Harshbarger line: Friedrich Carl Hoerner 1703-after 1789, Immigrant

I thought I was done writing Harshbarger stories, but in a genealogy clean up project I have been working on, I found another ancestor who was an immigrant.  It will not surprise anyone in the Harshbarger family to learn that he came from Germany and died in Pennsylvania.  But what else can we learn about him?

Friedrich Carl Hoerner was born, or christened, December 23, 1703 at Dierbach, Sudliche Weinstrasse, Rheinfeld Pfalz, Germany.  This is a small village, current population abo0ut 540, and is located on the "point" between France and Germany.  One wonders how many wars this small village has seen?  Dierbach's church is Protestant and has been since the Reformation, the current church having been built in 1502.  Pictures of the town show typical German, half-timber construction, the type we would associate with medieval times. 

Friedrich Carl Hoerner was the son of Hans Gall and Juliana Margarethe Kurtz Hoerner, one of at least eight children.  Both of his parents lived until Frieddrich Carl had reached young manhood.  He was 20 when his father died and 33 when his mother died in 1737.  Friedrich appears to not have married until he was 41 years old, which was not that unusual for the men in small German villages.  Life was hard and it might take that long to save enough money to provide even the barest of necessities for a wife and a new household. 

In 1744, Friedrich Carl married Anna Catharina Schaub, daughter of Thomas Schaub, and their first child was born the following year.  Maria Salome is the only known daughter of the couple, and we don't know when Anna Catharina died.  Perhaps she died young and perhaps that is part of the reason that Friedrich Carl came to America, arriving at Philadelphia on September 29, 1750. 

Tbe next records we have for him are tax and census records starting from 1762, when he was in Berks County, probably Exeter Township.  It appears that they were members of the Schwartzwald Reformed Church (Calvinist, as opposed to Lutheran) because a son was buried there in 1788.  Also Friedrich Horner and Maria Horner are the parents of a daughter baptized November 21, 1766 at Oley (Salem) Reformed Church.  If this is our Friedrich, then it appears that Anna Catharina had died and Friedrich had remarried.  In the 1779 tax records, he is noted as having 100 acres of land, so he was probably farming.  It looks like there may be a Nicholas and a Matthias Hoerner in the same township, but I don't know if they are related or not. 

This is as much as I currently know about Friedrich Carl Hoerner.  He may very well have served in the French and Indian War of 1756-1763 (mostly up to about 1760, as far as the fighting goes) but I don't have any record of that.  He certainly would have been affected by the war, as this was frontier country at the time.  He lived through the Revolutionary War, too.  I would love to hear some of this man's stories, wouldn't you?  He is believed to have died after 1789, possibly in Bedford County, Pa.  I haven't located a will.

The line of descent is:

Friedrich Carl Hoerner-Anna Catharina Schaub
Maria Salome Hoerner-Henry Matthias Braun
David Brown-Barbara Brothers
Elizabeth Brown-William Cook
Barbara Cook-William Withers
William Withers-Della Kemery
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants

Harshbarger line: Heinrich Braun and his father Johann, Immigrants

This is the reason genealogy bloggers go gray.  Heinrich or Henry Braun and his father are pretty much complete mysteries.  I have found trees that say that Johann died in Bedford County, Pennsylvania and Heinrich died there after 1750, but that is all I know of their life in Pennsylvania.  It's frustrating!

Heinrich was born to Johann and Barbara Braun in Deidesheim, Germany.  If I have identified the town correctly, it is in the Rhineland-Palatinate, where many of the early German ancestors lived.  It appears that this is a Catholic town, or was in the 1700's, which is a bit different from other families, and the main farm crop has always been grapes.  Vineyards have been the main source of income for generations.  When Heinrich was born, the population of the town would have been about 500 people, so it was really just a village. 

There are a lot of Johann Brauns and a lot of Heinrich Brauns, and so far I've not found a record of immigration that I believe likely belonged to either man.  A Heinrich Braun did arrive in Philadelphia in 1749 but I tend to think our Heinrich was here earlier.  Records vary as to where he married his wife, Maria Anna Catarina Rau, but it was either in Deidesheim or in Pennsylvania.  The date is given as January 15, 1732.  The couple had at least two children, Henry and John. 

Heinrich died in 1750 or later, and his wife died in 1749.  Again, some sources show Germany and some show Bedford County, Pa as the location of her death. 

So, this man is a mystery, with nothing to really show to help us understand his life.  We know that he married, immigrated, and had children, although not necessarily in that order, and we know that he was widowed.   We need to do a lot more research to learn about this man and his life!  If someone recognizes him, please contact me!

The line of descent is

Heinrich Braun-Maria Anna Catarina Rau
Henry Matthias Braun-Maria Salome Hoerner
David Brown-Barbara Brothers
Elizabeth Brown-William Cook
Barbara Cook-William A Withers
William H Withers-Della Kemery
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants

Harshbarger line: Henry Matthias Braun died 1814

Usually I have enough information about an ancestor to write at least a few paragraphs.  I'm not sure I have enough for a few sentences about this gentleman, so this is mainly a plea for help.

Henry Matthias Braun is believed to have been born before 1750 in either Sachsen, Germany or in Bedford County, Pa.  His parents are stated to be Heinrich and Anna Maria Catherine Rau Braun.  In searching my usual sources, I can't verify either the date or the names of his parents.  If these are his parents, then Heinrich would actually be the immigrant.  So far, I'm lacking documentation to go back further.

Matthias married Maria Salome Hoerner in 1769 in Frederick County, Maryland.  Children were apparently born in Maryland, in Bedford County, Pa and possibly in Lancaster County, Pa. David Braun or Brown is believed to be one of their children, but I would certainly like to find documentation for that.  If he was born in Lancaster County, then I would have to question whether Matthias and Maria Salome are actually his parents, or I'd like to find out what his parents were doing there. 

Matthias and Maria Salome had eight children together, and died in Woodbury Township, Bedford County, Pa, he in 1814 and she in 1810.

That, so far, is what I "know" about this ancestor, which isn't much.  His age is such that he may have served in the Revolutionary War, but I'm not locating a card in the Pennsylvania Archives that I can say is surely his, although there is a Henirch Braun in the 4th US Artillery, among other possibilities.
I would love to know how he made his living, what church he attended, and where his property, if any, was.  I'd also love to find a will or probate papers. 

If someone out there knows more about this gentleman, I would love to hear from you!  My email is happygenealogydancingATgmailDOTcom.

The line of descent is:

Henry Matthias Braun-Maria Salome Hoerner
David Brown-Barbara Brothers
Elizabeth Brown-William Cook
Barbara Cook-William A Withers
Wiliam H Withers-Della Kemery
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants

Harshbarger line: Sebastian Kestenholtz Chestnutwood

I'll be honest here. I don't know if this man is the ancestor of Christina Chestnutwood or not, but he seems to be the best fit based on the process of elimination.  He is an interesting character, seen from this vantage point, and so I will write about what little I know of him, hoping someone has the clue that will connect the pieces here, or make me say "Never mind," and send me in a different direction.

This family is a little different than most of the families in the Harshbarger line. For one thing, they were not from Germany.  They were from Switzerland, actually Sissach, Basel Canton, Switzerland. They were likely NOT of the Anabaptist families of believers, because by the time the Kestenholtz family emigrated, Switzerland didn't have many of those families left.  Secondly, this family didn't arrive in Philadelphia, at least, not directly.  They came to the Carolinas, which was also a haven for families from Germany and Switzerland, in 1738.  Sebastian's parents were Sebastian Kestenholtz and Anna Maria Blinz.  They arrived with their children Sebastian, Barbara, Hans Jacob and Hans Georg.

We don't know how long they were in the Carolinas, nor do we know what they might have done there, nor how or when they arrived in Pennsylvania.  It is likely that they went by ship but we don't know that for certain. If they waited to migrate until the Great Wagon Road was utilized, they could have made the trip that way. 

Sebastian was born in 1736 and the next document, after arrival in the Carolinas, that I can find of him is in 1777.  At that point, there is a document in the New Jersey State Archives, from Supreme Court Case #34591, charging Sebastian of Sussex County with a misdemeanor for joining the enemy, and he was committed to jail.  I don't know how long his jail term was, but it apparently didn't change his mind. Yes, Sebastian was a Loyalist, the only one I have found yet in all the many people I've researched as part of our family genealogy.  I have no idea what prompted him to take the side of the British, but I've seen other speculation, about other men, that when a man took an oath of allegiance, many took that oath seriously.  It looks like it might cost me $10 to get the actual record, and that might be well worth the price. 

The On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies lists Sebastian Chestnutwood (his name changed by 1777, as did the names of his brothers) as a member of the 1st Battalion New Jersey Volunteers, commanded by Lieut. Colonel Joseph Barton, on State Island as of the 11th of September 1780.  The history of the battalion is available on line from the Institute, but as I'm not sure when Sebastian served I'm not reporting it here. It does appear that he would have spent most of his time on Staten Island, and the politics of the unit would have made life interesting, to say the least. There were also some battles and skirmishes that he may have participated in. 

As a Loyalist, Sebastian's family would have had a difficult time. We don't know who his wife was, or whether there were any children besides Christina.  Christina, who was born about 1758, would have been a young woman during this time and it is hard to imagine what she thought. Did she willingly support her father's views?  Did she end up in Canada with him?  I mention Canada because it appears that Sebastian was in New Brunswick, a frequent destination for Loyalists, in 1783, per Esther Clark Wright in "The Loyalists of New Brunswick." 

Again, we don't know how long he was in New Brunswick, or when or why he came back to the United States. Because he is reported as having died in Union City, Berks County, Pennsylvania, it is tempting to assume that he didn't think he would be welcomed by his former neighbors in Sussex County. He may have forfeited whatever possessions he had there, anyway, when he went to New Brunswick.  Another guess is that he wanted to be near family in Berks County, which seems likely because Abraham, his youngest brother, was still there and it is possible that there were sisters there, also.  I've read that the borders were "porous" between Canada and the United States and that it was relatively easy for someone to slip back officially unnoticed. 

Trees on the internet state that he died in 1796 in Union City, Berks County, Pennsylvania but I have not yet found either a primary or a secondary source for this information.  I would sure love to know a lot more about this man, hoping to solve some of the mysteries of where he was when, and why he was there.  I'd love to know his occupation, his religion, his wife's name, and any number of other facts about him.  In the context of all the other Swiss-German folks I've researched, he stands out like a sore thumb, but he is family and I'd like to understand him better.

The line of descent is:

Sebastian Kestenholtz Chestnutwood-unknown
Christina Chestnutwood-Matthias Brothers
Barbara Brothers-David Brown
Elizabeth Brown-William Cook
Barbara Cook-William Withers
William Withers-Della Kemery
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents

Fun fact:  In looking at this list, I know that there is a veteran of World War II, World War I, Civil War, and two veterans of the Revolutionary War, one on each side.  I am thankful to the men in this family, all of them, who did what they thought was right!  

Harshbarger line: David Brown 1783-1834

David Brown is another mystery.  He may have started life off as David Braun. His father was Henry Matthias Braun and his mother, Maria Salome Hoerner.  He was born about 1783, or possibly January 1, 1785, perhaps in Lancaster County, Pa.  We know that his family moved soon after that to Bedford County, so if he was born on January 1, 1785, then he was a twin to his brother Daniel, and may have been born in Bedford County.  On-line information seems to mix the two people up so I'm not sure which birth date is correct. 

We know that he married Barbara Brothers or Bruder, but we're not sure where or when. On line trees show the marriage as taking place in Poland, Trumbull County, Ohio in 1806 but I haven't found a source for this information.  Other trees show that the marriage took place in Lancaster County, Pa. Neither location makes a lot of sense but I am hoping to find a source someday so I can evaluate this information for myself. 

It appears that he and Barbara had at least 11 children, most if not all of them in Stark County, Ohio.  David had entered land there with a sale date of September 13, 1812.  It's possible that the family was already settled on the land when it was entered, or perhaps the family came after that date.  He owned 158 acres of land, which would have needed to be cleared before it could be planted.  This was not an auspicious time for starting out in Ohio, because the war of 1812 was in full swing and there was always the possibility of raids from Native Americans.  David's land was in Marlboro Township and soon after his brother Daniel had purchased land nearby, in Nimishillen Twp.   A Henry Brown purchased other land in 1824 and it's possible this was the brother of David and Daniel. 

The 1820 census for David shows that there were 4 males under the age of 10, 2 between the age of 10 and 15, and David between the age of 26 and 44.  David was engaged in agriculture.  There were also 2 females under the age of 10, and one aged 10-15, plus Barbara aged 26-44, for a total of 11 persons..  A family in the 1830 census in Harrisburg, Stark County, may be this same family. David was 50-59, which is a little off in age, we think. Barbara was 40-49, and there were more children.  By now, the male side had grown. There was one male under the age of 5, one between 5-9, two between 10 and 14, two 15-19, and two 20-29.  With the addition of the two youngest boys, this is compatible with the 1820 census.  There are still three females in the household besides Barbara-one is 10-14, one is 15-19, and one is 20-29.  This would easily fit the framework of the 1820 census, also, and with the information that the couple had 11 children. 

David is believed to have died in late 1834 or early 1835. Again, the same dates have been assigned for both David and Daniel and it's hard to determine which is which, from the sources I've found on line. Regardless, he was a reasonably young man in his early 50's, and he left a large family behind. Barbara lived another 19 years and died in Williams County, Ohio, on January 30, 1855.

I hope there are other researchers of this family who will see this and contact me. I'd love to know so much more about him.

The line of descent is:

David Brown-Barbara Brothers
Elizabeth Brown-William Cook
Barbara Cook-William Withers
William Withers-Della Kemery
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren

Harshbarger line: Matthias Bruder 1758-1828

Matthias Bruder, sometimes known as Brother or Brothers, was born shortly before September 2, 1759, when he was christened in the Lehigh Church, Lower Macungie Twp., Lehigh County, Pa.  His sponsors were Andreas Dressler and wife Maria Barbara, relationship as yet unknown.  The parents of Matthias, Matthias Bruder and Christina Emmert, had come to America in 1752 on the ship Duke of Wirtenburg.  He had two brothers, Heinrich (Henry) and Jacob, but if there were other siblings they have not yet been identified.

His family may actually have lived in Berks County, or at least near the border, because Matthias was enrolled in the Berks County Militia, 6th Battalion, Captain Baldy's Company by 1780, when he served about 30 days on active duty. I have not yet been able to determine what the service was. It is possible they were skirmishing with the British in New Jersey, or it is possible they were defending the border against Indians.  They also may have been doing duty at prisoner of war facilities.  Regardless, he would have joined the militia at age 18, and because there is no record of fines or absences, we can be confident that his record was a good one.  There is some evidence that he may have served in 1781, also. 

He was apparently married by 1779, to Christina Chestnutwood, whose parents are not known, when according to the records he must had had quintuplets (I'm joking; obviously either too many children are attributed to him or the birth dates on line are not correct).  More research needs to be done to straighten this out. By 1784, he is listed as having a three person family, with 100 acres, one horse, one cow, and two sheep.  This is not enough to be a full time farmer, and he was listed as being a weaver, which was a common occupation for the time.  Many men supported their families by this trade. 

By 1788, he had apparently sold his land and moved to Franklin County, Pa, where his son Jacob was christened at the Salem Reformed Church, Washington Township, on January 20, 1788.  He is listed there as Matthias Brothers in the 1790 census with two sons under the age of 16 and three daughters.
It looks like Matthias must have liked frontier life, for he moved at least every 10 years. In 1800, he was in Bedford County, Pa and his family had grown to 6 people under the age of 16, plus three between 16 and 25, plus himself and his wife.  In 1810, he was in Mahoning Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, still with 8 persons (4 male, 4 female) in his household, besides himself and his wife. For the record, the children that are attributed to this family are Catherine, Elizabeth, Esther, John, Magdalina, Barbara, Jonas, Sally, and Henry. 

Sometime between 1810 and 1820, the Brothers household moved for the last time, to Pike Township, Stark County, Ohio, which was a popular area for people of German background.  (There are statements on line that he was awarded 100 acres for his service in the War, but I am not able to verify this. If he was awarded the land in 1789, why did he wait so long to go to Ohio?) There were still 8 additional people in his household, the youngest between a male under the age of 10, and three people listed as being between 26 and 44.  It his possible that by now he had adult children living with him, who had children of their own, or other configurations are also possible.   Three persons are listed as being engaged in agriculture, so perhaps Matthias's eyes were no longer allowing him to weave.

He died on September 5, 1828 and is buried at the Chestnutwood Cemetery, East Sparta, Stark County, Ohio.  It appears to be a very small cemetery, with only a few stones showing in the pictures, but there is a plaque mounted there with the inscription: "Within this enclosure is the grave of Mathias Brothers, known as Mathias Bruder, Sixth Battalion, Berks County, Pa Militia. Born 1758 died September 5, 1828. Revolutionary War Soldier." 

I'd love to find out more about this first generation American, soldier for his country and provider for his family, with a vision that life was better to the West.  Besides the churches we've identified, where else did he worship? More research is needed to identify lands he may have owned, and taxes he may have paid.  There is likely more to the story than we know now, but this is a beginning.

The line of descent is:

Matthias Bruder-Christina Chestnutwood
Barbara Brothers-David Brown
Elizabeth Brown-William Cook
Barbara Cook-William Withers
William Withers-Della Kemery
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren