Harshbarger line: Andrew or Andreas Kramer 1712-unknown

 Andreas Kramer is another of the German ancestors who seems to have mostly gone into hiding.  It's believed that he arrived in Philadelphia in 1732.  He was on board the same ship as Matthias and Elizabetha Catherina Thiess Kramer, and many people think these are his parents.  However, I've not seen documentation for that.  My thoughts, since no records have been found, are that it is possible these are his parents.  It's also possible that Matthias was an uncle, cousin, or even a brother.  I'd love to hear from anyone who has the goods to prove that Andreas was the son of Matthias and Catherine.  

We don't know much about Andreas;s life after he arrived in America.  He married Maria Magdalene Birckel on October 5, 1738, in a ceremony conducted by Rev. John Casper Stoever of the Lutheran Church.  It's believed that Andreas was born in 1712, so he would have been about 26 at the time of his marriage.  This may have given him time to work off any indentureship he might have accepted as the price for his passage, but this is speculation.  

It appears that Andreas settled in the part of Lancaster County that was known as Lebanon township, and that his land was later moved into Berks County.  Although there are many different opinions as to where he died, (three different townships in Lancaster County, as well as Berks County), and when, we seem to be on solid ground to place him at a time and place that could include any or all of these locations. Our Andreas Kramer was surely  not the only man by that name.

Andreas lived in perilous times for Pennsylvania.  The French and Indian War meant great hardships for farmers and others on the frontier, and Lancaster County in 1756 surely qualified.  We can imagine the family, which may have included as many as thirteen children, either traveling to a nearby fort or garrison, or leaving the area entirely while the men fought to protect their homes.  I've found no records showing Andreas as a soldier but he would have been in the militia, and he would at least have served duty in a fort.  More likely he was actively involved in at least some of the skirmishes and expeditions of the time.  

Andreas lived through the Revolutionary War, and likely contributed to the war effort by giving food and supplies at various times.  The area he was in was coveted by both the Americans and the British as a supply base for their troops.  If we think that Andreas may have lived halfway between Lebanon and Reading, which is just a guess, he was about 40 miles from Valley Forge.  

As mentioned earlier, I've found various dates for Andreas's death, and I've not found a will or a burial location.  He was probably still alive in 1786, and may have been alive as late as 1797.  That is as close as I can come to narrowing it down at this point.  There is a will for Andreas Kraemer on image 79 of Berks County will book 4-5 on Family Search, but it's in German and I'm unable to even pick out names on it.  If our Andrew lived this long, he would have been about 90 when he died.  This may be his son Andrew, but I can't say for sure.  

We have just enough information, we think, to fit Andreas into the mold of many other German ancestors.  He likely came for economic reasons, he probably farmed and raised a large family.  He was part of his local church (children were baptized) and he likely took up arms to protect his family.  He was another good man who liv3ed in difficult times.

The line of descent is:

Andreas Kramer-Maria Magdalena Birckel

Daniel Kramer-Anna Maria Geise

Anna Maria Kramer-Andrew Kepler

Mary Kepler-George Harshbarger

Lewis Harshbarger-Catherine Mentzer

Emmanuel Harshbarger-Clara Ellen Harter

Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers

Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks

Their descendants