The Procuniar\ier Chronicle
Volume I Issue VII August 1992
David's Corner …. Missing
Debby's Corner …..Missing
"Hagers Long Hickory"
In Peter Sr.’s will of 1804, he bequeathed all his land to three of his sons, David, Jacob & Daniel Brockunier. This family farm known as "Hagers Long Hickory" was Surveyed and patented to Peter Bragunier on the 13th of February 1760. In Brittain Bragunier Robinson's book on page 7, he quoted a letter from the Land office of Annapolis, Maryland, dated November 18, 1897; "We find records of the following named part of land lying in Frederick County "Hagers Long Hickory" 50 acres Surveyed for Peter Bragunier, the 13th of February 1760 and patented to him the 13th of February 1760".
(Signed William O. Mitchell)
Also:
Peter Bragunier his patent, "Hagers Long Hickory" 50 acres in December 07,1759. Recorded in Liber BC and Number 13 Folio 481 one of the second books of this office" Land Office of Maryland
However ........... there is no record of this land patent in the patent book available in the Washington County Maryland Court House & since it is this land that is specifically mentioned in the will of Peter Sr., this makes the will a very important document of proof along with the letter from the Land Office, that Peter Sr. had land in what is now called Washington County, Maryland. This 1760 date is significant in that no further dated records for Peter Sr. appear until the August 1776 census for Elizabeth Hundred, Frederick County Maryland that is reported in Brumbaugh’s Early Maryland Records! In Brumbaugh's records Peter's surname is listed as "Prakunier".
It is assumed that by this writer at least that all of Peter Sr.’s children were born on the "Hagers Long Hickory Farm" since Peter Sr. had owned the land for about 17 years in 1777, when their last child Daniel was born. In 1778 Peter (spelled) Brackaunier of Washington County Maryland, took the Patriot's Oath of Fidelity & support.
(Records of Maryland by Brumbaugh and Hodges, 1924)
After reading that Peter Sr. bought "Hagers Long Hickory" in 1760, the first thing that came to my mind was who is this Hager" of "Hagers Long Hickory" & why wasn't the farm called "Brockunier's Long Hickory"?
It seems that a German immigrant named Jonathan Hager, had arrived at the Port of Philadelphia on the ship Harle, on September 01, 1736, giving his age as 22 years. Jonathan married in 1737 & two years later in 1739 Jonathan Hager appeared on the site of present-day Hagerstown, Maryland. Jonathan then purchased a productive tract of land, already improved with a two (2) sorry houses and 3 acres of corn field fenced in. The land was blessed with many springs that made part of the land very swampy & he named his first home site "Hagers Fancy". The land was composed of a low hollow, bordered on either side by rock-ridged elevations which were covered with primeval walnut trees. Only one-half mile to the East John Stull, A Miller, already had in operation, even at this early date, a grist mill on the Antietam Creek. Rock strata provided Hager with material for the stone house which he began to build soon after his arrival on "Hagers Fancy". This type of stone, unpredictable in the hands of an artisan, tended to split into random fragments when shaped. As a result, the texture of this early house is unique in this area. By appearance, this house is made largely of readily available fieldstone. The house was known as the "Stone Cabin" & the fact that it had a central chimney was in the German tradition. This Hager stone house is still intact & today is a popular tourist attraction. On a table in this house rests a Christopher Saur Bible of 1743, the first German Bible to be published in America, this bible is the Rohrer Family Bible. Jonathan Hager's fortunes were augmented not only by personal industry as a skilled blacksmith & gunsmith & by his activities in the fur trades, but by his integrity & religious zeal. Jonathan sold his "Hagers Fancy" in 1745, to everyone's surprise, to Jacob Rohrer. However Jonathan Hager & Jacob Rohrer sold this land back and forth to each other several times after 1745. This was probably their way of avoiding taxes by changing the deed often. Jonathan Hager then bought 2000 acres just three miles westward of "Hagers Fancy" in 1745 & named this new farm "Hagers Delight".
Today there is an ongoing dispute between Hagerstown officials & historians as to whether Jonathan Hager or Jacob Rohrer actually built the "Hager House'. It seems that Hagerstown officials do not want to go through all the trouble it would take to change the signs & brochures from The Hager House to The Rohrer House.
Further research might turn up who sold Peter Sr. "Hagers Long Hickory" in 1760, but I have a feeling it was Jonathan Hager. Jonathan went on to become Sheriff of his county & served as Captain of Rangers in the French & Indian War. On the very eve of the Revolution, this patriotic man was killed in a civilian accident on November 06, 1775 while superintending construction of the German Reformed Church which he was building for his town.
David Charles Procuniar
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© Copyright 2001 David C. Procuniar … Reprinted with permission …
