Notes for John Andrew Gerking

Family Group Sheet

Notes for John Andrew Gerking

Other source
Married: 18 AUG 1818 in Washington Co. Ind

Children
Robert GERKING b: 14 SEP 1842
Thomas GERKING b: in Indiana
Nancy Ann GERKING b: 22 MAY 1819 in Orange Co.,Ind.
William GERKING b: 1820 in Indiana
David GERKING b: 1832
Emmerine GERKING b: 1824 in Orange Co.,Ind.
Sarah GERKING b: 1833 in Orange Co.,Ind.
Johnathon GERKING b: 1835 in Orange Co.,Ind.
Mary GERKING b: 1838 in Orange Co.,Ind.
Margaret GERKING b: 1839 in Indiana

JOHN ANDREW GERKING
John Gerking Jr. was the fifth child and the third son (the first to survive infancy) of John and Rachael (Rice) Gerking. Born 14 April 1798 in Jefferson County, Kentucky, John spent most of his boyhood days in the place of his birth. Recent records that have come into the possession of this compiler indicate his full name may have been John Andrew Gerking as he was known to some as "Andy." Also, John did not have the title of "Jr." except in this publication which is used to keep his identity separate from his father. Therefore, they have been labeled as John Sr. and John Jr.
Moving with his family to Washington County, Indiana about 1815, John married a few months after his 20th birthday to Polly (Mary) Phillips. The ceremony took place on 7 August 1818 and was officiated by the Rev. Jonathan Jones, pastor of the Sinking Spring Primitive Baptist Church (Washington County, Indiana, Marriage Book A, p. 100). Polly, as she was called, was born in North Carolina, September 1801, her parentage is unknown. There were a number of Phillips families in the general area, but it has not been determined which were hers. She may have had a brother, William.
By 1820 John and Polly had moved and settled in Northwest Township, Orange County, Indiana. They were near neighbors of Solomon Myers and John Kirk. By 1830, Jeremiah and Mary (Gerking) Kirk had established their home nearby. Mary, of course, was an older sister of John and she and her family were recent arrivals from Kentucky.
It was in this section of Orange County that the children of John and Polly were born and raised. Only 10 of their 12 children have been identified. Although this compiler has never obtained record that John was a land owner, Mrs. Mima Johnson did find record. John was a farmer and lived in this location for the remainder of his days. Polly passed away 5 January 1855, Orange County, Indiana and is buried in the old Bruner Cemetery across the lie in Lawrence County.
In 1975 edition I wrote that John Jr. had remarried after Polly's death but no record had been found. Since tha time I have corresponded with Clem Hansen of Blair, Nebraska who is descended from John's second wife, Lurana Johnson.
Lurana Johnson, born 9 June 1813 in North Carolina, was the daughter of John and Sarah (Barnes) Johnson, early settlers of Spice Valley Township in Lawrence County, Indiana. She was called "Louaner" and was first married 18 august 1835 to Isaiah Stewart Myers who was most likely the son of Solomon and Mary (Stewart) Myers and an older brother of Sarah Myers who married William Kirk and Nancy Ann Myers who married Jonathan Rice Gerking. Isaiah or Stewart, as he was known, died 6 July 1847, Lawrence County, Indiana and left Lurana a widow with five small children. The youngest, Solomon, died ten days after his father being about 20 months of age. The other children were: James, Nancy, Susan A., and Sara J. Myers.
As stated earlier, John's wife, Polly, died 5 January 1855 and the following September, John and Lurana were united in marriage (Lawrence County, Indiana Marriage Book C., p. 494). They were the parents of one son.
It was from Clem Hansen that I received the date of John's death as 18 August 1879. He was 81 years, 4 months, r days of age at the time of his death, so he lived a long and full life. Almost 37 years of marriage to Polly Phillips and almost 24 years to Lurana Johnson. John Gerking Jr. is buried in an unmarked grave in the Bruner Cemetery in Lawrence County, Indiana.
After John's death, the exact date not known, Lurana moved to Tekamah, Nebraska to be near her children. It seems quite a number of Indianas moved to Nebraska about this time and the reason is unknown to the compiler except it may have been because of the coming of the railroads. Lurana died March 7, 1901 and is buried in the family plot in the Tekemah Cemetery.
Mrs. Hansen was so gracious in sending and sharing information with me. Most of our work, however, is centered on the Myers-Stewart line. In turn, I was able to give her the name of Kathryne Terrell Voelker who is descended not only from Mary Gerking Kirk and John Gerking Jr. but also from Rachel Johnson a sister of Lurana. I sent Mrs. Voelker a copy of an old letter that Mrs. Hansen had shared with me and Mrs. Voelker in turn was able to identify some of the persons named. It has been a rewarding experience to see how the families related - it is indeed a small world! The letter had been included in this issue.
My original correspondant and that of the late William S. Junkin, was Mrs. Mima E. Johnson of Bedford, Indiana, now deceased. Mrs. Johnson had done considerable research on the Gerking-Tindall-Johnson lines and shared with us. She also had two Gerking lines, that of John Jr. and the other, Margaretha Gerking Tindall.
Mrs. Johnson was limited in what research she could do as she was elderly and her husband was an invalid during his last years. It was he who drove her to the county seats, cemeteries, libraries and homes of relatives. Most of her research was on her own lines and we are indebted to her for all the helpful and kind acts she performed on our behalf. She also compiled two genealogies: "Gerkings and Talbotts" in 1964 and "The Johnson Family" in 1966. She sent me personally autographed copies and allowed me to copy any information needed.
In 1986 I was contacted by James C. Nichols of Terre Haute, Indiana who is descended from Margaretha Gerking Tindall. he sent me xeroxed copies of records he had found in Martin County, Indiana. The most significant concerning Branch III was that John Gerking Jr. was the administrator for the estate of Samuel Tindall, husband of Margaretha. This confirms that Margaretha's husband was Samuel and not John as earlier believed and that John Gerking Jr. was a literate man, and also spelled his name "Gerking." Most of his descendants have retained the original spelling but those that remained in Orange and Martin Counties for the most part have dropped the final 'g'.
The Gerking (Gerkin) families of Orange and Martin Counties have intermarried with the Talbotts, Scarletts, Piphers, Edwards, Johnsons, and Hardings to name a few of the families. There are many double and double-double cousins. Much information has been added to the Pipher family by Georgene Hart and Carl and Dovie Chastain. They have been so helpful in supplying information.
Since my records come from a variety of sources, I will enter them as faithfully as possible and have made corrections where I have previously been in error. The family is far from complete and it is my hope that someone will take the lead and continue documenting this pioneer family.

Bowe, Florence; The Gerking Family in America; 3rd Edition Revised 1990; p.40-42.