Michael Bock 1757-1838 (1111000)

Patuxent River State Park in Frederick County, Maryland near where Michael Bock was born.

In the year 1833, at seventy six years of age, Michael Bock petitioned for a pension for his service in the Revolutionary War [Pension #S6679]. In his deposition, he says that he was born in the year 1757 near "Frederick Town in the state of Maryland." In 1769, at twelve years of age, "he removed with his father to the Monongalia river in the state of Virginia [now Fayette County, Pennsylvania], where he continued to reside until the close of the Revolutionary War." In a second deposition, he claims that he was "a native of Maryland -- removed to Pennsylvania when 12 years old with his father who settled west of the mountains on Ginger Creek in Fayette Cty [County]. He lived there until within the last 24 yrs."

The "Monongalia" or Monongahela River is a large river that runs from the mountains of West Virginia at its source, traveling northward across the border between West Virginia and Pennsylvania, then flows northward through Pennsylvania until it joins the Ohio River near Pittsburg. The border between West Virginia (which was then still part of Virginia) and Pennsylvania is the famous Mason-Dixon line. John Bock and his family probably lived very near both the Monongahela River and the Mason-Dixon line. We know that they were enumerated in tax and census records in Fayette County, Pennsylvania until about 1805, when they relocated to Harrison County, (West) Virginia. 

Monongahela River in West Virginia near which Michael Bock lived.

The Bock family moved from Fayette County PA
to Harrison County WV about 1805.

MICHAEL BOCK

HARRISON COUNTY

PRIVATE

VIRGINIA CONT'L

$66.66 ANNUAL ALLOWANCE

$199.98 AMOUNT RECEIVED

MAY 22, 1833 PENSION STARTED

AGE 77

Pasted from <http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/pensions/vapen_b.txt>

Michael's pension application was, at first, successful. He was given a pension of $66 per year for two years, but in 1835 the pension was suspended. Included in his pension files is a letter concerning several pensioners in Marion County that says "upon a mature examination of their respective claims, their names have been, by order of the Department, stricken from the rolls as not entitled to pension under the Act of Congress passed June 7, 1832." This is followed by a list which includes the name of Michael Bock. There is no further evidence in his file to show why this was the case.

In 1860 Michael's son, John Bock, came forward in the capacity of the administrator of his father's estate, to claim any pension that might be remaining. Included in the file is a letter of administration for John Bock, that shows he was in charge of settling his father's estate. In his deposition, he gives a great deal of information on the family, including the date of his father's death and the names of all John's siblings, including two daughters who had died.

He says, "Michael Bock died on the 25th day of March in the year 1838 in that portion of the county of Harrison now merged within the bounds of the county of Marion, leaving no widow and without making a will, but left the following named children and heirs at law, to wit: this applicant [John Bock], Michael Bock, Nicholas Bock, David Bock, Solomon Bock, Abigail Sharer (Shaver?), Margaret Ensminger, Sarah Bock, Hannah Barker wife of John Barker, Catherine Sharer (Shaver?) who has since died leaving three children, viz: Michael, Sarah and Margaret Sharer (Shaver?), that said Michael Bock also had one other daughter, Elizabeth who intermarried with Jacob Wolf, and died before the said Michael, having the following married children viz: Margaret, Ann, Susanna and Sarah Wolf."

In his deposition, John Bock asks that the file of Michael's revolutionary war service be re-examined. He believed that it should have been reinstated, given that his service had been proven by the "evidence of Peter Haught." It is uncertain exactly how Peter Haught was connected with the family, but we do know that there were two Haughts (John and Jacob) who married two of Michael's sisters-in-law. It therefore seems likely that Michael had served beside Peter Haught in the war. The testimony of Peter Haught is not found in the file as it exist today; however, the pension file for Peter Haught gives many particulars which help to explain why the pension was suspended.

Peter Haught, and others from the county who served together and applied for pension at the same time, were all involved in the suspension of pension payments. There is a letter in the pension file of Peter Haught [Pension #S6981] that explains what happened:

On June 8 1857, J. V. Boughner wrote, "[Peter] Haught, [Zachariah] Piles, and [George] Wade, were pensioned, through an agent named John Brookover, assisted by a Mr Wilson or some other attorney in Morgantown. The parties refused to pay Brookover an exhorbitant fee he demanded. Brookover took offence, visited Clarksburgh and informed W. G. Singleton, Esqr U. S. dist. attorney that the pensions were fraudulently obtained. Brookover was a cunning and unprincipled man, but very ignorant." Singleton then sent the letter to the pension commissioners that caused the pension to be suspended, he also filed a law suit against the men to force them to pay back the money they had received. This law suit was never fully prosecuted, though it was kept as an open case until 1852, when Singleton withdrew his charges.

In another letter from J. V. Boughner, dated 12 July 1858, it said that Peter Haught's heirs had been granted the arrears payment of the pension. Haught, Piles and Wade's heirs were all granted the pension payments, which makes it likely that Michael Bock's heirs were granted his pension as well.

Michael Bock married Margaret Crouser/Crowser before 1781 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. They had the following children:

1) Michael Bock b. abt 1782 Fayette County, PA

2) Nicholas Bock b. abt. 1790 Fayette County, PA

3) Sarah Bock b. abt 1791 Fayette County, PA

4) David Bock b. abt 1793 Fayette County, PA

5) Hannah Bock b. abt 1799 Fayette County, PA

6) John Bock b. abt 1801 Fayette County, PA

7) Solomon Bock b. abt 1802 Fayette County, PA
8) Margaret Bock b. abt 1815 Harrison County, (W)VA

Michael and his family can be found in Fayette County Pennsylvania for the 1790 and 1800 Census:

1790 Census Springhill Township, Fayette, PA

Michael Pawk 1 m over 16, 2 m under 16, 7 females

There is also a Nicholas Pawk 1 m over 16, 1 female

1800 Census Springhill Township, Fayette, PA

Michael Pock 3 m under 10, 2 m 10-15, 1 m 16-25, 1 m 45 and over, 3 f under 10, 2 f 10-15, 2 f 16-25, 1 f 26-44

Springhill Township in Fayette County, Pennsylvania borders on West Virginia:

PAGenWeb - Fayette County - Township Maps

http://usgwarchives.org/maps/pa/county/fayett/usgs/

Screen clipping taken: 7/25/2012 11:49 AM

They had relocated to Harrison County, Virginia before the 1810 Federal Census, where they can be found through the 1830 Federal Census:

1810 Census Not Stated District, Harrison County, VA p. 47

Michael Pock 1 m under 10, 1 m 10-15, 3 m 16-25, 1 m 26-44, 2 m 45 and over, 1 f 10-15, 3 f 16-25, 1 f 45 and over

1820 Census Not Stated District, Harrison, VA

Michael Pock 1 m under 10, 2 m 10-15, 1 m 16-18, 2 m 16-25, 1 f under 10, 1 f 10-15

There are Nicholas, Michael, George, and David Pock nearby.

1830 Census Western District, Harrison, VA

Bock, Michael Sr. 1 m 10-15, 1 m 70-80, 2 f 30-40

There are Michael Jr., David, Solomon, John and Nicholas nearby.

It is unclear why the family name had undergone a transformation from Bock (while they lived in Maryland, and on the Passenger List from when they immigrated to America), then to Pock (while in PA and for a short while after they relocated to Harrison County), then back to Bock. It is possible that Michael's accent made it sound like Pock, instead of Bock, since this spelling error was made consistently over several decades, and by clerks in different states. Since the entire family made the transition together while they were still living as near neighbors, it is clear that this is the same family.

Michael's death date (25 Mar 1838), as stated before, comes from John Bock's testimony in the pension files. The part of Harrison County in which the family resided became Marion County in 1842. It is uncertain where he is buried.