Item. I give and Bequeath unto my Son in law William Tunnes ye sum of tenn pounds lawful money afd to be paid him by sd Executor within ffive years after my Decease.

Lastly. I give and Bequeath unto my Son William Levering whom I hereby constitute ordain and appoint sole Executor of this my Last Will and Testament all other my Estate and Effects of what kind soever. In Witness whereof I have hereunto put my hand and Seal this twenty third Day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand Seaven hundred and fforty two.

The following Inventory was subsequently filed.
"An inventory of the goods of Wechord Levering Deseased this the ninth day of February 174/5. Prasers Matthew Houlgate and Isaac Cook.

Two of the witnesses to this will were his grandson and wife. The signature to the will is remarkably good, when the great age of the writer is considered - he being at that time, ninety-four years old.

A prior will,* dated may 10th, 1736, has a similar signature, and the deeds which I have examined, as well as the copies in the Recorder's office, are also signed with his initials. I have not been able to discover any further proof of his ability to write.

The Family Bible of Wigard Levering is now in the possession of Mrs. Sarah Kirk of Germantown, Pa., who is a g.g.g.granddaughter of the first settler. Her grandmother, Hannah Levering Keyser, (32) was the third child of William Levering, (16) who was a grandson of Wigard. It is a large folio German Bible, with clasps, and was printed in 1693. The records of Wigard Levering's family are written in German: the other entries are in English, and contain the dates of the deaths of some of his children and grandchildren.

To gratify the curiosity of those members of the family who have never seen the Bible, I shall give a translation of the Records, which are headed, "Geburth Register meiner Wigard Levering Kinder." I do not vouch for the correctness of the translation.

I Wigard Levering was born in Germany in the Principality of Westphalia in the District of Munster and town of Gamen. My Father's name was Rosier Levering, and my mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Van de Walle who was born in Wesel. In the twenty third year of my age I Wigard Levering was married to my beloved wife Magdalena Boker Her father's name was William Boker and her mother's maiden name was Sidonia Williams Braviers of the City of Leyden in Holland. The above said Magdalena my wife was also born in Leyden, and God hath blessed us with the following children to wit:

The first born Joanna Sophia born in Gamen in the year of our Lord 1672 in March and died in the third week.

The second Anna Catharina born in Mulheim on the Rhur in March 1673.

The third Maria Elizabethborn in July 1676 and died in the eighteenth week of her age.

The fourth William Leveringwas born the 4th day of May 1677.

The fifth Amelia Anna Sophia was born in the middle of July 1682.

The sixth Anna Sibella was born in the middle of September 1684.

The above named children were all born in Mulheim on the Rhur

*In the possession of G. Shields of Manayunk. In this will W.L. is described as Wickard Levering of Roxborrow township in the County of Philadelphia, in the province of Pennsylvania, Carpenter." The preservation of this will has been of great importance to me, as it states who Wickard's daughters married, a fact which does not appear in his will of later date.

in Germany; and the following six children were born in North America in the Province of Pennsylvania.

The seventh Herman born the 18th of November 1686 and died in the fourth year of his age in May.

The eigth Elizabeth born the 7th of January 1689 and died in the fourteenth year of her age in September.

The ninth Sidonia born the 23d of April 1691.

The tenth Jacob Levering born the 21st of January 1693.

The eleventh Magdalena bon the 13th of January 1695 and died in the 3d week of her age.

The twelfth Magdalena born the 4th of June 1696.

The last after the perfect number of twelve was an untimely birth.

god who is the Father of all that are called children in heaven and on earth, have mercy on my children who are still in the land of the living, that they through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ may be born again and registered with their kindred in heaven; that they, after they are taken from this vain world, the parents with the children and the children with the parents, may rejoice before God in a blessed and happy eternity, Amen."

This old Bible is the only relic now known of the venerable Founder of the Levering Family, and it ought to be cherished and preserved by his posterity as a memento of "auld lang syne."

From Wigard and Gerhard Levering I am disposed to believe that all the Leverings in the United States of America have descended. The only family about which there is any doubt, is that of John Levering who once resided at Nazareth, Pa. My deliberate conviction, however, is that the Leverings of Nazareth are descended from Gerhard, and I have accordingly so arranged their history. My reasons for regarding them as the posterity of Gerhard Levering will be fully given, in a subsequent part of this work.

So far as these researches have extended, no relationship has been found to exist between the LOVERING's of Philadelphia and boston, and the LEVERING Family, although the names are so nearly alike.

Mr. Joseph S. Lovering, of Philadelphia, has informed the writer that his ancestors were of English descent, and settled originally in Boston, Mass.

There is a family named Lovering in Baltimore, who have been visited by Mr. A.J. Levering. They were originally from the Northwest of France, settled in St. Domingo, and came to Philadelphia in 1795.

One of the family, Mr. George A. Lovering, residing in Baltimore, spells his name Lovering, while his brother Lewis, who lives in New Orleans, spells his name Levering.

(1) ROSIER LEVERING; the first person of the name, of whom any account can be had, it is believed, was a native of France, and was born about the year 1600. During some of the early religious persecutions, he fled from France, and took refuge either in Holland or Germany. He there married Elizabeth Van de Walle, of Wesel, in Westphalia. Nothing further is known of them.-(2)

(2)I. WIGARD or WICKARD; b. about the year 1648, in the town of Gamen, in Westphalia, Germany. In the year 1671, when 23 years of age, he married Magdalena Boker,(4) He resided for some time at Wesel, and also at Gamen and Mulheim. He emigrated to America between the 20th of March and 10th of August,-1685, with his wife, Magdalena, and his four children, viz.: Anna Catharina, William, Amelia and Sibella. He first settled at Germantown, Phila. Co., Pa., and removed to Roxborough, three miles to the west, in 1692, where he bought a plantation of Five hundred acres of land, extending from the River Schuylkill to the line of Germantown Township. His wife died between the months of February and November, 1717, at the age of about 68 years. He died February 2d, 1744-5, at his residence in Roxborough, at the age of ninety-seven years, and was interred on his farm.

(3)II. GERHARD or GARRET; all that is known of this son is given in another part of this work. There may have been other children, and doubtless were, but there are no records or traditions to show who they were, or what became of them. (1678).

(4)I. JOANNA SOPHIA; b. in Gamen, March, 1672, d. aged 3 weeks.

(5)II. ANNA CATHARINA; b. March, 1673, at Mulheim. She was living in 1742, when her father made his will. In the unproved Will she is described as "Catharine ffey." One of the early settlers of Roxborough was "Heinrich Frey." On the 9th of March, 1709, "Henry Frey, of the parts adjacent to Van Beber township, in the county of Philadelphia, Turner," conveyed to John George Wood of Roxborrow township, Taylor, 100 acres of land. The deed was executed by Henry Frey and Catharine his wife. Frey had bought this land, October 1, 1692, from John Jennett, on of the Patentees.

(6)III. MARIA ELIZABETH; b. July,1676, at Mulheim, d. at the age of one year 6 months.

(7)IV. WILLIAM LEVERING; b. at Mulheim, on the River Rhur, in Germany, May 4th, 1677, and came to America in 1685, at the age of 8 years, and removed from Germantown to Roxborough with his parents in 1692, when 15 years old. He no doubt resided with his fathr at the old mansion, in the valley, northwest of the present Baptist Church, and a short distance from the Ridge Road. In Nov. 1717, his father conveyed to him a large tract of land, being the residue of his Plantation that remained unsold. He carried on the farm thus bestowed upon him, and no doubt had some other occupation. His will shows that his aged father resided with him at the time of his decease. He was a man of substance in those early days, and was the friend of John Schlee alias Seelig, a Hermit, who, tradition says, lived on part of his farm. Tradition also states that the Hermit lived in the valley back of the present Leverington Cemetery, a short distance beyond the house of (355) William Levering. This Hermit had been a pupil and follower of John Kelpius,* a learned and pious scholar who came from Germany in 1694, and settled on the

banks of the beautiful and romantic Wissahiccon. What was the precise relation existing between the Hermit Schlee and Mr. Levering is not known, but it was a very intimate friendship. The death of the Hermit is thus noted in the Levering Family Bible:

"John Sealy, hermit died April 26, 1745 aged 77 years." His will bears date 17th Sept. 1735, and in it he is described as "John Schlee, of Roxborough, in the County of Philadelphia, gentleman." His name is written in English, and the following is a fac simile:

He bequeathed the whole of his estate to "my ffriend William "Levering Senr of Roxborough," and appointed him his Executor.

The Inventory of his Estate contains the following items, viz: "25 shirts, 4 coats, 2 jackets, 2 hats, pair of shoes & slippers, 7 pairs linen frawers, 3 Planes, 2 Saws, 1 glue pot, 54 glass bottles, 5 book binders presses, saddle & bridle, 1 scale, gold and silver weights, 5 Bibles, 14 books, 10 of Jacob Boehmen's books and 120 Latin, Dutch and Greek books."

Mr. Watson, the Annalist, says that there was a tradition quite current concerning Schlee, to this effect. He had a divining rod, which he directed should be cast into the water at his death. This was done, and the rod exploded with a loud noise!!

William Levering m. Catharine-----(16) He died in August or September, 1746, and hence was in the seventieth year of his age. He left a will dated 20th Dec. 1744.

"Be it Remembered that I William Levering of Roxborough in the County of Philadelphia Yoeman being in good Health of Body and of sound and well disposing Mind and Memory, Blessed be the Lord for the same and all other his Mercies and Favours bestowed on me and being mindfull of my mortality and willing to settle my Wordly Affairs in the best manner I can, DO make and declare my Last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all