Plaster_D

John Plaster Sr (~1735-1812)

(a.k.a. Joseph, Blaes, Bleas, Blas, Blasse, Blaze, Blaize, Blasor, Plasser, Plasser, Plasterer, Plaister)

Bethpage UMC Cemetery, Enochville, NC (Sep 2025)
  • Birth ……………. ~1735………….. German/Swiss from Upper Rhine (Chur & Mainz)
  • Marriage(1) .. ~1758………….. Dorothea Kartz, Lembach, Alsace, Germany
  • Immigration. 1758……………. Feb to Philadelphia – indentured/bonded in England
  • Immigration. 1759 …………… Indentured for 20 years, into the revolution according to Oldham using prison records
  • Census ………. 1773 …………… Bedford Cty, PA 1773 tax records
    John  Bleasor “inmate” [meaning renting or still indentured/incarcerated?]
  • Military ………. 1777.May.10 In Maryland, Joseph Bleas is in pay records for the entire war
  • Marriage(2) … 1777.Oct.07 Mary [Richmond?] Porter– “Hugh Porter’s widow”
  • Military ……….. 1780.Aug.10 On Maryland army muster roll lists
    Joseph Blasse, Pvt 6th Co. 1st Md. Regiment
  • Property ……… 1781 …………. 124 Acres in Cumberland Cty. Pa. taxed 4.0.0
  • Military ……….. 1781.Jan.01 On Maryland army muster roll lists
    Joseph Blasse, Pvt 6th Co. 1st Md. Regiment
  • Military………… ~1781 …….. In Maryland Joseph Blaize & other escaped or exchanged prisoners receive five pounds each.
  • Military………….1781.Aug.20 In Maryland Joseph Blaize is in 7th Regt., Dorsey’s Artillery
  • Military………… 1781.Oct.31 In Maryland Joseph Blaize signs a receipt for 1 pound, 2 shillings, 7 pence Bills of Credit partial pay.
  • Military………… 1782 …………. Maryland Pvt. Joseph Blaize is listed on army pay rolls
  • Military………… 1783 ………… Maryland Pvt. Joseph Blaize is listed on army pay rolls
  • Military………… 1783 ………… Apr Listed in both Maryland and Pensylvania Militia (Blaze, Blesor)
  • Military ……….. 1784.Jul.10 In Maryland Joseph Blaze pay  record Jan 1782 to date is recorded.
  • Property ………. 1784.Sep.04 100 Acres surveyed by John Plasser in Cumberland Cty, Pennsylvania/Maryland (disputed territory)
  • Property ………. 1786.Feb.17 Surveys 400 Acres in Washington Cty, PA (also claimed by  VA and near Rockingham Cty, VA)
  • Military ………… 1786 (fall)…… John  Blazor inLancaster Cty, Pa, militia Cook’s Co 2nd Bn
  • Census …………. 1790……………. Rowan Co., NC, John Blaze and Joshua >16 / John Jr., Thomas, and Benjamin <16, wife. Mary > 16
  • Property ………. 1798.Apr.26 John Blazer sells land in Hopewell Twp., York Co, PA to Tyson.
  • Property ………. 1798.Aug ,… 225 Acres land bought from James Gibson, Atwill Twp, Rown Cty, NC
  • Property ………. Oct 1798 ….. 206 Acres more land bought from James Gibson Atwill Twp, Rown Cty, NC
  • Census …………. 1800 ………….. Rowan Co, NC: male: two 16-26 / one >45 /
    female: one 10-16 / one >45
  • Marriage(3) …. 1803.May.15 Susannah Barringer (Rowan Cty)
  • Census …………. 1810 ………….. Rowan Co, NC: John > 45 / Andrew, Mary, Catherine, and Margaret < 10 / Susannah [>25]
    female: one 10-16 / one >45
  • Will ……………….. 1811.Feb.01 Atwell Twp, Rowan Cty, NC
  • Probate ………… 1812.Nov….. Atwell Twp, Rowan Co, NC
  • Burial …………….. 1811 …………. “JP” slate stone and stone marker at Old Bethpage Church (now Bethpage UMC) cemeter considered to be his burial site.

1777 – Earliest Record as “John Plaster” (Plesterer)
– Marriage to Mary Porter in Frederick, MD

Earliest-found evidence of this “John Plaster Sr” is the 1777 marriage record in the marriage records of the Frederick, Maryland Monacacy Lutheran and Evangelical Lutheran Church(es). On the left, a Transcription of the crossed-out notes on the brown image on the right (see small arrow) mentions may have resulted from a postponement of the service. The b/w microfilm image in the center (#31) records the final marriage date as “7 Octobre.”

Photographs, below, of the Frederick, Maryland Evangelical church taken on Feb. 5, 2025 show the front of the 1854 structure, the plaque describing the church’s previous buildings dating back to a 1743 log church “on the Monocacy (River)”

The stone church finished in 1762 (interrupted by French & Indian war) would have likely been where John Plesterer was married to Nancy Porter.

Below is the Plaster family tree (ca. 1910 from James N. Plaster of Enochville, NC). The first name of John Plaster’s first wife (Nancy Porter) is “unknown” at that time.

The paragraph about John Plaster (Sr.) states family lore that John “Sr.” is in Patrick Cty, VA during 1980s raising sons by hunting and avoiding revolutionary war and Indian conflicts before moving south to NC in the 1790s.