Category: Heimbach

• Born: October 1, 1841
• Died: Jan 16, 1912
• Buried: Trinity Great Swamp UCC
• Parents: John Michael Heimbach Sr. & Henrietta Schuler
• Spouse: Emmaline (Emma) Hunsberger
  • Born: Feb 15, 1841
  • Died: Nov 5, 1925
• Married: 1864
• Children:  Mary Ann (1865-1918), William (1866-1924), Charles (1868-), Franklin (1870-), Harvey (1874-1961)

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John Michael, born October 1, 1841, was likely named for his father, who died when he was only 7.  Perhaps to make a distinction from his father, he dropped the “John” part of his name and went by Michael for most of his life.   

Michael married Emmaline Hunsberger around the year 1864.  Though she went by Emma, her given name was Emmaline, though some records refer to her as Catherine Emma. She was born February 15, 1841, the daughter of David Krauss Hunsberger and Maria Miller, on my father’s side of the tree.

Census records give us a great account of Michael’s life.  In 1850, he was a boy of nine living with his mother and siblings Samuel, Mary, and Harriet in Upper Salford, Montgomery County.

In 1860, Michael was working as a tanner at the home of Jonathan Geisinger in Rockhill, Bucks County.

In 1870, at the age of 28, Michael resided in Springfield in Bucks County with his wife and first three children.  Working as a courier, his estate was worth $615.

In 1880, Michael was managing his own farm in Milford, Bucks County, aided by his son Charles.  The family appears to have remained at this residence until Michael’s death. Living with the family in 1880 was also four-year-old Ida Hunsberger, his wife’s niece.  

In 1910, many of Michael and Emma’s children and grandchildren lived either in the same home, or at neighboring addresses.

Michael died on Jan 16, 1912.  We do not currently have a death certificate to tell us cause.  

In 1920, Emma lived with her son, Harvey, as well as his wife, Mary Kittleman, and their children George and Gertrude in their home on Keiper Road in Milford.

Emma died on November 5, 1925.  She and Michael are both buried at Trinity Great Swamp UCC in Spinnerstown.

Children of John Michael and Emma

John Michael and Emma had seven children, though only five are known to have lived to adulthood.

Mary Ann was born on March 1, 1865 and died on September 30, 1918.  She is buried at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Spinnerstown.  She married Henry Wolf Leister (1861-1916). Their children were named Cora Jane and Mary Emma.

William will be discussed here.  

Charles was born on October 8, 1867 and died on November 16, 1939.  He married Emma Wenig. Their children were named Robert Ellwood, Pearl May, Laura Irene, and Harold Luther.

Franklin was born on September 1, 1870 and died at the age of 19 on January 10, 1890.  He is buried at Trinity Great Swamp UCC in Spinnerstown.

Harvey was born on October 1, 1873 and died on June 1, 1961 at the age of 87.  He married Mary Kittleman (1872-1930). Their children were named Stella, Howard, Jennie Ida, George, and Gertrude.

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Gravestone Photos

• Born: April 19, 1819 (possibly Ettenhausen, Wartburgkreis, Thuringia, Germany)
• Immigrated:  1837
• Died: around 1848 in Upper Salford, Montgomery Co, PA
• Buried: Unknown
• Parents: Not confirmed
• Spouse: Henrietta (Harriet) Schuler
  • Born: March 6, 1821in Montgomery Co
  • Died: Feb 24, 1908 in Richland, Bucks Co
  • Parents: Samuel Schuler & Mary Magdalena Strohman
• Married: Most likely 1837
• Children: Samuel (May 30, 1838 – Oct 22, 1918), John Michael, Mary Magdalena (Nov 9, 1844 – April 12, 1924), Harriet (1848 – ?)

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Little conclusive information about the life of John Michael exists.  

His birth on April 19, 1819 in Ettenhausen, Wartburgkreis, Thuringia, Germany is listed on numerous Ancestry.com member family trees, but I have not found any documentation to support this.  

A baptismal record for a John Michael Heimbach lists parents as  Johann Heimbach & Magdalena Hassler. However, this information is low confidence.  The baptismal date is the same as John Michael’s birthdate, which may have been customary in the early nineteenth century. However, the baptismal location in Bartenstein, Wurtemburg is 75km away from his place of birth.  To travel that distance with an hours-old newborn for a baptism seems highly unlikely, as the family would have been established at a church in their own town.

A “Johann Hambach” appears on a passenger list, indicating that he traveled with a family member and arrived in America in 1837, around the age of 18.  This date lines up with other details we know about John, and this variation on his name is an appropriately German one.  

The source of this passenger list is:

AUERBACH, INGE. Hessische Auswanderer (Hesaus): Index nach Familiennamen: Bd. II: Auswanderer aus Hessen-Kassel, 1840-1850. Marburg: Archivschule Marburg, 1988. 517p. (Veroeffentlichungen der Archivschule Marburg, Nr. 12)

(Hessian Immigrants: Index to Family Names. Book II: Immigrants from Hesse-Kassel 1840-1850.)

John Michael married Henrietta (aka Harriet) Schuler.  The date of their marriage is unknown, but can be estimated as mid- to late- 1837, shortly after arriving in Pennsylvania.  Some Ancestry.com family trees list their marriage date as 1840.

John Michael died young, at the age of 29 or 30, leaving his young wife and four children.  His burial location is unknown.

More on Henrietta

Henrietta remarried to Peter Long (1810 – May 29, 1866) shortly after John Michael’s death, with some Ancestry.com trees listing their marriage as early as 1848.  Their children were Henry (1853-1918), Charles (1857-1931), Peter (1859-?), and Frank (1860-1944).

Henrietta’s father, Samuel Schuler, is buried in the Old Goshenhoppen Cemetery.  Henrietta’s mother, Mary Magdalena Strohman, as well as most of her siblings are buried in Friedman’s Union Cemetery in Sumneytown.  

Henrietta’s brother, Franklin, was in the Union Army in the Civil War.  

Henrietta outlived both of her husbands by several decades.  She died in 1908 at the age of 86 due to complications from asthma.  She is buried at the Union Cemetery in Quakertown. Her second husband is buried in the Old Goshenhoppen Cemetery.

Children of John Michael & Henrietta

Samuel was born on May 30, 1838 and died October 22, 1918. He married Sarah Long Nace, daughter of John Nace and Sarah Long (no apparent relation to Henrietta’s second husband).  Sarah was born June 4, 1840 and died October 22, 1914. Their children were John (1862-1928), Albert (1865-1913), Katie (1868-?), Mary (1873-?), Henry Harrison (1876-1945), Benjamin Franklin (1878-1908), and Edward (1885-1943).

John Michael is discussed here. 

Mary Magdalena, likely named after her grandmother, was born on November 9, 1844 and died on April 12, 1924.  She married George Hartman, who was born in 1831 and died in 1912 and served in the Civil War.  

Harriet was born around 1848, but we don’t have exact dates for her birth or death.  There is another Harriet with the middle name Schuler who lived in the area around the same time, but it appears that this Harriet married Christian Wick.  Christian was born March 15, 1845 and died June 20, 1902 and was a private in the Civil War. Their children were named Oliver, Katy, Henrietta, and Annie. Oliver was a foreman at Bethlehem Steel, and died tragically at the age of 40 when the dynamite being used to break up scrap exploded prematurely.  He is buried in the Union Cemetery in Quakertown.

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Documents & Photos

• Born: March 3, 1866 
• Died: Jan. 30, 1924 (Buried at Trinity Great Swamp UCC, Spinnerstown PA)
• Parents: John Michael Heimbach & Catherine Emma Hunsberger
• Spouse: Emma Brey
  • Born: 1865
  • Died: 1907
  • Parents: Joel & Elizabeth Brey
• Married: Dec 24, 1887
• Children:  Eva Ella, Katie, Cora, John Michael, William Franklin

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William was the second child of John Michael Heimbach Jr and Catherine Emma Hunsberger, born on March 3, 1866. He married Emma Brey on Christmas Eve, 1887 in East Greenville.  Thanks to ornate, handwritten records in a Bible that William gave Emma in 1888, we have these details of their marriage and the names and birthdates of their children.

In 1900, William was a farm laborer.  He and his wife and their first four children resided with his parents, John Michael & Emma, in the town of Roeder, Bucks County. 

By 1910 William was a widower, after Emma’s death in 1907. At this time, William was running his own farm, and several of his children lived with him at home.  

By the 1920 census, William appears to have remarried someone by the name of Sarah (to date, no information on her has been found). Their marriage was not a long one, however, as William died on January 30, 1924 due to complications resulting from chronic Bright’s Disease. 

William and Emma (his first wife) are buried at the Trinity Great Swamp UCC Cemetery.

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Children of William & Emma

William and Emma had five children, several of whom died young and tragically.

Eva Ella was born on June 6, 1890 and married Josiah Wolf (1887-1979).  She died July 3, 1963 and is buried with her husband at St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Red Hill.

Katie was born Nov 13, 1891 And married Aaron Rosenberger.  She died of Tuberculosis on January 31, 1920 and is buried at West Swamp Mennonite Cemetery in Quakertown.

Cora was born on April 24, 1894.  She married Howard Frank. She died on June 12, 1934 and is buried at Trumbauersville Christ Union Cemetery.  According to her death certificate, she died of suicide by drowning in a quarry in Trumbauersville.

John Michael, presumably named after his grandfather, was born on September 8, 1897.  According to his death certificate, he was a machinist at Bethlehem Steel during World War I.  He died of “congestion of the lungs” caused by influenza at the age of 21 on November 23, 1918, and is buried at Trinity Great Swamp UCC Cemetery.  Interestingly, his death coincides with the influenza epidemic of 1918-1920, also known as the Spanish flu.

William Frank is discussed here.  

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Gravestone Photos

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Documents & Other Photos

John Heimbach

Other Children of William & Emma

Since the writing of this post, it has been learned that the individuals detailed here are not, in fact, our relatives.

• Born: April 20, 1845          
• Died: Nov. 24, 1916 (Buried at Zionsville Reformed Church)
• Parents: John & Maria Susanna Heimbach
• Spouse: Mary C. Kahler/Keeler
  • Born: Sept. 26, 1845
  • Died:  July 24, 1887 (Buried at Zionsville Reformed Church)
• Children: William, Irwin   

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We do not know much about Joseph, but it seems he may have had a tough life.  

The 1880 census lists his occupation as “servant” in the home of Jonathan Geyer in Douglass Township.  

His wife died relatively young, at the age of 41 in 1887.  

In 1900, at the age of 54, he was a boarder and farm laborer in the home of Charles Moser in Douglass Township.  

By the 1910 census, things are looking up. At 65 years of age, Joseph is a servant and boarder no longer; now, he owns a farm in Douglass. 

However, six years later, Joseph died at the age of 71.  His death certificate was issued by the State Hospital for the Insane, listing his cause of death as what appears to be “Arterio Capillary Fibrosis.”

Children of Joseph and Mary

William is discussed here.

Irwin was born on March 21, 1869.  He married Hannah Martha Fox (1873-1941) in 1890.  Their children were named Mary, Lizzie, Harry, Joseph, William, Franklin, and Paul.  He died on Sept. 23, 1921 and is buried at the Niantic UCC cemetery.

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Gravestone Photos

Since the writing of this post, it has been learned that the individuals detailed here are not, in fact, our relatives.

• Born: April 4, 1809        
• Died: May 2, 1882 (Buried at Old Zionsville UCC)
• Parents: Wendel Heimbach & Susanna Bittenbender
• Spouse: Maria Susanna Mohr
  • Born: March 23, 1811
  • Died:  Jan. 26, 1883 (Buried at Old Zionsville UCC)
• Married: 1832
• Children:  Anna Juliana “Angelina”, Daniel, John, Jonas, Joseph, Mary, David, Thomas, Joel  

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John is another Heimbach about whom little is known.  Census records from 1850 to 1880 list is occupation as farmer, even into his seventies.  Like his forefathers before him, his life centered around Zionsville.

Children of John and Maria Susanna

Anna Juliana “Angelina” was born on July 7, 1832. She married Charles Wasser (1827-1903) and they had one daughter, Anna Elizabeth, born on December 8, 1860.   Anna died at the age of 32 on Oct. 9, 1865. Tragically, her only child, Anna Elizabeth, was born, died at the age of five the following year, on August 6, 1866. Her husband, Charles, remarried Anna’s first cousin, Caroline (daughter of Jacob, John’s brother)

Daniel was born on Oct. 1, 1835 and died on May 2, 1859 at the age of 23.

 John was born on Feb. 10, 1838.  He married Abasena Mensch (1842-1939).  Their children were named Joseph, David, and Lila.

Jonas was born on Jan. 12, 1842.  He married Elizabeth Moyer (1842-1917), and their children were named Daniel, John, Jennie, and Rosa.  He died on April 1, 1873 and is buried at Zionsville.

Joseph is discussed here.

Mary was born on Sept. 26, 1845.  She married David Delong (b. 1846).  She died on July 24, 1883 and is buried at Zionsville.

David was born on Dec. 16 of 1847 or 1848. He married Elizabeth “Lizzie” Borneman (1850-1915) in 1873, and their children were named  John, George, and Stella. However, the 1880 census lists him as a “widower” and “servant” in the home of the Schular family. David died on Dec. 17, 1919 and is buried in Boyertown.

Thomas was born on Nov. 7, 1850.  He married Emma Kulp (1856-1928) in 1872.  Their children were named David, Rosina, Annie, Katie, Thomas, Joel, Walter, Lizzie, Edna, Emma, and Grant.  He died on Oct. 1, 1928 and is buried in Sassmansville.

 Joel was born on Feb. 1860.  He married Angeline Wisler (b. 1861) in 1882.  Their children were named Minnie, Alvin.

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Gravestone Photos

Since the writing of this post, it has been learned that the individuals detailed here are not, in fact, our relatives.

• Born: Nov. 24, 1782
• Baptized: Dec. 25, 1782 at Old Zionsville      
• Died: March 13, 1852 (Buried at Old Zionsville UCC)
• Parents: David & Gertrude Heimbach
• Spouse: Susanna Bittenbender
  • Born: May 12, 1784
  • Died: March 18, 1856 (Buried at Old Zionsville UCC)
• Married:      1804
• Children: David, Philip, John,Wendel, Elizabeth, Polly, Jacob, Samuel, Daniel, Lydia, Henry

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Little is known about Wendel Heimbach.  According to the 1850 census, he was a farmer, and his property worth $2000.  He spent his whole life in or around Old Zionsville, married, and had eleven children that are known of.

Children of Wendel and Susanna

David was born on March 16, 1805 in Zionsville.  He married Susanna Schaffer (1806-1888), and they had one child name Mary Ann.  He died September 4, 1873 and is buried in Coopersburg.

Philip was born on March 14, 1807.  He married Mary Marsteller (1809-1883) in 1827.  Their children were named William and Mary Ann. He died on Jan.13, 1877 and is buried at Old Zionsville.

John is discussed here.

Wendel was born on March 21, 1811 in Upper Milford.  He married Abigail Gery (1815-1896) in 1836. Their children were named Sarah Ann, Susanna, and Louis. He died on Oct. 26, 1885 in Somerset.

Elizabeth was born on December 3, 1813 in Hereford.  She married Philip Traub (1809-1888) on April 28, 1833. Their children were named Henry, Mary, Elizabeth, Lydia, Philip, and William Henry. She died on January 2, 1880 in Somerset and is buried at St. Peter’s in Macungie.

Polly was born on February 2, 1816.

 Jacob was born on May 17, 1818.  He married Susanna Diehl (1813-1892), and their children were named Caroline (who married the widow of her cousin, Anna Juliana), Maria, and Sarah.  He died on September 1849.

Samuel was born March 14, 1820.  He married Juliana Mack (1819-1910).  Their children were named William, Maria Anna, Elvina, James, and Amanda.  He died on September 18, 1886.

Daniel was born on December 12, 1821.  He married Elizabeth Weber (b. 1821).  Their children were named Elizabeth, Catharine, Daniel, Amelia, David, Lydia, Henry, Mary, Frank, and Henrietta.  Daniel was a Private in The Civil War from Nov. 7, 1862 to Aug. 18, 1863, serving in Company K, 176^th Reg. D. M.  He died on April 24, 1876 and is buried at the Jerusalem Western Salisbury Church in Allentown (Row 3 #10).

Lydia was born on January 9, 1824.  She married David Rothenberger (1813-1887) in 1843.  Their children were named Amanda, Lurean, Sarah Ann, Elvina, John, Anna Marie, Lydia, and Laura.  She died on June 8, 1883 and is buried in Coopersburg.Henry was born on June 3, 1826.  He married Anna Dillinger (b. 1824).  Their children were named Charles, William, Emanuel, and Oliver.  She died on April 1, 1893.

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Gravestone Photos

Since the writing of this post, it has been learned that the individuals detailed here are not, in fact, our relatives.

• Died: May 12, 1816 in Upper Milford, Lehigh co., PA (Buried at Old Zionsville UCC)
• Parents: Matthias Heimbach & Susanna Weske
• Spouse: Gertrude (aka Gertraut) Hertzog
  • Born: Sept. 16, 1749
  • Died: Sept. 28, 1832 (Buried at Old Zionsville UCC)
• Married: 1771
• Children: Catharina, Elizabeth, Christina, Henry (aka Heinrich), David, Wendel

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Not too much is known about David.  His gravestone tells us that he was a Private in the American Revolution.  The inscription reads: “Pvt 5 Co 1 Batt PA Militia, Revolutionary War.” According to the volume “History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania,” he worked as a wheelwright in Upper Miford.

Children of David and Gertrude

Catharina was born on March 1, 1771 in Hereford.  She married William Mohr. Their children were named Sarah, Andrew, Susanna, Mary, Elisabeth, Johannes, Henry, and David.  She died Dec. 8, 1833 in Upper Milford and is buried at Old Zionsville UCC.

All that is known currently about Elizabeth is that she was born in 1771, perhaps Catharina’s twin.

Christina was born on April 13, 1773.  She married Richard Gregory in 1792 in Longswamp, Berks Co. Their children were named John, Peter, and Elizabeth.  She died on January 2, 1844.

Henry (aka Heinrich) was born on February 22, 1775.  He married Maria Margaretha Stemer in 1792.  Their children were named Jesse, Catherine, Susanna, and Lydia.  He died on March 14, 1836.

David was born on December 15, 1777.  He was one of the earliest iron masters in the area. He married Anna Maria Meyer, and their children were named David, Jacob, Susanna, John David, Anna, Solomon, Daniel, Elizabeth, and Sarah Ann.  He died in 1834 of a fever, as did two of his sons, David and John. He is buried in the Linden Street Cemetery in Allentown, PA, at the corner of Linden and 10^th streets.

Wendel is discussed here.

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Gravestones & Burial Records

Since the writing of this post, it has been learned that the individuals detailed here are not, in fact, our relatives.

• Born: June 5, 1723 in Baumholder, Rhineland-Pfalz, Germany       
• Baptized: January 26, 1721 at Baerl, Rheinland, Germany (then Prussia)
• Immigrated: Sept. 5, 1743, Philadelphia PA on the ship “Charlotte”
• Died: Dec. 1, 1756 in Upper Milford, Lehigh Co. PA (other records say Dec 29)
• Parents:  Johannes & Maria Engelin Catherina
• Spouse: Susanna Weske (Daughter of Jean Philip Vesqueau)
  • Born: either in 1720 in New Hanover, PA, or 1725 in Alsace-Lorraine
  • Died: 1785 (in Kingston, Ulster Co. NY)                           
• Married: April 9, 1747 at New Hanover Lutheran Church, Montgomery Co. PA
• Children:   David, Henry, Peter, Maria Elizabeth

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The lives of Matthias and his brother, Peter, are well documented in the volume “History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.”

Before leaving Germany, Matthias Heimbach lived in Ilgesheim (sometimes spelled Ilvesheim). On the birth record of Maria Margretha Heimbach, Matthias’s niece (his brother Peter’s first daughter), he is listed as a sponsor and as being “of Ilgeshem.”

Matthias arrived in Philadelphia on September 5, 1743, after sailing across the Atlantic on the ship “Charlotte.”  Arriving in September meant his journey likely began in the late winter or early spring. After traveling by river to Rotterdam or another port, he would have taken a ship to England as an intermediate stop before the six-month long journey to Pennsylvania.  Upon his immigration, twenty-year-old Matthias would have signed an oath of allegiance to King George of England.

Matthias settled in the town of New Goshenhoppen in what was then Philadelphia County called New Goshenhoppen.  Today, this area is on the border of Berks and Lehigh Counties. On May 8, 1750, he secured fifty acres of land, partly in what is now Hereford Township in Berks County, and partly in Upper Milford Township in what is now Lehigh County.

Matthias’s brother, Peter, followed him to Pennsylvania, arriving in 1749 on the ship “The Dragon.”  In 1751, both brothers are listed as members of the Lutheran Church near Dillingersville (possibly what is now Dillingersville Union Church).

Matthias married Susanna Weske on April 9, 1747 at New Hanover Lutheran Church.  

Matthias died at the age of 33, with records listing various dates in December of 1756.  After her husband’s death, Susanna – likely in need of money – sold his 74 acres of land on Jan. 4, 1757 to Martin Shaffer.  However, records say that the sale was not according to law. Years later, on April 22, 1771, the four children of Matthias and Susanna sold the land to Conrad Shoub.

Matthias’s Widow, Susanna

Susanna, Matthias’s young widow, also deserves some discussion.  Details of her life are not recorded in the “History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.”  Some records say she was born in 1720 in New Hanover, Pennsylvania, while others say that she was born in 1725 in Alsace-Lorraine.  Accounts also say that she is the daughter of Jean Philip “Vesqueau” or “Vasqueau,” of which “Weske” is a Germanized spelling.

After Matthias’s death, Susanna remarried Philip Henry Yaple.  Like Susanna’s maiden name, Yaple has many spelling variations, including Yevel, Yeaple, Yappel, Japel, Yapel, and Geoble.  Philip Henry was born on November 5, 1725 in Dulweiller, Saarland (now Holland). He was first married to Maria Barbara Horn, with whom he had three children before her death in 1759.  Some accounts state that he and Susanna were married in the same year in New York, though this is called into question by other records who list their children as having been born in Upper Milford, PA.

Susanna and Philip Henry had several children:  Jacob Johann, born March 7, 1760; Mary (Polly), born in 1762; Nicholas Johann, born in 1764; John Johannes, born August 6, 1766; Christian Johann, born in 1768; and Philip Johann, born May 2, 1770.

Children of Matthias and Susanna

David is discussed here.                   

Henry (aka Heinrich) was born on August 23, 1749 in Lehigh County.  He married Catherine Wetzel around 1772. He was a private in the Revolutionary War from Nov 5, 1780 – Jan 4, 1781. Serving in the Northampton County Militia, 6th class, 6th battalion.  Records indicate that his children were Susanna, Heinrich, Catherine, Elisabeth, Henry, Eva, Maria Barbara, Johann Peter, Maria Elizabeth, Gertraut, David, Sarah, Maria Magdalena, Christina, Lydia, and Christianna. Henry died Feb. 12, 1837 in Hereford, Berks County, and is buried in the St. Peter’s Union Church Cemetery, Macungie, Lehigh Co.

Peter was born around the year 1750 in Pennsylvania and moved to Esopus (now known as Kingston) in Ulster County, New York, with his mother when she remarried.  He married Catherine Dumond in 1773 (Catherine was born Nov 17 in Esopus). According to one account, he served in the Ulster County Militia’s First Regiment in 1781 and was referred to as “the first settler of Ithaca.”  According to another, he was “a great Indian fighter,” was “associated with Tom Quick,” and served 181 in the Revolution. He died on May 25, 1816, in West Green Township in Erie County, PA.

Maria Elizabeth was born in 1752 or 1753 and died in 1837.  She married John Gregory at Zionsville Lutheran church in 1772.  John (born Sept 16, 1751, died Dec 24, 1835) was a Captain in the Revolution.  Their children were Catherine, Philip, David, Elizabeth, Peter, Samuel, Richard, Robert, Elizabeth, Judith,and  Lydia. They lived in Smithfield, Northampton Co.