In celebration of the 250th Anniversary of our country, local members of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution will highlight the patriots buried in Southeast Missouri.
Peter Hartle was born in Germany around 1750. He immigrated to North America aboard the Minerva, departing from Rotterdam, Holland, and arrived at the Port of Philadelphia on September 17, 1771. Following his arrival, he settled in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
With the outbreak of the American Revolution and the colonies' declaration of independence, Hartle joined the Pennsylvania Militia. He served in the 1st Battalion of Cumberland County under the command of Captain Daniel Clapsadler.
Following the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, Hartle returned to Cumberland County but remained there only briefly before relocating to Lincoln County, North Carolina. On April 16, 1785, he received a land grant of 61 acres situated on the waters of Howards Creek, where he likely engaged in farming.
Hartle married his first wife, Elizabeth Reiter, on February 25, 1778, in Washington County, Maryland. He married Elizabeth Masters about 1795 in North Carolina. Probate records from Cape Girardeau County identify the following children of Peter Hartle:
- Simon Hartle, who married Margaret
- Mary Hartle, who married Christopher Seabaugh
- Jacob Hartle, who married Sarah Ann Smith
- Sarah Hartle, who married Phillip Smith
- Joseph Hartle, who married Sarah Masters
- Elizabeth Hartle
- Michael Hartle
- George Hartle, who married Mary Niswonger
- Jesse Hartle, who married Sarah Seabaugh
- Solomon Hartle, who married Jane Davis
In 1801, the availability of inexpensive and abundant land prompted Peter Hartle and his family to migrate to the Cape Girardeau District of the Louisiana Territory. A deed dated March 18, 1802, reveals the sale of his land on Howards Creek in Lincoln County, North Carolina.
According to the testimony of George F. Bollinger, Hartle established his settlement on the land claim in November 1803. He initially cut logs for the construction of a cabin and enclosed a small tract of land with fencing. The cabin was completed in January 1804, at which time Hartle moved his family onto the property. Bollinger further testified that Hartle continued to reside on and cultivate the land thereafter. The records indicate that, as of December 20, 1803, Hartle had a wife and six children living with him.
The original Hartle land grant was located along the Whitewater River near present-day Scopus Township in what is now Bollinger County, Missouri. Hartle’s Ford, situated at a bend in the Whitewater River, marks the location where Peter Hartle and his family crossed the river to establish their homestead, becoming among the early settlers of the region.
Peter Hartle died without a will, and his oldest son Simon Hartle was appointed, along with Joseph Baker, to inventory the estate on August 4, 1819, in Cape Girardeau County. Peter is buried in the first grave in the Hartle Cemetery, a plot of land which was part of his original land grant. Many Hartle descendants have been buried in the cemetery.
Compiled by Morgan Meyer Lake, Kings Highway Chapter NSDAR
References
- Eaker, Lorena Shell. German Speaking People West of the Catawba River in North Carolina 1750-1800. Church Hill, TN: SCK Publications, 1994.
- Deed Book 21, p. 86, 18 Mar 1802, Lincoln County, NC
- Plat of survey for 345 arpents in the Dutch Settlement in the District of Cape Girardeau, January 15, 1806; Peter Hartle.; Papers of Original Claimants, 1777-1851; First Board of Land Commissioners (French and Spanish land grants); U.S. Recorder of Land Titles, Record Group 951; Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City.
- Probate records for Peter Hartle, Cape Girardeau County Archives
- Houck, Louis. The Spanish Regime in Missouri, 1 Nov 1803, p. 406.
- Houck, Louis. A History of Missouri: From the earliest explorations and settlements until the admission of the state into the Union, 1908. p 189, 830.
- Deed records, Lincoln Co NC
- 1790 Census, Lincoln Co NC
- 1800 Census, Lincoln Co NC
