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