Harshbarger line: Benedict Kepner 1714-1778

 Benedict Kepner would probably be easier to trace if there weren't at least two alternate spellings for his name (Kepler, Kebler, probably Kebner).  However, we do know enough about him that we can pretty well trace him and place him at a few times and locations.  That is more than we can do for some ancestors.

Benedict was born in Suzfeld, Karlsruhe, Baden-Wuerttemberg (what is now Germany) on or before June 29, 1714.  (That date may be a baptismal date.)  His parents were Benedict or Bernard and Anna Barbara Schlagmann Kepner, and he was the youngest of their eleven known children.  Soon after Benedict was born, probably in 1715, his parents and most of the family took the enormous step of moving across the ocean to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  By now, some of the children may have been close to thirty years old and it's not clear whether they all came or not, but at any rate, it would have been a large family group that traveled together.  I can feel the pain that Anna Barbara went through.  (She died in 1718, just a few short years after arriving here, and I can't help wondering whether the trials of the voyage had anything to do with her death.)

Benedict's father seems to have stayed in the Philadelphia area for his life, but Benedict himself had other plans.  He married Maria Salome Weicker or Weickert in 1734, and they settled in Bern township, Berks County, where he farmed and owned and operated a grist mill.  (Some records, because he is identified as a miller, actually show Miller as the surname but this is an incorrect interpretation of the original record.)

Benedict and Maria Salome had at least eight children together.  The family was Lutheran, with some of the children being baptized by the Reverend Daniel Schumacher,  (As an interesting aside, this man had no ministerial training and was a fraktur painter by trade.  He often did certificates of baptism and marriages, incorporating his art.  I wonder if any were done for this family?)   I've been unable to locate a specific church for the Kepners, but at least we know they were Lutheran.  

I've not located any specific information about the family during the French and Indian War, but it is quite likely that they were affected in one way or another.  Benedict may well have been in the militia, called out to guard settlers and defend forts, perhaps even going on expeditions.  Many people in the area left for safer shelter until the worst of the violence was over.  Did Benedict send his family away?  So far I've been unable to determine that.  Wherever they were, it would have been a terrifying time as about 100 people in the county were killed by the natives during the war.  

Benedict was 50 years old when he took a naturalization oath in 1764.  Four years later, there are tax records that show he had 150 acres of wooded land, 40 acres cleared, and 10 that I can't make out the heading for.  In the same record, it's indicated that he had two horses, 5 cattle, and 4 sheep, and also a mill.  He was taxed at 10 pounds, which is the second highest total on the page. He may not have been what we would consider prosperous, but he was probably at least in comfortable circumstances, at the time.  

A few years later, in 1771, he moved to Cumberland County with his sons John and Benjamin, perhaps as a widower.  He is said to have died back at his old home in Bern township in 1778, but records seem to be lacking.  It is possible that he died in Cumberland County but was buried "back home", perhaps beside his wife.  

I've not found a will for Benedict, so we don't know whether he still held real estate or the mill when he died.  I'd like to know, just because I'm curious, whether he lived entirely within the German communities, or whether he learned English.  I wonder whether or not he was literate.  I especially wonder about his experiences during the French and Indian War.  But at least we know a few details about his life, and can be grateful that he is part of the family.

Full disclosure:  At least one researcher does not think that Bernard Kepler, whom I list as a son, was Benedict's son.  This person believes Bernard to be a son of Johannes Jurg Kepner, who was a brother to Benedict.  I am not at all convinced of this, but would love to see documentation if it's available.

The line of descent somewhat tentative, I guess) is:

Benedict Kepner-Maria Salome Weickert

Bernard Kepler-Maria Elizabeth Lindemuth

Andrew Kepler-Anna Maria Kraemer

Mary Kepler-George Harshbarger

Lewis Harshbarger-Catherine Mentzer

Emmanuel Harshbarger-Clara Ellen Harter

Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers

Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks

Their descendants