Harshbarger line: George Harshbarger died 1844

I've waited quite a while to write about George Harshbarger, because much of what I "know" is based on hearsay.  However, since I am trying to note as many of our ancestors as I can, before ending this blog project, I will write a little bit about him and hope to find more in the future.

George Harshbarger was the son of John (Johannes) Harshbarger and Christena Elizabeth Fehler.  However, there's a problem here.  We know he is the son of Johannes because of Johannes' will, but perhaps his mother is someone else.  The problem is with the dates.  Most sites I've seen list George's birthdate as "about 1802".  Johannes and Christena (who was likely actually known as Elizabeth) were not married until 1804, at Brush Valley, Miles Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania.  So either George had a different mother, or the date of 1802 is just a guesstimate and he was born after the marriage.  The dates for his children would work with a date that is more like 1805-1806, and so would his reported age in the 1840 census.  

John sold his land in 1822 and moved to what was then Green Township, Stark County, Ohio, now Summit County.  Many trees show George's marriage to Mary E Kepler, daughter of Andrew and Anna Maria Kramer Kepler, as occurring in 1817, with no documentation.  I think the marriage took place later than that, because the earliest known child was born in 1828.  I would love to find documentation for the marriage, but I'm thinking it happened in Stark County.  

George and Mary had four known children, Lewis, John, Andrew Jackson, and Leah.  All four children moved to Whitley County, which brings us to the question of what happened to George, and why did the children all live in Whitley County.

George was a driver of some sort.  We were told he drove wagons of supplies from Stark County to Chicago.  Someone on line thinks he drove a stage coach, and it's possible that he handled both types of vehicles.  At any rate, in 1844 there was an accident in Whitley County, Indiana and his wagon (or coach) overturned.  George was killed.  We spoke to someone who believed they could show us where George was buried, but there is a listing for him in Summit County Cemetery Inscriptions, Volume 2, showing him as buried at the East Liberty Cemetery in Green Township, Summit County.  It is possible that he was first buried in Whitley County and then moved to the family plot (of mostly Keplers, in that area) later.  

One wonders whether George had talked of settling in Whitley County, and that's why his children moved there.  Mary remarried, apparently twice, and did not settle in Whitley County.  Her farm records, still as Mary Harshbarger of Green Township, Summit County, on the 1850 farm census show that she had 40 acres of land, 20 improved and 20 unimproved.  The cash value of the farm was $800 but the value of farming implements and equipment was $30.  She had 1 milch cow and 4 swine, for a total of $40.  Her crop inventory included 100 bushels of wheat, 100 bushels of Indian corn, and 30 bushels of Irish potatoes.  The value of animals slaughtered the previous year was $20. I've not found her on the 1850 census, but we can guess that her children, or some of them, were still living with her in 1850 because Lewis wasn't married until 1852.

I have read that only German was spoken in this home, and there is a story that Mary came to visit her children in Whitley County at some point, but because she did not understand English well, her train ticket which she thought would take her to Columbia City took her to Columbus, Ohio.  Mary is believed to have died after 1880, but I don't have a death date for her-yet.  

This is as much as I've learned so far about George, stories and a few bits of information that are documented.  The search continues!

The line of descent is:

George Harshbarger-Mary E Kepler

Lewis Harshbarger-Catherine Mentzer (shown as Mancer)

Emmanuel Harshbarger-Clara Ellen Harter

Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers

Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks

Their descendants