Found : Baltzer Getz
For a very long time- oh, some where between 6 months and a year- I have been trying to track down either the man or the book that he wrote, which – rumor had it-goes into some detail about the Kerlins. He caught my attention in that he is the only person I have ever found who refers to a Robert Kerlin being down in VA in the late 1700′s, early 1800′s. I even ended up exchanging letters with a cousin of his. But I could never find a copy of his book, to warm my greedy little hands, and the letter that I sent to him this past summer was returned to sender.
That’s me.
And then, today, quite by accident, I found his whole book on line here.
As I went through the pages, filling my eyes, I realised that he bases Robert being in that particular family group by mere proximity. I would as well, if I didn’t find myself in Ohio, about 20 years after that marriage, wondering who the bleep William B. Kerlin ( b. ca 1802) was, who Wesley Kerlin was, and why all of the Kerlin men are running over to Louisville from the 1830′s on.
In theory, William should be Robert’s son. But Hannah does not mention him in her will, only Robert A. and Henry T.
Who then is William, besides being a very close friend of the family ?
And who is the Henry that everyone is name after ? Robert A. and Jane name their children after members of their family. Hannah seems to have done the same thing.
So, where is the original Henry. Is it like O.B. Kerlin, who always went by his middle name, Benton ?
I become more and more convinced that the answers can only be found in situ, in VA.
July 6th, 2008 at 2:01 am
Hello there – just a short three years since this post. I’m hoping this is still active.
I helped Jim (Getz) write the Getz genealogy you have linked here and contributed most of the Kerlin information to the story. I’m not sure where this thread begins so I’m not entirely sure which Kerlin you’re seeking, but let me know if I can help in any way. I have a particular interest in the Kerlin line because my grandfather’s mother was one (a Kerlin).
Take care,
Matt
July 6th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Hi Matt-
You are the cousin I contacted !
I have my Robert Kerlin ( complete with a marriage license, deeds to land in both Winchester and Cedar Creek, and his eldest son saying that his father was born in PA) fitting into the family that was mentioned. However, until I can actually check the tax records from Virginia ( I live in The Netherlands), I cannot prove one darn thing.
I am looking for Robert Kerlin, born sometime in the 1770′s, possibly in PA, married in Winchester 1799, owning numerous plots of land there. He appears in the census’ of 1810 in both Winchester and Cedar Creek. He has a child born in Virginia in 1817. By 1820, the family is in Ohio. In 1823, Robert Kerlin is dead, leaving massive debts and is not buried in the family plot, which includes a daughter who died the same year that Robert Kerlin did.
I find it frustrating that I can indeed find a paper trail that confirms his existence, but that no other * Kerlins* have ever heard of him. And he left many, many descendants.
If you ever plough up anything, I would be more than grateful,
sue