Beeks line: Christian Gutknecht 1729-1795

 First, an apology.  Usually when I write a blog post, I have at least one new piece of information, one that hasn't been widely reported, about my subject.  That is not the case with this blog post.  Everything I have found comes from the popular genealogy websites such as geni and wikitree.  We are fortunate that at least this basic information is available, and it is likely available only because Christian Gutknecht is one of former President Barack Obama's ancestors.  So for those few people who might someday read this, and for whom geni and wikitree are not their go-to sources, here's a brief recap of what is known about him.

Christian Gutknecht was born June 24, 1722 in Bischwiller, Basse-Alsace, France.  "Gutknecht", however, is not a French name; it may be German in origin.  Bischwiller is right on the border of France and Germany and it has changed hands more than once over the centuries.  Christian's father, Hans Michael Gutknecht, was born in Switzerland, and his mother, Anna Barbara Keiffer, was born in Alsace.  So that gives us a clue that Hans Michael lived in Bischwiller at the time of his marriage and thereafter.  It's quite possible that the Gutknechts moved to Bischwiller in search of religious freedom, but that is a subject for another time.  

Christian married at least once and perhaps twice.  The marriage that we know of is to Mgdalena Maria Grunholtz, the daughter of Johann Michael and Magdalena Mischler Grunholtz. They were married on April 25, 1746 in Bischwiller.  Three years later, the couple arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on board the Christian.  The ship made the common trip of Rotterdam to Cowes to Philadelphia, arriving on September 13, 1749. 

I've seen lists of several children for the Gutknechts, including Samuel and Catherine.  There may well be others, but I've not seen that documentation.

We don't know whether Christian was able to pay for the passage of himself and his family, or whether he had to serve an indentureship in order to begin building a new life in America.  We do know that he settled in Germantown, and probably never left there.  The only occupation we are able to determine is "tobacco preparer", which is sort of nebulous.  My best guess is that he owned or worked in a small shop,perhaps cutting or shredding tobacco in preparation for making cigars, or for use in pipes.  

We also know that he attended St Michael's Lutheran Church, because there are records there of the christening, and sadly, the burials, of some of his children, as well as his own burial record.  The church history is rather interesting.  The first pastor was an ancestor in the Harshbarger line, and the pastor during the Revolutionary War was decidedly pro-American.  There are several Revolutionary War veterans buried at the cemetery.

I've not been able to identify Christian as a military participant in the Revolutionary War, but he was surely affected by it.  A major Revolutionary War battle took place there, on October 4, 1777, with over 1100 Americans killed, wounded, or captured.  Great Britain "won" that battle and it must have been a frightening time for all the townspeople.  It's possible that Christian fought, it's possible that he helped in a civilian capacity, and of course it's possible that Magdalena also was involved.  Or perhaps they all escaped to the countryside, we just don't know.  Germantown would have been tense for quite some time, as the British had captured Philadelphia and made their headquarters there.  (Meanwhile, the American army headed for Valley Forge.)

That's really the last we know of Christian's life, real or supposed, until his death on December 25, 1795.  I've seen a census record from 1790 showing Christian in Mecklenburg, North Carolina but this seems to be a much younger man, based on the ages of the people in his household.  It is possible that this is Christian's son, also named Christian, who was born in 1756.  

I've not found a will or estate papers, nor have I yet found tax records for Christian. But we know he lived through at least two major events, the trip over and the Revolutionary War, and can wonder about any effect that the French and Indian war might have had on his life.  We know he was a Lutheran.  And we know that he is one of many ancestors who contributed to our family as well as to his country.  

The line of descent is

Christian Gutnecht-Magdalena Grunholtz

Samuel Goodnight-Magdalena Berkheimer

Catherine Goodnight-Jacob Dunham

Samuel Goodnight Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese

Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge

Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks

Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger

Their descendants