Mary Read and John B. Konkle had at least 9 children born betweeen 1817 and 1836. They had at least 29 grandchildren who were born between 1844 and 1878. I have identified 29 great-grandchildren born between 1872 and 1910, 23 second great grandchildren between 1899 and 1928 and 3 third great grandchildren between 1923 and 1927. Total identified descendants equals 93.

Mary Read was the second daughter and child of the nine children of John Read and Elizabeth Ogden. She was probably named after her grandmother, Mary Shotwell Ogden. Mary was born 4 December 1795 in Sussex (now Warren) County, New Jersey (Kern 1938). Her father's farm was supposed to have been in Hardwick Township (Sussex County Surrogate Court Records, hereinafter SCSCR, File 8032). Mary was the first of John and Elizabeth Read's children to survive. Her older sister Sarah died as an infant (Kern 1938).

Mary's father, John Read, died on 20 April 1814 when Mary was 20 years old. Her father died intestate and was deeply in debt at the time of this death. The family was forced to sell much of his personal estate to cover the debts. Some of his farm in Hardwick was also sold (SCSCR, File 8032; SCSCR Inventories Book B, page 264). Elizabeth Read was left with seven minor children to raise: Mary (age 20), John Ogden (about 18 years of age), Isaac (who was almost 16), Lydia (who was almost 13), Rachael (age 10), David (age 7) and Hannah (who was 5 or 6 years old). She remaried shortly after John's death. Her second husband was William Wintersteen, a widower with five children (Armstrong 1979:211).

Mary also married shortly after her father's death. She married on 23 May 1816, in Sussex County, John B. Konkle, the son of Matthias and Christeen Konkle. He was born 14 December 1793 in Sussex (now Warren) County, New Jersey (Kern 1938; Sussex County Marriages). The young couple settled in what is now Warren County, New Jersey. By June of 1819, they had two children, Elizabeth Ogden Konkle (born 1817), who was named after her maternal grandmother and Isaac R. Konkle (born June 1819), who was probably named after his uncle Isaac Read, III (Kern 1938). Shortly after Isaac Konkle was born, his uncle Isaac Read, III submitted a petition to the Orphan's Court of Sussex County. The petition asked the court to divide the remaining real estate of John Read, which was owned jointly by his survivng children. Only Mary Read Konkle, John Ogden Read and Isaac Read III were of age (over 21 years of age) in 1819, all the other children were minors, they were: Lydia, Rachel, David and Hannah Read. The petition was dated 19 August 1819 (SCSCR File 8032). Isaac had just married Catherine Matthews on 31 July 1819, and the couple were expecting their first child (Kern 1938; Lorenz n.d.). The court divided the land and each child received a portion of it.

Table 1: Household of John and Mary (Read) Konkel in 1830
1830 United States Federal Census
Independence Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 403

Census Individual	Census Age As of 1 June 1830	Probable Individual	Birth Date
one male	30 to 39 (1791-1800)	John Konkle	14 December 1793
one female	30 to 39 (1791-1800)	Mary Read Konkle	4 December 1795
one male	20 to 29 (1801-1810)	Unknown	.
one female	10 to 14 (1816-1820)	Elizabeth Ogden Konkle	18 March 1817
one male	10 to 14 (1816-1820)	Isaac R. Konkle	6 June 1819
one female	5 to 9 (1821-1825)	Susanna Moot Konkle	21 August 1821
one male	5 to 9 (1821-1825)	Samuel Johnson Konkle	25 June 1823
one male	under 5 (1826-1830)	David R. Konkle	circa 1827
one female	under 5 (1826-1830)	Mary Caroline Konkle	circa 1830

The family lived in Independence Township in 1830. John appears to have had an hired hand. This young man was probably the unknown male between the ages of 20 and 29 who lived in the household. John's sons were all under 20 in 1830. Isaac was 11, Samuel was 7, and David was about 2. While Isaac was probably working in the fields with his father, he was still too young to do much of the heavy farm work required to maintain a farm during the early nineteenth-century. It is possible, but not proven, that the unnamed young man was Mary's youngest surviving brother, David Read, who was 24 years old in 1830. David married Mary Hawk some time in 1830 or 1831. It was possible that he was working for his sister's family before his marriage.

By 1840, John and Mary had left Independence Township and settled in Hardwick Township. Two additional children had been born since the 1830 census—the twins, John and Jane. They were were born on the first of May 1836. Jane died as an infant and only John survived to become an adult (Kern 1938). The 1840 census indicates that there were four people in the household who were engaged in agriculture. They were probably John and his three older sons: Isaac (age 21), Samuel (age 17) and David (age 12). John R. Konkle was a young child of 5. While Elizabeth Konkle was 23 years old, and certainly of an age to marry, she remained at home with her parents for almost another 30 years. She finally married in about 1870. The 1840 Konkle household is listed in table two.

Table 2: Household of John and Mary (Read) Konkel in 1840
1840 United States Federal Census
Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 378

Census Individual	Census Age As of 1 June 1840	Probable Individual	Birth Date
one male	40 to 49 (1791-1800)	John Konkle	14 December 1793
one female	40 to 49 (1791-1800)	Mary Read Konkle	4 December 1795
one female	20 to 29 (1811-1820)	Elizabeth Ogden Konkle	18 March 1817
one male	20 to 29 (1811-1820)	Isaac R. Konkle	6 June 1819
one female	15 to 19 (1821-1825)	Susanna Moot Konkle	21 August 1821
one male	15 to 19 (1821-1825)	Samuel Johnson Konkle	25 June 1823
one male	10 to 14 (1826-1830)	David R. Konkle	circa 1827
one female	5 to 9 (1831-1835)	Mary Caroline Konkle	circa 1830
one male	under 5 (1836-1840)	John R. Konkle	1 May 1836

The religious affiliation of the family was probably the Christian Church. Both John and Mary are buried in the cemetery of the Christain Church in Johonsonburg, Frelinghuysen Township, Warren County. Mary's sister Lydia Read Martin and her family belonged to that church, as did Mary and Lydia's mother, Elizabeth Read Wintersteen and their Uncles Isaac Read, Sr. and Samuel Read (Kern 1938, Snell 1881). The Johnsonburg Christian Church was organized 15 July 1826 and was the first Christain Church in what was then Sussex County. The pastor of the church, the Rev. Jonathan S. Thompson eventually became Mary Read Konkle's cousin through marriage. In 1833, he married Mary's first cousin, (78) Jane Read³ (Samuel Read², Joseph Read¹), the widow Drake, daughter of Samuel Read. However, the date that Mary and John joined the church is uncertain. Their daughter Susanna Moot Konkle was married to James Brugler, Jr., by a Baptist minister on New Year's day 1848 (Bronwell 1947), but was buried with her husband in the church cemetery of Mount Hermon Methodist Church in Hope Township (Mount Hermon Methodist Church Cemtery). John and Mary's sons Isaac and John were members of the Johnsonburg Christain Church and were buried with their wives in the church's cemetery (Fretz 1908; Kern 1938). But, their son Samuel was buried in Egberts Methodist Episcopal Church yard in Bethel, Mansfield Township, Warren County, New Jersey (Reuther n.d.). While the children may have attended the Christiain Church, they did not all remain affiliated with that church.

Between the 1840 and 1850 census, three of the Konkle children married. Isaac married on 18 September 1843, Sarah Ann Hankinson, a close neighbor. Susanna married James Brugler, Jr. of Knowlton Township (Warren County) on News Year Day 1848. Samuel married a few months before the 1850 census was enumerated. His bride was Mary Tunison of Independence Township. They settled in that Township. John and Mary Konkle were still residents of Hardwick Township in 1850. John was a farmer and he owned a farm valued at $3,562. Four of the couple's children still remained at home. They were Elizabeth (age 33), David (age 23), Mary Caroline (age 18) and John R. (age 14). Only John R. was still attending school. The Konkle's son Isaac and his wife Sarah are listed adjacent to John and Mary on the census. By the time the 1850 census was enumerated (9 August 1850), the Konkles had four grandchildren: Andrew and Mary Konkle and Milton and Annie Brugler. Their fifth grandchild, Sarah Caroline Konkle would be born in October 1850. Table three lists the inhabitants of the household of John B. and Mary Konkle.

Table 3: Household of John and Mary (Read) Konkle in 1850
1850 United States Federal Census
Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 494B

In 1860, none of John and Mary Konkle's children lived at home. Their granddaughter (Sarah) Caroline Konkle (age 10) did reside with them. She was the oldest child of their late son Samuel Konkle. Samuel had died on 1 August 1854, leaving behind his widow Mary Ann Tunison Konkle and three children: Sarah Caroline, Mary Elizabeth and Samuel Jr.. His daughter Mary Elizabeth died on 29 January 1859 at the age of 6 (Reuther n.d.). His widow, Mary Tunison Konkle had returned to her parents home in 1860, taking Samuel Jr. with her. Her parents, Tunis and Mary Tunison, were the steward and matron of the Warren County Poor House. Mary Tunison Konkle and her sister Emma worked as a domestics, possibly for their parents (1860 United States Federal Census, Mansfield Township, Warren County, New Jersey, 705B, 10 July 1860). Mary sent her daughter Sarah Caroline, called Caroline on the census, to live with her in-laws. Caroline lived with them in Hardwick Township and attended school.

All of the Konkle children, except Elizabeth, were married by 1860. Elizabeth's whereabouts in 1860 are unknown. Most of the Konkle children lived in Hardwick Township near their parents. The 1860 census lists the household of (Mary) Caroline Konkle Cook and her husband Aaron L. Cook as adjacent to that of her parents. They were in dwellings 436 (Cook) and 427 (Konkle) (1860 United States Federal Census, Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey, 551B, 13 July 1860). Isaac and Sarah Konkle lived in dwelling 502 and John R. Konkle and his wife Emily Luse lived in dwelling 504 (1860 United States Federal Census, Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey, 560B-561A, 16-17 July 1860). Susanna Konkle Brugler and her family lived in Blairstown Township and David and Elsy Konkle lived in Knowlton Township (1860 United States Census, Blairstown Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 565, 18 July 1860; (1860 United States Census, Knowlton Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 505A, 26 June 1860). John and Mary were the grandparents of 19 children by 1860, 16 of whom were living. Their grandchildren included Andrew, Mary and Sarah Konkle (Issac and Sarah Konkle); Milton, Annie, Charles, Aaron and Orison Brugler (James and Susanna Brugler); Caroline and Samuel Konkle (Samuel and Mary Konkle); Lewis, Philip, Anna Mary and Emma Konkle (David and Elsy Konkle); and Mary and Ann Cook (Aaron and Caroline Cook). As with most families in the nineteenth century, they had also buried several children and grandchildren. This included their daughters Lydia and Jane, who died as young children and their son Samuel who died as an adult. Their deceased grandchildren in 1860 were Martha Konkle (Isaac and Sarah), Emma Brugler (James and Susanna), and Mary Elizabeth Konkle (Samuel and Mary).

The 1860 census indicates that John B. Konkle held real estate valued at $4,000 and that he had a personal estate vaued at $300. Table four lists the resident of the household in 1860.

Table 4: Household of John and Mary (Read) Konkle in 1860
1860 United States Federal Census
Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey, page 551B

John Konkle died mid-way through the Civil War, on 4 February 1863 (Kern 1938). During the Civil War, only one of he and Mary's sons served in the Union Army. This was their son David who served first in the 31st Regiment, New Jeresey Infantry (from 17 September 1862 to June 29 June 1863) and then re-enlisted in the 37th Regiment, New Jeresey Infantry (from 24 June 1864 to 1 October 1864). He went in as a private, rised to the rank of coporal, but had been busted back to private at the time of his discharge (National Park Service). David returned an invalid, having been injured at some point during his service. The Konkle family fared better than that of Mary's sister Lydia Read Martin. Lydia lost two sons during the war: Sgt. David R. Martin of the 49th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company K, who died 13 November 1861at Camp Nevin in Kentucky (49th Ohio Volunteer Infantry) and Private John Ogden Martin of 15th Regiment, New Jersey Infantry, Company B who was killed in action 12 May 1864, during the march to Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia (Snell 1881; 15th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry).

It should be stated that the owner and editor of the paper was Jacob L. Bunnell, who was a grandson of Rachel Lanterman and a great-nephew of Mary Konkle and Lydia Martin. In addition, one of the printers working for the paper was Charles Edward Brugler, who was married to Jacob Bunnell's sister Rosa and who was Mary Konkle's grandson. The gathering took place around the time of Rachel Lanterman's 73^rd birthday, which was on 31 January 1877 (J.I. Blair Cemetery, Blairstown, Blairstown Township, Warren County, New Jersey).

It is very possible that Mary spent her time staying with each of her six surviving children in turn after John's death in 1861. Mary died on died 25 August 1884 (Kern 1938), she was 88 years old. According to Kern (1938), Mary and John were buried in Johnsonburg Christian Church Cemetery.

Cemeteries

Census

Marriage Records

SECONDARY

WEB SITES

Go to Top of Page
Return to Main