Harshbarger line: George Harter 1801-1854

George Harter was a bit of a traveling man, it seems.  And he has confused various researchers, including yours truly.  There seem to be two George Harters, each purported to be a son of Gearge and Mary Magdalena Miller Harter.  They have two different birthdates.  One is September 22, 1795 and the other is September 22, 1801.  The later date is supported by the 1850 census, when he was 48 years old.  Both birth locations are given as Rockingham County, Virginia, where George and Mary are known to have lived.  So, either one birth date, and potentially set of parents, is incorrect, or they had two children named George.  This would not be totally unusual.  Possibly the first son died but perhaps they gave two children the name of George and used a nickname for one of them.  Or perhaps he was born in 1795 but not christened until 1801.

At any rate, George would have been a youth in his teens, possibly as much as 20 years of age when his parents moved from Rockingham County to Licking County, Ohio.  The family was there as early as 1817, and George probably helped his father get his land cleared and planted, and the homestead built.  But by 1825 he was ready to marry.  He chose Elizabeth Geiger, daughter of Anthony and Mark Kirk Geiger, as his bride, and they married on September 8, 1825.  (I did find an 1820 census form for a George in Licking County, showing a woman and a child but I am not sure whether this was our George or not.  If it was, then his first wife and child must have died before the 1825 marriage.Or perhaps this was the 1795 George who had married by then).

We're not sure exactly when George and Elizabeth moved to Whitley County, Indiana.  They were there by 1840. George was taxed on land there in 1838, although that is not necessarily proof that he was living there then.   (His land was valued at $98 in Smith Township, and his total state and county tax was $2.38. Elizabeth's father, Anthony, died in Whitley County in 1836, so it is very possible that they had traveled together to their new home.  George and Elizabeth had at least six children together, with John being the oldest.

We often forget what it was like for the first settlers of a region.  They had to live off the land and from what they brought with them to their new home, while acquiring land, clearing it, planting crops, building shelter and then a home, hunting wolves and whatever other predator animals could threaten his family, while his wife had babies, kept the family fed, cooking and did laundry and took care of the animals, made soap and candles, and did all the things that were necessary to keep a household fed and clothed.

 As a further example of life in pioneer days, I found this in the 1907 edition of "History of Whitley County" by Kalin and Maring: (in an 1841 perjury trial related to counterfeiting)..."The jury adjourned to a big black walnut stump to deliberate.  Every man in those days was more or less a hunter of wild game and the barking of squirrels and the gobble of wild turkeys caused the bailiff a great deal of trouble in keeping the jury together and attentive to business."  George was one of the men on this jury, the first "big" trial in Whitley County.

The 1850 census shows that George was farming a tract of land worth about $2700, and sons John and Henry were also noted as farmers.  He had acquired at least 360 acres of land in two separate transactions in 1837 and 1838, in each of which the patent says he is of Licking County, Ohio.  It is likely that he purchased the land, cleared it and planted crops, and then went back to Licking County for his family.  The land he purchased is on the east edge of Whitley County in Smith township, some of it north of Churubusco and some just south of Churubusco.

The next we hear of George is his death, noted as being March 9, 1854 in Whitley County.  We don't know his cause of death, but since he was likely in his early 50s, it wasn't old age.  The time of year suggests that it could have been pneumonia, ague, or one of the fevers that early ended the lives of many Whitley County pioneers.  I have not found a will or an inventory for him.

George's life doesn't seem to have been impacted by national events, except to the extent that he was looking for land to purchase.  He was too young to have been part of the war of 1812, and it's thought that his parents didn't leave Rockingham County until that war was settled.  The native Americans had pretty much left the area when the Harters moved on to Whitley County, although of course a few stayed behind.  Kilsoquah, the daughter of Chief Little Turtle, was just a few years younger than George and would have likely been known to him, for instance.  Even though he didn't serve in the military, as far as we know, he was one of those quiet American heroes, who worked and worshiped
 and raised children who would do the same.

The line of descent is:

George Harter-Elizabeth Geiger
John Harter-Mary Bennett
Clara Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks
Their descendants 

Update 7/31/2021.  I think I've located the right Harter family in Licking County, Ohio and back to Rockingham County, Virginia.  I am planning to write another blog post about George's parents.

 

Harshbarger line: John Boughan of Virginia

First, almost none of this research is mine.  I found a very well researched blog page on Thomas Moore's Genealogy site and most of what I will be talking about is his research.  Without his research, I would know almost nothing about this man.

It is strange to be writing about a man in the Harshbarger line who was not of German or Swiss descent.  At least, we don't think he was, and he was in Virginia long before more of the Germans and Swiss immigrants had even thought about crossing the ocean. 

John's parents were James Boughan and Mary, possibly Mary Edmondson.  He was born probably about 1675 but maybe as late as 1683.  His parents were probably the immigrants of the family, and were here at least by 1664.  If you wish to prove your descent from James and Mary, you may be eligible for membership in the Jamestowne Society, which would be kind of cool.  It seems that John should also be a qualifying ancestor, but apparently so far no one has submitted his proof.  John had three siblings but so far James is the one that seems to qualify for admission to the society.  It follows that John should also qualify.

We don't know when John was born, but he was signing documents in 1704 so would have been born at least by 1683.  His marriage was to Susannah Ley, sometimes erroneously named as Susannah Bryant.  She married Thomas Bryant after our John's death, which is apparently where the confusion started.  John and Susannah had at least four children together, John, Augustine, Dorothy and Mary. 

If you can imagine a young man in about 1700, wearing colonial clothing and possibly a powdered wig, this may represent John.  He was a man of substance, frequently being called on as a witness to a neighbor's will, or to be an appraiser.  He sued and was sued quite often, and was required to post bond on more than one occasion.  He inherited land from his father as well as, sadly, "Negroe's" and their increase.  His wife was to have the use of them (no indication how many) until her death and then they were to be divided up between the four children.  He was known as a planter and some of his transactions were paid in tobacco rather than cash, as was typical for other planters in the era.  His land was mostly on Piscataway Creek, which drains into Rappahannock River.  This was quite close to the coast and if there were hurricanes, it might have been a bad place to be. 

John died sometime before August 10, 1720, the date his inventory was taken.  Much of the value of the estate was in the 15 slaves he owned.  Their value totaled 287 pounds, 10 shillings and the estate was valued at a little over 410 pounds.  Land didn't yet have a high value.  As mentioned earlier, Susannah married Thomas Bryant, but died herself in 1726.

We don't know whether John worked as hard to raise his family as the "Pennsylvania Dutch" did to raise theirs.  But it wasn't an easy life, living and working on the frontier of Virginia, just as it was not easy living on the frontiers of Pennsylvania.  We can be grateful to John and Susannah for the heritage they passed on.

The line of descent is

John Boughan-Susanna Ley
Mary Boughan-John Edmondson
Sukey Edmondson-Thomas Wyatt
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks
Their descendants

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

Allen line: Frances Mauldin Holbrook line: Francis Mauldin 1600-1644

I'm counting this ancestor, my 8th and 9th great grandfather, under the Allen line, simply because I have very few Allen ancestors left to write about  However, he is also an ancestor in our Holbrook line, which technically means, I think, that we who have both Allen and Holbrook lines are our own cousins.  Hmmm...It's a good thing that's a long way back!

Of course frustratingly little is known of our double ancestor, Francis Mauldin.  He is said to have been born in 1600 in London, England, the son of another Francis Mauldin.  He emigrated from England to New Norfolk County, Virginia, with his wife, believed to be Katherine Sutton, and their daughter Margaret.  Katherine was probably dead by 637 or 1638, and Francis then married Grace Bennett, and had at least one child, grace, with her.  There may have been more children with Grace, and the mother of son Francis Mauldin is, as of this writing, not identified, at least not to my satisfaction. 

Francis, his wife Katherine and daughter Margaret came to Virginia in 1634.  He paid passage for his wife plus six other persons, some or all of whom would have worked for him as indentured servants until their labor paid francis for the cost of the passage, plus completing whatever the other terms of the indentureship were.  The length of any indentureship would have depended partly on the age of the men and partly on what skills they brought with them.  Francis initially would have had help in settling and farming the 450 acres he received as headrights for his family and the other six men.  This land was on the north side of the Nansemod River.  .

After the loss of his first wife, he married Grace Bennett and in just a few years, imported two servants, and received headrights for them.  It is thought that he also acquired additional land before his death.  Given the locations of the land, it is likely that at least one of the crops Mauldin raised was tobacco.  

This is what is known of Francis Mauldin, the first of the name in America.  His son Francis Mauldin became a carpenter, and his widow went to Maryland about 1649, possibly in search of religious freedom. 

Our lines of descent are:

Allen line:

Francis Mauldin-Katherine probably Sutton
Margaret Mauldin-Samuel Lane
Dutton Lane-Pretitia Tydings
Samuel Lane-Mary Jane Corbin
Lambert Lane Nancy Anderson
Nancy Ann Lane-James McCoy
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George R Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

The Holbrook line is

Francis Mauldin-Grace Bennett
Francis Mauldin-Elizabeth Mackall
Ann Maulden-William Amos
James Amos-Hannah Clarke
Benjamin Amos-Sarah Bussey
Elizabeth Amos-Robert Amos
Martha Amos-Peter Black
Elizabeth Black-Isaac Hetrick
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Harshbarger line: Christian Bracker or Bracher

Caution!  This blog post is full of conjectures and speculation.  I'm writing it only because I am hoping someone will respond with information, not because I have information to share.  All thoughts are purely my own, and I am responsible for misleading everyone if this speculation turns out to be totally incorrect.

The subject of today's post is Christian Bracker, or possibly Bracher.  The only reason we know at present of his existence at all is that his name is in the marriage record of his daughter, Eva, when she married Johan George Harter (Herder) on October 26, 1752 in the records of St Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Upper Saucon township of what is now Lehigh County, Pennsvylvania.  At the time, it was Northampton County, but just barely.  Prior to 1752 it had been Bucks County.  I am only beginning to check the records of those last two counties but so far I haven't pulled up any mention, anywhere, of Christian.  So, was his name noted in the record because he was known to the people of the area, or because he wasn't known and the pastor was trying to leave genealogy clues for us?  At this point, a coin toss might be in order, if a decision needs to be made.

I have located one potential marriage for a Christian that seems to fit what we can guess about Christian.  Since Johan George Harter was from Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, it is possible that the families knew each other and settled near each other in Pennsylvania.  In looking for a Christian Bracker in Wuerttemberg, Germany, I find a Christian Bracher who married Rosina Barbara Neuschander in Botenheim, Neckar, Wuerttemburg, Germany on July 12, 1730.  Eva Bracker Harter is believed to have a birthday of April 14, 1730, which is close to the marriage date.  She may have arrived before the marriage or the birthdate may be off by a year.  None of Eva's known children are married Barbara or Rosina, as far as we know, so this might not be the right couple, or at least not the right wife.  Still, that area seems to be a good area to start researching, for someone who knows enough German and has access to local records. 

So if Christian Bracker did come to Pennsylvania and was known to the pastor, what became of him?  Again, there is only speculation.  If he was still alive by 1755, he very well may have travelled elsewhere for safety as the native Americans attacked the settlers rather consistently for several years then.  He may have traveled with his daughter, or with other family members.  Based on a projected birth date of about 1705, he may have died at any time, as life was hard for these people.  Or he could have been one of those who lived to a ripe old age of 85 or even 90.  I'd like to think he died late in life, but if so, there would likely be more records than we are currently finding.

So, as you see, there is nothing known of Christian except that he had a daughter Eva.  There are hints of his origin and of his wife, but there is as yet no proof that I am aware of.  He is a mystery but perhaps the mystery will be solved one day.  Most mysteries are. 

The line of descent is:

Eva Bracker-Johan George Harter
George Harter-Mary Kitterman
Johan George Harter-Mary Miller
George Harter-Elizabeth Geiger
John Harter-Mary Bennett
Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants

Update July 31, 2021.  Please disregard this post.  The first generations are not correct.  George Harter-Elizabeth Geiger and the later generations are accurate.  

 

Harshbarger line: Rice Jones died 1666 or later

I don't know much about Rice Jones.  He is reported to have come from Wales, or at least his father was from Wales.  If true, than most likely the name would have been written Rhys ap Jones, or something similar.  However, by the time he arrived in Virginia he was Rice Jones. 

We don't know when he arrived in Virginia.  Some say he arrived in 1650, and it certainly seems that he did, yet there are references to a Rice Jones in Virginia as early as 1628. Probably the 1637 birthdate I had listed for him is too late, but was he born as early as 1607?  That would make him old enough to be a landowner in 1628. 

He is shown as a planter with land around Elizabeth City, and later is listed in Lancaster County records.  His will is apparently recorded in Lower Norfolk and Norfolk County records, if this is the same Rice Jones.  He mentions his wife Ann.  Our Rice Jones was married to Jane Cocke, so it's a little bit confusing.  The only child I know of, from Rice's marriage to Jane, was Anna Keen Jones, who married  John Wyatt. 

It seems almost too little information to even write a post about Rice Jones, but as usual I am cousin baiting and hoping someone will know more about Rice and contact me.  And even if this is all we know, it's a reminder that the Harshbarger line has many divergent branches and not all led back to Germany or Switzerland.  Rice was most likely Welsh, or at least lived very near Wales, and that makes him interesting to me.

The line of descent is:

Rice Jones-Jane Cocke
Anna Keen Jones-John Wyatt
Thomas Wyatt-Susanna "Sukey" Edmondson
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants

Harshbarger post: Daniel Schultz 1730-1820

This is a frustrating post to write.  I know nothing more of this man than the approximate birth and death dates for him.  I don't even have a death location. 

The only clues I have to Daniel Schultz's life are that he was married to a Catherine Walter and their daughter Elizabeth was born in Frederick County, Maryland in 1757.  I do know that Frederick County had a settlement of Germans and because Catherine is sometimes listed as Catherine Walterin, the feminine form of Walter, I suspect that this was a German family.  I would love to know when the families immigrated and where they were from. I also know there would be several variant spellings to the Schultz name, including Shultz.  That makes searching more challenging!

Other suspicions are that the family farmed, that it was larger than the one child I know of, and that they may have moved on by the time Daniel died, in 1820.  His daughter Elizabeth had died earlier in 1791, in Martinsburg, Virginia (now West Virginia) and it is possible that this is where we should be looking for Daniel.  After all, there were grandchildren to enjoy and to help raise!

Again, this is more of a place marker post, knowing that his story isn't told yet.  I hope others in his family will find this, and someone will contact me with other information, be it a scrap or a document or a place to look for records.  One Ancestry tree shows a Revolutionary War symbol, but there is no indication of whether he was a veteran, and if so, what group he was with.  I will start looking in the militia for Frederick County, for starters, but that may or may not prove fruitful.

When I know more, I will write more.

The line of descent is:

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

Harshbarger line:Thomas Allaman, Immirgrant to Virginia

This blog post is really just more of a place holder, because so far I've found very little about this man.  He was born sometime in the early life of Virginia, perhaps 1622-1630.  All the sources I've found indicate that he was born in Essex or Gloucester Counties of Virginia.  If this is true, his unknown parents were actually the immigrants.  I've seen Thomas's father as Thomas Allaman and his mother as Margaret, but I don't know if there is proof for that.

Thomas had at least two wives, with Judith being the daughter of his first marriage and John, William, and Thomas being sons of his second wife, believed to be Mary Webster Webb.  He died on March 9, 1706, having survived drought and (probably) hurricane, peace and war, insects and illness.  He was probably 76 years old or more when he died, which was an old age for Virginia colonists of the time. 

That's as much as we know about Thomas, but we can speculate.  Because he was in Virginia during this time period, he was probably a part of the Anglican (Church of England) religion.  He would have paid a tithing tax to the authorities, in addition to whatever the government required of him.  He was likely part of the militia, for these people had to be on their guard against native American attacks and intrusions for many years.  We don't know whether he took part in Bacon's Rebellion or not, but we do know he likely wasn't a ringleader in that event.  He may have farmed or fished, but if he did neither of these for a living than he would have been some time of merchant or craftsperson.  Those were the opportunities available at the time. 

I would love to know more about this man and his wife.  Nothing further is readily available on the net, and my search of books at the library has so far come up empty.  If someone has had better luck than I have, and you're willing to share what you've found, I'd love to hear from you. 

The line of descent is:
Thomas-Allaman-Judith
Judith Allaman-James Edmondson
John Edmondson-Mary Boughan
Sukey (Susannah) Edmondson-Thomas Wyatt
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Eliot Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Ellen Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants

Harshbarger line: Daniel Lawall 1716-1796 Immigrant

What's a good German doing being listed as of Huguenot ancestry, anyway?  Well, Daniel's great grandparents left France when the Edict of Nantes of 1598, granting Huguenots a certain amount of liberty protection in France, was rescinded in 1685.  Protestants were no longer free to worship or live as they pleased, and many, many families went to friendlier locations in Germany.  If they chose the right city or village, they could continue to worship as Protestants. The family name was probably De Val or de la Val, in France.

Daniel himself may have come to the New World in search of religious freedom, or because of economic reasons, or a combination of both.  He was born in 1716 in Budesheim, Rhein-Platz, in what would become Germany. His parents were Johan Daniel and Agnes  Germanding Lawall, and he likely had siblings although I don't have any evidence of that.  Most German families were large.   Pictures on line show the village of Budesheim that at least from a distance probably hasn't changed much in 300 years, except this was in an area that was likely fought over during World War II, so perhaps the buildings are newer than they look.  If I were a traveling person, this would be someplace I would want to put on my bucket list! 

In Germany, Daniel married Barbara, who has not yet been identified further, to my knowledge.  He arrived in Philadelphia in 1752, probably with Barbara and their five children.  We don't yet know the story of his life in Pennsylvania, except that he was a farmer.  By 1781 he was on the tax rolls in Lower Saucon township, Northampton County, Pa.  At his death in 1796 he is listed as a yeoman, so he must have been a landowner. 

I haven't yet found a will, but I have located the abstract.  It names his wife, Barbara, and his children Ludwig, Anna Margaret (deceased wife of Christopher Ketterman), Gertraut, wife of George Seitz, Philip, and Bernina, wife of Valentine Horn.  A nephew, Daniel Beidelman is also mention, and is one of the executors of the will.  I wonder how Daniel Beidelman fits into the family?  Is there a potential clue to Barbara here? 

So far, this is what I know about Daniel.  I'd like to know whether he knew that he was of French ancestry, or whether he thoroughly identified with his German village.  I'd like to know where his land was, and how much he had.  I'd like to know what this man thought of the events of the French and Indian War, and the Revolutionary War.  How was he affected by these events?  Was he glad he had come to America?  I would like to sit down and talk with this man!

The line of descent is:

Daniel Lawall-Barbara
Anna Margaret Lawall-Christopher Kitterman
Mary Kitterman-George Harter
Johan George Harter-Mary M Miller
George Harter-Elizabeth Geiger
John Harter-Mary Bennett
Clara Ellen Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants

Update: July 31/2021  Please disregard this post if you are reading it because it ties into the Harter line.  The first four generations in this list are not connected to the George Harter who married Elizabeth Geiger.  More research to follow.

Harshbarger line: Tobias Miller 1731-1805

Tobias Miller.  I could pretty much end this post right there, because that is almost as much as I know about him.  There seem to have been several Tobias Miller's in this time period, one who stayed in Pennsylvania, one who went to North Carolina, and ours, who went to what became Franklin County, Va. There are probably others, too, but these are the three who are most frequently mixed up in the records or trees found on line.

It seems to be pretty well agreed that Tobias was born in 1731, either in Pennsylvania or in wherever his parents came from, which was probably somewhere in Germany.  I base that "probably" only on the suspected (several) names of his parents, which all seem to have a German background.  One set of possible parents would be Jacob and Magdalena (maiden name unknown).  Another would be Johann Michael and Susannah Agnes Berchtol.  If we go strictly from a majority standpoint, Johann Michael and Susannah Agnes would win.  However, I've seen no proof and I'm not willing to stick my neck out on this one.

So, Tobias was either born here or born there.  The first time I can really say "Yes, this is likely our guy" is on a 1770 tax list of Coventry Township, Chester County, Pa.  At the time, he had 2 cattle and 2 horses, no sheep and no slaves.  He owned 100 acres of land.  This was not a lot to have in raising a family but it was something.  It's unclear whether he was married at this time.  Usually if men were single they were called "inmates" but perhaps he was not included there because he owned land.  At any rate, in 1773 he married Barbara Brower in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and our family is descended from this marriage. (Tobias would have been 42 years old when he married Barbara, which is old for a first marriage, and another reason I bring up the possibility of an earlier marriage.)

Tobias and Barbara had moved to either Bedford or Henry County, Virginia, by 1786 because when the county of Franklin formed from those two counties in 1785, one of the first acts of the courts was to appoint Tobias to be the surveyor of a road from Little Creek to Maggotty Creek there.  This indicates that he had been there long enough to know the "lay of the land", so to speak, and also shows that he was in good health at the time.  I tried from maps to figure out where he would have lived and so far haven't narrowed it down any more than somewhere around Boone's Mill, north of Rocky Mount and south east of Roanoke.

I'm not sure how many children they may have had.  Mary and Hannah are pretty much agreed on; I've also seen John, Jacob, Tobias and Catherine listed, with no birth or death dates.  Presumably these children were born between 1773 and maybe 20 years later, so some were likely born in Chester County, Pa. and some in Virginia.

Tobias died in 1805, most likely in Franklin County, Va.  Some of his children moved on to Montgomery County, Ohio, very early in Ohio's history, and some say that Tobias died there.  It appears that Barbara died the same year, although none of this is documented.

I've found several items on internet trees that I don't think are correct.  This Tobias was not in Lancaster County, Pa in the 1790 and 1800 census reports.  This Tobias was not the one buried in Philadelphia.  This Tobias was probably not the one with an estate sale in 1822 in Hagerstown, Md., mentioning personal property items.  First, the distance in time and miles is great, and second, why would his personal property have been saved that long?

I would love to hear from other members in this family who have researched Tobias, to see what is actually documented, who actually belongs in this family, and what Tobias's story is.  Was he a participant in the Revolutionary War?  When did the family go to Virginia?  What church did the family attend?  Where is he buried?  Who were his parents?

Names without stories bother me!  So do people without parents. 

The line of descent is:

Tobias Miller-Barbara Brower
Mary Miller-Johan George Harter
George Harter-Elizabeth Geiger
John Harter-Mary Bennett
Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants

Update:  I located information showing that Mary Miller and George Harter were married by Jacob Miller.  In researching him, I find that Rev. Jacob was a Brethren or Dunkard Minister, and was a brother to our Tobias.  There is a legend that five Miller brothers went to Franklin County, Va., all pastors.  Tobias may not have been a pastor, though, because he didn't perform his daughter's wedding ceremony.  No one seems sure who the parents were of Jacob Miller, but he seems to have left a very large posterity.  No doubt they would also like to know the parentage of Jacob and Tobias! 

Update 2: July 31, 2021.  Please disregard this post.  The line of descent is not correct.  George Harter who married Elizabeth Geiger is not the son of Mary Miller and Johan George Harter.  

Harshbarger line: Christopher Kitterman about 1730-1806 Immigrant

Looking rather desperately to find another name to write about in the Harshbarger lineage, I noticed Christopher Kitterman.  He was just sitting quietly in the family tree, with no folder, no information, and nothing to indicate he was really a person.  Now he has his own folder in my file cabinet, with the beginnings of some information about him, thanks largely to Virginia Shoemaker Perry, who, as it turns out, has written a whole book about Christopher and his descendants.  Unfortunately, the book does not seem to be available (not even Allen County Public Library has a copy) but fortunately, she has shared some of what she knows on line.  Thank you, Virginia!

Christopher was born sometime about 1728 in Germany.  Virginia is not willing to say where he was born, but other sources state it was Grossgartach, Wuerttemberg, Germany.  She is also not willing to give him a birth date, and I have seen dates from 1719 to 1730.  If information that a daughter was born in 1732 is correct, than I would give him an even earlier birthdate, but as far as I know, no one has found documentation for any kind of birthdate, or for his parents.  It sure would be nice to solve these questions.

Similarly, there are two dates given for his emigration to America.  One source says he came on the ship "Patience" in August of 1750 and Perry says he came on the "Janet" in 1751.  Either could be correct, or both could be correct, for he could have come and then gone back to Germany to settle an estate, talk family members in to coming, sell real estate, or for any number of other good reasons.  At any rate, he was in the Colonies, Pennsylvania of course, by 1751.  He was a farmer and a Lutheran, and soon found a good local girl to marry.  He married Anna Margaret Lawall, daughter of Daniel and Barbara Lawall, at Tohickon Union (Reformed) Church in Bucks County, Pa. on February 3, 1761.  This is late enough that it may have been a second marriage, and another wife has been suggested (not by Perry, as far as I know) as Anna Christina.  At any rate, this marriage took place on February 3, 1761, and their first daughter, Mary, was born July 31, 1761, so it may have been time for this couple to marry.

Additional children were Elizabeth, Henry, Jacob, and Michael.  Some Ancestry trees also list Michael, Maria Magdalena, Catherine, and Susanna.  If these were Christopher's children, they must have been by a first wife because the birth dates are all before the marriage date of 1761, and good Lutherans would not have waited until child number 5 to marry.

It appears that sometime about 1771 or 1772, Christopher and his family moved to Frederick County, Maryland.  Confusingly, he is listed as being in Frederick County, Md in 1771/72, with a notation that he had moved to Pennsylvania, and in 1772 there is a Stophel Kataman in Lower Saucon Twp, Northampton County, listed as a laborer.  If  this is the same person, he may have gone back to Pennsylvania temporarily to help a family member, or to earn some cash as his farm in Maryland got established.  (Daniel Lawell was in Northampton County when he wrote his will in 1796, so maybe it was the in-laws who needed help.) It would be interesting to find out what the story is behind this, if in fact these are the same men.  He is in the 1790 census in Frederick County, Maryland with 1 male over the age of 16, and 2 females, so by now, the child rearing was done.  We don't know who the second female was, but perhaps she was a relative, or maybe even a helper of some sort as this would have been an aging couple.  They haven't been found in the 1800 census, which indicates they may have been living with someone else (or it could just be that the name has been so mangled in the transcriptions that no one has yet recognized it). 

By 1806, Christopher was in Frederick County, Virginia and his wife was named Christine, because both facts are stated in his will.  We don't know when he moved to Virginia, when wife Anna Margaret died, or who Christine was.  However, she is mentioned by name several times in the will, so we can assume this was his wife at the time of his death.  The will itself is complicated and a transcription can be read on wikitree.  Besides his wife, he also mentions his brother John George Kitterman, deceased, his son John Kitterman, deceased son Michael, son Henry, daughter Mary Harter, daughter Susanna Fishburn, daughter Catherina Miksel.  Elizabeth Ader is mentioned and may be a daughter, also, but that is not specified.  (If Nancy Glass is not provided for in the will of Adam Ader, then she is to get money from what Christopher has left Elizabeth, so Adam may be a stepfather to Nancy).  Further research would be needed to clarify that.  The will was written March 6, 1805 and admitted to probate March 16,1806.  I note that Maria Magdalena and Johann Jacob, who are each supposed to be his children and each alive at the time of the will, are not mentioned in the will.

This is a lot of information to find and process for one morning.  There are mysteries and uncertainties here, but at least we know he is part of the family, we know he was a Lutheran and a farmer, and we know he had several children and two or possibly three wives.  That's a start.  I'd love to hear from someone with more information about Christopher or/and his wives.!

The line of descent is:

Christopher Ketterman-Anna Margaret Lawall
Mary Kitterman-George Harter
Johann George Harter-Mary M Miller
George Harter-Elizabeth Geiger
John Harter-Mary Bennett
Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants

Update July 31, 2021  Please disregard this post.  George Harter who married Elizabeth Geiger is not the son of Johann George Harter and Mary Miller.  

Harshbarger line: Hubert Brower 1694-1786, Immigrant

This will be another short post, since I've already written about his son Christian and there is less information about Hubert.  But as an immigrant, the one who brought five children with him to America, he deserves at least a mention.  As part of the Mennonites who were basically forced or at least encouraged to leave their homes in Fuss Gonheim, the Palatinate, (Germany), they arrived at Philadelphia in 1726.  The family is fortunate to have the original pass which allowed them to leave their home in Foss Gonheim and sail to the New World.  In order to get this pass, they would have needed to show a certain amount of funds, as the authorities wanted to make sure the unwanted Mennonites would not return to them. 

Almost by definition, Mennonites were poor so it is impressive that the family had enough money to come to America.  Unfortunately, there don't seem to be good land records, or perhaps Hubert never had land.  He may have supported himself as a stone mason or a carpenter, which were occupations of many of the family.  At any rate, by 1743 his three sons had all purchased land in East Coventry Township, Chester County, Pa so it is likely that the immigrant family lived somewhere in the vicinity. 

I've not located tax or land records for Hubert, and neither have I located his will.  At this point, this is all I know about him but it is enough to give a sense that he was determined to raise his family, and that they would own land and have a good start in life.  As Mennonites, they would have likely been hard working people who didn't participate in the wars of the time, French and Indian or Revolutionary, but they would have been good neighbors.  Hubert is believed to have died about 1786, so he lived into his 90s. He must have been a remarkable man!

The line of descent is:

Hubert Brower-Anna possibly Este
Christian Brower-first wife
Barbara Brower-Tobias Miller
Mary Miller-Johan George Harter
George Harter-Elizabeth Geiger
John Harter-Mary Bennett
Clara Ellen Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants 

Update July 31, 2021  Please disregard this post.  George Harter who married Elizabeth Geiger is not the son of the Johan George Harter who married Mary Miller. 

Harshbarger line: Nicholas Cocke 1592-1670

Quite a bit of research has been done on the Cocke family of Virginia, and some of it is likely not correct.  However, we know the Cocke's were there, early, so we have at least the general outlines of the family, even if we're not clear on when the first immigration took place.

Nicholas Cocke was born about 1592, likely in Cornwall or Lancashire, England.  Either the records haven't survived or they haven't been located, but this is where the Cocke family lived, and the coat of arms on Nicholas's grave was identical to the Cocke family's coat of arms.  It would be great if someone could trace this back further, and learn why the coat of arms was used, but as far as I know it hasn't happened.

He married Elizabeth Lower of Lesaunt, Cornwall, England on November 11, 1619 so this would be a good clue as to where to start looking for baptismal records.  As far as I know now, the couple had only one child, Nicholas Jr., although they had a marriage of over 50 years.  I would think it likely that there were more children.

It is hard to tell which Nicholas Cocke is being discussed in the Virginia land records, but the older Nicholas seems to have stayed in Middlesex County while his son was in Lancaster County, Va.  (Middlesex was actually formed from Lancaster County, so it is possible that the two men actually lived very close to each other.)
Nicholas died in 1670 and his wife died in 1687, at home in Middlesex County.  I haven't located probate records yet, nor do I know the cause of death for either person.  Elizabeth would have been quite old at her death, perhaps as much as 95 years old but surely at least 85.  Nicholas lived what was actually quite a good life, too, 78 years.   He had been in Virginia for at least 12 years, and that was pretty good for living among all the dangers-natural, human, and disease-that seemed to stalk the colony.

I'd love to know more about Nicholas Senior.  His son had slaves; did this Nicholas also engage in slavery?  What was his home like?  Was he wholeheartedly in favor of the Anglican/Church of England church?   And if Nicholas was truly his only child, how did he feel about that situation?  I would be thrilled to hear from anyone who knows anything more about the Cockes, or the Jones family, or anyone else in this list of descendants.  I don't have good documentation on some of them and I'd love to learn more about these families.

The line of descent is believed to be:

Nicholas Cocke-Elizabeth Lower
Nicholas Cocke-Jane widow Curtis
Jane Cocke-Rice Jones
Anna Keen Jones-John Wyatt
Thomas Wyatt-Susannah "Sukey" Edmondson
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Eliot Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants

Harshbarger line: James Boughan died 1677 Immigrant

It's surprising to me that I keep finding people in the Harshbarger line who were not German, not immigrants to Pennsylvania, and not Anabaptist or Lutheran.  There is one line that leads back to Virginia, and one of the Virginia families is that of James and Thomasin Boughan.  Thomasin was the "widow Harper" but we don't know more than that. 

We don't know when or where James was born.  Most on line genealogies assign him a birth date of 1625, but that seems not to have any documentation.  It is likely based on calculations that his son James (who was referred to as Major James) had cows given to him in 1664 and 1671, and purchased land in 1671.  That gives Major James a birthdate of perhaps 1650 or earlier, so therefore immigrant James could have been born around 1625.  

He settled in what was at first considered Rappahannock County, and is now Essex County, Virginia.  His first land purchase was in July of 1655, 250 acres purchased from Oliver Seager.  In 1658, he received a land patent for what was apparently another 250 acres and then in 1665 he received another 150 acres as headright (given 50 acres of land for each person he brought into Virginia colony.  This meant he paid their passage and likely they then became his indentured servants to pay off their debt.) The persons he transported were Elizabeth Pettus., Elizabeth Edom, and Jno Roakes.  Later he transported another 20 people, names not given, and received another 1000 acres in return.  It is possible that not all of these 20 people went to work on his plantation, although they may have.  If someone transported more people than they could use on their land, they would "sell" the indenture to someone else.  Regardless, those who were transported owed their passage money to someone, and it was usually worked off in 3 or 4 years time, although minors sometimes had to serve for seven years.

It appears that most of this land was still owned by James when he died.  His date of death was sometime between December 26, 1677, when he served as a member of a jury, and March 29, 1678, when Major James, his son, referred to his father as "lately deceased."

James and Thomasin had four known children, James, John, Henry, and Alexander.  They lived in Farnham Parish, Essex County, which means they went to church or at least paid their tithables to the church, which would have been Church of England in denomination.  Since we don't know when James and Thomasin immigrated, (or whether together or separately), it is hard to guess the reasons for the move.  It may have been related to all the upheavals of the English Civil War and its aftermath, or it may have been strictly for economic reasons.  Regardless, the colonists in Virginia were affected by the English Civil War and that was a part of their lives.  If they were here prior to 1646, they would have also been affected by the Powhatan Indian wars that resulted in several uprisings during the early years of colonization. 

We know enough about the Boughan's to know they had children, and land, and a chance at a new life in America.  We can suspect they had indentured servants, and we know they would have belonged to the local church.  We know they lived through eventful times, and we know they contributed to the building of America.  That is enough for a very broad outline, but I'd sure like to have more details!

The line of descent is:

James Boughan-Tomasin widow Harper
Major James Boughan-Mary possibly Edmondson
John Boughan-Susannah Bryant
Mary Boughan-John Edmondson
Susannah "Sukey" Edmondson-Thomas Wyatt
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendant

Much more information than the highlights I've given here is available at thomasmoore.com/genealogy.  The pages I have looked at there are thorough and well documented. However, any mistakes in this post are mine and mine alone.  

Harshbarger line: John Edmondson 1688-1733

I am so confused.  I want to write about the Ednmondsons, who have a very long history in Virginia.  The Harshbarger connection is Sukey or Susanna Edmondson who married Thomas Wyatt on November 25, 1747 in Essex County, Virginia.  Her parents were John Edmondson and Mary Boughan.  After that it gets murkier.  I seem to have too many sets of Edmondsons in the higher branches of the tree to fit the facts.  For instance, I have a Judith Allaman as a grandmother to John, and that cannot be if the birthdates are correct, because I show Judith as born in 1695 and John (the husband of Mary Boughan) as born in 1688.  Something is surely wrong here.

However, I want to at least mention the Edmundson family as being part of the Harshbarger heritage, because I do think the John Edmondson-Mary Boughan parentage is correct for Sukey.  From what little I can find on line, John was of Essex County, Virginia, and he owned slaves that were later deeded from Gabriel Jones and his wife to their children.  (Mary Boughan Edmondson mararied Gabriel Jones of Orange County, Viginia in 1738, after John had died in 1733.)  He left a will, which I have not seen, mentioning an unborn child who apparently did not survive.  The will also mentioned his wife Mary and daughter Sukey, as well as Augustine Boughan and the children of his brother Samuel Edmundson, William Smith, Thomas Moore, Sarah Boughan and brother Thomas Edmundson.  Mary must have been a capable woman as she served as executrix with James Webb, John Webb, and Thomas Sparke as securities.

John apparently left very little other tracks in the deeds or court books of the time.  He is believed to have been born about 1688, although I have seen other sources guessing his birth date as about 1700.  I don't know where either of those dates came from.  At any rate, we was still a young man when he died, with one child born and another on the way.  Presumably he attended church somewhere although that is not a given, since church attendance in the early 1700's was not necessarily important to many Virginians.

More research needs to be done to determine his birthdate, tax records, any deeds that show land ownership, and other details of his life.  Nevertheless, we know that he lived, fathered a Harshbarger ancestor, and thereby left a legacy. The Virginia heritage is a small one in this line, but every ancestor is important and  I would love to find out more about him!

The line of descent is: 

John Edmondson-Mary Boughan
Sukey Edmondson-Thomas Wyatt
John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jean Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants

Harshbarger line: Charles Bennett about 1730-1818

Charles Bennett is another mystery.  He is, so far, the head of the family only because it seems that no one has traced him back any further.  He is believed to have been born about 1730, because we know he married in 1753.  It is possible that this is the Charles Bennett who was apprenticed to Samuel Howard in 1742, in what became Harford County Maryland but was at the time Baltimore County  That Charles Bennett's mother's name was Mary.  This indicates that the father of Charles was dead, since generally it was the father's name who would show in the records.  So far, the only Bennett that I've found who had a wife Mary was Peter Bennett of Talbot County, Md., who died in 1729.  I've not read the will nor done any further research on him, but it's a possible lead.

So, the first we really know of Charles Bennett is that he married Martha Collins on September 11, 1753 at St. John's Parish, Baltimore County, Md.  There was a St John's Parish in what became Harford County, so it's possible that this is where Charles Bennett lived and where his bride lived also.  Martha Collins is another person who either hasn't been researched or is playing hide and seek with those who are trying to find her.

Charles and Martha had 11 children together, so we know that Martha was a strong woman.  They moved several times to improve their lives and that of their children.  The first three children were born in St. John's Parish between 1755 and 1758.  The rest of the children were born "elsewhere".  We lose sight of the family for  awhile.  It has been stated that Charles was a soldier in Dunmore's War, which took place in 1774 and meant he was likely somewhere in Virginia at the time.  This was a war with the native Americans and took place mainly in what is now Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky.  From wherever he was living when the war took place, he may have had the opportunity to see "points west".  He had land surveyed in 1775 about five miles from the Mononagahela River, on the slopes of Chestnut Ridge, and he and his family lived there until 1806.

In 1806, Charles and Martha sold 100 acres on both sides of Coburns Creek in Monongalia County for $350 Virginia money, and moved to Scioto County, Ohio, with most of his children.  Charles would have been about 76 years of age at this time, and Martha not much younger.  They lived a few more years, with Martha dying in 1815 and Charles in 1818.  They are presumed to be buried at Squire Cemetery, Scioto County, Ohio.

The line of descent is:

Charles Bennett-Martha Collins
Caleb Bennett- Ann Catherine Wilson
Solomon Eliot Bennett-Margaret Farmer
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents

Note:  I would be very glad if someone could explain to me why there are notes that Caleb died in 1851 leaving only nephews and nieces.  Were there two Caleb Bennetts, and if so, does our Caleb Bennett belong to Charles?  It is possible that the history as presented here is not correct, even though I have seen it stated as so many times, the evidence seems to indicate it is correct, and it seems to make sense.  I'd be happy to hear from someone who is more in the know than I am!

Update 6/19/2015.  I am pretty well convinced that our Caleb, who is the father of Solomon, is NOT the son of Charles.  I am leaving this post up, despite being red-faced about my error, because it may help someone else.   I am now on the trail of Caleb Bennett of Miami County, Ohio. His known children are Abraham, William, Solomon, Joshua, George, Caleb, James, and possibly John, Isaac, Thomas, Martha, Anna, Phoebe and Catherine.  

Harshbarger line: George Harter (Herder) m. Eva Bracker

We know so little about George that it seems useless to do a blog post about him.  I'm writing this because he does appear to be an immigrant, and because I frequently review my posts to see what else I need to learn about the subject of the post.

Johan George Harter (Herder, Herter) appears to have been born about 1730, probably somewhere in what is now Germany.   We are guessing at his date of birth because, thanks to the hard work of Robert Harter, we do know he was married on October 26, 1752 in what is now Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, to Eva Bracker, daughter of Christian Bracker.  Mr. Harter thinks it likely that Johann George had arrived on the ship Phoenix on September, 15, 1749, when he would have needed to be at least 16 years old to have migrated by himself.  Many men were married at about the age of 25 so if this was a first marriage then 1720-1730 is a likely time frame for his birth.  At least we know their religion-they were married at the St Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Upper Saucon Township.  This was a German speaking church, and so supports our supposition that Johan George was of German descent.  Again according to Mr. Harter, there is a tradition that the family was from the area of Frankfort.

George and Eva's family grew quickly, although there are few known birth records.  By 1769, the family was in Frederick County, Maryland and at the St Peter's Lutheran Church there, they took communion with daughter Christina, who would have had to have been at least thirteen.  Christian and Johann (Johann George II) took communion with their parents three months later, and Adam and Frantz were confirmed around this time.  Jacob, Conrad, Magdalena and Elizabeth were confirmed in 1778, with ages of 18, 16, 14, and 16.  Dorothea was confirmed at age 14 in 1780. 

The family left Maryland about 1792 and moved on to Franklin County, Virginia, where it is believed that both Johan George and Eva died, probably in 1800.  Johan George would have been at least 60 by then, so it's possible he didn't own land there, but lived with one or another of the children. 

Robert Harter has much more information on the US gen web archives website for Frederick County, Md at files.usgwarchives.net/md/frederick/history/family/harter.txt  I encourage you to read his wonderful article, which in turn, is excerpted from his book, The Joh. Georg and Eva Harter family: 250 years in the U.S.  

The line of descent is:

Johan George Harter-Eva Bracker
George Harter-Mary Kitterman
Johan George Harter-Mary Miller
George Harter-Elizabeth Geiger
John Harter-Mary Bennett
Clara Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants

Update July 31, 2021  Please disregard this post.  The George Harter who married Elizabeth Geiger is not the son of Johan George Harter and Mary Miller.  

Harshbarger line: Johann Valentin Geiger Immigrant 1685-1762

Johann Valentin Geiger was born shortly before December 21, 1685 in Mosbach, Baden-Wuerttemburg, Germany.  Actually this would have not been Germany and not Baden-Wuerttemburg.  At the time that he was born, this was part of the Electorate of the Palatinate.  Regardless, to us he was born in southern Germany. The town itself is ancient, possibly dating from the 9th century, and there are many wonderful pictures of medieval appearing buildings in Mosbach, on the internet.  Whether you want to tour Europe in person some day, or just want to learn a little about our ancestors, looking at these pictures could give you some inspiration.

Valentin's parents were Johann Valentin Geiger (Giger and Kyger are alternate spellings) and Maria Barbara Bauer, and he was one of at least four children.  We don't know the occupation of his father, but it may be that he was not a farmer. Perhaps he was a merchant or a tradesman of some sort, since this town had a population that would support such activities. 

Sometime about 1716 Valentin married Johanna Fredericka Henckel, daughter of Anthony Jacob Henckel, the Lutheran pastor who came to the New World early. A son was born to them and Fredericka was again expecting a child when the family traveled to the New World in September of 1717 (arrival date). The Geigers came with Fredericka's parents, who were already 45-50 years of age.  Valentin would have been 42 and Fredericka about 25 when they arrived at Philadelphia.

Several more children were born in quick succession and perhaps sympathy is due to Fredericka.  Anthony had been born in the Old World, and possibly Johann Jacob. Valentine was born June 2, 1718, and then Barbara, Christopher, and Mary Margareta.  There is about a 16 year gap in children, and then Anna Barbara was born.  She is listed as a child of Valentin and Fredericka, but Fredericka would have been 45 years old in 1737, so this would have probably been a very difficult birth.  Fredericka died April 2, 1739 in Philadelphia County, in what would become New Hanover, Montgomery County, Pa.

We can guess that Valentin would have been a farmer.  This was a frontier area when the family went there, and life would have not been easy.  It must have been sparsely populated, because even in 1930, the township had a population of 1,467, and this would have been 200 years after the Geigers arrived.  Of course, for a few years, they would have seen the Henckel's frequently, but they were dead by 1730.

Valentin married Maria Elizabeth Schmidt in or about 1741, and four more Geigers were born to this marriage-Johann Dietrich, John Henry, Benjamin, and Charles.  Most of the older children would likely have been out of their parent's home when the second family came along, which could be a good thing. Housing eleven children in one household would have been difficult.

We know little else about the family.  They attended the New Hanover Lutheran Church, which was the first German Lutheran Church in America and was organized by Daniel Falckner about 1700.  From 1742 to 1761 Henry Melchior Muhlenberg served as the pastor, and I found a document on Ancestry.com from the Historic Pennsylvania and Church records, kept by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. It is written in German, but appears to be a record of some sort of tithes, offerings, or pledges.  Muhlenberg's name is at the top, with a number of 1.5 in what I take to be the "shillings" column. Valentin Geiger is three lines down, with 7 shillings and 6 pence attributed to him.  (It would be great to find a translation of this handwritten document!)

Valentin died December 1, 1762, and he is believed to be buried in the New Hanover Lutheran Church cemetery, Montgomery County, Pa (It was Philadelphia County until 1784).  I have not found a will for him.

I'd like to know more about the man, of course. What was his livelihood in Germany, and in Pennsylvania?  Did he own the land he lived on here?  Why did he decide to come to the New World?  Was it so his wife could keep an eye on her parents, or were there other reasons?  And I always wonder about the immigrants-were they glad they came to the New World where they could start over, or did the difficulties and dangers they encountered make them long to go back?

The line of descent is

Johann Valentin Geiger-Johanna Fredericka Henckel
Johann Valentin Geiger-Sarah (widow?) Vetatoe
Jacob Geiger-Elizabeth Shultz
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

Harshbarger line: Christian Brower abt 1714 to 1771

Christian Brower and his parents, Hubert Brower and Catherine Eve Brenneman, came to the New World in 1726.  The family is very fortunate that the original "pass" for the Brower family, which was similar to a passport and was issued by local (German) authorities, is still in existence and is one of the treasures of the Brethren Historical Library and Archives.  It was issued on May 1, 1726. We know that the pass states that the family was from the town of Fuss Gonheim, on the Rhine River just across from Mannheim  but we don't know how long the family had lived there.  It may have been only a matter of months, or it could have been years.

The Browers were a Mennonite family, which indicates that their origin was probably Switzerland. However, several websites name Hubert's father as Adam, and give him a Dutch wife and nationality.  More research needs to be done on this family, to prove that Adam is Hubert's father,  and to find out if the Dutch connection is correct. It is possible that Adam or his parents had settled briefly in the Netherlands, during the Thirty Years War which caused so much disruption to the various states that eventually became Germany.

At any rate, Christian was about 8 years old when he and his family crossed the ocean on what was apparently a lengthy voyage. We don't know exactly when they arrived because the oath of allegiance was not required until 1727, so apparently it would have been late in 1726.  The first record I find of Christian is that he took the naturalization oath in 1743, when he would have been about 29.  He was a young married man at this time, and the oath was required before he could own land, so this may have been the motivation for the timing of the oath. Since his brothers bought land in 1743, it may be that Hubert had died shortly before that time.

We don't know the name of Christian's wife.  He had apparently married Eve Brenneman Bowman at some point after their separate families were complete.  However, he had at least 8 children with hi unknown wife. They had 8 children together, and settled on the banks of the Schuylkill River in what is now East Coventry Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.  Christian had obtained his 200 acres of land through a grant from the Proprietors, meaning this was wilderness that had not been owned before.  At least two of his brothers, Henry and John, settled near him.

We are fortunate to find tax records for him in Coventry, Chester, Pennsylvania in 1753, and later we can even find note of what he was taxed on.  In 1766, he was taxed for 200 acres, 3 horses and cattle, 8 sheep, and one servant.  This may have been an indentured servant about to serve his term, because the servant is not shown on later tax lists.  The last record, in 1771, shows him with 200 acres, 3 horses, and 5 cattle.  He died in 1771 and apparently there is a will in existence, but I haven't yet located it.  I've not found any indication of an occupation other than farming, but it is always possible that he had a trade also.

I'd like to find the will, and also I'd like to know whether or how Christian participated in the French and Indian war, or other skirmishes. As a Mennonite, my inclination is to think that he would not have been active in the military, but I could be wrong and I'd like to know for sure.  Of course, I'd also like to find documentation of his father's parents and their story.  And the brick wall is: who was the mother of his children?  I'd love to know!

The line of descent is:

Christian Brower-Catherine Eve Brenneman
Barbara Brower -Tobias Miller
Mary Miller-Johan George Harter
George Harter-Elizabeth Geiger
John Harter-Mary Bennett
Clara Ellen Harter-Emanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents

Fun fact:  The trip from Germany to the New World was apparently a lengthy one, even for the times.  Can you imagine spending as long as six months on ship, watching your food stores dwindle, probably being sea sick (or at least, having children who were sea sick) much of the time?  I shudder just to think about it, but these people lived it.  

Update 7/31/2021  Please disregard this post.  The George Harter who married Elizabeth Geiger is not the son of Johan George Harter and Mary Miller.

Harshbarger line: John Wyatt, Methodist pastor

John Wyatt is another fascinating Harshbarger ancestor.  His story is fascinating, but even more, his pedigree is fascinating.  Apparently the Wyatt line ties back to George Wyatt and Jane Finch, who had royal ancestry, based on DNA testing. The problem is that so far, the exact line of descent has not been determined.  John's father was Thomas, whose father was John, whose father was Major William.  It surprises me that we know William was a major, and that he was born about 1627, but we don't know how or when he arrived in Virginia, or how he attained the rank of "Major".  Was it based on the prominence of his family? We just don't know at this point. 

However, we do know a little more about John Wyatt, since he lived 100 or more years later than Major William.  John was born June 4, 1748 in Virginia. Some internet sources say that he was born in Franklin County but Franklin County wasn't formed until 1785, so his exact place of birth is unknown.  His parents are thought to be Thomas Wyatt and Susannah "Sukey" Edmondson, and he was one of at least 6 children. 

His marriage took place in Loudoun County, Virginia in 1767 to Alice Gordon, daughter of John Gordon. In 1772, his father's will was probated in Loudoun County, so the family had been there for at least a few years.  Loudoun was in northeastern Virginia, so the new family traveled quite some distance within two years, because by then John and Alice were in Shenandoah County, where John leased 246 acres on the north side of the Shenandoah River.

Undoubtedly the Wyatts had hoped to settle down to a peaceful life on their land, but such was not to be.  As in so many families, the Revolutionary War intervened, and John was sworn in as a lieutenant  of the Shenandoah County Militia under Captain John Tipton in April, 1778.  We don't know how often he was called to active duty, but he was apparently home at least some of the time because he is a witness to a deed and also leased 100 acres of his land in 1780.  Most likely, he served in a frontier unit that protected against Indians who were loyal to the British, but I've not found documentation for that yet. 

The Wyatts may have belonged to the Church of England, as did most Virginians, but by 1780 the family had become supporters of the Methodist cause. The Wyatts deed part of this 246 acres to the Trustees of the Methodist church on the western side of the north river of the Shenandoah, with Special Trust and Confidence that they use the land to "preach and expound God's Holy word...provided that they preach no other doctrine than is contained in the Rev. John Wesley's notes upon the new Testament and four volumes of sermons."  

The Wyatts had at least 8 children: Elijah, Edward, Solomon, Thomas, John, Jane, Sarah and Andrew. In 1792, the Wyatts leased their remaining land and moved to Sandifers Creek, Franklin County, Virginia, where they founded the Methodist Episcopal Church of Franklin County, Va.  John had been ordained on May 31, 1792 in Shenandoah County, Va, and he must have felt some sense of urgency to leave in December of that year to go to their new pastorate. 

John Wyatt died May 1, 1802 in or near Rocky Mount, Franklin County, and it appears that Alice may have died shortly after her husband.  His will mentions all of his children except Edward. Perhaps he had already received his portion.

There is much I'd like to know about John.  I have seen him referred to as a circuit rider, but I can't pin down documentation for that.  I'd like to know where he was born (possibly Gloucester County, Va?) and I'd like to know more about his Revolutionary War Service.

There is an absolutely wonderful manuscript of the Wyatt family on FamilySearch.  It was prepared by Genevieve Peters and has transcripts of the Wyatt family as far back as can be found in Virginia, and a lot of Wyatt descendents.  It's in five volumes, and I've only reviewed the Virginia documents.  If you have interest in this family, I'd suggest going to that website, to the books section, choosing author, and then Genevieve Peters.  She must have been a wonderful, lifelong genealogist to have accumulated so much information about so many families! Most of the information in this post can be traced back to her manuscript.

The line of descent is:

John Wyatt-Alice Gordon
Jane (Jean) Wyatt-William Farmer
Margaret Farmer-Solomon Bennett
Mary Bennett-John Harter
Clara Ellen Harter-Emmanuel Harshbarger
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents