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Christian Garlitz III Christian III, son of Henry, was a nephew of Christian II. In his youth he crossed the State Line into Maryland and married Sarah McKenzie in 1815. They lived a few years in the neighborhood of his Uncle Christian II, then, in 1827, Christian Garletz, son of Henry, bought of John Durst 50 acres of lots 13 and 21, and in 1837 "Christopher Garlets" bought of Solomon Garlitz of Somerset County [PA] 129 acres of lot 13 for $600. "Walnut Hills" This Garlitz farm was a part of the "Walnut Hills" tract, 4087 acres which belonged to John Swan of Baltimore. It lies on the east or Savage River slope of Meadow Mountain, known as the "McKenzie Settlement" until a post office was opened there in 1885 under the name of "Avilton." Swan divided "Walnut Hills" into 21 lots. It was a densely wooded region, largely white pine. Christian's log house stood just below the spring near the present St. Ann's Church. Brown says: "Tradition has it that in clearing a spot of ground around the house a perverse tree was felled upon it with the young wife inside. The anxious cry was 'Sally, are you hurt'? She was unhurt, but strange to say, more than fifty years after, good old Christy was killed in the woods by the fall of a tree." Christian III was a small farmer and a great hunter in his day. It is possible that some of the stories of Christian Garlitz related in Brown's book refer to Christian III, who was also known as Christian, Jr., and Christopher, to distinguish him from his uncle Christian, on Chestnut Ridge. Sarah Garlitz died and was buried in the Catholic Cemetery of Mt. Savage. (?) Later Christian married Mrs. Harriet Layman Cleary. In 1844 he sold his farm to his son Henry, and went West, but returned a few years later to his old home on Pea Ridge (Avilton). MARRIAGE: 1815, PA 1. Solomon
1. Joseph (from Christian III marriage to Harriet Layman Cleary)
m. Ellen Brike
Several children of Sarah died during an epidemic of scarlet fever.* Samuel and Israel lived at Avilton on adjoining farms. John moved to the Laurel Hill in Pennsylvania. Henry bought the home farm, but sold it in 1859 to Leo and Jeremiah McKenzie. One of Israel's sons was Isadore, who married Matilda Elizabeth McKenzie; she inherited the old Garlitz farm from her father Jeremiah. Thus the old Garlitz homestead returned to Garlitz hands. Harriet Layman Cleary, Christian's second wife, was a Protestant. She is probably buried in the Blocher graveyard. * The children who died from scarlet fever were buried in a little cemetery down by the old school house. My grandmother showed me little wooden crosses......that was many years ago and the school is gone and I figure the graves are under planted fields or woods. I remember when we could still find the remnants of the cemetery on the edge of that stand of big trees ... evergreens mostly. (My grandmother was Ella Garlitz McGowan). Joan Collins |
See also Who was Christian
Garlitz?, The Great Hunter, Christian
II, and History of St.
Ann Parish.