Friday, June 24, 2016

Harshbarger line: Georg Lindemuth 1709-1772

Here's another Harshbarger line ancestor, an immigrant, about whom very little is known.  We know he was born about June 12, 1709 in Bodigheim, Baden, Germany to Georg Lindemuth and Anna Catharina Bauermann or Baueman.  I have been unable to locate information about the town online but it appears that it must be small, and was probably even smaller 300 years ago.  Interestingly, there is a Jewish cemetery here which apparently dates back to early times, but the Lindemuth family seems to have not been of that faith.  Georg was one of at least five children born to the couple.  The family probably lived a typical small village German life, meaning it was highly structured and difficult to rise economically.

Georg married Maria Anna  Drach, daughter of Johann Georg Drach, in 1733.  She was three years older than he, widowed with two young children, and the couple would have at least 7 children together, some in Germany and some in their new home.  They emigrated in 1749 on the ship Patience, arriving September 19 of that year.  They would have had little time to prepare for their first winter, so perhaps they stayed in Germantown for their first months or years.

The trail goes cold after that, or at least, I haven't found it yet.  Maria Anna died in 1755 and it is believed that Georg married again, to Barbara Keller, although some say that she was his first wife and died in Germany.  Since Georg was just 24 when he married Maria Anna, I don't think it's likely that he had married earlier, given the norms of the time.  I'd love to find documentation for the second marriage, whenever it was.

Georg died in 1772 in Berks County, Pa.  I've not found a will for him but there were many German wills that were not transcribed so it's possible there is or was a will.  It's also possible I just haven't found it yet. 

I'd love to know more about this man.  What church did he attend?  Where did he settle in Berks County?  What lead several of the children to go to the Buck Hill area of Frederick County in about 1752?  What was his occupation?  He likely farmed, but was there something else?  How did the French and Indian War impact his life?  There's much to be learned about this man and his family!

The line of descent is:

Georg Lindemuth-Maria Anna Drach
Maria Elizabeth Lindemuth-Bernard Kepler
Andreas Kepler-Anna Maria Kramer
Mary E Kepler-George Harshbarger
Lewis Harshbarger-Catherine Mentzer
Emmanuel Harshbarger-Clara Ellen Harter
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
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".