Hunsberger

Hunsberger crest, developed in the 1930’s by a descendant.

The first mention of a Hunsberger in my ancestry is Mabel Susan Hunsberger, who married Russell Custer in 1925.

As it turns out, this little Hunsberger clan had married into and very much identified with the Schwenkfelders in the area.

The earliest Hunsberger I have traced is Abraham Husnberger (1793-1860). Records state that he was born in Virginia, but the vagueness of records at this time and the shocking prevalence of the name Abraham Hunsberger has made tracing his forebears impossible so far.

Thanks to the historical work of The Hunsberger Family Association (which has published a three-volume genealogy of all known Hunsbergers) we know that the original three Hunsberger immigrants – brothers Hans, Ulrich, and Jacob – were Mennonites, and came to Pennsylvania from Switzerland in the early 1700’s. A huge number of Hunsbergers continue to reside in Montgomery County, PA to this day.

As for how our Abraham Hunsberger fits in the larger picture, this is still unknown. Even if he is not descended from the original three brothers, it is most likely that his family came from the same place as the Pennsylvania immigrants.

Profiles of hunsberger family members & spouses

The Hunsbergers around 1920:
Seated: Agnes (Schultz) & Henry Sylvanus Hunsberger
Standing, left to right: Edna, Maurice, Daniel, Minnie, Mabel
(Photo provided by Carol Eberts, granddaughter of Minnie Hunsberger)

Further Resources:

The Hunsberger Family Association

The follow is a tree on Ancestry showing the ancestors of Abraham Clemmer Hunsberger, a descendant of the original Hunsberger immigrants, and famous for his singing and release by British soldiers during the Revolution: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/65123891/person/292123911675/facts

The Crest:

Taken from The Hunsberger Family Association website at http://www.hunsberger.org/crest.htm:

“No authoritative crest of coat of arms for the Hunsberger Family has been found. The crest (below) was created in the late 1930s by an artist at the request of the Hunsberger Family Association’s first Historian, Byron K. Hunsberger. This crest reflects the farming background of the family, and shows symbols of the Bern region in Switzerland from where the Hunsbergers are believed to have originated.”