Notable Women: Elizabeth Sunliter Young

From time to time, I write about the more notable women in my family tree, and recently I stumbled (quite literally) upon Elizabeth Sunliter.  She is one of my earliest known American ancestress, and she lived a neat life.  So I wanted to tell her story.

Elizabeth Sunliter was born 12 September 1782 to Peter Sunliter and his wife Elizabeth (also spelled Elisabeth).  She most likely was born in Passyunk, but could have also been born in Northern Liberties.  What is certain is she was born in Philadelphia County, and was the second born daughter of the couple.  Their first was also named Elisabeth, and while a death or burial record has not yet been located, it is very likely the first daughter named Elizabeth died in the year preceding this second one's birth.  Elizabeth was one of only two of the five children of Peter and Elizabeth Sunliter to survive childhood.  Her younger brother, Peter, also lived, but besides the first Elisabeth, son Georg and daughter Catharina also passed away in their youth.

I should note that the name Sunliter is spelled a number of different ways, all phonetically correct.  I have seen Sunlider, Sonliter, Sonleider, Sunlighter, Sohnleiter and any other combination..... All of which would be "correct" as there seems to be no standardized version of this name.

On 2 October 1804, Elizabeth married Johann "John" Young junior at St. Michael's and Zion Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, one of the oldest German Lutheran Churches in the area (it is still in existence!).  He was born about 1784 and the two met because it appears they were neighbors.

In twenty years, the couple had eleven children; Eliza, Mary, Philip, Sarah, John S., Peter Sunliter, Ann, Margaret, Catherine, Adam S. and Henry S. All eleven were likely born in East Southwark or Passyunk, as those were the areas John Young was enumerated on the 1810 and 1820 , and were all definitely born in Philadelphia County.  While it appears that the couple spoke German natively, as they were part of the huge German population in Philadelphia in the early part of the 19th century, they also spoke English.  They seemed to be founding members of the new English-Speaking Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran Church (their second daughter was one of the first to be baptized there) that was founded by some members of St. Michael and Zion churches and built on Race Street in Philadelphia.  It was here at St. John's that most of their children were baptized (and also where daughter Sarah later married Peter Vautier.... they were the parents of William John Vautier).

Like the Vautiers, the Youngs were truck farmers that operated a farm on the Neck, and their last name is mentioned in the same The Times article from 1891 in Philadelphia as the Vautiers that labels them "the Neck Barons."  John took over ownership of land Elizabeth's father left her when he died intestate in 1806.  The property was a parcel of land that was split with Elizabeth's brother Peter that had been bought by their father from Christian and Rachel Young (who may be related to John,  but I don't know for sure).  Deed records from Philadelphia are being attempted to be located to see if there was any other property.

John was a supporter of politics, and in particular was a member of the Democratic Republican Party, but he also appeared to have a drinking problem.  On 27 March 1828, he died at the age of forty four from "mania a potu", what would today be considered heavy habitual alcohol use.  He was buried at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery the day after he died, next to son Philip, who had died from bilious fever in 1823.

Elizabeth was named administratrix of the estate, and took over her husband's properties and her own, while raising her family in antebellum Philadelphia.  After all, her youngest children were only four and six when their father died.  She never remarried, but amassed a small fortune in the decades after her husband died.  She sold off some property as well per newspaper advertisements, though it is not known if it was property she acquired after John's death or not.

Some of the pitfalls into finding information on Elizabeth (especially now during the COVID-19 shutdown) is that while the Philadelphia Deed indices are online for the time period, not all of the deeds themselves were microfilmed and then digitally uploaded, so some of the deeds for an Elizabeth Young cannot be ascertained to be hers without examination.  There is also the fact that Passyunk, where the Youngs lived, did not become a part of the City of Philadelphia until 1854, so many of them were simply not listed in the Philadelphia area directories available online because they were not residing in the city (though for some years some of Passyunk was listed... just not everyone...)

Elizabeth Young died from a disease of the lungs on 24 April 1846 at the age of 63 on Girard's farm in Passyunk, Philadelphia.  She had outlived her husband by nearly twenty years.  She was buried two days later at Philanthropic Cemetery (another now defunct cemetery).

In her will, she left farm implements and the crop that had been planted to son John, instructed her executors to purchase furniture for not-yet-married Catherine, and then split the remainder of her estate between her ten children, with the caveat that those  heirs who owed her money would have it taken from their share of the inheritance.

Sources Used:
"140th Regiment Militia: Philadelphia County - Moyamensing Township," Aurora General Advertiser (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 2 June 1807, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 14 April 2020).

"1790 United States Federal Census," database online with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 April 2020), Entry for Peter Sunlighter, Year: 1790, Census Place: Mojamensing and Passyunk Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Series: M637, Roll: 9, Page: 255, Image: 547, and Family History Library Film: 0568149; citing First Census of the United States, 1790 (NARA microfilm publication M637, 12 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1810 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2019), Entry for Jno Young, Year: 1810, Census Place: East Southwark Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll: 56, Page: 135, Image: 00194, and Family History Library Film: 0193682; citing Third Census of the United States, 1810. (NARA microfilm publication M252, 71 rolls). Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1820 United States Federal Census," online database, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 April 2020), Entry for John Young and household, 1820 U S Census, Census Place: Passyunk Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Page: 142, NARA Roll: M33_110, and Image: 407; citing Fourth Census of the United States, 1820. (NARA microfilm publication M33, 142 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1830 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 April 2020), Entry for Elizabeth Young and faily, 1830, Census Place: Passyunk Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Series: M19, Roll: 157, Page: 314, and Family History Library Film: 0020631; citing Fifth Census of the United States, 1830. (NARA microfilm publication M19, 201 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1840 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 April 2020), Entry for Elizabeth Young and family, Year: 1840, Census Place: Passyunk Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roll: 491, Page: 179, and Family History Library Film: 0020556; citing Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"At Private Sale," advertisement, Public Ledger (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 22 July 1841, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 20 April 2020).

"Democratic Republican Meeting," legislative acts or legal proceedings, Franklin Gazette (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 19 September 1820, page 2; online images, Genealogy Bank (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 20 February 2020).

"Died," death notice, Public Ledger (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 25 April 1846, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 April 2020).

Ellet Jr., Charles. A Map of the County of Philadelphia from Actual Survey (Philadelphia: Charles Ellet, 1843); digital image, Greater Philadelphia Digital History Network (https://www.philageohistory.org/tiles/viewer/ : accessed 20 April 2020), viewed Passyunk township.

"Historical Society Of Pennsylvania, Births & Baptisms," database online with images, FindMyPast (www.findmypast.com : accessed 17 April 2020), Entry for Elisab Sohnleitner, baptized 26 Sep 1782 at St. Michael and Zion Lutheran Church, Philadelphia, Baptisms 1771-1784, page 182, line 122; citing Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

"Historical Society Of Pennsylvania, Births & Baptisms," database online with images, FindMyPast (www.findmypast.com : accessed 12 February 2019), Entry for Ann Young, baptized 21 Jan 1816 at St. John's Lutheran Church 5th & Race Streets.

Ibid.  Entry for Margaret Young, baptized 27 Sept 1818 at St. John's Lutheran Church 5th & Race Streets.

Ibid.  Entry for Mary Young, baptized 10 May 1807 at St. John's Lutheran Church 5th & Race Streets

Ibid.  Entry for Peter Young, baptized 31 Jan 1813 at St. John's Lutheran Church 5th & Race Streets.

Ibid. Entry for Philip Young, baptized 17 June 1808 at St. John's Lutheran Church 5th & Race Streets.

Ibid. Entry for Sarah Young, baptized 11 Feb 1810 at St. John's Lutheran Church 5th & Race Streets.

"Historical Society Of Pennsylvania, Marriages," database online with images, FindMyPast (www.findmypast.com : accessed 12 February 2019), Entry for Johann Jung or Young and Elisabeth Sonleiter, married 02 Oct 1804, St. Micheal's & Zion Lutheran Church; citing Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

"The Neck Barons," The Times (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 25 April 1891, page 8; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 23 January 2019).

"Notice," legal notice, Sun (Philadelphia, Pennsyvania), 1 May 1846, page 2; online images, Genealogy Bank (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 20 April 2020).

Osborn, Matthew Warner. "A Detestable Shrine: Alcohol Abuse in Antebellum Philadelphia," Journal of the Early Republic, Volume 29, no. 1 (Spring 2009), online archive, JSTOR (https://www.jstor.org/stable/40208240 : accessed 20 April 2020), pages 101-132.

"Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-1999," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2019), Entry for the marriage of Johann Jung and Elisabeth Sonleiter (indexed as Sanleitam), 2 Oct 1804 at Saint Michael’s and Zion Church; citing Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-1999," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2019), Entry for John Young Jr. burial date 28 March 1828, referencing St John's Church Evangelical Lutheran (Philadlephia) burial records for 1828.

"Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-1999," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2019), Entry for John Young Jr. burial date 28 March 1828, referencing St John's Church Evangelical Lutheran burial record, Removals to Laurel Hill (son Philip too).

"Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-1999," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2019), Entry for Philip Young. burial date 26 Sep 1823, referencing St John's Church Evangelical Lutheran burial records for 1823.

"Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 13 April 2020), digital folder number 004009791 >image number 454 of 582 > Entry for John Young; referencing Registration of deaths, 1803-1903; arranged by year and cemetery, year 1828: Mar-July, July-Sept, Sept-Oct, Oct-Dec, page 70, entry for Evangelical Lutheran Burial Ground of St. John's Church burials 22-29 March 1828; citing Philadelphia City Archives and Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

"Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 12 April 2020), Entry for Elizabeth Young, died 24 Apr 1846; referencing Philantrophic Burial Ground records 1846:11 April-27 June; FHL microfilm 1,906,484.

"Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 April 2020), Entry for Elizabeth Young, probate date 23 April 1846, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; will number 82, 1846; citing Pennsylvania County District and Probate Courts.

"Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 February 2019), Entry for John Young, probate date 1828, Pennsylvania, City of Philadelphia, administration files; Author: Philadelphia (Pennsylvania). Register of Wills; Probate Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Administration Files, No 21-86, 1828; Book N, Page 188, number 4.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Deed Book TH 40: 371-373, John and Elizabeth Young to Peter Sunliter, recorded 9 March 1813; FHL microfilm 21971.