The family of Bernard (or Benedict) Kepner Kepler 1741-1817. Maybe.

This is another family with confusing and much missing "information".  I have seen him shown as Andreas Bernard and as Benedict or Bernard Samuel. He's the son of Benedict and Maria Salome Weicker.  Although he was born in 1741, I have seen him assigned a marriage in 1755.  Clearly, the 1755 marriage to Eva Meyer is not our Bernard. He may have been married first to Maria Elizabeth Winters, not further identified.  She died in 1764, with no record of children to this marriage, if this is our guy.  However, he did marry Maria Elizabeth Lindemuth (or Lindemood in 1765, the daughter of Georg and Maria Anna Drach Lindemood.  And then it gets murkier still.  Maria Elizabeth died in 1788, and he then married Margaret (or some variation thereof) Kettery (or some variation thereof).  She was 26 years younger than he Bernard, and they also had a large number of children.  However, I am totally uncertain about which children belong to which mother, except for the first three.  It is also possible that this list includes one or more children who belong to another Kepner male.  There is a will that I have been unable to locate that apparently would give me answers, if I could only get my hands and eyes on it.

Benjamin was born in 1765, death date not located.  He married Maria Elizabeth Huebshe. Their children are Maria Elizabeth, Susanna, Catherine, Benjamin, Maria Magdalena, Andrew, Sarah, Henry, and Bernard.   I am not entirely convinced he is of this family, as it appears there may have been two Bernards, one in Berks/Schuylkill County, and one in Montgomery County.  He is noted as being in Montgomery County.

Bernard was born in 1766 and died after 1817.  He married Catherine or Kate Koenig.  They had at least four children, Mary Magdalena, Catherine, Bernard, and Samuel.  He is credited with Revolutionary War service, but based on his age, it must have been late in the war, perhaps in the British-inspired attacks by some of the indigenous tribes.  This is a bit confusing, because his birth records say his name was Benedict.  Two sons may be mixed here.

Maria Salome was born about 1771.  She married someone surnamed Koch, who was apparently deceased at her father's death in 1817. I would not be at all surprised to find that this man is part of the family of Adam Koch's (the immigrant) family, as all of these people lived in Berks/Schuylkill County and several ended up in Summit County, Ohio, where we know Henry Koch was at an early date.

Catherine Kepler was born in 1772, and may have married Henry or Heinrich Kehler.  I've found nothing further about her.

Maria Magdalena was born in 1774 and married Isaac Whetstone, the son of Jacob and Anna Maria Shaeffer Whetstone.  The Harshbarger family descends from Jacob and Anna Maria through a different line.

John Kepler was born in October of 1775 and died in October of 1833 in Green Township, Summit County, Ohio.  He married Magdalena Kramer, the daughter of Daniel and Anna Maria Geist Kramer.  Their children are Catherine, John, Jacob, Andrew, David, George, Henry, Samuel, and Lena.  

Andrew Kepler was born in 1777 and died in 1855 in Green Township, Summit County, Ohio.  He married Anna Maria Kramer, the daughter of Daniel and Anna Maria Geist Kramer.  Yes, brothers married sisters and apparently the two couples lived near each other their entire lives, moving from Schuylkill County to Centre County, Pennsylvania and then on to Summit County, Ohio.  Andrew's children are Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine, Sarah, John, Rebecca, Jacob, Andrew, and Samuel.  I will follow this family in my next pos

Henry may have been born about 1779.  His wife may be named Rosina.  Those are the only two clues I have about him at this time. 

Anna Maria was born about 1779 and married David Raudebusch.  The search for more information about this family continues.

George was born about 1785 and died in 1811.  His wife's name was Margaret.  Again, that is all that I know at this point. 

Margaret, known as Molly, was born in 1786 and died just 10 days later.  

Susanna, born in 1793, married John Adam Will, the son of Henry and Hannah Schweffel Will.  Their children include Mary, William, and Benjamin.

William was born about 1794. That is the current limit of my information about him.  

Tobias was born in 1795.  (There are also records for a Tobias born in 1812, but it seems unlikely that he belongs to this family.  Margaret would have been 45, so it's not totally impossible.  He married Eliza Weaver, and they had at least two children, Henry and Catherine.  He married secondly, Martha Winterstein, but there are no known children for this couple.  

Jacob is reported to have been born in 1770 but is also said to be Bernard and Margaret's youngest son, born in 1812.  It is possible that the second one was named after the first Jacob died in 1811.  As of now, I haven't been able to trace either man.  

Isaac was born in 1797.  He married first Mary Miller, and secondly Catherine Wiend or Wiand.  I have not located the parents of either of these women.  The children, who are Mary's, are  Moses, William, Benjamin, Valentine, Emanuel, and Sarah.   

Esther was born in 1803 and died in 1881.  She married John Hettinger, the son of Frederick and Maria Kleckner Hettinger.  There are just two known children, Washington William, and Martha, although it is likely there are more yet to be found. Mary is shown on the 1850 census, and she is possibly a child of Esther and John's also.  

Samuel is mentioned by name in his father's will, but I have been unable to locate anything at all about him.  

This post is meant only as a rough guide and is not to be taken at face value.  There are missing children.  One comment says that Bernard had 19 children, another says 25.   It's possible that one or more of the children named here are imposters, and belong to a different family.  As a clue, all the records I've found point to Berks/Schuylkill County in Pennsylvania, or Summit County in Ohio.  I'd be suspicious of anything else.  

If you know more about this family, please let me know!