Establishing the German Origins of Several Northampton County Settlers

Establishing the German Origins of Several Northampton County Settlers John T. Humphrey* THE CONTINUAL QUEST for that illusive ancestor or piece I of missing information frequently produces surprising results. In this instance the illusive ancestor was Johannes Repscher, progenitor of the Repsher family in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The missing information was his place of origin. The surprising result was identifying the German origins of several other early Northampton County settlers. The Repsher family in Northampton County descends from Johannes Repscher who settled in the county a few years before the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The only names approaching that of Repscher to be found on the lists of German immigrants who passed through the Port of Philadelphia between 1727 and 1776 were a Johannes Roscher, who arrived in December 1764 on the ship Tryagl and a Johannes Roscher, who reached Philadelphia in mid-September 1773 on the ship Union.2 For a long time there was serious doubt that the Northampton County settler was either of these two gentlemen because both of these immigrants signed list C of the Oath of Abjuration with a signature. In 1807 Johannes Repscher executed his will with a mark.3 *Editor's Note: John T Humphrey received his B.A. in government and public administration from the American University in Washington, D. C For more than 20 years he has been actively engaged in genealogical research, warking primarily in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. His published works include Early Families of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, 2 vols., and a series of books listing eighteenth-century births for the eastern Pennsylvania counties of Northampton, Lehigh, and Montgomery. A previous article by Mr. Humphrey, Triedensthal mg Northampton County, Pennsylvania," appeared in The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, 36 (1990); 325-34. The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine The only references to Repscher found on other immigration lists were to a Mary Repscher, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1766,4 and to Johan Philip and Peter Repscher, who left Germany in 1709, when several thousand German emigrants were lured to England with the promise of free passage to the colonies in exchange for their labor. The names of Johan Peter Repscher and Philip Repscher, the latter shown with a wife and three children, were members of the sixth party of ships leaving Rotterdam for England on 27-28 July 1709.5 The fate of these Repscher families remains unknown. They were not among the three thousand Palatines sent to New York in 1710. Except for the above-mentioned records, eighteenth-century evidence for this family in a location other than Northampton County was never found. Finding the surname Rebscher in an article listing German emigrants to America, published almost twenty years after work began on this family, was cause for celebration. That article, written by Thomas H. Hutzelman, was titled "Immigrants to America from Beerfelden Parish, County of Erbach, Germany."6 In his article, Mr. Fluizelinan listed over 100 men, women, and children identified in the registers by the pastors of the parish as German emigrants to America. Marginal notes and comments in German parish registers relating to emigration are apparently not uncommon or unique to the Beerfelden records. In 1988 Jane Adams Clarke wrote an article entitled "Emigrants From Hesse Germany Who Left One After Another For Pennsylvania, 1748-1766.'1 Information for that article had been found in the records of Kempfenbrunn parish, Hesse, and was based on the notes the pastor of the parish entered at the end of the parish register. A similar article was written by the same author two years later. The 1990 article cited German emigrants found in the parish registers of the Evangelical Church of Flochst, located in the Odenwald not far from Beerfelden.8 The Flochst pastors had entered marginal notes in the church record indicating a date of emigration. These were similar to the notes found in the Beerfelden records. Notes in the Beerfelden parish registers were not exclusively related to emigration. Many other entries in the baptismal register noted dates of death or burial. The comments were not consistent, German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 7 that is, the pastor did not identify each and every parishioner who left for America. Mention of the Rebscher surname in the Hutzelman article suggested that a search of the Beerfelden parish registers might produce information about the Northampton County settler. Information that the Rebschers were indeed a fairly large family living in several villages in and around Beerfelden was soon found in the church records, as was evidence that the family was living in the area as early as 1677 when the church registers began. That search also revealed surnames in the parish registers for other families who had settled in Northampton County in the mid to late-eighteenth century, including: Ihrig, Seip, Sandt, Schumpter, Breidinger, and Menges. Interestingly, two of these names, Menges and Ihrig, can be found in Repscher family records in Pennsylvania. Genealogical researchers continually encounter the problem of variant spellings of surnames. This study of early Northampton County settlers proved to be no exception, wherein the most common problem took the form of a surname as spelled in German church records versus its anglicized equivalent(s). Many of the inconsistencies result from an interchange of the consonants "p" and "b" (for example, Repscher/Rebscher) or "t" and "d" (Breitinger/Breidinger). In some cases, the inconsistency is that of double and single letters (Seipp/Seip) or a variation that evolved merely because of differences in German and English pronunciation (SandiSandt). To lessen confusion and to simplify access for researchers who might find the following material useful, the surnames of the German immigrants covered here have been changed to reflect those names as they can most frequently be found in mid-eighteenth-century Pennsylvania records. The first use of each altered family surname appears first in its anglicized form, immediately followed by surname variations separated with a slash "I." Exceptions have been made where a particular spelling is vital to identification of a Northampton County settler as listed in the Strassburger and Hinke passenger lists of Pennsylvania German Pioneers. Such names are included here as found. Original spellings have been retained for the names of ancestors who remained in Germany. The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Conrad Ihrig/Errich/Ihrich The Ihrig family name frequently appeared in the Beerfelden church records. Ihrig is also the family name of one of Northampton County's early settlers, Conrad Ihrig. The first evidence placing Conrad Ihrig in the county appears in the 1761 tax lists, where he was listed as a resident and taxpayer in Forks Township. Later tax lists confirm that by 1766 he owned 30 cleared and 170 wooded acres in the same township, Numerous deeds recorded at Easton, Pennsylvania, indicate that Conrad Ihrig later became an innholder in Easton as well as the holder of several additional tracts of real property, some of which was later deeded to his sons. It should be noted that one of his Easton properties became the repository of numerous items sent to the county seat for safe-keeping during the British occupation of Philadelphia in 1777. Included among those items were: "a large iron chest, a Case & a Barrel containing Books and papers of 14 boxes and 2 trunks containing the importance and . [Pennsylvania] state library. ..."1° Cemetery records disclose that Conrad Ihrig died in Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1813. The date of birth engraved on his tombstone is 27 June 1731." Beerfelden parish registers reveal two Conrad Ihrigs born that year. The first is Johann Conrad, son of Jacob Ihrig of Untersensbach, born 26 January 1731. Marginal notes next to his baptismal record state he died in 1731.'2 The second Conrad is the son of Michael and Eva Ihrig, also of Untersensbach. This Conrad, who was born 14 June 1731, was baptized 16 June 1731. His baptismal sponsor was Johann Adam Seipp, "gemeindsmann" of Railbach. Marginal notes next to this birth record state he "went to America."" Additional confirmation that the son of Michael and Eva Ihrig emigrated to Pennsylvania was found in the Beerfelden marriage register. On 9 May 1751 Conrad Ihrig, identified as the son of the late Michael Ihrig of Untersensbach, married Maria Elisabetha Pappiltapp, "without previous proclamation, since they have . together for a considerable time, contrary to and also they intend to go to Pennsylvania on the next day."14 Named in the marriage document are two witnesses, Johan Adam Ihrig, "brother German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 9 of the bridegroom," and Johann Adam Seipp of Railbach, Conrad's 1731 baptismal sponsor.15 Fourteen ships arrived in Philadelphia in the late summer and early fall of 1751. A search of the lists of arrivals in 1751 for Philadelphia shows only two individuals with the Ihrig surname, Conrad Errich and Gottlib Ihrich. Both men arrived on the ship St. Andrew in mid-September. Conrad Errich affixed his mark to the Oath of Abjuration (list 165C) at the Court House on 14 September 1751.16 If Conrad Ihrig and his wife Maria Elisabeth, in fact, left Untersensbach the day following their marriage, it took them four months and four days to complete the journey from Beerfelden to Philadelphia. Locating a birth record for Conrad Ihrig's wife, Maria Elisabeth Papp, would provide additional proof that this family originated in the Odenwald, but matching her exact date of birth in a Pennsylvania record with a German birth record is difficult if not impossible because the only information available from her gravestone is a date of birth ca. 1725. A search for her exact birth date in the Beerfelden registers was unsuccessful. The first Papp family birth entered in the Beerfelden records was recorded in January of 1733, eight years after the ca. 1725 birth of Maria Elisabeth. This 1733 record is for a Margaretha Bapp born 29 January 1733,17 probably Maria Elisabeth's younger sister. Margaretha Bapp's father was Johann Peter Bapp, the same man named in the 1751 marriage record for Conrad Ihrig and Maria Elisabeth Papp. The 1733 birth record also notes that Johann Peter Bapp was a day laborer and native of "Duburg" who had recently moved to Ileum bach.18 It would appear the birth/baptismal record for Mafia Elisabeth (Papp) Ihrig might be found in the parish records for that village. Ihrig Genealogical Summary Michael Ihrig,A farmer, Untersensbach, Hesse, Germany, died ca. 1719.19 before 1751 in Germany. He married Eva 10 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Known children of Michael ihrigA and Eva are: i. Hans Adam, B. 11 Nov. 1720, Untersensbach; bp. 22 Nov. 1720; d. 21 Oct. 1782, Germany." ii. Maria Eva, b. 7 Oct 1723, Untersensbach; bp. Oct. 1723.21 iii. Johann Georg, b. 10 May 1725, Untersensbach; bp. 13 May 1725.22 iv. Johann Peter, b. 9 Oct. 1727; bp. 12 Oct. 1727; d. 18 Feb. 1779, Germany.23 v. Johann Jacob, b. 25 July 1729, Untersensbach; bp. 25 July 1729.24 1. vi. Conrad,' b. 14 June 1731, Untersensbach; bp. 16 June 1731.25 vii. Johann Leonhard, b. 25 Aug. 1734, Untersensbach; bp. 25 Aug. 1734; d. 10 Apr. 1804 in Germany.26 viii. Elisabetha, b. 19 May 1736, Untersensbach; bp. 20 May 1736.27 1. Conrad' Ihrig (MichaelA), innkeeper, Easton, Pa., was born 14 June 1731/27 June 1731 in Untersensbach, Hesse, Germany.' He died 18 July 1813 at Easton, Pa., and is buried in Easton Cemetery." He immigrated in September 1751 at Philadelphia, Pa." On 9 May 1751 he was married in Germany to Maria Elisabeth Papp, daughter of Johan Peter Kapp of Fletzbach, Hesse, Germany.' Maria Elisabeth Papp was born ca. 1725. She died 23 March 1804 at Easton, Pa.' Known children of Conrad Ihrigli and Maria Elisabeth Papp are: i. Johan, b. 10 Nov. 1754, Pennsylvania "; d. 6 Sept. 1788, Upper Mt. Bethel Twp., Northampton Co., Pasm; bur. St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery, Easton, Pa.35 ii. Georgem (no further information). iii. Conrad; d. 19 Jan. 1807, Easton, Pa."; m. before 1770 to Anna Christina Snip, daughter of Johan Peter Seip.38 iv. Christina, m. 13 Mar. 1770 to Peter Schilp." v. Peter, b. 28 June 1765; d. 19 May 1833, Easton, Pa.4° German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 11 Johan Peter Seip/Seipp Johan Peter Seip settled in Northampton County ca. 1760. Deeds on record at Easton, Pennsylvania, show that he purchased his initial tract of land in Forks Township on 19 September 1763.4' The 1772 tax lists indicate he was an innkeeper, while other tax records and deeds state he was a fanner.° Johan Peter Seip died 19 February 1809 and was buried in the Easton Cemetery. His gravestone notes he was born 8 June 1735.43 Seip is one of the Northampton County family names repeatedly mentioned in the Beerfelden parish registers. A search of the church records revealed a Johann Peter Seip born 8 June 1735. That date matches the birth date engraved on the tombstone of the Johann Peter Seip who died in Northampton County in 1809. The Beerfelden church record note Johann Peter Seip as the son of Johann Jacob and Anna Elisabetha Seipp of Gammelsbach.44 This same couple, Johann Jacob and Anna Elisabetha Seipp, were also the parents of Elisabetha Christina Seip born 10 October 1729 in Gammelsbach. Marginal notes next to her birth record stated she "Went in adult years to America." As an adult she undoubtedly left with her husband, but that record fails to mention her married name. A search of the marriage records in the Beerfelden church lists disclosed an Elisabetha Seip, daughter of Johann Jacob Seipp of Garnmelsbach, who married Johann Georg Holtzschuiliolzschuh, linen weaver from Obersensbach, son of Georg Sebastian Holzschuh, on 4 January 1748.46 Johann Georg and Elisabetha Christina were the parents of a daughter, Elisabetha Catharine, born 13 September 1748 in Gammelsbach.47 According to information in Strassburger and Hinke's Pennsylvania German Pioneers, Hans George Holtz-Shoe arrived in Philadelphia on the ship Brothers in September 1752, where he affixed his "X" mark to the Oath of Abjuration (list 1.79C) on 22 Septernber.48 Also aboard the ship Brothers was Peter Seip. Peter signed his name to the Oath on the same day as Hans George HoltzShoe.° In other words, Johan Peter Seip arrived in Philadelphia at the age of 17 with his sister, Elisabeth Christina, and her husband, Hans George Holtzschu. 12 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine By 1758 Johan Peter Seip had married and was living in or near Northampton County. Records of the Tohickon Reformed Church in Bucks County show him and his wife Anna Maria as sponsors for the baptism of John Peter Weber, son of John and Sarah Weber, on 12 June 1758.5° Peter Seip's brother-in-law, George Holtzschu, did not settle in Northampton County. Several tax and church records confirm his residence in District township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, where he owned at least 20 acres of land.51 The records of Hill Church in the neighboring township of Pike indicate George's wife (also Peter Seip's sister), Elisabetha Christina Seip Holtzschu, died within several years of her arrival, or possibly enroute to Pennsylvania. Hill Church records a second marriage for John George Hold schuh, "widower," to Miss Anna Rosina Breuning on 29 September 1754.52 The births of two children of John George Holtzschu and his wife Rosina were entered in the Hill Church records: William born 24 March 1760,53 and Christina born 7 September 1762.54 John George Holtzschu remained a resident of District Township until his death in 1777. In Pennsylvania he continued to practice in the same trade he had learned in Obersensbach many years earlier. When he wrote his will on 16 December 1764 he identified himself as a weaver near Oley Township. The children named in the Holtzschu will are: Sabinah, Rosinah, George William or George and William (the record is unclear), and Christina.55 Seip Genealogical Summary Johann Jacob Seipp,A Gammelsbach, and his wife Anna Elisabetha Known children of Johann Jacob Seipph and Anna Elisabetha are: i. Ann Elisabetha, b. 18 Mar. 1728, Gammelsbach; bp. 21 Mar. 1728.56 1. ii. Elisabetha Christina,' b. 10 Oct. 1729, Gammelsbach, bp. 10 Oct. 172957; d. before 1754, possibly in Pa." iii. Johann Georg, b. 24 Apr. 1731, Gammelsbach; bp. 26 Apr. 1731.59 German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 13 iv. Anna Maria, b. 5 Mar. 1733, Gammelsbach; bp. 8 Mar. 1733.6° 2. v. Johann Peter,' b. 8 June 1735, Gammelsbach; bp. 12 June 173561; d. 19 Feb. 1809, Easton, Pa.62 vi. Rosina, b. 27 Sept. 1739.63 1. Elisabetha Christinal Seip (Johann jacobA) was born 10 October 1729 in Gammelsbach, Hesse, German ," She died before September 1754, possibly in Pennsylvania.b5 On 4 January 1748 she married Johann Georg Holtzschu of Obersensbach, son of Georg Sebastian flokschuh.b° Known child of Elisabetha Christina Seip and Johann Georg Holtzschu is: i. Elisabetha Catharina, b. 13 Sept. 1748, Gammelsbach; bp. 15 Sept. 1748.67 2. Johann Peter' Seip (Johann jacobA), innkeeper, was born 8 June 1735 at Gammelsbach, Hesse, Germany. He was baptized 2 June 173568 and immigrated to Pennsylvania in September 1752 at Philadelphia, Pa.' On 19 February 1809 he died in Northampton County, Pa. and was buried in the Easton Cemetery." He was married ca. 1758 to Anna Maria , who was born 12 December 1740. She died 10 January 1810 in Northampton County, Pa., and was buried in the Easton Cemetery." Known children of Johann Peter' Seip and Anna Maria are: L Anna Christina, birth date unknown; m. before 1770 in Northampton Co., Pa., to Conrad Ihrig, jr.72 ii. John, birth date unknown; d. Mar. 1815 in Forks Twp., Northampton Co., Pa.73 iii. Maria Margaret, birth date unknown; m. John Dornbliser.74 iv. Ann Rosina, b. 8 Feb. 1767, Northampton Co., Pa.; bp. 19 Apr. 176775; m. George Stocker." v. Jacob, b. 11 Dec. 1771, Northampton Co., Pa.; d, 11 July 1850, Northampton Co., Pa.; but. Arndt's 14 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Cemetery, Forks Twp., Northampton Co., Pa."; m. Susanna Heller.78 vi. Elisabeth, b. 30 July 1774, Northampton Co.; d. 5 Aug. 1853, Easton, Pa."; m. ca. 1796 to Nathaniel Michler.8° John Adam Sandt/Sand John Adam Sandt is yet another mid-eighteenth century German settler of Forks Township, Northampton County, who can be traced to the parish of Beerfelden. John Adam Sandt and his wife Christina first appear in Northampton County records on 19 April 1767, when they were listed as communicants at the Williams Township church, just south of Easton.81 The ships' passengers lists for Philadelphia show that Johan Adam Sand came to that city approximately five months prior to his initial appearance in Northampton County records. The list of arrivals reveals he arrived on the ship Chance in September 1766 and affixed his mark to the Oath of Abjuration (list 258C) at the Court House in Philadelphia on Tuesday, 23 September 1766.82 Na comments are entered in the Beerfelden parish registers to indicate that the Sandt family went to America with their children. The primary source for identifying the European origins of this couple is their gravestones. Both markers bear legible dates of birth, i.e., Johan Adam Sandt was born 14 December 1731, and his wife Elisabeth Christina was born 19 February 1733.83 The critical information linking John Adam and Christina Sandt with their German ancestors can be found on Elisabeth Christina's stone. That marker notes her maiden name, Seip, and her birthplace, Gammelsbach." Gammelsbach, a small village not far from Beerfelden, was also the home of Johann Peter Seip and his sister, Elisabeth Christina (Seip) Holtzschu. A search of the Beerfelden Parish records yields an Elisabetha Christina Seip, born 19 February 1733, the same date found on the gravestone in Forks Township. The church record goes on to state that. Elisabetha Christina was the daughter of Conrad Seipp of Gammelsbach and his lawfully wedded wife Maria Elisabeth. Elisabetha Christina Seip was baptized 22 February 1733. Witness German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 15 to this baptism was Eva Elisabetha, daughter of Johann Georg Meyer, miller at Gammelsbach.85 Entries for the year 1731 show that Johann Adam Sandt was born 14 December 1731 around three in the afternoon. Again, the date of birth engraved on the stone in Pennsylvania matches the birth record in Germany. Johann Adam's father was Stephen Sand, woodcutter in the "Schellenbacher" forest. The pastor who recorded this entry noted both the father and mother, Stephen and Christina Sand, were Catholic and both had come to Rh& lenbach from Trier. When John Adam Sandt wrote his will on 19 December 1792, he named as his principal beneficiaries his three sons: Adam, Michael, and John Sandt. In a codicil to the will, he mentioned . . my step children, Eliza Barbara ShumbediSchumpter/Tschumper/Schumber/jumper] Wolf, and Conrad Shumber."7 In other words, Elisabeth Christina Seip was the mother of at least two children from a previous marriage, and those children came with her and her second husband, John Adam Sandt, to America on the ship Chance in 1766. The Beerfelden records disclose that Elisabeth Christina Seip married her first husband, Johannes Schumpter, the master mason in Gammelsbach, on 3 January 1757.88 Those same records also show three children born to this couple: Conrad Schumpter, born 2 June 1757; Eliza Barbara Schumpter, born 11 October 1758; and Maria Catharina Schumpter, born 6 February 17 89 This last named child died 16 March 1762 in Gammelsbach.90 Elisabeth Christina (Seip) Schumpter's first husband died 28 December 1761.91 She married her second husband, John Adam Sandt, on 23 November 1762.92 The Beerfelden church records reveal that Johan Adam and Elisabeth Christina Sandt were the parents of two children born in Garnmelsbach: Catharine Elisabeth Sand, born 18 November 1763, and Wilhelm Adam Sand, born 30 January 1765.93 This second child, Wilhelm Adam, died in Gammelsbach on 17 March 1766,94 at about the time his parents were preparing for their departure to Pennsylvania. Church records show that John Adam Sandt's stepson, Conrad Schumpter, was probably married twice. Conrad Schumpter and his wife Eva were the parents of Rebecca, born 19 September 16 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 1790.95 Later records show Conrad Schumpter and Magdalena as the parents of two sons: John, born 31 December 1800," and a second John, born 31 January 1803.97 Without knowledge of the exact relationship Conrad Schumpter and Elisabeth Barbara (Schumpter) Wolf had with the Sandt family, there is no way of knowing when these two individuals arrived in America. It would also be very difficult to establish their European origins because they were under age and their names do not appear on any immigration list The codicil to John Adam Sandt's will is the crucial link tying these two Schumpter children and their descendants to their German ancestors. By comparing names of passengers arriving on the ship Chance in 1766 with the names of individuals listed in the Hutzelman article naming German emigrants to America and also with the Beerfelden church records, one can conclude that the Sandt family did not leave Beerfelden parish for Pennsylvania alone. Other Beerfelden emigrants on that same ship were George Conrad Seip and his wife Maria Catharine Schafer, also of Garnmelsbach, and Joh. Peter Loew and his wife Maria Elisabeth Reupold, of Oberw sensbach. Both couples were married 9 May 1766, and the pastor noted: "These people are also going to Amerka."98 There was at least one other Odenwald immigrant aboard the Chance. Johann Georg Oh (list 258C)99 was probably the Johann Georg Old whose 1766 emigration to Pennsylvania was noted in the Flochst parish registers. According to that register, Johann Georg Old, born 29 July 1745, was the son of Joh. Philip and Anna Margaretha Cold.1® The pastoral records of Daniel Schumacher show that Johann Jurg Old and his wife Maria Elisabeth had located in Weissenberg Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, within several months of their arrival in Philadelphia. On 19 April 1767 Daniel Schumacher baptized at Ziegel Church, Maria Barbara Old, born in February 1767, daughter of Johann Nag and Maria Elisabeth Old."' Apprcodmately three years later, on 11 February 1770, he baptized a second child, Maria Catharina, born in December 1769, whose baptismal sponsors were Johannes and Eva Maria Schaffer.1°2 Johannes Schaffer was possibly the Johannes Schaffer born 31 August 1740 in 1-16chst, whose 1766 emigration to Pennsylvania was likewise noted in the 1-16chst registers.105 German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 17 Sandt Genealogical Summary Stephen Sand,A woodcutter, Schellenbacher forest, near Gammelsbach, and his wife Christina Known children of Stephen SandA and Christina are: 1. i. Johan Adam, b. 14 Dec. 1731, near Gammelsbach, Hesse, Germany; bp. 16 Dec. 17311°4; d. Apr. 1793, Northampton Co., Pa.1°5 ii. Susanna, b. 20 Sept. 1734, near Gammelsbach, Hesse, Germany; bp. 21 Sept. 1734.1°6 David, b. 13 Oct. 1737, near Gammelsbach, Hesse, Germany; bp. 16 Oct. 1737.'137 1. Johan Adam Sande (Stephen') was born 14 December 1731 near Gammelsbach, Hesse, Germany, and was baptized 16 December 1731.1 ' He died 7 April 1793 in Northampton County, Pa."9 His remains were initially buried in a cemetery in Easton, Pa., but were later reinterred in Forks Cemetery, Northampton County. Johan Adam immigrated to Pennsylvania in September 1766 on the ship Chancel" He was married 23 November 1762 in Gammelsbach to Elisabetha Christina (Seip) Schumpter, widow of Johannes Schturipter."1 She was born 19 February 1732/3 in Gammelsbach, and was the daughter of Conrad and Maria Elisabetha Seipp. Elisabetha Christina was baptized 22 February 1732/3112 and died 29 January 1814 in Northampton County, Pa.115 Known children of Johan Adam Sandt,' and Elisabetha Christina Seip are: 1. Catharine Elisabeth, b. 18 Nov. 1763, Garnmelsbach; bp. Nov. 1763."4 ii. Wilhelm Adam, b. 30 Jan, 1765, Gammelsbach; bp. 2 Feb. 1765115; d. 17 Mar. 1766, Gammelsbach.116 iii. John Adam, b. 16 Dec. 1767, Northampton Co., Pa.; d. 28 Apr. 1835, Northampton Co., Pa.'17; m. Anna Maria Fuchs.118 18 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine iv. John Michael, b. 31 Mar. 1769, Northampton Co., Pa.; bp. 21 May 1769"g; d. 12 Apr. 1751, Northampton Co., Pa.; m. Anna Mariam Schiffer."' v. John, b. 22 July 1771, Northampton Co., Pa.; d. May 1833, Northampton Co., Pa.122; m. 10 Nov. 1793 to Maria Magdalena Corre11.123 vi. Anna Rosina, b. 11 Dec. 1772, Northampton Co., Pa.; bp. 18 Feb. 1773.124 Johannes Schumpter,A master mason of Gammelsbach, Hesse, Germany was born 6 October 1728. He was the son of Peter Schumpter of Gammelsbach."5 Johannes Schumpter died 28 December 1761 in Garnmelsbach.1" He was married on 3 January 1757 to Elisabetha Christina Seip, born 19 February 1732/3, daughter of Conrad and Maria Elisabetha Seip.127 Known children of Johannes Schumpter'' and Elisabetha Christina Seip are: i. Conrad, b. 2 June 1757, Gammelsbach; bp. 3 June 1757128; immigrated 22 Sept. 1766, Philadelphia, Pa.; m. before 1790 to Eva in Northampton Co.129; m. ca. 1800 to Magdalena .150 ii. Eliza Barbara, h. 11 Oct. 1758, Gammelsbach; bp. 13 Oct. 1758151; immigrated 22 Sept. 1766, Philadelphia, Pa.; m. in Northampton Co. to Maria Catharina, b. 6 Feb. 1760, Gammelsbach; bp. 8 Feb. 1760155; d. 16 Mar. 1760, Gammelsbach.1-54 Adam Breidinger/Breitinger Adam Breidinger, progenitor of the early Northampton County Breidinger family, first appears in Northampton County records on 15 August 1777 when he purchased 143 acres of land in Plainfield Township. The deed, recorded 23 August 1777, notes that Adam Breidinger was a farmer from Robeson Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.' 5 In 1777 Adam Breidinger relocated to Northampton County from Berks. German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 19 Records of the New Hanover Lutheran Church in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, list the births of three children of Adam Breidinger and his wife Anna Sibilla. Those children are: John Michael, born 23 January 1759;136 Maria Eva, born 21 March 1769;'" and Elisabeth, born 29 September 1763.138 Birth of a fourth child, John Andrew on 2 October 1767, was entered in the records of the Falkner Swamp Reformed Church in Montgomery County.139 Birth or baptismal records for the first-born son, Peter, have not been found. Tax lists for Plainfield Township reveal that by 1786 Adam Breidinger owned 100 acres of land, 2 horses, and 2 cows. Michael Breidinger, Adam's son, is shown owning only I horse, and Peter Breidinger is listed on the same tax rolls as unmarried.14° The first U.S. Census taken four years later lists Adam as living in Plainfield Township with two white males over the age of 16 and two white females. Michael Breidinger is listed with six individuals in his household: two males above 16, two males under 16, and two females. There is no listing for Peter."' Presumably he was living with either his brother Michael, or with his father, Adam. On 9 December 1811, Adam Breidinger, yeoman of Plainfield Township, entered into an agreement with his son Michael. Under the terms of that agreement, Michael Breidinger agreed to maintain or take care of his father during the remainder of his natural life, pay Adam's funeral expenses, and pay 900 pounds to each of Adam's remaining heirs. In exchange for his performance of said duties, Michael Breidinger would receive the farm Adam Breidinger had purchased in 1789 along with any and all personal property in Adam's possession at the time of his death. The other heirs of Adam Breidinger named in this document were: the children of Peter Breidinger, deceased; Eve Breidinger, wife of David Florey; and the children of Elisabeth Florey, wife of John Florey, deceased.142 Gravestones for Adam Breidinger and his wife Anna Sybilla have not been found, and there is no estate file on record for Adam Breidinger in the Northampton County records at Easton, Pennsylvania. The above-cited agreement constituted Adam's will, i.e., he conveyed all of his real and personal property to his son prior to his death. Presumably Adam's wife, Anna Sybilla, predeceased him, since she was not mentioned in the agreement with Michael. 20 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Breidinger is a unique family name in eighteenth-century America. A search of the Strassburger and Hinke lists reveals only one person who arrived in Philadelphia with that family name—Adam Breitinger, who arrived on the brigantine Maly and Sarah in October 1754.145 The presence of Adam Breidinger on the Mary and Sarah is no great surprise. Twenty-five adult men were identified by the pastor of the Beerfelden Parish as German emigrants to America. Eleven of those 25 left for America in 1754, and five of those 11 show up in Philadelphia on the Maly and Sarah, including Lorentz Maurer, Hans Adam Schaeffer, Johann Jacob Schumpert, Johann Georg Brincker, and Johann Adam Menges.'" Adam Breidinger, like Peter Seip and John Adam Sands, other known Beerfelden emigrants, was not among the 25 adult men specifically named in the Beerfelden registers as having left for America. Adam Breidinger's presence on the Mary and Sarah along with the five known Beerfelden emigrants suggests there indeed may be additional men and families on this same boat whose origins emanate in the Odenwald. A search of the Beerfelden church records produced two Johan Adam Breidingers. One Johan Adam Breidinger, born 28 Decemp ber 1731, was identified as the n of John Peter Breitinger and his wife Ann Catharina. The other Johan Adam Breidinger was born 15 October 1736, and his parents were John Christoph and Anna Maria Breitinger.145 The Beerfelden marriage records reveal that these two Johan Adam Breidingers were cousins. Johann Peter Breitinger, father of the Johan Adam born in 1731 married Anna Catharina Muller on 28 September 1728, the same day Johann Christoph Breitinger married Anna Maria Wolhen (Wollen?). Both Johann Peter and Johann Christopher were sons of the late Christopher Breitinger of Beerfelden.146 Establishing the identity of the Northampton County immigrant in this case is somewhat difficult because there is no gravestone or other record in Pennsylvania to confirm a birth date. A marriage record for Adam and Ann Sybilla Breidinger, either in Germany or Pennsylvania, would provide additional identifying information; however, no record or evidence of their marriage can be found in the Beerfelden records. Conceivably they were married in German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 21 Germany in another parish, or it is possible they married in Pennsylvania. All of the Breidinger children identified as Adam's heirs in the 1811 deed were born in Pennsylvania. The oldest child named in that document was Peter Breidinger, born in 1756, two years after Adam's arrival in Philadelphia.147 This birth clearly suggests that Adam Breidinger married Anna Sybilla just prior to his departure for America or shortly after his arrival in Philadelphia. In 1754 the Adam Breidinger born in 1731 was 23, and his cousin was 18. A 1754 to 1755 marriage implies the older of the two men probably left Beerfelden for Pennsylvania. Additionally, the names given to Adam and Anna Sybilla's children—Peter, Michael, Elisabeth, and Eva—suggest the Breidinger immigrant was, in fact, the older of the two cousins, i.e., the son of Johan Peter Breitinger and his wife Anna Catharina Muller. Each of these names was also given to the children of Johan Peter and Anna Catharina. Only one of those names, Eva, appears in the family of Johann Christopher Breitinger and Anna Maria Wolhen. The unique nature of the Breidinger surname, and the presence of the progenitor of the family in Pennsylvania on the same ship with several other known Beerfelden immigrants, clearly suggest the Johann Adam Breidinger who lived in Northampton County came from Beerfelden. The absence of a specific date of birth for the Adam Breidinger who lived in Northampton County, however, makes it difficult to conclusively identify the gentleman who emigrated to America. Evidence of marriage and naming patterns in the family suggest the Northampton County settler was the son of Johann Peter Breitinger and his wife Anna Catharina Muller. At the very least, members of this family can probably claim descent from Christopher Breitinger. The first records or entries for the Breidinger family in the Beerfelden parish registers are the 1728 marriages of Johann Peter and Johann Christoph. The absence of any earlier record for this family is evidence that Christoph Breitinger, like Stephen Sand and Johann Peter Bapp, probably located in the area sometime in the 1720s. A record identifying Breidinger's previous home has not been found. Correspondence with a German genealogist, Erwin Breidinger, reveals that there were Breidingers living in Wurttemberg, Thuringen, and Bavaria in Germany, and Zurich, 22 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Switzerland, in the eighteenth century. Perhaps Christoph Brbeid= inger moved to Beerfelden from one of these areas. Breidinger Genealogical Summary Christoph Breitinger, shepherd near Beerfelden, died before 1728. His wife's name is unknown. Known children of Christopher Breitinger and are: 1. i. Johann Peter, birth date unknownilds 2. ii. Johann Christoph, birth date unknown."9 1. Johann Peter Breitinger married 28 September 1728 at Beerfelden, Hesse, Germany, to Anna Maria Muller, daughter of Lucas Miiller.15° Known children of Johann Peter Breitinger and Anna Maria Muller are: 1. Johann Adam, b. 28 Dec. 1731, Beerfelden; bp. 30 Dec. 1731.151 ii. Eva Catharina, b. 15 Apr. 1754, Beerfelden; bp. 16 Apr. 1734.152 iii. Johann Peter, b. 8 July 1738, Beerfelden; bp. 9 July 1738.153 iv. Maria Elisabeth, b. 29 Feb. 1740, Beerfelden; bp. 2 Mar. 1740.154 v. Johann Michael, b. 21 Apr. 1742, Beerfelden; bp. 22 Mar. 1742155; m. 28 Apr. 1766 to Christina Catharina Kumpf, Beerfelden.165 2, Johann Christoph Breitinger was married on 28 September 1728 at Beerfelden, Hesse, Germany, to Anna Maria Wolhen.157 Known children of Johann Christoph Breitinger and Anna Maria Wolhen are: i. Eva Maria, b. 8 July 1733, Beerfelden; bp. 9 July 1733158; d. Nov. 1807, Beerfelden.159 German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 23 ii. Johann Adam, b. 15 Oct. 1736, Beerfelden; bp. 16 Oct. 1736.160 iii. Johann Valentin, b. 20 May 1739, Beerfelden; bp. 21 May 1739161; d. 27 Feb. 1808, Beerfelden.'62 Johann Adam Breidingeri died after 1811 in Plainfield Township, Northampton County, Pa.163 His date of his birth is unknown. He immigrated to Pennsylvania at Philadelphia in October 1754.1" His wife was Anna Sybilla Known children of Johann Adam Breidingerl and Anna Sybilla are: i. Peter, b. 15 Apr. 1756, Pennsylvania; d. 25 Nov. 1806, Plainfield Twp., Northampton Co., Pa.; m. Anna .165 Maria ii. John Michael, b. 23 Jan. 1759, Berks Co., Pa.; bp. 4 Mar. 1759166; d. 1832 Plainfield Twp., Northampton Co., .167 Pa.; m. Anna iii. Maria Eva, b. 21 Mar. 1761, Berks Co., Pa.; bp. 7 June 1761168; m. David Florey.169 iv. Elisabeth, b. 29 Sept. 1763, Berks Co., Pa.; bp. 22 Apr. 1764170; d. before 1811; m. John Florey.171 v. John Andrew, b. 2 Oct. 1767, Berks Co., Pa.; bp. 27 Dec. 1767'72; d. before 1811.173 vi. Susanna Elisabeth, b. 30 Jan. 1770, Berks Co., Pa.174; d. before 1811.175 Johannes Repscher/Rebscher/Robscher/Repsher The first record listing a member of the Repscher family in Northampton County was found in the register of the Williams Township church, located just south of Easton, Pennsylvania. That record notes that Joh. Georg Repscher attended communion at the church on 18 December 1773176; however, it is uncertain whether the communicant, joh. Georg Repscher, was Johannes Repscher, progenitor of the Repscher family, or his son George Repscher. 24 Tice Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Evidence suggests Johannes Repscher initially settled in Lower Mt Bethel Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. On 8 February 1779 he recorded a mortgage for 100 acres in that township for property purchased from Jacob rvfiller.in A deed for this property was never recorded, but Johannes Repscher must have made this purchase prior to Jacob Miller's death in 1777. Jacob Miller's will was proved 10 October 1777,178 providing clear evidence that he died before Johannes Repscher recorded the 1779 mortgage. Documentation to verify that the Repscher family relocated to Northampton County from another part of Pennsylvania or from another colony has never been found, suggesting that the Repschers probably immigrated around the time they first appear in Northampton County records, i.e., 1773. A reexamination of the 1773 lists of German immigrants who arrived in Philadelphia indicates that several Beerfelden and/or Odenwald immigrants were passengers on the ship Union, the same ship that in mid-September of 1773 brought Johannes Roscher, the other known Beerfelden emigrant, to America. Among them were a Johann Lenhardt Ihrig and jno. Geo. Holushooe."9 John George Holtzshooe (list 309C), the second individual with that name to arrive in Philadelphia from Beerfelden, was also mentioned in the Huizeiman article. His marriage on 6 May 1773 to Anne Maria Schaefer was recorded in the Beerfelden registers, where the pastor noted "These are also going to America." Evidence suggesting that this second John Georg Holtzschu settled in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, can be found in church records in that county, which reveal that he and his wife Anna Maria were the parents of at least three children: Johann G., born 28 January 1781181; John P., born 27 July 1783182; and Catharina, born 27 December 1789.183 The search for a record of Johannes Repscher's immigration into Pennsylvania proved to be somewhat difficult. As previously noted, the only names on the lists of Pennsylvania German Pioneers who arrived at the Port of Philadelphia even close to the name Repscher were a Johannes Roscher who arrived in December 1764 on the ship Mall i84 and a Johannes Roscher who reached Philadelphia in mid-September 1773 on the ship Union.185 When Johannes Repscher executed his will in 1807 he used a rnark.186 It German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 25 had been assumed that he did not posses the ability to write his own name; consequently, it was concluded that he could not be either of these two German immigrants, both of whom had signed the Oath of Abjuration (List C) with a signature. Further investigation proved that assumption and conclusion to be incorrect. The presence of the other Odenwald immigrants on the Union and the apparent absence of some other immigration record for Johannes Repscher clearly suggested he was probably the Johannes Roscher on the immigration lists. Johannes Repscher's will notes that he was "sick and weak in body" when he executed the document, which could account for his use of a mark rather than a full signature. In other words, it was possible that by 1807 Johannes Repscher had lost his ability to write his own name, and, if so, it was also possible that there might be other extant Northampton County records to which his signature might have been affixed. A search for a record containing that signature produced a will executed on 14 August 1777 by Jacob Miller,187 the same individual who held the mortgage on property Johannes Repscher purchased in Lower Mt. Bethel Township. Johannes Repscher along with Peter Ihrig witnessed the will with signatures.188 Interestingly, the co-executor named in the will was Conrad Ihrig, the 1751 Beerfelden immigrant. A comparison of the Repscher signature on the Miller will with the signature of Johannes Roscher on the original lists of arrivals in Philadelphia for the ship Union in 1773189 showed they were virtually identical. Johannes Repscher had arrived in Philadelphia in September 1773 on the Union, and his signature had obviously been misinterpreted from the German script. Immigration data for Peter Ihrig, the other witness to the Miller will, had been fairly easy to document because, as noted, he could also sign his name. The signature of Peter Ihrig on the Miller will is quite close to the signature of the Johann Peter Ihrig who arrived in November 1771 on the ship Tiger (List 290C).'9° The only difference is the absence on the Miller will of the first name Johann; the remaining elements of the signatures match almost Also aboard the Tyger was Wilhelm Kumpf, another immigrant from Beerfelden,19' whose significance to the Repscher family will become apparent as the Repscher family history unfolds. Johann 26 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Wilhelm Kumpfs birth on 4 September 1745 was entered in the Beerfelden registers and the pastor noted in the margin next to the baptism "Gone to Pennsylvania 1771." Johann Wilhelm Kumpf was the son of Johannes Kumpf, clothrnaker and citizen of Beerfelden and his wife Kunigunda Margretha Rauhenzahner.192 It appears that Johann Wilhelm Kumpf settled in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The baptism on 12 October 1782 of Barbara Kumpf, daughter of Wilhelm and Eva Margaretha Kumpf, was recorded in the Heidelberg Lutheran Church register. Barbara Kumpf was born 2 September 1782. Her baptismal sponsors were Georg Horn and his wife Barbara.'" Baptismal records have been found for only two of the probable five children of Johannes and Maria Elisabeth Repscher born in Northampton County. The first of those is that of Anna Catharine Repscher, whose baptism on 30 April 1775 was entered into the records of the First Reformed Church in Easton, Pennsylvania. Her "God Parents" were John Peter and Anna Catharine Ihrig,'" the 1771 immigrants and the co-witness to the Miller will. The second child, Maria Elizabeth, was born 18 April 1777 and baptized 19 May 1777. Sponsors for her baptism were Henry Laux and Maria Elisabeth Menges, both single.'" Johannes Repscher died 9 April 1807, only four days after executing his will. His wife, Maria Elisabeth, remained a widow for over a year and followed him in death on 18 December 1808. Both are buried in Plainfield Cemetery, where legible tombstones mark their graves.196 A birth date of 10 November 1729 is cut on Johannes Repscher's Plainfield Cemetery gravestone.197 The Beerfelden parish registers contain no record for a Johannes Repscher born on that day. The closest Repscher birth to the 10 November date is the birth of Johann Ludwig Repscher on 20 November 1729, son of Johann Ludwig Repscher, Jr., tavernkeeper at the White Stead in Beer felden.198 The same records also show a Johann Georg Repscher born 1 September 1729, the illegitimate son of Anna Christina Repscher, daughter of Johannes Repscher, baker in Beerfelden.1-99 The father named in the baptismal record for Johann Georg is Johannes Kumpf, son of Johannes Kumpf, Sr., clothmaker in Beerfelden—the same Johannes Kumpf who in 1736 married Kunigunda Margretha Rauhenzahner."° They were the parents of German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 27 the Johann Wilhelm Kumpf who immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1771 with Johan Peter Ihrig. The progenitor of the Repscher family in Northampton County cannot be the Johann Ludwig born 20 November 1729 because he died 20 January 1.750."1 There is also serious question and reasonable doubt whether he is the Johann Georg born 1 September 1729. Johannes and Johan both translate to or mean "John" in English, but in German there is a difference. According to German genealogist Ella Gieg, "the Christian-name Johannes stands always on its own, never Johannes Adam, Johannes Georg. ."2" Conversely, Johan or Johann is always used with a second name, such as Johann Georg, Johann Ludwig or Johann Petersm Consequently, the claim cannot be substantiated that the progenim for of the Repscher family in Northampton County is the Johann Georg Repscher born 1 September 1729, because the Northampton County settler's name appears in all records except one as Johannes.2" The elusive Johannes Repscher is an example of an immigrant ancestor for whom more research must be done in order to identify and verify the European origins of his family. Possibly a birth or baptismal record for the Pennsylvania immigrant was entered in a different church register. Perhaps additional research in a parish record other than Beerfelden will uncover a marriage record for Johannes Repscher and his wife Maria Elisabeth, one that will identify either or both of their parents. Additional research might also produce birth and baptismal records for several of their children born in Germany. Repscher Genealogical Summary Johannes Repscher, farmer, Plainfield Township, Northampton Co., Pa., was born 10 November 1729. He died 9 April 1807 in Plainfield Township, Northampton County, Pa., and is buried in Plainfield Cemetery."5 He was married ca. 1759-1760 to Maria Elisabeth , who was born in April 1739. She died 18 December 1808 in Plainfield Township, Northampton County, Pa., and is also buried in Plainfield Cemetenr."5 28 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Known children of Johannes Repscheri and Maria Elisabeth are:207 George, b. Ca. 1760; d. before 18072°8; m. ca. 1785 to Elisabeth .2°9 ii. Leonard, birth date unknown; m. 5 Nov. 1781, Philadelphia, Pa., to Barbara Duerr.") iii. Peter, b. ca. 1766; d. Oct. 1817, Warwick, Bucks Co., Pa.; m. Elisabeth .211 iv. Jacob, birth date unknown; m. Gertrude Simon, Northampton Co., Pa.2'2 v. John, b. ca. 1769.213 vi. Elisabeth, birth date unknown; m. Philip Schmidt.214 vii. Elisabeth, birth date unknown; m. Tobias King.215 viii. Adam, b. Ca. 1773; d. 13 Aug. 1849, Monroe Co. Pa.; , Northampton Co., Pa.216 m. Catherena ix. Anna Catharine, b. ca. 1774, Northampton Co., Pa.; bp 30 Apr. 1775217; m. Frederick Bruch.2'8 x. Maria Elisabeth, b. 18 Apr. 1777, Northampton Co., Pa.; bp. 19 May 1777.219 xi. Becky/Barbara, b. ca. 1781; d. Feb. 1838;22° m. George Bruch by 1798.22' Conrad Menges Menges and Laux are names that appear several times in Repscher family records. As previously noted, Maria Elisabeth Menges, single, sponsored the baptism of Maria Elisabeth Repscher on 19 May 1777 at the First Reformed Church in Easton along with Henry Laux, also single.222 Records for the family of Conrad Menges show that his daughter, Maria Elisabeth, married Henry Laux. Church records reveal that the baptismal sponsors for one of the Laux daughters, Elisabeth, baptized 20 February 1785, were Johannes and Elisabeth Repscher."3 Henry Laux in 1809 was named as a creditor in the estate files of Johannes Repscher.224 German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 29 Easton, Pennsylvania, was founded in the same year Northampton County was established. A 1752 list of expenses for creating the village shows work to clear streets and dig a town well had begun in the spring. According to that list, Conrad Menges was paid 6 shillings on 21 May 1752 for his help clearing the streets, presumably of trees and tree stumps.225 That list is the first evidence Conrad Menges had settled in Northampton County. Tax lists for the county reveal that in 1766 Conrad Menges was living in Forks Township on 150 acres of =cleared land.226 A 1789 deed for the sale of 60 acres of Forks Township land shows that Conrad Menges purchased the above-mentioned acreage on 21 April 1766 and was no doubt in the process of establishing his farm when these tax lists were compiled.227 The absence of livestock, which would have been enumerated for the 1766 tax, is evidence that the Menges family had probably made a recent move to the tract. By 1789, when part of the property was sold, Conrad Menges had improved the property with a "house, barn and stables. "228 Known evidence would indicate that Conrad Menges was the father of only two children, Maria Elisabeth Menges Laux, born ca. 1754,229 and Johan Conrad Menges, born 24 September 1757.25° The baptismal record for Johan Conrad Menges in 1758 names Anna Maria as Conrad Menges's wife. The only other record identifying Conrad's wife is a bapdsmal record dated 5 April 1778 for Anna Maria Laux, granddaughter of Conrad Menges and his wife Anna Mafia.." Additional information about his wife has not been found. She was not, for example, named in the 1797 deed conveying 60 acres of Forks Township land. This fact suggests she may have died before then. Gravestones providing dates of birth and death for Conrad or Anna Maria Menges have not been found. Evidence located in the Register of Wills Office for Northampton County suggests Conrad Menges died ca. 1797 in Northampton County, intestate. Henry Laux, Conrad's son-in-law and administrator of his estate, filed the administration bond and the inventor), in 1797. The final account was filed in 1800.232 A search of the index to the Strassburger and Hinke lists of Pennsylvania German Pioneers reveals that only two men named Conrad Menges arrived in Philadelphia during the period covered. SO The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine The earliest of the two, Conrath Menges, signed his name to the Oath of Abjuration (list 127C) on 2 September 1749.233 The second Conrad Menges arrived on the ship Mat)) and Sarah in October 1754 with six proven Beerfelden inunigrtants."4 Presumably the Northampton County settler was the Conrath Menges who arrived in 1749, as evidenced by the previously mentioned Easton streetclearing project of 1752, fully two years before the arrival of the second ship. Conrad Menges sealed the 1797 Northampton County deed with his signature, indicating he could write at least his own name. The two gentleman who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749 and 1752 also show evidence of having the ability to sign their own names. It would be possible to make a more positive identification of the German immigrant by comparing signatures; however, no record bearing the original signature of Conrad Menges in Northampton County has been found to date. The signature on the recorded deed is the clerk's copy of the original and, therefore, would not provide the necessary proof. The juxtaposition of the Menges surname in records associated with a possible Beerfelden immigrant, Johannes Repscher, coupled with the frequent mention of this family name in the Beerfelden parish records and the presence of six men with the Menges family name on the Maly and Sarah in 1754, suggests that this early Northampton County settler may have his "roots" in Beerfelden. But the claim that Conrad Menges lived in or near and emigrated from Beerfelden cannot be substantiated because there is simply not enough identifying information. A search of the Beerfelden Parish registers reveals, for example, at least three persons who could be the Northampton County immigrant: Johann Conrad Menges, son of Johann Conrad and Eva Menges, born 16 November 1728; Conrad Menges, son of Michael and Eva Menges, born 22 June 1735, and Johann Conrad Menges, son Conrad and Margaretha Menges, born 17 September 1737.235 The absence of any Pennsylvania record showing a date of birth makes it difficult to prove whether Conrad Menges was one of these three infants, or someone else born in the Odenwald, or someone born elsewhere in Germany. A date of birth in a Pennsylvania record for Conrad's wife--one that could be checked against German church records—would help to establish a place German Origins. of Northampton County Settles 31 of origin, but that data is lacking as well. In the absence of more detailed information, the only claim that can be made about the German origins of the Menges family in Northampton County is that this family may have its origins in Beerfelden. Menges Genealogical Summary Conrad Menges,' farmer in Forks Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, died ca. 1797236 in Northampton County. His date of birth is unknown. His wife was Anna Maria . Know children of Conrad Menges1 and Anna Maria are: i. Maria Elisabeth, b. ca. 1754, Northampton Co., Pa.; d. ca 1785, Forks Twp., Northampton Co., Pa.; bur. Forks Cemetery, Northampton Co., Pa.2"; m. ca. 1777 to Heinrich Laux.238 ii. Johan Conrad, b. 24 Sept. 1757, Northampton Co., Pa., 240 bp. 2 July 1758;2" m. ca. 1780 to Maria One fascination that many family historians find in genealogical research is its continuing ability to produce the unexpected. In this case, the mention of one surname in an article resulted in research that established the German origins of several Northampton County families. Notes 1. Ralph Beaver Strassburger and William John Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, 2 vols. (Baltimore, 1980), 1:703 (orig. publ. 3 vols., Pennsylvania German Society, 1934); hereafter cited as Strassburger and Hinke. 2. Ibid., 1:752. 3. Will of Johannes Repscher, Northampton Co. Will Bk 4:267. 4. Jane Revile, A Compilation of the Original Lists, Protestants to South Carolina, 1763-1773 (Baltimore, 1968), 63. 5. Walter Allen Knittle, Early Eighteenth Century Palatine Emigration (Baltimore, 1979), 273. 32 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 6. Thomas H. Hutzelman, "Immigrants to America from Beerfelden Parish, County of Erbach, Germany," National Genealogical Society Quartet*, 78 (no. 3, 1990): 213-20. 7. Jane Adams Clarke, "Emigrants From Hesse, Germany Who Left One After Another For Pennsylvania, 1748-4766," The Pennsylvania alogical Magazine, 35 (no. 4, 1988): 329-44. 8, Jane Adams Clarke, "Some Eighteenth-Century Emigrants from Hochst in dem Odenwald," ?'he Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine, 36 (no. 4, 1990): 289-315; hereafter cited as "Eighteenth-Century Emigrants from Hochst." 9. Tax Lists for Northampton County, Pa. 1761-1781, unpaginated MS, microfilm no. XR/702, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (hereafter HSP). 10. George E. McCracken, "Colonel Robert Levers of Pennsylvania," The American Genealogis4 55 (no. 4, 1979): 137-38. 11. Easton Cemetery. 12. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, unpaginated MS, microfilm nd. 1,346,437, Family History Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah; hereafter cited as Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook. is. Ibid. 14. Hutzelman, 219. 15. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, maniages. The sponsor/witness at each of the baptisms was Johann Adam Seip of Railbach or his wife Ursula. Conversely, Michael Ihrig and his wife Eva were the baptismal sponsors for children of Johann Adam and Ursula Seip. No record has been found to date that would conclusively connect. Johann Adam Seip and Johann Jacob Seipp. Many of the early relationships for families in all German church records are difficult to determine. Records for the Beerfelden Lutheran Church begin in 1677, and obviously these records include entries for families who are somehow related. The absence of complete church records, however, makes it virtually impossible to verify many of these relationships. 16. Strassburger and Hinke, 1:457. 17. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 18. Ibid. 19. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, marriages. 20. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms, burials. 21. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 22, Ibid. 23. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms, burials. 24. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 25. Ibid. 26. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms, burials. 27. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 28. Ibid. German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 33 29. Easton Cemetery 30. Strassburger and Hinke, 1:457 31. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, marriages. 32. Easton Cemetery. 33. "Burials In the Churchyard Of SL John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Easton, Pa.," TS, 10; hereafter cited as Burials in St. John's Cemetery. 34. Northampton Co. Orphans' Court, Bk. E:268. 35. Burials in St. John's Cemetery, 10. 36. Northampton Co. Deed Bk. F3:395. 37. Henry F. Marx, "Marriages and Deaths Northampton County Newspaper Extracts 1799-1851," (4 vols.) TS, 1:31. 38. SL John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Records, Easton, Pa., TS, 447. 39. Schoenersville Lutheran Church records, TS, 72. 40. Easton Cemetery. 41. Northampton Co. Deed Bk. BIM. 42. Pennsylvania Archives, Sd ser., 19:144. 43. Easton Cemetery. 44. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 45. Ibid. 46. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, marriages. 47. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 48. Strassburger and Hinke, 1:482. 49. Ibid., 1:481. 50. William John Hinke, "A History of the Tohickon Union Church, Bedminster Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with Copy of Church Records (Reformed Congregation, 1745-1869; Lutheran Congregation, 1749-1840)," Pennsylvania German Church Records of Births, Baptisms, Maniages, Burials, Etc., 3 vols. (Baltimore, 1983), 3:329 (orig. publ. in The Pennsylvania German Society Prmedings and Addresses, 31 (192.5), (13-485). 51. Pennsylvania Archives, Si ser., 18:54 52. Hill Church Record, Pike Twp., Berks Co., Pa., MS, 118, hereafter cited as Hill Church Record. 53. Ibid., 27. 54. Ibid., 34. 55. Will of George Holtzschu, Berks Co., Pa., Will Bk. 2:316. 56. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 57. Ibid. 58. Hill Church Record, 118. 59. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 60. Ibid. 61. Ibid. 62. Easton Cemetery. 34 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magatim 63. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 64. ibid. 65. Hill Church Record, 118. 66. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, marriages. 67. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 68. Ibid. 69. Strassburger and Hinke, 1:481. 70. Easton Cemetery. 71. Ibid. 72. Will of Peter Seip, Northampton Co. Will BL 4:332. Information found in Peter Seipis will notes that Conrad Ihrie, Jr. and his (Peter's) daughter, Christina, were legally separated. The last known child born to this couple was George Washington Ihrig, born 26 December 1791, and baptized at the First Reformed Church, Easton, Pa., 13 May 1792. Presumably the separation occurred after that date. 73. Ibid. 74, Ibid. John Dornblaser, husband of Maria Margaret Seip, was the subject of a very interesting article by David Greene, published in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, 78 (no. 1, March 1990). 75. Dryland Lutheran Church Records, TS, 9. 76. Will of Peter Seip. 77. "Arndt's and Messinger Cemetery, Forks MT., Northampton Co.," unpaginated MS. 78. Ibid. 79. Easton Cemetery. 80. Will of Peter Seip. 81. "Records of the Williams Township Congregation 1Saucon, Northampton County, Pa.]," Pennsylvania German Church Records of Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Burials:, Etc., 3 vols. (Baltimore, 1983), 2:114 (orig. pub!. in The Pennsylvania German Society Proceedings and Addresses, 18 [1908], 3-102). 82. Strassburger and Hinke, 1:709. 83. Forks Cemetery, Forks Twp., Northampton Co., Pa., hereafter cited as Forks Cemetery. 84. Ibid. 85. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 86. Ibid. 87. Will of Johan Adam Sand, Northampton Co. Will Bk. 5:365. 88. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, marriages. 89. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 90. Beerfelden Lutheran aurchbook, burials. 91. Ibid. 92. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, marriages. 93. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 35 94. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, burials. 95. Dryland Lutheran Church Records, TS, 46. 96. Henry Marlyn Kieffer, Some of the First Settlers of the Fonts of the Ddaware and Their Descendants, Being a nanslation From The German of the Record Books of The First Reform4x1 Church ofEastan, Penna. From 1760-1852 (Baltimore, 1973), 158. Hereafter cited as First Settlers of the Forks of the Delaware. 97. Ibid., 165. 98. Hutzelman, 220. 99. Strassburger and Hinke, 1:710. 100. Eighteenth-Century Emigrants from Hochst, 301. 101. Frederick S. Weiser, "Daniel Schumacher's Baptismal Register, translated with an introduction," Publications of the The Pennsylvania German Society, 63 vols. (Allentown, Pa., 1968), 1:329. 102. Ibid., 350. 103.Jane Adams Clarke, "Some Eighteenth-Century Emigrants From fil5chst in dem Odenwald," 304, 104. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 105. Forks Cemetery. 106. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 107. Ibid. 108. Ibid. 109. Forks Cemetery. 110. Strassburger and Hinke, 1:709. 111. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, marriages. 112. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 113. Forks Cemetery. 114. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 115. Ibid. 116. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, burials. 117. Forks Cemetery. 118. Northampton Co. Orphans' Court, Bk 2:346. 119. First Settlers of the Forks of the Delawan; 91. 120. Forks Cemetery. 121. Sand family genealogical chart in possession of Elaine Doyle, Wayne, Pa. 122. Forks Cemetery. 123. Fsnt Settkrs of the Forks of the Delawatv, 345. 124. Parish Register of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Easton, Pa., TS, 2; herafter cited as German Evangelical Lutheran Church Records. 125. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 126. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, burials. 127. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, marriages. 128. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 36 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine 129. Dryland Lutheran Church Records, 46. 130. First Settlers of the Forks of the Delaware, 158. 131. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 132. Will of Johan Adam Sand. 133. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 134. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, burials. 135. Northampton Co. Deed Bk. C1:376. It appears that another area in which immigrants from Beerfelden settled was eastern Berks County. John George Holtzschu's name was found in District Township records; Adam Breitinger initially settled in Robeson Township, In 1765, a Conrad Menges, resident of District Township, Berks County, became a naturalized citizen of the Province of Pennsylvania along with George Menges, resident of Bern Township, Berks County. 136. Rev. J. J. Kline, "Records of Baptisms, Catechumens, Confirmations, Marriages and Deaths At The Lutheran Church in New Hanover," Pennsylvania German Church Records (Baltimore, 1983), 2:162. 137. Ibid. 158. Ibid. 139. Falkner Swamp Reformed Church Records, Montgomery County, Pa., TS, 22. 140. Pennsylvania Archives, 9c1 ser., 19:265. 141. Heads Of Families At The First Census Of The United States Taken In The Year 1790, Pennsylvania (Washington D.C., 1908), 178. 142. Northampton Co. Deed Bk. G3:252. 143. Strassburger and Hinke, 1:661. 144. flutzelman, 214-19. 145. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 146. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, marriages. 147. Plainfield Cemetery, Northampton Co., Pa. 148. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, marriages. 149. Ibid. 150. Ibid. 151. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 152. Ibid. 153. Ibid. 154. Ibid. 155. Ibid. 156. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, marriages. 157. Ibid. 158. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 159. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, burials. 160. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 161. Ibid. German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 37 162. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, burials. 163. Northampton Co. Deed EL G3:252. 164. Strassburger and Hinke, 1:661. 165. Plainfield Cemetery, Northampton Co., Pa. 166. Pennsylvania German Church Records, 2:162. 167. Northampton Co. Deed Bk. D3:38. 168. Pennsylvania German Chun* Records, 2:162. 169. Northampton Co. Deed Book, G3:252. 170. Pennsylvania German Church Records, 2:162. 171. Northampton Co. Deed Bk. C3:252. 172. Fallmer Swamp Reformed Church Records, Montgomery Co., Pa., 22. 173. Northampton Co. Deed EL G3:252. 174. Ronald J. Leavesley, The Breidinger Family in America, One line from the original settler, Adam Breidinger (173- to 181-), who landed in the colony of Pennsylvania, October 26, 1754," (Levittown, Pa., 1 June 1961), TS, 4. Mr. Leavesley's source for this entry is 'Baptisms 'Plough' Ev. Lutheran Church, p. 2, Berks County Historical Society." 175. Northampton Co. Deed BL G3:252. 176. Pennsylvania German Church Records, 2:124. 177. Northampton County Deed Bk. C1:483. 178. Estate records of Jacob Miller, Register of Wills, Northampton Co., file 728. 179. Strassburger and Hinke, 1:752. 180. Hutzelman, 220. 181. Tilgham Neimeyer, John B. Stoudt, and Myron O. Rath, History of the Jerusalem and Reformed Church of Western Salisbury Township in Lehigh County, Penna, (Allentown, Pa., 1911), 128. 182. *Church Book of the St. Paul's (Blue) Church, Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, Pa., Lutheran and Reformed," TS, 44. 183. 'Heidelberg Evangelical Lutheran Congregation Church Record, 176818.50," TS, 17. 184. Strassburger and Hinke, 1:703. 185. Strassburger and Hinke, 1:752. 186. Estate Records of Johannes Repscher, Register of Wills, Northampton Co., file 2501. 187. Estate Records of Jacob 188. Ibid. 189. Ralph Beaver Strassburger and William John Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers: A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals In the Port of Philadelphia From 1727 to 1808, Volume II, Facsimile Signatures, 1727-4775 (Norristown, Pa., 1934); 872; published by the Pennsylvania German Society as Volume 43 of the Proceedings of the Society 190. Ibid., 854. 38 The Pennsylvania Gomalogical Magazine 191. Estate Records of Jacob Miller. 192. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 193. Raymond E. Hollenbach, 200th Anniversary of Heidelberg Union Church.Reformed and Lutheran, Heidelberg Township, Lehigh County, Penna. (Allentown, Pa., 1933), 67. 194. First Settlers of the Forks of the Delaware, 95. 195. Ibid., 99. 196. Plainfield Cemetery. 197. Ibid. 198. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 199. Ibid. 200. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, marriages. 201. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, burials. 202. Ella Gieg, letter to the author, 25 December 1992. 203. Ibid. 204. Only two records were found in Northampton County referring to John George or Johann Georg Repscher. The first was the previously mentioned 18 December 1773 communicant list. The second was the 1777/8 lists of Oaths of Allegiance for Northampton County. The Joh. Geo. Repscher on the list of oaths must be the son of Johannes because both names appear on the same list. The oath was required of all males in the county eighteen years of age or older. The presence of Joh. Geo. or Johan Georg on the lists establishes his birth as ca. 1760 or earlier. Given this approximate date of birth, the 1773 communicant was conceivably the son. The absence of the remaining sons of Johannes and Maria Elizabeth Repscher on these lists suggests they were born after 1760. Three of Johannes and Maria Elizabeth's sons, George, Peter, and Jacob, served in the Northampton County militia during the Revolutionary War. 205. Plainfield Cemetery. 206. Ibid. 207. Will of Johannes Repscher. 208. Ibid. 209. Parish Register of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church, Easton, Pa., 15. 210. Pennsylvania Archives, 2d seri, 9:398. 211. Robert J. Repsher, descendant of Peter Repscher, letter to the author, 11 March 1991. 212. Northampton Co. Deed BL E4:39. 213. St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church Records, Easton Pa., TS, 360. 214. Will of Johannes Repscher. 215. Ibid. 216. Church Book of Christ Church, Hamilton Square, Hamilton Township, Monroe Co., Pa., Marriages 18284941, Deaths 1828-1939, unpaginated TS. 217.First Settlers of the Forks of At Delaware, 95. German Origins of Northampton County Settlers 39 218. Will of Johannes Repscher. 219. First Settlers of the Forks of the Delaware, 99. 220. Jeffrey Bassett, descendant of George Bruch and Barbara (Repscher) Bruch, letter to the author, 20 December 1992. 221. Will of Johannes Repscher. 222. First Settlers of the Forks of the Delaware, 99. 228. German Evangelical Lutheran Church Records, 14. 224, Estate Records of Johannes Repscher, Register of Wills, Northampton Co., file 2501. 225. 'Some of the Expenses in the Founding of Easton, Penna.," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 38 (1914), 149:113. 226. Tax Lists for Northampton Co., Pa. 1761-1781, unpaginated MS, microfilm no. XR/702, HSP, 227. Northampton Co. Deed Bk. G1:177. 228. Ibid. 229. Forks Cemetery. 230. Pennsylvania German Chun* Records, 2:58. 231. First Settkrs of the Forks of the Delaware, 103. 232. Estate Records of Conrad Menges, Register of Wills, Northampton Co., file 1798. 233. Strassburger and Hinke, 1:396. No passengers aboard the Albany for its 1749 voyage can be found in the Tohickon Reformed Church records, Bucks County, Pa. Johann Peter Winckler is probably the Peter Winkler (list 127C) whose daughter was baptized 26 July 1752. Vallentin Edelman (list 127C) was the father of two children whose baptisms appear in the same record; Jacob Frederick, born 14 September 1757, and Maria, born 26 June 1760. Many baptisms for early Northampton County families can also be found in this same record. 234Strassburger and Hinke, 1:661. The index to Pennsylvania German Amens lists nine men with the surname Menges who arrived in Philadelphia. Six of the nine-Carl Menges, Conrad Menges, Peter Menges, Peter Menges (again), Hans Geo. Menges, and Adam Menges-arrived on the Mary and Sarah in October 1754 along with the other Beerfelden immigrants. The only Menges mentioned in the Flutzeiman article as 'having gone to America in 1754" was Johann Adam Menges. 235. Beerfelden Lutheran Churchbook, baptisms. 236. Estate Records of Conrad Menges, Register of Wills, Northampton Co., file 1798. 237, Forks Cemetery. 238, First Seders of the Forks of the Delawam 103. 239. Pennsylvania German Chutes Records, 2:58. 240. First Sean of the Forks of the Delaware, 111.