fact sources and writings about this individual:
1Extracted from "The Roots and Branches of Jakob Hampp" by
Robert M. Hamp of Oklahoma City,USA (1987):
David Hamp was born somewhere in Pennsylvania, ca 1820,
the third son of Jacob Hamp Sr and Ivey Rosanna Kittleberger, and died on
1 Jan 1894 in Gatiot County, Michigan. He is buried in the Elm Hall
Cemetery, Elm Hall, Michigan. The grave marker, if one exists, is
unreadable and records do not disclose the exact location of his grave.
David was first married 14 Jun 1842 at Adrian, Lenawee
County, Michigan, to Emaline WOODFORD, daughter of Daniel Woodford and
Anna NORTON. Emaline died 15 May 1849. After her death David was married
ca 1850 to Mercy Ann MEAD, daughter of Daniel MEAD and Hannah GREEN. Mercy
was born 2 May 1829 in Pennsylvania and died on 21 Jul 1920 at Burlington,
Michigan, and is buried in Barrington Cemetery, located three and one half
miles north of town. At the time of her death she lived with son Casper
HAMP (H38) a couple of farms north of the cemetery.
Little is known of David's early life during his
marriage to Emaline, except that he fathered three sons and a daughter and
the family lived in Lenawee County, Michigan, and also in Fulton County,
Ohio. David served as a constable in Fulton County.
On 23 Aug 1858 David purchased the SE quarter of the NE
quarter Section 33, Seville Township, Gratiot County, Michigan, from the
government for $50. He also later bought the SW quarter and the NE quarter
of this same quarter section. It is unknown if David saw this land before
buying it, but being raised on the frontier, he had probably had no qualms
about moving again with it. Perhaps he should have. The place to which he
moved his family became known as "starving Gratiot". The actual move was
likely made in the spring of 1859 when David and Mercy packed up the
family and travelled there from Fulton County, Ohio, by ox team and wagon.
Although David was one of the earliest, they soon had
company. So many Ohio pioneers moved on north to Gratiot County, Michigan,
that in later years special "Ohio trains" were made up to provide
transportation for settlesr to visit their friends and relatives back in
Ohio. Some of David's family may have made such trips, but at the time of
his departure into the Michigan wilds, grandma Ivey Rosanna was
undoubtedly on hand to hug and and kiss all of the grandkids, not knowing
if she would see them again or not.
According to Gratiot County histories, their
destination at the time was a dense trackless wilderness. One settler told
of having to chop his way north from the frontier settlement of Riverdale.
David's land was located two miles east and a half a mile north of
Riverdale on what is known as Warner Road. Another early settler told of
living in a hut covered with bark with mother earth as a floor and wolves
and wildcats for neighbours.
The first shelter for David and family on their arrival
was a lean-to constructed from the dismantled wagon in which they had made
their trip north. From this lean-to Mercy hung quilts to completethe
enclosure. It probably didn't do much better at keeping the wild life out
as it did at keeping the children in. Casper who was one year old at the
time, told his great-great-grandchildren many many years later of hearing
his mother tell of the frustrations at trying to keep him inside that
house of quilts.
Clayton Hamp, grandson of David, said his father told
him that the family' diet that first spring consisted mostly of leeks and
cowslips. Casper (H38) said he was told that they could not have survived
that first winter had it not been for friendly Indians that brought them
venison. Clearings had to be made in the totally forested land before even
scanty crops could be raised and much of these were destroyed by wild
life.
In the spring of 1860 the first town meeting of Seville
township was held and consisted of 21 settlers who met at the home of
Samuel Shroy and elected township officers. David was elected Justice of
the Peace. He was elected to this post twice more, in 1868 and 1871. In
1879 he was the Director of School District #6 in Seville township. He
also served as trustee in the United Brethren Church in Elm Hall.
Before his death he drew a dependent father's pension
based on the Civil War service of his son John Q. Hamp. Material in the
pension file is what led to Lenawee County and a record of David's first
marriage. Until then the name of his first wife was unknown to the Hamp
Hunter group.
Neither the state of Michigan, nor Gratiot County has a
death certificate for David. The death date was obtained from the probate
file of his estate.
The week following his death there was an item in a
local newspaper that perhaps pertained to David's death but practically
everything in it was in error, including the name! Maybe the item was
transmitted by grapevine and no effort was made to confirm it. The name
was given as Jacob Hamp. This brother did live in the same area off and on
but didn"t die until seven years later. The age given was "approximate"
and the date of death as "last week". the cause of death was given as
pneumonia, and this perhaps was correct.
The value of his estate was listed as 40 acres land
$1,000.00; 3 horses $125.00; 3 cows $70.00; 4 yearlings $20.00; Farming
tools $25.00; Poultry $12.00; and Household goods $75.00. Of debts against
the estate besides taxes and legal fees, there was $29.50 for casket and
robe, $2.00 for straw to his son Edwin S. Hamp and $1.00 for seed
potatoes.
Surely there must have been photographs of David but
none have been found. We do have one of his second wife which is
reproduced on page 92 (of book).
Following the death of David, Daniel Truman Hamp
furnished land and lumber, and Edwin S. Hamp and friend Elmer BEMIS built
Mercy a small house. She later moved in with Truman and her house was
incorporated into a new log house that he built. A few years later he went
to live with Casper (H38) at Burlington, Michigan, and stayed there until
the time of her death.
Page Info Submitted by: Patricia Wazny-Hamp
hamp@voyager.net
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