From Germantown to Ohio: Tracing the DeWeese Family Line

 Ancestry of Catherine DeWeese Jones

Source Note:
This narrative is based on The DeWees Family (Roberts, 1905), public historical records, and personal genealogical research conducted by the descendant and researcher, [Your Name]. The conclusions below represent the best understanding of the family lineage as of the time of writing.

Disclaimer:
The information presented here is part of ongoing research. While many names, dates, and relationships are drawn from well-documented sources, other connections—especially beyond the 4th great-grandparent level—may require further primary source confirmation. Researchers are encouraged to use caution when citing or expanding upon this tree. Corrections and confirmations are welcome as part of the verification process.

Ancestry of Catherine DeWeese Jones

Catherine DeWeese Jones was born on 19 December 1819 in Pennsylvania, and over the course of her life, she lived in Indiana and Ohio, where she died on 17 September 1900. She is part of a deeply rooted colonial American family, tracing her DeWeese lineage to early Dutch settlers who helped establish the Germantown settlement in Pennsylvania in the late 1600s.

Parents: Joseph DeWeese and Catherine Shafer

Catherine was the daughter of Joseph DeWeese and Catherine Shafer (surname also seen as Shaffer or Schaefer). Her parents likely lived in Pennsylvania at the time of her birth and possibly followed other DeWeese relatives in migrating westward. Joseph is placed as a son of Thomas DeWeese and Catharine Bissey based on family tradition and regional continuity, though further documentation is still being sought to confirm this definitively.

Grandparents: Thomas DeWeese and Catharine Bissey

Thomas DeWeese was born on 4 May 1770 and married Catharine Bissey on 5 April 1791. This marriage is documented in The DeWeese Family book and marks the beginning of a known branch that stretches from eastern Pennsylvania into frontier states such as Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri. While their children are not all listed in the book, this family is believed to have been part of the migration trend that brought many DeWeese descendants into the Midwest in the early 19th century.

Great-Grandparents: Samuel DeWeese and Elizabeth

Samuel DeWeese and his wife Elizabeth lived during the mid-1700s and had at least seven known children:

• Thomas DeWeese (Catherine’s grandfather)
• John DeWeese, who married Anna Maria Faust
• William DeWeese
• Elizabeth DeWeese, born 1777
• Samuel DeWeese Jr., born 1760 (married four times)
• Paul/Powell DeWeese
• David DeWeese

This family remained centered in Pennsylvania but began spreading into Ohio and the western frontier. They were likely affiliated with the Reformed Church, a common denomination among early German and Dutch settlers in the region.

2nd Great-Grandparents: Cornelius DeWeese

Cornelius DeWeese, a farmer, was a key figure in the early DeWeese family history. He and his brother William DeWeese jointly purchased 390 acres of land in 1708 in what became Skippack Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Cornelius descended from Dutch immigrants and helped develop the agricultural base of the Pennsylvania interior. His line produced many descendants who were part of the 18th- and 19th-century westward expansion.

3rd Great-Grandparents: Gerrit Hendricks de Wees and Zytian

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Gerrit Hendricks de Wees, the immigrant ancestor, came to America from Zaandam, Holland, in

1689, settling first in New York and then in Germantown, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. There he purchased land and became part of the early Germantown community. He and his wife Zytian had four known children:

• Cornelius DeWeese
• William DeWeese – a noted paper-maker and elder in the Reformed Church
• Lewis DeWeese – settled in Delaware
• Wilhelmina DeWeese – married Nicholas (Claus) Rittenhouse

Gerrit’s land and legal dealings are well documented, as is the tradition that the family name “DeWees” originated from the Dutch word for “orphan.” He and his children were prominent contributors to both economic and religious life in early colonial Pennsylvania.

Legacy and Continuing Research

The DeWeese lineage is one of notable continuity from the colonial period through the westward migration of the 19th century. The family’s legacy includes skilled tradesmen, farmers, and community leaders. Through this ancestry, Catherine DeWeese Jones connects directly to some of the earliest European settlers in Pennsylvania.

As the researcher continues to explore and document this family’s history, additional sources, DNA evidence, and regional records will be used to confirm and expand the story.

What's in a Name? Tracing the Many Spellings of the Deweese Family Line

Let’s be honest — researching family history sometimes feels like trying to chase a greased pig at a county fair. And nothing proves that better than the Deweese family name.

You see, somewhere back in colonial Pennsylvania, my Deweese ancestors decided life wasn’t hard enough already. They added an extra challenge: a last name that can be spelled more ways than you can shake a stick at.

According to official records (and a few unofficial ones scribbled on the back of very old marriage licenses), you might find our family under:

• Deweese

• DeWeese

• De Weese

• DeWees

• Dewees

• Dewese

• Dewesee

• And if you squint hard enough at 1800s handwriting, even Dewis or De Wes.

Honestly, at this point, I’m just waiting to find a "De-Wheeze" in a Revolutionary War pension file.

Despite the spelling adventures, it all ties back to my great-great-great-grandmother, Catherine Deweese Jones. Catherine was born around 1820 in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Joseph Deweese and Elizabeth Shaffer. She later married James Jones II, and after his death, she had a son, George Washington Jones — my direct ancestor.

George W. Jones carried the Jones name forward, but the Deweese blood (and apparently the creative spelling gene) lived on. From Germantown, Pennsylvania, to Indiana farmhouses, to Michigan towns, the Deweese spirit — or should I say "DeWeesey essence" — stuck with us through every census taker who shrugged and just spelled it however they felt like that day.

So next time you can’t find your ancestors in a search because their name looks different, just remember: If it kind of looks like Deweese, sounds like Deweese, and resists every effort to spell it the same way twice, much like Deweese--it’s probably Deweese.

And if you’re related to me, it definitely is.

John W. Peterson-Scoundrel?

UPDATE:  6/6/2019  See the end of this post for an update.

Several years back I was researching my Jones ancestry and I came across some information that my 2nd great-grandfather George W. Jones was not really a Jones.  He was in fact a Peterson.  This particular Peterson is not related to my paternal Peterson side but is on my Mother's side.

Supposedly, a John Peterson was going to marry the widow Catherine DeWesse Jones (my 3rd great-grandmother) in 1859 but backed out the last second.

Catherine DeWesse was first married to James Jones in 1834 in Ohio and had at least seven children with him.  James Jones died in 1848 leaving Catherine a widow with all seven minor children.  Ten years later in 1860 Catherine DeWesse Jones was the head of the household with three of her sons and a small boy named George W. Jones, age 1.  My first thought was that this George Jones was a grandson, but I learned later on that he was in fact Catherine's boy, born when she was 39 years old.

I was able to make contact with other Jones researchers who confirmed that George W. Jones was in fact Catherine's son and that the father was a John W. Peterson.  It wasn't until recently that I was able to confirm this story through a court document.

John Peterson and Catherine Jones had planned on getting married in 1859 and even applied for a license (see pic.)  For some reason the marriage never happened.  George W. Jones was born in April of 1859.   Clearly, John Peterson and Catherine Jones were more than just friendly neighbors-According to the Adams Co., IN 1860 census, they lived close to each other.

So the question is:  Why didn't the marriage happen?  It seems natural to think that John Peterson didn't want to follow through since Catherine would have had a lot of pressure to marry the man who got her pregnant.

Is John W. Peterson a scoundrel?  It would be hard to pin that label on him without more information.  It is possible that he wasn't the father and decided to not marry her when he found out she was pregnant or maybe Catherine didn't want the marriage and refused.  I will probably never know.

I have wondered what life was like for Catherine and George.  Considering the time (1860s) children born to women who were not married were often mistreated by society and family.  Yet, it seems that George's half brothers and sisters embraced him and he grew up in a healthy environment and love.  That is good.

In the meantime, I am hoping that through DNA I will be able to see if John W. Peterson is in fact my 3rd great-grandfather.

______________________________________________________________________________

Recent DNA results from ancestry says that John W. Peterson is in my family tree.  Hopefully more links will be established so I can be more confident in these results.