Jacob Plank (1768–1851)

1768 – 1851

Christopher’s 5th great-grandfather · ancestor no. 216 · generation 8
Evidence: identity family compilation · link to parents family compilation

Family

• Parents: John Melchior Plank (m. 1767) and Margaret Plank (m. 1767)
• Spouse: Mary Yoder Plank (d. 1850)
• Family notes: Jacob Plank + Mary Yoder Plank (m. unknown)
• Children in this vault: Jeptha Plank (1803–1846)

Life and evidence

(1900 reunion paper; family Bible of his son Christian)

Died 10 Jan 1851, aged 83 years 2 months, so born about Nov 1767. A cabinet-maker who also settled estates; about 1820 moved with his younger children to Wayne Co., Ohio (Green Twp.). With his son John he ran a gristmill, sawmill and cabinet shop on Apple Creek; they made furniture and coffins, and the family invented the “Plank mill”, a fanning mill for cleaning grain, sold widely.
Jacob and his brothers Christian and John married three Yoder sisters.
Twelve children (Bible dates): John 1792, Christian 1793, Jacob 1795, Barbara 1797, David 1799, Mary 1801, Jeptha 1803, Fanny 29 Jan 1805 (m. Peter Schrock), Abraham and Sarah (twins) 1807, Salome 1809, Rebecca 1811.

Born in Berks County 1768; with wife Mary Yoder and 12 children came from Mifflin County to Wayne County, Ohio, in 1821, settling in the Little Apple Creek Valley east and northeast of Wooster (‘Glory Hole’). Buried in the Amish Plank Cemetery.

Where they lived

• 1768 — Northkill (Berks County)
• 1800 — Mifflin County
• 1821 — Wooster

In their lifetime

• 1776 — 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia
• 1789 — 1789 First Prussian Mennonites settle in Russia
• 1798 — 1798 Old Bern falls; religious freedom
• 1833 — 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio
• 1835 — 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond

Pedigree

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flowchart RL
  n25625077["Margaret Plank (m. 1767)"]
  n51209839["Jacob Plank (1768–1851)"]
  n448651["John Melchior Plank (m. 1767)"]
  n51209839 --> n448651
  n51209839 --> n25625077
  class n25625077,n51209839,n448651 internal-link;

Sources

• The Schrock Ramseyer Story (1986)

Narratives and research

• History: 1776 Census of Mennonites in West Prussia, 1789 First Prussian Mennonites settle in Russia, 1798 Old Bern falls; religious freedom, 1833 First Swiss Mennonite settler in Putnam County, Ohio, 1835 The Ramseyers sail on the Richmond
• Sources: Life and Progress of the Plank Pioneers (1900, copied 1962), The Schrock Ramseyer Story (1986)

Record compiled 31 October 2026.

About this research

Supporting documentation is linked throughout. This project is an exercise in AI-assisted research and development, and I haven’t manually verified every link or conclusion. All transcriptions and translations of Swiss parish records were made with AI, and their accuracy should be treated accordingly.