Friday, January 29, 2016

Harshbarger line, maybe: Peter Gearhart, maybe

Peter Gearhart is not yet connected to the Harshbarger family tree.  The reason I'm writing about him is that Mary Gearhart married Joseph Withers in Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in 1832.  The only Gearhart I have found in Cumberland County prior to that is Peter Gearhart who married Polly Wallace in 1805 in Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pa.  I have wondered if these are Mary's parents, but so far I have nothing to prove that.

I had been unable to locate anything about Peter Gearhart until this week, when I located a Peter Geerhart in the 1800 census for Tyrone, Cumberland, Pa.  His information provides two possibilities:  He was at this time a man over the age of 45, with a (presumed) wife aged 26-44.  So, it could be that his wife died and he remarried in 1805.  It could also be that one of his two sons aged 10-15 was actually 15, and that he was named Peter, and that he married Polly Wallace in 1805, when he was quite young. 

Or, it could be that I am on the wrong track entirely.  Still, a possibility is better than no possibility, which is what I've had up until now.  I need to do more research in Cumberland County and see what else I might be overlooking.  If anyone reading this has worked on this family, or has other information that would help me with this family, I would certainly appreciate hearing from you.    The chances that I will get to Carlisle to do courthouse and historical society research are pretty slim.  Please email me: happygenealogydancingATgmailDOTcom.

The line of descent is:

Unknown Gearhart/Gerhardt/Geerhart
Mary Gearhart-Joseph Withers
William Withers-Barbara Cook
William Withers-Della Kemery
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants


No comments:

Post a Comment

Don't want to comment publicly? Feel free to email me: happygenealogydancingATgmailDOTcom. You can figure out what to do with the "AT" and the "DOT".