabeth is shown as Elias's child not Peter's. Henry, Elias' son is not shown in this court record, implying that he either is deceased by 1833 or that he has removed from the Pendleton Co., VA area.

Since "The History of Pendleton Co., WV" is a secondary source, most likely created using the information in the Court Records and oral tradition of the descendents, the listing for the estate settlement Court Record and the Indenture Record are the most likely to be correct.

Point Number 2: Be adaptable to changes in names.

In searching for Peter Zickafoose I came across "The Ziegenfus Families Newsletter by Mark Amanns. This referred several times to a tax record for Augusta County, VA in 1787. Searching through the Virginia Digital Library for surnames related to this line (Zickafoose, Armentrout, and Arbogast) on the Internet I found the following: Peter Zickafoose appears six times in the Virginia Land Grant Records and twice in the Augusta Co., VA Court Records. I have only listed the Peter Zickafoose records here.

1. Peter Siccafuze, 15 April 1789, Augusta Co., VA Grants 20, 1788-1789, page 339. Purchasing 40 acres on the east side of his own land and south side of Wm. Kilpatrick.
2. Peter Siccafouz, 15 April 1789, Augusta Co., VA Grants 20, 1788-1789, page 309. 112 acres on the N. E. branch of Crab Apple and on the head on the South Branch of Potomack and adjoining his own land and Armagast's land.
3. Peter Sicafuze, 13 July 1796, Augusta Co., VA Grants 35, 1795-796, page 405. 82 acres on Crab run a branch of Bull Pasture joining the lands of Joseph Beather.
4. Peter Sicafuze, 30 June 1796, Augusta Co., VA Grants 34, 1796, page 369. 78 acres adjoining between the land of James McCamey and the Dowhill on the waters of Bullpasture.
5. Peter Secafoos, 31 Oct 1805, Pendleton Co., VA Grants 45, page 214. 540 acres on the Crab Apple Bottom adjoining the land of Gum and Huffman.
6. Peter Szcafoos, 31 Oct 1805, Pendleton Co., VA Grants 54, page 397. 540 acres on the Crab Apple Bottom adjoining and between Harpers, Winners, Gums and Colars land.
7. Peter Zickafoose, Augusta County, VA Court Records, 17 July 1787, as refusing to pay his taxes to the Commissioner (Order Book XX, pages 345-346).
8. Augusta Co., VA Court Records, Section 1, page 208, Buzard vs Zickafoose- os.276, NS 97 - Bill Nov. 1814. (Also repeated in Chalkey's Vol. II, page 208) "Complaints are, viz: Catharine Zickafoose, widow of Peter Zickafoose, deceased: Sampson Sicafoose, Susan Buzzard and Reuben, her husband; Mary Fleisher and Henry, her husband; Fanny Mills and Western, her husband; Sally Zickafoose, infant. Peter Sickafoose died, intestate, leaving above widow and children and George and Elias Zickafoose, the two elder sons, owning land in Pendleton County, Crab Bottom. Elias died shortly after his father, leaving widow Elizabeth and infant children, Susanna, Elias, Elizabeth, Henry, and Mary."

By now I have learned that Zickafoose can also be spelled Siccafuze, Sicafuze, Siccafouz, Secafoos, Szcafoos, Zickafoose, Sicafoose, Sickafoose, Zycafoose (see notations for Sampson), Zickefoose (see indenture) and Ziegenfus (Newsletter). In fact, the spelling can change within a document, refer to estate settlement for Peter, and can change on the same date at the same location, refer to land grants of 15 April 1789.

The other name spelling changes found in court documents and land records were Buzard, Buzzard - Armentrout, Armantrout, Armingtrout, Armintrout - Armogast, Arbogast, Arbagast, Arbacast, Armocust - Fleisher, Flesher. Fannie is nickname for Francis, Susan is the nickname for Susanna, and Sally is the nickname for Sarah.

Names of locations can be different, i.e. Crab Apple on head of South Branch of Potomack, Crab Run on Bull Pasture, waters of Bullpasture, Crabbottom, Crab Apple Bottom. Add to Crab Bottom the fact that the counties in Virginia/West Virginia change over time and that Crab Bottom is a large area of land, it can be listed as belonging to Pendleton Co., Randolph Co., Highland Co., and Pocahontas Co. either in VA or WV depending on the date of the record.

The grant for 31 Oct 1801 shows Peter purchasing land adjacent to a Winner. From other family research this note on the index cards of the Land Grant Office is most likely a spelling error because of the hand written nature of the deeds. Winner is most likely either Weimers or Wimer, a family line that held large areas of land in the Crab Bottom area and one that marries into the Zickafoose line. I have not found the Winner surname in Pendleton yet.

So Peter Zickafoose who's estate was settled in Augusta Co., VA, 1814; Peter Sicafuse who owned land on the Bullpasture Run in Pendleton Co., VA, 1796; and Peter Siccafouz who on 15 April 1789 owned land at Crab Bottom, Pendleton Co., WV are all most likely the same person and in the same location.

Point Number 3: Keep a careful list of where you found each piece of information.

Of course, in researching this family line I have tapped into many Gedcom and family trees that are available over the Internet. The vast majority list neither sources, references, nor locations for their information. In doing so I have realized that the errors I believe were made in "The History of Pendleton Co., WV" are repeated frequently in genealogies. The most common possible error discovered to date concerns Sarah Elizabeth Armentrout, the wife of Elias Zickafoose. O. F. Morten attaches Sarah E. to Elias as his wife, and then attaches their daughter Elizabeth to Peter as if she were Peter's child, and then he has Elizabeth marrying Moses Arbogast.

Virginia Marriages, 1740- 1800 show that Sarah Elizabeth Armentrout married Elias Zickafoose, son of Peter Zickafoose. Elias dies before 1814, the estate settlement of his father. Sarah Elizabeth (Armentrout) Zickafoose remarries to Moses Arbogast in 1819, Pendleton Co., WV. Elias Zickafoose's and Sarah Elizabeth Armentrout's daughter Elizabeth Zickafoose marries Henry Wimer.

Morten has attached Elizabeth to Peter as her father then he attaches the second marriage of Sarah Elizabeth (Armentrout) Zickafoose to this same Elizabeth. Yet, the original court document notes that Elizabeth, in 1814, is not only Elias' daughter she is also an infant, probably too young to be married five years later. Marriage records show that Elizabeth was not married until 1827, eight years after the Arbogast-Zickafoose date.

Many of the Moses Arbogast Gedcom and family trees show that they are searching for a great-grandmother that may not exist, Elizabeth Zickafoose/daughter of Peter, because of the possible error in Morten's book. By keeping clear, simple notes about each piece of information I am able to discover that this attached relationship came from what seems to be a faulty secondary source not a primary source and therefore I have adjusted my family line. Without clear notes these possible mistakes as shown in "The History of Pendleton Co., WV" are continued and passed down through shared genealogies.

What I have learned (or think I have learned) about the Zickafoose family line in Pendleton Co., WV., August 2001.

John Jacob Ziegenfuss is the most likely candidate for being Peter Zickafoose' father. There has been no proven connection at this time.

Johan Jacob Ziegenfuss arrived in Philadelphia Port on the 16th of Sept. 1751 on the ship "Brothers'. On this date he took the Foreign Oath of Allegiance, PA as witnessed by the ship's Captain William Muir. He is noted as being either from the Palatine area of Germany or the Rhinish Provinces of Switzerland.

Jacobs's estate was appraised on 23 Sept 1780 in Augusta County, VA and settled on the 19th of Novemeber 1783. Virginia Reports, Vol. 1, page 217, 19 September 1780 stated that the widow of Jacob, Christiana, refused to be the administrator of his estate.

A son to this Jacob is noted in Crayton Hail Sigerfoos' booklet of 1912, stated that Jacob had a son named Jacob. Jacob, the younger, served in the Revolutionary War, Northumberland Co., PA Militia, and had at least three sons: Jacob, George, and John. That would place Peter's possible brother in the Pennsylvania area circa 1776- 1780.

It is speculated that the Zickafoose names that appears in the early Maryland records also belong to this family group (The Ziefenfus Families, Newsletter No. 2, Sept 1981, Mark Amanns).

If Peter Zickafoose is the son of Johan Jacob Ziegenfus he could well have been born in Germany if his birth date is as early as 1750 or if this birth date is after 1751 he was probably born in the Philadelphia, PA area. Most accounts mark Peter as being born circa 1754-1755.

His last land purchase, found to this date, is 1805 in Pendleton Co., VA and his estate is being probated in Nov. 1814. This would place his death circa 1808-1812 allowing at least two years for the estate to settle. He is noted as dying intestate showing his death in Pendleton Co.

Peter married Catherine (Catharine) Margaret Hull (born: circa 1780, probably Lancaster Co., PA - died: after 1814, probably Pendleton Co., VA), the daughter of Peter Thomas Hull (born: c. 1706, Pfalz, Germany - died: Feb 1776, Crab Bottom, Pendleton Co., VA) and Susannah Margaritha Dieffenbaugh (born: 31 Oct 1725, Pfalz, Germany - died: 31 Jan 1790, probably Pendleton Co., VA, married: 25 Nov 1750, Lancaster Co., PA).

The children of Peter Zickafoose and Catherine Hull are:

1. Susanna (Susan) Zickafoose, born 1775, Pendleton Co., VA - died: 1835, Pendleton Co., VA - married: Reuben Rudulph Buzzard in 1797, Pendleton Co.,
2. Mary Susannah Zickafoose, born; 1786, Pendleton Co., VA - died: 1850, Highland Co., VA - married; Henry Jones Fleisher on 1803, Highland Co., VA
1. Their children: John, born 1805 Warren Co., OH; Joseph, born 1811 Pendleton Co., VA; Peter born, 18 Mar 1808 Gilmer Co., WV;
2. Family Gedcom and notes show the oldest yet found child as being born in 1805 in Warren Co., Ohio but the later children as being born in WV. Most likely John Fleisher was born in WV then removed either with family or as an adult to Ohio.
3. Henry Jones Fleisher was born 1777, Pendleton Co., VA and died 1852. Records only show his death as in Virginia.
3. George Zickafoose, born: 1780, Pendleton Co., VA - died: 1872 - married: Catherine Lance.
1. George Zickafoose is noted as being an elder son who owned land in the Augusta County Court Record of 1814, concerning Peter Zickafoose's estate.
2. George Zickafoose appears as both George and as George Sr. in the records. By 1833 George and his family are in Greenbrier County, VA (WV.)
3. George Zickefuse, 13 August 1810, Giles County, VA, 259 acres on the west side of New River on the Pipe Stem, Office Grants No. 61, 1810-1811, p. 156 (Reel 127)
4. Their children: Benjamin, born: 1800 and George, born: 1810
5. George Zickafoose, 25 Dec 1799, 13 acres at Straight Creek, South Branch of Potomack. Grants 44, page 65
6. George Zickafoose, 25 Dec 1799, 130 acres at Straight Creek, Grants 44, page 61.
4. Elias Zickafoose, born: circa 1782-1790, Pendleton Co., VA - died: before Nov. 1814 - married: Sarah Elizabeth Armentrout.
1. Elias is noted as being an elder son to Peter Zickafoose and as owning land in the Pendleton County, WV area at the time of his father's estate. See notes with Peter Zickafoose and the Augusta County Court Records. Elias is also noted as having died soon after Peter Zickafoose. With Peter's death circa 1808 and 1810 and the estate being finalized in the 1814 Augusta County Records, this would place Elias' death after 1810 but before Nov. 1814. Elias was still living during the Pendleton Census 0f 1810.
2. Their children: Susannah, born: before 1814, Pendleton Co., VA - married George Wimer, Jr.: Elias Zickafoose, born c. 1804, Pendleton Co., VA -married Sarah (?): Elizabeth Zickafoose, married Henry Wimer on 6 Mar 1827, Pendleton Co., Va.: Henry Zickafoose: Mary Zickafoose
3. Elias appears on the 1810 Census for Pendleton Co., VA as Elias Secafuse, 2 adults and 4 children.
4. Sarah Elizabeth Armentrout Zickafoose married (2^nd) Moses Arbogast on 21 Oct 1819 in Pendleton Co., VA.
1. Their Children: Hannah V., Allen, Pricilla, and Alicey (Elsey)
2. Moses Arbogast, born: 30 Nov 1799, Pendleton Co., VA - died: 26 Mar 1869, Randolph Co, WV, son of John C. Arbogast and Hannah Davis.
5. Sampson (Samson) Zickafoose, born: 5 Aug 1792, Pendleton Co., VA - died: 20 Mar 1885, Pendleton Co., VA - married: Sarah Wade on 19 Jun 1817, Pendleton Co., VA
1. Sampson Sycafooze, 16 Oct 1837, Pendleton County, VA With George Mullinax, 1900 acres on top and east side of Allegheny Mountain, Grants 87, page 356
2. Samson Sycafuse, 1 Nov 1817, Pendleton County, VA, 107 acres adjoining John Hyde, Philip Wimer, Mullonax, and Gums lands in Crab Bottom, Grants 67, page 65
3. Sampson Zycafoose, 28 Nov 1839, Pendleton County, VA, 2 acres on the south point of Snowy Mountain, Grants 90, page 711
4. Sampson Zycafoose, 31 July 1840, Pendleton County, VA, 120 acres on east side of Allegheny Mountain, Grants 90, page 8
5. Sampson Zycafoose, 31 July 1840, Pendleton County, VA, with George Mullinix, 251 acres on west side of Middle Mountain, Grants 90, Approx. page 7
6. Sampson Zickafoose appears in "Ritchie County, West Virginia, Chapter XXI, Indian Creek Settled". He arrived in the county during the mid-forties (1840's), married Miss (Sarah) Wade and they were the parents of the following named children: Otho who married Katharine Drake; Peter who married Mary Hammer and went to Kansas; and Asbury Zickafoose (this may be A. W. Zickafoose that married Mary Simmons); Mrs. (Katherine) Nimrod Kuydendall, who went West; Mrs. (Matilda) William T. Mitchell; Mrs. (Martha J.) James Westfall; and Mrs. Phebe White.
6. Sarah Zickafoose, born: noted as infant in 1814 estate settlement for father
7. Francis (Fannie) Zickafoose, born: Pendleton Co., VA - died: - married: Western Mills on 11 June 1811, Pendleton Co., VA
8. Isaac Zickafoose, born: - died: 1803, Pendleton Co., VA

Now I am off to search for Sarah Elizabeth (Armentrout) (Zickafoose) Arbogast of Pendleton Co., WV who may eventually show up as Sally E. Armingtrout Secafuse Armogast of Augusta Co., VA.

© - Copyright Notice
2001, Janet Cooper

This Page was last updated -- .