Harshbarger line: The family of Christian Hershberger 1714-1770

 For this family outline, I am using information provided mainly on the Vitter-Weaver genealogy website, with just a few additions. The Hershberger/Herschberger/Harshbarger family is truly confusing, and some of the children seem to have disappeared.  There are a lot of Christian Hershbergers and they gave their children some of the same names over and over-David, Jacob, Abraham, as well as Christian-so I'm not absolutely sure this information is correct.  But it is at least plausible, and it's the best information we have to go on.  

Christian Hershberger arrived in Philadelphia in 1737 on the Charming Nancy, part of a huge flood of German/Swiss immigrants who arrived at that port during the mid 1700s.  He was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1714 and may have lived in the Palatinate of what is now Germany for a few years before traveling to America.  He is thought to have been Amish in religious belief, and settled in an Amish community in what is now Berks County, Pa.  His wife was Barbara Rupp, daughter of Ulrich and Anna Schuepbach Rupp, and they had married about 1732.  They arrived in Philadelphia with their first two children, and the others were born in Pennsylvania.

Anna Nancy Harshbarger was born about 1734 in Bern, Switzerland.  She married Abraham Miller, who was the son of Christian David and Barbara Mishler Miller.  This marriage took place in 1765, when Anna was nearly 30, so it is possible that she had been married before, and that he had, also.  Their children were Catherine, Daniel, Susannah, David, and Tobias.  

Peter Harshbarger was their first son, born in 1736 in Alsace-Lorraine.  He married Veronica Gnaegi, the daughter of Johannes and Magdalena Yoder Gnaegi.  Their children were Anna Barbara, Abraham, Christian, and Veronica.  

Barbara Hershberger was born about 1738, so not long after the family arrived in America.  There seems to be no further information about her so perhaps she died young.

Veronica Hershberger was born in January 1739/40.  She married Hans Rudolf Glattfelder, son of Hans Peter and Salomea Amberg Glattfelder.  This family went to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.  Their children were Johan George, Elias, John, and Anna Catherine, who all used the spelling of Clodfetter.

Next born was Daniel Hershberger, born about 1742.  I have not found further record of him.  

The next child was Christian Hershberger, who was born May 11, 1745.  He married Magdalena Catherine van Gundy, daughter of Peter and Fronica Ann Farny van Gundy.  Their children were Johannes, Abraham, Catherine, Samuel, Henry, Elizabeth, Anne and Mary, and I will write more of them in my next blog post.

Elizabeth was born in 1745 but I have not located further information about her.

Johannes Jacob was born in 1750 and married Veronica Dilabaugh, the daughter of Peter and Elspeth Gerber Dellenbach.  Their children were Christian, Peter, John, Abraham, Barbara, Anna, Jacob, Catherine, and Henry.  

There are two more children listed, Marie born in 1752 and Abraham born in 1754.  I have not located any information on either of these children.  This makes a total of 5 children who have not been traced.  Did all five die young?  That would be a lot of grief for one set of parents to handle, but of course it's possible.  Or are there still records to be discovered, that would bring at least some of these children to life?  We don't know.

With the exception of Veronica, the other surviving children moved west, into Dauphin and Somerset counties of Pennsylvania, where the next generation was born.  There were at least 30 grandchildren who called Christian and Barbara "Grandpa and Grandma", which is a large number indeed.  They would have loved to hear stories of the "old country" and the trip to America.  I'd love to hear those stories, too!