I've written before about Johann Conrad Reber, born December 10, 1751. I mis-stated his place of birth, for in researching his father, I find that his parents were already in Pennsylvania by the time Conrad Jr. was born.
So let's look at this father's life and we may gain some insights into the younger generation also. Johann Conrad Refer, the father and immigrant, was born in March of 1723 and christened on March 23 of that year. He was the son of Johan Bernhard and Annia Maria Ahl Reber, and was born in Langenselbold, Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany. The town may have been more of a village at the time, but it was probably larger than some of the other towns that our German ancestors came from. Still, economics of the time meant that land was scarce and our Conrad decided to come to America in 1746.
We don't know where he lived at first. Germantown was a first stop for many of the immigrants of the time, but he was soon in Tulpehocken township, Berks County. It is not known whether he had family there but it's quite possible. He married Anna Margaret Conrad on August 1, 1750, and the couple set to work to build a family. It's likely that they built their own home, which can still be seen today, or at least, there are pictures of it. It's a small log cabin and it's hard to see how they raised 7 children in such a small space, so maybe this is their first home, or their last one.
Conrad may have wondered whether he had made the right choice in settling in Tulpehocken township because that area was hard hit by attacks from the native Americans for several years during the French and Indian War. There is a long list in one of the Berks County history books of those who were killed, captured, and wounded, and it is sobering indeed to read it. Most likely Conrad was in a militia to protect his family and his neighbors. This was a Lutheran or Reformed family, not Mennonite or Amish, so fighting was permissible to them. There seem to be no nearby settlements that the family would naturally have gone to, so they may have gone to Reading, which would be quite a trip, especially with young children, but there was a greater degree of safety there.
We can also wonder about Conrad's thoughts regarding the Revolutionary War. He was 52 years old when it broke out, which was probably old to be doing much soldiering. But he may have been involved in providing or transporting supplies to the Americans. His son Conrad apparently fought so his father would have had some feelings about the matter. Mostly, though, he farmed.
Conrad farmed to support his family, and on some of the tax lists, there are also the initials "g.m." I haven't found a key for this but I'm guessing this might have been "grist mill". On tax lists, Conrad is generally taxed more than most of his neighbors, but not as much as some. On one such list, I believe from 1789, he is shown as owning 200 acres, 4 horses and 5 cattle. Sometime during his later life, he seems to have moved from Tulpehocken township to Bethel Township, but probably did not move far. The two townships are adjoining.
There are varying dates for Conrad's death, from 1786 to 1796. The inventory was presented in 1796, and there wouldn't have been minor children to delay the probate, so I'm guessing he died shortly before September 24, 1796. He is buried at Zion Church Cemetery at Strausstown. It's not known when Anna Margaret died but it was apparently after her husband. The records I found of his will are not clear but it looks like his estate was valued at about 224 pounds.
You can see copies of his signature and of the picture I referred to at www.bergergirls.com, if you'd care to look.
The line of descent is
Johann Conrad Reber-Anna Margaret Conrad
Johann Conrad Reber-Mary Margaret Pontius
Mary Margaretha Reber-Solomon Buchtel
Benjamin Buchtel-Barbara Burkholder
Nancy Buchtel-Adam Kenery
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Pontius. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pontius. Show all posts
Friday, May 1, 2020
Friday, January 2, 2015
Harshbarger line: Nicholas Pontius 1728-1794
One reason I love doing this blog is that I learn so much by doing it. When I decided to write about Nicholas Pontius today, I had maybe three facts about him-his parents, his siblings, and birth and death dates. In only about half an hour's research online, I've found enough to write several paragraphs, I suspect. Of course, I still have many many questions, but they will wait until my next trip to the Allen County Public Library, or until I have time to do a bit more in depth work on line, whichever comes first. Nicholas is an immigrant ancestor, and that is reason enough to want to know more about him.
Nicholas is actually Johann Nicholas Pontius, and as one would guess, he is of German descent. His parents are Johann Peter Pontius and Anna Catherina Hausch, and he was born just before August 24, 1728 in Berglengenbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, in what is now Germany. The August 24 date is the date of his christening, which took place at the "Evangelish Lutherische" there. It is currently a small village of about 478 people, and there is no reason to think that it was a larger town at the time of his birth. It is located near the French border, and is in that part of the country that frequently changed hands during the long wars in the 17th century.
Nicholas was the second youngest in his family, and his father died in 1736, when Nicholas was only 8 years old. We don't know how the family supported themselves, without the bread winner, but in 1738 his mother and some of her children, including John and Nicholas, came to America in search, no doubt, of a better life. They arrived on the ship "Glasgow" on September 9, 1738, from Rotterdam. Nicholas' older brother John took the oath of allegiance the next day, but Nicholas was still a child and probably stayed on ship with his mother until this was completed.
Nicholas would have helped to support his mother in some way while he was learning how to live in America. As a teenager, he would have likely been hired out to work on a farm, or perhaps he served as an indentured servant for a period of time. By 1749, though, we was ready to take on family responsibilities of his own and he married Anna Margaret Shuey, daughter of Daniel and Mary Margaretha Schilling Shuey on November 22, in Bethel Township, Berks County, Pa. The Shueys were a French Huguenot family, and the families may have been acquainted "back home".
Nicholas and Anna Margaret had at least 7 children, born from 1752 to 1767, so they were a busy family. Nicholas may have purchased land in 1762, because that is when he was naturalized. In order to be naturalized, he had to have been confirmed in the church so this would have been a busy year for him. I don't yet know much about his life at this time, except that when the Revolutionary War came he is listed as being in the inactive militia (possibly an Associator) from 1777-1779, under Capt. John Folmer, 6th Battalion, 7th Company from 1777-1779. I am not sure what it means, but the record in the Pennsylvania Digital Archives online gives "muster fines" of 0.7.6, so perhaps he missed some drills.
He paid taxes in 1759 in Berks County and from 1767 to 1791 was taxed for land and personal property. When he died without a will in 1794, his oldest son Daniel noted that Nicholas was "late of Bethel Township in the the County of Berks, yeoman" and that Nicholas owned 154 acres of land with "appurtenances" and asked the court to make partition. (Daniel ended up buying the farm, which had a value of 850 pounds.) His personal property was inventoried at a value of 45.14.3, and includes household goods, clothing, books, and items and grains necessary to farming. His burial location is not known, nor is Anna Margaret's. It appears that she died less than a month after Nicholas's death.
I'd love to find actual church records in Berks County for them, as none of the sources I have used mentions the specific church they attended. Berks County has a lot of good records, so it puzzles me that this information isn't yet available. There may be maps available that show the exact location of his farm, and that would be wonderful! I guess I have more researching to do. I've used sources from Ancestry, FamilySearch, and the Pennsylvania Digital Archives for this article, but there is more to be done.
The line of descent is:
Nicholas Pontius-Anna Margaret Shuey
Mary M Pontius-Conrad Reber
Maria Margaretha Reber-Solomon Buchtel
Benjamin Buchtel-the mysterious Barbara Long
Nancy Buchtel-Adam Kemery
Della Kemery-William H Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
Nicholas is actually Johann Nicholas Pontius, and as one would guess, he is of German descent. His parents are Johann Peter Pontius and Anna Catherina Hausch, and he was born just before August 24, 1728 in Berglengenbach, Rheinland-Pfalz, in what is now Germany. The August 24 date is the date of his christening, which took place at the "Evangelish Lutherische" there. It is currently a small village of about 478 people, and there is no reason to think that it was a larger town at the time of his birth. It is located near the French border, and is in that part of the country that frequently changed hands during the long wars in the 17th century.
Nicholas was the second youngest in his family, and his father died in 1736, when Nicholas was only 8 years old. We don't know how the family supported themselves, without the bread winner, but in 1738 his mother and some of her children, including John and Nicholas, came to America in search, no doubt, of a better life. They arrived on the ship "Glasgow" on September 9, 1738, from Rotterdam. Nicholas' older brother John took the oath of allegiance the next day, but Nicholas was still a child and probably stayed on ship with his mother until this was completed.
Nicholas would have helped to support his mother in some way while he was learning how to live in America. As a teenager, he would have likely been hired out to work on a farm, or perhaps he served as an indentured servant for a period of time. By 1749, though, we was ready to take on family responsibilities of his own and he married Anna Margaret Shuey, daughter of Daniel and Mary Margaretha Schilling Shuey on November 22, in Bethel Township, Berks County, Pa. The Shueys were a French Huguenot family, and the families may have been acquainted "back home".
Nicholas and Anna Margaret had at least 7 children, born from 1752 to 1767, so they were a busy family. Nicholas may have purchased land in 1762, because that is when he was naturalized. In order to be naturalized, he had to have been confirmed in the church so this would have been a busy year for him. I don't yet know much about his life at this time, except that when the Revolutionary War came he is listed as being in the inactive militia (possibly an Associator) from 1777-1779, under Capt. John Folmer, 6th Battalion, 7th Company from 1777-1779. I am not sure what it means, but the record in the Pennsylvania Digital Archives online gives "muster fines" of 0.7.6, so perhaps he missed some drills.
He paid taxes in 1759 in Berks County and from 1767 to 1791 was taxed for land and personal property. When he died without a will in 1794, his oldest son Daniel noted that Nicholas was "late of Bethel Township in the the County of Berks, yeoman" and that Nicholas owned 154 acres of land with "appurtenances" and asked the court to make partition. (Daniel ended up buying the farm, which had a value of 850 pounds.) His personal property was inventoried at a value of 45.14.3, and includes household goods, clothing, books, and items and grains necessary to farming. His burial location is not known, nor is Anna Margaret's. It appears that she died less than a month after Nicholas's death.
I'd love to find actual church records in Berks County for them, as none of the sources I have used mentions the specific church they attended. Berks County has a lot of good records, so it puzzles me that this information isn't yet available. There may be maps available that show the exact location of his farm, and that would be wonderful! I guess I have more researching to do. I've used sources from Ancestry, FamilySearch, and the Pennsylvania Digital Archives for this article, but there is more to be done.
The line of descent is:
Nicholas Pontius-Anna Margaret Shuey
Mary M Pontius-Conrad Reber
Maria Margaretha Reber-Solomon Buchtel
Benjamin Buchtel-the mysterious Barbara Long
Nancy Buchtel-Adam Kemery
Della Kemery-William H Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
Friday, June 20, 2014
Harshbarger line: Daniel Shuey, Immigrant 1704-1777
I just love these immigrant ancestors. It is so difficult to understand their bravery, from a distance of almost 300 years, but somehow, for some reason or reasons, they summoned up the courage to leave their family homes, get permission from the state authorities (which was a feat in itself), gather up their children, travel to Rotterdam (usually), and then spend weeks or months in a rolling, crowded, unsanitary ship, traveling to America. Once they got here, the men had to declare their loyalty to the British king before they were permitted to leave the ship permanently. Then they had to find a place to live, or possibly had to serve an indentureship (both husband and wife would have had to serve, and children, too).
Most of the Germans settled in the areas west of Philadelphia, in Lancaster or Berks or Lebanon County, although not all the counties were named in the early years. Then, when the families were free to go, they had to make a home for themselves out of what was a wilderness. Land was purchased or rented, and then cleared. Log cabins were built at first, and barns and other out buildings followed, as the crops were planted and harvested. It is hard to imagine how the families ate until the harvest came in. They would have brought grains with them from Philadelphia, and whatever else they could afford, but the only fruits would have been those naturally growing in the area (berries, mostly) and they would probably have also gathered nuts and honey from the surrounding forest. As their crops and animals began to produce, the farm would have made an attractive offer to the wild animals of the area, which included panthers, wolves, and bears. As if all this wasn't enough, there were the Indians to deal with and eventually fear and finally, battle.
Would Daniel Shuey and his wife, Mary Margaretha Shilling, have come to America if they could fully comprehend all that would be required of them once they arrived? The answer perhaps is in their religion, and in their history. The Shueys were members of the Reformed church, rather than the Lutheran Church in America (they attended the Swatara Church). Daniel's family had been French Huguenots, with the name Jouy) in prior generations, but the family had been forced to flee to Germany when Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes which had allowed other religions in France other than Catholicism. The stories Daniel would have heard of the escape of his grandparents from France to Germany due to religious persecution was probably a motivating factor in moving to America, since much of the German area was also going through religious disputes and wars. Another factor may have been economic, as many of the French/German people had fled with little or nothing to their name, and it was hard to make a decent living as a refugee family.
Daniel and his wife and oldest son came to America in 1732, on the ship Johnson, which sailed from Rotterdam to Philadelphia. The 305 passengers on this ship are all referred to as "Palatinates", since they had lived in Palatine, an area of Germany near the French border. Daniel owned land by 1746, but the original records have apparently been lost. There is a record of a receipt for additional land purchased by Daniel in 1746, which adjoined Daniel's "dwelling plantation", so he had already been there for some time. It appears from various additional receipts that he may have owned as much as 1000 acres of land by the time of his death, so he was apparently a successful farmer in America.
This Daniel was the son of Daniel Shuey or Jouy and Judith l'Avenant, and Mary Margaret Schilling was the daughter of Benedict Schilling and Anna Barbara Hoffman. Daniel was born in 1704 in Oggersheim, Pfalz, Germany, and the marriage took place on October 16, 1725 in Dandstadt, Pfalz, Germany. Several children had already been born to the couple by the time they immigrated, but it is unclear if they were all on this ship. We know that Ludwig and Anna Margaret made the trip, and we know that several children were born after the couple arrived here, including Elizabeth, Barbara, and Peter. The family was fortunate indeed that they lost no family members to the Indians, the reason apparently being that there was a fort very near the family home, and also the family farm served as a base for small contingents of soldiers.
Daniel died in May, 1777, and left a will written in German that fortunately has been translated. He left his home and belongings and 200 pounds to his wife, and then gave instructions for what appears to be a separate sum of 200 pounds. He left some of his sons and sons in law only 1 shilling, explaining that they had already received their share of his estate. At the time of his death it appears that Ludwig, John, Martin, Anna Margaret the wife of Nicholas Pontius, Catharine the wife of Jacob Giver, and Barbara the wife of George Feesers were living and were to share 200 pounds to be delivered in 1784. Also Peter, Daniel, and Elizabeth were mentioned in the will. Mary Margaretha is listed as having died in 1800 in Bethel Township, which would have made her 97 years old at the time. This is a little confusing to me because in the will she is named as Mary Martha. There is a possibility that this is not the wife of 1725, but further research needs to be done on this.
I think it's fun to find a "German" Harshbarger who actually has French roots. Even in this most German of families, there are other lines involved, from other countries. It's part of what makes family history so fascinating.
This post is taken largely from a book called "The History of the Shuey Family in America from 1732 to 1919" by Dennis Boeshore Shuey. There is a 2008 paperback version of this available from Amazon, but it is also available on Internet Archive.
The line of descent is:
Daniel Shuey-Mary Margaretha Schilling
Anna Margaret Shuey-Nicholas Pontius
Mary M Pontius-Conrad Reber
Maria Margaretha Reber-Solomon Buchtel
Benjamin Buchtel- (brick wall) Barbara Long
Nancy Buchtel-Adam Kemery
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren
Most of the Germans settled in the areas west of Philadelphia, in Lancaster or Berks or Lebanon County, although not all the counties were named in the early years. Then, when the families were free to go, they had to make a home for themselves out of what was a wilderness. Land was purchased or rented, and then cleared. Log cabins were built at first, and barns and other out buildings followed, as the crops were planted and harvested. It is hard to imagine how the families ate until the harvest came in. They would have brought grains with them from Philadelphia, and whatever else they could afford, but the only fruits would have been those naturally growing in the area (berries, mostly) and they would probably have also gathered nuts and honey from the surrounding forest. As their crops and animals began to produce, the farm would have made an attractive offer to the wild animals of the area, which included panthers, wolves, and bears. As if all this wasn't enough, there were the Indians to deal with and eventually fear and finally, battle.
Would Daniel Shuey and his wife, Mary Margaretha Shilling, have come to America if they could fully comprehend all that would be required of them once they arrived? The answer perhaps is in their religion, and in their history. The Shueys were members of the Reformed church, rather than the Lutheran Church in America (they attended the Swatara Church). Daniel's family had been French Huguenots, with the name Jouy) in prior generations, but the family had been forced to flee to Germany when Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes which had allowed other religions in France other than Catholicism. The stories Daniel would have heard of the escape of his grandparents from France to Germany due to religious persecution was probably a motivating factor in moving to America, since much of the German area was also going through religious disputes and wars. Another factor may have been economic, as many of the French/German people had fled with little or nothing to their name, and it was hard to make a decent living as a refugee family.
Daniel and his wife and oldest son came to America in 1732, on the ship Johnson, which sailed from Rotterdam to Philadelphia. The 305 passengers on this ship are all referred to as "Palatinates", since they had lived in Palatine, an area of Germany near the French border. Daniel owned land by 1746, but the original records have apparently been lost. There is a record of a receipt for additional land purchased by Daniel in 1746, which adjoined Daniel's "dwelling plantation", so he had already been there for some time. It appears from various additional receipts that he may have owned as much as 1000 acres of land by the time of his death, so he was apparently a successful farmer in America.
This Daniel was the son of Daniel Shuey or Jouy and Judith l'Avenant, and Mary Margaret Schilling was the daughter of Benedict Schilling and Anna Barbara Hoffman. Daniel was born in 1704 in Oggersheim, Pfalz, Germany, and the marriage took place on October 16, 1725 in Dandstadt, Pfalz, Germany. Several children had already been born to the couple by the time they immigrated, but it is unclear if they were all on this ship. We know that Ludwig and Anna Margaret made the trip, and we know that several children were born after the couple arrived here, including Elizabeth, Barbara, and Peter. The family was fortunate indeed that they lost no family members to the Indians, the reason apparently being that there was a fort very near the family home, and also the family farm served as a base for small contingents of soldiers.
Daniel died in May, 1777, and left a will written in German that fortunately has been translated. He left his home and belongings and 200 pounds to his wife, and then gave instructions for what appears to be a separate sum of 200 pounds. He left some of his sons and sons in law only 1 shilling, explaining that they had already received their share of his estate. At the time of his death it appears that Ludwig, John, Martin, Anna Margaret the wife of Nicholas Pontius, Catharine the wife of Jacob Giver, and Barbara the wife of George Feesers were living and were to share 200 pounds to be delivered in 1784. Also Peter, Daniel, and Elizabeth were mentioned in the will. Mary Margaretha is listed as having died in 1800 in Bethel Township, which would have made her 97 years old at the time. This is a little confusing to me because in the will she is named as Mary Martha. There is a possibility that this is not the wife of 1725, but further research needs to be done on this.
I think it's fun to find a "German" Harshbarger who actually has French roots. Even in this most German of families, there are other lines involved, from other countries. It's part of what makes family history so fascinating.
This post is taken largely from a book called "The History of the Shuey Family in America from 1732 to 1919" by Dennis Boeshore Shuey. There is a 2008 paperback version of this available from Amazon, but it is also available on Internet Archive.
The line of descent is:
Daniel Shuey-Mary Margaretha Schilling
Anna Margaret Shuey-Nicholas Pontius
Mary M Pontius-Conrad Reber
Maria Margaretha Reber-Solomon Buchtel
Benjamin Buchtel- (brick wall) Barbara Long
Nancy Buchtel-Adam Kemery
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Harshbarger line: Conrad Reber
We're going back a ways here, since Johann Conrad Reber was born in December 10, 1751 in Langenselbold, Main-Kinzig-Kreis, Hesse, now Germany. His parents, Johann Conrad Reber and Anna Margaret Conradt, emigrated to America shortly after his birth, as another of their children was born in 1754 in Upper Tulpehocken Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Conrad grew up in a typically large German family of 8 children. He would have worked hard on the family farm and his early years would have been spent with one eye out for warring Indians, as well as wolves, panthers, bears, and other more natural dangers. There is a Conrad Reber who was a private in the Militia during the time of the Revolutionary War, but I am not sure whether it was this Conrad. He would have been the right age and this is the right location, but another Reber family claims this as their Conrad, and I haven't yet found proof one way or the other. Conrad most likely would have been in either the militia or the American army. I found a listing for a Conrad Reber in 1779 who was taxed for having two cattle, and I think this may be our Conrad Reber because he was listed just two names above Peter Pontius, who was probably his brother in law. In this list, Conrad is listed under occupation as "joiner", which is a skilled carpenter. Conrad would likely have served an apprenticeship to learn this skill, unless his father taught it to him.
Conard married Mary Margaret Pontius, daughter of Nicholas Pontius and Anna Margaret Shuey, probably in Berks County but date and location as yet not located. By the 1790 census, his household shows three males under the age of 16, and a total of five females, one of which would have been Margaret. I show a total of ten children for them, with four being born in the 1790s. Known children are Christina, Margaret Elizabeth, Magdalena, Daniel, Maria Margaretha, Conrad, Thomas, Catherine, John, and Henry. Of course there
The History of Centre County by John Blair Linn states that Conrad Reber came to Miles Township, Centre County, in 1801, where he remained some 8 or 10 years. This is where daughter Maria Margaretha met and married Solomon Buchtel in 1805. A Conrad Reber acquired land in Ohio in 1806 but it appears this was not our Conrad, as he stayed in Miles Township for about 10 years before moving west. Before he moved, he laid out the town of Rebersburg, in Centre County, Pa. It was not hard to choose a location for the town, as he situated it near two churches, a tavern, and a couple of other buildings that were already there. He also deeded some of his land to the Reformed Church, for the erection of a building.
Sometime around 1811, it appears that he and much of his family moved on to Uniontown, Ohio in Stark County. They lived some miles from the nearest town, Canton, and were apparently in Ohio during the War of 1812. By now the Rebers would have been in their 60's, so military service would not have been expected. Conrad died in Lake Township, Stark County, Ohio on September 7, 1823, and Margaret died in 1831. I don't have their burial information or their estate information at this time, but I need to locate that.
I also need to find a marriage date and location and the baptismal/birth date information for their children. Once again, we don't know a lot about this family. I have the feeling that they were not dirt poor since they paid taxes in Berks County and since they could donate land for the church in Centre County, but estate and land records would also give us clues there.
The line of descent is:
Conrad Reber-Mary Margaret Pontius
Maria Margaretha Reber-Solomon Buchtel
Benjamin Buchtel-(brick wall) Barbara Long
Nancy Buchtel-Adam Kemery
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren
Conrad grew up in a typically large German family of 8 children. He would have worked hard on the family farm and his early years would have been spent with one eye out for warring Indians, as well as wolves, panthers, bears, and other more natural dangers. There is a Conrad Reber who was a private in the Militia during the time of the Revolutionary War, but I am not sure whether it was this Conrad. He would have been the right age and this is the right location, but another Reber family claims this as their Conrad, and I haven't yet found proof one way or the other. Conrad most likely would have been in either the militia or the American army. I found a listing for a Conrad Reber in 1779 who was taxed for having two cattle, and I think this may be our Conrad Reber because he was listed just two names above Peter Pontius, who was probably his brother in law. In this list, Conrad is listed under occupation as "joiner", which is a skilled carpenter. Conrad would likely have served an apprenticeship to learn this skill, unless his father taught it to him.
Conard married Mary Margaret Pontius, daughter of Nicholas Pontius and Anna Margaret Shuey, probably in Berks County but date and location as yet not located. By the 1790 census, his household shows three males under the age of 16, and a total of five females, one of which would have been Margaret. I show a total of ten children for them, with four being born in the 1790s. Known children are Christina, Margaret Elizabeth, Magdalena, Daniel, Maria Margaretha, Conrad, Thomas, Catherine, John, and Henry. Of course there
The History of Centre County by John Blair Linn states that Conrad Reber came to Miles Township, Centre County, in 1801, where he remained some 8 or 10 years. This is where daughter Maria Margaretha met and married Solomon Buchtel in 1805. A Conrad Reber acquired land in Ohio in 1806 but it appears this was not our Conrad, as he stayed in Miles Township for about 10 years before moving west. Before he moved, he laid out the town of Rebersburg, in Centre County, Pa. It was not hard to choose a location for the town, as he situated it near two churches, a tavern, and a couple of other buildings that were already there. He also deeded some of his land to the Reformed Church, for the erection of a building.
Sometime around 1811, it appears that he and much of his family moved on to Uniontown, Ohio in Stark County. They lived some miles from the nearest town, Canton, and were apparently in Ohio during the War of 1812. By now the Rebers would have been in their 60's, so military service would not have been expected. Conrad died in Lake Township, Stark County, Ohio on September 7, 1823, and Margaret died in 1831. I don't have their burial information or their estate information at this time, but I need to locate that.
I also need to find a marriage date and location and the baptismal/birth date information for their children. Once again, we don't know a lot about this family. I have the feeling that they were not dirt poor since they paid taxes in Berks County and since they could donate land for the church in Centre County, but estate and land records would also give us clues there.
The line of descent is:
Conrad Reber-Mary Margaret Pontius
Maria Margaretha Reber-Solomon Buchtel
Benjamin Buchtel-(brick wall) Barbara Long
Nancy Buchtel-Adam Kemery
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Harshbarger line: Solomon Buchtel 1773-1840
Solomon Buchtel was born in 1773 to Johannes John Buchtel and Catherine Seiler. Both of his parents were born in Wurtemburg, Germany and had immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1753. His parents married in 1760, probably after their terms of indenture were over, and initially lived in Snyder County, Pa. They soon moved to Brush Valley, Centre County, Pa, where most of their children, including Solomon, were born. This was frontier land at the time, and there were likely encounters with Indians during those early years on the farm. Solomon had 7 brothers and sisters.
His father was a truly intelligent man (I'll write about him another time) so it is likely that Solomon had inherited at least some of that curiosity and energy. Solomon married Maria Margaretha Reber, daughter of Johann Conrad Reber and Mary M Pontius, about 1805, and the couple settled near Rebersburg, Pa. to raise their family. I've seen a copy of a picture of their home, which he built himself. It was a frame two story dwelling, with an addition. I'm not sure if the smaller section might have been the original section, or whether it was the addition. At any rate, the home had enough room to raise the 8 children that were born to the couple: Benjamin, Solomon, Johnathon, Thomas, Henry, Hannah, Joseph, and William.
I haven't been able to trace Solomon through the US Census, nor Find A Grave, nor any of my usual sources, so I have much to do yet to learn his story. He purchased land in what became Greene Township, Summit County in 1815, so that gives us an approximate date for his move. I have notes that the 1820's census lists the occupation as manufacturing, but I can't duplicate that finding in a current search, so perhaps that is not correct. He is listed on an 1830 tax list for Stark County (parent of Summit County) in Lake Township, Uniontown, as having a town lot, so perhaps he was engaged in some form of manufacturing rather than farming. His oldest son Benjamin was married in Summit County, Ohio in 1844. I have an "internet" death date of about 1840 in Portage County, but I don't know if that is correct and I'm only guessing that is an Ohio location.
This is as much as I know about Solomon. Since he had 8 children, I am hoping that another descendent or two have information about him and about Maria Margaret Reber, that would help fill in the many blanks in this story. I'd love to hear from you!
Here is the line of descent:
Solomon Buchtel-Maria Margaret Reber
Benjamin Buchtel-Barbara Long
Nancy Fanny Buchtel-Adam Kemery
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger kids, grandkids, and great grandkids
His father was a truly intelligent man (I'll write about him another time) so it is likely that Solomon had inherited at least some of that curiosity and energy. Solomon married Maria Margaretha Reber, daughter of Johann Conrad Reber and Mary M Pontius, about 1805, and the couple settled near Rebersburg, Pa. to raise their family. I've seen a copy of a picture of their home, which he built himself. It was a frame two story dwelling, with an addition. I'm not sure if the smaller section might have been the original section, or whether it was the addition. At any rate, the home had enough room to raise the 8 children that were born to the couple: Benjamin, Solomon, Johnathon, Thomas, Henry, Hannah, Joseph, and William.
I haven't been able to trace Solomon through the US Census, nor Find A Grave, nor any of my usual sources, so I have much to do yet to learn his story. He purchased land in what became Greene Township, Summit County in 1815, so that gives us an approximate date for his move. I have notes that the 1820's census lists the occupation as manufacturing, but I can't duplicate that finding in a current search, so perhaps that is not correct. He is listed on an 1830 tax list for Stark County (parent of Summit County) in Lake Township, Uniontown, as having a town lot, so perhaps he was engaged in some form of manufacturing rather than farming. His oldest son Benjamin was married in Summit County, Ohio in 1844. I have an "internet" death date of about 1840 in Portage County, but I don't know if that is correct and I'm only guessing that is an Ohio location.
This is as much as I know about Solomon. Since he had 8 children, I am hoping that another descendent or two have information about him and about Maria Margaret Reber, that would help fill in the many blanks in this story. I'd love to hear from you!
Here is the line of descent:
Solomon Buchtel-Maria Margaret Reber
Benjamin Buchtel-Barbara Long
Nancy Fanny Buchtel-Adam Kemery
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger kids, grandkids, and great grandkids
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