Sipprell Family Origins

Robert A. Thomson

 

Family tradition asserts that William Siprell was of French Huguenot descent and this may well have been the case, but nothing of his ancestry is known for certain nor is there any collateral lines known to exist. Unfortunately, the pioneer families did not keep complete records. Information handed down in the family is rather contradictory. Although it is agreed that William was born in Pennsylvania about 1762. As was shown in a letter written by Scott T. Sipprell, grandson of Rev. Ezekiel Siprell, a son of William, dated 7 May 1894, a year before his grandfather died. “We have not got any record of grandfather's family. ...Grandfather's father was born in Pennsylvania. His name was William. His mother was Sally Foster, as he will have it. He says it was not Sarah but Sally."

 Many Huguenots fled France during the persecution and sought refuge in England, Holland, Germany and Switzerland. Many religious refugees from these countries came to America seeking that religious freedom promised by William Penn. Included were many Huguenots from Alsace and Lorraine. There may well have been Sipprells among them. Huguenots had the custom of changing the spelling of their names in order to hasten their assimilation and to destroy the last tie to their homeland, from which they fled to escape annihilation.

 According to his own testimony, William enlisted in the New Jersey Volunteers, a Loyalist regiment, 18 January 1780 at the age of eighteen. Muster rolls preserved in the New Brunswick Museum provide many facts of his service. He remained in active service until 24 October 1783, when he was disbanded in New Brunswick at Parr Town (now Saint John). He was granted a lot on the south side of Trout River. In the early years of the nineteenth century, land in Carleton County was being opened up. William, Sally and their young family also migrated up the Saint John River to an area just below the present town of Hartland. They spent the rest of their lives in this area.

 According to a study by Anne M. Ousterhout of Michigan State University, Pennsylvanians who opposed the Revolution had little, if any, commitment to the mother country. Their motivation was very difficult to determine, but where determinable, it was more a negative rejection of something in their Pennsylvania experience than a positive attraction to something about England. Perhaps the individual themselves did not fully understand what prompted them to act. Reasons included dread of the British power, opportunism, religious beliefs, the influence of kinship and friends, and reliance on the British to protect the colonies from external attack and internal disorders.

 

Attempts at arriving at the Sipprell origins have been suggested. The first, by Harold Sipprell in his book “William Siprell, Senr. and the family he founded”

 A careful check of the William Penn Memorial Archives and the libraries of historical societies in Wiles-Barre (Wyoming Valley) and Lancaster has yielded the following. In the Penn Archives is preserved an indenture dated 5 October 1762 between a Jacob Downer of Lampiter Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania and William Siprel of Mountjoy Twp., Lancaster Co. for the sale of lot no. 48 in May Town. William and his wife, Rebekah, sold this property to an Abraham Etter, 18 May 1774. Tax rolls show him resident in Donegal Twp. as late as 20 August 1777.

 A roll of the Continental Line shows a William Siprille discharged 28 Jan 1780.

Under date of 16 Sept. 1965, a grand-daughter of Seth, Mrs. Helen Beck received from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission this certificate.

           "To whom it may concern:
		This is to certify that one Wm Siprill served a tour of duty at Lancaster during the period
		July 1-23, 1781, as a substitute for Urly Tanner in Lieutenant James Cook's Company of
		The Third Class, seventh Battalion, Lancaster County Militia, according to the evidence
		of a Muster Roll dated 1781.
						Wm. H. Work, Chief, Division of Public Records"

 Frederick Sipril: Birth Date: 1750  Birthplace Pennsylvania   (Pennsylvania Archives  Volume: 160 Page No.: 21) The Muster Rolls show that a Frederick Sipril enlisted in Philadelphia County 18 August 1776. A list of non-coms from Pennsylvania in the 'German Regiment' includes a Corporal Frederick Sipperel. A card indicating his promotion to Corporal shows as both Sipril, Frederick and Sipperil, Frederick. He shows on the roll of 6th Company, 7th Battalion, Lancaster County Militia and living in Donegal Twp. in 1782.

 Also in that 1782 tax roll was a Pte. Nicholas Sipprell in Donegal Twp. Birth: 1759 Death: 1820. On a roll of the Continental Line as Seppril, Nicholas enlisting May 21, 1777. Nicholas Siprill discharged from 111^th Regiment 28 January 1781 at Trenton NJ. On 30 June 1819, he sought a pension as having served in the Pennsylvania Line. He was then living in Ohio and gave his age as 61 (1758). He has been confused with a Nicholas Sibrel (no relation) also in Ohio via Pennsylvania.

 What relation these four were to one another has not been learned. Frederick and Nicholas were certainly of the same generation as our William. Were they brothers? Or cousins? It would be convenient if they proved to be sons of Wm. Siprel and his wife, Rebekah. What with Frederick and Nicholas fighting with the Pennsylvania Line, and William with the New Jersey Volunteers, this may be why our William never returned to Pennsylvania and never left any record of his family.

I have not been able to find any record of the three younger men other than their militia records. All four served. Although several last name spelling differences for each, they all seemed to share the names Siprel or Sipril. The records show they all lived in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania when the war broke out. The spread of their ages would suggestion a family unit. With no further proof, I have ventured to suggest they were related and have added them to my database. I am open to any comment or argument anyone might wish to share.

A second suggestion is being repeated in several family genealogies.

 William Sipprell was born to Thomas Shipperly (1739-1832) and Ann Smith (1740-1789) of Pitstone, Buckinghamshire, England in 1762. Some say in Buckinghamshire others Pennsylvania. The Shipperlys had eight other children between 1760 and 1778, all apparently in Buckinghamshire, England. The third was Richard born 29 Aug 1762. It seems highly unlikely that Ann Smith could have birthed our William whose birth date has also been established as 1762. Thomas may have had a mistress who abandon the child in Buckinghamshire or immigrate to Pennsylvania. Or did Thomas travel to Pennsylvania. None of this has been documented nor can be proven.

 How the Shipperly theory came about is unknown to me but it is my belief that it is fiction.

 

Some work that I have done

Sibrel family history has their Nicholas (1759) with almost identical dates and background as Nicholas Sipril. Born in PA, VA or NJ, fought in the Revolutionary War, he married and eventually settled in Ross County, Ohio. His death: 9 May 1825 Ross, Ohio. This has led me to further research, genealogical and DNA. Through DNA analysis can we prove William Siprell and Nicholas Sibrel shared the same parents or grandparents?

In asking for my DNA matches for the family Sibrel in Ancestry, I received seven matches all less than one percent sharing. Ancestry suggested that one was a fifth cousin, two were once removed and two were twice removed. From Sibrel family trees I created a ‘rough’ full tree to determine their common ancestor. The matches were in three branches leading to one common ancestor, Nicholas Sibrel (1759) or his wife Catherine.

I selected six Sibrel matches and ran my shared matches for each one. All but one found between one and five Sipprell matches and uncovered another three useful Sibrel and three useful Sipprell. On the Sipprell side I selected eight of my DNA matches also representing different branches of our common ancestor, William Siprel (1762). Running shared matches with the eight Sipprell matches connected to five Sibel significantly.

Obviously, there is a connection somewhere in the ancestry of both families. Assuming the fifth generation suggestion, their common ancestor would have to be one generation above Nicholas and William. The effort so far has given me confidence to suggest that a Nicholas Sibrel may have been related along with William to William and Rebekah. This is also believed based on proximity of location and their war efforts with the German Regiment. My goal is to prove it.