4. JOSS4 KOGER (CLAUS3, DIETRICH2, CLAUS1) was born 1674 in Germany, and died August 02,
1733 in Auggen, Germany. He married (1) ANNA LOWENBERGER
April 23, 1709 in Germany. She was born Abt. 1680 in Germany?, and died Unknown.
He married (2) MARIA CATHERINE GEBHARD
Unknown. She was born Bet. 1675 - 1680 in Germany, and died Bef. 1709.
Notes for JOSS KOGER: Joss
Koger
"In 1710, Jos Koger was named Cooper."
This entry, found on page
254 of the book "Der Weinort Auggen", a written history of Auggen, published by
the Borough of Auggen, indicates for us the importance that was placed on the
"Cooper", the wine cast maker, by the elders of that wine-making village.
This Jos.
Koger, the Cooper, or wine-barrel maker (an important position in a wine-making
village like Auggen) represented the last of our Koger ancestors to be live his
life in his German homeland.
The name Jos, in other
entries written Joss, is believed by many genealogists to be a contraction of
the name Josias, which was popular at that time in that region of Germany,
although Joss is also a popular German name, and one of his sons took the name
Joseph in this country.
Many records exist from
that time which will mention a man at one time as Jos or Joss, and at another as
Josias. As the existing records mention our ancestor as Jos or Joss, these notes
will use that name.
Our ancestor Joss Koger
married Maria Catharina Gebhard, daughter of the Pastor of the nearby village of
Feldburg, on February 22, 1701. These were troubled times in Europe, and a
family's Church Records were often left incomplete as the family moved from
village to village to seek sanctuary from the incessant fighting. The records
which do yet exist show these children for Maria and Joss: Maria, born December
25, 1701, died May 8, 1703; Nicolaus, born February 21, 1704, died April 4,
1704; Joss, born March 14, 1705; and Bernhard, born November 15, 1706. We must
assume that Maria Gebhard Koger died, although the records do not list it, as
the records next show Joss Koger marrying Anna Lowenbergen on April 23, 1709.
Two of their sons are mentioned in the records; Hans Jacob Koger, born July 24,
1710, and Nicholas Koger, born January 30, 1712.
It is these two brothers
who, between 1728 and 1732, came across the Atlantic to America.
For whatever reason,
whether due to religious persecution, continuing trouble from the French troops
crossing the border, or trouble with the Margrave, the political head of the
state of Baden, Jacob and Nicholas Koger left Germany and immigrated to the new
land of America.
Joss Koger, their father
and the last German branch of our ancestry, died at Auggen on August 23, 1733.
It is an
interesting point to make that when Nicholas Koger was killed by Indians as he
and Jacob were building a cabin on their Virginia land, his will listed among
his worldly goods Coopering tools. It seems likely that his father Joss had
taught him his trade before the emigration.
From: "THE COGAR FAMILY, A
Few Genealogical Notes, Incorporating "ONE FAMILY'S EYEWITNESS TO HISTORY" by
Sarah Coger." Arranged, from several sources, by Steve and Sarah Coger, P. O.
Box 64, Danville, Arkansas 72833-0064 Revised September 1994, November 1997.
