Shank

Eyman history is also interwoven with that of the Shank (Schenk, Shenk) family. Here again is a Mennonite family from Switzerland to Germany and through Pennsylvania to newer parts of America. There were many Schenk immigrants to America in the 18th century, but most were members of more establishment oriented churches than the anabaptists and Mennonites who descended from the Michael Schenk who married Barbara Risser in 1616 and migrated to Germany by 1672.

The first Shank to buy land in Virginia seems to have been Michael Shank, born 1750 in Lancaster the son of a John Shenk who had also been born in Conestoga, and as early as 1721. John's brother Adam, married an Eyman and later migrated to Rockingham. Both John and Adam were sons of Michael Schenk born 1695. John had bought land from an Andrew Miller in Conestoga in 1743, the land being directly across the Conestoga Creek from the land of his father. (1) (2)

Michael Shank Senior was a resident of Conestoga until his death in 1759. His property was bounded on the south by "Kings Road".  This is now a very busy highway, located in precisely the same location now as in 1740, but now known as "Long Lane".  Traveling west on Long Lane about four miles south of the City of Lancaster, one comes to Leamon Lane which turns northward toward the town of Millersville.  This intersection marks the southeast corner of Michael Shank's two tracts which extend all the way north to Conestoga Creek. By the time Michael died in 1759, most of the good and reasonably priced land in Lancaster County had been taken up. Of the sons, Christian, John, Michael and Tobias already had land in Lancaster at the time of their father's death. It was up to the remaining sons Henry, Jacob and Adam to seek land elsewhere. Henry and Adam took up lands across the Susquehanna River in York County. Adam and Magdalena Eyman moved to Rockingham and lived next to his nephew, Henry Shank(3). Abraham and Magdalena arrived in 1786 and lived just north of Edom.

Michael Shank had arrived to Rockingham before Adam. He bought 100 acres in Linville in 1777 and received it in the name of his father, John. Of more importance though, is that Michael, in partnership with John Reif bought lands which Abraham Lincoln (grandfather of the president) was leaving as he migrated toward Kentucky. The great grandfather of the president, "Virginia John" Lincoln had arrived at Linville Creek earlier -- perhaps traveling with Boones (of the coming folk hero Daniel Boone). By 1780, Lincoln lands had been inherited and added to. Transactions were many and complex. If you've experienced reading those old deeds (go west from the Chestnut tree twenty poles, thence head to the Walnut..) you'll know how difficult it is to reconstruct these transactions. In 1780 the, Michael Shank bought land of Abraham Lincoln, and in 1781 sole some of this or other lands back to Abraham Lincoln. He'd sold portions to John and Handle Vance, and sold 100 acres to his uncle, Adam Shank. It's difficult therefor to know the exact property that Adam Shank wound up with. His wife was Magdalena Eyman, and his daughter was subsequently to marry Abraham Brenneman a mile or so down the road toward Edom of Virginia.

There were other Shanks in Virginia at the time. Henry Shank, a Mennonite Bishop was in the area. The Michael who purchased lands of Lincoln subsequently migrated into Greenbriar of West Virginia where he had a brother by the name of Adam. Similarly, a John Shenk, son of a Christian Shank of Lancaster, bought land in 1773 and sold it soon to a relative before proceeding to Greenbriar County of West Virginia with a brother-in-law. In 1798 a Christian Shank moved there and set up saw and grist mills in the county. Henry had a number of sons and daughters, some of whom remained in the area, while others migrated to Missouri.

We likely have not captured all deeds of Adam Shank in Rockingham for the period. We do know that he received 13 acres in 1789 adjoining Chrisman, Eversole, Mathews, and Brenneman.  A study of the land grants locates this property as on the headwaters of the East Branch of Linville Creek, which places the land just in Central TWP below the Linville Creek P.O.

At his death, Adam owned two tracts of land next to each other in Linville; one had 140 acres and the other, called "pine land" consisted of 60 acres. In 1804, his land was taxed in the name of his executors. In 1811, court activity on behalf of Magdalena Eyman-Shanks including John, the son of "Virginia John" Lincoln, George Chrisman, and Joseph Kratzner (related homes appear on these pages) involved setting aside 40 acres with the "mansion house" on land adjoining Abraham Brenneman where she could live while the remainder of the properties could be sold in dissolving Adam's estate and passing proceeds to his inheritors.

(1) Michael born 1659 purchased the Conestoga lands of George Gray and Tobias Stehman along Conestoga Creek.)
(2) It's also interesting to note that the Michael born 1659 left some Conestoga lands to a son Michael who soon died. The estate of the latter involved administrators: John Schenk (likely the father of the Michael who first bought land in Rockingham and the brother of our Adam Shank), Martin, and Christian Herr. This may be the Christian "Hershey" Herr who we know owned the lands on Conestoga Creek and rented a house there to Christian Eyman and Susanna, who subsequently purchased lands in Rockingham.
(3) Mennoninte Bishop born 1758 who married Anna Reiff, daughter of John Reiff, and migrated to Rockingham soon thereafter in 1780. Henry died in 1836 and is buried at the second Brenneman graveyard, now the Lindale Mennonite cemetery at Edom.