THE WOLLAM FAMILY

Elder Jacob Wollam (Direct Ancestor), born abt 1715 and died abt 1790. His WILLis dated 13 April 1778 and lists eleven living children at that time. It lists them by name and in the case of married daughters, by married name.

His son, Johann Baltzer (Balsor) Wollam (Direct Ancestor) was born 24 Nov 1745, New Holland, Lancaster, PA. Baltzer died 22 Nov 1823, in Calcutta, St. Clair Twp, Columbiana, OH, and was buried on the Wollam Farm, St. Clair Twp, Columbiana, OH. He married Mary Magdalene Weaver (Direct Ancestor) 31 Jan 1770 at Sleepy Creek, Berkeley, VA, daughter of Christopher Weaver and Anna Elizabeth Lintz. Mary was born January 31, 1751/52 in Philadelphia, PA, and died 22 Nov 1823 in Calcutta, St. Clair Twp, Columbiana County, OH and is also buried on the Wollam Farm. They had 12 children.

Johann Baltzer's son Jacob Andrew Wollam (Direct Ancestor) was born in WV, in 1782 but was in Columbiana County in 1816 when his first child was born. He married Elizabeth Ruth Spahr (Direct Ancestor) (See Spahr Genealogy Link below) in 1815 and they had 9 children. Jacob died 8 May 1860 and is buried in the Jackman Cemetery in Columbiana County, Ohio. Ruth died in 1874 and is buried in the Blackledge Cemetery in Van Buren County, Iowa. She must have gone to Iowa to live with or be near her son after her husband died. His WILL was signed 28 Sep 1859 and probated 23 May 1860.

Jacob's son, John Wollam (Direct Ancestor) was born 21 Jan 1820 in Fredericktown, Columbiana County, Ohio. He married Margaret Blackledge (Direct Ancestor) (see Blackledge Genealogy Link below) about 1838 and the first two of their three children were born there. In 1845, along with some of Margaret's family, they migrated down the Ohio River and settled in southeast Iowa in Van Buren County near the Illinois River. John died in 1905 and Margaret died in 1911 and both are buried-in the Blackledge Cemetery in Van Buren County, Iowa. Obituary of Margaret Blackledge Wollam

John's son, Josiah Wollam (Direct Ancestor), born in 1841 in Ohio, married Maria Clifford (Direct Ancestor), daughter of Dr. Ephraim Clifford and Amanda Sloan. They are both buried in the Mt. Sterling Cemetery in Van Buren County, Iowa.

Josiah's daughter, Josephine "Josie" N. Wollam was born in Van Buren County in 1865. She married John Piper (See Piper Genealogy Link below) in 1884 in Keosauqua,Van Buren County, IA. They moved to Palisades, Hitchcock County, NE. They had six children, all born in Palisades. When the youngest were born, twins Lantz and Josiah, in 1893, Josie died shortly after birth. Josiah lived a few months. Lantz was taken back to Iowa and raised by his grandparents, Josiah and Maria Wollam. John then married (2) Alice Roberts and moved the family to Douglas, Garfield County, Oklahoma.

Josie's oldest daughter, Dora May Piper (Direct Ancestor) married Joe Gibson in Douglas, OK, and lived the rest of her life there. (See Gibson Genealogy Link below)

There are several Wollam descendents in Van Buren County, Iowa and they have held annual family reunions there in Kesauqua since 1914. The Wollams seemed to be primarily farmers, owning land, and took a part in both the Revolution and Civil Wars.

This record was written by George Henry Wollam and copied by his grandson. Theodore B. Wollam. .It was not completed. Contributed by Ida Woolam, 2693 S.E. 5th Street, West Linn, Oregon. (Ida is now deceased) Taken from Periodical "Union Echoes" Vol. 6, #5, Sep. 1986 Issue and received from the Allen County Library, Fort Wayne, IN..

I was born on January 9,1863 in a place then called Fredericktown, in Columbiana County, Ohio. About 30 yards east of the house in which I first saw the light of day, very close to the bank of a roaring little stream, stood my father's cooper shop. This shop was deeply entwined in the childhood memories of my older brothers and sister.

My father was Alfred Wollam, born on January 8,1818, being 45 years and a day older than I. He was born near this same town, Fredericktown, about a half mile north and half mile east. His father Jacob Wollam was 26 years old at the time of my father's birth, or in the year 1792 being the year of his birth and the place was Old Virginia, a few miles to the south and west of Martinsburg, now in W. Virginia, on a slow moving little stream still known as Sleepy Creek. This Jacob Wollam was my grandfather. At the age of 12 years he moved with his father Baltzar Wollam from Martinsburg to Columbiana county, Ohio.

They moved by ox team and hand made wagons across a narrow arm of Maryland till they came to the Monongahela River. Here they stopped and built a crude raft, loaded all their things, such as oxen, cows,, dough troughs, ox yokes, hoes, wooden pitch forks, home woven linen clothing, guns, axes, boats, cow chains, harrow teeth, chickens, buckskin coats. A cabin was on this raft, in fact all they had. There were other families on this raft besides Baltzer and his boy Jacob. One man named Spahr (See Spahr Genealogy) with a little daughter 8 years old. This child, Elizabeth Spahr, afterwards became the wife of little Jacob and became my grandmother. Baltzer Wollam had sons Ben, John, William, Henry. Joe and Jacob. Baltzer was born in 1742 near Martinsburg and spent most of his active life there, as the records testify to his land transactions.

Baltzer's father was an Elder Jacob Wollam.and we have authentic records to show that this first Jacob Wollam lived in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia before the English King gave this land to Lord Fairfax. Of the early life of Jacob the first, we have nothing that is authentic or trustworthy, only a tradition, which you with those before you, and after you, would love to remember and relate.

These people were of French origin in a very remote age when religious persecution was rampant in France. Our ancestors not submitting to the Catholic faith were driven from their ancestral home in France. They emigrated to somewhere on the upper waters of the Rhine, near a small stream called Ulm. This is the origin of our name Wollam. Now in this highly pictured story, Jacob first appears as a youth of 20 summers. He is supposed, in this story, to be almost a slave to a rich and egotistic Baron. He is not a slave in a strict sense, as he is dressed and groomed and supposed to be elite in his appearance and accounts to his master. He is a stable man and a very trusty. This man had a very refined and beautiful daughter, Magdalena by name (which was the name of Jacob's wife and Baltzer's mother as is recorded in Will Book No.I, page 150, in Martinsburg,West Va.) Magdalena was in love with the low but trusty stable man and Jacob more than met her half way. The baron threatened them but as in all fictitous stories, could not quench the burning flame of a woman's love. Resolving to separate them and not wanting to give up a trusty horse man he ordered his daughter to leave home and kept Jacob. The girl carrying her belongings in a basket started for Holland. Jacob remained a short time then ran away. They met somewhere in Holland in time to get a sailing boat for America. They landed in Philadelphia and made their way from there with some of Jacob's brothers to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. Here he lived and raised his family of six boys; Baltzer, Mathias, Peter, Shem, John and Jacob. Jacob, the youngest son of this first Jacob, received as a gift from his father, a gun. John was given a colt. Everything except these items were willed to his beloved wife (Magdalena). Baltzer was made executor of the will. John married a Miss Pitzer. He entered into a contract with the girl's father giving bond in the sum of 50 pounds, if he failed to marry the girl at the stipulated date he would forfeit the 50 pounds. He did not fail. They were married at the appointed time. One Jacob Racob, a personal friend of Baltzer, died without heirs so willed Baltzer his entire estate, among which was a tract of land on the Yadkin River in SC. Baltzer deeds this land to his brother John, who with his new wife Mary Pitzer Wollam emigrated to this new southern home and passes from our knowledge. Baltzer married Mary Weaver who became our ancestral grandmother. Peter moved to Western Penna. and settled on Ten Mile Creek, a tributary of the Monongahela. His descendants are in and around Washington and Waynesburg, Penna, and their name is OLLAM. But Peter's name is on record in Washington as Wollam.

Shem the fourth son of Jacob, born 1751, settled in Northwestern PA. Here he built a cabin, in the then unprotected wilderness at the time when the Indians were killing settlers and burning houses. Shem was trapped with his young wife in his own house. The Indians demanded that he come out or they would fire the cabin. After consultation with his wife they both agreed that he go out and take a running chance for his life. He crept out a small window without boots or hat and carried a rifle and a hatchet with a few rounds of ammunition which was soon wasted. He ran for his life followed by a band of Indians. They too were out of powder but sometimes were so close as to almost strike him down. They followed him for two days and one night without rest or food until they came to a narrow stream with high and rocky banks. Shem made one more desperate effort and leaped the stream. Had he missed his landing he would have fallen on the rocks below. The red men never tried to make the jump. Shem crept off to a hiding place where he tore up a buckskin jacket that he had worn and tied up his bleeding feet. After a few hours sleep he made his way slowly and cautiously back to the cabin where he found, to his delight, his wife. The Indians had been true to their promise and disturbed nothing. Shem made his home and reared his family in Northwestern Penna. (Elder Jacoh's will, dated 4-13-1778 ,Berkley Co.,Va. also lists ch.: Wendel, Daniel, Magdalene (Morsey), Juliana (Shilling), and Hannah.)