The still not found family of Jacob Geiger 1748-1791

Oh my goodness!  This is a difficult family to write about, because everyone has a different opinion on this and everyone seems to have one document that points in their own opinion.  But we know we need to have at least two, and optimally many more, documents to allow us to form a belief based on facts.  That is mostly lacking at this point with this family.  

Jacob Geiger was born in 1748 in New Hanover, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, the son of Valentine and Sarah (maiden name not known, she was the widow of someone named Vetato or another spelling) Geiger.  He died February 24, 1791 in what is now Berkeley County, West Virginia.  He married Elizabeth Shutz or Schultz, the daughter of Daniel and Catherine Walter Schultz in 1776 in Frederick County, Maryland, so he was already on the move.  Two short months after the marriage, the first of their children was born.

Anthony Geiger was born in 1776 in Frederick County, Maryland and died in 1836 in or near Churubusco, Whitley County, Indiana.  He also was not a "stay in one place" kind of person.  He married Mary Kirk, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (maiden name not known) in 1797 in Berkeley County, West Virginia.  Their children are Joseph, Sarah, Elizabeth, John, Jacob, Ann, Margaret, Mary Ann, Anthony, Thomas, and Daniel.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.  

After that family, the story gets pretty murky.  Jacob was born in 1778 and reportedly (I have found no records) died in 1821 in Preble County, Ohio.  He may or may not have married an Elizabeth Houdyshell, and he may or may not have married an Anna Katharina Auwaeter. Those names are on Ancestry trees, with no supporting documents.  I am not locating a Jacob Geiger in the 1820 census in Ohio, so the mystery is deep.  There are several Jacob Geigers in Pennsylvania but I can't say that any of them appear to fit directly into this family.

There is even less information regarding the rest of their children, but I will list them here for whatever it's worth.  Catherine was born in 1780, Johannes or possibly John in 1781, Elizabeth in 1785, Anne in 1786, and Daniel in 1787.  I have hints of possible first names for some of the spouses, but I am not going to share them here as they all appear questionable to me.  

Update: A strong possibility for Anne Geiger's (1786) spouse would be Henry Nisley or Neisley, the son of Abraham and Elizabeth Spitler Nisley.  They lived in Fairfield County, Ohio, and may have had the following children-Catherine, Elizabeth, Detwiler, and George Washington.  There may be others, and of course I'm lacking in the documents that would give me some degree of confidence.  

Clearly, this is one of the least researched families I've written about.  Perhaps other family researchers are as confused and unconvinced as I am.  I would be especially interested in learning about Jacob and any military service he might have been connected with.  Lord Dunmore's War, the Revolutionary War, ongoing strife with the native tribes that continued after "peace"?  Perhaps it was all of the above, but I just don't know.  Regardless, we know he lived in interesting times, in a dangerous place.  He's one family ancestor I would really like to talk to! 

 

 

 

The family of Valentine Geiger 1718-1777

 Johann Valentine (Valentin) Geiger, the son of Johann Valentine and Frederica Henckel Geiger, was born in 1718, perhaps in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, shortly after his parents had arrived in the New World.  He spent much of his life in New Hanover, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and died in 1777 in Sunbury, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.  His burial site is listed as Rockland Cemetery, Venango County, Pennsylvania, but I have not yet figured out how he ended up there.  The two locations are 80 miles apart, and there are no other Geigers in that cemetery.  

Valentine married twice.  His first wife is still a mystery.  Her name was Sarah, the widow of a man named Vetato, Vetatoo, or Wedato, among other spellings I have seen.   They married in 1747, with Sarah having two children by her first husband.  Valentine and Sarah had at least six children together, but sadly, at least three were apparently dead by the time Valentine died in 1777, because they aren't mentioned in his will, and neither are any potential grandchildren.  

Their first child was Jacob, born in 1748.  He married Elizabeth Shultz or Schutz, the daugher of Daniel and Catherine Walter Schultz.  Their children are Anthony, Jacob, John Charles, Elizabeth, Anna Maria, and Elizabeth Margaretha.  Some sites claim that he served in the Revolutionary War, which is certainly possible, but I don't believe he is the Jacob Geiger whose pension records relate to South Carolina.  There is a Captain Jacob Geiger who in 1777 was serving with the Philadelphia City Militia, but I don't know whether or not this is our Jacob.  Jacob died in 1792 in Greenbrier, Berkeley County, (West) Virginia.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.

Catherine Elizabeth, sometimes seen as Maria Catherine or Catherine Marie Elizabeth, was born in 1750 and died in either 1784 or 1792 in Berks County, Pennsylvania.  She married Abraham Betz, the son of Johann George and Anna Maria Duffield Betz.  Their children are Mary Elizabeth and Jonathan.  There very likely are more children, but these are the two I can identify.  

John Anthony was born in 1753 and died before his father.  I have been unable to find whether this was an infant or childhood death, or whether it could be related to a military action, before or during the Revolutionary War.  

Johann Valentine was born in 1755 and died in 1821 in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.  (I should say that many of these counties I am mentioning may actually indicate simply the division of the original county, and it is possible that most of the children actually lived very close to their father, but the names of the counties changed as the population increased and more counties were formed.)  He married Elizabeth Eppley, who was possibly the daughter of Martin and Eva Barbara (maiden name not known to me) Eppely.  Their children are Catherine, John, Valentine, William, George, Elizabeth, Marin, Sarah Elizabeth, Lydia, another John, and Peter.  

Valentine's final children with Sarah were daughters Sarah, born in 1758, and Susanna Catherine, born the following year.  No further information is found about either of them, so they may have had an early death.   

After Sarah's death, Valentine married Anna Margaretha Nagel, the daughter of Joachim and Anna Catherine Geiss Nagel in 1766.  They had at least two children together.

Catherine Elizabeth was born in 1770 and must have died young, since she is not mentioned in her father's will.  

Johann George was born in 1771 and that is all I am sure of.  He doesn't appear to be the man who married an Anna Artz or Ortz, nor does he seem to be the one who married Margaret Creel.  Until I find further records, I'm declaring George a mystery.

This is the information I've found so far about Valentine Geiger and his family.  They lived through turbulent times in unsettled lands, and those who were still alive would have been greatly impacted by the Revolutionary War.  It is possible that the family left their home and went to a place of greater safety as the danger increased, and it's also possible that at least Jacob and Valentine actually fought.  Their farm goods and animals could have been sold to, or taken by, either side in that conflict.  And after the war officially ended, there were possibly still alarms and conflicts with native peoples.  We can be grateful for the courage these ancestors showed. 

  

Harshbarger line: The family of Valentine Geiger 1685-1762

Today's post is about Johann Valentine Geiger, who was born in 1685 in Germany and died in 1762 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  He most likely came to Pennsylvania in 1717 with his wife and in-laws, and bought land, 250 acres, in 1718, so we know he wasn't as impoverished as many of his countrymen were.  He married Johanna Frederica Henckel (various spellings, just as Geiger is sometimes seen as Kyger or another variation) in 1715. and their first son was born in 1717. It appears that Antonius, probably called Antony, was born in 1718, after his parents arrived in this country.  Frederica died in  1739 and Valentine married again, to Maria Elizabeth, probably Maria Elizabeth Schmidt, the daughter of John George and Anna Maria (maiden name not yet found) Schmidt. Valentine had several children by each of his wives, so this will be a long post.  

Anthony, or Antonius was born in 1717 and died in April 1753 in Douglas, Berks County, Pennsylvania.  He married Mary Barbara Geiger, the daughter of Jacob and Anna Marie Mais Geiger.  Jacob and Valentine were brothers, so Anthony married his first cousin.  Marrying a cousin wasn't unheard of, but was less common in Lutheran churches, where the Geigers were quite active, than in other denominations and cultures.  One record that I found said this couple had no children, and other sources seem to indicate at least two children.  It's quite possible, given the number of Valentine and Jacob Geigers living in the same area, the the families have become conflated or otherwise confused.  

Valentine was born in 1718, perhaps in Philadelphia or perhaps in Montgomery County.  He died in Sunbury, Northumberland County, Pa in 1777, which may or may not have been his place of residence.  I don't know whether he served in the Revolutionary War, nor do I know his cause of death.  Valentine married twice.  His first wife was a widow, Mrs. Sarah Vetato (various spellings, of course), who has not been further identified.  She had two children of her own, and together they had several children-Catherine Elizabeth, Jacob, Antonius, Valentine, Sarah, Susanna and possibly Maria Elizabeth.  After Sarah's death, Valentine married Anna Margaretha Nagel, the daughter of Johann Jacob and Anna Catherina Geiss Nagel.  Their children are Johann, George, Catherine, and Elizabeth, so it became a rather large family.  (I would certainly like to know whether Anna Catherina Geiss Nagel was related to the Anna Maraia Geiss who married Daniel Kramer!!)

Mary Barbara was born in 1719 and died in 1777.  She married Nicholas Seidle or Seidel, the son of Nicholas and Anna Elizabeth Marststeller Seidel.  The children are Anna Elizabeth, Antonius, Frederica, Dortha, Nicholas, Maria Barbara, Johan Phillip, and Anna Catherine.

Christopher, or Stoffel as he is sometimes found, was born in either 1720 or 1722 and died in 1805.  He is identified as a lieutenant in the third PA regiment, Continental Army, during the Revolutionary War.  He married twice.  His first wife is Mary Barbara Geiger Geiger, the widow of his brother Antonius and daughter of Jacob and Anna Elizabeth Mais Geiger.  Their children are Anthony, Jacob, Henry, Catherine, Elizabeth, Mary Magdalene, Margaret, John, and possible Sarah.  After Barbar's death, he married Married Robeson, the daughter of Moses and Christiana Lane Robeson.  Their children are Elish, Barbara, Christina, Sarah, Charles, John, and perhaps another Christina.  

Margaretha (both Anna and Mary have been seen as her first name) was botn in 1721 and died in 1794.  Again, I'm confused.  She married John Stapleton, the son of Robert Stapleton.  She may have also married Benjamin Lindler, or that may be a different Margaretha.  At any rate, she had at least one son, John Stapleton.

Susanna Catherine was born in 1724.  She married John Stoneburner (may be Steinbrenner?) and had Michael, and Elizabeth.  I don't know her death date, but if she was still living in 1810 then there is a strong likelihood she was the mother of at least four more children.  I have seen Jonathan, Robert, Susanna, Sampson, Margaret, Catherine, George and Henry suggested as children for this couple, but I can't really state hat with any conviction.  Records for this family are hard to locate.

There is a gap of 13 years between Catherine and Anna Barbara, who was born in 1737 and died in 1766.  I don't know whether we are missing children or whether this little caboose was a total surprise.  She married George Kast or Caust. Their children are Anna, Maria Margaretha, George, and Catherine.  This is the last child of Valentine and Frederica, because she died in or before 1739.

I have not found a marriage date for Valentine and his second wife, Maria Elizabeth Schmidt, that I trust, and information for their children is limited.  There may be a son John, and other children are Johann Dietrich, John Henry, Benjamin, Charles, and Jacob, and Valentine, all born between 1738 and 1751. Some of these men married Elizabeth.  Dietrich's wife may be the daughter of Paul Linenbiegler, and they are thought to have had 2 sons and four daughter. Benjamin is credited with two children before he died in 1777, Benjamin and Carl.  I don't know whether his death was war-related.  Charles was born in 1750 and died in 1828,  He married Anna Maria "Dilbon" which may be Duliban or Tullepan in other records.  We do know that they had at least one child, Maria Elizabeth.

The Geigers lived in a time and place that was under stress more than once.  The French and Indian War may well have called Valentine and perhaps some of the sons into service, or at least into the militia.  There were consistent attacks by indigenous people in the interim between that war and the Revolutionary War.  Again, there may be more Revolutionary War veterans here than I have been able to identify.  Lutherans were not averse to serving in times of war.  

It's important to go back every now and then and revisit the information you thought you had.  I didn't find any obvious errors in my data for this man, but I sure found a lot of children I didn't know about, and second wives for several of the men.  I'm sure I have missed or misinterpreted some of the facts for this family, but I'm closer to completion than I was before I started.  Much of the information in this post comes from "Records of the Geiger Family" found on Ancestry, and also from a blog post at the Wilson Family Tree Album Blog.  I've stumbled across a few things myself, also.   There are probably still errors and omissions here, but this is a more complete picture than I had when I started researching this family.