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Descendants of Johann Jacob Lotschberg


      36. William4 Lotspeich (Johann Christopher3, Johann Conrad2 Lotschberg, Johann Jacob1) was born November 09, 1786 in Greene Co. Tenn., and died WFT Est. 1843-1878. He married (1) Rebecca Wells WFT Est. 1804-1847. She was born WFT Est. 1786-1821, and died September 28, 1860 in Iowa. He married (2) Hannah Doan December 29, 1809 in Green Co. Tenn.. She was born WFT Est. 1773-1796, and died WFT Est. 1820-1884.
     
Children of William Lotspeich and Rebecca Wells are:
  71 i.   Hannah L.5 Lotspeich, born 1840; died WFT Est. 1865-1934.
  72 ii.   Henry George Lotspeich, born 1842; died 1927; Adopted child.
     
Children of William Lotspeich and Hannah Doan are:
  73 i.   Christopher5 Lotspeich, born WFT Est. 1807-1835; died May 26, 1852 in Ottuma, Ia..
  74 ii.   Alfred Lotspeich, born June 17, 1817 in Greene Co., Tenn.; died WFT Est. 1859-1908.


      40. Rachel4 Lotspeich (Johann Christopher3, Johann Conrad2 Lotschberg, Johann Jacob1) was born November 17, 1793 in Greene Co. Tenn., and died 1816. She married Henry F. Earnest November 18, 1811 in Greene Co. Tenn., son of Felix Earnest and Sarah North. He was born 1793, and died WFT Est. 1820-1884.
     
Children of Rachel Lotspeich and Henry Earnest are:
  75 i.   Amos W.5 Earnest, born December 12, 1812; died WFT Est. 1849-1903.
  76 ii.   Elizabeth Earnest, born 1814; died WFT Est. 1828-1908.
  77 iii.   Samuel E. Earnest, born January 21, 1816; died WFT Est. 1843-1907.


      41. Samuel4 Lotspeich (Johann Christopher3, Johann Conrad2 Lotschberg, Johann Jacob1) was born July 09, 1796 in Green Co, Tenn., and died April 23, 1874. He married (1) Polly Bitner September 11, 1817 in Greene Co. Tn.. She was born WFT Est. 1782-1806, and died WFT Est. 1840-1896. He married (2) Lena Montgomery WFT Est. 1845-1858. She was born WFT Est. 1796-1832, and died WFT Est. 1855-1920. He married (3) Larceny Evans WFT Est. 1850-1865. She was born WFT Est. 1797-1842, and died WFT Est. 1866-1929.

Notes for Samuel Lotspeich:
Taken from a book on Holston Methodism Conference of 1852 and 1853.
Page 141 and 142.

About the year 1832 Samuel Lotspeich, a Methodist local preacher, emigrated to Cock County, Tenn., and purchased a farm from William Garrett. Mr
Lotspeich had inherited an ample patrimony, and he seemed to possess all the conditions of a happy life; but misfortune after misfortune came upon him thick and fast. Three of his children, while watching the laborers at work in a field, were forced by a thunder shower to take shelter under a sycamore tree near Big Pigeon River, when and electric current struck the tree instantly killing the girl and smaller boy and severely shocking the larger boy. This clamity was followed in a short time by the death of his wife.

In the meantime his eldest daughter, Barbara was married to Elisha Moore, and they began housekeeping in Jefferson County, just across the line on the north bank of the French Broad River, opposite to the Irish Bottoms in Cocke County. Mr. Lotspeich married again and his second wife was a Miss Gibson,
of Abingdon, Va. The daughter, Jane and her stepmother not harmonizing, the former went to live with her married sister. Elisha Moore owned a slave by the name of Tom, and he and Mr. and Mrs. Moore and Miss Lotspeich constituted the family. One night in June 1853, the negro entered the family room, and with an ax murdered the married couple, then with the same instrument struck down the innocent girl, outraged her, and then completed the triple murder by dashing out her brains. He was soon captured and by torture forced to confess. The details of the confession will not be given here; they are too horrifying. It is impossible to conveived a more fiendish deed. His master and mistress had always been kind and indulgent to him. He had no ill will for them; on the contrary, he had every reason to love them. They were murdered to make way for the gratification of a fiendish lust, which had been provoked by no imprudence on the part of the innocent girl.

The negro was defiant. He expressed on regret for the murder of the girl, but did say that if he had it to do over again he possibly would not have killed Mr Moore and his wife. A lynching bee as formed and a day appointed for burning the negro at a stake. About six thousand people assembled, including about one thousand slaves. While he was being tied to the stake -- a persimmon tree-- he turned and laughed scornfully in the face of the bystanders and refused to call upon God for mercy. The flames did their work quickly, and the soul fo the poor sinner returned to God who gave it. (1) A Northern man having heard of this lynching and having expressed his condemnation of it , one of the eye-witnesses gave him a detailed account of the whole affair, whereupon he remarked: "If I had been there at the time I probably would have taken a hand in the lynching." The New Testament doctrine of demoniacal possession, or rather obsession, I am disposed to believe to be true, and true for the present day as well as for ancient times; and it is quite likely that this negro was thus affected.

(1) A newspaper article fo W. J. McSween, Esq.


Another account of the above incident is from "Over the Misty Blue Hills - The
Story of Cocke Co., TN" By Ruth O'dell. This account goes into more detail.

About the year 1832, Samuel Lotspeich, a Methodist minister, moved to Cocke County, and purchased from William Garrett the farm on which J. H. Susong later resided. Reverend Lotspeich succeeded to a large patrimony, which gave him standing and influence in the community. Not withstanding, his misfortunes fell thick and fast. First three of his children while watching the laborers in the fields were forced by an electric storm to take shelter under a sycamore tree on the bank of a sluice of Pigeon River. As they barely reached their place of supposed safety, an electric current struck the tree, instantly killing the smaller girl and boy, and greatly shocking the larger boy, Benjamin.This calamity was followed by the death of his wife. Then in the meantime, his oldest daughter, Barbara, married Elisha Moore, and they set up housekeeping in Jefferson County, just across the county line on the north bank of the French Broad River, opposite the Irish Bottom, in Cocke County. Reverend Lotspeich again married. A clash between his second daughter, Jane, and the stepmother, forced the former to live with her married sister.

Elisha Moore inherited a slave named Tom; and the four, himself, wife, sister-in-law, and Tom, composed the family. In June, 1853, the inhabitants along the banks of the French Broad were horrified to hear that Moore, his wife and sister-in-law were brutally murdered on the preceding Friday night, and that their bodies were the lying on the floor in a pool of blood, while Tom was missing. There were buried in the Leadvale cemetery.

By this time, an infuriated mob of armed men were scouring the country for the missing slave. A week later, he was captured, after being shot in the leg, in the middle of the Nolachucky river. He was taken immediately to the scene of his fiendish crime and was made by physical tortures to make the following confession to William Evans in the presence of D. A. Mims:

The house in which the bloody deed was committed had two rooms, one occupied at night by Moore, his wife and sister-in-law, the other by the slave. He stated that on the fatal night he procured an ax, ascended a flight of stairs to the loft, then descended a flight of stairs to his master's bedroom. He sat down at the foot of the stairs, laid the ax across his lap, and meditated over the crime he was about to commit. He thought of how good and kind his master had been to him. His heart failed him and without distrubing the sleepers he returned to his room and bed, where he tossed for about an hour. He thought over how he had bored gimlet holes through the partition that separated the rooms and through which he had watched Miss Lotspeich go to bed, night after night. His brutal courage returned, and he reentered his master's room, where he killed him and his wife before they discoverd his identity. This aroused Miss Lotspeich, who began to scream, when he struck her on the shoulder with the ax, knocked her down, outraged her person, and killed her. Barefooted, he left the house, crossed the French Broad River above Ten Islands, crossed the Big Pigeon River just above its mouth, passed through the bottom lands of Colonel John Stuart, where he again crossed the French Broad River, where he got something to eat from Peter Kindrick. He again crossed the French Broad River, traveled down the same until he reached the Fork Farm., where he again crossed the river into the Huff bottoms. From this point he went to the house of James Still, a free Negro, in the bend of the Nolachucky River, where he was fed until he was captured.

Within a day or two, the slave was required to stand before the enraged father and brothers and sisters of his master. In accordance with the sentence they pronunced he was taken to a vise and tortured: First, all the bones of his hands and fingers were crushed; and when he was questions as to the circumstances of the murder, he refused to tell. Thereupon other parts of his body were placed in the vise and smashed, when he stated the facts already mentioned. The only indication of any suffering was the clammy sweat on his brow.

Next, it was announced that he would be burned on the following Thursday at twelve o'clock. He was guarded in the room where he committed the murder and chained to the bloodstained floor. He stated during this time that he did not regret killing Miss Lotspeich, but he might not kill Mr. and Mrs. Moore, were it to be done over again. but was seemingly indifferent to their death. He gave no reason for killing them, but his whole confession disclosed that he was enamored of Miss Lotspeich. Although he was urged to prepare for the event, he seemed more inclined to deride the vengeance of God. On the appointed day, some six thousand people and one thousand slaves assembled. A pen was built around a small persimmon tree. A floor of green, unseasoned logs were laid within the pen, then it was filled around the edges with the richest pine obtainable. At the hour, the culprit was led to the center of the pen, he was handcuffed and chained to the tree, his arms extended above his shoulders and head. He even showed his captors how to bind him and laughed at the bystanders. Two relatives of the deceased stepped forward to light the first torch. The Reverend Lotspeich ignited the north corner fo the pen, the brother of the decased man lighted the opposite corner; then other relatives fired the other corners. A breeze fanned the flanes into a sheet of fire, encircling the body of the doomed Negro. With on piteous yell, "God help me," his head fell upon his chest. (Story repated to W. J. McSween by his old black mammy.)

More About Samuel Lotspeich:
Fact 1: 1832, Ordained as Minister of Methodist Church
     
Children of Samuel Lotspeich and Polly Bitner are:
  78 i.   John5 Lotspeich, born WFT Est. 1817-1846; died WFT Est. 1823-1925 in Died as a Child.
  79 ii.   Hosea F Lotspeich, born 1819; died WFT Est. 1853-1910.
  Notes for Hosea F Lotspeich:

Cpl. Hosea F. Lotspeich - Enlisted 6\13\1861. Promoted to 8th Corporal
110\15\1861. 1st Calvary, Co. L. Saw much action 1861-1862 in Missouri against guerriuas. on 7\9\1862 fought Quantrell in Cass Co., Mo.

This fight with Quantrell was on the farm of George Atherton Lotspeich's farm on Sugar Creek near Wadesburg, Mo. Troops engaged were Iowa 1st Calvary (Co.'s "A", "G", "H" and "L", Mo. 1st and 7th Cavalry. Union losses;
1 killed and 2 wounded. Taken from " A Compendium of War of Rebellion" by F. H. Dyer Vol II page 802.

George A. Lotspeich married his on cousin Martha M. Lotspeich. Martha M was the daughter of Samuel Lotspeich, this makes Hosea her brother.

  80 iii.   Barbara Lotspeich, born 1824; died 1853 in Jefferson Co. Tn.
  Notes for Barbara Lotspeich:

See Notes on her father Samuel Lotspeich

  81 iv.   Benjamin Lotspeich, born 1826 in Tn .; died WFT Est. 1846-1917.
  82 v.   Martha Margretta Lotspeich, born March 11, 1831 in Tenn.; died August 15, 1868.
  83 vi.   Mary Jane Lotspeich, born 1832; died June 1853; Adopted child.
  Notes for Mary Jane Lotspeich:

See Notes on her father Samuel Lotspeich.

  84 vii.   Samuel P Lotspeich, born 1836 in TN; died August 10, 1873 in IA.
  Notes for Samuel P Lotspeich:

Pvt. Samuel P. Lotspeich - Discharged 2/5/1863 for disability.
33rd Infantry, Co. F. organized Sept. 1862, Muster Oct. 1, l862.
Left Nov. 20 for St. Louis. Dec 24 arrived in Columbus, Ky. Jan. 13, 1863 Arrived in Helena, Ark., where later fought Col. Hood's confederates.

From Roster & Record of Iowa Soliders in the War of the Rebellion Index:
Vol. 5 (p. 204)
33rd Infantry, Company "F"
Lotspeich, Samual P. Age 27
Residance : Martinsburgh
Nativity : Tennessee
Enlisted : 8/13/1862
Mustered : 9/2/1862
Discharged for disability : 2/5/1863, Helena, Ark.

  85 viii.   Richard Watson Clark Lotspeich, born July 30, 1838 in Greenville, Green Co, Tn.; died April 03, 1924 in Tarrant Co. Tx..
  86 ix.   Elbert Lotspeich, born Unknown; died Unknown; Adopted child.
  87 x.   Herman Lotspeich, born Unknown; died Unknown; Adopted child.
     
Children of Samuel Lotspeich and Lena Montgomery are:
  88 i.   John Walter Gibson5 Lotspeich, born June 05, 1851 in Newfort, Cooke Co. Tn.; died January 28, 1922 in Fort Worth Tx..
  89 ii.   Carter C Lotspeich, born 1853; died 1854.
     
Children of Samuel Lotspeich and Larceny Evans are:
  90 i.   Tolbert Easan5 Lotspeich, born November 19, 1855 in Middle Tn.; died May 25, 1939 in Chatsworth Ga..
  91 ii.   Rhoten A. Lotspeich, born May 11, 1859 in Cock Co. Tn.; died October 31, 1925 in Dalton, Whitfield Co. Ga..
  92 iii.   Rebecca A. Lotspeich, born 1862; died WFT Est. 1863-1956.
  93 iv.   Robert Lee Lotspeich, born 1864; died WFT Est. 1865-1954.


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