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Note: s were citizens and inhabitants. He attended school in Andreasberg where he received a good education. As a young man he occupied himself with mining in that region of Germany but decided to leave his parents in order to seek his fortune in America.
He left for America on 13 March 1721 and landed in the harbor at New York on 16 November 1721. Two years later, on 6 October 1723, he was married to Anna Engel Hebmann in New York. The churchbook of the Reformed Dutch Church of New Amsterdam and New York, New York includes the following entry: "Jurriaan Willem Morig of Elbinggrode married Anna Melkers of Frankenstyn 6 Octob. 1723". The church record also showed that they were Lutherans and were both living in New York at the time of their marriage. The name "Melkers" for Anna in the marriage record is her father's first Christian name, a variant of Melchior. Anna's father was Melchior (or Michael) Hebmann. The following year, 1724, the
first child of Georg Wilhelm and Anna was baptized at the Hackensack, NJ Dutch Reformed Church and given the name, Elizabeth.
Sometime after 1724 and before 1735, Georg Wilhelm and his family left the New York/New Jersey area and moved to an area on the upper reaches of the Saucon Creek which was at that time situated in upper Bucks County, PA. The name "Saucon" was derived from the Indian name "Sa-ku-wit", meaning mouth of a creek. The area later became part of Northampton County in 1752 and then Lehigh County in 1812.
About 1735 Georg Wilhelm (named in most early records as Wilhelm or William) obtained a warrant, and was later issued a patent, for a tract of land of 315 acres on Saucon Creek (Source: Charles Rhoads Roberts "History of Lehigh Co., Pennsylvania, vol. I, p. 923, tract #54 on diagram showing original settlers of Upper Saucon Twp. : the actual patent for this tract has not been found as of the date of this history). The tract was situated on both sides of the western end of the Saucon Creek, just east of the present village of Lanark, PA. On the western edge of the tract was Heller's Tavern, which was probably situated on the old Philadelphia to Allentown road. The village of Friedensville lay to the east. His land was adjacent to a 200 acre tract that was surveyed for Samuel Newcomer by Surveyor General, Benjamin Eastburn, on 13 November 1736 and confirmed by patent 28 March 1738.
Over the next 14 years, Georg Wilhelm acquired four additional tracts of land through the warrant and patent process: (1) 50 acres in Upper Saucon on 20 January 1740 (Granted in fee to "William Mory, Sr.", by Thomas Penn, Philadelphia patent book A, vol. 9, p. 242, (2) 200 acres in Upper Saucon on 21 January 1741 (Granted in fee to "William Morry, Sr." by William Allen and his wife, Margaret, Bucks Co. deed book vol. 7, pp. 362-364), (3) 216 acres in Upper Saucon on 14 February 1744 (Granted in fee to "William Mory, Sr." by Lt. Gov. George Thomas, Philadelphia patent book A, vol. 12, p. 219. A warrant was originally issued to Christian Menier for this tract on 1 April 1741 but he did not comply with its terms and it became void. Another warrant was then issued to Georg Wilhelm Mory (aka. William Morry) on 29 March 1743), (4) 98 acres in Salisbury Twp. on 18 August 1746 (Granted in fee to "William Morry, Sr." by Lt. Gov George Thomas, Philadelphia patent book A. vol. 20, p. 314). In addition to the Upper Saucon and Salisbury properties he acquired a 450 acre tract on the Lehigh Creek in Macungie from Richard Johnson on 6 April 1749.
Georg Wilhelm Mory was one of the signers of the petition to erect the township of Saucon in March, 1743.
His first wife, Anna Engel Hebmann, must have died sometime before 1751. The records of St. Paul's (Blue) Church in Upper Saucon Twp. show that Georg Wilhelm married the widow, Maria Barbara Stieber (possibly Stuber), on 22 January 1751.
In March of 1750 Georg Wilhelm Mory was living in Philadelphia, PA. On 25 March 1750 Georg Wilhelm wrote his will in which he bequeathed sums of money to his wife, Barbara, his eldest daughter Elizabeth, and other daughters; Maria, Anna and Hannah. He bequeathed the remainder of his estate, including the tracts of land mentioned above, to his two sons, Jacob and William. The original of his will was written in German and was witnessed by John Stillwaggon and Hannes Kuncell. Georg Wilhelm's name appears in the will as "William Morry".
Georg Wilhelm died in Philadelphia in late August or early September of 1751. On 3 September 1751 his original will was translated to English and witnesses, John Stellwaggon and Hannes Kuncell, appeared before a court official and declared that they saw William Morry "sign, seal, publish, and declare" the document as his last will and testament. (Philadelphia Register of Wills, will No. 271)
On 24 September 1751 an appraisal was made of Georg Wilhelm's "goods and chattles". This appraisal shows that, at the time of his death, Georg Wilhelm owned three tracts of land in "Sacun" of 250 acres, 216 acres, and 100 acres and a 450 acre tract in "Mackunshy". He also owned a lot in the Northern
Liberties section of Philadelphia, five head of cattle, one horse, 27800 shingles, and 35628 foot boards. His original tract of 315 acres in Upper Saucon was not listed and must have been sold sometime prior to his death.
Note: Some of the information about Georg Wilhelm and the first few generations of the Mory family was taken from a translation of the booklet "Stambuch des Geschlechs Mory" written in 1879 by Christian Hellener, who married one of the grand-daughters of Georg Wilhem Mory. On page 1 of this booklet, Christian Hellener stated that the information about Georg Wilhelm Mory was based on entries written by Georg Wilhelm himself in a book or diary referred to as "Arends True Christianity" which Georg Wilhelm brought along with him on the voyage to America. (Christian Hellener's book can be found in the Bethlehem Room of the Bethlehem Public Library)
(Other sources:
1. JONES, HENRY Z. JR. More Palatine Families: Some Immigrants to the Middle Colonies 1717-1776 and their European Origins. Rockport, ME: Picton Press, 1991
2. Findagrave.com - MEMORIAL ID 73505655. Shows that Georg Wilhelm died in 1762 in Upper Saucon Twp., Bucks Co., PA. The above sources show that he died in 1751 in Philadelphia, PA)
Note: Georg Wilhelm Mory was born in Andreasburg in the State of Hannover, Germany where his parent
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