Harshbarger line: The family of Benedict Kepner 1714-1778

 The story of Benedict starts out on a confusing note, with his name.  He is referred to as both Benedict and Bernard Kepner, with some showing his name as Benedictus Bernard.  The records I have seen all refer to him as Benedict, so that is the name I will use. He is the son of Johannes Bernard and Anna Barbara Schlagman, born in Sulzfeld, Baden-Wuertemburg, in what is now Germany.   The second point of confusion is when and where he was married.  His wife is listed as Maria Salome Weicker, the daughter of Johan George and Anna Barbara Elisabeth Daecher Weicker.  Supposedly they were married in 1734 in Berk, Berks County, Pennsylvania.  However, there are immigration records for Benedict Kepner from 1764.  Is this the same man?  Did he return to Germany for some reason as an older man, and if so, why?  And the final question is whether the last three children he is credited with were his, or whether they may have belonged to his son or another Kepner entirely.  They were born too late to have been the children of Maria Salome, as she was born in 1721 and the last three children were born in or after 1766.  (Plus, there is a gap of several years between the last child who appears plausible and the supposed last three.)  So there are still a lot of questions swirling around this family.  

Benedict and Maria Salome's children are shown on some trees as being born in Berks County and others as being born in Germany.  There is documentation for at least some of the children in Berks County, so I will use that as the birthplace of all until I find records indicating otherwise.  

The first born, or first surviving, child was Johannes Jacobus, born in 1737.  He may have married Maria Christina Strauss, the daughter of Johann Albrecht and Margaret Zerbe Strauss.  Their children include Anna Maria, Elizabeth, Samuel, Benjamin, Jacob, John, David, Susan, Margaretha, and Elizabeth.  

There may be a Jacob, born in 1741.  If so, it's possible that the Johannes Jacobus mentioned above died early and this Jacob is the one who survived to marry Maria Christina.  One of these two died in 1836 in Millerstown, Perry County, Pennsylvania, it appears.  

Next was Andreas Bernard, born also in 1741 but not noted as being a twin.  He married Maria Elizabeth Lindemuth or Lindemood, the daughter of George and Maria Anna Drach Lindemood.  He is shown as having 19 children with three or more different wives, so I need to do more research on him and will write more about this family in my next post.  As of now, it's possible that his children may include Bernard, Bemjamin, Savilla, Maria Salome, Andreas, Anna Catherine, John, Magdalena, Andrew, Anna Maria, Samuel, George, Esther, Benedict, Appolonia, Moses, Henry, Maria Magdalena, Susanna, Isaac, and Jacob.  

Anna Barbara, the first known daughter, was born in 1743.  She married Henry Shoemaker, the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Roberts Shoemaker.  Their children are Christian, Henry, Benjamin, Mary (known as Molly), Hannah, Jacob, Ann Elizabeth, George, Samuel, Susanna, and possibly another Samuel.  I'm skeptical of the two Samuels because they have different birth dates and death dates, but perhaps one was named for one person and one for another.  Both lived into adulthood.  Anna Barbara died in 1817 in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. 

Hanna or Hannah Kepner was born in 1745.  She married Franz Roth, also known as Francis Rhoads, the son of Franz Wilhelm and Ann Margaret Grimm Roth.  Their children are Maria, Francis, Henry, John, Daniel, Peter, Hannah, Jacob, and Mary (Molly) Magdalena.  Hannah died in 1843 in Selingsgrove, Snyder County, Pennsylvania.  

Next was Maria Margareth, born in 1746.  She married Charles (also seen as Carl/Karl) Shoemaker, who was also the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Roberts Shoemaker.  Their children are Jacob, Mary, Walter, John, another Mary, Charles, Sophia, Margaret, Benjamin, and Anna.  She died in 1831 in Windsor, Berks County, Pennsylvania.

There may or may not have been a son Benjamin, born about 1747.  Several trees list him, but he seems to be confused with one or another of his brothers or cousins and I am not, at this point, sure that he existed.  

Sevilla was born in 1749 and married Johann Philip Strauss, the son of Johann Albrecht and Anna Margareth Zerbe Strauss.  Their children inclule Margaret, Jacob, Elizabeth, Susanna, Johannes, Philip, David, Catherina, Sidney, and Mary (Polly).  She died in 1805 in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania.

There was a break of about six years before the next child was born,  Perhaps Maria Salome was ill, or perhaps there was one or more unsuccessful pregnancies, because the next child we know of is Mary Magdalena, born in 1755. She first married John Uhil, whose ancestry is not known to me.  They had one son, John.  In 1780, she married Godfrey Feister, the son of George Gottlieb Pfisterer and an unknown mother.  Their children are Jacob, Henry, Mary, Daniel, Maria Sarah, Godfrey, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Susanna, Charles, and Sophia.  She died in 1832 in Muncy, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.

There was a child Elizabeth, born in 1757.  Most trees report her death as having occurred in 1831 in Muncy, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.  I have not found that record, nor have I found any record of her after her birth.  At this point, I don't know whether she lived to adulthood, nor do I know whether she ever married.  She is another mystery to be solved by someone, sometime.

There are three more children attributed to this couple, but I have doubts.  Benedict, Katherine, and Eva Rosina were born between 1766 and 1775.  Maria Salome would have been 45 in 1766, and her last previous child was born in 1757.  It seems likely that these children belong with another Kepner family.

Several of the men mentioned here, sons and sons in law of Benedict and Maria Salome, served in one capacity or another during the Revolutionary War.  Most of them left Berks County, their birthplace, to go further west, although they all stayed in Pennsylvania.  Benedict and his many children and grandchildren helped build America. 

The family of Samuel Goodnight 1760-1833

 Samuel Goodnight's life and family are only partially documented, or at least I've not found all that I need to make a definitive post for his family.  However, I'm not sure I will be able to complete the research that is needed so this post is, again, bread crumbs for a future researcher.  

Samuel is the son of Christian and Mary Magdalena Gruenholtz, born in 1760 in Germantown, Pennsylvania.  He would have been of the right age to have been in the Revolutionary War, but I've not located any military records for him in any of the usual sites I utilize.  There is a hint in one registry that says his service must be proven.  He married Magdalena Berkheimer, the daughter of Leonard and Catherine Kerger Berkheimer, in 1785 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  This was likely not far from Germantown, as the county itself was formed in 1784 from part of Philadelphia County.  At least four children were born to Samuel and Magdalena there, and census records indicate there may be children not currently known to us.

Martha is the first known child, born in 1786.  As far as I can tell, she never married, but she is found in 1840 in Fayette County, Ohio, aged 50-59, with another female 20-29 living with her.  Sadly, in 1840 relationships were not stated.  By 1850 she is still in Fayette County, with a five year old male, William Watson, living with her.  He was born in Ohio.  So the question is, who is William Watson, and what was his relationship, if any, to her?  I have no answers at this time.  I have not located any records for Martha after 1850.

Leonard was the next born, possibly in 1788.  He married Martha ("Matty") Fernough.  There are many spellings for this name, but she appears to be the daughter of Johannes or John and Christiana Clover Virnau.  They have a large familly, including, Mary, Christian, John, Hannah, Rosanna, Samuel, Catherine, David, Elizabeth, Ortena, and another Christian.  He died in 1827 in Fayette County, Ohio.  

Christopher is also shown with a 1788 birthdate, but about 10 weeks after Leonard.  I wonder whether these might be baptism dates, and perhaps Leonard was born in 1787.)  He married Jane Mason, the daughter of Andrew and Mary Light Mason.  Their children are Elijah, William, Andrew, Mary, William, Samuel, Matilda, Josephus, Sarah, Aaron, and John.  Christopher died in 1868 in Clinton County, Indiana.  

The last known child is Catherine, born in 1793.  (Note that there is a gap of almost five years here, when it is possible that there were one or more children born to the couple, who perhaps did not survive childhood.) She married Jacob Dunham, the son of Samuel and (probably) Hannah Ruble Dunham.  They have at least six children-Catherine, Jacob, Amos, Samuel, Mary Ellen, and David.  Catherine died in 1870 in Tipton County, Indiana.  Tipton County and Clinton County border each other so it is likely that Christopher and Catherine kept in close touch.

Census records of Samuel in 1810 (Berkeley County, Virginia now West Virginia) show that there were 6 people in his household young enough to be his children.  One may or may not be a Samuel.  There are quite a few Samuel Goodnights in subsequent census records but none I can say is definitely our Samuel, if there is one.  I don't have any clues as to the other male, if indeed he was a son.

It is thought that Magdalena died about 1830 and that Samuel may have gone to Fayette County, Ohio, to live with either Martha or Christopher, until he died about 1833.  

Once again, we have an apparently incomplete family, but perhaps someone reading this will have the answers to our questions, or perhaps this post will help someone else find the answers!  This is my last post on the Goodnight line, as the Beeks family descends through Catherine Goodnight Dunham, but corrections and additions are welcome. 

Beeks line: The family of Christian Gutknecht 1722 -1795

 Yes, there are several German or quasi German lines in the Beeks family history.  Yes, they are easy to get mixed up.  Yes, this line is better documented than some because of its connection to Barack Obama, a couple of generations down line from this one.  Christian is the immigrant ancestor, having been born in Bischwiller, in what is now France.  It was part of the Palatinate-Zweibrucken when Christian was born.  He is the son of Johannes and Anna Barbara Keiffer Gutknecht.  I was surprised to learn that he was a tobacco preparer before he came to America, and that Alsace actually grew their own tobacco at the time.  

Christian married Magdalena Marie Grunholtz, the daughter of Johann Michael and Magdalene Mitscher Grunholtz, in 1746 in Bischwiller, while the War of Austrian Succession was being fought, with negative consequences for the couple.  It became harder and harder to make a living, and in 1749, the couple, along with their first two daughters, migrated to Pennsylvania, where they settled in Germantown, just north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  

Christian and Magdalena are the parents of six known children, although just four are known to have survived to adulthood.  

Their first daughter was Maria Magdalena, born in 1747.  She is thought to have accompanied her parents on the trip to America, but there is no known record of her here and she may have died on the voyage, as was, sadly, not uncommon.

Maria Elisabetha was born in 1748 and married, in 1770, Christopher Henrici or Henritzy, whom I can't further identify.  They had a least one child, Gerhard Christian.  Christopher died in 1790 and in 1794 she married Peter Hartmann.  Elizabeth died in 1822 in Germantown.  I am sure there is more to her story than I have been able to uncover.  There is a high likelihood there were more children born during her first marriage, which lasted 20 years, but she would have been quite old to have had children with Peter.

Christian was their first son, born about 1754 in Germantown.  He married Elizabeth Rittenhouse or Rittenhaus, the daughter of Garret and Mary Bartleson Rittenhouse.  Rather than fight in the Revolutionary War, he chose to provide a substitute, and also paid  a supply tax to the state.  It is interesting to think about what he did as the battle raged around Germantown.  Did he and his family leave town, hide in a basement, or somehow help in or after the battle?  We don't know.  Christian's children are listed as Elizabeth, Deborah, William, Susanna, Christopher, and John. Christian died in 1823.

Samuel was the next son, born about 1761.  He married Magdalena Berkheimer, the daughter of Johann Leonard and Maria Catherine Kerger Berkheimer.  This couple had at least 5 children, all of whom apparently spelled their name as Goodnight.  The children are Martha, Christopher, Leonard, Catherine, and Samuel.  I will write more about this family in my next blog post. 

Catherina was born next, in 1764.  She died in 1767, which was a sad thing but not uncommon.

Finally John Christopher was born in 1769.  I did not locate much information about him.  He may have married Gartraut Freimauer, and later Dianah Watson. He is the only one of the siblings to have left Germantown, settling in what is now West Virginia.  Census records show that he probably had at least five children, but I found names for only two-Mary Magdalena and Sally.  He died about 1842 in Hardie, in what is now West Virginia.  He is noted as being a veteran of the Revolutionary War, which means the birth date I've shown may not be correct.  He was also likely involved in the War of 1812, based on where he lived and the known history of that area and era.    

This family sketch is not nearly as complete as I'd like it to be, but it's a start.  There are more stories to find, hidden in brief clues, and I hope you will share them with me.

The family of Samuel Falley 1780-1871

 I've written of Samuel Falley earlier.  He's the son of Richart and Margaret Hitchcock Falley, the one we know of who went to sea and worked himself up the ladder from cabin boy to second mate before returning home to Westfield, Massachusetts.  I've speculated, based on comments in his biographical sketch that he was an abolitionist, that perhaps whatever he saw of the slave trade became just too much to bear.  Or perhaps he was offered a better opportunity.  He is reported to have set up mercantiles or stores of some sort in Ohio that were owned by his father.  Richard died in 1808 and it appears that Samuel went back to Westfield then, and stayed there and in Montgomery, Hampden County, Massachusetts, for a few years before moving to Granville, Licking County, Ohio.

Samuel married Ruth Root, the daughter of Martin and Ruth Noble Root in 1810, and the couple had at least 11 children together.  The first three were born in Westfield or Montgomery, and the others were born in Granville, Ohio, where both Samuel and Ruth died, she in 1862 and he in 1871.  

Their first born was a daughter, Lois Matilda and known as Matilda, who was born in 1811 and died in 1900 in Granville.  It appears that she never married, but if she was able, she surely would have helped with some of her nephews and nieces. Her occupation was "housekeeper" in her parents' home until Samuel died, and then she went to live with a sister.  She had attended the Granville Female Academy in 1838 and it appears that this was a college level education.  It would be interesting to learn what her story is!

Clarissa was born in 1812 and died in 1875 in Tipton, Iowa.  She married John Havens Starr, the son of John and Elizabeth (Betsey) Havens Starr.  Their children are Myra, Harriet, John, Eunice, Mary, and Frances.  

Richard was the first born son, born in 1813 and died in 1877 in York, Clark County, Illinois.  He married Francis ("Fanny") Scranton, the daughter of Charles and Olivia Sparks Scranton,  Their children are Sarah, Olivia, Louis, George, Charles, and Louisa.  There may have been a Lula, also, but I'm not clear on whether Lula may have been a nickname for one of the girls.  

Charles was born in 1815, in Granville, Ohio and died in 1896 in Bible Grove, Clay County, Illinois.  He was married twice, first to Caroline Richardson, who died within a few years of the marriage, and then to Ann Brackett, the daughter of John and Eunice Clark Brackett.  (I haven't been able to trace John, but would not be surprised to learn that he is a distant relative to the Massachusetts Brackett family we have in our Holbrook line,) It appears that all of the children were born to the second marriage.  They are Charles, Louise, E.A., Richard, and another Charles.  

Samuel was born in 1816 and died in 1850 in Marshall, Clark County, Illinois.  I don't know why he died so young, but he left a widow, Mary Abigail Damon, and five children-Mary, Eliza, Matilda, Julia, and Francis. He was a cabinet maker.   I've not been able to identify Mary Abigail at this point.

Francis was born in 1818 and died in 1893 in Bible Grove, Illinois.  He seems to have never married, and was a farmer all his life.  

Ruth was born in 1819 and died in 1879 in Granville, Ohio.  She married Charles Webster, the son of Elijah and Miriam Mallory Webster.  I have located only two children for them, Helen and Miriam.  

Edmund was born in 1821 and died in 1897 in Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas.  His harness store was burned in Quantrill's raid of 1863, when Confederate soldiers burned most of the town and killed many of its residents.  I'd sure like to know how he escaped!  (Finding nuggets of history like this really makes history come alive for me. They are pure gold.)  He married Eliza Montgomery, another person I can't further identify.  Their children are Clara, Laura, James, George and Samuel.

Linus was born in 1822 and died in 1897 in Licking County, Ohio.  He married Elizabeth Haupt, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Runnels Haupt.  Their children are Nancy, an unnamed twin, Lewis, Charles, Mary and Walter.  

Eunice was born in 1824 and died in 1906 in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio.  She married John Seegar, the son of David and Mary, another unidentified woman, Seegar. Their children are Cyrus, Eldora, and Norah. 

The last known child was a daughter, Charlotte.  She was born in 1828 and died in 1901 in Granville, Ohio.  She married late in life, at age 49, to Amos Montonya, and had no known children.  

This list gives Samuel and Ruth 38 grandchildren.  Some of them were likely beyond their reach, in Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas, but I'm sure they were never far from their hearts.  This family was strongly Presbyterian in religious affiliation, as far as I can determine.  They were good, solid citizens, and led good lives.  It's another family to take pride in, as we say good-bye to the Falley line.