Perhaps I should start at the beginning, with the "who" of george Essig. He was the son of Simon and Juliana Margaretha Schneer Essig, and was born, some say in Adams County, Pennsylvania, on October 19, 1794. This would make some sense, as his father, Simon Essig, is believed to have been the only one of his family to have escaped an Indian attack, near Emmitsburg, Maryland, before the Revolutionary War. The two locations are near each other.
Simon and Juliana moved on to Stark County, Ohio, and raised their rather large family there. George was one of 14 children born to the couple. His parents were on the 1810 tax rolls for Stark County, and it is reported that Simon was in Plain Township, Stark County, planting an orchard as early as 1806. It appears that all but possibly one of the children in George's first family had been born before the move from central Pennsylvania to central Ohio was made. What a trip that must have been! george would have been eleven or twelve years old at the time, so he would have been old enough to help with whatever needed to be done. He would also have been old enough to remember both Pennsylvania and the trip.
There is a tradition that George served in the War of 1812 along with his brothers Jacob and Adam. I have not found any evidence of George's having served, but tradition says that he was injured by Indians (fighting on the side of the British) near Put-in-Bay, Ohio. Sometimes these stories are true and sometimes not, so take it with a grain of salt until records are found verifying this. It is beyond doubt that the Essig family would have felt threatened by the events of the war. Fort Meigs was not constructed until 1813, and it was 156 miles away from Canton, the nearest town to where the Essigs lived. If George wasn't a soldier in the war, he would probably have been in a local militia, and certainly would have been prepared to protect his family from stray Indian raids.
After the war was over, George married Catherine Shollenberger (various spellings), daughter of Peter and Susanna Shollenberger, on September 6, 1816. We can trace the couple in the 1820 census, when there were two children, and the 1830 census, when there were 7 children under the age of 20 (officially) or under the age of 14 (actually). We know George owned land in 1828 in Plain Township, Stark County.
Then George seems to go missing from the records. A George Essig purchased public lands in Dekalb County, Indiana in 1840 and up through 1852. I do not know whether this is our George or not. It is possible, whether or not this was our George, that the family was traveling somewhere in 1840 and thus was missed in the census. I found a George Essick in the 1840 census in Davidson County, North Carolina, but the ages were off and it doesn't seem likely this was our George. Some families just get missed, or are hiding within another family and so don't get named in the early censuses.
We do know that George and Catherine were in Whitley County, Indiana by 1850. That year's census shows them with 4 children still at home, ranging in age from 13 to 20. Some of the older children live near by, having started their own households. (According to his will, there were 11 children living at the time of George's death.) By 1860, George and Catherine are living in Columbia City, where he still is listed as a farmer. An eleven year old boy named Washington Payne is living with them. I don't yet know who he is, whether he is someone living there to help care for them or whether he is part of the extended family.
George died on April 11, 1866. Although he is not shown as having any land in the 1860 census, his will gives land to his son Joseph and to son David, after the death of his wife Catherine, and to each of his other children $35, which Joseph is to pay at the rate of $10 per year. Catherine lived until June 19, 1872. They are buried at Oakgrove Methodist (Redbrush) Cemetery near Larwill, Indiana, which was near the land they owned and farmed.
There is undoubtedly more to George's story. He left Pennsylvania, arrived in Ohio when it was basically frontier, helped build Stark County, and then came to Whitley County while it was still early in that county's history, probably again clearing land and farming as his father and his father before him had done. He would certeinly have stories of his own to tell!
The line of descent is:
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Shollenberger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shollenberger. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Friday, June 30, 2017
Harshbarger line: Wendell Essig: How did I miss him?
Actually, I don't think I missed him. In my more rational moments, I wonder if I should write about Wendell at all, because most of what we "know" about him doesn't seem to be proven. Some of it is in outright dispute. But these stories are so good I am going to write about them anyway, hoping that someone, someday, will be able to prove or disprove these family stories. If they are true, then this ancestor is worthy of honor and respect, and we need to at least pass the stories along. If they aren't true, let's determine that, too!
So...Wendell Essig was born in Bern Canton, Switzerland, the son of Wendell and Juliana Margaretha Trachsell or Troxell. At an early age he spent time in mining in "Rhine Phals". The story doesn't indicate whether he did this voluntarily or whether he was forced into it. Either scenario is possible, as he may have been trying to help support his family. The position seemed to work in his favor, because he later served 7 years in the Prussian army. Again, I don't know if this was voluntary or whether he has drafted. During at least part of that time, he was one of the imperial body guards, and was present at the coronation of Frederick the Great in 1740. (There should be records of his service, shouldn't there? As of now, I don't know how to research to find them.)
Here is where the stories diverge. The story, apparently from son Simon, is that his father arrived in Baltimore in 1750, and shortly thereafter married Anna Marie Matte. Not too long after that, they settled in the general area of Hagerstown, Maryland. I'll get to the rest of the story later.
The second version is that Wendell arrived in 1749 in Philadelphia and went to Northampton County, where he is on tax records in 1772 and church records (Dryland Union Church, Nazareth twp, Northampton County) through Easter of 1782. Jacob Essig and George Essig are also in the church records there, although there is nothing to prove relationships. So that is one story.
The "rest of the first story" is that Wendell and his family were massacred by native Americans in or before 1772, and Simon was the sole survivor. He would have been no more than 18 at the time. Simon survived because he was away from home at the time. Some family historians discount this tale because they haven't found evidence of native American massacres near Hagerstown I've read enough history to know that families in the Cumberland Valley were driven back many many miles before they found a safe haven like Hagerstown, so I tend to think the attack very well could have happened, even without any specific report mentioning the Essig name. Germans clearly were in the area, and the native Americans were active in trying to push the settlers back, during this time period. Still, some sort of proof would be nice to have.
If the story isn't true, why would someone make it up? Was it possibly a misunderstanding many years later of the experience of the family of Simon's wife's family? Her mother's first husband had been killed by the Indians, in Northampton County, Pennsylvania and if one of Simon's children was reporting this story, perhaps he or she had heard it as a young child and forgotten the details as the story was told. I'm not sure we will ever know.
Wendell and Eva Maria are said to have had four children, Simon, Adam, Jacob and George, not necessarily in that order. The 1772 or earlier death doesn't allow for a 1782 church record in Pennsylvania. Either there were two families with similar names and naming patterns, or one of these tales is incorrect. I don't believe anyone has located wills or estate papers in either location, so I will let you be the judge-two men, or one?
The line of descent is:
Wendell Essig-Anna Maria Matte
Simon Essig-Juliana Schnerr
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
So...Wendell Essig was born in Bern Canton, Switzerland, the son of Wendell and Juliana Margaretha Trachsell or Troxell. At an early age he spent time in mining in "Rhine Phals". The story doesn't indicate whether he did this voluntarily or whether he was forced into it. Either scenario is possible, as he may have been trying to help support his family. The position seemed to work in his favor, because he later served 7 years in the Prussian army. Again, I don't know if this was voluntary or whether he has drafted. During at least part of that time, he was one of the imperial body guards, and was present at the coronation of Frederick the Great in 1740. (There should be records of his service, shouldn't there? As of now, I don't know how to research to find them.)
Here is where the stories diverge. The story, apparently from son Simon, is that his father arrived in Baltimore in 1750, and shortly thereafter married Anna Marie Matte. Not too long after that, they settled in the general area of Hagerstown, Maryland. I'll get to the rest of the story later.
The second version is that Wendell arrived in 1749 in Philadelphia and went to Northampton County, where he is on tax records in 1772 and church records (Dryland Union Church, Nazareth twp, Northampton County) through Easter of 1782. Jacob Essig and George Essig are also in the church records there, although there is nothing to prove relationships. So that is one story.
The "rest of the first story" is that Wendell and his family were massacred by native Americans in or before 1772, and Simon was the sole survivor. He would have been no more than 18 at the time. Simon survived because he was away from home at the time. Some family historians discount this tale because they haven't found evidence of native American massacres near Hagerstown I've read enough history to know that families in the Cumberland Valley were driven back many many miles before they found a safe haven like Hagerstown, so I tend to think the attack very well could have happened, even without any specific report mentioning the Essig name. Germans clearly were in the area, and the native Americans were active in trying to push the settlers back, during this time period. Still, some sort of proof would be nice to have.
If the story isn't true, why would someone make it up? Was it possibly a misunderstanding many years later of the experience of the family of Simon's wife's family? Her mother's first husband had been killed by the Indians, in Northampton County, Pennsylvania and if one of Simon's children was reporting this story, perhaps he or she had heard it as a young child and forgotten the details as the story was told. I'm not sure we will ever know.
Wendell and Eva Maria are said to have had four children, Simon, Adam, Jacob and George, not necessarily in that order. The 1772 or earlier death doesn't allow for a 1782 church record in Pennsylvania. Either there were two families with similar names and naming patterns, or one of these tales is incorrect. I don't believe anyone has located wills or estate papers in either location, so I will let you be the judge-two men, or one?
The line of descent is:
Wendell Essig-Anna Maria Matte
Simon Essig-Juliana Schnerr
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
Friday, September 30, 2016
Harshbarger line: A newspaper article about Simon Essig, 1754-1851
I've written about Simon Essig before, but this find is just to good to not pass along. It was printed in the Canton Daily News of October 1, 1922 and was written by John McGregor. I found it reprinted in the History of Stark County by Herbert t. O. Blue, which was published in 1928. It's not usual to find evidence of a newspaper article for a man who died in 1851. I would love to see the original newspaper article, because it apparently included a picture of the original home of the Essigs, but it's wonderful to find this and to be able to share it with you.
"Simon Essig, Revolutionary Soldier"
" In the pioneer days of this county it was, of course, very sparsely settled, the families being few and far between.
This condition necessarily brought the pioneer families into close social relations and intermarriage was a natural consequence.
In writing of one of these families, it is necessary to write of three old pioneers whose intermarriage is such that we cannot speak of one without bringing them all into our story.
The first of these was the old Simon Essig family, among the earliest of our pioneer families. The original Essig family, so far as our record goes, was that of Wendell Essig, a descendant of whom, named Frederick Essig, was major of the Canton Bern, Switzerland, in 1890. This Wendell Essig was born February 7, 1700, and arrived in this country at Philadelphia September 17, 1749. He was recorded on the ship's books as a Palatine, and it has always been suggested he was a Royal Grenadier of Frederick William, King of Prussia.
Simon Essig, a descendant of of Wendell, came to Stark County from Cumberland County, Pa. in the year 1808 and settled on the farm later known as the Herbruck farm on the Harrisburg Road and now in the city limits.
The illustration above shows the old log cabin erected by Simon Essig on the bank of Middlebranch Creek. There were born to Simon Essig and wife six sons and six daughters and here in the wilderness did Simon Essig and wife rear a family of twelve children whose descendants now number many thousands. Simon Essig died on the farm at the age of 97 years.
His descendants are scattered across the entire United States and hold prominent positions of trust and honor. One of his great grandsons, Hon. Scott Wike of Illinois, was assistant secretary of the treasury under Grover Cleveland and also represented his district in the United States Congress two terms.
Simon Essig was born in 1754 and died in 1852. The last and youngest of Simon Essig's children was Rebecca, who died October 14,1896 at the advanced age of 96 years."
I also have notes under this source that say "Adam Essig and Jacob Essig, War of 1812 soldiers and Simon's sons, are also buried at Warstler's Cemetery."
I need to double check the date of Simon's death, as I show it as March 18, 1851. If my date is wrong, I need to correct it. The name of Simon's wife, mother of twelve children, is Julia Margaret Schnerr or Schneer. She also lived to a good old age, dying in 1844 at the age of 79. Simon's son George, the Harshbarger connection, also served in the War of 1812. He was wounded at Pu-in-Bay in one of the Indian skirmishes.
I've blogged about Simon before but I thought this article was interesting since it reflects some of the stories in the family history, and gives more details about the life of the family. I certainly wasn't expecting to find this when I picked up that particular book!
The line of descent is
Simon Essig-Julia Margaret Schnerr
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William H Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
"
"Simon Essig, Revolutionary Soldier"
" In the pioneer days of this county it was, of course, very sparsely settled, the families being few and far between.
This condition necessarily brought the pioneer families into close social relations and intermarriage was a natural consequence.
In writing of one of these families, it is necessary to write of three old pioneers whose intermarriage is such that we cannot speak of one without bringing them all into our story.
The first of these was the old Simon Essig family, among the earliest of our pioneer families. The original Essig family, so far as our record goes, was that of Wendell Essig, a descendant of whom, named Frederick Essig, was major of the Canton Bern, Switzerland, in 1890. This Wendell Essig was born February 7, 1700, and arrived in this country at Philadelphia September 17, 1749. He was recorded on the ship's books as a Palatine, and it has always been suggested he was a Royal Grenadier of Frederick William, King of Prussia.
Simon Essig, a descendant of of Wendell, came to Stark County from Cumberland County, Pa. in the year 1808 and settled on the farm later known as the Herbruck farm on the Harrisburg Road and now in the city limits.
The illustration above shows the old log cabin erected by Simon Essig on the bank of Middlebranch Creek. There were born to Simon Essig and wife six sons and six daughters and here in the wilderness did Simon Essig and wife rear a family of twelve children whose descendants now number many thousands. Simon Essig died on the farm at the age of 97 years.
His descendants are scattered across the entire United States and hold prominent positions of trust and honor. One of his great grandsons, Hon. Scott Wike of Illinois, was assistant secretary of the treasury under Grover Cleveland and also represented his district in the United States Congress two terms.
Simon Essig was born in 1754 and died in 1852. The last and youngest of Simon Essig's children was Rebecca, who died October 14,1896 at the advanced age of 96 years."
I also have notes under this source that say "Adam Essig and Jacob Essig, War of 1812 soldiers and Simon's sons, are also buried at Warstler's Cemetery."
I need to double check the date of Simon's death, as I show it as March 18, 1851. If my date is wrong, I need to correct it. The name of Simon's wife, mother of twelve children, is Julia Margaret Schnerr or Schneer. She also lived to a good old age, dying in 1844 at the age of 79. Simon's son George, the Harshbarger connection, also served in the War of 1812. He was wounded at Pu-in-Bay in one of the Indian skirmishes.
I've blogged about Simon before but I thought this article was interesting since it reflects some of the stories in the family history, and gives more details about the life of the family. I certainly wasn't expecting to find this when I picked up that particular book!
The line of descent is
Simon Essig-Julia Margaret Schnerr
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William H Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
"
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Harshbarger line: Johann Kasper Schnerr 1732-1790 Immigrant
German immigrant, Lutheran, married to widow of a man killed by Indians, veteran of the French and Indian war and the Revolutionary War-what more can I say? This is the stuff of which heroes are made, and unfortunately, sometimes their stories are lost. I'd like to retell a little of his story here.
Johann Casper or Kasper Schnerr was born somewhere in Germany on April 21, 1732. It is possible he is somehow related to Peter Ulrich Schneer who was born in Bern, Switzerland in 1649 and died in Lancaster County, Pa in 1739, but the connection hasn't been found yet. So we know nothing of his early life, except that when he was about 21 years of age, he came to America on the ship Neputne. Pennsylvania Archives gives the date of his arrival as September 24, 1754, and Rupp gives it as September 24, 1753, so take your pick. He is found in the Pennsylvania Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index on Ancestry in Philadelphia in 1754, but I don't know what time of year the census was taken. We do know for sure that he was in Philadelphia sometime in 1754, though.
Again, the next five years of his life are pretty much a blank. He was apparently in Northampton County, Pennsylvania by 1759 or 1760, when he married Maria Magdalena Kunkle Sensinger. Her husband had been killed about the year 1756 in one of the many Indian attacks that were a regular part of frontier life of the time, and Magdalena was left with four small children to raise. Casper married her and raised the children right along with her, along with the several children the couple had together. We know they had daughters Catherine, Juliana Margaretha, Anna Maria, and Elizabeth, and there may have been more. With the four step children Casper had, this would have been quite a houseful, especially for since a young man.
Stan Follis reports on his wonderful website that Casper served in the French and Indian war. I haven't found the documentation for that yet, but since this was frontier country it is highly likely that, if nothing else, he stood guard duty. It would be interesting to know whether he actually went out on one or more expeditions. There is a memorial at the cemetery where Casper is buried that lists his name as a Revolutionary War soldier. We also have one document, found on Fold 3, that states that Philip Deily made an affidavit that he had enlisted in the war of the Revolution on June 5, 1775, in Heidelberg Township, Northampton County, Pa under Captain Casper Schneer. There must be other information somewhere, for a Captain would have been a respected man. The 1775 date indicates possibly this was an Associator's group, but that is yet to be discovered.
We know that Casper and his wife were Lutheran because they had daughter Elizabeth baptized in 1768 at the Heidelberg Union Church in Heidelberg Township, in what is now Lehigh County, and the record was clearly in the Lutheran, not the Reformed church. The two congregations kept separate records.
The last we know of Casper is his death. He wrote his will in 1786, and died March 30, 1790, At the time of his death, he lived in Menallen Township, York County, Pa, which later became Adams County. He was buried at Benders Church Cemetery, at the church he had helped found, Benders Evangelical Lutheran Church. His name is on the original Articles of the church. We don't know when he moved from Northampton County to York County, or why, but presumably it had something to do with land acquisition. It would be interesting to study the land records for these counties to trace his journey.
Once again, this is just a bare summary of a fascinating man who lived in fascinating times. He took on a ready-made family and added to it, helped found a church, fought in the wars that led to the founding of our country, and lived a good life, as far as is now known. His family should take pride in him!
The line of descent is:
Johann Casper Schnerr-Maria Magdalena Kunkel
Juliana Margareth Schnerr-Simon Essig
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery-William H Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarer
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
Johann Casper or Kasper Schnerr was born somewhere in Germany on April 21, 1732. It is possible he is somehow related to Peter Ulrich Schneer who was born in Bern, Switzerland in 1649 and died in Lancaster County, Pa in 1739, but the connection hasn't been found yet. So we know nothing of his early life, except that when he was about 21 years of age, he came to America on the ship Neputne. Pennsylvania Archives gives the date of his arrival as September 24, 1754, and Rupp gives it as September 24, 1753, so take your pick. He is found in the Pennsylvania Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index on Ancestry in Philadelphia in 1754, but I don't know what time of year the census was taken. We do know for sure that he was in Philadelphia sometime in 1754, though.
Again, the next five years of his life are pretty much a blank. He was apparently in Northampton County, Pennsylvania by 1759 or 1760, when he married Maria Magdalena Kunkle Sensinger. Her husband had been killed about the year 1756 in one of the many Indian attacks that were a regular part of frontier life of the time, and Magdalena was left with four small children to raise. Casper married her and raised the children right along with her, along with the several children the couple had together. We know they had daughters Catherine, Juliana Margaretha, Anna Maria, and Elizabeth, and there may have been more. With the four step children Casper had, this would have been quite a houseful, especially for since a young man.
Stan Follis reports on his wonderful website that Casper served in the French and Indian war. I haven't found the documentation for that yet, but since this was frontier country it is highly likely that, if nothing else, he stood guard duty. It would be interesting to know whether he actually went out on one or more expeditions. There is a memorial at the cemetery where Casper is buried that lists his name as a Revolutionary War soldier. We also have one document, found on Fold 3, that states that Philip Deily made an affidavit that he had enlisted in the war of the Revolution on June 5, 1775, in Heidelberg Township, Northampton County, Pa under Captain Casper Schneer. There must be other information somewhere, for a Captain would have been a respected man. The 1775 date indicates possibly this was an Associator's group, but that is yet to be discovered.
We know that Casper and his wife were Lutheran because they had daughter Elizabeth baptized in 1768 at the Heidelberg Union Church in Heidelberg Township, in what is now Lehigh County, and the record was clearly in the Lutheran, not the Reformed church. The two congregations kept separate records.
The last we know of Casper is his death. He wrote his will in 1786, and died March 30, 1790, At the time of his death, he lived in Menallen Township, York County, Pa, which later became Adams County. He was buried at Benders Church Cemetery, at the church he had helped found, Benders Evangelical Lutheran Church. His name is on the original Articles of the church. We don't know when he moved from Northampton County to York County, or why, but presumably it had something to do with land acquisition. It would be interesting to study the land records for these counties to trace his journey.
Once again, this is just a bare summary of a fascinating man who lived in fascinating times. He took on a ready-made family and added to it, helped found a church, fought in the wars that led to the founding of our country, and lived a good life, as far as is now known. His family should take pride in him!
The line of descent is:
Johann Casper Schnerr-Maria Magdalena Kunkel
Juliana Margareth Schnerr-Simon Essig
George Essig-Catherine Shollenberger
Susannah Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery-William H Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarer
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendents
Friday, September 19, 2014
Harshbarger line: Johann Friederich Schollenberger 1703-1768
For some reason, I'm gravitating to posts about immigrant ancestors right now. Here is another one in the Harshbarger line. Maybe by the time I get done writing about these folks, I'll be better able to understand how so many people could leave behind the land of their birth, family members, and all that they knew, to go to a new land about which they knew very little, but which they could expect to be their final home on this earth.
Johann Friederich Schollenberger (known as Frederick) was one of those people. He was born on March 18, 1703 in Albig, Germany to Dietrich Schollenburger and Christine Kessenkopf. Albig is a small German village in the Rhineland-Palatinate, not far from France. Albig currently (as of 2008) has a population of slightly over 1600 people, so this would have been a small town where everyone knew everyone. The Schollenberger's would have known the Hoppach family, and in due time the marriage arrangements were complete.Friederich married Anna Katherina Hoppach on January 11, 1729. At least 8 children were born to this couple, 6 boys and 2 girls; the youngest was born after the family arrived in America.. As happened so many times, 2 of the boys died as toddlers. So as the Schollenbergers came to America, they were also leaving behind the gravesites of two of their children.
They arrived, along with his brother in law and other relatives, in Philadelphia on the ship "Loyal Judith on September 3, 1742, and soon marched to the local judge's office for the naturalization oath. This was when immigrants from whatever country swore allegiance to the British king, George II, to allay fears from English immigrants that the "new guys in town" would someday outnumber them.
We don't know whether Frederick served an indentureship or whether he had enough money to pay for the passage of his family. (His father, Dietrich, lived until 1746 so he didn't come to America on his inherited money). Most likely, he stayed in Germantown until he had his feet on the ground, so to speak, and then purchased land. We know that he obtained a land warrant for 100 acres of land in 1747, in what was then Philadelphia County, but later became Greenwich Township, Berks County, Pa. This property then grew to include 210 acres. We haven't found any indication of an occupation for Frederick other than farmer, and 210 acres would certainly have kept him busy.
We know little of the rest of his life, but based on the time frame and the location we can guess that there were tensions, or worse, with the native Americans. The French-Indian war took place when Frederick was approaching what was then old age, but Frederick would have been involved on at least a local level. He died about 1768, but we don't know where he is buried and I have not located a will. Of course, I'd like to know where he is buried, what will he may have left, and what church he attended. Was his home a log cabin? If so, did he later build another home, and was it made of stone? There's always more to learn, it seems.
The line of descent is:
Johann Friedrich Schollenberger-Anna Katherina Hoppach
Johann Lorenz Schollenberger-Elizabeth Mertz
Peter Shollenberger-Susanna
Catherine Shollenberger-George Essig
Susanna Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren
Johann Friederich Schollenberger (known as Frederick) was one of those people. He was born on March 18, 1703 in Albig, Germany to Dietrich Schollenburger and Christine Kessenkopf. Albig is a small German village in the Rhineland-Palatinate, not far from France. Albig currently (as of 2008) has a population of slightly over 1600 people, so this would have been a small town where everyone knew everyone. The Schollenberger's would have known the Hoppach family, and in due time the marriage arrangements were complete.Friederich married Anna Katherina Hoppach on January 11, 1729. At least 8 children were born to this couple, 6 boys and 2 girls; the youngest was born after the family arrived in America.. As happened so many times, 2 of the boys died as toddlers. So as the Schollenbergers came to America, they were also leaving behind the gravesites of two of their children.
They arrived, along with his brother in law and other relatives, in Philadelphia on the ship "Loyal Judith on September 3, 1742, and soon marched to the local judge's office for the naturalization oath. This was when immigrants from whatever country swore allegiance to the British king, George II, to allay fears from English immigrants that the "new guys in town" would someday outnumber them.
We don't know whether Frederick served an indentureship or whether he had enough money to pay for the passage of his family. (His father, Dietrich, lived until 1746 so he didn't come to America on his inherited money). Most likely, he stayed in Germantown until he had his feet on the ground, so to speak, and then purchased land. We know that he obtained a land warrant for 100 acres of land in 1747, in what was then Philadelphia County, but later became Greenwich Township, Berks County, Pa. This property then grew to include 210 acres. We haven't found any indication of an occupation for Frederick other than farmer, and 210 acres would certainly have kept him busy.
We know little of the rest of his life, but based on the time frame and the location we can guess that there were tensions, or worse, with the native Americans. The French-Indian war took place when Frederick was approaching what was then old age, but Frederick would have been involved on at least a local level. He died about 1768, but we don't know where he is buried and I have not located a will. Of course, I'd like to know where he is buried, what will he may have left, and what church he attended. Was his home a log cabin? If so, did he later build another home, and was it made of stone? There's always more to learn, it seems.
The line of descent is:
Johann Friedrich Schollenberger-Anna Katherina Hoppach
Johann Lorenz Schollenberger-Elizabeth Mertz
Peter Shollenberger-Susanna
Catherine Shollenberger-George Essig
Susanna Essig-Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery-Nancy Fannie Buchtel
Della Kemery-William Withers
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Harshbarger children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren
Friday, November 15, 2013
Harshbarger line: Peter Shollenberger
This is going to be a very brief sketch because as far as I can see, there is no good documentation for much of the information in this article. It is taken from copies of copies of information from a book or article by Marian E Shelenberger called "Shollenberger, Shelenberger, Frantz and Allied Families of Lehigh and Crawford Counties, PA and Stark Co."
Peter was the grandson of immigrants from Albig, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. His grandparents, Johann Friederich and Anna Katharina Hoppach had arrived in Philadelphia on the ship "Loyal Judith" in 1742. The timing of their arrival means they were likely coming for economic reasons rather than religious reasons. It was 5 years until Frederick obtained a Land Warrant for 100 acres in what was to become Greenwich Twp, Berks County, Pa. (This could indicate that he served for a time as an indentured servant, or it could simply mean it took that much time to save enough money to buy land.)
Frederick and Katharina's son Johann Lorenz would have been about 6 years old when the family made this trip. Johann Lorenz Schollenberger married Elizabeth Mertz on August 13, 1763. They had at least 9 children, of whom Peter was was in the middle, being born December 26, 1771. Just as his father may have been too young to remember much about his trip from Germany, Peter may have been young to remember the Revolution, at least the early years. He may have been apprenticed or indentured as a young man, becuase his biography states that he was a pipe organ builder in Philadelphia, Pa, a fine cabinet maker, and then later a farmer. One does not learn to build pipe organs or fine cabinets without some training.
His biography states that he lived in Hamburg, Berks County, Pa until 1810 when he moved with his two sons to Plain Twp, Stark County, Ohio. This was early to be moving to Ohio, because of course he didn't know that the War of 1812 was about to be fought. We don't know the maiden name of the woman he married, but she was Susanna and was born May 4, 1777. His (and presumably her) daughter Catherine was born September 6, 1796, and John and Joseph were born in 1798 and 1801, respectively. It is quite possible that there were other children, but no record of them has yet been found.
Peter probably fought in some capacity in the War of 1812, simply because most of the men in Ohio did fight, either in the militia, as part of the US Army or Navy, or as sort of a home guard. In any case, this would have been an uneasy time for Peter and Susannah.
Peter and Susannah were apparently good Christian people, because on June 7, 1817, Peter was among the signers of the Constitution of the Evangelical Lutheran and Germany Reformed Church of Plain Twp, Stark County, Oh. On June 17, 1826, Peter and Susanna sold land to the Lutheran and Presbyterian Churches for a building and burial ground. He later sold his land and moved to Marlboro Township, where he died July 27, 1844. He is buried at the St Peter's Curch Cemetery in Marlboro Township.
I haven't been able to locate Peter in any census, or in church records, or in any of the other "usual sources" so this story is to be continued, I hope. In the meantime, it's fun to think that a Harshbarger ancestor built pipe organs! It's fun to wonder how they made the trek to Ohio and how long it took, and it's fun to wonder about a lot of other of the unknowns in Peter's life.
Here is the line:
Peter Shollenberger and Susanna
Catherine Shollenberger and George Essig
Susannah Essig and Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery and Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery and William H Withers
Goldie Withers and Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger and Mary Margaret Beeks
Peter was the grandson of immigrants from Albig, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. His grandparents, Johann Friederich and Anna Katharina Hoppach had arrived in Philadelphia on the ship "Loyal Judith" in 1742. The timing of their arrival means they were likely coming for economic reasons rather than religious reasons. It was 5 years until Frederick obtained a Land Warrant for 100 acres in what was to become Greenwich Twp, Berks County, Pa. (This could indicate that he served for a time as an indentured servant, or it could simply mean it took that much time to save enough money to buy land.)
Frederick and Katharina's son Johann Lorenz would have been about 6 years old when the family made this trip. Johann Lorenz Schollenberger married Elizabeth Mertz on August 13, 1763. They had at least 9 children, of whom Peter was was in the middle, being born December 26, 1771. Just as his father may have been too young to remember much about his trip from Germany, Peter may have been young to remember the Revolution, at least the early years. He may have been apprenticed or indentured as a young man, becuase his biography states that he was a pipe organ builder in Philadelphia, Pa, a fine cabinet maker, and then later a farmer. One does not learn to build pipe organs or fine cabinets without some training.
His biography states that he lived in Hamburg, Berks County, Pa until 1810 when he moved with his two sons to Plain Twp, Stark County, Ohio. This was early to be moving to Ohio, because of course he didn't know that the War of 1812 was about to be fought. We don't know the maiden name of the woman he married, but she was Susanna and was born May 4, 1777. His (and presumably her) daughter Catherine was born September 6, 1796, and John and Joseph were born in 1798 and 1801, respectively. It is quite possible that there were other children, but no record of them has yet been found.
Peter probably fought in some capacity in the War of 1812, simply because most of the men in Ohio did fight, either in the militia, as part of the US Army or Navy, or as sort of a home guard. In any case, this would have been an uneasy time for Peter and Susannah.
Peter and Susannah were apparently good Christian people, because on June 7, 1817, Peter was among the signers of the Constitution of the Evangelical Lutheran and Germany Reformed Church of Plain Twp, Stark County, Oh. On June 17, 1826, Peter and Susanna sold land to the Lutheran and Presbyterian Churches for a building and burial ground. He later sold his land and moved to Marlboro Township, where he died July 27, 1844. He is buried at the St Peter's Curch Cemetery in Marlboro Township.
I haven't been able to locate Peter in any census, or in church records, or in any of the other "usual sources" so this story is to be continued, I hope. In the meantime, it's fun to think that a Harshbarger ancestor built pipe organs! It's fun to wonder how they made the trek to Ohio and how long it took, and it's fun to wonder about a lot of other of the unknowns in Peter's life.
Here is the line:
Peter Shollenberger and Susanna
Catherine Shollenberger and George Essig
Susannah Essig and Daniel Kemery
Adam Kemery and Nancy Buchtel
Della Kemery and William H Withers
Goldie Withers and Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger and Mary Margaret Beeks
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