From Patriot Ancestor to President Hoover

One of the fun things you can do with WikiTree is find famous relatives. The WikiTree mission is to create an accurate, single family tree that makes genealogy free and accessible for everyone. Anyone can enter their family information linking to already existing family members. Now the fun begins.

 Amongst the famous relatives list is US Presidents; my closest relation is the 31st President.

Swiss born Gregor Jonas Huber is my linking ancestor to President Herbert Hoover. Gregor, my 8^th great grandfather was born in what is now the Canton of Aargau. In 1698 he immigrated to Germany due to religious persecution. Shortly after settling in Ellerstadt he married fellow Swiss immigrant Anna Kreutzer. They had eleven children including my direct ancestor Johannes Jacob and President Hoover’s direct ancestor Andreas. Both brothers immigrated to the American Colonies; one settling in the north, the other in the south. 

Johannes Jacob married Maria Magdalena shortly before boarding the Mortonhouse bound for Philadelphia; eventually they settled in Lancaster County. Now that, Covid fears are waning, I plan on making a trip to Lancaster to find out more about my ancestor’s history in that area.

Their son, my 6^th great grandfather, JacobHoover is recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution as a Revolutionary War Patriot. Simply put, Ritts Kids cousin’s, you are eligible to apply for membership with the DAR or Sons of the American Revolution.

Almost all of my direct ancestors came into America via Philadelphia, and in a generation or two settled in the Bedford - Blair - Cambria county area. Martin Hoover, my 5th great grandfather was an exception. About 1805, he along with his second wife Catherine Knee and several of his grown children decided to travel west settling in Ohio and Indiana. 

Martin's daughter Christina, my 4th great grandmother did not travel west with her father and siblings. She married  Dunkard Preacher John George Metzker, remaining in what became Blair County. They had 13 children in 19 years, including my ancestor Isaac who ran the family farm. His daughter Eliza moved back to farm with her younger children after both her mother and husband, Alexander Hudson passed away. Eliza, her parents and several children are buried in the Mennonite Cemetery which is down the street from the farm she grew up on.

Mennonite Cemetery by the Altoona Airport

Eliza’s eldest daughter Lizzie, married Harry Ritts. They had nine boys and my Nana, whom we affectionately refer to as the Ritts Kids. The “kids” were raised on a farm in Antis Township, which is now the Pine Grove exit on Rt 99. Only a few Ritts Kids descendants still reside in the area. Most moved west to Pittsburgh and beyond.