“A hangman's rope is made of four parts, one of which is used as the heart and the other three are twisted around it. When it is finished it is perfectly round and smooth and is about 9-16 of an inch in thickness. These ropes are usually made from 25 to 30 feet in length. It requires 21 feet to perform the execution properly, and the surplus is always in case of accident resulting in a break. The knot is tied by the man who makes the rope, so that the executioner has nothing to do but slip the loop over the culprit’s head.”
~ Jacob Bupp, in an interview, "Making Nine Ropes," Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 31 March 1890, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 16 August 2016). This interview was syndicated and ran in multiple newspapers, sometimes with slight variations, around the country in 1890.
The very idea that he was the creator of so many instruments of death has always made me wonder what kind of man what he, what kind of grit and determination did he have to be able to look so many men in the face, knowing he was the maker of their demise?
*This blog post is one in a series of blogs on my famous ancestor, Jacob Bupp, the Hangman's Ropemaker- click the page tab above labeled "The Hangman's Ropemaker" for more information and the blog series*
Beginnings
Every legend starts with a beginning, and Jacob Bupp’s beginning is no different. He was born in York, Pennsylvania on or about 23 December 1823 and was christened 18 March 1824 at Christ Lutheran Church in York, Pennsylvania. Because spelling of his surname often varied, he was referred to as Jacob Bopp on a number of differing documents, and on one document as Jacob Bobb.
Jacob’s father, John Bopp, was a brickmaker by trade. According to a deed from York County, John was from Mount Joy, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Because of his last name, and the fact that he spoke German, it is distinctly possible that the Bopp family was Pennsylvania German in origin, and likely Mennonite by religious affiliation. This theory is supported by the fact that John Bopp had a few advertisements in a German language newspaper and late nineteenth century newspaper accounts of Jacob Bupp being a German.
However, since the borough of Mount Joy was founded by protestant Scots-Irish settlers before the American Revolution, there is a possibility of that heritage as well, though it may be diluted. Research has not determined John Bopp’s parentage although there are a few possibilities to explore, as there are a few Bopp/Bobb families in the area surrounding Mount Joy around the time of his estimated birth.
Susan Pentz or Bentz, Jacob’s mother, was the daughter of Elizabeth King, though her father’s name is not known, nor is the spelling of her surname absolutely certain. Little is known about her early life, although what is known is that she had a brother, Daniel, and a sister, Elizabeth, who later married John Crone.
Elizabeth King, Jacob’s maternal grandmother, was a sister of Dr. Adam King, a well known medical doctor and Congressman from the borough of York. She was born 10 August 1773 and baptized 7 September 1773 at Trinity Reformed Church in York, Pennsylvania. She was one of several children born to Phillip Jacob King and his wife Catharina. While not much is known about Elizabeth’s life, there is a great deal known about Adam King.
Family Legacy: Dr. Adam King
Dr. Adam King was the maternal grand-uncle of Jacob Bupp, and was the son of Philip Jacob King (Koenig in German) and Catharina. He was born as Johann Adam King on 20 January 1783 and baptized 10 September 1783 at Trinity Reformed Church in York, Pennsylvania, the same church as his elder sister.
Johann Adam King was known as Adam, as he followed the German tradition of a Rufname (everyday name) as a middle name. He grew up in York, but studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, presumably right before the War of 1812. He took up practicing medicine in and around the borough of York.
There is a high probability that he served briefly during the War of 1812 as a corporal in Captain Michael Spangler’s regiment of the Pennsylvania Militia, as a militiaman by that name was indeed listed on the roster for that company from York County, Pennsylvania, but it is not certain if it is indeed the same Adam King, though a veteran’s burial card for him exists on Ancestry.com.
In 1818, Adam King became one of the editors of The York Gazette, a German and English newspaper in York, Pennsylvania. For a time, he worked with a man by the name of Walsh, but in April 1829, an announcement ran in another newspaper that that editorial partnership was dissolved and Adam King went into business with George A. Barnitz. According to several sources, he remained the editor of the paper until his death in 1835.
Because he was probably well known, and thus likely well liked in the area, he ran for United States Congress representing the district of York, Pennsylvania in October 1826 as a Jacksonian Democrat. An untitled article in The National Gazette states that he was a friend of General Andrew Jackson, although it is not known if that meant they were actual friends, or if it was meant to indicate that the two men were in the same political party. Adam King was re-elected to his seat in 1828, and then again in October 1830 by a total of 2947 votes, defeating William McIlvain, who had 2080 votes. In early 1832, he voted against rechartering the Bank of the United States in 1832, which cost him re-election that year, as the National Bank’s charter was a popular issue. Charles A. Barnitz succeeded him as Congressman from York County.
Adam King returned to his home in York, Pennsylvania and resumed the practice of medicine for the remainder of his life. For reasons unknown, however, he committed suicide by hanging on 6 May 1835. One of his obituaries read:
“'The motive of this melancholy act remains a mystery. He was rich, respected, and had before him a career of usefulness and honor. It is not alleged that he was suffering under temporary derangement, and no cause is assigned which can explain this act of fatal desperation.”
~ Source: "Suicide," The Liberator (Boston, Massachusetts), 23 May 1835, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 9 December 2017).
Because he had no heirs, his property was divided amongst his siblings and their heirs, including Elizabeth King’s surviving children, Elizabeth, Daniel and Susan Bentz. He was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery in York, Pennsylvania
Early Life of Jacob Bupp
John Bopp and Susan Pentz or Bentz married at Christ Lutheran Church in York on 18 January 1821. Six children were born to the couple, according to transcribed records readily available at FamilySearch; Elizabeth, Rebecca, Jacob, William, Helena, Sarah and Elnora. Whether or not other children were born to the family as well remains to be seen. Jacob was born the eldest known son and the third oldest known child.
One thing known for certain is that John Bopp briefly owned a tract of land in the borough of York. He bought the land from Eli Lewis in 1829 for $1000, or roughly $23000 in the market of 2016. At this tract of land, the family was enumerated in the 1830 census, with young Jacob being one of two free white males ages five to nine. Jacob’s younger brother William was presumably the other one listed.
However, the land did not stay in the possession of the family for long. John Bopp incurred an amount of debts to a number of persons, and in November of 1832 all of his properties, except those allowed to insolvent debtors, had been deeded over to Jacob Hantz (or Haus) for the price of $1 as per a judgement entered into the Court of the Common Pleas entered 1 November 1832. Because a number of people owed John Bopp money, presumably from his brickmaking business, an advertisement was taken out in the local paper, York Gazette, which translated from German read:
~ Source: “Anzeige” announcement, York Gazette (York, Pennsylvania), 29 November 1833, page 3; online archive, Newspapers.com, (www.newspapers.com: accessed 2 November 2017). German to English translation done by Ron Hochstetler.
The money that Susan Bentz Bopp inherited from her uncle Adam King’s estate was also transferred to Jacob Hantz to help pay for the debt of the family, as indicated by a deed from York County. This injustice was due to the way Pennsylvania law was before 1848, in that it allowed that a wife’s property could be taken to settle her husband’s debts. This event had to have been devastating to the family, and to ten year old Jacob in particular, this was likely a very strong memory and turning point in his young life.
There is little information to suggest what happened to Jacob Bupp or his family after the bankruptcy of his father. The family has not yet been located on the 1840 census, though there are some listings for Bupps in the area.
Susan is listed in the registers of Trinity United Church of Christ in York, Pennsylvania as having attended church there from Easter 1845 until 1847. She died in May of 1850 in the South Ward of York, Pennsylvania, and on the mortality schedule for the 1850 census, on which she is listed, she is listed as being a widow, so the presumption is John Bopp died sometime before May 1850. No death records have been located for him, however, as death certificates were not often used before the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania made them mandatory in 1906.
There is little information to suggest what happened to Jacob Bupp or his family after the bankruptcy of his father. The family has not yet been located on the 1840 census, though there are some listings for Bupps in the area.
Susan is listed in the registers of Trinity United Church of Christ in York, Pennsylvania as having attended church there from Easter 1845 until 1847. She died in May of 1850 in the South Ward of York, Pennsylvania, and on the mortality schedule for the 1850 census, on which she is listed, she is listed as being a widow, so the presumption is John Bopp died sometime before May 1850. No death records have been located for him, however, as death certificates were not often used before the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania made them mandatory in 1906.
The next installment will discuss Jacob's life in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Sources and References:
"1830 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 October 2017), entry for John Bopp and household, 1830, Census Place: York York, Pennsylvania, Series: M19, Roll: 160, Page: 369, and Family History Library Film: 0020634.
"Editorial Changes," Gettysburg Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania), 15 April 1829, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 December 2017).
Frey, J., "Johann Adam King," Strine & Yessler Families of York County, PA, (http://jsfecmd.info/strineweb-p/p489.htm : accessed November 13, 2017)
“History” Mount Joy Borough, 2015, (http://mountjoyborough.com/about/history/ : accessed 7 November 2017)
O'Brian, Charles. "The Growth in Pennsylvania of the Property Rights of Married Women." University of Pennsylvania Law Review 49 (3). Online archive. University of Pennsylvania Law School Legal Scholarship Repository. https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/penn_law_review
“Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-2013,” database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Dec 2017). Entry for Elizabeth Koenig, baptized 7 September 1773, Transcribed records of Trinity Reformed Church, York, York, Pennsylvania, transcription done by Henry James Young 1935.
“Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-2013,” database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 Dec 2017). Entry for Johann Adam Koenig, baptized 10 September 1783, Transcribed records of Trinity Reformed Church, York, York, Pennsylvania, transcription done by Henry James Young 1935
"Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-1999," database online with images, Ancestry.com, Entry for Susan Bopp in the church attendance records of Trinity United Church of Christ, 1845-1847, York, Pennsylvania; reel 700 of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's records. image 224 of 502.
"Pennsylvania Births and Christenings, 1709-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2J9-LXH : accessed 9 December 2014), entry for Jacob Bobb, 18 Mar 1824; Christening, citing Christ Lutheran Church, York, York, Pennsylvania; FHL microfilm Q974.841 Y1 V2Y V5-6.
"Pennsylvania Marriages, 1709-1940," database online, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 13 August 2016), Entry for John Bopp and Susan Benns Or Bentz, 1821; citing Christ Lutheran Church,York,York,Pennsylvania; FHL microfilm 1,320,516.
"Pennsylvania Probate Records, 1683-1994," database online with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 4 November 2017), York > Orphans' Court dockets 1849-1852 vol X > pages 593-594 (images 342 and 343), entry for Adam King; citing county courthouses in Pennsylvania.
“Pennsylvania, Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-2012” database online, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 December 2017), Entry for Adam King, died 7 May 1835; citing Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1929-1990; Series Number: Series 1.
"To the Editors," letter to the editor, Newbern Spectator (New Bern, North Carolina), 19 October 1832, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 December 2017).
"Untitled article, The National Gazette (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 16 October 1826, page 2, online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 December 2017).
"U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885," database, Ancestry.com, entry for Susan Bupp; National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Non-Population Census Schedules for Pennsylvania, 1850-1880: Mortality; Archive Collection: M1838; Archive Roll Number: 2; Census Year: 1850; Census Place: York South Ward, York, Pennsylvania; Page: 947.
"Wahl Bericht von York County," election report, York Gazette (York, Pennsylvania), 22 October 1830, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 7 December 2017).
“War of 1812 Service Record Index,” database online, Fold3 (www.fold3.com : accessed 06 Dec 2017), Entry for Corporal Adam King, 1st Pennsylvania Militia; citing “Indexes to the Carded Records of Soldiers Who Served in Volunteer Organizations During the War of 1812, compiled 1899 - 1927, documenting the period 1812 - 1815. Microfilm publication number M602. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume 1607-1896 (Chicago, Illinois: Marquis - Who's Who, Incorporated, 1963). 294, Entry for Adam King
York County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 3K: 279-280, Eli Lewis and Rebekah his wife to John Bopp, 6 March 1829; FHL microfilm 22122.
York County, Pennsylvania, Deed Book 3M; Page 90, John Bopp to Jacob Hantz, 30 November 1832; FHL microfilm 22123.
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