Harshbarger line: Jacob Geiger 1748-1792

I am seriously wondering if there are two Jacob Geigers, and if they have somehow been mixed up in most records.  What I have found is quite confusing but it seems to have two men by the same name at the same place at the same time.  I am trying to get to the bottom of this but here's what I think I know. 

Jacob was born in 1748 and wsas the son of Johan Valentin Geiger III, and Sarah, who may have been a widow Vettatoe, or some such name.  He was reportedly born in New Hanover Township, in what is now Montgomery County but at the time was still Philadelphia County.  This would have been frontier land at the time. 

Somehow, Jacob made his way to Frederick County, Maryland, where we have one of the first documentations that I've been able to locate.  There he married Elizabeth Schultz on August 11, 1776, in a Lutheran church or at least by a Lutheran pastor, just a few weeks after our country declared Independence.  Jacob had actually been in Frederick County longer than that, because in December of 1775 he was listed as an Associator in the American cause.  This was basically a volunteer militia.  He also took the oath of allegiance in 1778, which was to the state of Maryland rather than to Great Britain, or, more interestingly, to the American cause.  This was required of all office holders, including attorneys, and also all voters, which meant at the time those men who owned real estate. 

Jacob and Elizabeth had at least seven children, born from 1776, just three months after the wedding, to 1786.  Elizabeth, I think, deserved a break after that.  Her body must have been worn out by the time the last one was born. 

We don't know what other military service Jacob may have participated in, before or during the Revolutionary War.  The area he is believed to have settled in was hard hit by attacks by native Americans, and it is more than possible that Jacob participated in one or more of the marches and battles that protected Americans and "rid the area" of most native Americans.  The stories from that time and area are gruesome, but for the purposes of this blog, it is only a possibility that Jacob was involved, not a certainty.  It is, however, more than likely that the family moved to the relative safety of a nearby fort or stockade for at least short periods of time during the war years. 

I think that Jacob owned land in Frederick County, Maryland called "Discontentment". There were 244 acres there, and it was resurveyed in 1793, soon after Jacob died.  It wouldn't have belonged to son Jacob, because the son was only 15 years old at the time.  A more thorough study of land records would possibly show that the land was deeded to either heirs or a purchaser. 

It has been reported, but I can't document, that Jacob Geiger died at or near Greenbrier, Berkeley County, (West) Virginia in February of 1791 or 1792.  If his birth date is correct, he was a young man of 44 at the time, which makes one wonder if an accident or injury of some type was involved.  It could also have been simple overwork.  We don't know when the family relocated, or why, but the Jacob Geiger who died in Northampton County, Pennsylvania at about the same time does not appear to be one and the same with our Jacob. 

One other thing that is confusing on websites I've found is that both Jacob and Elizabeth are said to have died on the same date, February 24, 1791 or 1792.  I'd like to find the source of that information, because that could indicate either Indians, or some sudden disease like cholera.  Either way, there would be a story there.  But once before I thought I'd found a couple who died on the same day, and that information turned out to be faulty.  So the question is still an open one:  Who died when, and where, and how?  Is that too much to ask?

Jacob lived a difficult life in difficult times.  I hope his homestead gave him wonderful views, and I hope he died happy, knowing that his children had the skills and fortitude to continue carving out homes in the wilderness.  

Much of this post is speculation, with just a few records to support it.  If anyone has additional information on this man, I would love to hear more of him, especially if there is documentation.  Please contact me.

The line of descent is:

Jacob Geiger-Elizabeth Schultz
Anthony Geiger-Mary Kirk
Elizabeth Geiger-George Harter
John Harter-Mary Bennett
Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants