Recently I came across an 1839 Dutchess County, New York court case that was a genealogist’s dream. Two brothers jointly owned a piece of land, but when both died intestate and without direct heirs, their sister and her husband sued to equitably divide the land among the living heirs. The resulting case, Cookingham v. Margaret Dedrick et. al.,1 with over 200 pages of documents, identified nine siblings and at least seventy-five of their heirs and heirs-at-law, over four generations. Not only that, but as the early nineteenth century is notorious for its lack of vital records, this adds certainty to several family connections that until now were “guestimates” at best.
I must admit that I found this case, not through the standard process of identifying a target and meticulously reading every page of every public document available for his time and place, but by using Artificial Intelligence. Notably, the AI employed by FamilySearch in its “labs” experiment, using AI to index certain handwritten documents. This tool allows you to search by name or other keyword to return unindexed material that otherwise would be inaccessible without the tedious, every-single-page review mentioned above. In this case, I simply used the search term "Frederick Cookingham," narrowed to Dutchess County, New York.
This has been a game-changer for my research! Ever since it was released at RootsTech 2024, I have used this tool to find documents I’ve either missed in earlier searches or which weren’t indexed in the first place, such as court cases. Recently, I found a series of documents from New Jersey that blasted through a long-standing brick wall in my 2x-great grandfather’s New York family--but as exciting as that one was for me personally, it doesn’t compare to the sheer scope of the information gleaned from this case.
Here’s how this single case helped me reconstruct the family tree of an 18th-century immigrant — and shed light on over 75 of his descendants!
One of the two parcels of land in question belonged jointly to John Marquart Jr. and Frederick Marquart: a deed executed by Johannes Marquart and Susannah his wife to John Marquart Junior and Frederick Marquart on 15 May 1812.2 The other was a deed executed by Michael Wager and others to John Marquart Junior on 13 May 1808.3 Frederick Marquart died intestate on or about the year 1832 and John Marquart died on or about the month of October 1838.4 Their heirs-at-law included their living siblings and the children and heirs of deceased siblings. While this court case tells us nothing about the parents of these siblings, baptismal records show that they were Johannes Marquart and his wife Susanna Margaretha, whose maiden name is currently unknown. Johannes was one of three brothers identified by noted genealogist Henry Z. Jones, who immigrated to the New York colony from present-day Germany in the first half of the eighteenth century.5
All distributions in the settlement of Cookingham v. Margaret Dedrick et. al were finalized by 15 August 1841, when the final report was filed by the Master in Chancery.6 The land in dispute was sold by the court and the proceeds distributed among the heirs.7 The property was purchased by Jacob G. Lambert and Frederick I. Pultz, who were both descendants of Johannes Marquart, although Lambert was not a party to this lawsuit.8
Genealogical Summary:
First generation
1. JOHANNES MARQUART was baptized on 6 November 1737 in Heutingsheim, Baden-Württemberg. He was the son of Johann Jacob Marquart and his wife Elisabetha and later emigrated to the colony of New York along with two of his brothers, Johann David and Johann Georg Marquart.9 Johannes was married to Susanna Margaretha (Unknown)10 sometime before 1761, when their first documented child was born.11 Nine of Johannes and Susanna Margaretha’s children are found in the baptismal records of the Lutheran and Reformed Dutch churches of Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, New York.12 This court case identified two additional children, George and Barbara, who were probably born before the records began at the churches where their siblings were baptized.
The two sons at the center of this case, John Jr. and Frederick, lived to adulthood but died without heirs. Two other sons, Jacob and David, were identified as children of this couple from baptismal records, but were not included in this lawsuit, nor were they found in later records, suggesting that they died young. Seven siblings (or their heirs) remained to inherit the land owned by John Jr. and Frederick.
On 8 May 1783, Johannes purchased 80 acres of land in Charlotte Precinct, Dutchess County, New York, from the north end of lot number one, part of the division of the Great Nine Partners patent.13 On 5 January 1807, Michael Wager, Elizabeth Wager, and Daniel Wager quitclaimed their rights to a ¾-acre parcel of land near the Wurtemburg church to Johannes Marquart for a consideration of twenty dollars.14 These two parcels of land were at the center of the 1839 court case.
Johannes and Susanna Margaretha moved to New York City around 1808,15 purchasing a residence on Harman Street in March of 1810.16 17 By 1812, they were once more living in Rhinebeck. On 15 May, Johannes Marquart “of Rhinebeck” conveyed land to his sons Johannes Marquart Jr. and Frederick Marquart, financing the sale through a mortgage rather than an outright transfer.18 However, this transaction also included a ¾ acre parcel of land that had earlier been conveyed by Johannes Marquart and wife “Johanna” on 22 July 1811 to Hannah Rook, wife of Christian,19 although no other deeds suggest that the land had reverted to Johannes after Hannah’s death on 15 November 1812.20
The relationship with their daughter Hannah and her husband may have had some difficulties. On 17 January 1814, more than a year after Hannah’s death, Johannes Marquart revoked a power of attorney that he had earlier given to her (no date was noted in the revocation), stating that she had “abused the trust” he had placed in her.21 This revocation was likely executed to ensure that he had a clear title to this parcel of land, which he intended for his sons. This suggests that when he conveyed this land to Johannes Jr. and Frederick in May of 1812 he may not have known that it had already been conveyed to Hannah in 1811.
It is possible that the 1811 transfer of the ¾-acre parcel was improperly executed by Hannah herself on the authority of her father’s power of attorney. The fact that Johannes’ wife was listed on the deed but did not specifically release her dower rights, together with the fact that she was incorrectly identified as “Johanna Marguaretta”22 suggest that she was not present when the deed was recorded and it was likely executed by someone else.
Figure 1—1788 Map of Johannes Marquart's 1783 land purchase 23
As a resident of New York City, Johannes wrote his will on 8 September 1808, leaving the entirety of his estate to his wife Susanna Margaretha, who was also named Executrix.24 Johannes died on 12 June 1815 and was buried in the cemetery at St. Paul’s Wurtemburg Church in Rhinebeck, Dutchess County.25 Johannes’ will was probated in Dutchess County on 18 July 1815.26 His wife Susanna Margaretha died sometime after 1821;27 her burial place is unknown at present.
As time permits, I will update this series with profiles of the other 75-odd persons whose relationships to Johannes and Susanna Margaretha have been identified through this court case. All individuals will be added to WikiTree as well. Stay tuned!
References
1 "Ancient documents (Dutchess County, New York), 1721-ca. 1862," digital images, Image Group Number: 007350260,
images 616-840 of 1,608, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89CS-F6PK : accessed 15
Jan 2025); citing Poughkeepsie, New York, Dutchess County Chancery Court, Case Number 23825, Frederick
Cookingham and Elizabeth his wife, Complainants vs. Margaret Diedrick, et. al., Defendants, filed 12 Aug 1839.
The most genealogically relevant documents in this file were (1) the original bill of complaint made by Frederick
Cookingham and his wife Elizabeth on 20 April 1839, images 723-728 (note that the documents in this entire case file
were largely filmed in reverse order), (2) their amended bill of complaint made on 25 May 1839, images 732-747, (3)
subpoenas issued to all defendants in this case, images 621-650, (4) the report by the Master in Chancery, Seward
Barculo, dated 5 Oct 1839, images 701-720, and (5) the final receipts of payment signed by the heirs, images 759-826.
2 Cookingham vs. Diedrick et. al., Master in Chancery’s report, image 715. What was recorded in Dutchess County was the
following mortgage: New York, Land Records, 1630-1975, Dutchess County, "Mortgages 1811-1812 vol 17-18," digital
images, Image Group Number 007140137, image 255 of 383, FamilySearch
(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9WZ-F94P-4 : accessed 20 Feb 2025); citing Dutchess County
Mortgage Records, Liber 17, p. 492.
3 Cookingham vs. Diedrick et. al., Master in Chancery’s report, image 714.
4 Cookingham vs. Diedrick et. al., image 714.
5 Henry Z. Jones, "Some Newly Discovered German Origins of New York's Later-Arriving Palatines," New York
Genealogical and Biographical Society Record, vol 146, no. 2 (Apr 2015), p. 130-131.
6 Cookingham vs. Diedrick et. al., Final report of the Master in Chancery, image 758.
7 New York, Land Records, 1630-1975, Dutchess County, "Deeds 1839-1840 vol 67-68," digital images, Image Group
Number 007140331, image 396 of 636, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9WZ-
N9FV-6 : accessed 20 Feb 2025); citing Dutchess County Land Records, Liber 68, p. 155.
8 Frederick I. Pultz was part of this lawsuit, see person number 17, below. Jacob G. Lambert was the son of George
Lambert and his wife, Anna (Pultz), person number 19. Jacob was born on 23 Jan 1803 and was baptized at St. Peter’s
Lutheran church in Rhinebeck. See: "Collection of Rhinebeck, New York, records: collected by Helen R. deLaporte for
DAR Chancellor Livingston Chapter," digital images, Image Group Number: 008140299, image 567 of 720
(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKW-LW83 : accessed 2 Mar 2025); citing The National
Library of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Washington, D.C., Rhinebeck, New York, Church Records, vol. 4,
"Records of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Peter the Apostle, Known for more than a Century as the Stone
Church," Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, New York, Part 1, baptisms, p. 132.
9 Jones, “Some Later-Arriving Palatines,” p. 131.
10 Susanna Margaretha’s maiden name is unknown at present, although many undocumented sources suggest it was
Wager. See FamilySearch family tree, person ID LZ6L-2SK (https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/about/LZ6L-
2SK). The fact that Wager siblings quitclaimed land to Johannes Marquart in 1807 lends credence to this hypothesis, but
more research is needed to answer this with any certainty.
11 “Missouri Synod, U.S., Lutheran Church records, 1851-1973,” Saint Paul Lutheran Church of Wurtemburg, 1760-
1899, Baptisms, database and images, image 7 of 120, Ancestry
(https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/62265/images/62265_302022005619_0358-00008 : accessed 26
Jan 2025); citing Baptisms 1760-1899, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Wurtemburg, Rhinebeck, Dutchess, New York, p.
1. Baptism of Jacob, son of Johannes Marckwarth and Margaretha, born 2 Oct 1761, sponsors Eberhard Weger and wife
Catharina. See also: Henry Z. Jones, Even More Palatine Families (Rockport, Maine: Picton Press, 2002), vol. 1, p. 423.
12 The youngest daughter, Anna (Hannah), was not included in Jones’ summary of this family, but her baptismal record
together with her inclusion in this court case place her firmly within this family group. See: Henry Z. Jones, Even More
Palatine Families (Rockport, Maine: Picton Press, 2002), vol. 1, p. 423. Also: “Missouri Synod, U.S., Lutheran Church
records, 1851-1973,” Saint Paul Lutheran Church of Wurtemburg, 1760-1899, Baptisms, database and images, image 17
of 120, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/62265/images/62265_302022005619_0358-
00018 : accessed 26 Jan 2025); citing Baptisms 1760-1899, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Wurtemburg, Rhinebeck,
Dutchess, New York, p. 11. Baptism of Anna, daughter of Johannes Marckwarth and Margaretha, born 15 Dec 1779 and
baptized on 23 Jan 1780, sponsors George Marquart and wife Anna.
13 New York, Land Records, 1630-1975, Dutchess County, "Deeds 1786-1794 vol 10-12," digital images, Image Group
Number 007140116, image 210 of 738, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WZ-JC7V :
accessed 20 Feb 2025); citing Dutchess County Land Records, Liber 10, p. 403.
14 New York, Land Records, 1630-1975, Dutchess County, "Deeds 1811-1814 vol 22-23," digital images, Image Group
Number 007140305, image 240 of 628, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9WZ-
J1DN : accessed 20 Feb 2025); citing Dutchess County Land Records, Liber 22, p. 463. The same parcel was quitclaimed
for $5 to Johannes Marquart by Michael Wager and wife Catherine on 13 Aug 1810, likely to ensure the validity of the
earlier conveyance by having the wife waive her dower rights. See: New York, Land Records, 1630-1975, Dutchess
County, "Deeds 1811-1814 vol 22-23," digital images, Image Group Number 007140305, image 241 of 628, FamilySearch
(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WZ-J1GC : accessed 20 Feb 2025); citing Dutchess County
Land Records, Liber 22, p. 465.
15 On 14 February 1808, John Marquart and wife Susanna Margaretha sponsored the baptism of Samuel John, son of
Henry Willet and wife Elizabeth, at the German Lutheran church in New York City. See: New York, New York County,
"Baptism Records 1767-1774-1807, 1808-1835...," digital images, Image Group Number: 8237925, item 3, image 233 of
343, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSPC-39SQ-5 : accessed 7 Apr 2025); citing
Baptismal Records of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Matthew 1809, p. 254. Also, Johannes was identified as a
resident of New York City in a Dutchess County conveyance dated 7 June 1808. See: New York, Land Records, 1630-
1975, Dutchess County, "Deeds 1811-1814 vol 22-23," digital images, Image Group Number 007140305, image 214 of
628, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89WZ-J9MS-M : accessed 20 Feb 2025); citing
Dutchess County Conveyance Records, Liber 22, p. 413. However, he did not appear in New York city directories until
1810, when he was listed at 131 Harman Street. See: Longworth's American almanack, New-York Register, and City Directory
(New-York : Published at the old established directory office, Shakespeare-Gallery, by David Longworth, 1810), p. 261.
16 New York, Land Records, 1630-1975, New York County, "Conveyances 1811-1812 vol 95-98," digital images, Image
Group Number 007178148, image 119 of 759, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-
G9WG-CC5M : accessed 20 Feb 2025); citing New York City Conveyance Records, Liber 95, p. 523.
17 Johannes Marquart was listed in New York City directories in 1810-1812 as a resident of 131 Harman Street. See:
Longworth's American Almanack, New-York Register, and City Directory (New-York: Published at the old established directory
office, Shakspeare-Gallery, by David Longworth, 1810), p. 261; Longworth's American Almanack, New-York Register, and City
Directory (New-York: Published at the old established directory office, Shakspeare-Gallery, by David Longworth, 1811),
p. 192; and Longworth's American Almanack, New-York Register, and City Directory (New-York: Published at the old
established directory office, Shakspeare-Gallery, by David Longworth, 1812), p. 206.
18 New York, Land Records, 1630-1975, Dutchess County, "Mortgages 1811-1812 vol 17-18," digital images, Image
Group Number 007140137, image 255 of 383, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-
G9WZ-F94P-4 : accessed 20 Feb 2025); citing Dutchess County Mortgage Records, Liber 17, p. 492.
19 New York, Land Records, 1630-1975, Dutchess County, "Deeds 1811-1814 vol 22-23," digital images, Image Group
Number 007140305, image 242 of 628, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WZ-J15L :
accessed 20 Feb 2025); citing Dutchess County Land Records, Liber 22, p. 466.
20 J. Wilson Poucher and Helen Wilkinson Reynolds, Old Gravestones of Dutchess County New York (Poughkeepsie, New
York: Dutchess County Historical Society, 1924), Vol. II, p. 314. Her date of birth as calculated from the age at death
inscribed on her tombstone is 18 Dec 1780, compared with the date of birth of 15 Dec 1779 from her baptismal record.
21 New York, Land Records, 1630-1975, Dutchess County, "Deeds 1811-1814 vol 22-23," digital images, Image Group
Number 007140305, image 567 of 628, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WZ-J993-
H : accessed 20 Feb 2025); citing Dutchess County Land Records, Liber 23, p. 475.
22 Note that the name Johanna and Susanna can look almost identical in nineteenth century handwriting and one name
could be very easily mistaken for the other.
23 Dutchess County Land Records, Liber 10, p. 407.
24 New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971, Dutchess County, New York, “Wills, v. E-F, 1814-1824,” digital images,
Image Group Number 005526444, image 44 of 663, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-
G99B-L9QC-6 : accessed 27 Jan 2025); citing Dutchess County Courthouse, Poughkeepsie, New York, Wills, Liber E, p.
42, will of Johannes Marquart.
25 J. Wilson Poucher and Helen Wilkinson Reynolds, Old Gravestones of Dutchess County New York (Poughkeepsie, New
York: Dutchess County Historical Society, 1924), Vol. II, p. 313. His age at death, 76-7-5, was written on his tombstone
and calculates to a date of birth of 7 November 1738, close enough to the baptismal record to account for minor
differences.
26 Will of Johannes Marquart, Image Group Number 005526444, image 46 of 663, FamilySearch
(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G99B-L9Q6-Q: accessed 27 Jan 2025).
27 “Dutchess County, New York, Deed records, 1718-1901,” digital images, Image Group Number 007140308, image
197 of 585, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99WZ-N9M3-W : accessed 26 Jan 2025);citing Dutchess County Courthouse, Poughkeepsie, New York, Deeds, Liber 28, p. 383, Susanna Margaretta Marquart to
Jehoiakim Bergh, 17 Dec 1821.
