Philip and Mariga Vetter sponsored the 1789 baptism of Daniel Vetter son of Jacob and Mariga. In all my research into all my German families, I have never encountered the name Mariga before. And yet it was not only the name of Jacob’s wife, but also apparently the name of Philip’s. Perhaps it was just the way that one minister wrote, for example, Margaretta or Margaretha. I don’t know. Or maybe it was the name of Jacob’s wife and the minister mistakenly wrote it as Philip’s too. In any event, it leads nowhere as I have no idea what her maiden name was, so while I am a little suspicious it does no harm to call her Mariga for now.

It was the birth of Philip Jr. that the “fraktur” I found documented, and it not only gave the names of his parents but also the names of his grandfathers. What a wonderful find.

I believe Philip came with his brothers from somewhere near the Berks-Northampton (later Lehigh) County line to (then) Penns Township.

Several deeds tell the story:

• In 1831, a deed from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania confirmed Philip’s right to a tract of 226 acres in Penns Township first warranted in 1773 to John Row who then in 1795 conveyed the tract to Philip Fetter who made the final payment.

• On 1 Aug 1831, Philip conveyed part of that tract to Joshua Fetter of Upper Mahanoy, Schuylkill County. Philip’s brother Heinrich had a son named Joshua and I suspect the buyer here was him.

1800. Philip, Jacob and Adam Fetter appear in Penns Township -- all age 26-44. Also present in Philip’s household were two sons under 10 -- who I believe were Abraham and possibly Benjamin -- 2 daughters under 10 and a daughter 10-15 who I believe was Rachel. There is no apparent wife present.

1810. Philip lives in Penns Township. He is age 26-45. Living with him are two younger males, one 16-25 (Abraham) and one 10-15 (Benjamin?). Also present are 2 females 10-16 and two older females, one 45+ and one 26-44. Perhaps Philip remarried and his new wife an her younger daughter now live with him.

1820 and 1830. Philip continues in Penns Township. By 1830, he lives alone, no wife is present.

1840. If everything I am asserting about this family is accurate, then Philip should be present in Census. I believe he is a widower and I believe he is about 78 years old. So it is no surprise he is not to be found as head of household. Interestingly, in the household of Frederick Walter age 50-60 is a man age 80-90. I used to think this was probably Conrad Walter, Frederick’s father, who also cannot otherwise be found in Census. I do not know when Conrad died, all I know is it was before an 1846 land settlement of property he owned when he died. I think it is quite possible he died before the 1840 Census. I believe the old man present in Frederick’s and Rachel’s household is her father, Philip. I am not troubled about the slight age discrepancy.

See Zion Lutheran Macungie, records part of PA Town and Church. Philip and Anna M sp baptism in 1791

This is the man who, by logic and the process of elimination, I have concluded was our ancestor because he was the father of Rachel. One of my tricks is to look at tick marks in Census when I know someone’s age and surname and I’m trying to determine their father -- the head of household should have a child of the right age to be the child whose father I’m trying to name. In 1800 in Penns Township, of the several men named Fetter living there, only Philip and Jacob had daughters of the right age (10-15) to possibly be Rachel. And I have ruled out Jacob because I believe we know the names of most, if not all, of his older children from Ziegel’s Church baptisms and Union County Orphan’s Court records. Not only was there no Rachel, neither was there a Benjamin nor Abraham, who I believe were two of her brothers.

That leaves Philip, aka Philip Jr., the child named on the fraktur -- as my main suspect.

I can find just scant mention of this family under any spelling in Berks/Lehigh County churches. That’s peculiar, they clearly were in the area and they were a large family -- but mentions of them are few and far between. A few baptisms at Ziegel’s is it.

A Philip Fetter died in Penns Township and on 23 Jan 1849 the court appointed George Diehl to be Executor with Henry Diehl and Samuel Boob as sureties.

I cannot figure out why the court would not have picked Philip’s son Abraham (if I am right that Abraham was indeed Philip’s son) or Frederick Walter who was Philip’s son-in-law. If I have the relationships right, the court appointed the husband of Philip’s granddaughter. Does that make sense? It doesn’t really, versus the alternatives, but that is what the court did and it does therefore, in my opinion, add evidence that George Diehl was in fact the husband of Philip’s granddaughter. Otherwise, I don’t know why he would have been picked at all.