- One of two things must be true--either the Maria Catherine MOSHER who m. Michael HIRTLE is the same person who m. George Melchior ZWICKER, JR. or they are two different people.
a. If they are same person, she m. Michael HIRTLE in 1793, she m. George ZWICKER on 28 Apr 1795, and that she had a son named Jacob HIRTLE on 6 Jun 1795. We know from his will that George ZWICKER had son named Jacob ZWICKER and, from various sources, we can infer that he would have to have been born about 1795-1796 and this would lead to the suspicion that Jacob ZWICKER and Jacob HIRTLE are the same person. But this is clearly not so as they both raise families at the same time and in different places. So something just doesn’t seem right here. I don't think I have ever come across someone who marries a widow who is two months short of giving birth.
b. Besides the above not making sense, there is another reason for thinking that these are two different Mary Catherine MOSHER's. I.e., if these are the same Mary MOSHER's, she must be a widow when she m. George ZWICKER. But if she is a widow, why isn't she named Mary HIRTLE in the marriage record?
c. If Mary Catherine is the widow of Michael HIRTLE when she m. George ZWICKER, this means that son Jacob HIRTLE would be George ZWICKER’s stepson from the moment of his birth. But he is not mentioned in George ZWICKER’s will.
If the wives of Michel HIRTLE and George ZWICKER at two different people, then the question is—who married whom. The answer appears to lie in the following birth record:
"HIRTLE","Jacob","B","1795-06-06","1795-06-24","ZLL","Michael& Maria Cath Moser",,"Jacob & Magdalene Mauser"
After digging through various Magdalena MOSHER/MAUSER candidates, my conclusion is that the witnesses to that birth are Jacob and Anna Maria Magdalena (FORSTER) MOSHER, the parents of Anna Maria Catherina MOSHER 1768; also, in Michael HIRTLE’s marriage record, his wife is cited as d/o Jacob. This means that the wife of ,George Melchior ZWICKER, Jr. is otherwise unknown.
In looking at the possibilities, the first thing that seems obvious is that she must be a granddaughter of either Peter or Hans Jacob MOSHER, the two Foreign Protestant MOSHER immigrants. The granddaughters of Hans Jacob seem not to fit the picture as none is available and they live in the Kingsburg area, while George ZWICKER lives in the Mahone Bay area. Of the granddaughters of Peter, the only available candidates appear to be two sisters of Anna Maria Catherina 1768, i.e., Anna Maria Magdalena 1766 and Anna Maria 1774. Of the two, Anna Maria 1774 is younger and is approximately the same age as George ZWICKER. So, until additional facts are unearthed or someone comes up with a better explanation, I am going to invoke the “mistake in the parish register clause” and carry Anna Maria MOSHER 1774 as the wife of George Melchior ZWICKER, Jr. 1774/1775.
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1812 - Bef 1848 (< 35 years)
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