At one time I believed there could have been confusion on the part of my Uncle George, born in 1860, with Adam Peter Noel his Uncle who went to Davenport, Iowa in 1835 and may have taken his half brother Jacob, aged one year, with him; however it would be consistent for Joseph to name his first son after his father. Peter Noel, age four, another half brother was with this party.  My Aunt Dilly, Esther Odillia, told of her grandfather who built Conestoga wagons for the pioneers moving west. This must also have been her Uncle Adam. He did this in Iowa. She told of Uncle Pete who was wounded in the Civil War. Peter Noel died on his way back to Iowa from these wounds. She told of "Uncle Peter" who was with Washington's troops when they crossed the Delaware on Christmas day. This would have been her great granduncle. At the cemetery at St Vincent's near Latrobe, PA, in the nineteen thirties, we visited graves of other Noel's who may have been older then my Grandfather. These stones are unreadable today although that of my grandparents is in good shape. (Note! There is some question whether the old graves adjoining St. Vincent's church were removed to a new cemetery to give room for additional buildings, and the bones of many were interred in one common grave.)

Since my Grandfather was only five when he became an orphan in 1839, where did these stories come from? His obituary states that relatives raised him and that he went to Iowa after the Civil War.  However,  Harvey Noel has found evidence that Jacob went to Iowa with his half brothers in 1835 and returned to Pennsylvania when he was eighteen. Somewhere I read that he apprenticed to someone in Lycippus, PA at the age of eighteen , the place of his birth. This could have been a Kreitzer family. I have found records at St Johns in Mt Pleasant in this time period and although Maria Kreitzer can not be found one or more Kreitzer families lived in  Mt Pleasant Township from at least 1819 when Sara Anna was born to 1837 when Maria Jane was born. An Israel Krytzer married Sue Walton in 1884. They both were from Lycippus where my grandfather Jacob was born.

Then again it has been reported that Adeline Rose Noel, the eldest daughter of my Uncle Frank Noel, in a letter called Jacob Sylvester, Jacob Stillinger. The only Stillinger that I can find was the Rev. James A Stillinger who came to the St Vincent Church on November 18th 1830. He also took care of the SS. Simon and Jude Church in Blairsville where he died in 1873.
If there is a connection it is unknown at this time.

In the early 1800's a John Noel and Peter Noel may have  lived  near Joseph. I do not believe they were the sons of Blasius Noel of Taneytown, MD but the sons of Daniel the brother of Blasius. The John and Petronilla Noel, in Hempfield Twp., had a child named Mary in 1804. This John does not seem to be  the son of Nicholas who moved with his father and his brothers Joseph and Abraham to Loretto. However the Tax lists for Menallen Township, Adams County  from 1799 to 1811 list two John Noels, occasionally calling one "John of Daniel".  In 1808 one is noted as "out of township".  The other John continued to live there until at least 1842.  This John moved to near Massillon, Stark County, Ohio, in 1822; thence to Adams Township, Seneca County, Ohio, in 1830.  We now find a John married to Mary Magdalene Grundy Storm and living in Derry Twp. This is the son of Blasius for his marriage is recorded at St Joseph's in Taneytown, MD. If this is true then our oral history is either that of John Noel of Blasius or of Joseph's  half brothers in Iowa and if my Grandfather Jacob S Noel was related to these people then Blasius is our Adam.

In retrospect, if Jacob was raised in Iowa as suggested by a sketch of Jacob Noel in the History of Westmoreland County, all the oral history fits better than if he was raised in Pennsylvania. The confusion between Adam, Joseph and Blasius can be reconciled by the fact that Jacob may have thought of Adam as his father (Adam was 34 years older than Jacob) only knowing Joseph and Blasius by what he was told by his three older brothers, as Peter who was born in 1830, was in the same situation. This would also explain why Peter stopped in Latrobe during the Civil War to see his brother Jacob whom he was raised with in Iowa. Otherwise they could not have know each other. Jacob's family keep in touch with the Iowa descendants well into the 1920's when Dorothy A Noel, born 1-29-1911 went with her father William F Noel ,the grandson of Jacob, to Iowa to visit John the son of Adam. John had died and his people sent them on to Missouri and Oklahoma in search of the decedents of John Noel the brother of Adam and Jacob. They could not find them and I have learnt latter that after Johns death the sons went to California. Through the internet I have made contact with the descendants of Adam and his son John who referred me to Harvey Noel who my father told me about in the early 1960's.

The oral history at Lorreto has Elizabeth Kuhn married to Nicholas Noel the brother of Blasius and the  son of Peter Noel, moving, after her parents died in 1781,  with her siblings, John JR, and Catherine Kuhn Gerstenweiler to Westmoreland County, PA. From there, John JR & Elizabeth (with their families) moved to Loretto. Catherine who married Andrew Gerstenweiler lived out  their lives in Westmoreland with the name spelled Casterwiler.

This does not seem to be true. Andrew Gerstenweiler is found among the pascal communion and confession records at Loretto, in 1810-1813. He and Catherine are thereafter found at Sportsman's Hall: Andrew Gerstenweiler sponsored the baptism of John, son of George and Catherine Miller, at Sportsman's Hall, Westmoreland County, Pa., on April 7, 1814. He and his wife Catherine also sponsored the baptism of Andrew, son of Jacob and Mary Kuhn, at Sportsman's Hall on December 11, 1814. It looks like Nicholas never did live in Westmoreland County.

We also find Blasius the son of Blasius and maybe the brother of Joseph, Jacob, and John  in Loretto with Uncle Nick. However it has been found that Joseph Noel the son of Nicholas and Elizabeth was born in Emmitsburg, MD, only six mile from Taneytown, MD, on the 28th of January 1796. So it looks like this group of people moved from Conewago to the Taneytown area maybe with Blasius and then later my Joseph moved to Westmoreland Co., PA between 1796 and 1799. Maybe with his brothers John and Jacob moving at a later time. The catholic people from eastern and southern Maryland moved to the Emmitsburg-Tanneytown area when Catholicism was outlawed in Maryland. The Catholics from Conewago moved there later. Horace Ory gives an account of this history.

The records at Sportsman's Hall begin with the Rev. Peter Helbron, who came on November 17, 1799 and remained until his death, seventeen years later. From these records there were three other people in Westmoreland County in about 1800 with the same names as the sons of Blasius, being John, Peter and Jacob. There was also a Abraham,  Simon (by the 1825 tax records he was age 44 [born abt 1781], Militia farmer in Unity Township), and Alban (Adam?) Noel. These were not of the Nicholas Noel family and could all have been brothers and the sons of Alban who could have been our Adam Noel of the Joseph Noel oral tradition. However, Adam P Noel, the first son of Joseph was a witness of the wedding of Blasius the son of John at St Vincent's. Joachim, the brother of Blasius, the son of John, was married to Maria Anna Christe on  May 7, 1833 in Allegheny Twp, Cambria CO., PA ( Loretto). The Christe's were from  Loretto. Joachim is buried at St Vincent's, Latrobe, PA. They all belonged to this church and lived within a few miles of each other. The rare name Blasius pops up too many times for these people to be unrelated to him.

It should be noted that Simon and others moved to Cambria County after their sojourn in Westmoreland County. Daniel Noel, the son of Peter had  a son named John and one named Samuel  who was born the 16th of  Jan 1798 and listed in the 1810 Census. In 1810 Mary, the mother, was dead and the girl and five boys had left home. The girl could have been Mary Magdalene who married a Henry and the five boys could have been any one of Peter, Jacob, Simon, Abraham and Alban. However the John and who had a child in 1804 and Peter who had a child in 1800 and Joseph do not seem to fit in with the later Noel's. The John, son of Blasius, who had a child in 1812 seems to fit in with Joseph. This needs more study.

The Ruffeners lived in Mt Pleasant Twp and were close to my Joseph Noel. George and Margaret Ruffner sponsored Adam Noel (1800) Joseph's first son. Simon Ruffener sponsored Margaret in 1809. Simon Ruffner also sponsored Mary Noel (1804) the daughter of John Noel and Petronilla. John's daughter, Eliza Ellen may have been born in Maryland and may have married in Westmoreland County to John S Henry the son of John Henry who sponsored Anna, Joseph's daughter, in 1810. John Henry Sr (b. March 7,1777 ) was married to Mary Magdelina Noel. This does not seem to be the sister of John of Taneytown since Mary married a Lansinger. What this shows is the close relationship of these people in a time when survival was predicated on good neighbors joined together by faith, origin or genes.

From the Journal of Col. John May, of Boston  in 1789 which was in the Pennsylvania Magazine Vol 15 Page 103. "The Col. stayed at the home of a Noel just one days travel (usually 18-20 miles a day, my remark)  from the foot of Laurel Mountain on his way from Boston to Marietta, Ohio". This was either the east side of Laurel Hill on Forbes Road or the west side of the Hill on Braddock's Road. Since this family was established in a house in 1789 they must have come with the Goshenhoppen group. The Goshenhoppen migration may have passed through Conewago, PA and Taneytown, MD where they picked up new members. These people settled near the Catawba Trail south of Forbes Road which connected with Braddock's Road from the Taneytown and Conewago area. While Braddock's Road was not the shortest it was the oldest and maybe the easiest for the Goshenhoppen people and the Colonel to travel.

Joseph's son Peter, born in 1830, was mothered by Maria Longmeyer. However on Nov. 19, 1833 Thomas Longmere married Susanna Risher/Fisher at St Joseph's Taneytown, MD where Joseph Noel is thought to have lived before going to Westmoreland County. The priest at St Vincent's were German and may have used the German spelling. Longmere is a English name.

My father told me in 1945, although it may be false memory, that his middle name was Bloss. The "History of Westmoreland County, PA Vol. IV 1918" refers to him as Leo B. He is buried as Leo B Noel, however he was baptized as Leo Anthony Noel. There is no one living who knows why. This may have not been unusual since I was baptized as Eugene Domenick, ouch! but the birth certificate states Dominic Eugene my preferred usage. In my mothers obituary of 1932, I am referred to as Regis. Some people to this day correct themselves when they use Regis. In the German custom, at baptism, two names were given to the child, the first name was a spiritual ( i.e. a saint's) name. The second name was the secular name, which is the name the person was known by, within the family and to this rest of the world.

Although it seems that we are related to Blasius Noel of Maryland, there are still a few holes to cover. There was Simon Noel and Mary Andressin who married August 12, 1812 at St Vincent's and moved to Loretto,  not the son of Nicholas as he has been found to be the son of  a Peter Noel.  The Peter whose wife was Margaret sponsored their child Margaret on April 9,1815. Jacob Noel and Mary Andreis sponsored Mary Ann in 1817. Sara was born in 1819. Peter and Margaret Noel sponsored Daniel Noel son of Abraham Noel and wife Mary in 1816. Mary Barbara was born in 1820.

In the 1850 Census of Derry Twp., Westmoreland County we find these children living with John and Barbara Ann Friend. There was Luisa 20, Susan 13, Wm. H 15, Julyann 10, Lucinda A 8, and Martha 5.  Cecelia 13 was with Nancy Kimbel who was born in Maryland and again with John and Luisa Case. Lucinda 8, is also listed again with Adam and Mary Beamer.

Alban Noel was on the building fund at St. Vincent's in 1810. Abraham (1788-1876), married to Mary Ann or Magdalen, had children from 1816-38 at Loretto, he was not the son of Nicholas. Simon Noel married  Mary Andressin at Sportsman's Hall in 1812, but their children were born at Loretto.  Peter Noel was at St Vincents 1800 - 1810 but seems to have been at St Patrick's, Newry, Blair Co, PA. An Isaac Noel married a Mary Magdalen Roudebush at Loretto in 1829. This Isaac may have been the son of Peter and Margaret Noel of Sportsman's Hall. A Henry Noel married a Mary Ann Plunkett and had children at Loretto between 1834-38. Blasé Noel married a Sophia Bukre at Loretto in 1826. A Sophia Burke is found in Sportsman's Hall records in 1819(?).

 Thomas Noel came from Ireland in 1849 and Jacob Noel came to Ligonier in 1823 from Adams County.  Nicholas Noel's family is well documented in Loretto. Jacob Noel's family is well documented in Ligonier and John Noel's family* is well documented. The Joseph, Peter, Simon, Abraham and Alban are unaccounted as to origin. Does that leave Joseph Noel the son of Blasius by default as no one else fits into the picture?

However we must ask, how many men had six sons in the American Revolution? Or better still how many Noel's did? There is only one Noel known and that is Peter Noel the son of Joseph of Adams County, PA. Second how many Joseph Noel's, who were of the Catholic faith, went to Westmoreland County, PA from Maryland before 1800? There seems to be only one, our Joseph, since the Joseph of Ligonier was from Adams County, PA and the other Joseph was the son of Nicholas in Loretto, PA.

There is strong theory but no documentation.   DN   6-24-2000.

The last will of Wolfgang Speass/Speace, the father-in-law of Blasius Noel

The above is from Death Certificates, Westmoreland County 1852-1855
published in the "Old Westmoreland Quarterly" in August of 1985
by Wm. Iscrupe of SW PA Genealogical Services in Laughlintown.

Vol.II 6TH Series reviewed pg.417-706 only York County

Capt. Henry Moore's Payroll Aug.20-Sept.20 1781 John Noel Page 636 John Nowel Page 693 (7 mos.) John Noell Page 523 made his mark (X) 1780 oath.

Capt. Wm.Dodds Payroll Oct.5-Dec.5 1781 Jacob Noll Page 639 Jacob Nowell Page 683 (7 mos.) Jacob Noel Page 525 (Capt.Shearer 5th Btn.) 1780 (Also Capt. Leehner's Co.)

Capt. Ephraim Pennington 1781/2 Jacob Newell Page 652

Capt. John Myers Co. Peter Noll Page 701

Capt.Zolinger's Co. Danl. Noel Page 706 Bloss Noel Page 706

Capt. Andrew Foreman 1781 Casper Noell Page 643

Nowel, Casper - Payroll for the bounty of Captain Andrew Foremans Company of Militia of York County in the State of Pennsylvania guarding the convention prisoners at Camp Security in the Months of November and December 1781

US CENSUS 1820, FREDERICK COUNTY MARYLAND, p. 179, Taneytown Election District, No Township Listed,
Sam'l  L. (Dorsey?) enumerator, census taken October 20, 1820: BLASSIUS NOEL  1 male over age 45, a female over age
45, 1 female slave age 14-26, 1 free colored male age 45 or older, 1 individual engaged in agriculture: Next door neighbor:
PETER NOEL, 2 males under age 10, 1 male age 26-45, 2 females under 10, 1 F 10-16, 1 female 16-26. Near neighbors
Frederick Smith, Jacob Smith, Christian Troxall, Blassius Noel, Peter Noel, Abraham Orndorf,  (next name not legible)
Frederick Black, Jacob Gouyger, Joseph Wible Sr, Henry Finfrock Sr, Henry Finfrock Jr.

[ Since the writing of this Page a list of all the Noel's in the Regiment that Louis-Marie Noailles who was second under Colonel d'Oliers in the French Army under General Rochambeau in the Colonial War has been found and there is no Adam Noël listed or any names similar to the Noel's at Sportsman's Hall in the early 1800's, "Les Combattants Francais' 1905.  Also it has been suggested that my Joseph Noel could have been Adam Joseph as he named his first son Adam Peter and to carry this back to Blasius he could have been named Adam Blasius which would concur with the oral history. However all of this information was in the lost records of the Conewago Chapel.

A biography of John Noel, the son of Joseph Noel and Margaret Griffin who went to Iowa in 1835 and them later to Missouri states that his father and mother were from Maryland which concurs with our oral history from his half- brother Jacob who stayed in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

These are the Noël's, Noel's and Noailles who were with the Regiment de Soissonnais at Yorktown. There were also six other French regiments at Yorktown, the Bourbonnais, Royal Deux-Ponts, Saintonge, Agenais, Gatinais and the Touraine. Jean Noel of the Bourbonais is burried at Yorktown. There were 600 French lost in battles on both the land and the sea. One of these was Jean Noël with the Bourbonnais.

de Noailles, Louis-Marte , Colonel at Yorktown
Noailles ; Le Roux dit
Noaille, Jean

Noël, Jean-Baptiste,  Captain
Noël,  Andrei
Noël,  Anterne
Noël,  Bernard
Noël,  Claude
Noël,  Etienne-Thomas
Noël,  Felix
Noël,  Francois (2)
Noël,  Francois-Pierre
Noël,  Guillaume
Noël,  Hamon
Noël,  Henry
Noël,  Jacques
Noël,  Jean (8)
Noël,  Jean-Baptiste  (2)
Noël,  Joseph
Noël,  Julien
Noël,  Louis  (3)
Noël,  Louis-Joseph
Noël,  Michell  (2)
Noël,  Michell-Louis
Noël,  Nicolas
Noël,  Pierre   (5)
Noël,  Pierre-Francois

Noel,  Nicolas
Noel,  Pierre    ]