Relatively Speaking Blog

Sarah Best was my second cousin three times removed on my Ludwick line. During the 1830s our mutual Ludwick ancestors, Abraham and Mary, moved to Jefferson County PA for almost 20 years before they returned to Allegheny County. Many of their children who grew up in Jefferson County chose to remain there and raise their families. Sarah, great granddaughter of Abraham and Mary, was born in 1837 and spent her entire life in Jefferson County.

Sarah married Zachariah Adam Deemer about 1854 when she was just 17 years of age. From misc. pieces of information, including the U.S. census, I know some basic facts about this distant cousin and her family. Sarah was the daughter of William Best and Mary Smith. Zachariah was a son of John Deemer and Mary Baker; he and his brother Josiah, also listed as Uriah, were born October 9, 1829 in Westmoreland County, PA.

Looking at the census enumerations before Sarah and Zachariah married, they lived in their respective fathers’ households. In 1830 in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Zachariah and his twin were the 2 males under 5 years of age. In 1840 his family had moved to Young Township in Jefferson County, where Zachariah and his brother were ticks in the 10-15-year-old age group for that year’s census. Sarah first appeared in the 1840 census in Young Township as the only female under 5 years of age in her household. Both were named in the 1850 census living with their respective family.

Sarah and Zachariah likely met when they were children living in Young Township. They wed in Jefferson County, PA and spent their married life in the county’s Winslow Township as evidenced by the census. Their first enumeration as a family was in 1860. They had two sons, Franklin and James Buchanan, who was obviously named after the newly elected president from Pennsylvania. Zachariah owned $600 in real estate and had $100 in personal property, showing that he was faring well in his profession as a lumberman.

1860 census Winslow Township, Jefferson County, PA
Name	Age	Occupation	Place of Birth
Zachariah Deemer	30	lumberman	PA
Sarah Deemer	23		PA
Franklin Deemer	5		PA
Jas Buchanan Deemer	3		PA

By 1870, Zachariah had taken up farming as his occupation and must have been successful. His real estate value increased to $2000 and he had accumulated $623 in personal property. Living in their household was Zachariah’s twin, Josiah. They also had a housekeeper, further indication that the family had some means. Sarah’s brother William and his family lived beside the Deemers.

1870 census Winslow Township, Jefferson County, PA
Name	Age	Occupation	Place of Birth
Z.A. Deemer	41	farmer	PA
Sarah Deemer	33	kept house	PA
Franklin Deemer	15		PA
James Deemer	13		PA
Kenedy Deemer	6		PA
Josiah Deemer	41	laborer	PA
Sarah Shaffer	13	housekeeper	PA

Kennedy, an additional child, was reported in this census. Although only three sons were listed, looking through the 1870 census mortality schedule, a two-year-old Amos Deemer was found. He died in April of that year from drowning in Winslow Township. Cemetery records confirm him as a son of Sarah and Zachariah.

Over the next ten years their household expanded once again. Seven-year-old daughter Alice was named in the 1880 census. Not listed was Fannie Julyana, who was found in cemetery records buried beside her brother Amos. Fannie was born in 1875 and died before she turned 1 year old. A Jefferson County history mentions Zachariah had a daughter Annie J. who died before 1888; this likely was Fannie. The census also listed two other children in the Deemer’s household with no relation marked: George Mowry, age 3, and Frances Kougher, age 12. The fact that the Deemer’s took on the responsibility to raise two other children suggests they were a kind and caring couple.

Zachariah continued farming and his son James assisted as a farm laborer. His eldest son Franklin, married with an infant daughter, resided beside him and Sarah. Other neighbors included Jacob Swaub, some Smiths, and George Bliss. Franklin Best, a cousin to Sarah, also lived nearby.

Searching for Zachariah in 1900 returned no immediate results. However, further attempts revealed Adam Deemer, born in 1829, a boarder in James Deemer’s household. This was one of the rare times Adam, Zachariah’s middle name, was used on a record. It’s odd that Zachariah was not listed as James’ father, but instead a boarder; evidently it was not clearly communicated to the enumerator. Adding to the confusion for 1900, Zachariah was marked as single. Checking burials in a cemetery book, Sarah had died in 1899 and was buried by her two children.  Zachariah should have been marked as widowed.

1900 census Winslow Township, Jefferson County, PA
Name	Relationship	Age	Marital Status	Years Married	Number of children	Children living	Occupation
James Deemer	Head	43	married	17			farmer, rented farm
Jennie Deemer	wife	36	married	17	7	6
Franklin E. Deemer	son	13	single
Herbert Ray Deemer	son	11	single
Gilbert A. Deemer	son	8	single
Eve Alda Deemer	daughter	5	single
Sarah Elizabeth Deemer	daughter	1	single
Adam Deemer	boarder	70	single

By 1900 Zachariah had no occupation; he had retired from farming. He lived with his son James, who was a farmer, but rented. By 1910, Zachariah lived with the family of his youngest son, Kennedy, who farmed and owned property. These two enumerations do not uncover any new information on Zachariah, but they do show that in his elderly years, his family provided him care.

1910 census Winslow Township, Jefferson County, PA
Name	Relationship	Age	Marital Status	Years Married	Number of children/ Children living	Occupation
Kennedy B. Deemer	Head	48	married	24		farmer, owned farm
Savilla B. Deemer	wife	44	married	24	2/2
Alma P. Deemer	daughter	17	single
Zachariah A. Deemer	father	80	widowed

Zachariah died in 1917 and was buried with his wife and two children who died in infancy. He lived a long life, surviving his wife by almost 20 years. Zachariah had resided in Winslow Township since his marriage. In reviewing his neighbors for the different enumerations since 1860, some have the same names or similar surnames, like Jacob Swaub, indicating Zachariah likely lived on the same property during his entire adult life.

Although I only have a few sources for my distant cousin Sarah Best Deemer and her family, the census has been an aid to provide some details about their life. As I continue to research the Ludwick line, the information gleaned will help me locate other documents. These records will enable me to verify more of Sarah’s descendants and identify distant cousins who may still live in Jefferson County today.