ORIGINS, MIGRATIONS, AND SETTLEMENTS
THE BITTINGER STORY
OF THE BITTINGER AND ALLIED FAMILIES
IN EUROPE AND AMERICA
FROM THEIR OBSCURE BEGINNINGS IN THE
FOURTH CENTURY INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
BY EMMERT FOSTER BITTINGER 2018
ii
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to The Grandparents of the writer, Jonas Henry Bittinger and Etta Mary Fike Bittinger And their Descendants
iii
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION ...... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... v TABLE OF ILLUSTRATIONS ...... vii FOREWORD ...... ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... xi CHAPTER I EUROPEAN ORIGINS OF THE BITTINGER AND ALLIED FAMILIES ...... 1 CHAPTER II BITTINGER FAMILY PEREGRINATIONS: BULGARIA, GERMANY, SWITZERLAND, ALSACE, PENNSYLVANIA, AND BEYOND ...... 7 FIRST AMERICAN BITTINGER GENERATION ...... 23 BITTINGER GENERATIONAL SEQUENCE ...... 56 CHAPTER III JONAS HARVEY AND ETTA MARY FIKE BITTINGER FAMILY ...... 59 THE JONAS H. AND ETTA MARY FIKE BITTINGER FAMILY ...... 60 AND DESCENDANTS ...... 60 THE OLD BITTINGER FARM ...... 86 CHILDREN OF MOSES AND SOPHIA (RUDOLPH) FIKE ...... 91 A FIKE FAMILY HISTORICAL ESSAY ...... 93 CHAPTER IV BITTINGER ALLIED FAMILIES ...... 97 ALLIED FAMILIES LISTED CHRONOLOGICALLY ...... 97 ALLIED FAMILIES LISTED ALPHBETICALLY ...... 98 ARNOLD ...... 100 BITTINGER/BUTTNER ...... 109 BÖM/BEAHM ...... 118 BOGER/BOUGHER/BAUGHER ...... 121 BOUSER/BAUSER/BOWSER/BUSER/BEWSER ...... 122 BÜDINGER ...... 125 ENGLEHART ...... 127 FIKE/FEIG/FIECK ...... 130 FRANTZ ...... 134
v
KEIM ...... 136 LANDIS ...... 139 LIVENGOOD/LIEIBENGUT ...... 145 ARNOLD-LUDWICK ...... 149 MÜLLER/MILLER ...... 151 PHILLIPPI ...... 153 SCHAEFER ...... 158 SCHNEIDER/SNYDER ...... 162 SELLERS, SALR, SAILER, SAHLLER ...... 166 BEAVER DAM CHURCHES AND FAMILIES ...... 175 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...... 181
vi
TABLE OF ILLUSTRATIONS
A Twentieth Century View of Bern, Switzerland ...... 11 Finding a New Home...... 12 Sailing for Penn’s Land ...... 14 Keim-Livengood Cemetery Salisbury, PA ...... 18 Pine Grove Sunday School ...... 20 Summit Mills Church ...... 20 Moving to a Wilderness Home ...... 21 Alpine Mountain Valley ...... 28 Engleberg ...... 28 Great Great Grand Parents, Jonathan and Elizabeth Foust ...... 44 To Somerset in the Conestoga Wagon ...... 46 Stones of David and Ida Bittinger, Accident, MD ...... 47 Aunt Salome Slabaugh (Etta’s Sister) at her quilting frame ...... 48 A Pioneer Woman’s Endless Task ...... 48 The Jonas H. Bittinger Family Homestead at Eglon, WV ...... 59 Home of David Bittinger, birthplace of Jonas...... 61 Moses and Rebecca Beeghly Fike ...... 61 David and 3rd wife Ida Custer ...... 61 Jonathan and Elizabeth (Foust) Bittinger...... 61 Jonas and Etta Bittinger, with children, ...... 62 Jonas and Etta Bittinger, with children, ...... 62 Bittinger residence in Browntown, VA ...... 65 Browntown School where Foster Bittinger was principal ...... 65 Virginia, Emmert and Annabelle Bittinger ...... 67 Foster Bittinger, ca. 1921...... 67 Esther Bair and Foster Bittinger, circa 1923 ...... 67 Foster and Esther Bittinger ...... 68 Port Republic, VA, circa 1950 ...... 68 Parsonage at Mill Creek Church of the Brethren ...... 68 Bittinger, Maryland Fire Department ...... 81 Emmert, Virginia, mother Esther Bittinger Spangler and Annabelle ...... 81 Eglon Cemetery...... 82 Stemples Ridge School, ...... 82 2002 Bittinger Cousins Reunion ...... 83 1980 Bittinger Heritage Tour ...... 83 2009 Bittinger Family Reunion Estes Park, CO ...... 84 2013 Bittinger Family Reunion, Lake Junaluska, NC ...... 84 2013 Bittinger Family Reunion Siblings ...... 85 2016 Bittinger Reunion at Blackwater Falls State Park, WV ...... 85 Emmert and Esther Bittinger ...... 177 vii
David and Lorraine (Lori) Bittinger Lineweaver ...... 178 Kelly & Robert Bittinger Lineweaver, Stowe & Myla ...... 178 Lisa & Brian Hatleberg Hazel and Holly ...... 178 Adam and Karen Arnett and Kellan ...... 179 Mildred (Millie) and Ron Arnett ...... 179 David and Aimee Arnett Barrett, Ava, Alexa and Aria ...... 179 Antonio Martinez and Marion Bittinger ...... 180 Jordan and Molly Bowman ...... 180 Maria Bowman and James Munn ...... 180
viii
FOREWORD
Contrary to common beliefs about Genealogy, Family History is much more than the recording and tracing of dates and descent line of a family. In addition to these important and essential features of Genealogy, family history is an attempt to describe settings and contexts in which families live out their lives and pursue their essential goals. In family history, the historian seeks to recover and describe circumstantial and situational aspects of the life stories. This approach can contribute not only to the richness of the narrative, but may explain significant events that otherwise would remain mysterious and obscure.
As these family experiences play out in each family setting, the interest of the reader is allowed to become not only intellectually but also emotionally involved. As events transpire, the reader is transported to distant times and places. The principal figures in the story come alive as the reader is able create the images of living and struggling families as they attempt to meet the challenges of survival and adaptation. These experiences occur against the background of religious movements, warfare, forced migration, and economic hardship.
The thoughtful reader can scarcely remain unimpressed by the great expanses of time and space in which our ancestors worked out their destiny--a period of more than four centuries and thousands of miles within two continents.
These intriguing and sometimes violent times and places cannot but awaken within the reader wonder and admiration at the strength and endurance inherent in our fore-bearers. Yet they mastered the challenges and created homes for their families in every sort of place and under all kinds of difficulties. Emmert F. Bittinger, April, 2017
ix
x
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Expressing gratitude and acknowledging sources is not only a welcome duty but also a difficult task. So many sources and helpful people have generously shared information and encouragement over a period of seventy years that it is impossible to name them all. The beginnings of this project occurred in Garrett County in the early 1950s when I interviewed numerously elderly Bittinger individuals in related families living in the area of Accident, Bittinger and Grantsville, Maryland. Most of these people are long deceased, but their stories and descriptions still remain in mind though their names and locations are now mysterious. These early personal contacts awakened within my mind a deep and persistent desire to learn more about the fascinating stories and lives of Bittinger people. First, I mention my parents, the Rev. Foster M. Bittinger and Esther Mae Sellers Bair who lovingly stimulated within my mind a love of history and an appreciation the importance of respecting and preserving it. Instead of regarding the past as irrelevant and boring, I gained a lasting curiosity about past events along with a desire to discover how they unfolded as they did. I soon began to have great interest about the mysteries of where our families originated, how and why they moved from the old country. Among those to be named are my supporting and helpful wife, Esther Landis Bittinger, who has read and proofed dozens of my manuscripts. Her sharp eyes and mind have contributed immensely to the readability of this lengthy document. Our eldest daughter, Lori, and her husband, David Lineweaver, have patiently and kindly helped with the technical aspects involved in completing this volume. Their advice and assistance has been essential. Several Bittinger genealogists have significantly contributed immensely to our knowledge of Bittinger and related family history. Richard A. Bitting of New Hanover PA and William Bittinger, as well as Dansky Dandidge, and Lucy Forney Bittinger of Maryland deserve much credit and gratitude for their work on the Pennysylvania and Maryland Bittinger families. William Bittinger’s tracing of the family to its Swiss origins was an excellent check on my own later research which independently confirmed his findings. Since his work had preceded my own, excerpts of his research are reproduced in Chapter 4, with his permission and with generous credit to him Wayne Bittinger’s fine book, Generations, describes the Bittinger families of western Pennsylvania and Maryland. His book provides the history and genealogy of the Bittinger families of that region. I shared with him most of the interview material I had recorded many years earlier. His fine publication then made it unnecessary for that aspect of research to be repeated. The historical and genealogical materials available today are astoundingly rich and abundant, and the present writer is extremely fortunate in having gained access to them. It has been deeply satisfying to be able to mine them and prepare the present document on the origins and settlements of the Bittinger and allied families in Europe and America. Emmert F. Bittinger, MA, PhD. xi
xii
CHAPTER I EUROPEAN ORIGINS OF THE BITTINGER AND ALLIED FAMILIES
INTRODUCTION The writer has studied the history of the Bittinger and allied families for over a half century. Since retirement he has been able to devote more time to this effort. Modern technology has greatly enhanced the opportunities for doing family research. With the access to international archives and internet access to the work of other Bittinger researchers, significant progress has been made. In recent years, family historians have increasingly used the internet to access overseas resources. This method has aided my own project as well. At various places in my three-part document, the writer will quote from and credit them. Several earlier researchers have examined early Swiss origins of the family, namely William Bittinger, Lucy Fahrney Bittinger and Dansky Dandridge. We examine their work and credit them for information used from their sources. Part of the present task is to integrate and organize data borrowed and utilized and to credit them for what is used. From my own writing and from the various resources, we hope to create a comprehensive and complete story of Bittinger origins, migrations and settlements down to the present time. This includes, of course, information relating to the family of the writer. Other significant branches are also included, thus creating a document of value to the various branches of the family. Another researcher, Richard A. Bitting, was living at New Hanover near Pottstown, Pennsylvania studying the Bitting(er) and “Pitting(er)” and related families in the Montgomery and Berks Counties near Philadelphia. This area is immediately adjacent to Philadelphia. His detailed research has revealed an original and important Bittinger settlement. Apparently, this location was the place where Bittunger families had made their homes in the early 1700s from their location in southern Germany. They had first settled there after fleeing the sixteenth Century persecutions in Switzerland. Their new location was in the Rhein River Valley opposite Manheim at Freinsheim. Their new location was ideal, and they prospered there. In their new Germanic setting, the Bittinger name underwent several modifications in spelling, changes that adapted it into more Germanic forms of spelling and pronunciation. The umlauted u was substituted for the i and the ending “er” was dropped since that suffix has a special meaning. The name would undergo similar adaptations in America that would make it more compatible with the English Language. It’s the name without the “er” suffix, eg., Bitting and Pittng.1 Today, Freinsheim is a medium sized German city. The research of Richard A. Bitting has significantly broadened our knowledge on the Bittinger settlements in Germany following the dispersion from Switzerland. From his work, Bittinger
1 The “er” suffix implies “from” as in “Richmonder”. Sometimes the suffix becomes a permanent part of the noun. 2 The Bittinger Story researchers have greatly expanded their knowledge of the German settlements which now include a large Bittinger population today in Germany. Richard A. Bitting alone of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, has focused on the Bőttig/Bittings of Freinsheim, Germany that settled at New Hanover in Montgomery County, near Pottstown, Pennsylvania.2 This is the family line of the present writer and his family.
Wayne Bittinger has produced a comprehensive volume on the Bittinger families that settled in Somerset County. Pennsylvania. The titles of the books of the above named researchers may be examined in the overall bibliography at the end of this volume. The writer’s interest lies in the story of the European origins of the Bittinger and allied families and the earliest settlements in the Philadelphia-Montgomery-Berks-Lehigh counties near Philadelphia and Pottstown from which our large Bittinger line descends and which was unknown or little known by previous researchers except for Richard A. Bitting of that branch in New Hanover. We owe him many thanks for researching our line and writing about them! Allied Families, whose histories are included as shorter essays, are the Boger, Bouser, Engelhart, Dotterer, Fike, Frantz, Livengood, Merkel, Müller, Philippi, Snyder and Schäffer, and Sellers families, etc., about eighteen in all. In most cases, the writer has been able to identify the probable immigrant founder of each family line and mention the name of the ship and date of arrival at the Philadelphia port of entry. The entire project includes three chapters, namely, (1) Bulgarian, Swiss and German Origins, and (2), a longer chapter titled “Bittinger Family Peregrinations in Europe and America” that focusses on American settlements; and, finally, (3), “The Descendants of Jonas H. and Etta (Fike) Bittinger”. The latter chapter centers on the story of the most recent generations of the writer’s own family background of memory. Finally, around eighteen or twenty allied family histories are included in Chapter 4, representing the in-law (allied) family lines. These also include data concerning origins and settlements.
BLACK SEA AND BULGARIAN ORIGINS During the terrible wars and bad economic conditions of the 1500s, 50,000 refugees are said to have fled from the regions north and east of the Black Sea to what is now Bulgaria thence to southern Germany and to Switzerland. Bittinger, Bouser, Philippi and other families were be a part of this migration as stated by Dr. Bouser in his book, History of the Bouser Family, 1922. These migration patterns are quite consistent with the recent genome studies done on the Bittinger family migrations by the National Geographic Society and obtained by the present writer who provided a sample of his cells for DNA analysis. They indicate ancient origins moving into the eastern Mediterranean area.
2 Those interested in consulting the work of previous researchers should consult the extensive Bittinger bibliography by the late Richard A. Bitting of Berks County, PA. Also, considerable variation exists in the spelling of the names. Except when quoting, the, the current familiar spelling, “Bittinger” will be used. The Bitting and Pitting spellings were common in Berks and Montgomery Counties near Philadelphia where the earliest settlements were located and where genealogist Richard A. Bitting lived. The name Bötting was used in Friensheim andMontgomery and Berks County.
Chapter I –European Origins of the Bittinger Family 3 The Philippi family is said to have come from Philippopolis, a town founded by Greek Warrior King Philip II around 350 B. C.3 It is located on the upper reaches of what was then known as the Maria River west of the Black Sea. The town and river have carried different names under different regimes. The writer found no specific family records for years just prior to the early 1500s, and additional knowledge remains elusive.
SWISS RECORDS Our Bittinger line descends from Elias Bittinger who was born ca 1580 in Gondisvil (Gutenswil), Switzerland. Elias was a son of Nicholas Bittinger and Barbel (Barbara) Lybungut who had been married Jan. 12, 1603 or 14 in Switzerland. Barbara “Lybundgut”, born ca. 1580. She was a daughter of Nicholas Lybundgut and Cathryn Frantz. Records show them to have been located a few miles east of Zurich in the small village of Gutenswil.4 Around 100 years later. A descendant, Heinrich Bittinger, was at Freinsheim, in southwest Germany on the west side of the Rhine opposite of Manheim. This Bittinger family immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1723 where they settled, as described above, at New Hanover a few miles northwest of Philadelphia and couple miles northeast of Pottstown. An additional descendant of a branch of this family that had migrated via Sweigern, Germany, Hans Adam and his sons, Piere (Peter), David and Daniel Bittner, had settled at Beaver Dam, Frederick County, Maryland. Hans Adam and family settled south of the Pennsylvania line in eastern Frederick County, Maryland near New Windsor, in the 1740s and 1750s. This family was a part of the Heinrich and Anna Katherina Bitting family that settled in Montgomery County, adjacent to Philadelphia in 1723. The son Adam Bittinger joined his brothers but moved on, setting a mile or two west of Shepherdstown, West Virginia where he raised a large family in a large house that still stands. Father Heinrich joined his sons later. The Heinrich Bitting/Bőottig family was in Freinsheim, Germany on the upper Rhine opposite Manheim in the first half of the1700s or perhaps in the late 1600s. The parents of Piere (Peter) Büttner and Adam of the 1660s, were Hannes Andrew, born February 27, 1614 at Gutenswil, and Maria Sabina Müller. The parents of Hannes were Elias Bittinger and Barbell Lybengut, the latter born September 17, 1581 a daughter of Nicholas and Catherine Frantz Lybundgut of Switzerland. (See also the appended separate chart of the “Generational Sequence” from 1580s into the present century.) The reader may well wonder about the fact that we will now be transitioning our Bittinger story to Freinsheim Germany on the Rhein opposite Manheim. The period of time in the early sixteen hundreds was a time of religious intolerance and persecution in Switzerland, a time of imprisonment, torture, drownings, burnings and beheadings. The ancestors of the writer and his wife, Esther Landis Bittinger, were both subjected to ill treatment along with the Livengood family. Livengoods and Bittingers were fellow travelers through the
3 See John Haywood, Historical Atlas of the Classical World: 500 B. C. – 600 A. D. (Barnes and Noble: Oxford, 2000) for maps and discussions of the History of these regions, pp. 2.05, 2.08, 2.15, 2.16, 2.17. 4 The document from which this information is copied was created by the research of William Bittinger. And from Dansky Dandidge.s work dated 1909 which was published by the Michie Company of Charlottesville, Virginia. This source document is appended at the end of the present work because it deserves to stand alone rather than being totally absorbed in the present work. It describes six generations of Bittinger history with the earliest Bittinger date as 1581. It 163is a principal source document.
4 The Bittinger Story succeeding centuries, associating and intermarrying down to the present time. That too is part of our story. These dates show that Elias and descendant, Heinrich, our ancestors, the latter born 1673,) of Freinsheim, were not contemporaries. Elias was born in 1580, around 90 or so years earlier than Heinrich of Freinsheim. They ought not to be thought of as brothers or as contemporaries. This suggests a good possibility that Elias was a grandfather of Heinrich of Freinsheim, and that Elias may have been born in Switzerland after the family had moved from Bulgaria via the Wurtemburg area. (See the William Bittinger essay.) Incidentally, many Butners and Bietingers live in Germany, certainly some of them are descendents of Heinrich, for they carry the name Heinrich.) After their immigration ca, 1700-1725, the Livengood and Bittinger families first settled west of Philadelphia at Douglas and New Hanover near Pottstown in Montgonery County. Then, just prior to the Revolutionary War they scattered, hoping to avoid the disasters of the war. They moved to what is now Somerset County in western Pennsylvania and to New Jersey and to Frederick County Maryland. Philip Bittinger, Sr., son of Ludwig, Sr., our ancestors, also took advantage of the opening of the lands in the Somerset area, thus his name appears with Livengood’s on a tax list dated 1770. He apparently arrived with the Livengood exploratory party and obtained land rights ca. 1769 following the opening of free or cheap lands west of the Allegheny in that year. Philip Bitting, Jr., and Julianna, however, did not move to what is now Somerset County until ca. 1774-5, remaining near Hagerstown in Washington County, Maryland and then in the upper Mill Creek area west of Romney, West Virginia. That is where Julianna’s Aunt Susanna Hoch (High) had settled. (During the Civil War, western Virginia and Romney were in West Virginia.) Thus we note the ancient connections among these families and their pattern of traveling together over a period of several generations both in Europe and in Pennsylvania.
MARRIAGES: Johan Henricus Bitting (John Henry) married to Anna Catharine Schӓffer, born in June of 1672. She was a daughter of the Reformed minister, John Adam Schӓffer of Freinsheim. Elias “Bittinger,” born ca. 1560 married in Switzerland to Barbell Lybundgut, born September 17, 1581, daughter of Nicholas and Catherine (Frantz) Lybundgut of Switzerland. (My great great great grandfather, Christian Fike, married Christina Livengood, daughter of Peter Livengood, an Amishman, of Somerset County, Pennsylvania.) The Livengoods and Bittings both had fled the persecutions of the 1600s in Switzerland. The Bittingers and Livengoods both had joined Jacob Ammon’s break away from the Mennonist Church, thus thereby participating in founding of the Amish movement while yet in Switzerland ca.1693-5.5 As we shall see from these and other marriages, Bittingers, Frantzes, and Livengoods have been associated for more than centuries! These marriages also are consistent an early connections of Bittingers with Amish people. Amish people tended strongly to marry only within their own Faith.
5 Hostetler John A. Amish Society, (1993: Johns Hopkins University Press). See Chapter II, for a detailed telling of this interesting story.
Chapter I –European Origins of the Bittinger Family 5 It is now known, however, that the Bittingers and Livengoods not only knew dissident Menno Simons, but had joined his Mennonite Movement. In doing so, they came under the influence of another dissident, Mennonite, Jacob Ammon. Because of disagreements over the doctrines concerning the Love feast, Jacob Ammon, separated from the Mennonite Faith and became the founder of the Amish Faith. Ths occurred in the last decade of the 1600s. These events occurred in the last decade of the 1600s, ca. 1693-4. Also formerly Mennonite, the Livengood and Bittinger families adopted the views of Ammon and joined his religious movement around 1694. Thus, the Bittingers and Livengoods were Amish from the very beginning of the movement until their conversion to the “Dunker” Faith in Somerset County! The Mennonite Faith had been founded the previous century by Menno Simons. Thus, they lived through the turmoil of the Thirty Years war that grew out of the struggle that accompanied the very founding of Protestantism in 1517. It was a war in which the newly established Protestants fought for their survival against the Catholic forces. During the latter part of the war and afterward, Simons himself had supported a military approach to extend his new Anabaptist Faith. His small group of fighters, was soon defeated. Following this, Simons renounced warfare and violence never-the-less his small group of believers was persecuted and no longer welcome in Switzerland. Historian Dansky Dandrige also reports that the Bittingers were Mennonites in Switzerland and were driven from place to place seeking refuge. (Some of these original Swiss records were compiled by Mogens Mogensen of Arbon, Switzerland from records at Melchnau.)
Following their flight from the Swiss oppression, one branch of the Bittinger family fled to Alsace. Their location was not scarcely satisfactory, however. On the border area between Germany and France, Alsace was contested and switched back and forth between France and Germany on several occasions, thus creating an insecure setting. This group then eventually immigrated to Pennsylvania, finally settling at New Hanover, Montgomery County from where they moved to Somerset County and Beaver Dam, Frederick County, Maryland. Bittingers (Pittings} also remained in the Montgomery and Berks County areas west of Philadelphoa.
Christoph Bettinger was born Aug. 19, 1686, Hemmingen, Enz, Germany. He was a son of Hans Andrew Bettinger of Switzerland, born 1660 and Juliana Henrica, born 1664. They were born in Württemburg, Germany. This Christian amay have been a brother of our Heinrich of Freinsheim, of our own family line. Buttner families also lived in what is now southern Russia east of the Black Sea. There, some were teachers of the Romanov6 sisters of the Royal Family. This reveals that at that time and place they were an educated family of good standing.
6 See book by The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas Helen Rappaport, Macmillan, and Alexandria. 2014, St. Martins Press.
CHAPTER II BITTINGER FAMILY PEREGRINATIONS: BULGARIA, GERMANY, SWITZERLAND, ALSACE, PENNSYLVANIA, AND BEYOND
BEFORE THE ATLANTIC CROSSING: BITTINGER, BOGER, BOUSER, DOTTERER, ENGELHARDT, FIKE, PHILIPPI. LIVENGOOD, THOMAS, SHAFFER AND SELLERS7
INTRODUCTION This study of the ancestors of the Bittinger/Büttner families is dedicated to the memory of Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger of Preston County, West Virginia, and their numerous descendants now scattered across the United States. The present essay follows Chapter I that centered on the European Origins of the Bittinger family lines. That succeeded in tracing the Bittinger family from its Balkan origins into southern Germany, Switzerland and Alsace. The writer was able to access several web pages of individuals (to be cited later) researching the European origins of their own non-Bittinger family lines that included European Bittinger origins as their allied families. Germany and Switzerland maintain National Archives as valuable resources. Incidentally, a recent book, The Romanov Sisters; The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra, (see bibliography) describes the relation of a Buttner family of southern Russia to the Romanovs. The Romanovs had engaged two of the Buttner daughters to become tutors of the Romanov daughters. This suggests a high social standing for the Buttner family. The date of this King and Queen was the late 1800s. This datum suggests the unconfirmed possibility that some of the Buttners may have moved eastward from Bulgaria or that Russia may have been the original Buttner
7 Heinrich and Anna Catherina Schaeffer Bitting[er] who immigrated in 1723 will be shown as be the immigrant Bitting/Pitting family that settled New Hanover Montgomery, Penna. They and their son, Ludwig, Sr., who produced Philip, Sr. and Jr., are our ancestors as we will see in due time. Since our interest includes all of the children of the progenitors, a discussion of both their ancestors and their descendants will be included first. (Unfortunately, we have been unable to find much about the sisters). We have noted, however, the Engelberg connections to the family and their locations in the New Hanover area. The answer to this conundrum is that Philip, Sr., the father of our Philip, Jr, re- immigrated nearly three decades later, on the ship Nancy, September 16, 1751, and will be discussed in due time. 8 The Bittinger Story home country from which our branch of the family had descended several centuries earlier. The reason for their emigration is unknown. These sources enabled the writer to discover the truly ancient origins of the early Bittinger family. The allied family lines such as the Boger, Bouser, Dotterer, Frantz, Fike, Foust, Engelhart, Hoch, Livengood, Ludwick, Philippi, Merkel, Roudolph, Schäffer, and Schneider will be discussed later in this document. Varied and divergent name spellings often were encountered. Later generations of these families in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, some of whom are discussed in Wayne Bittinger’s Generations book. The earliest Bittinger marriage discovered was in Gutenwill a few kilometers east of Zurich, Switzerland where Elias Bittinger and Barbel Lybengut lived. (Barbell was born September 7, 1581.) This is where we begin the Bittinger story and present essay. The third and final essay, “The Descendants of Jonas and Etta Bittinger of Preston County, West Virginia”, has been completed and was available for the reunion of the descendants of the Rev. Foster and Mrs. Esther Bair/Sellers Bittinger family held in July 2013 at Lake Junaluska in North Carolina and updated in May 2016 for the Bittinger Family Reunion held at Blackwater Falls in August 2016. The present essay is purposely designed to be broad enough to identify and include several major branches of the Bittinger and allied families. Although some branches are not ours, they are included in order to be helpful to other researchers. Since their earliest known arrival to this continent in 1723, Bitting[ers] have scattered far and wide. By the end of the 18th Century they had moved from their first settlement locations near Pottstown in Montgomery, Berks, Lehigh, and York to Somerset Counties of Pennsylvania, and Frederick, Washington and Garrett Counties of Maryland, and to Hampshire and Preston Counties of what was then Virginia but now is West Virginia. The tracks of our ancestors of the Ludwig Bitting branch that includes Philip Sr., and Jr., migrated through western Virginia ca. 1769 to Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Ludwig’s brother, Anthony, went via Wythe County, Virginia, to the Winston Salem area of North Carolina, with Philip and Julianna splitting off and going to join his father, Philip, Sr., in Somerset County in western Pennsylvania. The broad purpose of this essay forecloses the possibility of doing a conventional genealogy study that would trace all these branches down, providing dates for each person. It does, however, provide an impression of the scope of the Bittinger migratory and settlement patterns, patterns likely not very different from that followed by many immigrant families arriving at the port of Philadelphia. The recounting of these movements is intended to provide clues for younger Bittinger family inquirer in the future to grasp a starting point in their own Bittinger searches in whatever location or branch they may be located. It appears that this essay will identify the roots of most American immigrant Bittinger, Bötig/Büttner, Bitting, Pitting branches that came from the Freinsheim, Bern, and Alsace areas of Switzerland and Germany to America. The line of Heinrich and Anna Catherina Bitting, (the immigrants of 1723) and their son Ludwig, born 1702 and his son, Ludwig, Jr., born in 1729, are the line of descendants that is followed down to Somerset, Garrett and Preston Counties. This line, includes our Philip, Sr., who re-immigrated in 1751 and Philip, Jr. They are from our long sought ancestral line! Having abandoned the massive task of following down to the present time all these several branches of the Heinrich and Anna Catherina Bittinger family that would include thousands of people,
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 9 the writer instead has focused mostly on the task of researching his own family’s descent line.8 That line begins in Switzerland in the mid-1500s with Elias and Barbara of ca. 1580 to the present generation. This line includes, of course, the third generation, (Heinrich and Anna Catherina Schäffer “Bitting” of Freinsheim, Germany, and their offspring down through Philip, Jr., and wife Julianna Philippi and their off-spring. Heinrich’s and Anna Catharina’s sons, immigrants of 1723, Heinrich of Lehigh County, and Joseph (Jost) of New Hanover, though not our line, also are included in short sections. * * * * In the 1930s, my father, the Rev. Foster M. Bittinger, became interested in discovering his Bittinger ancestry. He soon found a book by Lucy Forney Bittinger, Büttinger and Bedinger Families, Descendants of Adam Büdinger, 1904, which records the history of the Hanover, Pennsylvania branch in York County from whom the Beaver Dam Bittingers descend. Although he was unable to successfully connect our line, he drew the natural but erroneous conclusion that our family was descended from that branch. This mistake was not discovered until many years later when the present writer became fully aware of the New Hanover Bittinger settlements near Philadelphia, and when he began researching the European origins of the Bittinger and allied family lines in Switzerland and Germany. My own research began in the 1950s when visiting Garrett County, Maryland where a large number of Bittinger families reside. The pleasure of discovering and interviewing elderly Bittinger people and taking notes on our conversations is still fresh in my mind after nearly seventy years. Those valuable notes from talks with people now long deceased, proved to be a valuable aid to myself and to cousinWayne Bittinger in his own research for his Bittinger book that traces numerous American descendent lines including ours from the Hagerstown, Maryland area. He was not aware of the older New Hanover settlement. Since that early beginning, this family history project has been an “on and off” endeavor as the responsibilities of family and occupation took priority. Finally, it now nears its ending as I pass my 90th birthday. It is fortunate that I enjoy solving mysteries and making “discoveries” else I would have given up many years ago. In recent years, genealogical research has undergone much change. Although doing interviews, researching land and family records in court houses and libraries, etc., is still essential, many leads and much information now is available on internet websites and from contacts with strangers in unknown places who also are working on their own Bittinger-related family lines. It is astounding to discover the plethora of genealogical data on the web. It did not take long to discover that one must be extremely judicious in making use of it.
8 As it turned out, even this reduced task was a sufficiently daunting one for an eighty-eight and eighty-nine year old great grandfather
10 The Bittinger Story
The fine work of Wayne Bittinger in his Generations book of 1974 and the enlarged edition of 1986, is gratefully acknowledged. He also has expressed gratitude for having used my own research when I loaned him my 1950s notes from interviews with elderly Bittinger persons in Garrett County. Bittinger immigrants in America re-used the names Henrich, Philip, Juliana, Anna Dorothea, and Anna Catherine for several generations after their arrival here. This was a Germanic naming custom and provides additional evidence for the idea that these Swiss Bűttner9 couples are related to the Bitting/Pitting couples that immigrated to the port of Philadelphia and first settled in 1723 at New Hanover near Pottstown in Montgomery County Pennsylvania. The Bittingers that fled through Alsace went to Maryland and became the branch we have designated as the Beaver Dam branch. The New Hanover branch settled near Pottstown in New Hanover Township. The New Jersey Group that came from the New Hanover settlement, has not been studied by the writer. It seems likely, however, that they would have some connection with our line of Bittingers. In order to visualize the importance of this circumstantial splitting or separation of the Bittinger family, the following diagram is helpful.
GUTENWIL, SWITZERLAND (Bittinger, Livengood, Frantz, Müler) | ______|______| | FREINSHEIM, GERMANY ALSACE | |
NEW HANOVER PA & NEW JERSEY BRANCHES BEAVER DAM MD BRANCH | | SOMERSET COUNTY, PA VIRGINIA /WEST VIRGINIA
The New Hanover branch settled in what is now New Hanover Township directly west and adjacent to the city of Philadelphia and next to Pottstown. Many of this branch still live in that vicinity * * * - The related branch of Bittingers in York County, Pennsylvania and Beaver Dam, Maryland, is included in the early part of this essay for the sake of its possible its value to those relatives. The head
9 This spelling of the Bittinger name is the older, common renderings.
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 11 of this branch of the family of Heinrich and Anna Katharina of Freinsheim, is their son Peter (Pierre) Bittinger/Pittinger. We will consider them next.
* * * * THE BEAVER DAM BITTINGERS The names of Peter (father), David, Daniel and Adam, (sons) Pittinger-Pittinger appear frequently in the records of eastern Frederick County, Maryland. C. E. Schildtknecht, a Maryland genealogist, discusses them and provides basic data about them.
A Twentieth Century View of Bern, Switzerland
The above-mentioned Peter Bittinger of Beaver Dam, father of Adam, David and Daniel, died ca. 1752 and his estate was settled in 1752. Note that Schildtknecht renders his name as “Bittinger”, p.81. (Peter had acquired the name Pierre while his family lived in the quaint little French-speaking village of Sweigern in Alsace, a village Esther and I have visited.) Because of the unsettled condition of the state boundary at that time, the estate settlement records of Peter Bittinger are located in the York County Courthouse relating to Beaver Dam. Their land straddled the state boundary line. The estate was handled by sons David and Daniel the year after Peter immigrated to join his sons, as stated by Schildtknecht. The Beaver Dam Bittinger line begins with this Peter [Pierre], one of the sons of Heinrich and Anna Catharina, immigrants of 1723 to New Hanover Pennsylvania. His settlement locations vary both in Germany and in America. He and/or his sons lived for a while in Sweigern. He arrived in America on the ship St. Andrew10 on September 14, 1751 (S & H; Vol. I, page 457).
10 See Straussberger and Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, Vol. I, page 457 ( here-in-after referred to as “S&H”), and also Schildtknecht, Monocacy and Catoctin, for additional information,
12 The Bittinger Story
While living in Sweigern in Alsace, he may have used the name Pierre (a variation of Peter). The Monocacy Congregation of the German Reformed Church east of Frederick, Maryland has a list of baptisms to 1748 (not recorded beyond that date by Schildtknecht). This list mentions Daniel Bittinger/Pittinger bringing his son Daniel to the Reformed Church for baptism in 1744. This evidence is proof their presence several years earlier than their father Peter’s arrival in 1751.
EUROPEAN ORIGINS CONTINUED
After the writer resumed his research on the Bittinger and allied family lines two years ago, important new discoveries have been made. These will be summarized in the next paragraph or so in order that the reader will be able to conceptualize in advance the places where Bittingers have settled and made their homes. Their first known settlement was at New Hanover, near Philadelphia in 1723. Their families then gradually spread from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, into Berks, Chester and Lehigh Counties all in eastern Pennsylvania. Later immigrations of Bittinger families reveal settlements in the Hanover area of York County, Pennsylvania, in Beaver Dam, Maryland, in Sheperdstown, West Virginia, as well as in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The Bittingers appear to have a common origin from the Bulgar tribes of the Baltic region before the 1500s. (Evidence for this statement is from Dr. Bowser’s 1922 History of the Bouser Family and from the National Geographic Society analysis of a genetic sample submitted by the writer for testing in 2013.) These tribal peoples were so numerous that their name was incorporated into the title of the nation of Bulgaria. There the earliest Bittinger ancestor I have discovered is Elias Bittinger. His forebearers in the 1500s had migrated from Bulgaria to Switzerland near Zurich. Precise dates of this movement are un-known. We do not have any details of this lengthy migratory pattern. Andrew apparently went to Würtemburg and his sons Heinrich and Christoph to Freinsheim on the west side of the upper Rhine River opposite Manheim, both places in southern Germany. We may imagine that refugees, like refugees today, suffered tremendously by being driven out from their lands, losing everything except what they personally could carry or drag. Finding a New Home As mentioned earlier, sons of Pierre/Peter settled for a time in Alsace, then came to Frederick County, Maryland, settling near Johnsville and in the Beaver Dam area in the first half of the 1700s. The family of Heinrich and Anna Catherina (Schäffer) Bittinger and sons Heinrich, Joseph (Jost), and Ludwig, Sr.., and our Philip Bittinger, Sr., and Jr., all descending from Elias and wife, “Barbel Lybengudt,” the latter the 1500s. They were said by Dr. Bouser11 in 1922 to have descended from old families of Bohemia. The Johannes Philippi family name goes back in time
11 Dr. John Bouser, History of the Bouser Family, 1922. Viewed on line.
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 13 even farther to the ancient Greek city of Philippopolis, founded ca. 450 B. C. by Greek Warrier-King, Philip II. Our own Bitting family had settled at Freinsheim had prospered and become professional and artistic people, tfeir arts contributing to the culture and prosperity of southern Germany. Heinrich and members of his family, including sons Heinrich, Ludwig and Joseph (Jost), however, went to Pennsylvania in 1723, 1737, 1751 and 1754. Other members of the family followed, or made return trips, periodically in the 1740s, 1750s and 1760s, creating a long list of Bittinger/Büttner and allied family immigrants all from the same family line that can be found in Straussburger and Hinke long lists of German immigrants.
BITTINGER AND ALLIED FAMILY IMMIGRANTS NOTED Sources of information about Bittingers (Pittinger, Biniger, etc., etc. and the Philippi families are included in the will records of Philadelphia, Montgomery, Lehigh, Chester and Berks Counties. Immigration data can be found in Strassburger & Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, 3 volumes. (Wayne Bittinger’s fine volume of Bittinger history does not investigate immigrant Bittingers or their origins in Europe.) Nonetheless, Wayne’s book, Generations, remains the primary source for the Bittingers of Somerset Cpunty, Pennsylvania, and Preston County, West Virginia. The following list of Bittinger immigrants does not include all, only those appearing to be related to our own family line and a few selected others as well. Our ancestors Heinrich and Anna Catherina are said by Richard A. Bitting to have immigrated on the ship Globe in 1723 (before immigrant records were kept at Philadelphia). A son or brother of Heinrich is said to have settled in nearby Lehigh County and others. Our own ancestors resided near Pottstown at New Hanover Township in Montgomery County. After fleeing the Swiss persecutions, they had settled for an unknown period at Freinsheim, Germany. See our ancestor Heinrich below for his “permission and recommendation” from the authorities at Freinsheim, in the Palatinate, allowing him to emigrate. (Source, Rich@Bitting Family.org). They are our ancestral family. Our related line of Hans Adam and Peter “Beidinger” arrived August 30, 1737 on the ship Samuel. (Vol. I. of S&H, p. 169). (This is the Beaver Dam group that originated from Sweigern, Germany and Gutenwill, Switzerland.) Martin “Bittner,” immigrant of May 30, 1741 came on the ship Snow Francis and Ann. (Vol. 1, p. 292). He was from the Freinsheim branch and settled in New Hanover Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He was the eldest son of the Heinrich and Anna Catharina (Schӓffer) Bittinger.
14 The Bittinger Story
Heinrich and Hans Michael Büttner arrived on the ship Vernon, (Vol. 1, p. 363), August _, 1747. They immigrated from Sweigern, Germany settling in Maryland (the Beaver Dam and Shepherdstown, West Virginia branches). John Henry Feick arrived on the ship Anderson on August 21, 1750, one of the progenitors the Fike families in America. (S&H, Vol. 1, p. 433.) Oswald Dubs, ancestor of the Dubs family of York County, Pennsylvania, also was on this ship. Lamanda Dubs, wife of Samuel Sellers, was a grandmother of the writer’s mother, Esther Sellers Bair Bittinger of York County.
Rotterdam Port of Departure
George Engelhart, Hans George Ludwick, John, Andrew and Christian Philippi and Jacob and Beder [Peter] Leibengut [Livengood], our allied families, arrived on the ship Phoenix on August 28, 1750. (S&H, Vol., pp. 441-2) Three days later, Immanuel Boger (Bougher) arrived on the ship Nancy (p.443). These are our Bittinger allied ancestral families. Numerous other Brethren and Mennonite- sounding names appear on this remarkable ship list and deserve careful study. More about them later. Christoph (Christian) Bidner/Bittner/Bitting came on the ship Brotherhood, arriving on November 3, 1750 with 300 persons of whom only 124 were named. Although he is not in our direct line, he is included here because he appears to be a brother of our Heinrich and a part of the general flight of German refugees to America, including Bittingers, which occurred around 1730-1750. He, along with our Sailing for Penn’s Land Heinrich who married Anna Catharina Schäffer, were sons of Andrew who married Julianna Henricas. They were refugees who fled the Balkan wars in the early 1500s. These wars created an estimated 50,000 refugees to Germany and Switzerland and elsewhere, and the Bitting family was mentioned as one of those families by researcher Dr. Bouser in 1922. (See Bouser Famiy History, ca. 1922.) Several members of the Philippi family also arrived on August 28, 1750 on the ship Phoenix, (p. 441) namely, Johannes Philippi, [single], Johannes Philippi, Sr., and Jr., along with Andraes Philippi, all on the same ship. Also on this ship were Hans Jacob Liebengut Sr., and Jr., and Peter Liebengut (Livengood), allied Bittinger allied ancestors. Johannes Philippi is present and standing in the list very close to George Engelhart whose daughter, Julianna, he would marry. Johannes and
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 15
Julianna Philippi, became the parents Julianna who would become wife of our Philip Bittinger, Jr. Philip immigrated in 1751 with Ludwig and Anthony in their second arrival. They lived first in Montgomery and Berks Counties, Pennsylvania. The earliest origins discovered of the Philippi family go back to Philippopolis, founded on the upper Maria River (now named differently) in what was then called Thrace, by Greek warrior, Philip II, ca. 342 B. C. It is located inland just west of the Black Sea. (See Historical Atlas of the Classical World, 500 B. C. to 600 A. D. by John Haywood, Barnes and Noble, 2000, page 208.) It is also shown on the jacket cover of this book. Three days later, on August 31, 1750 the ship Nancy (p. 443) carrying 270 passengers, arrived bringing Tobias Miller, the Feasters, and Immanuel Boger (Bougher), allied families that would soon make their homes in Somerset County. Christian Boger (Bougher) would become the father or grandfather of John Boger who became the Elder at Sandy Creek Congregation of Preston County, West Virginia. He was the father of Mary and Lydia who married David Bittinger our great grandfather! Christian Boger is included in the Brethren Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 157. Descendants of Tobias Miller would also go to the same area, and some descendants later to Eglon (Judges 3:14,17) where Dr. Harold Miller would become both a minister and doctor and carry on with his doctor wife, Blanche, a large medical practice. When father Foster Bittinger sold the Bittinger home farm at Eglon (in 1940 or ’41), the Millers, whose land adjoined, purchased it. Peter “Biniger,” mentioned above, came on ship St. Andrew September 14, 1751 (S&H, Vol. I, p. 457). (Hanover, Pennsylvania and to Beaver Dam in adjacent Maryland). He is the progenitor of the Beaver Dam, Maryland family in America. His two sons had immigrated earlier and were present in Maryland in the mid-1740s. Antres (Andrew) “Bitinger”, believed to be one of the sons of Ludwig and grand- son of Heinrich and Anna Catherina, immigrated on ship Nancy in September 16, 1751, spelled “Bitinger”, (S&H,Vol. 1, p. 462-3) settling near New Hanover, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Apparently having ties to the Hoch/High family in Germany, he stayed with them. Later Andrew then migrated with the Brethren Hoch/High family to Hampshire County, Virginia, now West Virginia. He apparently was “scouting” with the John Hoch-Andrew Bitting party and took sick and died while camped in the Purgittsville vicinity, is said to be buried at Old Pine Church Cemetery, nearby where numerous ancient unnamed graves are found or in the High Cemetery adjacent to Purgittsville. If at Pine Church, he would be one of the earliest burials there, long before the present church house was built, suggesting that the burial, insyead, may have been located in the small over grown ceneteryweatward a hundred yards or so adjacest to the village. John Martin “Bedinger/Bettinger,” son of Heinrich and Anna Catherina, arrived September 24, 1753 on the ship Peggy, (See S&H, lists A and C, Vol. I, pp. 546, 549). Others were John Frederick Engelhart, relative of George Engelhart whose daughter Julianna later married Phillip Bittinger, Jr., Joseph Büdtner, age 33, arrived on the ship Barclay September 14, 1754. See List B for this spelling. (Vol. I, pp. 595-598) If he were the Joseph who signed the Antes will in 1746, he would then have been in his twenties He is quite likely of a later generation and a Freinsheim relative. If he were a son, born in 1713, of Heinrich of Freimsheim, there is an eight or ten year discrepancy in his
16 The Bittinger Story reported age. (At this time, not everyone kept track of their age, especially if they were illiterate.) The Bittinger name was often spelled with the German umlaut, as above. John Carl Büttner, Johannes Heinrich “Philibahr” (Philippi) and a John Feig (Feick, Fike) came on the ship Sally on August 23, 1773. (Vol. I, p. 748). This John Feig is the ancestor of our Eglon Fike line and will be discussed later. This Buttner is part of our larger ancestral family. Our ancestor, Philip, Sr., son of Ludwig Bittinger, Jr., was not an immigrant as he was born in Montgomery County in 1737. He did travel to Germany in 1751, as will be seen below.
THE SETTLEMENT AT NEW HANOVER AND MOVE TO SOMERSET After the Bittingers and Livengoods had lived in the New Hanover-Pottstown area for several decades, land became available in 1769 in Bedford County, now Somerset County, following an agreement with Indian Chief Pontiac. Consequently, Peter Livengood, Henry and Philip, Sr., 12 Bittinger, and others decided to travel there to obtain parcels of this cheap land. Their move likely also was motivated by rumors of the pending great American Revolution. This explains how their names are included on the tax list of 1770 at Somerset (formerly Bedford) County. It was customary to obtain land when possible before actually moving to a new location. It appears that Philip Bittinger settled there within a year or so, for his son Philip, Jr., joined him there by ca. 1775, though we cannot say exactly what year it was. Tradition suggests that Livengoods spent a difficult winter there surviving under an oak tree while building their cabin. In the case of Philip, Jr. and his brother Henry, in 1773 they got no farther than the Conococheague area just west of Hagerstown. This is where Philip and Julianna’s first child, Susanna, was born July 14, 1773 and christened by the Salem Reformed Church minister near Hagerstown on August 28 of 1773.13 They remained in that area for a short while, likely moving in with the John and Susanna (Bitting) Hoch/High family to Purgittsville, W. Va. where they wintered before going to Somerset the following year or so. A record of Susanna’s christening is written in the Reformed Church record at Hagerstown. By the time of the birth of their second child, Mary Magdalena, they were in Somerset County where the rest of the children were christened and recorded there in the Berlin Reformed Church records. The Livengood family migration from Montgomery County to Somerset County Pennsylvania ca. 1769-70, has been the subject of considerable comment. For example, Livengood gained the distinction of taking the first Conestoga wagon over the Allegheny Mountain. In several ways he was a true American pioneer. He was among the several dozen permanent settlers of Somerset County and possibly the wagon-train leader. There were other settlers there before the Livengoods and Bittingers. Philip, Jr., and Julianna, along with Henry and Dorothy Bittinger, also arrived a year or two later, settling on the land obtained by his father, Philip, Sr. as indicated on the tax list by the year 1770, a date prior to the Revolutionary War. He apparently had gone with the Livengood wagon train,
12 This Philip likely was Philip Sr. Our Philip, Jr. would have been only 14-16 years of age. 13 No Amish community existed there, and having eloped, Philip and Julianna likely would have been rejected by the Amish. This event begins the Bittinger association with the German Reformed Church.
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 17 possibly remaining there rather than returning to Montgomery County. Philip, Jr. likely would have been too young at age sixteen or seventeen to claim land in his name. Likely the Livengood wagon train was made up of trusted neighbors as well as relatives, possibly upwards of a dozen in all. Unpredictable dangers were associated with such a trip at this early time. There were still a few roving Indian bands that might surprise them. Many parts of the rugged trail had to be repaired, cleared, if not actually created, requiring heavy labor. Not the least was the strenuous and difficult crossing of the as yet un-tamed Allegheny Mountain.14 The Highs and Bittingers likely would have followed at least part of the route opened by early explorers such as George Washington and others which led them west of Winchester westward to the South Branch River and past Romney to Purgittsville. Related families and neighbors usually traveled in groups because of the frequent need to assist each other as difficulties and breakdowns occurred along the way. The crossing of un-bridged streams always presented un-predictable danger and difficulty. This Livengood record of migration may be found at the Somerset County Historical Society Library or “Googled”. I seem to recall from 50 years ago that the Society had some remnants of Livengood’s wagon in their possession and on display. Peter Livengood became wealthy, partly as a result of hard work and partly as a result of obtaining cheap land. He was no miser, and he knew that each newly founded family needed help in getting established in the as yet un-tamed wilderness before the harsh winter weather set in. When each of his numerous offspring married, he gave a generous start in their marriage by providing them each with a large gift of household furnishings and other goods. Each item was meticulously noted in his journal as a record in order to assure that each one received equally, thus avoiding family squabbles! The record of these legacy gifts has been preserved, and a copy is in the writer’s possession. It was also published by the Masthof Press at Morgantown, Pennsylvania.15 Some of his children were “Dunkers,” and the Brethren (Dunkers) were eager to have Peter Livengood convert to the Brethren Faith. In those days, much emphasis was placed on following the scripture accurately. With respect to baptism, the Brethren had an advantage over those denominations that sprinkled or poured for baptism.
14 Earlier travelers usually went around the on south side of the Potomac to avoid the difficult mountain terrain, crossing north again at Paw Paw to go westward before this time, following the early route to Fort Pitt used by the early explorers and settlers. The Livengoods are said to have pioneered a more direct route across the Alleghany Mountain directly into what is now Somerset County. 15 The Peter Leibundgut Journal, Old Springfield Shoppe, P. O. 161, Elverson, Pa., 19520-0171. See also an article in Mennonite Family History magazine, “Family Relationships in Elk Lick Township” by J. Virgil Miller, July 1994, pp. 108-9.
18 The Bittinger Story
There were numerous public debates in the second half of the 1800s concerning the method of Jesus’ baptism and the correct method to follow. The Brethren claimed Jesus was immersed in the water. A proper baptism, they said, was three immersions forward, once each in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. Great crowds attended these debates, sometimes thousands, and the debates were taken down by an appointed writing clerk for a permanent record. The Dunker claims regarding baptism were Christian and Elizabeth Beeghly Livengood Stones pretty difficult to put down, and usually Keim-Livengood Cemetery Salisbury, PA the Dunker Elder was declared a winner! At any rate, Peter Livengood became convinced and went over to the German Baptist Brethren (CoB). He was soon elected to the ministry. Following this significant event, many other Somerset County Amish families also converted to the Brethren faith as well, much to the dismay of their Amish Bishops! We do not know for sure where or when the Livengoods became Amish, whether in Switzerland, Germany or in Pennsylvania. A large number of Amish and other Anabaptists fled Switzerland to escape persecution abroad when the laws of Zurich forbade them from inheriting their family land. An interesting legend has been passed down about our great, great great grand-father, Christian Feig/ Fike, Jr. who married Christina, a grand-daughter of Peter Livengood. Before Christian converted to the Brethren, he had married Christina Livengood whose family had become Brethren. Wanting to attend the Brethren Love Feast (it was required to attend in those days, or one suffered a visit from a church committee!), Christina asked her husband Christian to allow her to buy a pair of shoes, which he denied. She then walked the several miles barefoot to and from the Feast. As she returned and walked into the kitchen, her feet left bloody prints on the floor. When Christian saw these prints the next morning, “his heart was softened”, and he soon afterwards joined the Brethren, the first Fike known to do so. The Fikes and Livengoods were members of the Elk Lick German Baptist Brethren Congregation south of Meyersdale, near Salisbury, Pennsylvania. (See Elder Emra T. Fike’s small Fike history booklet.)
FAMILY INTERACTIONS It seems plausible to assume the Bittinger, Livengood, Philippi, and Engelhart families knew each other in their homelands, and that some of them may have been members of an Anabaptist group emmigrating together into a new land where they would continue their associations and inter-family ties! This ship Phoenix also carried Hans George Ludwick, ancestor of Mary “Molly” Ludwick who would marry our Arnold ancestor, Brethren Elder Samuel Arnold of Beaver Run, Burlington, West
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 19
Virginia. His immigrant ancestor, and ours, was John George Arnold who settled near Myersville, Maryland. Formerly known as Elk Lick Church, the Livengoods attended an earlier log church that was replaced in 1846 at the above location. Several of Livengood’s descendants also became ministers in this congregation. It was a missionary-minded church and established outpost “arms” or meeting places in Maryland and Pennsylvania. This characteristic gathering (ca. 1890) at the Quemahoming Church in Pennsylvania depicts the pre-1900 dress code enforced by the Brethren. Suppression of “pride” in appearance and a strong code of uniformity ruled the Brethren at this time. Only black and white and simplicity of dress were allowed. White for unmarried girls signified purity and the unmarried state. Married women could wear colored clothes.
.
20 The Bittinger Story
Summit Mills Church Credit: J. E. Blough, History .Church of the Brethren in Western Pennsylvania, 1906, p. 191.
Pine Grove Sunday School Credit: J. E. Blough, History .Church of the Brethren in Western Pennsylvania, 1906, p. 156.
Some of Samuel and Mary “Molly” (Ludwick) Arnold’s twelve children would marry into the Peter Livengood and Christian Fike families lines of Somerset County, Pennsylvania and Preston County, West Virginia; namely, Lydia would marry Daniel Livengood of Elk Lick Congregation in Somerset County, and Nancy would marry Elder Jacob Garber of the Flat Rock Congregation in Virginia, and a daughter, Magdalene, would marry Peter Fike16 of the Eglon Congregation in West Virginia.
16 When Peter Fike moved with his large family of married offspring from Somerset County, Pennsylvania, they spoke mostly Pennsylvania Dutch, consequently for several decades their village at Eglon was known as the “German Settlement.”
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 21
The Arnold, Biser, Ludwick, Leatherman, Miller, Harsh and other families of Germanic origin, in the following fifty years, would build the Beaver Run and Maple Spring (Eglon) settlements into two of the largest and most influential Brethren congregations in northern West Virginia. In addition to those mentioned above, the ship Phoenix brought Zimmermans, Garbers, Merkels, Myers and other families whose names are familiar to Brethren of the older generation. The passenger list of this remarkable ship contained 339 persons, and their Anabaptist-like names are worthy of careful study. Of interest to the Bittinger family and their kin are the names, Johannes Philippi (p. 442), George Englehart, Johannes Philippi Sr., and Jr. (439), Beder (Peter) “Liebengut” [Sr.] along with Johannes “ Liebengut”, Sr., and Jr. and others. Three days later, the ship Priscilla, arrived carrying, (p. 441) Johan Geo. Ludwick, father of Mary Molly Ludwick. She married our ggggrand-father Elder Samuel Arnold of Beaver Run. Their daughter, Magdalene, married Peter Fike of Eglon. Peter Fike was grandmother Etta’s grandfather. Peter Fike’s father, Christian, had married Christina, a daughter of Elder Peter Livengood. One of Peter Livengood’s sons, Daniel, had, in turn, married Katherine (not Lydia), daughter of Elder Samuel Arnold of Beaver Run! (See my thick Livengood folder containing many years of collected materials including my essay on Christian Livengood). How I would love to have attended one of those weekend Love Feasts at Beaver Run, Eglon or Elk Lick! On these occasions large crowds of people from other congregations always attended, sometimes traveling dozens of miles by walking, or horse and buggy or wagon. These were the greatest events of the year in these wilderness settlements! Services ran all day, and Love feast was held on Saturday evening. People from a distance stayed in homes or in the upper room of the church where accommodations were customarily provided. We can suppose that in the early days, the older attendees would remember and recite the stories of the German homeland, the adventurous and risky ocean crossing, and the trek by foot and covered wagon through the virgin forests to their new homes in the wilderness. These were times of much hard work as crude log Moving to a Wilderness Home homes first needed to be built, water sources, “springs”, had to be cleaned, walled up and, and prepared for daily use, and fire wood cut and stored for winter. If their arrival was too late to grow vegetables, their winter food supply would consist of game from the forests and the small supply of grain or flour purchased somewhere along the way or shared by sympathetic neighbors. Love Feasts and reunions always were highly attended not only by the local community, but by numerous ministers and relatives from other congregations. In a time when attendance at fairs and commercial amusements were strictly forbidden as sinful and “worldly” events, Love Feasts and family reunions at churches or at family owned “groves” where picnic tables were maintained, were the primary diversions. The Mose Fike reunion, begun by 1910 or earlier, is still held each year on the Homer Fike farm near Eglon south of Red House. Such gatherings are still highly anticipated with some traveling from nearby or distant states. This farm has recently been sold. We can imagine that these were occasions to recall the family stories of the German homeland, their journeys across the Atlantic, and their travels by covered wagons through the virgin forests to
22 The Bittinger Story their new settlements in the wilderness. The building of churches, and rearing of their families were challenges not soon to be forgotten. Occasionally some of these events are still retold today! Also, the ship Phoenix was carrying numerous passengers who had or were soon have, known associations with the Brethren and Mennonites. Many of these immigrants were persecuted refugees fleeing oppression and intolerance by the Authorities because they practiced Anabaptist “reforms”. The refusal to baptize infants, the “re-baptizing” of converts as adults, and rejection of transubstantiation (the miraculous transforming of the sacramental elements) were capital crimes punishable by death in the early 1600s, only a hundred years or so earlier. In earlier times, Anabaptists were burned at the stake, tortured to death in unimaginably horrible ways or imprisoned under the harshest conditions for their faith and religious practices. A member of the Anabaptist Faith by the name of Arnold, a preacher, was burned at the stake ca. in 1250 A. D. Our Bittinger and Fike lines descend from this ancient Arnold family. This book shows him still standing in chains in the fire with the flesh burned off of his lower legs. For the Anabaptists, “religious freedom” had a meaning hardly conceivable to Americans today. It had been only a little more than a century since such similar persecutions were being practiced in Switzerland.17 During and after the public executions and horrendous imprisonments in the Zurich area in the early and middle 1600s, Switzerland prohibited unapproved religious sects from purchasing land or passing land down to their offspring. These laws were passed in order to force them either to “convert” back to the established churches or to flee. Remaining faithful to their convictions, most chose the latter course. It was during this century that Europeans were awakening to the opportunities opening up in the “new world.” Thousands were seeking religious freedom and fleeing to America. Switzerland’s losses became America’s gain.18 These pages also include the description of the beheading of Anabaptist minister, Hans Landis in 1614, of the ancestral family of Esther Landis Bittinger, wife of the writer. * * * * OUR BITTINGER LINE Our own Bittinger/Bedinger family is descended from the Heinrich and Anna Catharina Büttung/Bedinger family of Freinsheim, Germany, immigrants of 1723. They were formerly of Bulgaria or Bohemia, but then moved via Würtemburg in south eastern Germany to their new home in Freinsheim. About the same time, (ca. late 1500s?) Elias Bittinger migrated from the same area to near Zurich, Switzerland. In Switzerland in the 1690s the family came under the influence of Jacob Ammon, the founder of the Amish Faith. Because the Mennonites and Amish re-baptized their converts, (Anabaptists) the Reformed (state-approved) Church was insulted. The converts of Menno Simons (Mennonites) and Jacob Ammon (Amish)19 were severely persecuted and driven out of the Zurich area. Then in the first half of the Eighteenth Century, descendants of these two lines
18 Martyr’s Mirror, 1847, I. D. Rupp’s English translation, pages 1004-1010. 19 Hostetler, John A., Amish Society, 4th edition, 1993, (The Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, Md.), Chapter 2.
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 23 immigrated to America, providing the two main branches of the Bitting/Bittinger families in the United States. We will consider now the Freinsheim, Germany line of Henry and Anna Catharina Schäffer Bötting/Bitting. He had sons Martin, Henry, Ludwig (our ancestor), Joseph (Jost), grandfather of Heinrich who signed the Indian Treaty, and Melchoir (died young) and one surviving daughter, Anna Dorothy Elizabeth. Our line descends from this Freinsheim family from Ludwig Sr., through Philip, Sr., and Jr. Philip Jr., (the immigrant of 1751) then from Philip, Jr. to Henry, Jonathan, David, Jonas, to Foster, father of the writer, etc. FIRST AMERICAN BITTINGER GENERATION
[Comment by the writer. The following Bitting section with the blue margin was found in November of 2012 while he was exploring Bittinger internet resources relating to Freinsheim, Germany and Bern, Switzerland. Prepared by Richard A. Bitting of Bern County near Philadelphia, it proved to be a seminal source. His work comprises a forty-page list of Bittings descending from Henry and Anna Catherina. The section is one of the secondary sources and was found in the Richard A. Bitting web site. I had discovered much of the same data, but Richard A. Bitting, had focused on the New Hanover settlement, a Bitting community relatively unknown to myself. His lengthy “Bitting Outline” is an astounding accomplishment. Acknowledging his work and with appreciation, I reprint parts of it here.] The small footnote numbers reveal their content by placing the curser on them and following instructions. I add my own lengthy small print comments.]
1. Heinrich BITTING1,2,3 (clicking on these numbers links the bibliography.
Heinrich and Anna Catherine were living before 1675 in Freinsheim in the Palatinate but departed under the name Böttig in 1723 to the hinterlands of Philadelphia .They died near Pottstown, Pennsylvania. His German home in the Reinish htown of reinsheim, is located on the west bank of the upper Rhine River on the opposite side from Manheim in the Rhenish Palatinate. Early records list Henrich as the "Raths-Diener", (tipstaff? or town janitor). He and wife Anna Catharina received a complimentary letter of commendation from the Freinsheim Bürgomiester. The Letter was dated 24 April 1723, probably within days of their actual departure. Henrich, wife and eight children arrived in Philadelphia in 1723, likely on the ship "Globe." In 1734 he was on the list of taxables of New Hanover Township, and the owner of several hundred acres of land. He attended the New Goshenhoppen Reformed Church in Montgomery County.
COMMENDATION
We the CHIEF UNDER MAGISTRATE, BURGOMASTER, the COUNCELLOR of the MUNCIPALITY FREINSHEIM, of the Electoral Palatinate, make known to all people: by virtue of this letter, that on this day personally appeared before us, our fellow citizen HENNERIOS BITTING and his wife ANNA CATHARINA, and declared in due form their intention and design to remove with their children, their home and household effects from here, resolved to settle elsewhere, where their condition can be improved, he requests therefore to be furnished with a trustworthy certificate of the fidelity, which as a citizen he has shown up to this time to the gracious government of this town and of their voluntary departure and action to be used by them in case of need. Now therefore as the truthfulness of this allegation no one can either deny or gainsay, we cheerfully comply with the reasonable request and petition of the aforementioned citizen of this place,
24 The Bittinger Story
HENERIOS BITTING. That we hereby declare publicly, as is our duty, that the said HENERIOS BITTING, is by us discharged and released from his duties as a citizen and that he is at liberty to remove with his family whither he pleases and 339 his departure is free and open and that he is not obligated or liable for personal service to any ruler and the above mentioned HENERIOS BITTING and his family have during their residence here conducted themselves in law-abiding and neighborly manner toward all persons and he has always manifested and rendered to the government the respect which is due from an upright and honest citizen and there is not the least complaint against them, but we cheerfully wish them success in every lawful undertaking, where ever they may be, and we therefore request each and every one, both the high and the lowly, to extend to the said HENERIOS BITTING and his family good will and kindly reception, in consideration of which we hold ourselves in readiness to return a like favor to such person according to this station in life. In witness whereof and in further confirmation, we have affixed the seal of the Council and subscribed the same. Done at Freinsheim the 24th day of April 1723. Signed and Sealed by: Elect - Palatinate Chief Under Magistrate, Bürgemeister and counselor! He was a Rathe-Diener? (Tipstaff) in Freinsheim, Germany.
1. Heinrich BITTING and Anna Catharina SCHÄFFER were married in 1695. Anna Catharina SCHÄFFER was born about 1675 in Freinsheim, Palatinate. She and Heinrich immigrated in 1723 to Philadelphia, PA. They died at New Hanover, Montgomery County,, Pennsylvania. Heinrich BITTING and Anna Catharina SCHÄFFER had the following children:
+2 i. Martin BITTING. born 1697 in Freinsheim, died. APR 5, 1756.
[The original is in blue; the comments added by the writer are italicized. See also the Dotterer essay.] Married to Margaret ______. He had been born at Freinsheim where he had been baptized at the Reformed Church by Pastor John Adam Schäffer who was the father of Anna Catharina, Martin’s mother. He was a miller by trade. Between 1727 and 1742 he purchased three tracts of land in New Hanover Twp. near Pottstown In 1734 he was naturalized. In 1742 he obtained a license to keep a “public house”. (By custom neighborhoods in Germany usually had several citizens who maintained a “public” room in their homes where neighbors were welcome to visit, purchase and enjoy a mug of local beer)
His children were: 1) Anna Catharine born February 10, 1728; She married Adam Hillegas, and died February 25, 1810; 2) Lewis, (1729-1804), 3) Adam, (ca.1732-1778), confirmed at Faulkners Swamp in the Reformed Church at age 18; 4), Sophia, 1734, confirmed on Easter 1749, age 15; 5) Anthony who died July 13, 1818, aged seventy-five, two months and four days; married Mary Hunter ca. 1765. Their daughter Elizabeth married Jacob Livengood. Anthony married 2), Magdalena Gresh, 1758-1836.
Martin’s widow was buried September 18, 1780. (See Henry S. Dotterer, “The Perkiomen Region”, Perkiomen Publishing Co., 1894Vol. I, No. 4, pp. 44-45, also Richard A. Bittinger’s “Bittinger Family Outline.”) .
3 ii. Anna Sophia BITTING3 was born on 22 Nov 1699 in Freinsheim, Palatinate.4 ! Bp. 22 Nov 1699, died 1706.
+4 iii. Johann Ludwig BITTING,Sr. Born 1702, Freinsheim, died 1775 in Bucks Co., PA. (He is our ancestor,)
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 25
He was born in Freinsheim, Palatinate.4 ! Died Lehigh County March 11, 1775; (http:/oleyvalley.net/genealogy/Bitting). He married Servina Böhm, daughter of Rev. Philip Böhm. She was a granddaughter of Jacob, the leader of the “Inspirationalist Movement” in Germany. (See Brethren Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 186). Johan Ludwig Bitting, Sr., leader of our ancestral line.
Rev. Philip Böhm lived in lower Milford Twp., near Philadelphia and was a member of the Great Swamp Reformed Church. He represented Northampton County in the Assembly in 1758-60. His will, of September 25, 1771, named his second wife Elizabeth, his first wife being deceased. He died in Penn. in 1775.
Ludwig and Servina likely lived in the New Hanover area, perhaps following his father’s line of business as a tavern owner. Their children:
1. Ludwig Böhm Bitting the 3rd.
2. Henry, to Somerset County.
3. Anthony, immigrant of 1751 was born ca 1738, died 1804. To North Carolina.
Some of the Bitting’s neighbors were Moravians a few of whom were similarly making plans to move south to N. C. This move may have been prompted by contact with a close neighbor, William Boone, father of Daniel, who also went to North Carolina as a land promoter. They settled at the north edge of Winston Salem where their Deutsch Language gave rise to the name of the town. He is buried in the Cemetery of the Nazareth Lutheran Church at Rural Retreat, the name of his home and land. (He and family are discussed in more detail later in this essay.)
4. Philip, Sr. (father of our ancestor Philip, Jr). He had claim to land in
Somerset County by 1770), where he settled, having arrived there with Livengood in 1769 to select land.
5. Peter, to Beaver Dam, near Johnsville, Frederock County, nMaryland
6. Anna Maria wife of Andrew Gräber, (tTo Somerset County)
7. Elizabeth Dorothea, wife of Gabriel Keim, (to Somerset County)
8. Mary Catherina, Christina wife of Franz Leydich of Frederick Twp.
Source: (Ibid., Dotterer, p.2).
See my page 29 for a slightly variant list of Ludwig’s children.
The above evidence indicates a friendly parting of the ways within the Bittinger family with Anthony going south to North Carolina and Henry and Philip. Sr. going west to Somerset County where land had been secured ca. 1769).
5 iv. Anna Catharina BITTING1 was baptized on 9 Mar. 1704 in Freinsheim, Palatinate. She was born in 1704 in Freinsheim, Palatinate. She died on 21 Apr 1706 in Freinsheim, Palatinate.
26 The Bittinger Story
+6 v. Johann Johann Heinrich BITTING. Born Dec. 20, 1705, Freinsheim. He settled near Saucon.
His marriage to Catherine Reis on November 14, 1744 is recorded at the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia. He died December 3, 1747, Lehigh Co. Henrich, brother of Jost. Because of his death on December 3, 1747, he could not have been the Henry who accompanied Philip to Somerset County in 1774-5. He called together three of his brothers, Martin, Ludwig and Joseph (Jost) to write his will, but he died before it was written down. His estate was settled in accord with his wishes by his three brothers. More about Henry later. His two known children, were Catherine who married Frederick Laubach and Magdalena who married Adam Engelhart
7 vi. Anna Dorothy Elizabetha BITTING [Philip’s great aunt] was christened on 7 Mar 1708. She was born in Freinsheim, Palatinate.
8 vii. Johann Peter Bitting. Borrn about 1710 in Freinsheim, Palatinate. Christened on 5 Oct 1710 in Freinsheim, Palatinate.
Immigrant of 1751. To Beaver Dam. He is the progenitor of the Beaver Dam line.
+9 viii. Joseph (Justes/Jost) BITTING. Born July 2, 1713, died December 25, 1801 in Montgomery County.
He is said to have married to Agnes Dotterer, daughter of Hieronomous Dotterer of Faulkners Swamp. Her death occurred December 2, 1785. Both are buried in Leidicg’s private Cemetery. Because Jost sired a large descendancy, he and his family are discussed in detail later in this essay. Joseph, Henry and Philip (sons?) are listed a privates along with a “Henry Beeding” in Eneas Campbell’s unit of the “Flying Camp,” of the Revolutionary Army. (See Daniel W. Nead, The Pennsylvania German in the Settlement of Maryland, 1914; Pennsylvania German Society, pp. 219-20) They were said to be from upper Washington County, Maryland20where some of Heinrich and Anna Catharina’s children or grandchildren had settled.
10 ix. Johanna Juliana BITTING was baptized on 5 Apr 1716 in Freinsheim, Palatinate where she was born in 1716 and died on 20 September 1717 in Freinsheim, Palatinate and was buried there.
11 x. Johann Melchior BITTING was born in 1718 at Freinsheim, Palatinate. He died there on 15 Nov 1722 at age four.
MORE LENGTHY COMMENTS BY THE WRITER were added in italics in the indented paragraphs below the blue names which were found on the Richard A. Bitting website.
20 See Daniel W. Nead, The Pennsylvania German in the Settlement of Maryland (Lancaster, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980), pp. 219-220.
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 27
Credit and appreciation for birth, death, and marriage information in the above chart to Richard A. Bitting; and Harry S. Dotterer; and John Amsfield’s lengthy table and “Amsfield and Collateral Lines”, and home page of Roshon, Steinruck, Evans, Denning, Gresh, Mayberry and Krider. The short essay, “The Perkiomen Region,” by Henry S. Dotterer, referred to above, provided many additional details in the list of Henry’s and Anna Catharina Schäffer’s children. The Freinsheim Bittings are believed to have descended from the Bulgar tribes of south Asia that migrated into the Baltic region in the area west of the Black Sea, where their name gave rise to the state of Bulgaria. Our ancient branch then drifted via Ens and Wurtemburg westward into Switzerland and later to southwest Germany. The motivations involved in these migrations are unknown. Population expansion along with poor economic conditions and political unrest likely were forces involved in their decisions. Such conditions are said to have created many refugees, perhaps 50,000, that settled in southeastern Germany and Switzerland around that time. Hannes Bitting, son of Elias, born February 27, 1614, father of Andrew, born 1660, had married 1) Maudle Andoss and 2) Marie Wakhle, but we do not know which wife is Andrew’s mother. Hannes and his father Elias, may or may not have been the first Bittingers to arrive there and may have been preceded by earlier Bitting families of whom we know nothing. We do not know how long they remained in Wütemburg or Ens, but in some decades later, they are found later in the Rhenish Palatinate at Freinsheim on the upper Rhine across from Manheim, where his son Heinrich and wife Anna Catharina (Schäffer) lived. By 1723 Heinrich and Anna Catherina immigrated to New Hanover, Montgomery County, near Pottstown. Sadly, we know little about these early generations, but we gain the obvious impression of hardships endured and many survival obstacles overcome. By the late 1720s, Heinrich Bitting[er], (son of Heinrich and wife Anna Catharina,) and his offspring, are found in Lehigh County north of Reading, Pennsylvania. Around this same time, Ludwig, Peter, Joseph/Jost), sons also of Heinrich and Anna Catharina Bötting/Bitting were located at or near New Hanover Township, a short distance north of Pottstown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Earliest Bitting[er] signatures I have discovered are written in the will books as “Joseph” before 1750 and Ludwig after 1750. The Lybengudt (Livengood) and Bittinger families were connected early in Switzerland where Elias Bittinger had married Barbara (“Barbel Lybengudt), September 17, 1581 where both families had evidently shared common experiences. Descendants of both families moved into German speaking Alsace, where they became established for an unknown period of time before going to America. The name Leibengudt/Lybengut is found in these places with variable spellings. It appears that Heinrich and Anna Catherine may not have passed through Alsace but may have come directly from Freinsheim. * * * * Jost, Bitting (Joseph) of whom we know the most, was born July 2, 1713, was a son of Heinricus (Heinrich) and Anna Catherina of Freinsheim. His parents arrived in Philadelphia in 1723 on the ship
28 The Bittinger Story
Globe.21 Jost would have been under age ten and not required to sign the ship list. Earliest records after 1723 in Montgomery and Berks Counties show the name “Joseph” in will and land records. (A Jost arrived from Germany in 1751, several decades later.)22 It appears that Jost had returned from America to Freinsheim, and this is his second or third entry to America. Perhaps he had returned to share news or aid with family and friends news about opportunities in America and perhaps even to recruit émigrés. Since children were not named on ship lists, we are uncertain which of the children of Henry and Catharina accompanied them, perhaps only Joseph. Some apparently stayed behind with relatives and came later as we will see. Some had died due to the high child mortality of these early times.
Alpine Mountain Valley Engleberg
The records of passenger arrivals were not preserved as early as 1723, and the family arrival date is taken from the German records discovered by Richard A. Bitting at Freinsheim providing the date of emigration of hisancestors that year. They settled at New Hanover in old Montgomery Country near Pottstown ca. 1723. This is where grandson Philip Bitting (Pitting) and Julianna Philippi likely met, fell in love, and eloped. The name Julianna was often used in the Bittinger, Engelhart and Philippi families, both in Europe and America. It is a beautiful name and arises from the combination of Julia and Anna. Perhaps it will be rediscovered and used again by our family!
21 The Freinsheim document tells of Heinrich emigrating but does not name any offspring. The reader will note, however, the apparent second immigration of Jost Buttner and other siblings in succeeding years immigrating to Philadelphia. They will be described below. 22 Bitting, Richard A. "Bitting Family History." Ancestry.com. Rootsweb, 25 Jan. 2003. Web. 6 June 2016.
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 29
The Englehart family was of noble origins and is said to have lived for centuries in the town named after them. It is a lovely town nestled deep in the Swiss mountains not far south from Lucerne. The Bittings were found at the tiny village of Gutenwill about a dozen miles east of Zurich, located on the eastern side of the modern autobahn. Engelburg may be visited from Lucerne by traveling through deep valleys among the rugged peaks of the Swiss Alps in the neighborhood of Mt. Titilis south of Zurich. An additional comment may be made concerning immigrant Bittners and Schäffers. There seems to have been a second period of immigration for this family in the early 1750s. Four or five members of the Schäffer family, including Johannes, arrived at Philadelphia September 14, 1751 on the ship Duke of Bedford said to be carrying Mennonists and Catholics. Joseph Büttner-Büdtner, (age 33, Vol., 1, pp. 596-7, Lists 216A and 216B) arrived with no known relatives on the ship Barclay, September 14, 1754), both ships on the same day. Joseph, born 1713, son of Heinrich and Catherina, would have been only ten years of age when Heinrich’s family emigrated in 1723. It seems probable that this immigrant of 1751 and1754 was this Joseph (Jost) above), son of Heinrich of Freinsheim, entering America a second or third time after returning to Freinsheim. Also on the 14th, 1751 the ship St. Andrew (Vol. I, pp. 456-7) had arrived carrying additional Schaffers along with Feicks and a Peter “Biniger”, possibly the eighth child of Henry and Anna Catherina. If this indeed was Jost son of Heinrich and Anna Catherine making a return trip, he must have been carrying good news about settling in Penn’s land, for several apparent relatives seem to have emigrated as a consequence of his return visit. It is certain, however that Jost (Joseph) had already spent several adult years in Pennsylvania because he signed the will of Frederick Antes in Philadelphia County on August 6, 1746 when he was around 33 years of age. (The Antes/Andes family was closely allied with the Bittinger family of Freinsheim, and apparently immigrated to America around the same time. Emmert Bittinger and Ray Andes were on the Bridgewater College faculty in the late 1960s.) Jost’s sister, Johanna Julianna, is said to have died September 20, 1717, before the immigration of his family. Jost was a brother of Ludwig, Sr., our ancestor. Jost married Agnes Dottererin 1743. Information about the German locations of the Dotterer family may be found in the book Eighteenth Century Immigrants, Northern Krachgau, page 90. Joseph (Jost) Bitting/Pitting’s (son of Heinricus and Catherina) wrote his will on November 8, 1793. He died December 25, 1801 at Falkners Swamp. He attended Keelor Church (Moravian) which he joined the year of his marriage. He was buried in Leydich Cemetery, Frederick Twp. His name was sometimes rendered as Joseph or Justus. His will was probated January 26, 1802 at New Hanover in Montgomery County. The abstract follows. (Wills of Montgomery County, II: 2.240).
THE WILL OF JOST BITTING New Hanover; written, November 8, 1793, probated, January 26, 1802. “To son Ludwig, farm, 30 acres. To son Philip, 21 acres, 125 perches at 4 lbs. an acre and realty of land 6 acres. To son John, 10 acres, at 4 pds. an acre; at his death to be sold and money divided among his children. Rem. to be sold and money divided among children. Henry, Joseph, John, Peter and Philip (not our ancestor)
30 The Bittinger Story and daughter Sophia each got 10 lbs. Remainder to be divided among 11 children. To son in law George Bechtel; what is left of daughter Catharine's December share; Daughter Rebecca to have full portion, unless she marries again; if she marries, to have interest only. Execs: Sons Henry and Joseph]. Wit: Francis Leidig, Samuel Bartolet, Jacob Shoemaker.” Henry, Joseph and Philip (Sr.?) served in the “German Regiment” in what is now Washington County Maryland during the Revolutionary War. The identity of this Philip is uncertain. He may been a descendant of Jost and an uncle of our Philip.
CHILDREN OF JOST BITTING, AS NAMED IN HIS WILL (Not our line) The name of Jost’s first wife was Johanna Julianna, born in Freinsheim.23 We have no record of her family nor know any children by her. We do not have her death date. (See the Dotterer web page.) Jost’s second wife was Agnes (Dotterer), whom he did not name in his will because she had pre- deceased him. She was born February 14, 1727 [christened Dec. 20, 1727], in Montgomery County and died Oct. or Nov 2, 1785 and was buried in Leydich Cemetery. She had married in 1743 to Jost Bitting, son of Heinrich and Anna Catherina. Agnes was a daughter of Heironomous “Jerome” Dotterer and Catherine Wessel (Wetzel) Dotterer. Her grandfather was George Philip Duddra, son of Hannes. The children of Jost and Agnes are listed as being born between 1743 and 1766. (See Dotterer web page) with this Philip listed as being born in 1766, a date too late for him to be our Philip. Because of this, we have concluded that (Philip of Ludwig, immigrant of 1751, is our ancestor, a conclusion I had reached in the 1950s). Again we note the close ties of the Livengood and Bittinger families, (see Chapter I, “Origins of the Bittinger, Schäffer, Philippi, Livengood, and Frantz Families”) as recorded in 1580 and continuing to the marriage of Christian Fike and down to the present! Jost, who would have been ca. 88 years of age when he wrote his will, names his several children, (below) all born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Some variance can be noted between the list in Jost’s will and the second list by Richard A. Bitting. 1. Sophia 1745- ? 2. Henry 1747-1814 m. Mary Livengood 3. Rachel 1748-? 4. Joseph 1749-1808 5. Maria born ca. 1749- ? m. George Bechtel
23 The Richard A. Bitting source gives the name of Joseph’s sister as Johanna Julianna who is supposed to have died in 1717. One wonders about the name coincidence of Jost’s alleged first wife. Was she actually his sister not yet deceased or a namesake instead and living in the household as an unmarried person rather than his wife? He had no children by her.
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 31
6. Rebecca 1751-? 7. John 1754-1812 8. Peter 1757-1826 9. Ludwig 1750-1829 10. Anna Catherina ca. 1762- _____ m. Jacob Shoemaker of Reading24 11. Philip 1763-625-1816 (not our ancestor) Children of Jost & Agnes Bitting: (list of Richard A. Bitting, researcher). 1. Sophia (1744 - ?) 2. Henry (1745 - 1814) 3. Catharine (1746 - ?) 4. Rachel (1747 - ?) \ 5. Rebecca (1750 - ?) 6. Mary (1752 - 1818) 7. John (1754 - 1812) 8. Peter (1757 - 1826) 9. Ludwig (1750 - 1829) (not our line) 10. Anna (1762 - ?) 11. Philip (1766 - ?)
A Philip Henry Bitting is mentioned in the draft list of military personnel of “The German Regiment,” at Philadelphia, with the date of September 19, 1776, in a book by Daniel Nead, The Pennsylvania German in Maryland, (p. 232). [Philip] Henry Beeding (Bitting), upper district of Washington County, Maryland, is named in the Flying Camp Unit (p. 219), date of June 3, 1776. The
24 Jacob Shoemaker’s will was probated on September 13, 1783, administered by Jacob Christ (Crist), Jr., and his wife Catharina, the eldest daughter of the testator. Being the eldest daughter, Catherina bore the name of her mother, Anna Catherina (Bitting) Shoemaker. 25If so, by which sister? Or, when he returned to Freinsheim, did he bring his sister to America to live in his home? Perhaps his sister’s husband had died, and she needed a home? We do not have the marriages, if any, of his sisters. Richard A. Bitting, a Bitting genealogist, dates Philip’s birth as 1766 at the bottom of his list of children of Jost and Agnes. Historian, Daniel W. Nead, records the presence of Philip, Henry and Joseph Bittinger in Maryland when the three were named on the draft list of “The Flying Camp” and German Regiment, a unit of citizens of both Pennsylvania and Maryland, organized June 7, 1776 to fight in the Revolutionary War. They were listed as citizens of the “Upper District, now Washington County. (Nead, The Pennsylvania German in Maryland, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980, pp, 219, 220, etc.) These draftees likely were cousins or uncles of our Philip, Sr. who apparently re-immigrated in 1751.
32 The Bittinger Story children named above are grandchildren of Heinrich and Anna Catharina. They are likely sons of Jost. It is quite unlikely that our Philip, Jr., served in one of these Units. Both Philip Sr., and Jr., already were in western Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War. These lists had been made up several years earlier, and our Philip, Sr. and Henry were already in Somerset County by the time of the above dates. Philip Jr., was age ca. 18-20 in 1773. The names of Philip and Henry were very common in these families. It seems certain that the Philip, Joseph and Henry named in the above militia lists are correctly identified as descendants of Heinrich and Anna Catherina. Their fathers likely were second generation Joseph and Ludwig and Ludwig’s son Philip, Sr. of the Ludwig26 line, our ancestors, of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Because of these age and generational differences, we have long considered Philip, Sr., son of Ludwig, Sr., who re-immigrated in 1751, as our ancestor.
THE HENRY BITTINGER WHO SIGNED THE INDIAN TREATY A fascinating oral tradition is told of Henry Bittinger going to Ohio, living with the Indians, learning their language, marrying an Indian woman, etc. Consequently, we have given especial consideration to the problem of identifying him. The discovery of the date of the signing of the Indian Treaty has been crucial in solving this problem. It has become clear that he was a son of Henry of Lehigh County and grandson of Henry (Heinricus/Heinrich) Bitting of Freinsheim. It was reported by Brown in his Miscellaneous Writings that in his old age he had gone to live with his relatives in Somerset County. Because this Henry was experienced in Indian relations and knew the language and many of the Chiefs, he undoubtedly was engaged by the government to facilitate the transaction process in which the Seneca and Tonowanda Indian tribes transferred a large section of land to the state of New York.27 His name, among others, was signed on the deed of transfer in 1858, and the Treaty was promulgated the following year. This deed of transfer is on record at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Henry would have been an elderly man when he signed his name. When he finally retired and went to live with his relatives in Somerset County, he of course told of his experience among the Indians. We will return to the consideration of Joseph [Jost] and nephew Philip below after a short summary of our Fike family. The Fike family is included as part of this history because our grandmother Etta Fike Bittinger was a great granddaughter of Christian Fike who married Christina Livengood in Somerset County. * * * * OUR FIKE ANCESTRY Our Fike/Feick ancestor is said by Morrow to be Christian Fike/Feick, Sr., who obtained a
26 Ludwig, (Jr.) not Sr.), went to N. C. (R. A. Bitting dates Ludwig, Sr. 1702-1759; died in PA) http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bitting/. 27 This event took place long after the land had been settled by whites. The treaty most likely was designed to establish boundaries of white land holdings but also designate Indian holdings.
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 33 warrant on January 11, 1745 for 100 acres a couple miles southwest of Reading in Philadelphia County, now Berks County. There were several Fike/Feig, etc. immigrants, and it is intriguing to investigate them and wonder how they might be related. The immigrant ancestor has remained mysterious and not fully identified. Consequently, I continued to research Fike, Feik immigrant names. For example, I discovered the immigration of a “John Feig” and a John Hermon Roudolph both on the ship Sally that arrived at the Philadelphia port on August 23, 1773. (Vol. I, pp. 748-9). Their names match our Eglon families. This seems to be more than a mere coincidence, and we wondered how they might be related. Our great great grandfather, Peter Fike of Eglon who married Magdalena Arnold, had two sons, Moses and Aaron. Both married Roudolph sisters. Might this finding reveal a different ancestor than the one indicated by Mrs. Morrow? Evidence indicates so. Christian died in 1771, and his will, was written on August 27, 1771, and was probated by his son John Feick, executor, September 20, 1771. He names his wife Barbara [Borntrager] and sons John, Christian, Jr., who married Christina Livengood, Jacob, and daughters Ann, Barbara, Mary, Margaret and “Cathrin”.28 He is the father of our Fike family line, as claimed by Merilyn Morrow. She is the author of the massive Fike family book that includes our line.29 The John Fike/Feick of Berks County (established in 752), is as yet not fully identified. He likely is not John a son of Christian the immigrant. Mrs. Morrow identified that John as the one who married Barbara Dillenbach. Another John lived in Bern Twp., Berks County. This John wrote his will December 29, 1764, providing for his wife Anna who is to “have the place” until son Jacob is of age. John was deceased by October 20, 1765, and the administration of his estate was in the hands of his widow, Anna. Only one son, Jacob, is mentioned in his will and no other children were named. Because the son Jacob was not yet of age, we surmise that this John above is too late in time to be in the second generation of the Fike clan in America. He is mentioned by Mrs. Morrow in her Fike book as not being in our line. Since our line is also included in Morrow’s book, we too can ignore this John about whom I have long wondered. We return now to our original purpose: Who was the immigrant ancestor of the Eglon Fike Family? For a possible answer, we must again resort to the ship lists. On August 21, 1750, the ship Anderson arrived at port with 46 men, women and children, including a John Henry Fick. His fellow passengers did not include any families with whom the Fikes are known to have been connected. Also, since the middle name among Germanic families tends to be the one used most frequently, we suspect that this immigrant is not the one we are searching for. The same reasoning applies to Godfried Fick, immigrant of the ship Neptune, (S&H, Vol., I, p. 672),
28 See Martin, Jacob, Wills of Chester County 1766-1778, Pennsylvania, 1766-1778, Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1995, Vol. 3, p. 47. 29 See Merilyn F.Morrow, Christian Fike and His Descendants: Morgantown, Pa., Masthof Press, 1996, p. xi.
34 The Bittinger Story arriving December 13, 1754. John George and Valentine have already been eliminated by Mrs. Morrow.
OUR EGLON FIKE IMMIGRANT ANCESTOR The most likely clue, even more plausible and compatible with the dates of our own Fike line, is the immigration of the John Feig and Johan Hermon Rudolph (mentioned above) who both arrived at Philadelphia on August 23, 1773 on the ship Sally. (S&H, Vol. I, pp. 748-9). Feig was a common spelling in Germany. This datum reveals the association of the Rudolph family with the Fikes, a relationship that continued in Somerset County and at Eglon in Preston Countty. Our ancestor Peter Fike married Sophia Rudolph (b. Dec. 16, 1843) a sister of Rebecca Rudolph who married Elder Aaron Fike, Peter’s brother, both of Eglon, WV. They were daughters of Peter and Maria (Heckert) Rudolph, formerly of Somerset County. Peter Rudolph also had immigrated on the ship Polly that arrived August 24, 1765 (S&H, Vol. I, pp. 763-765) at the port of Philadelphia, then settling in Somerset County. These associations of the Fikes with the Rudolph families overseas, on the ship Polly and in Somerset County and in Eglon, WV provides strong clues that our Fike ancestor was the John Feick that arrived on the ship Sally on August 23, 1773 with John Roudolph. (The first “o” in the name was eventually dropped out). (This John Feick was the eldest son of Christian Feick, Sr., who had died. His eldest son, John, executor of the will, had returned to Germany to complete his executor business and on his return, he brought the Roudolph family with him). These two ships arrived only one day apart. The travel of the Feicks and Roudolph families together seem more than mere chance! After their arrival, they settled in western Pennsylvania where they lived unti1 ca. 1854 when they moved near Eglon in Preston County, West Virginia.
* * * * When Henry (Heinrich) and Anna Catherina (Schäffer) Bitting arrived in America in 1723, they settled at New Hanover, a couple miles north and east of Pottstown in present-day Montgomery County, an area very close to Philadelphia. Due to frugality and hard work, the family prospered. Successive generations also lived in the area, and some of the offspring periodically migrated to other areas seeking to establish themselves and make a living for their families. Bitting[er] names recognized in the vicinity in the following decades were Henry, Anthony, Andrew, Jacob, Joseph, Martin, and Ludwig, Sr., and Jr, The two Ludwigs are our ancestors of Philip, Sr. who married Susanna Hoch/High) of a Brethren family at Oley Church CoB) near Pottstown. There were three, perhaps more, Philips in the next two generations. The presence of Joseph and Martin in the Germantown area is revealed by their signatures to various wills, one of which is that of Frederick Antes (Andes) written August 15, 1746 and witnessed
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 35 by “Joseph Bitting” (H191) in what was then Philadelphia County.30 (This Joseph [Jost] discussed above, is not our ancestor but a part of the same overall family.)31 Martin Bittinger signed the will of Johannes Stager in New Hanover Township on March 2, in 1738 when that village was still in Philadelphia County. He also witnessed the will of Paul Hill on November 4, 1740.32 These dates prove the early presence of Henry, Joseph and Martin, sons of Henry and Anna Catherina of Freinsheim. It is evident that some members of Heinrich’s family came to Pennsylvania well before 1740, having arrived with their parents in 1723 or shortly thereafter. Many of the Antes people were Moravians who migrated with Ludwig, Sr., to Winston Salem, North Carolina. Heinrich Bitting the second, was a son of Heinrich and Anna Catherina of Freinsheim and brother of Jost of New Hanover. This Heinrich was born in 1706 and died December 1, 1747, the day he made his will in the presence of Alexander Dieffendorfer and Nicholas Wolfhart. Administrators were three of his brothers, Martin, Ludwig and Jost. The “substance of the will” was probated before Jacob Reiff at Salford and filed with the “Register General” in “accordance with the three brothers of the deceased”, “Martin, Ludwig and Jost”. Heinrich’s property was appraised by Jacob Wetzel and David Owen, “in Upper Milford, Bucks County on February 6, 1748.”33 Heinrich the second, had settled in Lehigh County, a dozen or so miles to the north of New Hanover at the southeast edge of Allentown. He was married to Catharina Reiss (German pronunciation as “Rice”;34 also the Anglicized form of the name). After her husband’s death, Catharina was married to Jacob Schäffer, who was a relative of her husband’s mother, Anna Catharina Schäffer Bitting. Two of their children are known, namely, 1) Magdalene, born ca. 1747, married Adam Engelhart (a son of George Engelhart) and 2) Catharina, also born 1747 (twin?), died 1817 in Lehigh County. She married ca. 1770 to Frederick Laubach born 1744 and died in1797. Heinrich and Catharina Reiss may have had additional children, but they are unknown to the writer.
30 See Antes will in Abstracts of Philadelphia County Wills (Westminster, Md., Family Line Publications, 1995), p. 192. Witnessed by Joseph Bitting and Jacob Bowman. Jost is a “nick name” of Joseph. 31 The New Hanover family of Bitting[ers] is described in a book, History of Berks County, Pa., p. 970, with a focus on the descendants of Johnannes Butting born May 18, 1764, died July 25, 1829 and his sons and grandson John. The wife of earliest of these John Bitting[er] persons was Maria, born December 22, 1766, died October 3, 1849. Johannes is described as owning some of the “best farmland in the township of Cumru, having good water and lying close to the market. The farm was described as “the Bitting Homestead, a valuable property,” and located along the Lancaster Pike at New Hanover. (Today, this apparently would be routes 663 and 23 as well as possibly having a different Township name.) 32 (See Abstract of wills of Philadelphia County, 1726-1747, Westminster, Md., Family Line Publications, 1995, pp. 192, 92, 106. Townships were divided, creating new names.) 33 The reader will notice that Joseph’s name is rendered “Jost”, a form that was used in the family in later generations as well. Source of information is, “The Perkiomen Region” by Henry S. Dotterer, Vol. I, No. 4, pp. 44-45, Perkiomen Publishing Co., 1894; republished by Adam’s Apple Press, 1994. The list of children of Heinrich and Anna Catharina is similar with the list rendered by Dr. Dotterer except that Dr. Dotterer spelled Catherine’s name with a “K” and omitted John Melchior who was born in 1718 and died Nov. 15, 1722 in Freinsheim. 34 In the German Language, the second letter in the “ei” sequence is pronounced as in “ice”, the opposite of the English Language pattern that emphasized the “e” sound.
36 The Bittinger Story
Henry, the signer of the Indian Treaty, has not been clearly identified. Our Philip, son of Ludwig, did have a brother Henry. Like Philip, did he go to Somerset? Or did he go to North Carolina with his father Ludwig the second? Or was he a cousin? Both were of similar age, and were having their children christened at the same times. He should not be confused with Heinrich of Lehigh County, son of Heinrich and Anna Catherina Bitting of Freinsheim though he may have been a grandson. This Henry was an early explorer of Ohio and western New York lands and was a friend on the Seneca and Tonawanda Indians. He had to be at least one or two generations later because the signatures are dated 1858. He lived among the Indians for a time and learned their language. He is important in the history of the exploration of Ohio and western New York because he assisted in the negotiations and signing of Treaties and land use agreements pertaining to a large amount of land in western New York at a time when the land had long been occupied by the white men. These talks took place over a period of at least three years, 1857-1859, the dates of their signing and proclamation. At least one of these treaties, perhaps more, was signed by “Henry Bittinger”, likely a grandson of Heinrich and Anna Catherina, the immigrants of 1723, and a nephew of Jost and Ludwig. Or was he an undiscovered son of Henry of Lehigh County? The puzzle is still unsolved. Copies of these treaties are in the possession of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and can be accessed through the OK State Digital Library.35 This was discovered a year or two ago by my clever daughter, Marion Bittinger, specialist in endangered Native American languages. The exploits of this Henry were still remembered when in the 1950s the writer was interviewing older generation of Bittingers in Garrett County, Md. Some of the more vivid aspects of Henry’s life were included in a book by Jacob Brown published in 1896 entitled Brown’s Miscellaneous Writings.36 This description below supports the hypothesis that this Henry was a brother of Philip Jr. “As a young man he fought Indians in the northwest, probably with his father, and he used to say he ‘had a tough time with the yellow buggers.’ He rented a farm in western Maryland where he mostly raised a large family. The home was near the Ridgley Place [a mile from Maple Grove Church of the Brethren]. Later, he bought the “Briar Patch” tract37 located at a place now called “Bittinger.” His house was on a farm owned by relative Asa Bittinger. The purchase of this land caused the plain old farmer [Henry], to go to Cumberland, his first and last visit to that County Seat. There he fell into the hands of ‘scribers’ [lawyers] and came home in an ill humor about his ‘teet’ [deed] for the writing of which he had to pay ‘tin tollars’. Henry was industrious, honest and orderly, yet on ‘field days’ (a holiday), he delighted in sports and could dance a jig in a bar room in moccasin feet and dressed in his hunting clothes.”38
35 Kappler, Charles J. "INDIAN AFFAIRS: LAWS AND TREATIES. Vol. 2, Treaties." INDIAN AFFAIRS: LAWS AND TREATIES. Vol. 2, Treaties. Government Printing Office, 1904. Web. 06 June 2016.
36 Brown, Jacob, Miscellaneous Writings (Cumberland: J. Miller, 1896), pp., 158-161. 37 Contrary to its less than complimentary name, the “Briar Patch” was excellent land but had been temporarily neglected. 38 Bittinger, Wayne, op. Cit., page. 18.
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 37
“Most of his sons were fond of the woods and the gun. Two of them lost their lives in pursuit of game. George felled a tree with a family of coons in its cavity. A falling limb killed him instantly. William undertook to run down a deer and so exerted himself in the chase that he died. Joseph became a ‘Dunkard’ preacher, not learned, but sincere, a shade superstitious, but this helps the faith. Henry T. Bittinger, son of William, became County School Commissioner. Truman C. Bittinger of near Oakland, a candidate for County Commissioner, was a son of Chauncy, and a grandson of Jonathan Bittinger. The beautiful place called ‘Bittinger’ is located on a part of ‘Briar Patch.’” (Quote from Jacob Brown, copied by the writer many years ago). The graves of twins Jonathan and Solomon Bittinger and of William and wife Agnes Ruckle, are located in the cemetery there adjacent to the Emmanuel Lutheran Church at Bittinger, Maryland. Additional fragments of information about even earlier Bittingers (Pittinger, Biniger, etc..) generations and the Philippi families can be found in the will records of Philadelphia, Lehigh, Northampton, Chester and Berks Counties and immigration data in Strassberger and Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, 3 volumes. Johannes Martin “Bittner” immigrated on the ship Snow Francis and Ann on May 30, 1741, likely one of the sons of Heinrich and Anna Catherina. He or a “John Martin” of the next generation would again immigrate on the ship Peggy on September 24, 1753 (Vol. I, pp. 545-7) with members of the George Engelhart family whose daughter would marry Johannes Philippi and whose daughter, Julianna, in turn would marry Philip Bittinger, Jr., our ancestor. Other related families on this ship were Schneiders and Schaeffers with whom Bittingers would continue relate to in future marriages. Philip, Sr., born October 17, 1737, brother of Ludwig, Jr., Henry, Anthony and Peter, all likely born near Pottstown, were undoubtedly relatives of immigrants Johan Freidrich Billiger [Bittinger] and Andrew both of whom arrived on ship Nancy on September 16, 1751, (Vol. I, p. 463), spelled “Bitinger” and “Billinger”). These immigrants appear to be children of Ludwig, Sr. and were grandchildren of Heinrich and Anna Catherina), This Philip born ca.1737 whom we designate as Sr., was Ludwig’s son.39 Philip Jr., born ca 1753-5, would marry Julianna and become our ancestral couple that eventually settled in Somerset County. We note that Anthony was a witness to the will of John Hunter on December 2, 1771, (p. 78, Berks Co. Wills) and Ludwig signed the will of Richard Gregory of Herford on February 18, 1765 (page 40-4, Wills of Berks County). These dates, later in the century, also suggest that this Philip (Sr,) returning to America in 1751, (his second immigration) was a son of Ludwig and the father of Philip, Jr. who would marry Julianna Philippi around 1775.40
39 See list of Ludwig’s children below. 40 The writer is grateful for the reader’s patience in reading this lengthy and complicated set of facts, but it is a necessary exercise so that those who follow can re-check the complex path of data and find out for themselves. . Besides the data come from numerous and obscure sources and are extremely difficult to bring together. 40 See R.L. Johnson, Genealogical Studies of Some Providence Families (1934: The Perkiomen Region), p. 45. One wonders why Bittingers would travel back and forth on dangerous ocean trips. The writer can only speculate that it had to with strong familial ties and/or matters relating to estate settlement.
38 The Bittinger Story
Recall that Johannes Philippi, father of our Julianna, had immigrated just a year or so earlier on August 28, 1750 on the ship Phoenix (S&H, Vol. I, p. 441) along with George Engelhart, father of Johannes Philippi’s wife, Julianna, who in turn would become the mother of our Julianna. This is the only Philip thus far discovered who could be of an age fitting the known facts regarding Julianna’s husband. These arrivals in 1750 and 1751 to the Philadelphia port and to New Hanover relate a continuing story of uncommon interest, and romance. Philip, Jr. likely would be a year or two older than estimated by Wayne Bittinger who had suggested his birth year as 1753. Wayne Bittinger, as with the present writer, was able only to estimate the birth dates of Philip and Julianna, suggesting around 1753. The fact that Philip, Sr. was not registered on the ship list is consistent with the date of 1737 given as his birth year. He would have been only around thirteen years of age and not required to sign. These proposed events and dates for Philip seem to me to be the best and only prospect for identifying our Philip Bittinger ancestor, born 1753-5 considering the complicated dating issues. John Martin Bettinger arrived on the ship Peggy, September 24, 1754 in the company of a total of 140 men, women and children. He was a brother of Ludwig Sr., and a son of Heinrich and Anna Catharine (Schaeffer) Bittinger, our ancestral couple. Some Bitting(er)/Piting(er) persons appear to have returned to Germany and emigrated again to America at a different time as shown above, namely Henry (also a brother), and Jost and Martin. (S & H; Vol. 1, p. 750). Anthony settled in what was then Philadelphia County. During the Revolutionary War, he was a Lieut. Col. in charge of “Bitting’s Battalion” in the local militia.41 The Philippi, Bittinger and Livengood families appear to have had a long association with each other in Switzerland, Germany and in America, and some of them immigrated together. When we find their names together in a specific geographic location such as New Hanover, Douglas, Pottstown, etc. in Pennsylvania, we can have greater confidence that we have found our related family lines. So researching the allied families of Schäffer, Dotterer, Engelhart, Frantz, Livengood, Philippi etc., was helpful in shedding light on the whereabouts of the Bittinger families and assuring that we were tracing the right lines.42 [My library contains several resources essential in this kind of research, namely, Strassberger and Hinke’s three-volume work, Pennsylvania German Pioneers listing of ships and immigrants (1726-1806) along with several books of will abstracts, namely, Berks, Philadelphia, Montgomery, and Chester Counties. Also, varied spellings of all these names adds a degree of uncertainty that needs to be certified. For Maryland, an indispensable resource is Schildtknecht, Monocacy and Catoctin,
41 See Daniel W. Nead, The Pennsylvania German in the Settlement of Maryland: (Republished by Genealogical Publishing Co.: Baltimore, Md., pages 215-232). This reference includes numerous Bitting/Beeding persons whose names appear in the Revolutionary Army’s German Regiment, including Anthony, Henry and Philip, some serving in lower command positions. 42 It is interesting to note that a town in West Virginia is named after this family—Philippi.
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 39 two volumes devoted to identifying and locating early pioneer settlers of Carroll and Frederick Counties of Maryland and nearby southern Pennsylvania.] LUDWIG AND ANTHONY BITTING Ludwig Jr., and Anthony Bitting[er], as we have seen, re-immigrated in 1751. From the influence of his Boone neighbors and/or the Moravian migrations, Anthony decided to settle elsewhere. By 1751, less land was available in the New Hanover area, and the prices were higher. (See Berks Co. Wills, p. 128). Ludwig remained in the New Hanover area. The Anthony branch of this family decided to move through southern Virginia to North Carolina where he lived and died at his home named Rural Retreat at Germantown, NC a small village named after the German-speaking settlement of Moravians located at the northern edge of Winston Salem. He is buried there in the Cemetery of the Lutheran Church. Anthony Bitting, Sr., married Mary, daughter of John Hunter of Oley whose will probated Jan. 27, 1772 in Berks Co. Anthony and his son, Anthony Jr., were neighbors of William Boone from whom Hunter had purchased land that he passed down to his son Christian. (Anthony and Ludwig were influenced by their neighbor, Daniel Boone, to migrate south, seeking new opportunities). Boone had gone south through Virginia to North Carolina, and he was encouraging settlers to move south. Anthony’s brother, Ludwig, Sr., the father of our Philip Sr. had gone to Somerset County, Pennsylvania with Livengood and obtained land on which he settled in 1769 or 70). Ludwig Bitting (Jr.) married Susanna, a daughter of Brethren member John Hoch (High) and Susanna Bitting of Oley.43 (Berks Co. Wills, p. 128) Some of these High descendants moved to upper Mill Creek, around ten miles west of Romney in Hampshire County, Va. (now W. Va.) before 1800. They were early members of the Beaver Run German Baptist Brethren Congregation (Church of the Brethren) near Burlington west of Romney A son of Ludwig Jr., and Susanna (Hoch) Bitting, John and Susanna (Bitting) Hoch (High) also of Oley Valley of Berks or Montgomery County, decided to move to Virginia (Now West Virginia). John Hoch (spelled Hawk and Hog in early Hampshire County records) settled on upper Mill Creek near Purgittsville, West Virginia. Some of these High family descendants are buried near there, along with Andrew (Andras) Bittinger, son of Andrew. Andrew, Jr. had taken sick and died from the rigors of the journey and was buried at the nearby historic Union Pine Church Cemetery near Purgittsville. John was buried in a nearby over grown cemetery a hundred yards west of the village.
43 The German John Hoch family name was Anglicized in West Virginia to High, Hawk, Hog). They were of Anabaptist back ground and some of his offspring were Brethren in Oley Valley. After moving to Hampshire County, they were among the earliest members of the Beaver Run Brethren Congregation (founded by1794 but holding meetings earlier) wet of Romney, at that time still in Virginia. The name is spelled variably both in Virginia and in Montgomery County, Pa. George Hoch was baptized Brethren in 1742 at Oley in Pa. Martin Hauck (Hoch) was baptized by Brethren Elder Michael Frantz in 1774 of Conestoga, Lancaster Co., Pa., (Brumbaugh, History of the Brethren (Mt. Morris, Ill.,), p. 314. Deborah married John Detrick; Magdalena married Jacob Keim; Daniel Keim became a Brethren Elder in the 1800s. Other sons were Samuel, Rudolph and Daniel. Oley was the location of a Colonial-era German Baptist Brethren Church. Keims, Livengoods and Schaffers were prominent families in the Meyersdale area of Somerset County.
40 The Bittinger Story
The writer has identified six High family cemeteries in the Mill Creek valley between Junction and Purgittsville (See Allegheny Passage, chapters 8, 9, and 10 and the index for 28 High family references.) The Beaver Run congregation, is located on a tributary of Patterson Creek near Burlington, West Virginia, and was meeting by 1785 about seven or ten miles distant. Hochs (Highs) and Neffs were present in the community before that date. This is the oldest continuing Brethren congregation in that state. The Leatherman, Arnold, High, Ludwick and Neff families were members as early as 1794. (See Bittinger, Allegheny Passage for a discussion of the Beaver Run Church and the High etc., families). In 1947, when I was pastor there, I visited an elderly High woman a couple miles south of Junction, W.Va., along U. S. 220, still living in the original High family log house across from an old High cemetery, one of six in the area. Her memory was astounding.
LUDWIG SR., AND JOHANNA SABINA BÖHM, (INCLUDING SON PHILIP BITTING(ER) [Note by the writer, 11-16-12. This section discusses the line of Ludwig, (Sr.) who remained in eastern Pennsylvania. Their offspring includes our ancestor Philip and his brother Henry. Ludwig’s descendants are quite scattered, having gone to Virginia, Maryland, and Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Ludwig, Jr. settled in N, C,] As previously noted, Ludwig, Sr. "Lud" Bitting/Böttig was born in 1702, Freinsheim, Palatinate, Germany. He married Johanna Sabina "Sevina" Böhm, daughter of the Reverend Johann Phillip Böhm (1693-1749) and Anna Maria Salr, Sailer- Sahler-Sayler-Seller. Johanna Sabina was born 1709 in Worms, Hesse, Germany and she died 1759 in Pennsylvania. [Except for Susanna, mentioned below, who married John Hoch (High) and went to Purgittsville, now West Virginia, most of Ludwig’s children remained in Pennsylvania, with Henry, Philip and Dorothy to Somerset County. Branches of the Böhm (Beahm) family that came to the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, settled at Cross Keys and others settled farther south near Roanoke. This latter branch produced the well- known Brethren Elders I. N. H Böhm/Beahm and Prof. William H. Böhm/Beahm as well as Prof. Anna Mow, former teachers at Bethany Theological Seminary (Brethren) then located in Chicago. Another branch of the Beahm family moved to Garrett County, Maryland. A descendant of this branch produced Brethren offspring, one of whom became the wife of Brethren Elder Jesse Whitacre. Sons Charles and Daniel became Brethren ministers. (Charles is a brother-in-law of the writer, having married Annabelle, a sister of the writer). I interviewed Mrs. J. C. Beahm in Garrett County about the Bittinger and Beahm families in the 1950s. It was a memorable experience to hear her relate the family history and stories of the past.
CHILDREN OF LUDWIG BITTING/BÖTTIG, SR AND JOANNA SABINA BÖHM Ludwig Bitting, Jr. (1729-31-1796) married Johanna Susanna High. Johanna Sabina’s father, John High, moved very early to Hampshire County, W. Va. and settled on upper Mill Creek on the
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 41 west side of the mountain, High Knob, the knob that bears his name44. Here he raised a large family. This location is a short distance east of the small village of Purgittsville. In 1987 the writer visited one of the aged High descendants who was living in one of the High family homes in this village. He was one of my High family informants. Henry Bitting (1732-?) m. Eva Barbara Mumbauer Elisabetha Dorothea Bitting (1734-?) m. Gabriel Keim, to Somerset County Anna Maria Bitting (c1735-?) m. Andreas Graber/Garber Phillip Bitting, Sr, (b. 1737) m. Abigail Thomas45 (our ancestor - Somerset Co.) Anthony Bitting, Sr. (1738-1804) m. Martha (Patty) Poe (Lepaux), 1746-1788 (Believed to be nephew of deceased Andres (Andrew) Christina Bitting (1748-1821) m. Frank Leydich Mary Catharina Bitting (bef. 1750) married John Keim, Somerset County Peter Bitting (c1756-?). Keims and Bittingers were Amish and produced many Amish descendants there including a large Amish Church in Somerset County. See my Keim family Essay.
CHILDREN OF ANTHONY BITTING AND MARTHE POE (LEPAUX) Anthony Bitting was born October 17, 1738 in Germantown, PA and was christened in the New Goshenhoppen Reformed church, Montgomery County, PA. He died June 27, 1804 in Stokes County, North Carolina, and is buried in Nazareth Lutheran Church Cemetery, Rural Retreat, North Carolina, (northern edge of Winston Salem). He kept a tavern in his home in what is today Germantown, North
44 44 Although High Knob is the tallest in the remarkably striking row of six or seven Knobs, John High owned the major portion of the western and most visible part of it. Naming an area after its owner was a common naming practice. So likely the name of the Knob derives from its owner John High, something few locals or map makers would be expected to know. He was sometimes identified as “Berg High” by the German settlers. “Berg” means mountain in the German Language. 45 Richard A. Bitting in his “Bitting Family Outline”, names five children allegedly born to Philip (Sr.) and Abigail. Their dates and names do not harmonize with the information we have that we believe to be valid. He names Lewis b. 1765; Abel b. 1777; Day b. 1772, Mary Magdalene and Eleazer b. 1778, “B. in Bucks County.” If Philip Sr., is our ancestor, which we believe is true, then we must make an effort to piece together what may actually have happened. It appears that Richard A. Bitting was not aware of Philip’s alliance with Julianna Philippi and their elopement to Maryland with his father Ludwig’s party ca. 1773. In the list above, Mr. Bitting names children he believes belong to a Philip. Some of these children’s dates are later than Philip’s move to Maryland and Philip’s relationship with Julianna. This suggests that he is not our Philip. Because Philip and Julianna had eloped, marriage records were not available. The facts regarding Philip and Julianna in Maryland are well established. Unfortunately the mystery tying Philip and Julianna the the Bittings Berks County remains only partially solved. While we suggest a possible scenario, we also suggest that there remains a lack of certainty regarding the events that brought Philip and Julianna together and what transpired in the several years thereafter Could it be that researcher Richard Bitting, not knowing of our Philip’s connection with Julianna, may have instead named children of one of the other of the several Philips rather than ours? The name Julianna Philippi does not appear in his “Bitting Family Outline.” This is possibly because they had gone south with Ludwig Jr., to Virginia then diverging westward to Somerset County, a common route at that time. Or could it be because it was yet another Philip?
42 The Bittinger Story
Carolina. Anthony married Martha Poe (Leppaux a French name acquired in Alsace) who was born in Germantown, PA in 1746. Martha died in 1788 and is also buried in Nazareth Lutheran Church cemetery. He remarried and had a second wife. A “Memorial of Anthony Bitting” of Stokes County, Rural Retreat, North Carolina, states that he married Ursilla Ray sometime in the year 1793, and within the space of four or five weeks after said marriage, the said Ursilla absconded from the petitioner's bed and board and has never returned. The petitioner states that he has never received any part of the Estate of said Ursilla by virtue of the marriage, she being possessed of considerable property at the time of the marriage. She had made over to her children some property of which your petitioner would not receive any benefit. He prays for an act to secure to him all said estate which he now has or may hereafter acquire, either real or personal, free from the claim of said Ursilla by virtue of the marriage, and also secure to said Ursilla all such property as she now has or may hereafter acquire. Referred to Committee of Propositions and Grievance, No. 2. Report of Committee of Propositions and Grievances No. 2 to whom was referred above petition, states that such prayer should come under the consideration of the Committee of Divorce and Alimony. No further action found. (GASR Nov.-Dec.1802, Box 2 - folder "JCR Propositions & Grievances. No.2".) -- Extracted from The North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal, Volume XVIII, No. 4, (November, 1992, pg. 229)”
Children of Anthony Bitting and Martha Poe: Joseph Bitting (1764-1798) m. Rachael Nelson (c1774-c1830), d/o Joseph Nelson and Mary E. Alexander. They had: (not in order) Mary Bitting (1766-1841) Anne Bitting (1771) died in infancy Lewis Bitting (1774) lost at sea Elizabeth Bitting (1779-1848) Martha "Patty" Bitting (1782-1854) m. Joshua Banner John Leppeaux [Poe] Bitting (1785-1850) m. 1) Johanna Gertrude Stoltz (1785-1831) d/o of Johann Casper Stoltz and Anna Margaretha Hauser and; m. 2) Martha Matthews (d/o Tandy Matthews and Elizabeth Hill) (Martha married Edward Moore) Anthony Bitting, Jr. (1788-1870) m. Mary Wilkerson (1787-1845) Joseph, Jr. (1797-1857) [End of section on the North Carolina Bitting(er) family.]
* * * * PHILIP AND JULIANNA PHILIPPI BITTINGER After Philip Bittinger and Julianna Philippi fell in love, they moved (eloped?) from their parents’ homes north of Pottstown in Montgomery County to a location near the old Salem Reformed Church a short distance northwest of Hagerstown, Maryland where they remained a year or so and where their first child, Susanna, was born. Philip’s brother, Henry, also moved, settling a short distance
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 43 south east of Hagerstown. In a year or two, they moved to Somerset County, Pennsylvania, via Purgittsville, W. Va., to a location a mile or so north east of Meyersdale along the east side of the road toward Berlin on Berkley Flat Road, (see map at end of the essay) likely living together on land claimed in 1769-70 on the trip made to the area with Peter Livengood in 1769. It appears that Philip, Sr. and Abigail remained there or returned soon thereafter. The Bouser family, soon to become related to the Philip Bittinger family by marriage, lived a short distance away on the west side of the Berlin road. More about the relations of these two neighbors shortly. Juliana Philippi was born ca. 1750 near New Hanover, Montgomery County where she fell in love with Philip. She was a daughter of Johannes and Julianna (Engelhart) Philippi whose family had an ancient Jewish ancestry and history going back to biblical times. Their family name apparently is derived from the ancient city of Philippopolis46 founded by Greek the warrior king, Philip II ca. 450 B. C. They were apparently married by a Reformed Church minister ca. 1773-6 in Somerset County, but the marriage record is lost. This is where their second or third child of their commonlaw marriage, Susanna, John Peter, and the other children, were christened. Peter’s christening appears to be the occasion for their marriage by the Reformed Church minister at or near Berlin, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. (See Bittinger, Generations).
CHILDREN OF PHILIP AND JULIANNA (PHILIPPI) BITTINGER 1) Susanna BITNER, born14 July 1773, christened 28, August, 1773. (Records in Zion Reformed Church, Hagerstown, Conococheague Territory, Maryland ca. 28 Aug. 1773. She married John Eudenmeyer. They moved to Columbiana, Ohio. Our ancestor Philip’s (Sr.) name was on the Somerset County tax list of 1770 along with that of Peter Livengood. In 1769 he had gone to Somerset territory with Peter Livengood to look for and contract for land.) This trip was an exploratory trip made before they had actually moved, a common procedure. Many Brethren and Mennonites and others fled to the South Branch Valley (now West Virginia) and to western Pennsylvania just prior to or after the Revolutionary War.
46 Hayward, John, Historical Atlas of the Classical World (2000: Barnes and Noble), p. 208.
44 The Bittinger Story
2) John Peter BITNER christened 26 December 1776 in Brothers Valley Township, Pennsylvania ca: 15 Oct 1777 in the “Union Church”, Berlin, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. He married Mary ____, and they lived in Ligonier Twn., now Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. 3) Maria Magdalena BITTNER b: 1775/1777 in Brothers Valley Township, formerly Bedford County, now Somerset County, Pennsylvania. She married John Bowser, Jr., son of John Bowser, Sr. and Christina Bowser. 4) John Henry BITTINGER b: 14 Jul 1778 in Brothers Valley Township, now Somerset County, Pennsylvania; christened: 1779 in Berlin Union Church, Berlin, Bedford County now Somerset County, Pennsylvania,. He married Barbara Bowser, daughter of John, Sr. and Christina Great Great Grand Parents, Bowser, Garrett Co., Md. Henry and Barbara are our Jonathan and Elizabeth Foust GGG grandparents. 5) John Jacob BITTNER b: 1780 in Brothers Valley Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania, christened: 25 Apr. 1780 in Berlin Union Church, Berlin, now Somerset County, Pennsylvania. He married “Veronica” Franny” Gebler, daughter of Jacob. 6) BITTNER (a child who died in infancy or childhood). 7) Elizabeth BITTNER b: 30 Mar 1789 in Brothers Valley Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania and christened ca: 28 Jun 1789 in Lutheran Church, Pine Hill, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. She married Daniel Bowman. 8) John Frederick P. BITTNER b: 24 Apr 1791 in Brothers Valley Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania christened 25 Dec 1791 in Lutheran Church, Pine Hill, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. He married Susan Fulton, born ca. 1801. 9) John P. BITTNER b: 18 Apr 1793 in Brothers Valley Township, Bedford County, Pennsylvania christened: 18 Apr 1794 in Lutheran Church, Pine Hill that is now Somerset County, Pennsylvania. He married Catherine Baer, daughter of Ludwig Baer and Catherine Shellhaus. 10) Catherine BITTNER b: Jun 1794 in Brothers Valley Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania christened 5 Jul 1795 in Lutheran Church, Pine Hill, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. She married George Nihard and lived in Bucks Twp., Tuscurarawas County, Ohio. 11) George BITTNER b: 10 Jun 1796 in Brothers Valley Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania christened 11 Sep 1796 in Lutheran Church, Pine Hill, in the same County. He married Margaret Baer, daughter of Ludwig Baer and second wife, Catherine Shellhaus, of Somerset and Garrett Cos.
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 45
12) Philip BITTNER Jr. b: 20 Jan 1799 in Brothers Valley Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania christened 2 Jun 1799 in Lutheran Church, Pine Hill Somerset County, Pennsylvania. He married Catherine ___ around 1815. 13) Samuel P. BITTNER b: ca. 1800 in Brothers Valley Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania. He married Catherine ___ ca. 1807.
CHILDREN OF HEINRICH (JULY 14, 1778-CA. 1852) AND BARBARA BOUSER Number 4 above is our ancestral family who moved to Garrett County ca. 1910. These Bousers had migrated from the Conewago Congregation (Black Rock Church) where our Uncle Noah Sellers lived. Bouser graves are among the oldest in the Black Rock Cemetery. 1) Peter “Pete” (June 1, 1800-Oct. 3, 1857) m. Sarah Sally Durst (ca. 1807-1883). 2) Catharine (Mar. 4, 1802-?), m. Casper Durst, Sr. (1796 or 1797-Feb. 6, 1886). 3) Daniel (Jan. 6, 1804-ca. 1879) m. Phebe Wiland (1814-18790). 4) Henry (Dec. 4, 1805- ?- 5) Joseph “Joe” (ca. 1807 - ca. 187) m. Elizabeth Durst (ca. 1812 – late 800s). Joseph operated the country store and Post Office at Bittinger, Garrett County. 6) A son? 7) George between 1810 & 1815 m. Hester Pearl “Hetty” Weitzel (June 8, 1809- Nov. 21, 1896). 8) Jonathan “Jonas” (May 14, 1814-June 6, 1895 m. Elizabeth Foust (Nov. 1817-June, 1889). (Parents of David and grandparents Jonas Bittinger) 9) Solomon (twin of Jonathan), (May 14, 1814-Dec. 27, 1871) m. Hannah Foust (1827-1890) 10) William H. “Bill” (Apr. 24, 1817-Dec. 9, 1862) Agnes Ruckle (May 2, 1816-Mar. 23, 1875) and 2) Catherine “Kettie” Stark. He was an expert hunter and marksman and of good character. He was chosen as a lay minister of the nearby Maple Grove Church of the Brethren. He and his brothers, Jonathan and Solomon, are buried at the Lutheran Church Cemetery at Bittinger crossroads. (See Wayne Bittinger, Generations, page 10, for the source of this list of the children of Philip and Julianna. and descendants.)
46 The Bittinger Story
To Somerset in the Conestoga Wagon
OTHER BITTINGER IMMIGRANTS Heinrich Büttner, ship Vernon, August, 1747 (with Hans Michael), S & H, p. 63. Joseph Büdtner, ship Barclay, Lists B & C, September 14, 1754, pp. 599. (Note: Joseph’s name is on Antes the will, before this time, so this likely is Jost the son (referred to earlier) of Heinrich and Catharina, immigrating from a return trip to Freinsheim. (Not our ancestor) See also Peter next. Peter “Biniger”, ship St. Andrew, Sept. 14, 1751, p.457; father of David and Daniel of Beaver Dam, Frederick and Carroll Counties, Md., are not our ancestors but are more distant relatives. John Carl Büttner and John Henry “Philabner-Philibahr-Philippina” immigrated together on ship, Sally, date, Aug. 3, 1773. (Vol. I, pp. 748-9) Again we note these two families traveling together, illustrating their associations in Germany and Switzerland. This Philippina late-arriving family is undoubtedly kin to our Juliana who by this time was in the process of moving to Somerset County. I have not investigated their settlement location. They immigrated too late to be our ancestors but likely knew our ancestral families in Germany. (See Martin & Smith, pp. 127,139). The daughter of John and Julianna Philippi (mentioned earlier) was also named Juliana. She married Philip B(P)itting, Jr. who received a legacy in this will. This Philip, Jr. is our ancestor, and his son Henry, who married Barbara Bouser, also lived just north of Meyersdale in Somerset County on Berkley Flat Road at this time.
OUR BOUGHER/BOGER ANCESTRY A Brethren minister of Sandy Creek Congregation in Preston County, W. Va., John Boger, Jr., (died 1851), was a great great grandfather of the writer. John Boger, Sr. was mentioned in the will of George Merckel of Grenwich, Montgomery County, of eastern Pennsylvania, written on May 7, 1767. Juliana Merkel also is mentioned in the will of Frantz Kerst as a daughter of Frantz Kerst (Garst). The will of Frantz Kerst was probated at Exeter on October 30, 1765.). George was a son of Christian Merkel of Philadelphia County, and his will was probated May 22, 1766, naming three additional
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 47 sons, Peter, Casper and Christian, along with daughters, Catharine Stover, Frankiena Rugh, Mary Hill and Anna Maria Cramer and Anna Lena Merkel. (Martin and Smith, Berks County Wills, p. 43, 44).
SETTLEMENT IN SOMERSET COUNTY John Philippi of Reading in his will of Feb. 28, 1781 gave a legacy to Julianna (Englehardt) Philippi, his widow. She was a daughter of George and Margaretha Englehardt, (See Abstracts of Berks County Wills, by Martin & Smith, pp. 127,139). The daughter of John and Julianna, also named Juliana, married Philip B(P)itting(er) Jr., who received a legacy in this will. These Philippi Stones of David and Ida Bittinger, Accident, MD and Engelhart families are our ancestors. Philip Jr’s son Henry who married Barbara Bowser, and lived just north of Myersdale in Somerset County at this time, are our great great great grandparents.
John Boger’s (1774-1852) father, is said to be Christian.47 John was son of John George Boger. Boger had had married a daughter of Merkel who designated this daughter as a legatee. The wife of George Merckel was Margareta. Merkel also designated a grandson, John George Boger, son of Philip Boger. Immigrant Philip Boger, age 18, had arrived with his father Paulus Boger, age 60, on the ship Samuel on August 11, 1732. (S & H, Vol. 1, pp. 60, 64, 65). David Bittinger, our great grandfather was a son-in-law of George Jonas Boger in Garrett County, Maryland. By the mid and late 1770s, Philip and Julianna were living in the nearby Myersdale area and were neighbors of the Bowsers. Their two families began a remarkable friendship that has endured for more than 230 years, from 1778 to 2013! With the Bittinger marriages, a third family was added and created a triad of closely knit families. These interesting events are unfolded in the story below. With the George Jonas Boger family, the name Jonas enters the Bittinger family. The writer’s great grandfather, David Bittinger (Nov. 20, 1843-Nov. 22, 1914), was originally a Lutheran. He
47 Immigrants on ship Oliver Aug. 26, 1735 [S & H, Vol. I, pp. 152-153 include Hannes Booker, age 19; John Booker, age 40; Christina Booker, age35; and son Christian, age 10,. Other Boger immigrants were Paulus and Philip, John and Christiana with children Michael, Mathias and Justinia and Eve, 19, who arrived on the ship Samuel Aug. 11, 1732 [S&H, Vol. I, pp 59-61]. This source suggests that Hans Booker was from the Bernese Colony]. Christian Frantz, Sr., and Jr., and Peter, Katherine and Elizabeth Schneider also were on this ship, all familiar names to the older Fikes and Bittingers of Eglon. Peter Fike married a Schneider, and both are buried in the Schneider cemetery east of the Maple Spring Church near Eglon. The German spelling of the name Boger is Bougher, anglicized to its present spelling on the ship list of ship Samiel. It retained its German spelling, Bougher, in some of the early American settlements, eg. Beaver Dam. And Black Rock.
48 The Bittinger Story married Mary Boger (Mar. 20, 1845-June 9. 1884), then her sister Lydia (ca. 1842-Mar. 17, 1894), both daughters of Brethren Elder John Bougher/ Boger and Anne (Schrock) Boger of Accident, Maryland. (See my essay on the wives and descendants of Elder John Boger.) David Bittinger survived his two Boger wives and lived to marry a third time on September 8, 1896 to Ida Custer (April 24, 1866-Feb. 6, 1908), daughter of Samuel Custer and Lydia Durst. By his marriage David became related to the family that produced Gen. Samuel Custer of Civil War fame. David lived at Accident, Maryland where he farmed and reared his family on the Boger- Bittinger farm visited by the Bittinger family reunion in the 1980s. The lives of women were precarious in the wilderness of Garrett County, in the 1800s and David survived all of his wives. After retiring, he lived out his years in the home of Jonas and Etta Bittinger near Eglon, West Virginia, passing away at their home at Accident, W. Va., (Narrow Valley) two miles or so from the Maple Spring Church of the Brethren at Eglon. David was the writer’s great grandfather. When Grandmother Etta Fike married David’s son Jonas Bittinger, they started housekeeping on this Boger farm at Accident, Md. Etta, however, was lonely and missed her family at Eglon. Soon after Ilda and Foster were born at Accident, Md., they moved to be near Eglon. Their new location was also called Accident, but I do not know who named it. A small church and schoolhouse (now a modest residence) and church foundation across the road and a cemetery are located nearby.
Jonas and Etta’s first house in this locality was located a hundred yards or so down the dirt road from the church foundation northward near the bottom of Narrow Valley. This house was the first residence of Jonas and Etta after they moved from Accident Maryland, a distance of 30 or 35 miles. It no longer stands, but we have pictures of it. Pioneer life was not easy for western Maryland and Pennsylvania pioneers in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The day began with hard work at sunrise and ended by lamplight. Family needs were not met by visiting the local supermarket. Almost all food for both human and animals had to be grown, prepared and stored. A family with an average of six to eight children, some growing teenagers, required a lot of food, Aunt Salome Slabaugh (Etta’s Sister) home-made clothing, at her quilting frame and good organization. All children old enough to work were assigned their regular chores and monitored to see that they were performed properly. In early times in Garrett County before the industrial age, gardens provided most food needed by the family, but it needed to be preserved and stored for winter use. Clothing was mostly home spun, a task learned by all females but performed often by A Pioneer Woman’s Endless Task
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 49 the grandmother while younger ones did the outside chores and tasks requiring more vigorous effort. In addition, the log cabin with a sleeping loft, though adequate in their past experience, was a far cry from what modern youth and parents require and wish for their comfort and actual needs today. It was important for settlers moving from Eastern Pennsylvania or Maryland to arrive early enough in the season to build a cabin, plant and grow a garden, wall up and clean a spring for water, and prepare a large store of firewood. While the husband labored heavily and continually outside, the wife’s burden was also severe as she cared for children and prepared food for immediate and winter use. After their move to near Eglon in Preston County, life for Jonas and Etta was certainly improved compared with life in the high altitude and rugged mountain plateau of Garrett County where they had started housekeeping. Nevertheless, after a few years, they outgrew this second farm nestled in Narrow Valley and which lacked sufficient productivity in its small steep fields. Jonas and Etta were ready and prepared for an improvement. The Boger farm at Accident, Maryland, and now this second farm in Narrow Valley had served them well during their first eight or ten years. Their children, Ilda, Foster, Desmond, William and Playford were growing and needed contact with suitable friends. Ruth was born a few years later. Fortunately, a much better adjacent farm soon became available for purchase. It contained larger and less steep farm fields and a much more comfortable house. Furthermore, it lay only a short distance northward and much closer to Eglon. Shortly, this farm would become the well- known Bittinger farm where Deacon Jonas lived out the rest of his life. Their home and church were favorite places for college recruiters to visit. During these years, Elder C. D. Bonsack of Elizabethtown College would stop by to Jonas and Etta Bittinger, with children, Left to right, back row: Foster, Ilda, left Desmond, Playford, visit his daughter, Dr. Blanche Miller and to William, Ruth (on lap), ca.1918 seek recruits for the College. He won the hearts of three Bittinger children (Ilda, Foster,48 and Desmond) who then obtained not only their college education there but also formed new relationships, finding their spouses there among the “Pennsylvania Dutch” Sellers, Frantz, and Ziegler families. Foster obtained his bride, Esther Sellers Bair from the Pennsylvania Dutch-speaking Sellers family. She was a niece of Elder Noah Sellers of Black Rock Congregation. Playford would become a Forest Ranger, obtaining his degree at a New England university. Playford then worked for the Forest Service near Elkins. Unfortunately, the cancer plague ended his life only a few years later.
48 Foster obtained the final dozen or so credit hours at Bridgewater College after his marriage to a fine Pennsylvania Dutch, York County maiden named Esther (Sellers) Bair, daughter of Anna Sellers.
50 The Bittinger Story
Jonas and Etta’s youngest child, Ruth, would marry Clinton Heckert and establish a family at Elgin, Illinois where he operated the church headquarters printing press for the denomination. Only William remained a farmer, marrying the daughter of Dunker minister Elder “Will” Cosner of Fairview Church. This was the congregation that had been carefully nurtured in the faith for decades by a peripatetic Dunker preacher, William’s own grandfather, Moses Fike, Etta’s father! The Bittinger home farm at Eglon would soon host Bittinger youth returning from college. Youth Meetings, quilting groups etc. would be gathering there as Jonas and Etta became more active in church affairs. Over the years, family and church activities by the next generation, and by grandchildren of the family, continued to occur and were joyfully commented upon on after their visits to “Grandpa’s and Grandma’s farm”. We possess a highly prized picture of one of these youth “parties” as they are picking wild huckleberries in one of the native patches that existed on a back field of the Bittinger farm. They loved to visit, and each holiday at the Bittinger farm had a special place in their hearts. Playing in the hay loft and swing on ropes from the high branches of the massive sugar maple trees that stood on the surrounding hillside have never been forgotten. Many of these beloved landmarks on the Bittinger farm have long disappeared. All that remains to awaken a memory or produce a feeling of familiarity is the massive, well-built barn and the flowing spring nearby. Now the modern home of theWinter family stands on the site. The eastern vista of Backbone Mountain remains in prominent view. Jonas and Etta farmed here until his death that occurred in 1938. At grandmother’s urgent request, her eldest son, Rev. Foster Bittinger, moved with his family from the parsonage farm provided by the Brightwood Church in Madison County, Virginia that provided a minimum of life support during the years of the economic depression that plagued the country in the 1930s. I recall the sale of our possessions, most of which were sold for practically nothing, including several family heirlooms of furniture precious to our mother. With little remaining in the near empty Brightwood farmhouse, we soon were on the way to West Virginia to the Jonas Bittinger farm to operate it and settle the estate. Two or three pickup truck loads carried our remaining possessions, including a horse and a colt! We recall with pleasure those years on the family farm at Eglon. A strong sense of welcome and hospitality at the Maple Spring Church soon helped us to love our new home and church. Here we spent our youthful years in hard work and childhood play. Grandfather Bittinger, a plain-dressed Dunker, was conservative in outlook. He had resisted purchasing a farm tractor. Consequently, we also continued to farm with horses, Nell and Bird. Caring for them was my responsibility. As a result, I learned to love horses. In my later years at Bridgewater in 1997 I organized the Elder John Kline Riders, a riding group that continues to this day retracing the trails traveled by Elder John Kline a hundred and seventy years ago. Our aim was to replicate the rides of Elder Kline’s missionary journeys into West Virginia and visit and hold services in the same congregations he nurtured so many years ago. Despite the few years we lived on the home farm, we developed both a sense of home and of belonging to the local church, and an awareness of the larger church community and denomination. Missionaries were sent to Nigeria, China, and India. During this period, missionaries on furlough from those distant places came to visit churches in the area.
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 51
Our home also served as the home of Desmond and Irene (Frantz) Bittinger and Ilda Bittinger Ziegler, Foster’s brother and sister, missionaries to Nigeria and India respectively. The Eglon Congregation and the church at large, and especially Grandmother Etta Mary, had been deeply inspired by the vital missionary program of the Brethren as it swept the denomination in the first half of the 1900s, The Harsh family, also of our home congregation was similarly inspired and provided a missionary during this period. Unfortunately, they became victoms of General Mau’s nationalistic revolution in China. During this period, the Harshes disappeared and were never heard of again. This was a tremendous blow to the Eglon Brethren, and they mourned their loss for years afterward. Also, formative for the Bittinger children were the long days of hard work on the farm and a growing sense of responsibility and a satisfaction in a job well done. Badly in need of income to operate the farm and support the family, father accepted a dual position as both a pastor at Terra Alta and as the first District Executive of the First West Virginia District. This work required him to travel on many Sundays. After discussing the plans with the family, all agreed they would be able to carry on the regular farm tasks while he was engaged with “church work.” For a while, our family walked the mile or so to Sunday church services. Soon father was able to purchase a well-used and very large, black, heavy 1928 Buick Sedan. Having reached the age of sixteen, I soon had a driver’s license and proudly drove our family car to church! In the 1930s Eglon had a two-room schoolhouse. There is where the writer and his sisters attended school. I was in the six to eighth grade there. Some of my classmates were Bonnie Jean Miller, Claude Winter, Norman, Ellis and Jessie Harsh among others of familiar names. Mr. John Teets, a Brethren member, was our teacher, and a very fine one. The farm was then sold ca.1940 to Drs. Harold and Blanche Miller of Eglon. It is now the residence of Claude and Bonnie Jean (Miller) Winter. A few years ago they sold “fracking rights” to a gas company, and now the land is no longer farmed and apparently is abandoned or held in reserve by the gas company. We have pictures of both of the old Bittinger houses, but neither house survives. TheWinter house is situated on the site of the old chicken house near the spring that cooled the milk and supplied water for the family and farm. This is appears to be the third home built on this farm. A slave cemetery is situated north of the house and garden and near the sugar maple grove. See my essay, The Old Bittinger Farm”. * * * * Again we pick up the Bittinger story of Philip and Julianna of Berks County. Philip and Julianna had moved by around 1772 to Maryland and lived near the old Salem Reformed Church just west of Hagerstown. A Reformed Church christening record dated August 28, 1773 exists at Hagerstown for their first child, Susanna, born July 14, the month before. At this early date Hagerstown would have been in Frederick County that later was Washington County. After living a short while near Hagerstown, both Philip and Henry couples decided to move again, this time to a place about two or three miles north of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, on the east side of
52 The Bittinger Story the Berlin road in Somerset County where their son John Peter and the other children would be born. Apparently, Philip and Julianna were traveling with his brother in law John Hoch/High and were headed for Purgittsville beyond Romney. This was only part of the way to their final destination in Somerset County. Philip’s, great uncle and aunt, Ludwig Jr., and Susanna, were going (or had already gone) to Wytheville and Winston Salem, North Carolina. Running out of time, Philip and Juliana made it only part of the way. Julianna was likely pregnant again. Fortunately, they were able to stop off at Purgittsville, a few miles west of Romney, West Virginia, to spend the winter before heading to Somerset County. This is where John Hoch/High had decided to settle on the western flank of “High” Knob above the headwaters of Mill Creek where he fathered a large family. Birth records for Philip’s family are in Somerset in the nearby Berlin Reformed Church books. John Henry Bittinger and wife (or sister) Elizabeth Dorothy, were witnesses to the christening of Julianna’s second child, John Peter, in that church on October 15, 1777. The book, Generations, by Wayne Bittinger on page ten names the thirteen children of Philip and Julianna.49 Their son, John Henry, our ancestor, born July 14, 1778, married a neighbor, Barbara Bouser, born in July, 1772. Both families lived a mile or two north of Meyersdale. (See my Bouser essay.) The Bousers lived on the west side of the Berlin road and the Bittingers on the east side a short distance on Berkley Flats Road. Philip and Julianna lived out their years at this location and are buried in the Reformed Church cemetery nearby. Around 1810, their son Henry Bittinger moved to a farm two or so miles south of Grantsville, Maryland. The farm Henry and Barbara (Bouser) purchased is still owned by Bittingers today. The Bousers also came with Henry and Barbara to a farm nearby. Some of Henry and Barbara’s children, including William and Noah, attended the nearby Maple Grove German Baptist Brethren Church (now Church of the Brethren) a mile or so south of Grantsville, Maryland. The unmarked graves of Henry and Barbara are at the south side of their farm house in the yard but are scarcely discernable today near the church. One of the church windows bears the name of Noah Bittinger. Joseph was called to the lay ministry. He also became a noted bear and deer hunter. (Others of the family apparently remained Reformed and attended church at Bittinger cross roads several miles southward where some of them are buried.) Henry and Barbara’s children included twins; Jonathan and Solomon are buried there in the Reformed Church Cemetery a few miles south of the Bittinger homestead at Bittinger crossroads where Joseph Bittinger operated a store and post office named after him. Jonathan had a son David who was the father of Jonas, our grandfather.
The small store at Bittinger Post Office is a remarkable and historic artifact of the past. The last time I visited it a quarter century ago, the post office was located in a tiny compartment within the
49 Wayne Bittinger’s research did not explore the origins of Philip and Julianna. The reason likely is the fact that his book was mostly finished by the time he learned about them being in New Hanover and Washington County, information he received from the present writer. Consequently, he only briefly mentions them, naming their children and their “Conococheague Territory” location in Maryland.
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 53 store. It was scarcely large enough to accommodate the postmaster inside the compartment but inside the store. Patrons obtained their mail from these boxes in the comfortable and warm interior of the store! Undoubted; this is one of the smallest post offices in the United States!
The father of our grandfather Jonas was David Bittinger. He and his wives are buried a few miles west of Bittinger crossroads in Bear Creek Church of the Brethren Cemetery at Accident, Garrett County, Maryland near where they lived on the Boger (Bougher)50 farm. John Boger, Jr., David’s father-in-law, was a minister in Sandy Creek Church of the Brethren Congregation, and his mother- in-law was a Merkel. Rev. John Boger and Grandmother Merkel are buried on north side on a bluff at the very edge of the Interstate Highway 64 a couple miles east of Bruceton Mills. It is a small and obscure family cemetery, and to find it one must inquire locally. He died in 1851. Rev. Boger’s only claim to fame is that he wrote a book published in Somerset in 1846 in the German language, titled The Second Coming of Christ in which he predicted the date of the end of the world. Juniata College now owns the copy that I once possessed. I retain a photo copy. He missed the date, but his writings inspired others to attempt the same, including, Charles T. Russell, founder of the Jehovah Witnesses and Rev. William C. Thurman of Greenmount and Bridgewater Churches of the Brethren in Rockingham County, Virginia. Thurman wrote an article published December 1869 in the Harrisonburg paper, The Rockingham Register, in which he predicted the second coming of Christ and took issue with several major doctrines of the Brethren. Continuing to persist in these doctrinal attacks, he soon was defrocked. The local Brethren of Bridgewater and Dayton, at least once, had gathered on the hillside on the farm of Dunker John Miller to await the Second Coming.51 Thurman’s book, or one based on it, is being promoted on the internet under the title, The Sealed Book of Daniel Opened. * * *
The rest of the children of Philip and his wife Juliana, are recorded on the Reformed church
records at Berlin, Pa. (See the will of Philip that names his eldest son Peter Bidner as executor
in Somerset County, Pa.). As usual, this family branch spelled its name variably, namely,
Bidner, Bittner, Binniger, and Bittinger.
For some reason, perhaps because of the death of the older generation, the next generation of Bittingers were attracted to Garrett County and decided to move from their Myersdale location that
50 Yhe Boger (Bougher) family had moved into the area drom the Beaver Dam Brethren Congregation near Johnsville, Frederick County Maryland. 51 A number of years ago I interviewed several very elderly Bridgewater Brethren regarding this event and its location on the hilltop just east of the farm of John Miller, the father of Naomi West. Herman Miller was another informant. See my Thurman essay.
54 The Bittinger Story was a short distance off to the right of a road leading toward Berlin where son Henry lived. The Henry Bouser Family lived on the other side of the Berlin Road but not far away. Philip’s son Henry married their daughter Barbara. (See a separate article about the Bittingers and Bousers). The Livengoods lived near Salisbury. Wayne Bittinger, has researched and published a fine history of the Henry and Barbara (Bouser) Bittinger family line, a book, Generations, that has been widely distributed. He begins the Bittinger story in Washington County, Maryland and follows the Bittinger line down to the 1980s. * * * * The interest of the present writer in this article has been mostly limited to the European back ground and immigration of our family and its settlement near Pottstown and New Hanover, Pennsylvania. From here during the next seventy-five years or so, they would migrate through the Hagerstown vicinity through West Virginia, to Somerset County, P A, from where later they would setttle in the Grantsville and Bittinger Crossroads areas of Maryland, then at Eglon, making a complete story. In looking backward and summarizing their peregrinations, one can only wonder at what circumstances and motivations brought about this complicated and lengthy process of movement. We shall note, especially in Switzerland, that religious intolerance and persecution had become a prominent part of their existence. From this point in western Maryland, as we look back in time, we note an astonishing and complicated pattern of centuries of migration over great distances. We first had found them in the Black Sea area, then later in southeastern Germany and Switzerland during the unsettled times in the 1500s. Many decades later, they are found at Freinsheim Germany and at Bern, Switzerland. Several branches today are found with variable spellings scattered in south Germany. Consequently, there are several small villages in Germany that carry the Bittinger name. In our travels we often have noticed them. * * * * We now diverge to make mention of the Beaver Dam Bittingers in Maryland. Peter, Daniel and David “Pittinger” (noted above) were in eastern Frederick County, Maryland. by 1745 as stated by Schildtknecht52 (pages 64-5), in northeastern (Beaver Dam) of Frederick County, Maryland, near Pipe Creek area. A William Bittinger was a member of the nearby Conewago Brethren Congregation in nearby York County. It is plausible to assume that he was a part of the near-by Beaver Dam Bittinger family, mentioned above. They lived in eastern Frederick County. He or his father may be the John Wilhelm Böttiger who immigrated in the ship Brothers that arrived at Philadelphia on September 15, 1752. John Wilhelm Albach, arrived on the same ship (S & H, Vol. I, pp. 478-9). Albaugh also is in our Bittinger descent line.
52 Schildtiltknecht, C. E., Monocacy and Catoctin (Westinster, Maryland: Family Line Publications, 1957).
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 55
John Albaugh also is mentioned on the same Schildtknecht pages. They are a part of our ancestral Arnold family line from whom our Bittingers also descend. These two families, the Arnolds and Albaughs, likely knew each other in Germany. (See my Arnold Family essay in Chspter IV.) P. 323 states that William Pittinger mentioned above, was a neighbor of John Albaugh, our Arnold relative, whom we discovered as an ancestor of the Arnold family from whom our Bittingers are descended as well. These two Bittinger related families-- Albaugh and Arnold -- were in the Burkittsville vicinity, Middletown Valley, and also, a few miles westward in southern Washington County areas in the late 1700s. These locations are around fifty miles west of Beaver Dam.
* * * * Several Philippi names were found in the ship lists between 1726 and 1780. Interestingly, John Carl Bittinger/Buttner was on this same ship, the Sally, arriving Aug. 3, 1773. This ship carried 115 male immigrants and 78 women and children for a total of 193 persons. John Henry “Philibahr” [Philippi] also was among the passengers. (See Strassburger and Hinke, Vol. 1, p.748). By 1773, Philip and Julianna were already in Washington County, Maryland and were preparing to move to Somerset County to join Philip’s father, Philip, Sr., and the Livengoods. At this time at the Port of Philadelphia, immigration, records sometimes omitted the names of women and children. Regarding John Feig (Fike) who also was among the passengers of the Sally. We have since discovered that this John Feig was a son of Christian Feick, Sr. Actually, Frick, Jr., was returning from Germany after ca. 1771, performing duties related to the settlement of his father’s (Christian, Sr’s.) estate in Pennsylvania. It seems no coincidence that Bittinger and Fike relatives again traveled together, this time on the ship Sally! Other German spellings of our Fike name were Feick and “Feige”. Elder John Kline spelled it “Feiga” and Feiga in his diary records. The German pronunciation would have sounded the ending letter.53 Many families with this Feige name reside at Schwarzenau and along the Eder River. This town is the place of the founding of the German Baptist Brethren in 1708. A Feige (Fike) Guest House is located there, less than a hundred yards from the original Brethren baptismal site! We have lodged there. It seems that the Fikes, Bittingers and the Brethren also may have had an ancient association together indeed! Could these two immigrants, John Carl “Philidahr” and John Carl Buttner possibly be the ancestors of Philip and Juliana who were born in this country? Hardly! Their family already arrived and settled in Montgomery County near Pottstown as we have seen earlier. Could Philip Bittinger, Sr., have been a brother of Henry who married Dorothea? Quite possibly, since the list of Ludwig’s children contains both Henry and Philip [Sr.]. At this point it is now possible to provide a proposed generational sequence of the Bittinger line
53 Funk, Benjamin, Life and Labors of Elder John Kline (Elgin: Brethren Publishing House, 1900), 365, 375.
56 The Bittinger Story from ca. 1560 to 2010. BITTINGER GENERATIONAL SEQUENCE (Variable spelling encountered—Bitting, Pitting, Bűuttner, Beittinger, Bőtttig) Nichlous Lybundgudt b. ca. 1560 = Catharine Frantz54 b. ca. 1560 Switzerland Switzerland | Elias Bittinger b. ca. 1580 = Barbel Lybengut born Sept.17-1581 Gutenwill, Switz. | Gutenwill, Switz. (east of Zurich)
(Note: A generation is likely missing here, perhaps in Alsace)
Hannes Bittinger born ca 2-27-1614 = Maria Sabina Müller, born? | Hans Andrew Bittinger, born 1660 = Julianna Henrica, born 1664
[Also had son Christoph, 8-19-1686 bro. of Heinrich below] | [Pierre and Adam Bittinger = ______? to Beaver Dam—not our line]
Heinrich Bittinger, born ca. 1677 = Anna Catherine Schäffer, b. ca. 167__ | [Jost Bittinger b. 7-2-1713, d. 1801 = Agnes Dotterer, Feb. 14, 1727-Oct. 2, 1785]
(Jost, bro. Of John Ludwig; not our line) | (or Dec. 20) John Ludwig Bittinger 1702-1775 = Johanna Servina Böhm, b. 1709 (our line) Montg. Co, Pa. | Montg. Co., Pa. Ludwig Bittinger, Jr. 1731-1779 = Susanna Hoch/High, b.? – ca. 1802 (Bro. of Philip, Sr. below) Lehigh Co. | Philip Bittinger (Sr.), b. c1737, Bucks Co. = Abigail Thomas, b. ca1837 d. 1811, Bucks Co. (With Livengood to Somerset, ca. 1769) (See pages 9, 23, “Bitting Family Outline” |
Philip Bittinger, (Jr.,) b. 1753-5 = Julianna Philippi, b. ca. 1753 To Purgittsville then Somerset) (not listed in “Bittinger Outline”-they eloped.) (daughter of Johannes Philippi & Julianna Engelhard) | Henry Bittinger, b. July 14, 1788 = Barbara Bouser, b. July, 1772
54 The Frantz name appears in several Bittinger generations, including in current generation!
Chapter II –Bittinger Family Peregrinations 57
| Bouser from Conewago Congregation Jonathan Bittinger, b. May 14, 1814 = Elizabeth Foust, b. ca. 1815 | David Bittinger, b. Nov. 20, 1843 = Mary Boger, of John, Mar. 20, 1845 | Jonas H. Bittinger, b. Apr. 22, 1875 = Mary Etta Fike, of Moses, b. Jan. 5, 1887 | Foster55 M. Bittinger, b. June 1, 1901 = Esther (Sellers) Bair, b. Nov. 2, 1901 | Emmert F. Bittinger, Sept., 22, 1925 = Esther Mae Landis, March 19, 1927
[A] Emmert m. Esther Landis and had 1) Lorraine “Lori” m. David Lineweaver and had Lisa m. Brian Hatleberg and Robert m. Kelly Hedrick; 2) Mildred “Millie” m. Ronald Arnett and had Adam and Aimee 3) Marion m. a) Carl F. Bowman and had Maria Bowman and Jordan Bowman; m. b) Antonio Martinez; Verona, Va. [B] Virginia “Ginny” m. Hubert Whitten and had 1) Sharon m. Ronald Reich and had Travis, Natalie, Lucas; 2) Rhonda m. Philip Amadon and had Collin, Christina, Casey, and Corey; 3) David m. a) Kathryn Ann Baxter and had Matthew, Darcy and Samuel, and m. b) Judith Demi and had Zherina; and 4) Wendy m. Fred Ortiz and has a step daughter, Heather Ortiz. [C] Annabelle m. Rev. Charles Whitacre and had 1) Vicki m. Robert Samland and had Peter m. Amanda Wells; and Jeremy m. Angela Ellis; 2) Linda m. Neal Lundquist and had Amy (step), Joshua and Ian; 3) Susan (Sue); 4) Christopher m. Kathryn Frantz and had Amanda and Ira; and 5) Karen m. Roy E. Winter, and had Jesse and Brady. [D] Kathleen, who m. 1) Robert Wright and 2) Otto Wambolt. No Children. NOTE: The Jonas and Foster Bittinger families and descendants are presented in much more detail in Chapter III. This abbreviated discussion above is deliberately kept brief and is intended mainly to bring the generational sequence down to the present.
Emmert & Esther Virginia & Hugh Annabelle & Charles Kathleen
Lorraine Sharon Vickie m. Robert Wright
Mildred Rhonda Linda m. Otto Wambolt
Marion David Sue no children
Wendy Chris
55 A brother of Foster was Desmond who married Irene Frantz. Their family history is included in Chapter III.
58 The Bittinger Story
Karen Because this Bittinger family is extremely old, it appears possible that further research may reveal new discoveries. Fifteen generations are included. Whether we have found all the generations remains to be seen. The writer will be pleased to make improvements and corrections. The recovery of accurate dates and geographic locations were a principal goal in this endeavor. Several supplementary and allied family history documents and pictures are included in Chapter IV – Allied Families.
CHAPTER III JONAS HARVEY AND ETTA MARY FIKE BITTINGER FAMILY
Prepared for the 2013 Bittinger Family Reunion Updated in May 2016 for the 2016 Reunion Updated March & June 2017 https://bittingergenealogicalresearch.wordpress.com/
The Jonas H. Bittinger Family Homestead at Eglon, WV Ca. 1915
60 The Bittinger Story
THE JONAS H. AND ETTA MARY FIKE BITTINGER FAMILY AND DESCENDANTS Jonas H. Biddinger/Bittinger was born April 22, 1875 on the David Bittinger farm near Accident Maryland and died March 1, 1938 at Eglon, W. Va. He was a son of David Biddinger (born Nov. 20, 1843 and died Nov. 22, 1914) and Mary Boger (Bougher of Conewago) born March 20, 1846 died June 9, 1884 d/o John Boger, Jr., s/o Elder John Boger, Sr., of Sandy Creek Congregation in Preston County. David and the Boger sisters lived on the Boger farm and eventually owned that farm. It is located a mile or so north of Accident just off the right side of Route 219 on the Paul Miller Road in the valley. After Mary Boger died, David remarried in March 1885 to Mary’s sister, Lydia, who died March 17, 1894. Thereupon, David remarried Sept. l8, 1896 to Ida Custer who died. Feb. 6, 1908. David died at Accident, W. Va., near Eglon, at the home of his son Jonas in 1914. He is buried in the Bear Creek Church of the Brethren Cemetery near Accident, Md. David was a son of Jonathan Bittinger and grandson of Henry Bittinger who in turn was a descendent of our ancestors, Philip and Julianna Phillippi Bittinger of Somerset vicinity where they had moved from New Hanover, Pa. around 1760 or 70. Henry, who married Barbara Bouser, had moved from near Myersdale, Pennsyvania to a farm located about two miles south of Grantsville, Maryland. This Bittinger farm is still owned by a Bittinger family. Barbara’s parents also moved about the same time. Both families today are still neighbors and attend the near by Maple Grove Church of the Brethren. A window of in the church honors a son Noah. Noah settled nearby, north of Bittinger, Maryland. Etta Mary Fike was born January 5, 1877 daughter of of great grandfather Moses Fike of Eglon. He was born July 15, 1837 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania and died June 10, 1934 and wife Sophia Priscilla Roudolph born December 16, 1843 and died December 21, 1903. Moses and Sophia were married March 27, 1860, after Moses had moved with his parents, Peter and Magdalena Arnold Fike to Eglon, West Virginia (then called German Settlement), around 1850. The old Fike homestead was at the southern edge of Myersdale, Pa. in the vicinity of the new school. After Sophia’s death, Moses remarried April 19, 1905 to Rebecca Beeghly who died July 13, 1927. Rebecca was buried on the 90th birthday of her husband, Moses. Moses married, third, to Betty Digman of Swallow Falls, Maryland on Oct. 15, 1928. She was a daughter of Elder Thomas Digman, born 1840, who was a Church of the Brethren minister. Rev. Digman had become dissatisfied with the Brethren over the issue of the Brethren abandoning the “Garb” and other “progressive changes” and joined with the more conservative Dunker Brethren near Swallow Falls a few months before his death in 1927. Jonas and Etta began housekeeping at Brookside in 1898. Jonas worked as a day laborer at a saw-mill for a while. They soon bought a 25 acre farm located a mile east of Brookside just beyond the pines. In about two years, they decided to move to the old Boger farm a mile or so north of Accident, Md. just east of Route 219 on the Paul Miller Road where they obtained half interest in the farm. On this home farm Ilda and Foster were born.
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 61
David and 3rd wife Ida Custer Jonathan and Elizabeth (Foust) Bittinger had two sons, John and Floyd David’s Parents
.
Home of David Bittinger, birthplace of Jonas. He and Etta lived here before moving to Eglon about 1901
Moses and Rebecca Beeghly Fike Moses is father of Etta Fike Bittinger (one of 7 daughters)
62 The Bittinger Story
Jonas Bittinger Jonas and Etta Bittinger, with children, left to right, back row: William, Foster, Ilda, Desmond, Playford (in front)
Jonas and Etta Bittinger, with children, left to right, back row: Foster, Ilda,
left Desmond, Play ford, William, Ruth (on lap) ca.1918
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 63
After a few years, Etta suggested that they move to Eglon to be near Etta’s family and numerous married siblings. Consequently, around 1904 or 1905, they moved to a farm in Narrow Valley just below the site of the Accident School house near Eglon, no longer in existence. This farm is where the remainder of the children of Jonas and Etta were born, but the house is no longer standing. The small farm joined or nearly joined the south side of the larger and better farm where they later moved aound 1920. Jonas was a superb farmer and sought to enlarge his opportunities. This location positioned them closer to and within walking distance of Eglon and toward the center of the Brethren community. He built this farm into one of the most desirable in the area. Jonas was baptized as a young man in February 1888 into the David Bittinger home church at Bear Creek Congregation near Accident, Maryland. After their move to the Eglon area, he and Etta grew their family into a highly respected and dependable part of the community and of the near by Maple Spring Church. Consequently, on May 3, 1913, Jonas was elected as a Deacon. After this, Jonas conformed to the Brethren dress code and wore a trimmed beard until the year before he died in 1938. John Bittinger, a brother of Jonas, married Cora Fike, a sister of Etta Fike Bittinger, and thus their children were double first cousins and had a special feeling for each other. One of the sons of John and Cora was named Emmert, and became a close friend of Foster. Unfortunately, Emmert died in late childhood. Foster’s son, Emmert, was named after him. John and Cora Fike Bittinger were members of the Brookside Church which was one of the preaching points of the Maple Spring Congregation at Eglon. Their farm became the life long residence of Noah and Wilma Bittinger Waybright. Wilma was elected to the ministry in 1930 and served in the free ministry for sixty years to her retirement in 1990. The John and Cora Fike Bittinger farm was located close to the farm of Cora’s brother, Washington Fike about a mile distant toward Brookside on the west side. The Fike Reunion was periodically held on Washington’s farm as his turn came up (See picture). We have pictures of that reunion as early as 1912 or 13. Etta’s father, Moses Fike, took his turn preaching at Maple Spring and Brookside Churches, walking from the Fike home near the lower Maple Spring Cemetery. Moses did not prefer to ride horseback. He was a great walker, and thought nothing of walking, even after he was 90 years of age, three miles to and back from Brookside to preach, all before dinner on Sunday. Moses walked the nearly 20 miles to and from Swallow Falls to court his third wife whom he married at the age of 90 or 91. He also preached regularly at the Fairview Church across Backbone Mountain, always walking the nine or ten miles or so, usually returning the same day. He was truly the “walking preacher.” Many years ago as a teen-ager, I did that walk, leading a colt across the Backbone Mountain to the Cosner farm above the North Branch Potomac River. Moses was a master story-teller, and used this skill both in his sermons and to entertain children who loved to be in his presence. Unfortunately, his most effective story telling took place on the long walks home after church on Sunday nights. That was when he told vivid ghost stories that so excited the children that they could not easily fall to sleep after returning home!
64 The Bittinger Story
Even though Moses was a beloved preacher and “dressed Brethren”, he could not be advanced to the Eldership because he was addicted to chewing tobacco, a habit common to nearly all young men of the time. He raised and cured his own tobacco. The writer can remember on our visits in his home the tobacco “twists” he stored in a small building. Many stories are still told and remembered about Moses Fike, his brothers Elder Samuel Fike, Jonas Fike, and Aaron Fike, early ministers of Maple Spring. A remarkable picture of four of these bearded ministers taken in 1908 is found in Foster Bittinger’s book about the churches of the First District of West Virginia. These four bearded pioneer preachers were often called “the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.” A German language New Testament has come down through the Moses Family through Foster. It was printed at Somerset in Pennsylvania and belonged to Peter and Magdalene Arnold Fike. It is said that Peter Fike (Etta’s grandfather), would call his family together for devotions and read from this testament. In summer, this took place on the porch of his house, and the whippoorwills would come close to listen and sing their song. This testament was in the possession of Emmert, his great grandson. Emmert has presented it to Rev. David Whitten at the time of his call to the ministry, son of Virginia Bittinger Whitten. Jonas, a farmer at heart, hoped that he would be able to be successful enough to provide each of his sons a farm in the Eglon vicinity. Grandmother Etta had different goals for her children. They were rearing their family during a period when the Brethren were establishing and promoting foreign missions. She hoped that her children would become missionaries. Neither of them won this contest completely! Ilda and Desmond, however, did become missionaries. Ilda went with her husband, Edward K. Ziegler, to India, and Desmond with his wife Irene Frantz served in Nigeria, Africa. William married Virgie “Virginia” Cosner, daughter of Elder William Cosner, and owned a fine farm just east of Backbone Mountain near the highest elevation in the state of Maryland near Gormania. Playford obtained a degree in Forestry and began a promising career in the Forest Service, only to die a few years later of colon cancer, a common plague within the Bittinger family, and one that also took the life of William. Ruth married Clinton Heckert. He became a valued printer helping to run the printing presses of the denominational headquarters at Elgin, Illinois.
The Descendants of Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger 1 Ilda Myrtle, b. 10-9-1898, baptized July 13, 1907, d. 3-3-1970. She was married to Rev. Edward K. Ziegler on May 31, 1924 by Elder Ezra Fike. Edward was born Jan. 3, 1903 and died Oct. 31, 1989. In addition to serving as a missionary, Edward served several pastorates, including a term at the Bridgewater Church. He also became head of the Evangelism Board at Elgin. After Ilda's death, Edward married Mary Vivolo who survives him. On Dec. 24, 1992. They retired at Bridgewater. After Edward’s death, Mary married Charles W. Trexler, and they lived in the Retirement Community at Bridgewater. Charles was born Sept. 14, 1904 and died Nov. 15, 2005, aged 101, 1 mo. 1 day. Mary still lives in the Retirement Community. The children of Edward and Ilda were:
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 65
1A Robert Edward Ziegler, (adopted) born Sept. 15, 1929 at Knoxville, Tenn, baptized 1939 at Bulsar, India., and married June 24, 1950 at Junior, W. Va., to Constance Fae Arbogast born Jan. 18, 1929, daughter of Arlie and Adis Arbogast. Divorced. Their children are: 1A1 Mark Edward, b. Nov. 2, 1951 at Chicago; 1A2 Rebecca Fay, b. July 26, 1953 at Elgin, Ill. 1A3 David Earle b. July 23, 1955 at Elgin, Ill. 1A4 Nancy Jo, b. Mar. 16, 1957 at Elgin, Ill. Robert lives in Australia. 1B Donald Mark, b. April 2, 1941 at York, Pa., baptized, April 2, 1950 at Bridgewater, Va., Married 1) Virginia Lee Flory, July 15/6, 1967 at Lewistown, Pa. Married 2) Beverly Brown, Richmond, Va., Dec. 20, 1975. 1C Ruth Ann, (adopted), b. Jan. 21, 1945 at York, Pa., baptized Jan. 8, 1956 at Roanoke, Va., married June 13, 1964 to Warren Wendell Baird b. Mar. 18, 1941 at Chicago, s/o Glenn and Agnes Baird. Children: 1C1 Daren Baird, died May 6, 1971; 1C2 Megan Baird, b. Dec. 28, 1971 at Hartford, Conn. 2 Foster Melvin Bittinger, b. June 11, 1901, a mile or so east of Accident, Garrett Co., Md. on the David Bittinger farm. Baptized June 10, 1910. He was the second child, born a year or so after his sister Ilda. He died May 9, 1959 at Phillipsburg, Ohio from a coronary thrombosis on the lawn of the parsonage of the Salem Church of the Brethren where he served as pastor. Rev. Bittinger attended Elizabethtown Academy, graduating in 1922, and later completed his college work as a graduate of Bridgewater College. He was a lifelong pastor in the Church of the Brethren, serving churches at Jordan Run, W.Va., Browntown, Va., Brightwood, Va,, Terra Alta, W. Va., Westernport, Md., Mill Creek, Rockingham Co., Va., and finally at Salem CoB near Dayton, Ohio.
Bittinger residence in Browntown, VA, Browntown School where Foster Bittinger was principal - across the stream from the school, across the road from the local store AlthoughVirginia, Annabelle born atand Accident Emmert attended Md., early he elementarydid not live here there long. His parents, Jonas and Etta, soon moved to a farm near Maple Spring CoB., where the remainder of their children were born and reared. He was reared at this Bittinger farm located in Narrow Valley just north of the Accident Schoolhouse southwest of Eglon, W.Va. This was before they moved to their farm nearer Eglon. This farm was the place where Jonas and Etta lived until his
66 The Bittinger Story death in 1938. Foster and Esther and family moved to this farm following the death of Jonas. They lived there during the settling of the estate and while he served part-time pastor at Terra Alta and as District Executive. In 1941, they accepted the Westernport
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 67
Foster Bittinger, ca. 1921 Esther Bair and Foster Bittinger, circa 1923
Virginia, Emmert and Annabelle Bittinger
back of the Browntown log house, above the Browntown church.
and Frostburg joint pastorate and moved to Westernport. Md. Upon moving to Westernport, the and
68 The Bittinger Story
Frostburg joint pastorate and moved to Westernport. Md. Upon moving to Westernport, the family farm was sold to Drs. Harold and Blanche Miller, and their daughter and son-in-law, Jean and Claude Winters, now live on it. Foster was married June 3, 1924 by Elder Noah Sellers at Black Rock, York County, Pa., to Esther Mae (Sellers) Bair, born Nov. 24, 1901 a mile or so north of Lineboro near the Black Rock CoB, in York Co., Pa. She was a d/o of Morris Bair and Anna Sellers. Anna later married Harvey Fitz who was then Esther’s stepfather. Some years after Foster’s untimely death in 1959, Esther was married, to Rev. Carl D. Spangler of Bridgewater, Va. on May 15, 1970. The Spanglers later moved into the Bridgewater Home Retirement Village in 1973. He died Jan. 7, 1986 at Bridgewater, VA. Following Mr. Spangler’s death, Esther Spangler remained in her residence in the Village until September 1994 when she moved into Assisted Living of the Retirement Home. She remained there until around November 1996 when she moved into the Nursing Care wing Foster and Esther Bittinger where she remained until her death on July 27, 1997. Her ashes Port Republic, VA, circa 1950 are buried at the Eglon Cemetery beside Foster.
2A Emmert Foster Bittinger, was born Sept. 22, 1925 at Jordan Run, Grant Co., W. Va. He graduated from Bruce High School at Western Port, Md., in 1943 and from Bridgewater College in 1945 and from Univ. of Maryland in 1951 and 1964 with a M.A. Degree and a Ph.D. degree in Sociology and Anthropology. He also holds a M.A. degree from Bethany Seminary. Emmert and Esther served as a pastor and wife from 1947 to 1963 in Maryland and West Virginia except for school years. He taught at Bridgewater College from 1963 t0 1988 when he retired. While living in Maryland he was Moderator three times of the Middle Maryland District. Since retirement he served ten years on the Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Board that founded the Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center, “CrossRoads.” He wrote the West Marva District history, Allegheny Passage, published in 1990, reprinted in1991 and in 1994 and republished in 2012. In 2002 he was asked by the Brethren- Mennonite Heritage Board to become Editor of Parsonage at Mill Creek Church of the Brethren what has become known as the “Unionist where Foster was pastor, circa 1948 Series” relating to Civil War History, a six volume set of books describing the war
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 69 difficulties and sufferings of Shenandoah Valley citizens, most of whom were Brethren and Mennonites, who had claimed loyalty to the Federal Government during the War. This project was carried out by The Valley Research Associates, a partnership consisting of David Rodes, Norman Wenger and myself. This project, comprising over 7,000 pages, was completed ten years later in 2012. Since then, he has written the histories, including the European origins, of his maternal and paternal ancestors along with many of the allied family lines. He married Esther Mae Landis, on June 8, 1947. She was born March 19,1927, and is a daughter of Rev. Harvey and Ethel Mae Zimmerman Landis. She is a graduate of Bridgewater College and holds a Masters Degree from James Madison University. As a reading specialist, she taught in the public school system of Rockingham County until retirement in 1987. Since then she has been done disaster child care and local volunteering. Emmert and Esther live in the Bridgewater Retirement Community. They have three daughters, six grandchildren and five great grand children. 2A1 Lorraine “Lori” Adair Bittinger, born Dec. 15, 1949, is a graduate of Bridgewater College and has a Masters Degree in technology in education from Shenandoah University. She married David Lineweaver, son of Carl and Ruth Lineweaver, on July 10, 1971. He was born on Sept. 18, 1949 and is a graduate of the College of William and Mary. He earned a Masters Degree in mathematics from James Madison University. They reside at Bridgewater, Va. and are both retired. David taught mathematics and computer science at Harrisonburg High School and Lori taught French, math and computer in Thomas Harrison Middle School. They have two children: 2A11 Lisa Renee Lineweaver was born June 17, 1976. She married Brian Hatleberg, on May 28, 2000. Both are graduates of the College of William and Mary. Lisa holds a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard University and worked as an administrator of the Annenberg Foundation to improve the Boston School System. Currently she is an assistant prinical in Chelsea City Schools and the family resides in Chelsea, MA. 2A111 Holly Lineweaver-Hatleberg, born Oct. 8, 2006 2A112 Hazel Lineweaver-Hatleberg, born Oct. 17, 2008 2A12 Robert Bittinger Lineweaver, born Oct. 26, 1978. On June 1, 2002, he married Kelly Lynn Hedrick. Both are graduates of the College of William and Mary. She is a school administrator. Robert holds a Masters Degree from James Madison University and is a software engineer for Rosetta Stone in Harrisonburg. They have two children; 2A121, Myla Kate Lineweaver, born Aug. 10, 2012 2A122, Stowe Foster Lineweaver, born Jan. 21, 2016 2A2 Mildred ‘Millie” Ruth Bittinger, was born Aug. 19, 1952 at Hagerstown, Md. She was married to Ronald C. Arnett at North Manchester, Ind. on Jan. 30, 1972. She and Ron are graduates of Manchester College. She holds a Masters Degree in Information Media from St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN, and also holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh. Ronald was born Mar. 10, 1952 at Fort Wayne, IN. Dr. Arnett is a graduate of Manchester College and received his Ph. D. degree from Ohio University and has held positions as Academic Dean at Manchester College and Chair of the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. He has authored numerous books and
70 The Bittinger Story articles in his field. He also is in demand as a Conference speaker and Section leader at conferences in America and Europe. 2A21 Adam Geoffrey Arnett was born Oct. 4, 1978. He is a graduate of Duquesne University and is an attorney with an international law firm in Chicago; m. ___ Karen Elizabeth Viesselman. They have a son, Kellan Aiden, born 6-25-2014.
2A22 Aimee Gabrielle Arnett was born Nov. 4, 1980 and graduated with a degree in Elementary Education from La Roche College in Pittsburgh. Married 2) David Barrett on November 27, 2015.
2A221 Alexa Alice
2A222 Ava Brooke
2A223 Aria Grace
2A3 Marion Kay Bittinger, born August 3, 1957 at the Hagerstown hospital while we lived at Burkittsville, Maryland. She is a graduate of Elizabethtown College and holds a Masters Degree in Linguistics from University of Wisconsin. On May 14, 1977 she was married to 1) Carl F. Bowman, born February 6, 1957, son of Rev. Fred and Wanda Bowman of Bridgewater. Dr. Bowman succeeded the writer as chairperson of the Department of Sociology and served many years at Bridgewater College. He is author of the well-known book, Brethren Society published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 1995. He now is a Professor and Research Director at the University of Virginia. They are divorced. He is remarried to Laura Desportes, a Professor at James Madison University. Marion taught Spanish on the Language Faculty at James Madison University. More recently, she was employed by the RosettaStone Company where she was involved for a number of years in the Endangered Language Program and assisted the company in recording and preserving native languages of North America. She also served as liaison to the company’s numerous branch divisions. She is currently working with the Chickasaw Tribe in preserving their language. 2A31 Maria Susannah Bowman, born May 6, 1983, at Harrisonburg, Va., is graduate of Fort Ashby High School and of Juniata College and holds a Masters degree from Virginia Tech. She was employed by the Woods Hole Institute and has done research in forestry preservation in the Amazon Forest and in Mozambique. In 2013, she completed a Ph.D. program at the University of California at Berkley. She was married April 26, 2014 to James Munn, born Jan. 3, 1977. She currently is employed in the U. S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, DC 2A32 Jordan Bittinger Bowman, born on April 27, 1986 at Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania. Before completing high school, Jordan was a competitive long distance runner and competed two consecutive years at the state level. .He is a graduate of Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania, and has finished his law degree at the College of William and Mary. He is currently working with the Litten and Sipe Law Firm in Harrisonburg, VA. He married Molly Kennedy April 29, 2017. They reside in Harrisonburg, VA Marion was divorced in 1999 and was remarried on July 21, 2001 to 2) Antonio Martinez, born Aug. 11, 1954, a professional architect working in Charlottesville. They live near Verona, Virginia.
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 71
Antonio has two sons, Gabriel b. July 30, 1990, and Adrian b. Oct. 24, 1992, both of whom are recent high school graduates. Marion continues her work at Rosetta Stone in the field of the preservation of the languages of native Americans. Her work has assured the preservation of several endangered languages.
2B Virginia Esther Bittinger. Born Jan. 22, 1927 at Bridgewater, Virginia, she graduated from Bruce High School, Westernport, Md., and received a B. S. Degree from Bridgewater College in 1949. She took graduate classes from Northern Illinois University in Illinois, and taught school for 25 years in the Elgin, Illinois, school system. On June 10, 1949 she was married Hubert Nathaniel Whitten, Jr., son of the Rev. Hubert N. Whitten, Sr., and Mary Snow Whitten. H. N. was born in Bedford Co., Virginia, August 3, 1928 and is a graduate of Bridgewater College in 1949. He earned Masters Degrees from Bethany Seminary and Northern Illinois University. He held pastorates in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, and Markle, Indiana. Then he taught English in the Elgin Illinois School System for 25 years. After retirement in 1988 they moved to Bridgewater, Virginia, where Hugh taught English part time for six years at Bridgewater College. They moved into the Bridgewater Retirement Community in 2003 and are active at the Bridgewater Church of the Brethren. 2B1 Sharon Rae Whitten was born July 24, 1950 at Bethesda, in Montgomery Co. Maryland. She graduated from high school in Elgin in 1968 and attended Elmhurst College in Illinois. She married Ronald Robert Reich on June 19, 1970 at Elgin, Illinois. Ron was born in Chicago August 1, 1951. After residing for many years in Dundee, Illinois, they moved to New Hope, Virginia in 1991 where Ron owns a business as building and excavating contractor. Sharon received a degree from Blue Ridge Community College in Applied Science in Accounting and operates her own business, Skyline Taxes and Accounting. 2B11 Travis Marshall Reich was born May 19, 1979 in McHenry. Illinois. He served a year in BVS in Washington, D. C. Then he was married on June 28, 2003 to Katie Hebb, born May 31, 1980, at Staunton Virginia. They live in New Hope, where he is in partnership with his brother Lucas. Travis and his brother operate their own business, Accurate Excavating. They have four children. 2B111 Lilly Mae Reich, was born Nov. 8, 2007, New Hope, Virginia. 2B112 Reilly Harper Reich was born Nov. 19, 2009. New Hope. 2B113 Chloe Annabelle Reich was born Dec. 16, 2011. 2B114 Audrey Adel Reich born Dec. 13, 2013. 2B12 Natalie Rae Reich was born. Feb. 27, 1981 at McHenry, Ill. She was married November 28, 2002 to Tory Kemp, born June 25, 1969, in Harrisonburg, Va. Natalie is a cosmetologist and Tory graduated with a B. A. Degree in General Business. He is a Lighting and Recording Engineer.
72 The Bittinger Story
2B13 Lucas Nathaniel Reich was born September 22, 1983 at McHenry, Illinois. He graduated in 2007 from Bridgewater College with a degree in Allied Health Services. He lives in New Hope, Va., and partners with his brother in the Reich business. 2B2 Rhonda Leigh Whitten, was born Oct. 25, 1952 at Bethany Hospital in Chicago, Ill. She graduated from the Elgin, Illinois public schools in 1970. After attending Manchester College, Manchester, Indiana, she graduated from the University of Colorado in 1978 with a Bachelor’s Degree and then received her Masters Degree from Case Western University in Cleveland as a CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife) in 1993. She was married Nov. 3, 1979 to Philip Amadon, a Manchester College graduate. Phil was born October 16, 1952 in Stillwater, OK. He is now retired. They were divorced in 1995. Rhonda lives in Cincinnati and continues her nursing career. 2B21 Collin Whitten-Amadon was born October 27, 1980 in Cincinnati. He received a degree in Engineering from Northern Kentucky University. He was married June 6, 2010 to Huyen Nguyen. They live in Australia. 2B22 Christina Whitten-Amadon, was born August 10, 1983 at Cincinnati. She was a student at Morehead College in Kentucky and also took classes at Eastern Michigan University at Ann Arbor. She is currently working in nursing and lives in Cincinnati. 2B23 Casey Whitten-Amadon was born July 17, 1985 in Cincinnati. He graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor’s Degree and is in Law School at Ohio State University at Columbus, Ohio. 2B24 Corey Whitten-Amadon was born June 3, 1987 in Cincinnati. He has lived in Australia, New Zealand and in China where he is studied martial arts, Taoism, Chinese medicine and herb medicine at an ancient Taoist temple. He is currently continuing his education in Cincinnati. 2B3 David Allen Whitten, was born May 18, 1955 at Huntington, Indiana. After graduating from high school in Elgin, Illinois in 1973, he was in BVS at Gould Farm, Massachusetts where he met Kathryn Ann Baxter who also was in BVS. They were married July 3, 1976 in Kane County, Illinois and divorced in 2007. Kathy was born June 29, 1955 at Timonium, Md. and is the daughter of John Elston and Sara Wampler Baxter. David graduated with a Master’s Degree from Eastern Mennonite Seminary in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and then he served as Rural Development Consultant in Nigeria 1992-1994 and again as Mission Coordinator in 2006-8 for the Church of the Brethren General Board. He was pastor at the Moscow Church of the Brethren in the Shenandoah District, Virginia from 2000 until 2006. They had three children. He is remarried to Judith Demi and is a Church of the Brethren pastor at Waterloo, Iowa. They have one child, listed below. 2B31 Matthew John Whitten was born Dec. 31, 1980 in McHenry, Illinois and graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He served in BVS, one year in Washington, D. C. and two years in the Netherlands. He married Iva Richterova, of Prague, Czech Republic, June 27, 2009 where they live. He completed a MA of Ed from George Mason University and is Assistant Principal at the Prague British School. 2B311 Jacob John Whitten, born Feb. 18, 2010 in Prague.
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 73
2B312 Dominic Whitten, born Oct. 14, 2012 in Prague. 2B32 Darcy Allyn Whitten was born Mar. 12, 1983 at Cambridge, N. Y. She attended Roanoke College one year then volunteered two years in Americorps in Monterey, Mass. She graduated from College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine in 2007.m. Kevin Oakes. They currently live in Brunswick ME. 2B321 Meara Wren and 2B322 Finley Delphine. Born August 8, 2014. 2B33 Samuel Baxter Whitten was born Mar. 2, 1988 at Great Barrington, MA and attended New River Community College in Virginia. Sam is teaching ESL in Prague Czech Republic. In December 2007, David married in Judith Demi born in Nigeria. David and Judith have a daughter: 2B34 Zherina Demi Whitten, born Nov. 24, 2010. 2B4 Wendy Lou Whitten, born Oct. 27, 1956 at Elgin, Ill, and graduated from the Elgin Public Schools in 1974. She was married on Sept.25, 1992 at Elgin, Illinois to Fred Ortiz born Oct. 13, 1948 in Puerto Rico. After Fred retired as Police Commander for Bartlett, IL Police Dep’t, they moved to Grottoes, Virginia where he held a position as Ass’t. Chief of Police at Bridgewater College. Fred has a daughter, Heather Ortiz Lichtfus, born July 14, 1980. Wendy is a certified Nail Technician who has her own business. They have no children.
2C Annabelle Mae Bittinger, born Dec. 20, 1927 at Browntown, Virginia. She was married on August 30, 1949 to Rev. Charles Jerome Whitacre, born April 4, 1926, son of Rev. Jesse and Ruth Beahm Whitacre. Charles is a graduate in 1948 of Elizabethtown College and of Bethany Seminary in 1951. “Belle” attended Bridgewater College. They were pastor and wife all of their working lives, serving in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Denver, Colo., and as interim at McPherson, Ks. They retired in 1992 and reside at the “Cedars”, McPherson, Kansas. 2C1 Vickie Lynn Whitacre, born July 23, 1950, was married to Robert Stephen Paul Samland (Szamatowitz) on June 19, 1976. He was born Nov. 19, 1950. Vickie is a graduate of Bridgewater College and of Iliff Seminary in Denver. She is a Brethren minister and works as a professional mediator and trainer. Bob has been for many years a professional photographer and works for Time Warner Telecom, as Regional Coordinator. They reside in Edgewater near Denver, Colo. and have two children: 2C11 Peter Charles Samland, born Mar. 29, 1981 and married Aug. 9, 2003, to Amanda Wells, born July 30, 1979. 2C111 Annabelle Marie Samland was born Sept. 22, 2009. 2C112 Rebecca Kay Samland was born June 21, 2012. 2C12 Jeremy Stephen Samland, born Feb. 16, 1983, was married June 14, 2003 to Angela Dale Ellis, born Feb. 10, 1983. 2C121 Caleb Stephen Samland was born Dec. 2, 2003.
74 The Bittinger Story
2C122 Laila Samland was born March 18, 2012. 2C2 Linda Kay Whitacre, born Oct. 31, 1954, married Neal Ellis Lundquist, on June 24, 1979. . Linda was a graduate of McPherson College. Neal, born Sept. 7, 1946, works in sales. They lived in Lakewood, a suburb of Denver, Colo. She was a librarian secretary and was a part of a liturgical dance team connected with the Methodist Seminary. Linda suffered an early death from colon cancer on Jan. 31, 2009. Their children are: 2C21 Amy Lundquist; born 6- 26- 1971, Linda's stepdaughter, married Tyrone Hall. 2C211 Dayne Ellis Hall, born Sept. 16, 2003 in N. Y. 2C22 Joshua Ellis Lundquist, was born Jan. 1, 1986. 2C23 Ian Foster Lundquist, was born Nov. 5, 1989 at Newton, Kansas. 2C3 Sue Carol Whitacre, was born Mar.10, 1956. She is a graduate of McPherson College and was married to Jeff Quay on Aug. 26, 1978. He was born Aug. 8, 1955. Divorced. Sue is an artist and lives in Oregon, and is starting her own art business. 2C4 Christopher Jon Whitacre was born Sept. 10, 1958, Waynesboro, VA. and is a graduate of McPherson College. He was married to Kathryn Ann Frantz on Aug. 25, 1979. Kathryn is a daughter of Byron and Eula Frantz. Kathryn was born Oct. 12, 1959 and is Worship Coordinator of McPherson Church of the Brethren. Chris graduated from Bethany Theological Seminary and serves along with Kathryn as one of the three members of the pastoral team of the McPherson Church of the Brethren and also is Chaplain of The Cedars Retirement Village in McPherson, Kansas. Their children are, 2C41 Amanda Ruth Whitacre was born Dec. 10, 1997 at Moundridge, KS. 2C42 Ira Foster Whitacre was born Nov.18, 2001 at Newton, KS. 2C5 Karen Rae Whitacre, born Mar. 23, 1965, is a graduate of McPherson College, and was married to Roy Edward Winter on Mar. 24, 1985 s/o William and Margaret Winter. He was born on June 24, 1964. They lived for a while in Wichita, KS, where he was a school psychologist. Divorced. Karen works with SERRV. Roy was Executive Director of the Brethren Service Center and Brethren Disaster Ministries Director for several years, both domestic and international. He also is on the Executive Forum of the Church of the Brethren. Their children are: 2C51 Jesse Paul Winter was born Feb. 1, 1992. 2C52 Brady Michael Winter was born Sept. 16, 1994.
2D Mildred Ruth Bittinger, born Nov. 20, 1929 near Browntown, Va., died Dec. 25, 1929 in the log house that served as the pastor’s residence near the Browntown Church of the Brethren. While Mother Esther was still in bed from child birthing, Foster’s brother, William and Virginia (Cosner) Bittinger, were married at the foot of her bed.
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 75
2E Kathleen Ilda Bittinger, was born Aug. 9, 1932 at Browntown, Va. and died at Dillon, Co. Nov. 13, 1989. She was married, l) to Robert Eugene Wright, born Oct. 28, 1931 at Phillipsburg, Ohio, divorced, and 2) to Otto Wambolt on Aug. 11, 1967. Otto was born May 8, 1931 and died Nov. 7, 2001. They resided at Dillon, Colo. Otto was a builder and owner of rental properties, and Kathy was an artist and did the accounting for the business. Kathy had two stepsons belonging to Otto. After Kathy's death, Otto, now deceased, had remarried to Willie Mae and lived near Denver. 2E1 Gregory Allen Wambolt, born Oct. 31, 1958; married on May 22, 1985 to Vicki Louise Hammer, born Jan. 1, 18, 1955. 2E11 Daniel Clark Wambolt 2E12 Dustin Gregory Wambolt, born 10-09-87 2E13 Alisa Kathleen Wambolt, born 12-01-92 2E2 Todd Leland Wambolt, born Feb. 20, 1961, was married on July 19, 1980 to Jolynne Farnberg, born Dec. 14, 1962. 2E21 Jeffrey Leland Wambolt, born Dec. 24, 1981 2E22 Lindsay Kathleen Wambolt, born Jan.17, 1991 2E23 Ryan William Wambolt, born July12 1992.
3 William Harvey Bittinger, born 2-26-1904, baptized May 16, 1915, and died Nov.-20-1970; married on Nov. 20, 1929 to Virginia Esta Cosner, born 4-21-05, died 8-21-89. Virginia was a daughter of Elder William and Ella (Anderson) Cosner. They had an informally adopted daughter, Frances, and had two sons. They farmed the old Elder Will Cosner farm and were deacons in the Fairview Church of the Brethren, on the east side of Backbone Mountain in Garrett County, Md. This is the church that great grandfather, Moses Fike, faithfully nurtured and to which he walked regularly from Eglon to preach (at Fairview) across the mountain. 3A Frances Evelyn, born May 1,1928; died Mar. 28, 2012, married to Obed Wallace Hanlin, born April 12, 1925 and; died Nov. 2, 2001. Wallace was a son of Archiarial Obed and Luverna Steven Hanlin. They had no children, and lived on the large Hanlin home farm north of Route 50 west of Stony River on the flat just west of Stony River on Route Fifty. They are both deceased. The farm and the Hanlin family cemetery has been sold to a coal company. It had remained in the family since the early 1800s as shown on the original sheepskin deed dated 1790s and showing the original Lord Fairfax seal. It is now in possession of the coal company that purchased the farm for mining. 3B Harold William, born in Garrett County March 18, 1936, baptized Sept. 20, 1946 at Fairview Church and died Nov. 25, 2006. He had married June 11, 1955 Rayetta Jean Hanlin, daughter of Virgil W., and Mary Thelma (Curry) Hanlin. She was born Oct.1, 1936 at Cumberland, Md., and baptized July 21, 1954. Harold and his brother Carl farmed the old Cosner/Bittinger farm until the 1990s. They have two sons and an adopted daughter and son. Harold and Rayetta then sold the William Bittinger farm (formerly the Cosner farm) near Fairview, southern Garrett County, Maryland
76 The Bittinger Story
(jointly owned with a brother Carl) and moved to Port Charlotte, Florida. Harold died in a Florida Hospital from a hospital medical error. 3B1 Wayne Allen Bittinger, born Jan. 3, 1958, and baptized June 23, 1968. He married Marilyn Joy Wilt born Feb. 26, 1955. 3B11 Michael Wayne Bittinger, Feb. 12, 1980. 3B12 Christopher Allen Bittinger, twin of Michael, born Feb. 12, 1980, Oakland Md. 3B2 Jeffrey Lynn Bittinger, born March 18,1961, baptized Sept. 28,1969, married, 1) Susan Diane Breneman, born May 9, 1955, divorced; and 2) Susan Ann Landmore McFadden, born May 6, 1958; married 3) Patsy ______, June 2, 2007. 3B21 Justin Lynn Bittinger, born June 30, 1997 3B22 Eric Adwin McFadden, born April 5, 1986, of a previous marriage. They live near Oakland, Md. 3B3 Helen Mae Bittinger, adopted, born. Oct. 3, 1971, married Kevin Darius Fleming on Feb. 14, 1990, divorced. One child by Dwane Smith. Remarried Nov. 19, 1996 to Dennis Martin, born July 30, 1968. (Dennis had Christian and Jordan). 3B31 Faith Renee Smith, born Feb. 1, 1994. She lives at Dougville, Georgia. 3B4 Eric Allen Bittinger, born Sept. 9, 1979, and adopted at age six days of age. 3C Carl Leon Bittinger, born Feb. 13, 1941, on the Bittinger farm on Backbone Mountain, W. Va., died Jan. 24, 2008, married Nov. 21, 1964 to Shirley Rozella Liller, d/o Garrett Waldo and Gladys Lake Stemple Liller, born May 2, 1954. Carl suffered a crippling injury in the lumber industry, and lived as an invalid for many years, lovingly cared for by his wife Shirley. He died in 2008. Following the sale of the ancient Cosner/Bittinger farm dating from the Fairfax Survey; they lived at Mountain Lake, near Oakland, Md. 3C1 Vincent Carl Bittinger, born April 4, 1966. Married Nancy Carol Green on Nov. 21, 1964. Divorced. Vincent now lives at Port Charlotte, Fla. 3C2 Rebecca Lynn Bittinger born Sept. 7, 1974, was married on May 13, 1995 to Jason Harold Roth, born May 7, 1973. 3C21 Alicia Carrie Roth born Mar. 7, 1996. 3C22 Courtney Leigh Roth, born Dec. 31, 1999. They live at Oakland, Md.
4 Desmond Wright Bittinger, son of Jonas and Etta, was born Dec.14, 1905, baptized May 16, 1915, and died Nov. 5, 1991. He graduated from Elizabethtown College in 1927 and earned the Ph. D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania in anthropology and sociology. He was a CoB minister, Editor of the Gospel Messenger (1944-1950), Professor at McPherson College (1940-1944), President of McPherson College (1950-1965) and Chancellor of Chapman College in Orange California (1965-1975) where he operated and administered the World Campus Afloat,
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 77
a sea going ship that circled the globe each semester. He and Irene traveled with this ship eleven times. Other positions he held were: Missionary to Nigeria with his wife Irene, 1930-1938; Moderator of Annual Conference, 1951, 1958; Member of the Delegation of 15 Inter-Church, Inter-Religion International World Tour for Peace at the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Gandhi, January 1968. He married Irene Frantz, on June 15, 1927. She was born Nov. 13, 1905, died April 11, 2003, and was a daughter of Henry and Annie Lillie Merkel Frantz. For many years Desmond and Irene lived at Hill Crest Home at La Verne, CA. Around 2001, she moved to The Cedars at McPherson, Ks. Irene was a beloved missionary, mother, pastor’s wife, College President’s wife, teacher, and homemaker. After reaching the age of ninety, she mastered the use of a computer in order to write the story of her childhood and her exciting life with her husband Desmond. The book, A Century of Adventure, , 1998 is now out of print but available on the world-wide web. Their children are: 4A Beau Stanley Bittinger, born July 3, 1928 at Lima Ohio; baptized 1937; married August 28, 1949 to Vivian Irene Swihart at Roann, Ind., d/o of Ira E., and Orpha Rosenthal Swihart. She was born Feb. 6, 1928 at Roann, Ind. She earned B.A. Degree from Manchester College and masters degrees in Latin from the Univ. of Texas and in Spanish Literature from Texas A & M. She was a teacher most of her life. Stanley, a graduate of Mcpherson College, also earned a Ph.D. degree from the Univ. of Texas in 1967 and is a Church of the Brethren minister and a sociologist. He taught most of his career at Kingsville, Texas A & M. Prior to taking that position, he had been chairman of the Dep’t. of Sociology at La Verne College. Stanley’s varied experiences include: Chair of the faculty grievance committee for 15 years; leader of twice-yearly archaeology field trips to Mexico (194-1999); President of the Faculty Senate; Professor in the Doctoral Program in Bilingual Education; and pastor of the Falfurrias CoB at Falfurrias, Texas most of the time between 1955-2009; a member of the Church of the Brethren General Board two terms. Vivian and Stanley are both retired at Kingsville, Texas. 4A1 Steven Warner Bittinger, born May 19, 1952 at Castaner P. R.; is a computer analyst at Canberra, Australia. He was married June 15, 1974 to Donna Atkins, born Feb. 20, 1950 and divorced June 1998. Steven and Donna had two children. 4A11 Morgan Keith Bittinger was born Mar. 26, 1976 at Austin, Tex., and, 4A12 Logan Dennis Bittinger was born Oct. 14, 1977 at San Antonio, TX and is married to Sophie. Both are medical doctors in Melbourne, Australia. Their children are 4A121 Lincoln Bittinger born 2010 (?) 4A122 Franklin Bittinger, born 2012 4A2 Craig R. Bittinger, born Oct. 28, 1953 at Castaner, P. R.; married July 7, 1975 to Patricia Asnes, born Feb. 10, 1944. Craig is a Psychologist retired from Austin State Mental Hospital, living Fredericksburg, Texas.
78 The Bittinger Story
4A21 Molly Asnes Bittinger was born Dec. 2, 19?? At Austin, TX. Molly was married in June, 1997 to Tommy Birrell, born Dec. 26, 1967. 4A211 Sage Birrell, born Feb. 1998 4A212 Seth Birrell, was born Mar. 15, 1999, at Austin TX. 4A22 Michael Benjamin Bittinger was born Mar. 14, 1977 at Kingsville, Texas and lives in Austin. He was married to Carol Forney on Jan. 2013. They work as administrator and teacher at the state school for the blind in Texas. 4B Patricia Louise Bittinger, born Dec. 25, 1930 in Garkida, Africa; baptized in 1937; married June 1, 1950 in Elgin, Ill., to Irven Fike Stern born Mar. 8, 1928 at Fredericksburg, Iowa, d. Oct. 20, 2014. He is a son of Roy E., and Ethel Fike Stern. Patricia has served with her husband as Church of the Brethren pastors and as District Executives, with most recent assignments in California. They retired at the Cedar Homes at McPherson, Ks. Both now deceased. Their children are: 4B1 Gayle Annetta Bittinger, born Nov. 7, 1952 in Chicago; married 1) on Dec. 29, 1970 to Larry Keith Howard (divorced 1973) and married 2) on May 30, 1975 to Donald Jay Bartel at Goessel, Ks. He was born Feb. 24, 1953, [died on June 30, 1975?]. They lived in Augusta, Ks. 4B11 Joshua Keith Howard Bartel, born Feb. 5, 1972, adopted by Donald. 4B12 Jeremiah J. Bartel, born July 18, 1976 at Goessel, Ks. 4B2 Gary Alan Bittinger born Jan. 8, 1956 at Lassa, Nigeria; married June 21, 1975 to Rae Jean Enz born Aug. 30, 1953 daughter of Harold and Glenda Hassman Ensz at Hutchinson Ks. 4B21 Jason Bittinger, born Aug.19, 1980 at San Diego, CA. 4B22 Sabrina Rae Bittinger, born Oct. 22, 1983 at San Diego, CA. 4B3 Susan Irene Bittinger, born Nov. 14, 1960, Garkida, Nigeria; married June 5, 1982 to Bryan Boyer born at Anaheim, CA., on June 24, 1958 son of James and Margaret Griffith Boyer. Susan has served as CoB pastor at North Manchester, Ind. and is currently is a pastor at LaVerne, Ca. 4B31 Matthew Boyer, born Mar.18, 1987 at Michigan City, Ind. 4B32 Brett Alexander Boyer, born Aug. 13, 1990 at Wabash, Ind. 4C Richard Desmond Bittinger, born Dec. 15, 1937 in Garkida, Nigeria; he married on June 14, 1958 in South English, Iowa, to Sarah Ann Coffman, born Apr. 6, 1936, daughter of Virgil and Ruth Sharp Coffman. Divorced Jan. 1, 1982. Richard is a graduate of Manchester College (1958) and Indiana University where he earned the Ph.D. Degree in1968. He has been a teacher, a college Professor and was employed as a Manager and Organization Effectiveness Consultant in Oregon. 4C1 David Marlo Bittinger was born May 7, 1960, Lawrence Ks. 4C2 Jill Diane Bittinger was born Apr. 15, 1963, Weehawken, N. J. 4C3 Lisa Ann Bittinger was born Feb. 25, 1965, Wabash, Ind. Lisa has a son 4C31 Alexander David Bittinger was born April 27, 1989.
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 79
Richard married Nila Wimmer on Oct. 1, 1994; divorced; married Bette ______in 2001. 4D Marianne Bittinger, born Feb. 15, 1941, McPherson, Ks.; married 1) June 1, 1960 to R. Lyle Dobson, born Dec. 27, 1936, divorced 1972; married 2) on Feb. 2, 1974 to Harlan Francis, born Mar.16, 1944, son of Bert and Harriet Francis. Lyle is now deceased. Marianne graduated from McPherson College, attended Bethany Seminary. Children: 4D1 Jennifer Renata Dobson, born Oct. 14, 1963, Chicago. She married Michael Dekel on Dec. 18, 1988 in Los Angeles. He was born Mar. 17, 1960 in Chicago, son of Jacob and Judy Kleinfeld. 4D11 Zachary Dekel was born Mar. 20, 1990. 4D12 Jordan Matthew Dekel was born Mar. 24, 1993. 4D2 Peter Eric Dobson, born Nov. 26, 1965 at Hagerstown, Md. He was married on Dec. 28, 1988 to India Marvin, born Apr. 27,196 in Troy, N. Y.
5 Playford Alonza Bittinger, born 11-4-1908, died. 9-30-1936. He was a college graduate and a West Virginia forest ranger. He was married on April 11, 1931 to Helen Minnie Rumer, born July-25-1912, and they had one child. They were members of the Church of the Brethren. After Playford's premature death from colon cancer, Helen was married to Clair H. McDeavitt, now deceased, and they lived in retirement in Florida. As of 2001, Clair had died, and Helen is in a retirement home in Florida. Helen and Playford had one child, 5A Roberta Jean Bittinger, born July 30, 1933. 6 Ruth Lucile Bittinger, born 6-23-1915, died 7-23-1963. She was married Clinton Irving Heckert, born 10 11-1912, died Jan. 3, 2006 and they lived first at Beverly, W. Va., then the rest of their lives at Elgin, Ill., where Clinton was employed by the Brethren Publishing House. After Ruth's death, Clinton was married again to Mildred Etter. Both are now deceased. 6A Jean Louise Heckert, b. Apr. 12, 1937 at Beverly, W. Va. She married on July 1, 1956 to Charles Arthur Mionske, of Palatine, ILL. He was born May 24, 1936, the son of Jarles R. and Carolyn Fehlman Mionsk, d. July 14, 2015. They reside at Island Lake, Ill. 6A1 Susan Marie Mionske, born Apr. 29, 1957 at Waukegan, Ill., 6A2 Sandra Sue Mionske, born June 27, 1958 at Libertyville, Ill. 6B David Clinton Heckert, born Dec. 31, 1939 at Beverly, W. VA. He was married Dec. 27,1964 at Columbus, Ohio, to Rebecca Jean Farringer, born Oct. 8, 1944, d/o Dean and Julia Brightbill Farringer. 6B1 Andrew Bittinger Heckert, born May 7, 1971 (adopted at Oxford, Oh.) 6B2 Benjamin James Heckert, born Nov. 10, 1975, Oxford, Oh. He married Kara, and they have a daughter, 6B21 Breena Faith Heckert, born Oct. 17, 2001.
80 The Bittinger Story
6C James Bittinger Heckert, born Dec. 21, 1945 died July 8, 2002 at Elgin, Ill. Married June 20, 1969 at Elizabethtown, Pa., 1) to Roberta Fae Kopp born Mar. 19, 1945, at Lancaster, Co., d/o Benjamin and Ethel Gebhart Kopp, and 2) Jeane. The children of J. B. and Fae are: 6C1 Amy Ruth Heckert, born Oct. 13, 1970 at Elgin, Ill., and 6C2 Aaron David Heckert, born June 19, 1973 at Elgin, Ill.
Updated 5-21-16 Emmert F. Bittinger, Bridgewater, Va.
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 81
Emmert, Virginia, mother Esther Bittinger Spangler and Annabelle at the Bittinger Reunion in Maryland, circa 1980
Bittinger, Maryland Fire Department
82 The Bittinger Story
Stemples Ridge School, circa 1919
where Foster Bittinger taught at age 18, near Arora, WV, about 3 miles west of Eglon,
Eglon Cemetery
Burial location for Foster and Esther Bittinger and other family members
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 83
1980 Bittinger Heritage Tour Maple Spring Church, Eglon, WV
2002 Bittinger Cousins Reunion Blackwater Falls State Park, WV
Esther & Emmert Bittinger, Patti & Irven Stern, Richard Bittinger & wife, David Heckert & Rebecca, Jean & Chuck Mionske, Virginia & Hugh Whitten, Stanley & Vivian Bittinger, Annabelle & Charles Whitacre
84 The Bittinger Story
2009 Bittinger Family Reunion Estes Park, CO
2013 Bittinger Family Reunion, Lake Junaluska, NC
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 85
2013 Bittinger Family Reunion Siblings Virginia, Annabelle and Emmert with their spouses Hugh, Charlie and Esther
2016 Bittinger Reunion at Blackwater Falls State Park, WV
86 The Bittinger Story
THE OLD BITTINGER FARM THE OLD BOHAM (BÖHM) –HOPKINS – ARNOLD – BITTINGER – MILLER – WINTERS – LEWIS FARM at EGLON, WV When Jonas Bittinger died in 1938, Rev. Foster Bittinger and family occupied the farm and served as executor of the estate which was settled two or three years later. The family then moved from the farm to Westernport, Md., in January of 1941 where father served as pastor of the Westernport- Frostburg Churches of the Brethren. He sold the old Bittinger farm to Dr. Harold and Blanche Miller.
Dr. Harold Miller’s ancestors had arrived many decades earlier at what was later called the German Settlement and later still Eglon. The Millers bought and lived on the adjoining land. After the Bittingers moved to Westernport. Their daughter, Bonnie Jean and husband, Claude Winters, then lived on the farm. Their daughter, Lewis Lewis, now lives on the farm and helps care for her mother, Bonnie Jean Winters who has Alz. They still live on the old Bittinger farm.
Linda Winters Lewis wrote to Mrs. Ludwick of Bridgewater last year: “I found this letter [reproduced below] in some of Mom's history files, but when I tried scanning and copying it, it was toofaint to read. Maybe you could copy this and pass it along to Emmert.”
When we visited the farm on the occasion of the 2016 family reunion, we were hosted by Claude and his daughter Linda. The old farm house is gone. The land where it stood is nicely landscaped. A pond is located where the old house used to stand. The current home stands a few yards westward near the spring that supplied water to the house and farm animals.
We visited the barn. It is not revealed who built the old large structure. I presume it was built by Mr. Hopkins who owned a slave family and hoped to prosper greatly and fill the vast structure and get rich.
As we entered the barn, it appeared very familiar to me. I even remembered the repair I made to a missing rung on the ladder! The piece that I nailed to the ladder to replace the missing rung was too long and sticks out on each side! It was not shortened as I had no saw at hand to use.
The old Elementary School once stood a hundred yards or so west of Dr. Miller’s home and office (hat recently burned to the ground. The old school house we children attended is gone, a causualty of the school consolidation program. Both Claude and Bonnie Jean had been classmates in this schoolhouse on 19338-40.
* * * “Family Record of the Hopkins Family”
Bonnie Jean Winter’s letter shared by Linda Winters Lewis
[Emmert’s additions and comments are in brackets]
Levi Hopkins, born July 10 1814, was from England. Anna Maria Rinehart, born August 13, 1818, was joined in holy matrimony on May 18, 1837 and lived on hat is now “the old Bittinger farm”
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 87 until they died. They had a colored man working for them. He said "When I die, I want to be buried at Morsa’s [Massa's] feet," and he “was buried up there.” The cemetery is located a hundred yards or so northward of the house.
Levi Hopkins did not live to be old. Their children were: George Hopkins (July 12, 1838), John Hopkins (Nov 12, 1840), David E. Hopkins (Mar. 7, 1842); Elizabeth A. Hopkins (July 27, 1843) Jacob W. Hopkins (Jan. 12, 1845), Sarah C. Hopkins, (Oct. 7, 1846), and Susannah C. Hopkins (May 1, 1848).
After the death of Levi Hopkins, both “Booham and Nitchen” married Rinehart girls. Later, John Hopkins came into possession of the farm, living here from 1830 to 1850. His widow f married Abe Wotring, and they lived up at Horse Shoe Run in a little log house. Buried at the farm were: Levi Hopkins, Levi Jr., Black Charlie, and Levi Jr.'s son, John.
As I remember as a youth living there in 1939, the cemetery had no markers and was identified only by sunken grave site sites at the north end of our garden.
According to the History of the Eglon Commnity written by Clinton Heckert (privately published in 1933), the following is found: “A man by the name of Booham [Böhm] and another by the name of Nitchen [?] setttled around 1810 on the farm later known as the Hopkins or Felty farm, now called the “Old Bittinger Farm”). Thisname came to be used after it wasr owned by Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger ca. 1910. This is farm is where they raised their family.
[Both the Miller and “Boham” [Böhm] families had come to Eglon from the “Beavrt Dam Settlement” located in eastern Frederick County near Johnsville and New Windsor.Maryland. Böhms were “Dunkers” whose ancestors are buried in the ancient Beaver Dam Old Brethren Cemetery where their stones spell the name variably as “Bom”, “Bohm” and Boham) with other variations as well. This cemetery can be seen with names by using an internet search engine. eg. Maryland, old Beaver Dam Brethren Cemetery. See also, Names in Stone; 75,000 Cemetery Inscriptions in Frederick and Carroll Counties, Maryland, by Jacob M. Holdcraft, (Monocacy Book Company; Redwood City, CA, 94064); Vol., I., 149-163. Bittinger names can also be seen on these and other pages. See also, Clinton Heckert, History of the Eglon Community; a small, privately printed booklet published in 1933 and long out of print.
For a more complete history of the Maple Spring Church at Eglon, see, Bittinger, Allegheny Passage; Churches and Families of the West Marva District. Reprinted in 2010 by West Marva District Church of the Brethren, 384 Dennett Road, Oakland, Maryland, 21550.]
The Bohm name is derived from the ancient Böhm family of Germany where they debated with the Brethren over the doctrine of “Inspirationalism”. See the Brethren Encyclopedia for discussions of both the family and the doctrininal issue.
In an obscure graveyard on this Bohm-Hopkins-Bittinger farm is buried also John Hopkins, his wife, and a slave, a sister of Len and Will Wotring, and four others. On one of these graves there has grown a maple tree that is twelve inches in diameter. As requested, the slave was buried at the foot of his master. These graves may be seen as the grave markers are still standing as they were placed there many decades ago. [This was no longer true in 1939. When Foster’s and Esther’s family returned to the farm, the markers were not standing but the sunken graves were visible.]
88 The Bittinger Story
Felty sold a part of his farm to a man by the name of Miller. [Dr. Harold Miller’s ancestor was from Conewago, Beaver Dam Church where, a Harold Miller, possibly his father, is buried.]. The first Eglon Muller is said to have been of Swiss originsr and was a brother-in-law of Bohm (Boehm or Boehm). On this Miller piece of ground is buried this man by the name of “Booham”. This piece of land [was] owned by Grant Judy and [joined] the east edge of the Bittinger-Winter land. It apparently had originally belonged to the tract purchased by Boham and Miller.
D.C. and Jake Stemple bought this farm at a sale in 1887. Since then Aaron Miller, Alva Thompson, Josiah Hostetler and Albert Arnold have owned it. A cement watering trough is now located on the spot where once stood an old cider mill that used two round mill stones. It was located near by, about one hundred feet distant. The circular stone that was used to mash the apples may yet be seen. Once used as a stepping stone, it is now being used in the wall of the current residence of the Winters family. [Emmert remembers this millstone when it was located just outside the yard gate as a part of the path way leading to the great barn.]
“John Felty lived here after Hopkins died. When a cooperative store was organized in Eglon, Felty decided to” break up” that store so he could put himself up a store in the corner directly opposite of where Hamstead's Hotel is now located. However, he failed to achieve his aim. A store was later built there owned and operated by Rev. Ezra Fike. This is the store of our memory. They gave credit to their customers of good reputation. I remember that as we walked to the village to meet the school bus that would carry us to Aurora High School, we would carefully carry several dozens of freshly washed eggs to the Fike store. Mr. Fike would carefully count them and add their credit value to the family account! At the end of the month, Father would settle his accounts.
Eglon also had a mill for grinding grain for fodder and and cow feed. We would make regular trips to the Eglon mill with the farm wagon to haul this grain. The town also had a blacksmith who kept a hot forge. Farmers often made emergency trips to the smithy in order to have broken tools or farm equipment mended.
This blacksmith doubled as a dentist. When local people during the busy season developed a severe enough tooth ache, they would resort to the strong arm of the blacksmith to have him pull the offending tooth, Many years later in 1955 when I had returned to Eglon for a visit, was told that the driveway of the smithy’s house was paved with teeth! On that occasion I visited that family and that this story was true. I dug my heel into the driveway gravel. Numerous teeth were made visible. The blacksmith always had the suffering patient sit in the chair by the window. After pulling the tooth, he would open the window and toss the tooth into the driveway! It was not revealed which one of his smithy tools he would use for the pulling!
This is how the “fables of history” are sometimes shown to be true!
The cemetery of the small village of Eglon has a special place in Bittinger hearts. It is the final resting place of our deceased Bittinger ancestors. Many Fike and Bittinger stones stand there, including the parents of the writer and his family. Our own Bittinger stones stand there, including my parents, in the Bittinger family plot. Although Esther and I do not wish to speed up the inevitable, our head sstone stands waiting there. In a few years, it will mark the final resting place of our ashes. The urns that will fulfill their task, having already been purchased, are stored in our home.
Other important cemeteries are nearby. The first church cemetery is located south and east a quarter mile. It accommodates the older generations, including the graves of Grandmother Etta’s
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 89 father, Moses Fike and his wives. This cemetery became full and crowded which initiated the “upper Cemetery” to be created, and which accommodates the Bittinger plot. The old Fike Cemetery (preceding the two church cemeteries) is located near the site of the long gone “Orphans Home” and is also closer to the Old Fike family Cemetery. Here is where the earliest pioneers rest in peace.
The village of Eglon in Preston County, West Virginia still retains many fearures typical of many small pioneer villages. Its isolation on the highlands of the Alleheny Plateau is alleviated, however, by its location only two miles from national highway Route 50. It is only 12 mile distant from Oakland, the county seat of Garrett County Maryland. This town’s busy train station accommodates several freight and passenger trains each day. Only the nearby Old Order Community still farm with horses and follow the folkways of their sacred past.
The small two-room elementary school at Eglon with its small assembly room, accommodated perhaps 50 0r 60 students and eight grades in its two small classrooms. John Teets, a Brethren member, and a lady whose name I have forgotten, were the teachers. I attended the eighth grade in this iconic, old hip-roofed building. The students, mostly Brethren, carried the names, Bittinger, Fike, Teets, Miller, Slaubaugh, Ritchie, and so on. These were boys and girla that populated our local Brethrrn church and Sunday School Classes. My first year of high school was experienced at nearby Aurora along national Route 50.
Few secrets remained untold in auch a closely knit community of Eglon. Students as well as adults enjoyed the common pastime of gossiping and telling the latest family incidents making the rounds. Telephones played an increasing role in the spreading of news, good or bad. Telephone “Central” was located in Eglon across from the Gike store. The faithful lady who operated the central telephone “central” not only made the requested phone connections but monitered the “news” as well. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of community events! She often assisted in seeing that urgent messages were safely sent. The primitive telephone system was heavily used.
It was an accepted custom for the twelve families sharing our own party line to lift the receiver on the wall phone and listen in each time it rang. Phone numbers were well remembered. The Bittinger family phone “ring” was “three shorts and a long!” The village and surrounding farms comprised a closely knit community of inter-related families who had genuine concern for each other. The sharing of important items of common interest seemed almost obligatory. Such sharing was accepted without resentment, often proving crucial in emergency situations.
Funerals and evangelistic meetings were well attended, not only by members but other residents of the community. Few other “entertainments” were available. The Eglon Maple Spring ministers were well known for their active pulpit manner, their pulpit pounding, and their urgent warnings of the horrors of hell and damnation. They used these and other effective methods of persuading every unchurched listener to answer the pulpit call! The congregation was very evangelistic. This included the founding of several affiliated nearby churches and the sending of missionaries abroad. Lay ministers were called to fill these pulpits, though not all of these affiliated churches were “evergreen,” (open in the winter).
The ministers mostly were chosen from the from the prominent families of the Congregation, includring Arnold, Abernathy , Bittinger, Fike, Muller, Harsh, Spaid and a host of others, all expected to serve without pay. For a full list of ministers along with a history of the church, see Chapter 14 and page 500 of Allegheny Passage.
90 The Bittinger Story
Jonas H. Bittinger, who married Etta Fike, [she was a daughter of Brethren minister Moses Fike], then bought the old Bőhm/Bittinger farm”. Jonas died in 1938. The Foster and Esther Bittinger family then lived on it with his family until the estate was settled in 1940. Dr. Harold Miller of Eglon, descendant of the original Eglon Miller family of Beaver Dam, then bought it for his daughter, Bonnie Jean and her husband Claude Winters. They still own the farm as described above.
[My sisters and I can still remember the giant sugar maple trees that stood in a semi circle around the house and barn. These trees have since died and been cut down. They stood on the hill above the house and barn as if they were great, guarding sentinels surrounding the home and farm buildings below. We children loved to attach sections of heavy barn ropes to the great limbs and swing out over the slope of the hill, to a height of twenty or twenty-five feet.
Scarcely recognizable today, the Hopkins family burial place has around four or so indentations in the ground, including the graves of Hopkins and his slave. Perhaps Levi Jr. or John that were buried here as well, but who knows? The stones have been leveled, and the cows were pasturing on the area when the Bittingers lived there. Mrs. Lewis, Bonnie Jean’s daughter, suggests that it would be fitting to have “a plaque or marker placed there.” 56
There are two millstones-- one 5 feet across, and one almost 2 feet in diameter. They are incorporated into the field stone covering Dad and Mom's (Claude and Bonnie’s) house They apparently are all that remains cider mill that were located on the farm. (Note from Mrs. Jean Lewis).
I had asked Mrs. Lewis to research the history of the “Old Bittinger Farm”’ at the Courthouse at Oakland, which she kindly did. I credit her for sequencing the ownership from its beginning to the present. Many thanks to her. She writes below:
“I've been meaning to send this information for some time, but just haven't done it. Finally got the garden 'out' and sowed down at the end of September [2016], and the canning season is over! I filled about 300 qt. and pt. jars with garden produce and apples (sauce) this summer. Despite the dry summer, the garden did very well. We need rain before it gets cold enough to snow”!
(Farm ownership sequence shared by Linda Lewis, 2016.) Emmert F. Bittinger, MA Ph.D. December 6, 2016; 12 -23-2017
56 Mrs Lewis kindly shared some of the above information concerning the families that lived there and the comments about the cemetery. Much gratitude to her. She also helps care for Bonnie Jean Winters who is an unvalid.
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 91
CHILDREN OF MOSES AND SOPHIA (RUDOLPH) FIKE And the places of their residence. (Wilma Weybright and Emmert compiled the information)
1. John, (1861-1861). 2. Saloma (1862-1957) m. Fred Slaubaugh s/o John. They lived on the right off 219 down a lane near Gnegy Church (between Red House and Silver Lake). 3. Silas R. (1864-1931) m. Matilda Slaubaugh d/o John Slaubaugh. Their farm was located on Cash Valley Road on left near Route 219. 4. Washington (1867-1957) m. 1) Deliliah Johnson and 2) Georgiana Helmick Knotts. Their farm was located east of Brookside, turn north on Old Mill Road, pass mill and follow on down the road to farm on left with a fenced lane. 5. Phebe Jane (1870-1891) m. Henry Musser in 1890. Their only child was Ida who married Roy Shillingburg. The Shillingburgs lived along north side of Rt. 50 east of Brookside. Henry Musser later married Phebe’s sister Stella. 6. Esther (1872-1873) 7. Stella (1874-1956) m. Henry Musser in 1893. Henry Musser first lived on Cash Valley Road but moved to the road that goes from Route 50 past Daniel Spaid’s farm, and between Rte 50 and Spaids. 8. Etta Mary (1877-1972) m. Jonas Bittinger s/o David and Mary Boger (Bougher) Bittinger of Accident, Md. They lived for two years on the Boger farm then moved to a farm at Accident, W. Va. near Horseshoe Run, then to the “old Bittinger farm” that bears their name on the hill above Eglon, now owned by Claude and Bonnie Jean Winters, parents of Jean Lewis. 9. Ora May (1881-1969) m. John J. Slaubaugh s/o Jacob and Martha Arnold. They lived on the right side of the road from Eglon to Thomas near Silver Lake after you pass the barn with horses painted on the barn doors. 10. Cora Ruth (1881-1950) m. John Bittinger, d. 1918. He was a brother of Jonas, s/o of David and Mary Boger (Bougher) Bittinger from Accident Md. They lived down the Old Mill Road past the farm of Washington Fike after you cross the small stream, the farm on the right. Brothers married sisters! 11. Ai W. (1885-1971) m. Elizabeth Crowe in 1903. They lived on the farm at the intersection just east of the Eglon Cemetery owning land on both sides of the road. 12. Alma (1888-1888) 13. Julius (1889-1890) After the death of Sophia Rudolph (Dec. 16, 1843-Dec. 21, 1903), Moses married:
92 The Bittinger Story
2) Apr. 19, 1905 to Rebecca Beeghly, (Feb. 2, 1847-July 13, 1927). Rebecca was a daughter of Elder Jacob Beeghley, Jr. of the Bear Creek Congregation of Accident, Md. She was a sister of Elder Jeremiah Beeghley, lifelong minister of the Bear Creek Congregation. 3) Oct. 15, 1928 to Betty Cornwell Digman who died at an unknown age in 1942, surviving Moses by 8 years. Betty was the widow of Elder Thomas Digman of the Dunkard Church at Swallow Falls, Md. Emmert F. Bittinger, MA, PhD. July 2014; Aug. 2, 2017
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 93
A FIKE FAMILY HISTORICAL ESSAY Other sources for Fike genealogy are, Merilyn Morrow’s Christian Fike book and Bittinger, Allegheny Passage, and Fike, History of the Eglon Congregation, and Elder Emra T. Fike, History and Ancestry of the Fikes, 1725-1927, a small booklet of eleven pages. The oldest one is a little booklet by Eld. Emra T. Fike written in 1927, one of the ministers of the Maple Soring Congregation, Preston County, West Virginia. I knew him as a young lad of 13 and 14 when our family lived on the Jonas and Etta Bittinger farm at Eglon. He was one of the more than half dozen or so ministers of the congregation that filled the regular appointments within the large congregation that still had a half dozen or so outlying preaching points. He was a plain-dressed, conservative Dunker who had a trimmed beard. Elder Fike was a studious family genealogist who had devoted many years of his spare time writing to relatives about Fike history and talking with the older Fike survivors. He had accumulated a large box or shelf of Fike letters and documents. After his wife passed away, he decided to remarry. Unfortunately, his wife had no interest in, perhaps even despised, his incessant letter-writing and his piled up desk and stacks of papers. When he predeceased his second wife, it was reported in the community that she gathered up the stacks of letters and documents into bushel baskets, took them to the garden and burned them. Thus she “cleaned up his messy office.” What treasures were destroyed in this event we can only imagine! There is one happily fortunate part to this story. Elder Fike had found time in his busy life to write and print several small paper-back histories of Fike family ministers and ancestors. Many years ago the present writer was lucky enough to obtain a copy or two of these small booklets. They likely were among my father’s books, some of which I had obtained after his death in 1959. One of them was titled “History of the Fikes”. Inside this small booklet is a picture of the Fike home in Fayette County where they lived before coming to Eglon in Preston County. The picture was of the home of Christian Feig, Jr., one of the sons of Christian Fike (Feig), Sr. John, the eldest son, had been named Executor of his father’s will when the will was written in 1771, two years before his father died. After his father’s death in 1773, his son John was in charge of the settlement of the estate. As part of his duties of distributing assets, he made a trip to Germany. Although we do not know the precise nature of the task connected with his duty, we may presume that assets were due close relatives in Germany needing to receive distributions by the Executor. The location in Germany is not indicated, but many Feigs lived at and near Schwarzenau where the Brethren had organized themselves in 1708. This is where the Brethren celebrated their 300th Anniversary in 2008. When he returned in 1773, he brought with him several families whose descendants would help to populate the community of Eglon that had taken on the informal title of the “German Settlement” because the adults were still speaking the language of their parents and ancestors! John returned to Philadelphia Port on August 3, 1773 on the ship, Sally, accompanied by the Roudolph family. (S&H, Vol. I, pp. 748-9), This is the family line that produced Sophia who married Moses Fike, our great grandfather, and Rebecca who married Elder Aaron Fike, both of Maple Spring Church. So they are in our ancestral line of descent!
94 The Bittinger Story
Feick families were already present in Pennsylvania since 1745. Their settlement in western Pennsylvania allowed them to be discovered by Evelyn Morrow who included the family in her Fike Family book. Elder Fike, without naming any printed sources, and possibly relying only on oral history, provides the earliest known printed Fike ancestry and is commented on below. Undoubtedly, Elder Fike was including Fike information obtained through his extensive correspondence with older Fikes families whom he came to know on his ministerial trips and incessant correspondence. He did not have the extensive resources that historians rely upon today. He possibly had discovered the line from which he descended! Sadly, we have little of what he had found out. From the clues in Elder Fike’s small booklet, the writer made an attempt to learn more by doing his own research based on comments on this small booklet of 1927. This also may be compared with the massive Fike history by Merilyn Morrow. Today, historians can access via internet libraries and books all over the woeld. Elder Fike wrote: “We will begin with Peter Fike Sr.’s great grand-father [un-named] who came from Hanover57 Germany and was Amish by Faith and a weaver by trade. [There was a weaver colony near Germantown.] His son Christian, Sr. [died 1771] of which nothing is known except that he settled near Reading in Pennsylvania and had three sons, John, Jacob and Christian Jr. John and Jacob settled in Fayette County. Christian, Jr., was born in 1761 and died in1851. He age was 89 years. He was born in New Hanover Twp in Montgomery County at the western edge of Philadelphia seven months and twenty-nine days at his death. He had remained in Somerset County. The latter two counties are in southwest Pennsylvania. The Bittingers, Frantzes and Livengoods apparently remained Amish during this period, becoming Brethren in Somerset County. (The family of Christian Fike, Sr., above, is found on page one of Mrs. Morrow’s book and is the beginning of her massive Fike book.). Lists of descendant families are found on succeeding pages. She does not describe the immigration of the family or say much about their origin. The purpose of the present article is to trace back to the Fike immigrant ancestors in order to discover their origin in Germany and their arrival in America. This information may be also obtained in other Fike essays that I have written. Elder Emra continues, “He [Christian, Jr.] was married to Christina Livengood, born March 1, 1770 and died May 6, 1857. Her parents lived in the forest where now stands west Salisbury, Pennsylvania where for a time they lived under an oak tree and where her (Christina’s) sister was born. Christian Fike, Jr., and Christina were members of the Elk Lick German Baptist Brethren Church [now CoB] for fifty years at Salisbury, Somerset County.” This couple is ancestral to the Eglon Fike families that Elder Emra Fike mentioned in his three or more small booklets.
57 Elder Fike had apparently confused New Hanover at Philadelphia with Hanover Germany. New Hanover Township at the edge of Philadelphia is where immigrants dresh off the ships oftenstayed temporally while they gained their bearings in an utterly new and different setting! Local families often offered temporary hospitality.
Chapter III – The Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger Family 95
They are buried in the Livengood-Keim family cemetery on their farm a short distance southwest of Salisbury where Livengood farmed and operated a small store called “Dent and Bent”. Elder Livengood, Sr., had moved from Berks County in 1769 and carved this farm out of the wilderness with his own labor and that of his sons and daughters. They spent their first winter under an oak tree and were vulnerable to the winter winds and snows. He kept a record book in which he records the patrimonies and legacies with which he established his sons and daughter at the time of their marriages. (The Fike clan of Eglon descends from Christian Fike Sr., of Chester County near Reading, Pennsylvania. The children are named with their spouses in Elder Emra”s booklet; also in Mrs. Morrow’s fine book, Christian Fike and His Descsndants, 1986. Elder Emra does not, however, name the immigrant. Elder Fike also wrote a booklet about Elder Aaron Fike of Eglon. The last page ends with the little rhyming verse the family used to sing together. Arranged in verses, the rhyme goes like this, “Dad and Mam, Sis and Sam, Dave and Lit, Teen and Mare, Ann and Lane, Mose and Aaron.” After a lengthy search of ship lists, I found a “Peter” Fike (Feige/Fisck/ Feige) in the list of the ship William that arrived October 31, 1737. His name was written in ship’s list (List A) immediately under the name “Joseph Ficus, as “Peter Ditto,”58 meaning Peter Ficus. (Vol. I, p.194). By writing the name as “Peter Ditto”, the clerk was simply following a habitual time-saving habit that avoided the necessity of spelling and writing unfamiliar Germanic names. It was a technique that the clerk often used. It referred to “Peter Ficus.” Apparently being under age, Peter did not need to sign List B or take the oath of loyalty in List C. It is not indicated whether Peter was a brother or son of Joseph. Speculatively, Joseph’s wife may have died, and he wished to take his son to Pennsylvania to begin his life anew. The “us” ending of the name suggests a possible Catholic background. On the ship list, Joseph and Peter were next to John Nicholas Fischer who was of a relative family. Usually the father or older brother registered the family and under-age members. Often the names of women and under age passengers were simply omitted from the lists, making the lists quite incomplete. These Fike names above are among the earliest Fike references so far discovered. We cannot say with full confidence that this Peter was the one Elder Emra was referring to; neither can we deny it, having no evidence either way. Apparently, he was the earliest known Fike immigrant. Elder Emra Fike stated the Fike origin as Hanover. Hanover was one of the ports of departure in the north of Germany. The ship Captain’s record, however, reveals that the ship had sailed from Amsterdam, a much more likely point of departure, located near the mouth of the Rhein River below Schwarzenau. This is where many Fike (Feige) families lived along the Eder River, then, and today as well, is a relatively short distance up the Rhein and a few miles north of the Rhein.
58 The use of the capitalized word “Ditto” may be somewhat puzzling to the reader. Consequently, I have not capitalized it. The port registrar made a similar use of the term “ditto: in the same list on the same page where he evidently also meant “same as preceding”. The index renders the name as Peter Ficus, a Latinized form of the name.
96 The Bittinger Story
The writer suspects that Elder Fike’s mention of Hanover, Germany as the origin of the Fikes may be a misunderstanding on his part. Each Captain had to provide a list of passengers for the port authorities. This list also named the port of departure, and some reading such lists often wrongly conclude that the port of departure was the place of residence. The Fike/Feigs had settled for a few years in the vicinity of Pottstown, Montgomery County, near Germantown. Pottstown, and nearby Douglas is where the Livengoods and Bittingers also had temporarily settled. The similarity of the names Hanover (Germany) and New Hanover Township, Pennsylvania might explain Elder Fike’s error in thinking of Hanover, Germany as the residence of the Fikes. There was a settlement of weavers near Germantown that provided a minimal source of temporary income for new immigrants until they recovered from their difficult voyage and learned how to find their destination. (It may be mentioned that the Brethren and others assisted immigrants by providing temporary shelter and food to immigrants they knew or that were in special need. Brethren regarded this as a godly ministry. Livengood was described as a “weaver by trade,” and it may be here that he learned the trade. A Brethren Bittinger home near Grantsville, Maryland contains an ancient weaving fra,that is claimed to be the one that belonged to the Livengood family whose home was only a few miles northward in Pennsylvania. Hanover in north Germany also was a German harbor and place of departure. It was not a place of Fike residence. Because of the known German Fike residence on the Eder River at Schwarzenau, the port of departure more than likely was Amsterdam down the Rhein River. (See my essay on Schwarzenau on the Eder River.) A large Fike (Feige) population lived in the Eder River Valley at Schwarzenau, the place of the founding of the German Baptist Brethren (CoB) in 1708. The writer has visited several Feige homes in the area. Some still keep city-dwelling guests who today seek the quiet atmosphere of the beautiful wooded hills and pastures of the Eder River Valley. When the writer and his wife visited in Schwarzenau many years ago, they stayed in a Feige (Fike) guesthouse only a few hundred feet from the river. Hundreds of Brethren have since crossed that bridge and walked past that house without knowing it as a Brethren Fike ancestral home! The original beautiful arched bridge has since been replaced with a modern structure. Emmert F. Bittinger. MA, PH. D. March 4, 2016; Dec. 25, 2017 A principal resource on Schwarzenau is L. W. Schultz of Indiana who wrote a small illustrated book in 1954 entitled, Schwarzenau Yesterday and Today: Where the Brethren Began in Europe Told in Picture and Story: Winona Lake, Indiana, Light and Life Press, 1954, 111 pages.
Note: The article above is dedicated to my dear cousin, Jean Heckert, whose inquiries I put off because I was very sick at the time. The research was stalled and incomplete at the time, and my morale was very low. She is the first to see this short genealogical essay. I hope she will be able to forgive my “put off.”)
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 97
CHAPTER IV BITTINGER ALLIED FAMILIES
ALLIED FAMILIES LISTED CHRONOLOGICALLY
LIVENGOOD, NICHOLAS, b. CA. 1560 = CATHERINA FRANTZ LIVENGOOD, BARBELL=ELIAS BITTINGER 1581 MÜLLER, MARIA SABINA = JOHANNES BITTINGER, 1614 HENRICA, JULIANNA CA. 1614= HANS ANDREW BITTINGER 1664 (Parents of Heinrich & Christoph) BÖHM, JACOB, PHILIP SCHÅFFER, JOHANNES ENGELHART, GEORGE PHILIPPI, JOHANNES DOTTERER (Jost Bittinger line) HOCH/HIGH, JOHN BOUSER, JOHANNES (Conewago) FOUST (See Wayne Bittinger book) MERKLE, GEORGE BOGER/BOUGHER, JOHN (Conewago) FEIG, JOHN OF PETER FICKUS ROUDOLPH, HERMON SCHNEIDER/SNYDER, GEORGE SNAVELY (Landis allied line) THOMAS, ABIGAIL (wife of Philip Bittinger) BAIR/SELLERS, ESTHER d/o of Zach Bair & AnnaSellers LANDIS, ESTHER=EMMERT F. BITTINGER ARNOLD, Elder SAMUEL (see Arnold entries above)
98 The Bittinger Story
ALLIED FAMILIES LISTED ALPHBETICALLY Note: For the families listed in bold font below, an article appears in this Chapter 4. Other families are referenced in related family articles or earlier chapters, with a note indicating in which chapter or family article that reference will be found. Brackets provide further information about the allied connections. ALBAUGH –[Margaret, wife of John Arnold] (See ARNOLD) ARNOLD - THE ARNOLD AND LUDWICK ANCESTOR CONNECTION BAIR-SELLERS (See SELLERS, SALR, SAILER, SAHLLER and BITTINGER) BARTH [Anna Maria, wife of Johann Georg Arnold, 1724] (See ARNOLD) BITTINGER/BUTTNER – BITTINGER, BOUGHER AND BOUSER FAMILIES OF CONEWAGO CONGREGATION and TWO BITTINGER BRANCHES BÖEM /BEAHM – THE BEAVER DAM CHURCHES AND THE BŐEM AND BEAHM FAMILIES BOGER/BOUGHER/BAUGHER - HANS GEORGE BAUGHER FAMILY (see also BITTINGER/BUTTNER) BOUSER [Codorus] BOUSER, BAUSER, BOWSER FAMILY ANCESTORS OF THE WIFE OF HENRY BITTINGER OF SOMERSET COUNTY, PA. (Bauser, Bouser, Bowser, Buser, Bewser, etc.) (see also BITTINGER/BUTTNER)
BÜDINGER – [Adam] ADAM BÜDINGER, FOUNDER OF AN OLD SHEPHERDSTOWN FAMILY BY LUCY FORNEY BITTINGER COSNER, [Virginia “Virgie”, wife of William Bittinger] (See Chapter III and BITTINGER/BUTTNER ) DOTTERER [Jost Bittinger line] (See Chapter II) DUBS [Esther Bair’s grandmother] (See SELLERS, SALR, SAILER, SAHLLER and BITTINGER) ENGELHART [Julianna Engelhart, wife of Johannes Phillippi] ENGLEHART FAMILY AND BITTINGER GENEALOGICAL SEQUENCE FIKE/FEIG/FIECK –Christian, Peter (Susanna = John Schneider, d/o Peter at Eglon: buried in Snyder Cemetary at “Orphans Home” is the location of the original Fike Cemetery.] OUR EGLON FIKE-ROUDOLPH LINES FRANTZ [Swiss origins and Irene, wife of Desmond Bittinger] (See Chapter I and Chapter III) THE FRANTZ FAMILY FOUST [Elizabeth Foust, wife of Jonathan Bittinger, Hannah Foust, wife of Solomon Bittinger] (See Wayne Bittinger’s The Bittinger, Bittner, Biddinger and Bittinger Families)
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 99
GAUNTZ [Clara May, daughter of David and Mary (Boger) Bittinger, m. William Henry Gauntz] (See ARNOLD. See also Wayne Bittinger’s The Bittinger, Bittner, Biddinger and Bittinger Families) HECKERT, [Clinton Heckert m. Ruth Bittinger]. (See Chapter 3) HOCH/HIGH [Susanna High m. Ludwig Bitting, Jr., Great Swamp Congregation]—(See SCHAEFER/SCHAFFER: SOME DESCENDANTS OF HEINRICH AND ANNA CATHERINA (Schäffer) BITTINGER, KEIM, and Chapter 2) KEIM [two bros in law of Philip Bittinger] KEIM FAMILY HISTORY NOTES LANDIS [Esther, wife of Emmert Bittinger] THE LANDIS FAMILY: FROM ZURICH TO LANCASTER LIVENGOOD/LYBUNGUT [for Nickolas, Christian See Chapter I, for Johan, Peter, see Chapter 2] ELDER PETER LIVENGOOD LUDWICK [Molly Ludwick, wife of Sam Arnold] THE ARNOLD AND LUDWICK ANCESTOR CONNECTION MERKEL [Boger line] (See Chapter 2) MÜLLER/MILLER - [Andrew, Switzerland, immigrant 1740] ANDREW MÜLLER’S (MILLER) SWISS ORIGINS - (See SELLERS, SALR, SAILER, SAHLLER) MÜLLER/MILLER - [Andrew, Little Conewago Church] (See SELLERS, SALR, SAILER, SAHLLER) PHILIPPI- [Julianna m. Philip Bittinger] BITTINGER, LIVENGOOD, PHILLIPPI SWISS ORIGINS (See also LIVENGOOD/LYBUNGUT) ROUDOLPH/RUDOLPH [m. Moses Fike] (See Chapter III and OUR EGLON FIKE-ROUDOLPH LINES) RUMER, [HELEN, m. Playford Bittinger] (See BITTINGER) SCHAEFER/SCHAFFER,[ Johannes Adam, father of Anna Catharina] SHÄEFFER FAMILY and SOME DESCENDANTS OF HEINRICH AND ANNA CATHERINA (Schäffer) BITTINGER SCHNEIDER/SNYDER [Eglon family] - SCHNEIDER/SNYDER FAMILY HISTORY SELLERS, SALR, SAILER, SAHLLER - SELLERS FAMILY LINE THOMAS, ABIGAIL [wife of Philip Bitting, 1737] (See ARNOLD amd KEIM) BEAVER DAM CHURCHES
100 The Bittinger Story
ARNOLD BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GERMAN BAPTIST BRETHREN (CoB) ARNOLDS
Any discussion of the Brethren Arnold Family must address the numerous errors and mistakes which are found in the oral tradition and earlier printed accounts of the family. One of these early publications was by Rev. Frank L. Baker, Genealogy of Samuel Arnold. Recent discoveries and corrections will be noted. It should be stated also that the little booklet, The Arnolds of Frederick County, Md., by Ralph Martz (1980) is very unreliable and full of errors. It has no organization or pagination. It represents an uncritical reproduction of rumors, statements, and lists which he collected, none of which are evaluated, or assessed or sourced. Therefore, it is very misleading. The reader is advised not to use it. In addition, it should be mentioned that Baker's book is misnamed. It is now established that the oldest immigrant Arnold ancestor of this line was not Samuel but John George Arnold who arrived in this country with his wife Anna Maria (Barth) on Oct. 30, 1738 on the ship Elizabeth (Lists 64 A. B. and C., Strassberger and Hinke, Pennsylvania Pioneers, The Pennsylvania German Society, Vol., I, 243-245). Anna Maria's parents were Nicholas Barth (1673-1714) and Regina (Wacker) Barth. Maria's grandfather was Hans Jorg Barth (1641-1684). John George Arnold was born Nov. 5, 1702 in Ephenbach near Zinsheim, southeast of Heidelberg, (Zuzenhausen Reformed Kirche). He was a son of Wendel and Anna Catharine Schneider Arnold. John George and Anna Maria were married Oct. 17, 1724. Maria was born May 28, 1702 in Zuzenhausen. The research in Germany was engaged and paid for by Emmert Bittinger, some of it being done by himself. It was shared with Lester Binnie who used it in his fine and reliable book The German Baptist Arnolds (1990). His book represents the best scholarship and research on the Arnolds to the date of 1990. The present writer began his research on the Arnold family in the 1950s when he lived in Frederick County, Maryland. Much of the data on the older generations was collected at that time. Later, when Lester Binnie began his work on the Arnold family, the present writer collaborated with him and continued to build the story of the earlier generations. When Mr. Binnie was ready to publish his Arnold book, additional findings and especially the European research findings, were freely shared with him. Mr. Binnie did a massive amount of fine research on the Arnold family especially in tracing the families after they moved from Maryland to Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, and westward. The earliest record I have noted of our immigrant ancestor is a land record in Washington Co., Md. (formerly Frederick Co., and before that Prince Georges Co.) on the date of 6 May 1739. A land record at Annapolis (EI#2, p. 876; see also Miller to Miller, see also Wash. Co., DDC, 563- 567, dated Dec. 26, 1783 which refers to the Ash Swamp Patent originally granted to John George Arnold, Jan. 16, 1739). It cites that John George Arnold had settled on land called Ash Swamp, 150 acres, and made improvements without obtaining any rights, and the proprietors warranted land to him on that date. This land is located just a half mile south of Maugansville, on the Cearfoss road north west of Hagerstown, Md. On May 14, 1745 Arnold conveyed this land to Michael Miller, father of Lodowich and Philip Jacob Miller, a Brethren Miller line. Of the next generation, Michael and Jacob later moved
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 101 to Rockingham County, Virginia and then westward from there. Brethren Millers also remain in Rockingham County and lived on the old Miller farm at the western edge of the Village where their famous octagonal farm used to stand. John Miller, now elderly, and his late mother, “Peg” Miller were members of the Alrustic S. S. Class of the Bridgewater Church. Peg who taught that class many years, often mentioned to her son, John, that the Miller family had come from Switzerland, but she apparently knew lnothing of their treatment there as persecuted Anabaptists. In the 1740s, John George and Maria Arnold and most of their family moved a few miles eastward to near Myersville, Middletown Valley, in Frederick County from, the Ash Swamp location. This move is believed to have occurred around the time that most of the family united with the German Baptist Brethren (Dunker; now Church of the Brethren). They lived the remainder of their lives in Middletown Valley a mile or so south east of Myersville. Their residence was on land called "Rams Horn" near Myersville until around 1767 when John George died. John George is likely buried on this farm. It appears that John and Anna Maria had become Brethren either before or after their move from near Maugansville, Md. to Myersville, Md. Members of this Miller family also settled at Black Rock Church a mile north of Lineboro, Md. There they were married into the Sellers family that also was persecuted in Switzerland. (Refer to my Miller essay.) 1 Johann Georg Arnold b. Nov. 5, 1702 at Ephenbach (Zuzenhausen) Germany d. ca. 1767, near Myersville, Frederick County Md. He was a son of Wendel and Anna Catharine (Schneider) Arnold. On October 17, 1724, he married Anna Maria Barth, b. May 28, 1702, d. ca. 1780. She was a daughter of Nicholas Barth (1673-1714) and wife Regina (Wacker) Barth and a granddaughter of Hans Georg Barth (1641-1684). The Arnold and Barth families were of the Reformed Faith. Johan died intestate ca. 1767, and he and his wife are presumed to have been buried on their land called “Rams Horn,” at the southern edge of Myersville, Maryland. His will dated Sept. 1, 1779, was probated Jan. 22, 1780. The known children of John George Arnold and his wife and Anna Maria Barth were: 11 John Arnold, born in Germany ca. 1726 and dead by 1790, married 1) Margaret Albaugh b. ca. 1726 died bef. 1785 and by whom he had his children. She was a daughter of Zachariah Albaugh, Sr., of Frederick County, Maryland, a Brethren who had migrated to Frederick County., Md., in 1747 from the congregation of Elder John Naas near Amwell, N. J., where an early community of Brethren had been established by Brethren Elder Johannes Naas following his immigration in 1735. John Arnold married, 2) Catharine Ludwick by Aug. 25, 1785. She had several children by her first husband who has not been identified, but he may have been Jacob Ludwick formerly of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. John Arnold and family lived near Burkittsville and were devout Brethren members of Pleasant View Church where the writer and wife lived seven years as pastor. 111 John Arnold b. ca. 1755 dead by June 1798 in Morgan Twp., Greene County, Pa., m. ca. 1783 to Elizabeth Stoner, b. ca. 1767, d. 1851, daughter of David Stoner (1733-1820)). 112 Samuel Arnold b. Feb. 9, 1765 Frederick Co., Md., d. Mar. 29, 1831 m. Mary “Mollie” Ludwick his step sister b. Sept. 28, d. July 17, 1853. Samuel was an Elder and active horseback riding missionary in the Brethren Church and lived at Beaver Run, W. Va. He is an ancestor of the Eglon, W. Va. Bittinger and Fike families. 113 Zachariah Arnold, Frederick County., Md. b. Oct. l5, 1766 d. Jan. 5, 1829 m. Abigail Miller, b. Jan. l8, 1770, d. Oct. 20, 1850 d/o Peter Miller, Brethren minister of Burkittsville,
102 The Bittinger Story
Md. They moved to Beaver Run, W. Va. Elder John Kline often visited “Abby” Arnold on his missionary trips in and through W. Va. 114 Daniel b. ca. 1768 d. June 16, 1849 m. 1) Elizabeth Thomas (1774-1820) d/o Samuel Thomas of Frederick Coounty, Md. and Beaver Run, W. Va. And 2) Elizabeth Wine, (1781- 1893) d/o Michael Wine of Flat Rock Congregation, Shenandoah Co., Va. Daniel Arnold was an Elder at Beaver Run, W. Va., often visited by Elder John Kline. His home was a place of Brethren services before the erection of the Beaver Run Church in 1834. 115 Mary Ferguson 116 Cathraut “Charity” Arnold b. ca. 1757 m. Jacob Ludwick 117 Susanna m. George Gantz, b. 1744, s/o Jacob of Balzer. 118 Margaret m. Johnny Whipp, moved to Beaver Run then to Wills Creek, Pa., where they remained as part of the Wills Creek Congregation at or near Cumberland. After Margaret’s death, John was remarried to Christina Wineland? His will was probated in Cumberland County on Sept. 4, 1830. 119 Catharine maeeied Daniel Whipp, moved to Beaver Run, W. Va.
12 Daniel, born ca. 1727 and died after 1800. He is named in the will of his brother John and claimed as his brother. He was married ca. 1749 to Agnes Stoner, daughter of John Stoner (1700- 1769), Brethren leader of Prices Church (Antietam Congregation) of Franklin County, Pa., and Washington County, Md. Daniel Arnold became an Elder in the German Baptist Church and served in the Georges Creek and Ten Mile Congregations of western Pennsylvania before 1800. Elder Daniel and Agnes had at least eight children 121 Mary b. ca. 1750, married Jacob Need of Washington County, Md. to Washington County, Penna and moved to Harrison Co. Ohio. Peter Nead was a son of David Need (Nead) and _____ Hefflich of near Hagerstown, Md. and a brother of Elder Peter Nead, Brethren theologian and writer for the Brethren. David Need’s children are mentioned as legatees in the will of Peter Hefflich which was administered by John H. Smith and Daniel Carver Washington CointyMd. on August 28, 1828. (T7389.28). 122 George, son of Daniel, was born ca. 1751 who converted to the Brethren and moved to Bedford Coounty. (now Somerset Co. near Meyersdale) into the territory of the Hostetler Church where Dunker services were held on his property. He died June 21, 1835 in Holmes County, Ohio. He married 1) Catharine Leatherman and 2) Eva Plumb. Eva died at age 85 on Apr. 14, 1855 in Medina County, Ohio. Catherine, believed by Bittinger to be one of the daughters of Elder Daniel Leatherman, had married George Arnold June 28, 1781. The children of George and Catharine were: 1221 Friedrich, born Mar, 6, 1771 and whose baptism was recorded in the Reformed Church of Hagerstown, Md. May 14, 1771; witness Peter Wagner and wife Magdalena. 1222 John, born August 27, 1772 and baptized in the Reformed Church of Hagerstown, Md. on Dec. 27, 1772; 1223 Daniel born Nov. 20, 1774 and his baptism was recorded on Dec. 11, 1774 in the Reformed Church, Hagerstown, Md. 1224 Jacob born Sept. 14, 1787 and died March 24, 1865 and buried in the Arnold Cemetery, Holms Co., Ohio. He married Catherine Drushell, born July 17, 1889 and died December 7, 1871.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 103
1225 George, (1792-1870), died in Somerset County, buried in the Klingaman Cemetery on or near the home farm of his parents, near the Hostetler Brethren Church. He married 1) Elizabeth Steele and 2) Mary Enfield. 1226 Mary, reported as blind in her father's pension application 1227 Catherine, married John Fisher on June 18, 1826. See Binnie, pages 85-86. (The discoveries of the births of the first three children of George b. ca. 1752, Friedrich, John, and Daniel were made by Emmert Bittinger in October, 1992 after the publication of Binnie’s book). The location of George in Washington Coounty, Md., his service in the Revolutionary war, marriage to Catharine Leatherman, daughter of Elder Daniel Leatherman,59 and later conversion to the Brethren, imply by circumstantial evidence that he was a son of John George Arnold. 123 John b. ca. 1753 d. 1820 in Wash. County, Pa., m. Ann Gantz b. ca. 1754, d. 1820. 124 Abraham b. ca. 1761 m. Elizabeth McDowell. 125 Daniel, Jr. b. ca. 1763 m. Hannah Redd. 126 David b. ca. 1765, m. 1) Rebecca Hickman, m. 2) Mary Kail. 127 Elizabeth b. ca. 1768 m. John Ullery (Ulrick). 128 Jacob b. ca. 1770, unmarried.
13 Samuel Arnold, born July 6, 1728 in Germany and died Aug. 3, 1808 and is buried in the Mummerts Meetinghouse Cemetery near East Berlin, York Co., Pa. He married Elizabeth Lehn, daughter of John Lehn (Lane) of Adams Co. Pa. whose will was probated May 26, 1783. Samuel was a member and a minister of the Mummerts Church of the Brethren, then part of Conewago. He was fined by the authorities for his pacifist stance of non-association during the Revolutionary War. He served on a special committee of Annual Conference in 1763. It is possible that he was a missionary minister in western Pennsylvania, including Somerset County as well as to the Beaver Run Congregation in Hampshire Co., W. Va. helping to establish that church by 1784. Strong traditions suggest that the Beaver Run Congregation was served by an Elder Samuel Arnold as early as 1784. Samuel, the brother of Zachariah and a nephew, would have been too young to have filled this role in 1784. Some people have claimed Samuel Arnold served in the Revolutionary War as a soldier and have used that alleged service to obtain membership in the DAR. However, a careful examination of the records shows that he was fined for not appearing on the drill field and for “non- association”. Being a member of the German Baptist Brethren faith which held the doctrine of non-resistance, he would not have been permitted by the teachings of the church to participate in War or any of its direct activities, on penalty of expulsion. Children of Samuel and Elizabeth Arnold: 131 Maria, b., Dec. 20, 1757 d. Apr. 28, 1835, m. to Richard Mumma, b. Mar. 30, 1752 d. Nov. 17, 1820, 132 Hannah, m. Jacob Sweigart, b. July 18, 1757 d. May 1, 1837. 133 Abraham, b. Oct. 5, 1761 d. Oct. 25, 1827 m. Catharine Close d. June 7, 1836.
59 Rev. I. J. Leatherman, All Leatherman Kin History (Nappanee: E. V. Publishing, 1940), p. 297. Catherine is listed as a daughter of Elder Daniel Leatherman who indicates “no trace of her family if any was found.” Although her age is not given, she fits very well into the sequence of birth dates of her siblings. Elder Leatherman was in charge of the Middletown Valley Congregation where the Arnolds belonged and lived nearby above Grossnickle Church.
104 The Bittinger Story
134 John b. ca. 1763-65, York Co. 135 Elizabeth b. Dec., 14, 1766 d. Jan. 11, 1793 m. Adam Brown 136 Samuel Jr., b. Sept 3, 1767 d. Feb. 27, 1846 m. Barbara. 137 Christina b. April 7, 1770 d. Oct. 28, 1849, m. Peter Wagoner. 138 Daniel b. Aug. 16, 1771 d. Jan. 29, 1790, unmarried.
14 John Martin, born July 6, 1731 in Germany. (EFB. See Biographical and Historical Annals of Berks County, p. 1057 for Martin Arnold who is possibly a son of John George and Anna Marie Arnold. This source lists two of his children, John and Jacob, born July 10, 1787. He immigrated on Aug. 25, 1752 on the ship Mary and lived in Heidelberg Township. 15 Johannes Dietrich, born Feb. 25, 1735 in Germany. 16 Andrew Arnold, born ca. 1740 in Maryland and died in February 1821 in Botetourt Co., Va. He was a minister in the German Baptist Church at Broad Run (Pleasant View, Burkittsville, Md.) by 1787 and is recorded in the records of the 1787 Annual Meeting held at Pipe Creek Congregation in Maryland while he still lived in the Middletown Valley at Burkittsville. He married Catharine Stoner who was still living in 1811. She was a daughter of John Stoner (1700-1769) of Antietam Congregation and a sister of Agnes. They lived at Burkittsville, acquiring considerable land and wealth. One of their sons was Rev. David Arnold who lived all his life at Burkittsville Md. in the ancient stone house at the western edge of Burkittsville. He was a minister of the Pleasant View/Broad Run Brethren church founded ca. 1778. . David is referred to in J. M. Henry's History of the Church of the Brethren in Maryland. Dunker services were held in his house and under the giant oak tree beside the spring. Andrew Arnold had a large family, most of whom went with him to southern Virginia around 1806. Andrew names his wife Catharine and ten children in his will dated Jan. 22, 1811. 161 Rebecca who married a Myers and had two known children: Mary Ann Black and Peter Myers. 162 Abraham 163 David b. Oct. 6, 1759 d. Feb. 24, 1844 m. ca. 1785 Elizabeth Slifer b. Sept. 26, 1768 d. Jan. 18, 1851. She was a daughter of Elder John Slifer (1742-1822, a German Baptist Brethren minister of the Burkittsville Pleasant View congregation. David was an active business man and farmer. He lived in the old stone house at the western edge of Burkittsville. David and Elizabeth had seven children. Namely, Mary, David, Jr., Elizabeth, John, Lydia, Huldah, and Peter. 164 Joseph who went with his parents to Botetourt County, Virginia. Wife and children, if any, are unknown. 165 Jacob, died Frederick County, Md. June 17, 1815. His will, probated July 17, 1815, names his wife Elizabeth and five children, Joseph b. May 16, 1803, Catharine who married Frederick Rohr on Nov. 26, 1826, Richard Henry, b. Nov. 11, 1806 who married Elizabeth Oden, Julia Ann and Elizabeth Huda Arnold. Jacob and Elizabeth are said to have been buried in the Slifer Cemetery on the Zecher farm falf mile south of Burkittsville. 166 Hannah 167 Susanna 168 John. Possibly the John born Aug. 1, 1770 who died during the War of 1812, “bushwhacked.” Possibly the John who married Catharine Elizabeth Morgan on Jay 17, 1802. His daughter married Frederick Rohr in 1825 and moved to Dark County, Ohio. (Note conflict with Catharine, daughter of Jacob above).
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 105
169 Daniel who married Susanna Graybill, daughter of John and Hannah Graybill perhaps in Botetourt Coounty. 170 Samuel died intestate on a trip to Botetourt County. His estate was administered in 1848 by James Huston, Daniel Miller and John Glick.
17 A possible daughter is Anna Marie? (Name is uncertain), who married Ludwig Kemmerer (1718-1808) near Hagerstown ca. 1741. (See the records of Evan. Luth. Ch. at Hagerstown where a son, Ludwig, was born Aug. 17, 1743 and baptized Oct. 17, 1743, sponsored by George and Anna Marie Arnold, presumed grandparents of the child). They lived in Washington County, Md. until around 1792 when they moved to Westmoreland County, Pa. They had around 13 children. 18 A possible daughter is Catharine, died 1770) who married John Toms/Thom/Thomas, died before Feb. 20, 1753. This couple, perhaps married in Germany, immigrated January 10th, 1739 (Strassberger and Hinke, Pennsylvania Pioneers lists 67B, 67C). This ship had a difficult, long, and cold crossing, and only a small number of passengers survived. Catharine’s parents had crossed only a couple months earlier. Although they likely came immediately to what is now Washington County, Maryland, John Thomas/Toms did not obtain his grant named “Toms Chance” until June 28, 1748. This land adjoined the land of Catharine’s parents who lived on Ash Swamp. Shortly thereafter, John and Catharine sold their 150 acre tract to Brethren member Lodowig Miller who also had purchased land in Ash Swamp in 1745. They then moved to land near Myersdale close to the new location of John and Anna Marie Arnold who lived on Rams Horn to the south of Myersville, Maryland. In her will, Catharine Toms named sons: 181 Henry 182 Samuel (b. ca. 1741). 183 John 184 William 185 Mary, wife of Brethren member Anthony Deardorf. The son Samuel Thomas, b. ca. 1741, moved with his wife Magdalene and with the Arnolds to Beaver Run, Burlington, VA; now WV, around 1792-4 where he and his wife lived out their lives. Samuel died in Hampshire County. They had a daughter, Magdalena, who married Peter Fike, thus becoming great great grandparents of the writer. They lived at Eglon. He made his will on Dec. 20, 1815 and it was proved on Nov. 15, 1819. Samuel and Catharine were active in the Beaver Run Brethren Church and lived near Elder Daniel Arnold, a son of John, Jr. Daniel’s brothers and sisters also had moved to Beaver Run, who also had moved there with his brothers and sisters around 1790 or earlier. Elder Daniel Arnold married Elizabeth Thomas, daughter of Samuel and Magdalene and granddaughter of John and Catharine Toms/Thomas. (Bittinger research and files and shared with George W. Andrews who wrote Descendants of Johannes and Catharine Thomas of Frederick County, Maryland, 1994. See pages 3-5).
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION. Most of the early Arnold family were members of the German Baptist Brethren Church, an Anabaptist group having much in common with the Mennonite groups. John George Arnold and wife Anna Maria were members of the Reformed Church for several years following their settlement in Maryland in 1739. However, following the strong Brethren movement into the Conococheague
106 The Bittinger Story
Valley in 1743. The Arnolds had many neighbors who were Brethren and Mennonite. Shortly after 1743, the Arnolds became Brethren, and moved to the Middletown Valley. Brethren, like the Mennonites, were pacifists and strongly held that the Bible forbade killing and participation in war. Ample evidence of both their Brethren affiliation and their devotion to the doctrines of the church are revealed in the records of the Committee of Observation [the draft board] of Frederick County. This committee had been set up at the beginning of the Revolutionary War to enumerate men of fighting age and to monitor those who refused to serve in the army. These were called non-associators. Those who refused to pledge allegiance or to appear on the drill field came under strong legal sanctions. These included the right of the state to confiscate their lands and also the placement of fines and triple taxes for life,” (later rescinded). These penalties not only created deep feelings of fear and insecurity, but placed grave financial difficulties on the Anabaptist settlers. Many soon fled to western Pennsylvania and to Virginia by 1778, leaving their lands to be sold later or confiscated. The Arnolds were found on the lists of those fined during the months of April and May, 1776. April 11, Andrew Arnold fined (in pounds), ten later reduced to 8 pounds. On April 22, Daniel Arnold was fined 7 pounds, reduced again later to 3.15. On April 29, John Arnold 10 remitted because of being over age. John Arnold, A son of John 5 pounds.
JOHN GEORGE AND ANNA MARIA ARNOLD It was #11 John Arnold, eldest son of the immigrant John George and Anna Marie Barth, who provided the Arnold branch (grandchildren of John George) who migrated to Beaver Run in Hampshire County W.Va. around 1792. At that place, they were instrumental in helping to build up the strong Dunker congregation in that and surrounding communities. John Arnold's children (by Margaret Albaugh his first wife), were: 111 John Arnold, a grandson of John George Arnold, the immigrant, was born in 1755, died ca. 1798. He married Elizabeth Stoner, daughter of David Stoner (Richard Weber, Stoner Brethren, p. 119) of Antietam Congregation near Waynesboro, Pa. She was born ca. 1767 and died in 1851 in Morgan Twp., Greene County, Pa They went to western Penna. and were active Dunkers in the Ten Mile Congregation, being so identified when he served as executor of the will of his father, John Arnold, reporting the account on April 25, 1792 in Frederick County, Md. 112 Samuel, b. 9 Feb. 1765 d. 3 Mar. 1831, m. Mary "Mollie" Ludwick, his step sister, b. 23 Sept. 1771, d. l7 July 1851. Hampshire County. Samuel was a Dunkard minister at Beaver Run. They lived on the John Leatherman place which is located on the south side of Route 50 across from the Zachariah Arnold (Cheshire place) farm where the old Zachariah Arnold log house used to stand. His Hampshire County land record shows the purchase of several hundred acres in 1792 on the drains of Mill Creek. Some of this land was later sold to his brother Zachariah who built the ancient log house called the "Cheshire House" and which has now been sold and removed to Maryland. The log weaver's house still stands nearby to the east. The Arnold Cemetery is located on the hill above the former location of Zachariah Arnold’s house. 113 Zachariah Arnold, b. 5 Dec 1767 (or 1766), d. 5 June 1829. Married Abigail Miller, daughter of Peter Miller of Burkittsville, Md. She was b. 8 Jan. 1770, d. 25 Oct. 1850. Zachariah was a deacon in the Beaver Run Church. He is named after his grandfather, Zachariah Albaugh, one of
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 107 the founders of the Middletown Valley Congregation which was under the oversight of Elder Daniel Leatherman. Zachariah Albaugh moved to Frederick County, Md. ca. 1747 from Amwell New Jersey where he was a member of Elder John Naas's Amwell Congregation. Naas was a close associate of Alexander Mack, founder of the Church of the Brethren. Elder John Kline often visited Widow Abigail Arnold, wife of Zachariah Arnold, on his missionary journeys. They lived on the Jake Cheshire place on the north side of Route 50 where the Beaver Run Road begins. Zach was a Stonemason. The main house, a fine example of a pioneer log building was removed and relocated in Maryland in 1985. Near by still stands a small log weaver’s house with a foundation and chimney of fine stone work. The Arnold Cemetery is located on the hilltop a few hundred yards from the where Zach and Abigail Arnold lived. 114 Daniel Arnold, b. 1768, d. 16 June 1849, married in 1792 to 1) Elizabeth Thomas, b. Mar. 4, 1774 d. July 5, 1820, daughter of Samuel Thomas and grand daughter of John and Catherine Thomas of Washington County, Md. John and Catherine Thomas owned land adjacent to Ash Swamp which immigrant John George Arnold first bought in 1939. After John Thomas died ca. 1752, Catherine Thomas sold her land, Tom’s Chance, and moved to near Middletown, Md. Michael Miller later bought Ash Swamp, and his son, Lodowick, purchased the Thomas land called Tom’s Chance in 1751. Daniel married 2) Elizabeth Wine in 1822, b. 1761, d. 13 Oct. 1853. Elizabeth was a daughter of Michael Wine, son of George and Margaret (Horn) Wine of Frederick County, Maryland. Michael Wine moved in the 1780s to Flat Rock Congregation in Shenandoah County Virginia.in his ughter’s home there. Annual Meeting was held in the house of Michael Wine in 1794. Daniel Arnold was a Brethren minister at Beaver Run, and his house was in sight of the church. 115 Mary Ferguson is mentioned in her father's will as being deceased with five children. The Fergusons were a Brethren family. 116 Cathraut, "Charity" Arnold, married Jacob Ludwick, brother of Mary "Mollie," the wife of Elder Samuel Arnold. Jacob and Charity moved to Hampshire County and became the ancestors of many of the Brethren Ludwick families. Jacob's brother, Leonard Ludwick, had gone to Hampshire Co. by 1785. 117 Mary "Mollie Ledwick” ,(stepdaughter) described in John Arnold's will as the daughter of his [second] wife Catherine Ledwick [Ludwick], married her step brother, Samuel Arnold. They moved to Hampshire County, and became the ancestors of a long line of Brethren ministers, deacons, and other active members in the Church of the Brethren. Samuel became a leading minister of the Beaver Run Congregation in Hampshire County, (now Mineral County.) W. Va. 118 Susanna Gonse (Gantz/Gauntz). She married George Gantz who was a son of Jacob who was a son of the immigrant George Baltzer Gauntz who was an associate of Alexander Mack and who attended the first Brethren Love Feast held in America in 1723. 119 Catharine, m. Dan Whipp and they came to Hampshire County where they lived on a farm near the Beaver Run Church and adjacent to her brother Elder Daniel Arnold. 11a Margaret, m. John Whip, (Gospel Visitor, Vol. 2, 1852, p. 193). After living a while in Hampshire County, they moved at an unknown time to Bedford County, Pa., the Wills Creek area where they lived the remainder of their lives. They were among the first members of the Wills Creek Church of the Brethren. The source of the list of #11 John Arnold's children is John Arnold's will, dated 1785 [BK GM-2 357-358 and recorded in Frederick County, Md. It was witnessed by Peter Bainbridge, Thomas
108 The Bittinger Story
Gilbert and John Hendrickson. (Will discovered 1954 by Emmert Bittinger, then pastor of the Pleasant View Church. formerly known as Broad Run, the home congregation of the Arnold, Biser, Ludwick, Miller, Roderick, and Whip, etc. families). On the occasion of the probation of the will, Oct. 16, 1790, the Register of the Court noted "Then came Peter Bainbridge one of the subscribing witnesses to the afore going last will and testament of John Arnold late of Frederick County deceased and made oath on the Holy Evangels of Almighty God and Thomas Gilbert another of the subscribing witnesses to the said afore going last Will and testament of John Arnold late of Frederick County deceased and being one of the people called Dunkers solemnly affirmed and declared that they did see the Testator therein named sign and seal this Will that they heard him publish pronounce and declare the same to be his last Will and Testament that at the time of his doing he was to the best of their apprehensions of a sound and disposing Mind Memory and Understanding that they respectively subscribed their names...and that they did also see John Hendrickson...sign his name as a witness thereto in the presence and at the request of the Testator and all in the presence of each other. George Murdoch, Register. (See Will Book GM-2, pages 357, 358). The David Arnold designated as number "1, 4" on page 3 in Rev. Baker's book is not a son of John Arnold but is a son of Andrew Arnold. He was also a Dunker Minister, but he remained in Frederick County, Md., living in the little village of Burkittsville where he died a prosperous farmer and respected citizen, and the progenitor of a large Arnold Family in that area. His home was a large stone dwelling at the west end of Burkittsville lying by the road leading up to Gathland. The origin of the error that this David was a brother to the Beaver Run Arnolds is a statement by Elder Emra T. Fike who attempted to write Arnold family history early in this century. Elder Fike, who was merely recording ancient oral traditions from his grandmother, Magdalene Arnold Fike, is also the origin of the erroneous stories that Samuel Arnold, founder of the Beaver Run Church, was the immigrant ancestor. His father, John George Arnold, was instead the immigrant. Ancient oral traditions which have found their way into print at various times have suggested that the Arnold migration to Hampshire County. West Virginia took place around 1784. The Leathermans did arrive there by that time. However, it is very unlikely that the children of John Arnold (son of John George) came as early as 1784. They would have been too young. It is entirely possible, however, that Elder Samuel Arnold, their Uncle from Big Conewago Congregation in York/Adams Co. Pa., could have come by the early 1780s to Hampshire in his missionary work. It is reported by Austin Cooper that he was a missionary minister as early as 1783 in Somerset County. Elder Leatherman as well as Philip Ledwick (“Lewig”) may also have provided early ministerial leadership. These two men had served on a committee to visit the South Branch Dunker congregation in 1790 in order to settle the Powers problem. . Daniel Leatherman was the presiding elder of the Middletown Valley German Baptist Brethren congregation which included Grossnickle, Broad Run, and Brownsville Churches. The first land purchases of the Arnolds in Hampshire County, are not recorded until some years later, 1792 to be exact. Sources of information: Will and land records of the Arnolds in Frederick Co., Md., and Hampshire Co. W. Va.; Bittinger, Allegheny Passage, 1990; Lester Binnie, The German Baptist Arnolds, 1990; Rev. Frank L. Baker, Genealogy of Samuel Arnold, ca. 1950; Elder Tobias Fike, Eglon, W.Va., Record Book, 1890s.
Emmert F. Bittinger, M.A., Ph.D. Re-edited, April, December, 2017
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 109
BITTINGER/BUTTNER BITTINGER, BOUGHER AND BOUSER FAMILIES OF CONEWAGO (Beaver Dam) CONGREGATION (ANCESTORS OF HENRY AND BARBARA BITTINGER OF SOMERSET COUNTY, PA). Boger, Bougher, Bauser, Bouser, Bowser, Buser, Bewser, etc.
The Immigrant ancestor of the Bauser-Bowser side of the Bittinger family apparently was Matthes Bauser who arrived on the ship Richard and Elizabeth on the date of Sept. 28, 1733 to the port of Philadelphia. See Strassberger and Hinke, vol.1, page126-128 which lists the following Bouser, Bowser immigrants, spelled variably: This ship carried many other people who became Brethren, including Klines, Frantzes and Livengoods, etc, families that had been persecuted in Switzerland as Anabaptists.
Matthes “Bouser”, age 63 and Matthes “Bewser”, age 63, (two spellings) Matthes “Bewser”, age 22, and Christian “Bewser”, age 18 Listed as “boys”, Daniel Bewser, age 11.5 Listed as “boys”, Jacob Bewser, age 9.5 Listed as women: Esther Bouser, age 40 Anna Elizabeth Bewser, age 20 [Spelling variable]
After careful review of available evidence, I conclude that our York County Sellers-Miller lines had marriages into the Mathias Bouser line. The Somerset County line descends from the Johannes Bouser line. These Bauser immigrants were on the same ship as Henry Jacob Liebengood who also settled in the same general area in Somerset County, Pa. where the Bittingers and Bousers settled, about two miles north of Myersdale. The Bousers, Livengoods (married into Fike line), and the Bittingers were close neighbors in Somerset County, and around 1810, both families moved from the Myersdale area to Garrett County, Maryland, about 10-15 miles, where again they were neighbors in the nearby location about a mile south of Grantsville, Maryland where both families attended the small Maple Grove Church of the Brethren. The two families were closely bound, because Henry, son of Philip Bittinger, had married Barbara Bouser. When Emmert and Stanley and the John Kline Riders visited the Maple Grove Church ca. 2000, we noted that one of the Church windows was dedicated to the Noah Bittinger family. Also, several Bouser members, very elderly men, were attending the church, and we remember meeting them. The Bittinger branch of the Bausers had settled for a while in Frederick County, Beaver Dam area, before moving to Somerset County to live in the vicinity of the Livengood family. In visiting with the York County Miller and Sellers families, I discovered that the Sellers family had married into the “Buser/Bouser” family. I mentioned to the group that some members of the Bouser family had moved to Somerset County. (pp. 258-9). Some Bouser tomb stones are in the Black Rock Brethren Cemetery in York County. They were Brethren. On my childhood visits there, I remember the name. They pronounced it “Buser,” a traditional German pronunciation.
110 The Bittinger Story
The Sellers family also has a fascinating history. A Swiss member of the Sellers (Saylors/Sailers/Salor) was Horatio”Salr” (of a family from Zell) who was a witness to the beheading of the Anabaptist martyr, Hans Landis, who was executed in Zurich Switzerland in 1614. (See my copy of the Martyr book, page 1004.) A Mennonite minister, Landis had been exiled for preaching and practicing adult baptism. (This activity appeared to the public as a repudiation of the authority of the established churches who had already baptized everyone as infants.) When he returned to help his needy family, he was captured and beheaded. His body was thrown into the Limmat River so that his burial could not become a pilgrimage location. The place is marked by today by a bronze plaque placed there ca. 2002 at the insistence of American Mennonites. When the Book of Martyrs was being compiled in 1660 in Holland, the author wrote to Salr (Sellers) for him to write and send the story of his witnessing of the beheading of Hans Landis. It is from his lengthy letter that this significant event is known and revered today. According to Lucy Forney Bittinger, a Bittinger Genealogist of the early 20th Century, now deceased, Bittingers, Livengoods, Frantzes and Mullers were Mennonites (followers of Menno Simons) in Switzerland. They too were persecuted, driven from town to town until they fled the country. (The Brethren did not found their church until 1708 at Schwarzenau, Germany.) Following Jacob Ammon who split from the Mennonites ca 1693-4 to form the Amish Church, this small “clan” (Livengood, Miller, Bittinger and Frantz), remained Amish until they arrived in Somerset County many decades later whrn they joined the Brethren. They had played an important role in founding a large Amish Congregation there. The Landis and numerous other families were forced to flee from these horrible persecutions and scattered to Alsace and Germany, eventually emmigrating to Pennsylvania where they prospered and expanded. After several generations, the Abraham Landis family moved from Pennsylvania to Cearfoss, Washington County, Maryland, where Esther’s father, Harvey Landis, was born. This is near the Longmeadow Church of the Brethren, where the family of the writer used to live. We sometomes attended this Abraham Landis family reunion in near by Franklin County Pennsylvania and maintained a relationship with our Landis relatives about whom Esther could tell you. Esther’s father was a grandson of Abraham whose farm at Cearfoss included a part of the Conococheague Creek that flowed from Franklin County into the Potomac River. I have written up this Landis family line and published it in a Pennsylvania Family History magazine. The beheading of Hans Landis is a famous event in the Mennonite Church. Information about this event is written up on the Mennonite Web page on the internet and can easily be accessed. Uncle Noah Seller’s daughter, Florence, married a Shaeffer, and they lived next door to him on the Sellers farm at Black Rock, (Conewago Congregation) located one mile north of Lineboro, Maryland which is just across the state line a mile away. Uncle Noah Sellers, a well-known Elder of Black Rock Church and of his Church District (York County). He served 30 years on the Board of Elizabethtown College and was well respected. He also lived at Black Rock, and our family often visited Uncle Noah and Aunt Lydia, as they were my Mother’s family. Noah was a brother of Anna Sellers/Bair Fitz, the latter being my grandmother. Our oldest known Schaeffer ancestor known to me was Anna Catherine of Freinsheim, Germany. She was a daughter of Rev. Johan Adam Schaeffer, the Reformed pastor in Freinsheim. In the year of 1723, Heinrich Bittinger married a daughter of this family. Anna Catherine, and moved from Freinsheim, Germany to New Hanover adjacent to Philadelphia in 1723.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 111
Rev. Elmer G. Gleim, who in 1991,60 wrote a fine and detailed history of the Conewago (Black Rock) Congregation of York County, has many references in the index, pp. 41, 258-99, to the Bouser, Shaffer and Sellers families that were members of the Conewago (Black Rock) Church of the Brethren, including the name Matthias Bouser, 29-30. (History and Families of the Black Rock Church). Other Bousers named in the index are: George, Israel, Israel M., and John. Mathias Bouser (1711-1790) and wife lived in Paradise Twp. They also were members of the Beaver Dam Congregation. A daughter of Matthias also was a member of the church. This membership list was dated 1770! This congregation also was the home church of the Bougher family, likewise ancestral to the Bittinger family. John Bougher of this family moved to Preston County, West Virginia, a dozen or two miles from Eglon There his name was Anglicized to Boger. Boger was a minister in the Sandy Creek CoB where he carried on a busy ministerial schedule. His ministery was so successful that for many years it was the largest congregation in the Brothernood, having over 1000 members. Two of Boger’s daughters married successively to David Bittinger of Eglon, the writer’s great Grandfather. This paragraph, therefore, reveals several genealogical connections to the families of this ancient colonial congregation (Beaver Dam) of eastern Frederick County Maryland. Obviously, this book is a prized possession in the writer’s library! Other members of the Conewago Congregation in the York County branch (Black Rock) were Adam and Ottila Dick whose children are listed on pages 18, and 19. One of these children was Catharina who married George Bittinger of the Beaver Dam branch of the Bittinger family. No dates are given for Catharina, but other children of Adam and Ottila Dick were as follows: Appalonia (1738- 1791), Christian (1740-1810), who married Catharina Naugle, Christina who married Jacob Brown , Susanna who married John Horner, and a daughter who married a Miller. Some of the Rudolph Brown family migrated quite early to the Brownsville Congregation in southeastern Washington County, Maryland near Harpers Ferry. These Browns had come from the Conewago Church (Black Rock) in nearby York County. As Brethren, they were pacifists. A John Brown, (un-related) who lived in Kansas, had been radicalized there by pre-Civil War events in that state. He became one of the war-minded insurgents who came east and was involved in the Harpers Ferry Civil War incident. This John Brown was of British origins (Brethren Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 216 ff). While formulating his radical war plot, he sheltered among the peace- loving German Browns in the Brownsville Valley, Maryland where he secretly made his war plans. From there he launched his failed attempt to steal the firearms stored in the Armory at Harpers Ferry a few miles away. He was captured, tried and subsequently executed following this failed attempt. Members of the German Brown family belonged to the nearby Brownsville Church of the Church of the Brethren that is named after them. These pacifist families were not aware of nor involved in, the John Brown arms fiasco at nearby Harpers Ferry. This church is only a half dozen miles distant from Burkittsville and the Pleasant View Church where the writer and family lived for seven years while he served as pastor. While there, our family became fast friends of the Poling family who served the Brownsville Congregation where the insurgent, John Brown, hid out. Rev. Gleim’s index also lists dates for Matthias Bouser as follows: Matthias Bowser (1670- _____), pages 52, 114. This is undoubtedly the immigrant ancestor, and the other Mathias Bouser listed there is likely a son (1711-1790). These apparently are our German immigrant Bouser/Bowser ancestors. Other Bouser members listed by Gleim are:
60 Elmer Q. Gleim, History and Families of the Black Rock Church (Privately published, 1986 by the Black Rock CoB).
112 The Bittinger Story
Joseph E. (1833-1919), pages 131, 102, 107, 108, 114, 183); Joseph E. helped to plan and supervise the construction of the 1832 Conewago Church house; Andrew Bouser, 1864-1933, 108, 114, 120, 122, 126, 132, 144, 202; Elizabeth Bouser H., 1863-1927, p. 125 Moses M. Bouser, 1866-1944, p.144 Daniel Bouser, 1868-1940, p.113, 114, 1210, 121, 143. Andrew Bouser, 164-1933, p. 108, 114, 120, 122, 132, 144, 202. Lydia Miller Bouser, 1841-1917 Moses M. Bouser, 1866-1944, p. 114 Joseph J. Bouser, 1878-1947, 114, 120 Sarah Jane, 131-____, 180, 195. The Boughers also were members and leaders of Black Rock Church. They are buried there in the church cemetery with the Sellers and Bousers. These are our ancestral families. The immigrant ancestor of the Baugher family was Hans George Bager (3-29-1725 to 6-9-21), born in Nassau- Saurbrucken, Germany. He was married to Elizabeth Schwab (Dec. 4, 1728-Dec.7, 1790). He had made his will December 30, 1788 which was probated July 25, 1791 from Berwick TWP where he was living. Their bodies lie in the Abbotstown Lutheran Church Cemetery, having been moved earlier from their original burial place in the St. Michaels Lutheran Church Cemetery near McSherrystown, Pennsylvania due to construction. They were Lutheran. (See Gleim, op. cit., pp. 31-32.) The immigrant Bougher (Baugher) was a Lutheran minister who arrived on the ship Rawley Oct. 23, 1752. (S&H, Vol., p. 499.) He preached for many years at Hanover and nearby churches of York County. His name was spelled John George “Bager” in the ship list The James Sellers and family are among the first burials in the Black Rock Cemetery. The Baughers also are our ancestors through John who moved to Preston County, W. Va., where the name was rendered as “Boger”. Two daughters of John Boger married our great grandfather, David Bittinger. They are buried at the Accident, Maryland Brethren “Bear Creek” Church Cemetery that we visited during the Bittinger family reunion in the early 1990s. David Bittinger was the father of my grandfather Jonas Bittinger who married Etta Mary Fike. They lived first at Accident, Maryland then at Eglon, West Virginia. They lived on the “Old Boham-Bühm” Bittinger Farm.
Emmert F. Bittinger, MA., Ph.D
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 113
TWO BITTINGER BRANCHES There are two main Branches of Bittinger families we are following; A) the Beaver Dam Branch, of the Johnsville area in Frederick County, Maryland , and B), the New Hanover Branch that settled near Pottstown, Montgomery County just south west of Philadelphia in 1723 adjacent to Berks County. Th latter family has been researched by a descendant of the B) branch, namely. William Bittinger and relative Dansky Dandridge. I have relied heavily on their research, even though I also had successfully traced the family to its origins. Since his research preceded my own, it is only fair to credit him for his outstanding work. I have borrowed generously from it and given credit within the document. The Frederick County Branch, descendants of Adam Bittinger, mainly settled in the Beaver Dam area gradually expanded over time into Virginia and West Virginia, namely, into Shepherdstown and westward. Henry’s old log long house may still stand just a short distance west southwest of Shepherdstown, now West Virginia. I visited this location more than half a century ago but not since that time. One would need to inquire at Shepherdstown at the Historical Society or town Office. Most of the Adam branch, however, lived at Beaver Dam. One member of this branch, however, settled a short distance north east near the Pennsylvania line. He is buried in a Lutheran Church Cemetery just across the line in Pennsylvania along Route 30. Our own branch of the Bittinger family settled at New Hanover in the Montgomery-Berks County area in 1723. They are descended from the Heinrich and Anna Catherine Schaeffer Bittinger family of Freinsheim, Germany on the upper Rhine River opposite Manheim. Many Bittingers remain in that general area. Both families are said by Mrs. Danske Dandridge to have been Mennonites who were driven out of Switzerland in the late 1600s following the hate-fulled period of intolerance in Zurich and vicinity. During his same century, the Landis family also suffered persecution. Esther’s ancestral family goes back to the family of Hans Landis, the Mennonite Minister who was beheaded in Zurich, Switzerland in 1614 for returning to Zurich after having been exiled from the city. (See the Martyr’s book, pages 1004-5.) The wife of Hans Landis also suffered horribly because she also would not recant her Faith. She was hung by her wrists from the stone prison wall in winter without any clothing at night. She lasted only five nights after which time, her joints had been distended and her lung and chest muscles thereby totally exhausted. The Adam Büdinger/Bittinger branch also had migrated from Gutenwil, Switzerland. They left going through Alsace to New Hanover-Potstown area on to Frederick County, Maryland, in the Beaver Dam Settlement, mile or two east of Johnsville. Our own Bittinger line, however came by a slightly different route. Heinrich and Anna Catherine had moved from Switzerland to Freinsheim, Germany before emigrating to New Hanover, Pennsylvania in 1723. A few of these Bittingers are buried in a church cemetery across the state line along Route 30 just west of York City. The father was Heinrich. Dates are given in this document below. (Incidentally, my father, Rev. Foster M. Bittinger, (1901-1958) had wrongly believed that we descended from this York County branch. He never published.)
114 The Bittinger Story
The following 4 pages are excerpts from www.bedinger.org and, http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/g/o/l/Lowell-C-Gold-IN/GENE1-0012.html.
Bedinger Family History and Genealogy (By permission and with gratitude to) William Bitting of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Ancestry of Henry Bedinger
Henry Bedinger, born Heinrich Büdinger in the territory of Lützelstein, Alsace, France in 1730, is the progenitor of the Bedinger branch compiled in tessection. At the age of seven, Henry emigrated with his father Hans Adam Büdinger and other members of the family from Alsace to America.
[Comment by the present wruter: Heinrich appears to me to be a descendant of Heinrich and Anna Katherina OR of the previous generation. This branch also fled from Gutenvil when Zurich attempted to “clenze” the area of Anabaptists by depriving them of their land rights and pushing them in to remoter areas of Switzerland. This branch then emmigrated through ALSACE to America. They settlied AT Beaver Dam in, n.eastern Frederick County, Maryland near Johnsville and New Windsor, Adam setting farther westward to Sherperdstown, now in W. Va.] Our Heinrich and Anna Katherina fled in a different direction—to Freinsheim, Germany.]
Adam Büdinger, the immigrant and father of Henry Bedinger was born in 1698 in Durstel or Dorschel, a small village that can be found on present-day maps of the Alsace region. At that time Durstel was in the Lützelstein an ephemeral state of the Holy Roman Palatinate based around the village of Lützelstein (La Petite- Pierre, as the French village is known today) in theVosges Mountains in the Alsace region of northeastern France bordering Germany. [Esther and I visited this area many years ago—a beautiful and quaint little village near the French border.] Since 500 A.D. the region has been populated predominantly by Germans, but historically France and Germany have vied for possession of Alsace. France gained control of Lützelstein with the annexation of Alsace according to the Treaty of Ryswyck in 1697 at the end of the Thirty Years War. The German population resisted the efforts of the French to impose the French language, customs, and religion upon them. Adam was a staunch Protestant. He and his family had been persecuted because of their religion. Hans Adam Büdinger emigrated from Alsace to America, possibly by the advice of his friend, Dr. Henry Muhlenberg, a noted Lutheran Divine of the day. Early accounts of the family by Hans Adam’s grandson, Henry Bedinger, referred to the European spelling of the surname as Büdinger. The name has been variously spelled as Büdinger, Büdinger, Biettinger, Bietinger, and Biedinger. The spelling Bedinger was adopted by Hans Adam’s son Henry and his descendants; Hans Adam’s son Nicholas, spelled his name Biettinger, and most of his progeny now spell the name Bittinger. Many of Adam’s son Peter and his progeny now spell the name Biddinger or Bidinger.
Hans Adam Büdinger, with his wife and four children sailed from Rotterdam in the good ship Samuel in the summer of 1737 and landed at Philadelphia on the thirteenth of August of that year. Adam was reported to have been a man of substance. Adam and his family first settled near the Susquehanna in Lancaster County where they resided for several years before moving to Frederick County, Pennsylvania. Adam prospered on his land and after his sons were married, established each of them on plantations near his own.
[i] Danske Dandridge, unpublished manuscript,, “Henry Bedinger and Old Shepherdstown” in Bedinger and Dandridge in the Bedinger and Dandridge Family Papers in David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 115
[Comment by the present witer, EFB]: This is the family that my father, Foster M. Bittinger, believed was our ancestral line. At that time, Rev. Foster Bittinger was unaware of the New Hanover branch of the family near Pottstown, the family branch we are descended from. They are the Heinrich and Anna Katharina Schaeffer Bittinger family of Freinsheim, Germany on the Rhein River opposite Manheim where hey had come from Gutenwil, Switzerland. Instead of fleeing to Alsace with the Heinrich-Adam Bittinger branch, they fled to Germany and came to America in 1723 and settled g at New Hanover, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia. That was where the Livengood, Muller, Frantz and Philippi families also settled.
The clues leading to this conclusion are the presence of Livengood, Frantz, and Muller. These lines were closely associated with the Bittingers in Montgomery County near Philadelphia and in Somerset County over a period of four centuries. EFB] The generational sequence below is from William Bittinger who was credited above.
Generation 1 1. Heinrich (Henry) Bedinger, born 1730 in Alsace, France; died 22 Jan 1772 in Mecklenburg, Virginia (now Shepherdstown, West Virginia). He was the son of 2. Hans Adam Bietinger and 3. Anna Margarethe Schusch (schuh). He married (a) Mary Magdalena von Schlegel 1752. She died 1797 in Shepherdstown, Virginia (now West Virginia). She was the daughter of Christoph Friederich von Schlegel and Anna Maria Aistrin.
Generation 2 2. Hans Adam Biedinger, born 03 Nov 1698 in Ottwiller, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France; died 07 Jul 1768 in York Co., Pennsylvania. He was the son of 4. Peter Bietinger and 5. Maria Sabina Muller. He married 3. Anna Margarethe Schusch 28 Dec 1724 in Durstel, Alsace, France [1]. Anna Margarethe Schusch’s surname has been given as Hanscknecht, as it is inscribed in the memorial stone in the cemetery in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, in family references by Dandridge (1909), and the genealogy of the Bittinger and Bedinger Family by Lucy Forney Bittinger (1904). The name given here, Schusch, is her maiden name; Hanscknecht was her first spouse.
3. Anna Margaret Bedinger Schusch, born 30 Dec 1695 in Durstel, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France; died Abt. 1750. She was the daughter of 6. Johan Schusch and 7. Anna Marx.
Children of Hans Adam Bietinger and Anna Margarethe Schusch are: i. Michael Bedinger ii. Peter Bedinger iii. Marillis Bedinger iv. Christian Bedinger v. Frederick Bedinger vi. Eva Bedinger vii. Nicholas Biettinger, born 11 Jun 1725. viii. 1. Heinrich (Henry) Bedinger, born 1730 in Durstel, Alsace; died 22 Jan 1772 in Shepherdstown, West Virginia; married Mary Magdalena von Schlegel 1752. ix. George Bedinger, born 1759. x. Adam Bedinger, born 1759.
Generation 3 4. Peter Bietinger, b. 30 Sep 1660 in “Gondeswil”, Switzerland; d. 27 April 1725 in Ottwiller, Alsace. He was a son of 8. Hans Bietinger and 9. Marie Walchle. He married, May 04 Feb. 1686/87 in Zutsendorf. He then married Maria Sabina Muller, born 1667 in Durstel, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France; died 13 Jan 1732/33 in Ottwiller, Alsace, France. Children of Peter Bietinger and Maria Sabina Müller are:
116 The Bittinger Story i. 2. Hans Adam Bietinger, born 03 Nov 1698 in Ottwiller, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France; died 07 Jul 1768 in York Co., Pennsylvania; married (1) Sabina (last name unknown); married (2) Anna Margarethe Schusch 28 Dec 1724 in Durstel, Alsace, France. ii. Nicklous Biedinger, born 12 Aug 1701. iii. Christian Bietinger, born 1703; married Margaretha Bietinger. iv. Hans Peter Bietinger, born 1703 in Ottwiller, Alsace; died 13 Jan 1751/52 in Hanover, Pennsylvania. v. Johan George Bietinger, born 1704; married Apollonia Hert 04 Jun 1720. vi. Andreas Bietinger, born 11 Dec 1709.
5. Johan Schusch. He married 7. Anna Marx. Child of Johan Schusch and Anna Marx is: i. Anna Margarethe Schusch, born 30 Dec 1695 in Durstel, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France; died Abt. 1750; married (1) Unknown Hanscknecht; married 2. Hans Adam Bietinger 28 Dec 1724 in Durstel, Alsace, France.
Generation 4 8. Hans Bietinger, born Feb 1613/14 in Gondiswil, Switzerland; died Abt. 1686. He was the son of 16. Elias Biettinger and 17. Barbel Lybundgut. He married 9. Marie Walchle Jan 1642/43 in Bern, Switzerland. 9. Marie Walchle. She was the daughter of 18. Michel Walchle and 19. Elizabeth Geyser.
Children of Hans Bietinger and Marie Walchle are: i 4. Peter Bietinger, born 30 Sep 1660 in Gondiswil, Switzerland; died 27 Apr 1725 in Ottwiller, France; married 5. Maria Sabina Muller 04 Feb 1686/87 in Zutsendorf. ii. Melchior Bietinger, born 1657; died 16 Nov 1717 in Ottwiller, France; married Anna Zinck 06 Mar 1684/85 in Zutzendorf.
Generation 5 16. Elias Biettinger, born 1580 in Gondiswil, Switzerland. He was the son of 32. Niclaus. He married 17. Barbel Lybundgut, 12 Jan 1603/04 in Gondiwil, Switzerland. 17. Barbel Lybundgut She was the daughter of 34. Nicholas Lybundgut and 35. Cathryn Frantz.
Children of Elias Biettinger and Barbel Lybundgut are: i. 8. Hans Bietinger, born Feb 1613/14 in Gondiwil, Switzerland; died Abt. 1686; married (1) Madle Andros 03 Dec 1641; married (2) 9. Marie Walchle 09 Jan 1642/43 in Bern, Switzerland. ii. Elizabeth Bietinger, born 22 Dec 1612.
18. Michel Walchle; he married 19. Elizabeth Geyser. 19. Elizabeth Geyser, born 07 Apr 1616 in Malchnau, Switzerland. Child of Michel Walchle and Elizabeth Geyser is: i. 9. Marie Walchle, married 8. Hans Bietinger 09 Jan 1642/43 in Bern, Switzerland.
Generation 6 32. Niclaus (Bittinger). Child of Niclaus is: i. 6. Elias Biettinger, born ca. 1580 in Gondiwil, Switzerland; married 17. Barbel Lybundgut 12 Jan 1603/04 in Gondiwil, Switzerland. 34. Nicholas Lybundgut. He married 35. Cathryn Frantz. 35. Cathryn Frantz, born 17 Sep 1581 in Gondiwil, Switzerland.
Child of Nicholas Lybundgut and Cathryn Frantz is:
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 117 i. 17. Barbel Lybundgut married Elias Biettinger 12 Jan 1603/04 in Gondiwil, Switzerland
Genealogy Sources Dandridge, Danske, 1909, George Michael Bedinger A Kentucky Pioneer, TheMichieCompany, Printers, Charlottesville, Virginia, 232 p.
Broderbund, Family Archive #354, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, (Release date: February 10, 1999), "CD-ROM," Internal Ref. #1.354.1.8277.16.
The Bedinger ancestry in Europe, as rendered above, is largely from the genealogical files of William Bedinger. Among the prominent references to the ancestry is that of Morgensen Research of Switzerland. William also cites other sources, mostly family members with whom he corresponded. William also provided a copy of a letter written by M. Morgensen-Gallati Genealogical Researcher of Arbon, Switzerland. This researcher noted that the Bietingers were Mennonites and were persecuted and driven away from large population centers.
A similar European ancestry beginning with Elias Bietinger of Gondiwil, Switzerland is given in Family Treemaker Online at: http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/g/o/l/Lowell-C-Gold-N/GENE012.html. The FamilyTreeMaker genealogy traces the family from Elias Bietinger of Gondiwil, Switzerland to Pierre Bidinger (Peter Bietinger), son of Hans Adam Bietinger, of Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virginia).
The Bietinger/Bedinger line is assuredly the same as the line provided by William E. Bedinger. In both of these genealogies, but there are many minor differences in spellings of proper names of people and geographic localities. I have also a copy of a letter written by M. Morgensen-Gallati Genealogical Research of Arbon, Switzerland. The ancestry given is compiled from both sources by selecting what is judged to be the most reliable and consistent information.
The ancestry provided on the above 4 pages is compiled from these sources: www.bedinger.org and, http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/g/o/l/Lowell-C-Gold-IN/GENE1-0012.html.
This source is gratefully acknowledged.
Emmert F. Bittinger, MA. Ph.D May 12, and Dec. 13, 2017.
118 The Bittinger Story
BÖM/BEAHM THE BEAVER DAM BRETHREN CHURCHES AND BŐHM/BEAHM FAMILIES Location: ca. 2.5 miles north of Johnsville near New Windsor, eastern Frederick County, Maryland, in the Mid Atlantic District of the Church of the Brethren. The Congregation was founded in 1747—one of the older ones in the denomination. This was before the Brethren built church houses (first one in 1770). Before then, they were “house church” people, rotating their meetings from home to home within the congregation. They had a strong, antipathy regarding expensive and elaborate churches and cathedrals, considering vain expressions of pride. Consequently, Brethren built simple, plain churches with the minister standing on the same level as the people and with men and women sitting on opposite sides of the center aisle. Youth and visitors sat in rising end sections where each row of seats was higher for good visibility. This seating arrangement has long been discontinued in most Brethren churches. Some churches currently have the entire auditorium slanted with the rear row of pews being highest for good visibility. The Bridgewater Church, both the 1952 College Street church and the 1998 church building on the hill above Bridgewater have slanting floors, the back pews being higher than the front ones. This pattern was widely practiced in older Brethren church house. At Beaver Dam, two churches occupy the large property, namely The “Old Brethren” and the Church of the Brethren. The Old Brethren Congregation occupies the large, traditional-style older church building that has two entrances, one for men and one for women. I do not know if men and women presently follow the ancient seating custom of sitting separately according to the ancient pattern. When the denomination split in 1881, the separating group built a new brick church a hundred yards or so distant on the opposite side of the cemetery that continues to be shared by both congregations. The cemetery is very large. Its ancient stones contain the names of more than 1200 hundred deceased members of both congregations and is a veritable treasure trove of the past history of older families and their ministers. A quick review of the list reveal a number of very familiar Brethren names, some being Bittinger/Pittinger families with varied spellings. Here are only a few selected names to give an impression of Brethren relatedness. Albaugh, Baker, Bart, Piere and Adam Biddinger, Bittinger, Pittinger, Bom, Bome, and many named Bohm (without the German umlout) Boham, Bowman, Bowers, Brown, Crumpacker, Deihl (many), Ecker, Engel, Engler, Garber, Grabil, Grim, Grossnickle, Haines, Hof, Hartsock. Johnson, Long Klein, Kinsey, Longenecker, Miller, Muller, ( lmcluding a “Harold Miller”, possible ancestor of Dr. Harold Miller of Eglon), Myers, Pfoutz, Rinehart, Rowe, Sayler, (many), Sappington, Singer, Smith, Snyder, Stoner, Utz. Williams, Warner, Weaver, Wolfe, Yingling, and Ziegler. The names above are not a scientific sample, but simply a selection that is based on the writer’s estimate of the degree of familiarity of names known among the Brethren. There are hundreds of
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 119 burials making up thirty-three pages of single-spaced names in the cemetery list. Those listed above represent only an estimated one or two percent of the burials listed. There are 40 names per page making a total of 3100 plus or so named graves. There are several dozen Bittinger, Böhm, (Boehm Bom, Boham), Miller etc. graves there also. An inventory of this and other ancient cemeteries may be found in a book Frederick County, Maryland Cemeteries. Jacob Böhm is of a German religious leader who was founder of the “Inspirationalist” Movement. (Incidentally this family, is one of the direct line ancestral families of the writer, namely, Ludwig Bittinger, Sr. He married one of the Böhm women of this family line, then still resided in the Pottstown area at the western edge of Philadelphia before moving to Somerset County.) Incidentally, due to close proximity, the Brethren in Germany were involved in active resistance against Jacob Böhm’s “Inspirationalist” doctrine. The Böhm family name in America has sometimes been anglicized to “Beahm.” Examples are the late Professors, Anna Beahm Mow and William Beahm. They were teachers at Bethany Theological Seminary, a Brethren Seminary, formerly located at 3435 West Van Buren Street in Chicago, but now located in Richmond, Indiana. A Beahm family also owns a large and prosperous farm and trucking industry at Cross Keys vicinity in Rockingham, Virginia. The first known Brethren to move into the German Settlement Community of Eglon in Preston County, West Virginia, was “Henry Boham” in 1810. He purchased the land that later became the ancestral home of the present writer”s Bittinger family when it was purchased by his grandparents, Jonas and Etta Mary (Fike) Bittinger more than a century later. The numerous Bittinger names are found on stones in the Beaver Dam Cemetery, Frederick County, Maryland, represent a Bittinger cousin line. This Cemetery also contains the ancestors of Dr. Harold Miller whose wife was Dr. Blanche Bonsack Miller, the well-known team of doctors at Eglon. The Beaver Dam progenitor of Dr. Harold Miller (whose wife was Blanche Bonsack) was said to have been a brother in law of Henry Hoham, the Eglon settler of 1810, both having arrived the same year. (Research by Jean Lewis, current occupant of the “Old Bittinger Farm”. Although there is no statement of where these families had originated, the present writer, was able to discover their ancestral graves in the ancient Frederick County, Beaver Dam Brethren Cemetery, near Union Bridge. This famed Brethren Congregation had been established in the 1740s. It is located near the ancient “Conewago Settlement”, a large generalized area. Other “Pennsylvania Dutch” pioneers soon learned of this thriving new “German Settlement” at Eglon. Soon it became a vital and growing “Dunker” community in Preston County. (Before the Civil War, its location would have been described as western Virginia). After a while, the growing congregation chose the Biblical name, “Eglon,” to identify itself, and the name “German Settlement” gradually receded in usage. The writer reminds the reader that his own actual line of descent comes down from the New Hanover, Pennsylvania, Bittinger branch near Pottstown. His line then in ca. 1770, migrated with the Amish Keims, Livengoods Bittingers and others by wagon train through the wilderness and across the rugged Allegheny Front to Somerset County near Meyersdale. This settlement in the vicinity of
120 The Bittinger Story
Salisbury, Pennsylvania, provided the nucleus of the now large Keim, Livengood, Bittinger, Amish Community. See Chapter 2, “Bittinger Family Peregrinations,” for a more complete description of this migration and settlement. Some of the Conewago settlers of Maryland also moved to Somerset County, Pennsylvania. At this time, Bittingers, Keims, Millers, and Frantzes were still Amish. For those interested in more information regarding the Beaver Dam Churches, the reader may refer to the Brethren Encyclopedia for a summary of the history of the Beaver Dam Churches. The writers of this excellent resource endeavored to obtain histories of all Brethren Churches of all branches. The cemetery list is also reproduced by Holdcraft. See Bibliography. Emmert F. Bittinger, MA, Ph.D. February, 2017
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 121
BOGER/BOUGHER/BAUGHER HANS GEORGE BAUGHER FAMILY (See also the BITTINGER/BUTTNER article.)
Some of the Baughers were Brethren. Aaron Baugher became an Elder in the Conewago Congregation. He was married in 1852 to Christina Müller. They lived along the Tannery Road on the way to Broadbecks. Christina Müller (May 18, 1828-October 15, 1863) was a daughter of Philip (1794-1870) and Lobanna Müller (1799-1885) of Codorus Township. Their home was one of several, including the Sellers home that accommodated Brethren services before the Black Rock Church was built a mile or so north of Lineboro, Maryland close to the Sellers home. The ancient Sellers stine house is one of the oldest in the community, well over two hundred years. Remember, a Saler (Seller) was a witness to Hans Landis beheading in Zurich in 1614. The Muller family also was severely persecuted in Zurich and were desvribed as “Baptists”, meaning that they illegally rebaptized converts who had been baptized into the established churches as infants. As Boughers were members and leaders of Black Rock Church (Little Conewago Congregation), they are buried there in the church cemetery with the Sellers and Bousers. These are our ancestral families. The James Sellers and family are among the first burials in that cemetery. The Baughers descend from the immigrant, Hans George “Bager” (3/29/1725-6/9/1821) was born in Nassau-Saurbruken, Germany. His wife was Elizabeth Schaub (Shobe), (Dec. 4, 1728-1790). Hans George had immigrated on the ship Rawley October 23, 1752, and was a minister at Hanover Lutheran Church for many years, He is buried at St. Michaels Lutheran Church Cemetery at McSherrystown.61 The Baughers also are our ancestors through John Bougher who moved to Preston County, WV where the name was rendered as “Boger” in the records. He was a Brethren Elder in the Sandy Creek Congregation which under his leadership eventually became one of the largest congregations in the brotherhood with a membership over one thousand. Two daughters of John Boger married our great grandfather, David Bittinger. They are buried at the Accident Maryland “Bear Creek” Church of the Brethren Cemetery that we visited during the Bittinger family reunion in the early 1990s. David Bittinger was the father of my grandfather Jonas Bittinger who married Mary Etta Fike of Eglon. They lived first at Accident, Maryland then at Eglon, West Virginia where they were members of the Maple Spring Church. The Baughers were early immigrants to Pennsylvania, arriving there October 23, 1752. ). Emmert F. Bittinger, MA, Ph.D.
61 See also Gleim, Elmer, History of the Families of the Black Rock Church of the Brethren, 1738-1988; (by the Author and Church) op. cit., pp. 31-2, and 115-116).
122 The Bittinger Story
BOUSER/BAUSER/BOWSER/BUSER/BEWSER BOUSER, BOWSER FAMILY ANCESTORS OF THE WIFE OF HENRY BITTINGER OF SOMERSET COUNTY, PA (See also my BITTINGER/BUTTNER article.) Introductory note by EFB: Several Bouser genealogists have worked on the history of the Bouser family and traced it back into really ancient times. The present article does not attempt to present this deeper history. My intention is to prepare a brief summary that includes only a short historical statement. For a look at this older research, go to my Bouser Family folder. The immigrant ancestor of the Bauser-Bowser side of the Bittinger family was Matthes Bauser who arrived on the ship Richard and Elizabeth on the date of Sept. 26, 1733 to the port of Philadelphia. ( See Strassburger and Hinke, Vol.1, page126-8 which lists the following Bauser, Beuser, Bowser immigrants; notice variable spellings: Mathes Bouser, age 63; Mathes Bewser, age 22; Esther Bouser, age 49; Anna Elizabeth Bewser, age 20; List C: Christian Bauser. Livengood relatives also were on the ship, spelled variably, namely, Hance Jacob Liebegood, age 39; Margaretha Liebegood, age 40; John Jacob Liebegood, age 10; Anna Gretha Liebegood, age 10; Anna Catherina Liebegood, age 3.5. Hans Jacob Uts, age 27; Maria Catherina Uts, age 24. (S&H, Vol.1, pp. 127-129.) The Utz family also on this ship, settled in the Conewago Community. In addition to Utz, other families on the ship Richard and Elizabeth were, beside those mentioned above, were: Spangler, Wise, Mire (Myer), Hunsinger, Harman, Crist, Gripe, Weaver, Beck (Peck), etc. Many of these were or would become Brethren, some at Conewago/Codorus (Black Rock) in York County. (See Gleim, History of the Families of the Black Rock Church of the Brethren, 1986, pp., 44-45). Note the variable spellings: Matthes “Bauser”, age 63, and Matthes “Bewser”, age 22, and Christian “Bewser”, age 18 Listed as “boys”, Daniel Bewser, age 11.5 Listed as “boys”, Jacob Bewser, age 9.5 Listed as women: Esther Bouser, age 49 Anna Elizabeth Bewser, age 20
Apparently, the two younger men were sons of the older Matthes Bouser immigrant. These Bauser immigrants were on the same ship as Henry Jacob Liebengood (Livingood) who also settled in the same general area in Somerset County, PA that the Bittingers and Bousers settled, about two miles north of Myersdale. The Bousers and the Bittingers were close neighbors in Somerset County, and around 1810, both these two families moved from the Meyersdale area to Garrett County, Maryland where again they were neighbors in the nearby location about a mile south of Grantsville, Maryland. Some of these families attended the small Maple Grove Church of the Brethren which was located near by a mile or so south of Grantsville. It was only a few miles northward to Meyersville and the Livengood-Keim settlements
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 123
The two families were closely bound, because Henry, son of Philip Bittinger, had married Barbara Bauser. When Emmert and his cousin Stanley and the John Kline Riders visited the Maple Grove Church ca. 2000, we noted that one of the Church windows was dedicated to Noah Bittinger family. Also, several Bouser members, elderly men, were attending the church, and we got to meet them. The Bittinger family had settled at New Hanover near the Livengoods at the northern edge of Pottstown. Then in ca. 1769, these families were together again in Somerset County and a branch of the Bausers had settled for a while at Conewago in York County, Pa. before moving to Somerset County to live in the vicinity of the Livengood family. We suspect that all these families knew each other in Europe. Remember that older settlements of Bittingers and Livengoods were located near Pottstown in Montgomery County, pioneer Bittingers in 1723 at New Hanover only a few miles NE of Pottstown, and Livengoods a little later at Douglas at the north edge of Pottstown. But their relationship reaches far back into Switzerland when Elias Bittinger married Barbara Livengood in 1581. Elias Bittinger had married a Livengood woman in ca. 1596 (second marriage? in Switzerland. Rev. Elmer G. Gleim, who wrote a fine and detailed history of the Conewago Brethren Congregation of York County, and it has many references in the index, p. 219, to the Bowser family who were members of the Codorus (Black Rock) Church of the Brethren. On page 40 Rev. Gleim names Mathias Bowser (1711-1790) and wife and daughter of Paradise Twp. as members of the Conewago Congregation. This membership list was dated 1770 Also members of the Conewago Congregation were Adam and Ottila Dick whose children are listed on pages 18, and 19. One of these children was Catharina who married George Bittinger. No dates are given for Catharina, but other children of Adam and Ottila Dick were as follows: Appalonia (1738-1791), Christian (1740-1810), who married Catharina Naugle, Christina who married Jacob Brown, Susanna who married John Horner, a daughter who married a Miller, and Catharina who married George Bittinger. This Brown family was of Swiss- German background and is the ancestor of the Brown family of Brownsvile, in southeast Washington County, Maryland near Harpers Ferry. Thie family was foundatuinal to the large Brownsville Brethren Congregation there. This Congregation did not produce the infamous Johw Brown who broke into the Armory at Harpers Ferry that instigated the Civil War in the early 1860s. (See The Brethren Encyclopedia, Vol. I under the Brown Family,) Some of the Brown family of Conewago, under the influence of Elder Leatherman of Middletown Valley, had migrated into southeastern Washington County, Maryland and were early members of the Brownsville Church in southeastern Washinton County, adjacent to Harpers Ferry. John Brown, the instigator of the Civil War (said to be of an English family) and who lived in Kansas (Brethren Ency), was a radical anti-slavery activist. Traveling east, he chose the Brownsville Valley as his hideout where he planned his attack on the Federal Armory that started the Civil War. This valley was only a few miles from Harpers Ferry (The Armory building a National Historic Landmark, still stands at the south end of the bridge over the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry. Brown was captured and hung as a traitor for his act.
124 The Bittinger Story
I mention this because the Brownsville German Baptist Brethren Church and its peace-loving Brown family members that populated the valley, should not be confused with John Brown, the revolutionary, who hid among them and attacked the Armory in attempt to start the Civil War. Gleim’s index also lists dates for Matthias Bowser as follows: Matthias Bowser (Sr.,), (1670- _____), pages 52, 114. This is undoubtedly the immigrant ancestor, and the other Mathias Bowser, likely his son, (1711-1790). This family produced the Bauser-Bowser family that moved to Somerset County. There, Barbara Bowser, married Henry Bittinger of a later generation. These families lived there for a couple generations and were members of the Reformed church where birth and Christening records are located and where Heinrich Bittinger’s cemetery stone is located. Around 1878, the family moved a short distance south into Garrett County where descendants were members of the Maple Grove Church of the Brethren a mile or so south of Grantsville, Maryland. There, the writer preached his first sermon in 1943. This tiny church has colored windows one of which carries the name of Noah Bittinger. An old Bittinger homestead is located two miles west over the ridge where a Bittinger family still lives. Joseph, a descendant of this family lived at the Bittinger cross road where the Bittinger Post Office still exists within the country store. Our ancestor Jonathan Bittinger is also buried there. He was the father of David and grandfather of Jonas. Jonathan is buried beside his twin brother at Bittinger, Maryland a dozen miles or so south of Grantsville. Other Bowser members listed by Gleim were: Joseph E. (1833-1919), p. 102, 102, 107, 108, 114, 18, 31. Joseph E. helped to plan And supervise the construction of the 1832 Conewago Church house. Elizabeth Bouser H., 1863-1927, p. 125 Andrew Bouser, 1864-1933, p. 108, 114, 120, 122, 126, 132, 144, 202. Moses M. Bowser, 1866-1944, p.144 Daniel Bowser, 1868-1940, p.113, 114, 1210, 121, 143. Lydia Miller Bowser, 1841-1917 Moses M. Bowser, 1866-1944, p. 114 Joseph J. Bowser, 1878-1947, p. 114, 120 Sarah Jane, 1881 (?)-____, p.180-195.
Emmert F. Bittinger, MA, Ph.D. September 1, 2015; April 24, and October 10, 2017
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 125
BÜDINGER ADAM BÜDINGER, FOUNDER OF AN OLD SHEPHERDSTOWN FAMILY By LUCY FORNEY BITTINGER
SOURCE: Lucy Forney Bittinger’s: Bittinger and Bedinger Families, Descendants of Adam Büdinger. Reprinted by ULAN Press, 2016. Original publication in 1904. Adam Büdinger, 1698-1768) was born in the village of Dorschel in the principality of Lichtenstein, near Strasburg. His father’s name is said to have been Peter, who was married in Dorschel to Anna Margaretha ______. They had four children preceding the birth of Hans Adam. Hans Adam and Peter immigrated on the ship Samuel that arrived at the port of Philadelphia on August 30 in 1737. Described as Palatines, a south German region, the ship is carrying many familiar names of German and Swiss refugees, including Christian, Heinrich and Andreaes Müller, Schneider, Spangler, Ziegler, Thomas, Reis, Frantz, Long, and Merkel. (See S&H, Vol. 1, pp. 170- 173). These names are known widely among Brethren. After living for a while in Lancaster County, David and Daniel Bittinger moved into the Conewago German speaking Settlement south of the Maryland line. Adam’s name is found Church records there by 1744. He purchased land known as the “Homestead Farm” in Berwick Township in Adams County. Apparently his wife passed away while they were living there, and he then married Sabina whose family name is unknown. The two brothers, David and Daniel, remained on the farm at or near the Beaver Dam Dunker Church in eastern Frederick County, Maryland and became Brethren. When their brother. Adam came, he moved on to Sheperdstown, still at that time in Virginia. The reason that Adam did not remain with his brothers in Maryland is not known. Perhaps land was expensive or not available. Perhaps he was not in harmony with his brothers or was not comfortable with the behavioral and doctrinal requirements of the conservative Brethren at Beaver Dam. Whatever the reason for Adam’s removal to Shepherdstown, his large family be came influential in the area. He built a large home on the western perimeter of the town. The history of his family may be found recorded in the Historical records of the town and County. The writer has studied these records and visited this ancient old style pioneer home, The home of David and Danl was located in Frederick County, near Union Bridge. This is where the ancient Brethren community of Beaver Dam is located. This larger area was widely known in Germany and Switzerland as a place of refuge in America for persecuted Anabaptists and other refugees. Consequently, many persecuted Anabaptists fled there, sometimes even staying a generation or two in Alsace before coming to America. This is how the Conewago Settlement came into existence. The Conewago Settlement extended northward over the border into Pennsylvania. The names of Adam Büdinger’s ten children are 1. Nicholas, June 11, 1725.
126 The Bittinger Story
2. Henry born 1730. 3. Michael or George Michael, date un-readable. 4. Peter, moved to Shepherdstown after 1762. 5. Marillis (no date) 6. George 7. Adam 8. Christian 9. Frederick 10. Eva
Lucy Forney Bittinger’s small 63 page book tells much more about each of them, places them in them historical context, and includes information about this historically important Maryland family as well as Adam’s contributions to the history of Shepherdstown.
Emmert F. Bittinger, MA, Ph.D. June 16, 2016
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 127
ENGLEHART ENGLEHART FAMILY AND BITTINGER GENEALOGICAL SEQUENCE
A large population of Buttners/Bittingers live today in south eastern Germany. Some old records about them still exist. This is a brief mention of them. Bittingers and Engelharts in Germany: (LDS documents) Event: A Christening, Nov. 17, 1717 Location: Evangelisch, Suelze, Mecklenberg-Schwerin, Germany. Mother: Ilse Sophia Buetners. [No father present nor named.] Child: Heinrich Buetners
Event: a Christening, Dec. 14, 1727 Place: Petershagen Minden, Westfalen, Preussen Father: Jacob Buettner; Mother, Anna Dorothea Nuerings Child: Heinrich Jacob Buettner
Christoph Bettinger, born Aug. 19, 1686, Hemmingen, Enz, Germany; son of Hans Andrew Bettinger, born 1660 and Juliana Henrica, born 1664, H…,Wurtemberg. My own observation regarding the above: Bittinger immigrants in America repeated the names Henrich and Julianna, Sophia and also Anna Dorothea for several generations after their arrival here. This was a Germanic custom and provides significant support for the idea that these Buettner couples are somehow related to the Bittinger/Pittinger couples who immigrated to Philadelphia and first settled in Montgomery/Berks Co. area. (The date of county formation enters in here as a factor in identifying exactly where on contemporary maps the first Buettner/Pittners settled.) For working out this settlement location problem, we rely on county will records that also often provide the names of offspring and location of the decedent. Repeated intermarriages among the same family lines also are important clues in making sure the same family lines are being followed down. Another useful approach is to search for the wife’s origin if the maiden name is known. Thus the search for Juliana Bittinger’s maiden name lead to a number of new leads. Julianna was a daughter of George and Margaretha Engelhard of Cumru in Berks County. This lead provided the maiden name of Juliana and her family background. Her father’s will was written on March 4, 1778 and probated Dec. 5, 1778 in Cumru.62 Juliana’s siblings, sharing equally in the estate, were: Henry, George, Margaretha, Magdalena, Christina, Catherina, and Barbara. Juliana’s name preceded Barbara, eight children in all.
62 Abstracts of Berks Co. wills, Martin and Smith, p. 127.
128 The Bittinger Story
The will named Johannes Philippi as one of the executers along with Isaac Young. Henry Christ, Jr. (Crist) was one of the witnesses along with Daniel Morris. Johannes Philippi was Julianna’s husband, and one of their children was Julianna who married Philip Bittinger, our ancestor. The Engelharts were a Swiss family of high standing and resided in a town that bears their name not far from Lucerne. It is a beautiful little mountain village adjacent to Mt. Titilis. We visited it on our first trip to Switzerland in 1970 when we went on our trip to the top of that Alpine mountain peak. It was an unforgettable experience. The Engelhard family first settled in the Germantown area, and the family name appears in the will records of the Providence Region. For example, Ludwig Engelhard, son of George, witnessed the will of “Direck” Keyser, shoemaker, of Germantown, on March 2, 1756, along with John ____, and “Brother Andrew”. (Dirk Keyser, the elder, owned several lots in Germantown, some of which he had been obtained by his father or grandfather, Dirk Keyser as early as 1688, and his estate was large.) On November 8, 1747, “”Dirk” Keyser and Alice (Neuss) signed a release that conveyed fifty acres of land to Ludwick Engelhart. After the death of Keyser ca. 1744, Peter Keyser, his only son, witnessed deed H 724 conveying some of Keyser’s property to his wife, Margaret Neuss (land formerly owned by Paul Engel, Sr., (wife Catharine) to one of his children. Peter Keyser’s will had written his will many years earlier, on August 10, 1724 and refers to land holdings and transactions among various citizens of Germantown occurring many years earlier, back into the late 1600s. Several Engelhart (Engel) persons or families had arrived early to Germantown, namely, George on the ship Townsend on October 5, 1737 and a later immigrant George (as seen below), and Andrew on the ship Snow Betsey, August 27, 1739. (S. & H., Vol1, pp. 184-5, and 260). These early Engelharts apparently became members of Christ Church in Germantown. Other Engelhart names are found on their records as early as 1711, several decades before ship arrival records were kept in Philidelphia before the Engerharts who arrived August 28, 1750 with the Livengoods and Philippis on the ship Phoenix. Julianna’s parents and grandparents seem to have belonged to this church. For example, the church records reveal that Paul and Mary Catherine, brought their thirteen year old son, Frederick, to the church on May 22, 1711 for the christening ceremony. These and other documents show transition in spelling of the Engelhart family name to its Anglicized form of “Engle”, an important clue to family historians tracing families and seeking documentation of Anglicization name changes.63 It is important also to be aware, however, that there were lots of Engle families with the Engle spelling that appear on the ship lists, so apparently, changes occurred in the spelling already in Europe. It is very likely that the Engelhardt spelling would be representative of the older branches of the family closer in space and time to the original spelling of the name. George Engelhart, the founder of our line of our Julianna who married Johannes Philippi, immigrated Sept on the ship Phoenix on August 28, 1750 with 339 passengers. Johannes Philippi also was on board. Johannes would marry our ancestor, Julianna Engelhart. Numerous familier
63 Johnson, Ralph L., Genealogical Studies of Some Providence Families (1934: Allentown, Pa,: H. W. Kriebel, Editor), pp. 128-9, etc.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 129
Mennonite/Brethren names appear on this ship list, (See S&H, Vol I, 439-442), including Liebengut persons. An important branch of the Engehart (Engle) family was Brethren in Frederick and Carroll Counties of Maryland.64 As seen in the Bittinger documents concerning Swiss origins, the Bittinger and Engelhart families were intermarried in Switzerland nearly two centuries earlier! Emmert F. Bittinger, MA., Ph.D.
64 See C. E, Schildknecht’s book, Monocacy and Catocten, (1985: Shippingsburg: Beidel Printing House, Inc.), Volume I; Engel, Enl, Engelbrecht, etc.
130 The Bittinger Story
FIKE/FEIG/FIECK OUR EGLON FIKE-ROUDOLPH LINES
OUR FIKE ANCESTRY The principal Fike/Feick ancestor is said by Mrs. Morrow to be Christian Fike/Feick, Sr., who obtained a warrant on January 11, 1745 for 100 acres a couple miles southwest of Reading in what was then Philadelphia County, now Berks County. Before now, this was the earliest American date we have had for that Fike line. However, I discovered the immigration of a “John Feig” and John Hermon Roudolph both on the ship Sally August 23, 1773 (Vol. I, pp. 748-9). Since this record represents our Eglon Fike and Roudolph lines, it was crucial to identify these immigrants. Three children of our great great grandfather, Peter Fike of Eglon, married into the Roudolph family as did Elder Aaron Fike’s line. Christian, the ancestor named by Mrs. Morrow, died in 1771, and his will, was written on August 27, 1771 and probated by his son John Feick, the named executor, September 20, 1771. He names his wife Barbara [Borntrager] and sons John, Christian, Jr., who married Christina Livengood, Jacob, and daughters Ann, Barbara, Mary, Margaret and “Cathrin”. 65 Merilyn Morrow suggests he is the father of our Peter Fike family line. I have come to believe the story is slightly different. Mrs. Morrow is the author of the massive Fike family book that includes Fike our line.66 The John Fike/Feick of Berks County (established in 1752), is as yet not fully identified. He likely is not John a son of Christian the immigrant. Mrs. Morrow identified that John as the one who married Barbara Dillenbach and went to Somerset County. A second John lived in “Bern Twp.”, Berks County. This John wrote his will on December 29, 1764, providing for his wife Anna, who is to “have the place” until son Jacob is of age. John was deceased by October 20, 1765, and the administration of his estate was in the hands of his widow, Anna. Only one son, Jacob, is mentioned in his will, not necessarily proof of no other children. Because the son Jacob was not yet of age, we surmise that this father John above is of the second generation of the Fike clan in America and not the undiscovered immigrant ancestor of our Peter Fike of Eglon. He is mentioned by Mrs. Morrow in her Fike book as not being in our line. Since our line is also included in Morrow’s book, we too can ignore this John about whom I have long wondered. We return now to our original purpose: Who was our Fike immigrant ancestor of Peter Fike of Eglon? For the answer, we must again resort to the ship lists. On August 21, 1750, the ship Anderson arrived at the Philadelphia port with 46 men, women and children, including a John Henry Fick. His fellow passengers did not include any families with whom our Fikes are known to have been connected. Also, since the middle name among Germanic families tends to be the one used most frequently, we suspect that this immigrant is not the one we
65 See Martin, Jacob, Wills of Chester County 1766-1778, Pennsylvania, 1766-1778, Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1995, Vol. 3, p. 47. 66 See Merilyn F.Morrow, Christian Fike and His Descendants: Morgantown, Pa., Masthof Press, 1996, p. xi.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 131 are searching for. The same reasoning applies to Godfried Fick, immigrant of the ship Neptune, (S&H, Vol., I, p. 672), arriving December 13, 1754. John George and Valentine have already been eliminated by Mrs. Morrow.
WHO THEN WAS OUR EGLON FIKE ANCESTOR? In the view of the present writer, the more plausible and more date-compatible hypothesis for our own Peter Fike line, is the immigration of John Feig and Johan Hermon Rudolph mentioned above who arrived at Philadelphia on August 23, 1773 on the ship Sally. (S&H, Vol. I, pp. 748-9). This John was the eldest son of Christian Fike, Sr., who before his death named this son, his eldest son, John, as his executor. Apparently this John needed to distribute assets or do other business in Germany, because after his father’s death, he returned to Germany. When he returned, he brought the Roudolph family with him. After settling for a while in Fayette County, Penna., they resettled at Eglon in Preston County, W. Va. In this way the Fikes and Roudolph families established themselves at Eglon. This village was first called “The German Settlement” because they all spoke the German Language. Feig was a common spelling in Germany. Their immigration together on the ship Sally of these two families, Rudolph and Fike, not only implies a European connection, but the origin of our own Eglon Fike line. These relationships culminated not only in their common move to Pennsylvania, but in the movement from Somerset County to Eglon. These relationships created the contacts that made possible the marriages between the Fikes and Heckerts, namely, the marriage of our Peter Fike to Sophia Rudolph (born Dec. 16, 1843), a sister of Rebecca Rudolph who married Elder Aaron Fike, Peter’s brother. Both families were of Eglon, W. Va. They were daughters of Peter and Maria (Heckert) Rudolph, both of whose families had temporally settled in Somerset County. An additional Rudolph, (Peter), immigrated on the ship Polly that arrived August 24, 1765 (S&H, Vol. I, pp. 703-5) at the port of Philadelphia, then settling in Somerset County. This, associations of the Fike and Rudolph families both overseas, on the ship Sally and in Somerset county and Eglon, W. Va., provide a strong clue that our ancestors were of these Feick Rpudolf families, John or Peter, that arrived on the ship Sally with the Roudolph family on August 23, 1773, or the Peter Roudolph that arrived in 1765. This information fits remarkably well with the information in Elder Emra Fike’s little Fike booklet of 1927, History of the Ancestry of the Fikes, although Elder Fike’s information was incomplete. He simply states that “Peter Fike’s great grandfather “came from Hanover Germany and was Amish by Faith and a weaver by trade”. [Incidentally, after searching, the present writer knows of no Fike settlement in Hanover Germany. Elder. Fike likely is confusing New Hanover near Pottstown at the western edge of Philadelphia, with the German City of Hanover.] When immigrants arrived at the port of Philadelphia, they often settled temporarally in this New Hanover Township until they recovered from the horrors of their ship journey and began the process of learning the strange landscape and deciding how to travel to their Pennsylvania destination. Thus, they spent time at New Hanover Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. A large Fike [Feige] settlement exists in and around Schwarzenau, Germany along the Eder River where the Brethren founded their community and held their first baptism in 1708. The Feige
132 The Bittinger Story
Guesthouse is located near the river a few yards from this 1708 baptismal site. Esther and I stayed in this Feige house a number of years ago on our first visit to Schwarzenau. On that occasion I visited several local Feige families in the surrounding area. Incidentally, the German settlement in Mongomery County near Pottstown included a group of weavers. This is where Christian Livengood also had settled and practiced the weaver’s trade and became acquainted with the Fikes. We do not know if these two families were acquainted prior to that time. They may have been, as both families practiced the same trade! Our Grandmother Etta Fike of Eglon was one of the seven daughters of Brethren minister Moses Fike of Eglon. Not wanting to have several unmarried grown daughters around too long in his crowded house, Moses sought to facilitate their marriages into Brethren families. Consequently, he insisted they attend the various evangelistic meetings being held by the Brethren at the time. In this way, Grandmother Etta Mary67 met Jonas Bittinger at a revival meeting in Garrett County. Youth enjoyed these periodic events as they provided one of the few opportunities to be together with other youth. After the exchange of a few letters, Jonas proposed marriage, and Etta accepted. Thus began the relations of the Fike and Bittinger families, a relationship now exceeding more than a century in time!
Emmert F. Bittinger, MA, Ph.D November 19, 2014
THE FIKE FAMILY NAME The Fike name was spelled in different ways depending on which country they lived in. Other variations appeared in the immigrant records. This occurred sometimes when the immigrant name was unfamiliar to the recording clerk. In the case of the Fike name, the ship lists the name as “Fikus”. This spelling reflects a Catholic (Latin) influence either on the part of the recording clerk or on the part of the family itself. In Switzerland, the name was spelled with the “us” ending as on the ship list.
67 There has been discussion recently among the younger generation of Bittingers as to whether Grand Mither’s name was Etta Mary or Mary Etta. My source for using the Etta Mary sequence is the old family Bible that was passed down to me as the only son of my parents. As was typical in the older generations, the family records were recorded on the blank family forms between the Old and New Testaments. There my father had recorded his mother’s name as “Etta Mary.” Many years ago, I sent this old family Bible to a professional book binder to repair and rebind it, thus putting it back into a good condition. Our eldest daughter, Lorraine, will inherit it. Having worked with me in writing and printing my numerous historical essays and our family history, it seems appropriate for her to become the family historian and guardian of the historical records of the Bittinger and Sellers family records and photographs. She will be age seventy in a little over a year from now.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 133
In Germany, along the Eder River at Schwarzenau, the name is spelled as “Feige” and the ending “e” would have been sounded. In the “ei” combination in German, the “i” rather than the “e” is stressed. “Figa” and “Feiga” were the ways Elder John Kline spelled it in his diary. Elder Kline of Broadway, Virginia had come to the “German Settlement” (Eglon) in response to a request by Peter Fike in 1854 for a minister to come and organize a Brethren Congregation. The congregatiom was then organized in 1855 on Elder Kline’s second visit.
134 The Bittinger Story
FRANTZ THE FRANTZ FAMILY The Bittinger and Frantz families have had associations with each other for the past four centuries, going back to Switzerland where I discovered the first Livengood marriage into the Bittinger family. The Swiss records reveal that Elias Butner had married Barbell (Barbara) Lybundgut. She was a daughter of Nicholas and Catherine Frantz Lybundgut, of Canton Switzerland. Barbell had been born in Canton, Switzerland on September 17, 1581. They had lived in nearby Gutenwil, where a son Hannes Buetner was later born on February 7, 1614. We cannot describe precisely how the family of Elias is connected to the Freinsheim Buetner family line that produced Heinrich Buettner of Freinsheim who had married Anna Catherine Schaeffer. We know, however, that the Bittingers, Frantzes and Livengoods remained a cohesive unit throughout this entire period. This leads us to surmise that these families had somehow managed to survive the intolerance and persecutions that continued for the remaining decades of that century. We know that they did eventually flee to adjacent Freinsheim in Germany where they remained into the 1723 when they migrated to Pennsylvania. It was during this century that Protestantism was spreading and the pioneers of the Mennonite movement were hanging on--perhaps even growing--despite the fierce persecutions in Zurich following the beheading of Hans Landis in 1614. Details concerning the intolerance and fierce pogrom against their survival are obscure. The complete story of the sufferings of our ancestral families during this period remains to be told in more detail, a task the present writer cannot undertake at the age of ninty-two years. By the 1690s, a dissadent among the Mennonites, Jacob Ammon, broke away ca. 1693-4 from the Mennonites, and founded the Amish Movement,68 The Livengoods, Bittingers, Frantzes and elements of the Müller family followed Ammon in founding the Amish Movement, a movement they would support until their settlement in Western Pennsylvania a hundred seventy-five years later. We will return to this period in their lives again, following their emigration to America. That family may have been local or of the Wurtemburg region. There is at least one missing generation, and we have as yet to discover exactly how they are connected. There continued to be intermarriages between Bittingers, Frantzes and Livengoods as is revealed in the records of Bucks County, Pennsylvania where Mary Bitting, born 1808, married John Frantz (1796 – 1858). Livengoods also married Bittingers in Berks County (See Bitting Outline by Richard Bitting of Berks County). More recently, a Bittinger-Frantz marriage occurred when our Uncle Desmond Bittinger married Irene Frantz whom he had met as a student at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania in the 1920s. They produced a line of descendants that has now scattered from their home in McPherson, Kansas where Desmond had become President of McPherson College.
68 For additional information regarding this event, see John Hostetler book that describes the Beginning of the Amish Movement, namely, John A. Hostetler, Amish Society (Johns Hopkins University Press 1993. Page 3 and following .
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 135
Frantz family members have been Brethren for several centuries. In the 1700s Elder Michael Frantz was an important early Brethren minister of high esteem in Lancaster County where many Brethren Frantz people live. Frantz and Livengood families and ministers are included in Volume One of the Brethren Encyclopedia. COPIED FROM ANCESTRY.COM: Johannes Frantz. Born 1712, Germany. Son of Christoph Frantz and Mary Susanne lein Frantz who was a sister of John Peter lein, Anna Margaretha Klein, Katharina Klein, Johan Jacob Klein, Katharina Margareta Kein, and sister-in-law to Johan Frantz. Heinrich Frantz, Sophie Frantz, Fritz Frantz, Ernst Frantz, and Wilhelm Frantz. (Spelled Kleim erroneously?) COPIED FROM BRETHREN ENCYCLOPEDIA, Vol. I, pp. 508-9.: “Eld. Michael Frantz, Lancaster Co., 1687-1748, born near Basel, Switzerland. He became an Anabaptist and immigrated to America in 1727. He was baptized by Peter Becker, thus joining the Brethren in 1734. He was chosen as Elder of the Conestoga Congregation in Lancaster County where he served many years. A record of his baptisms is published in Brumbaugh’s History of the Brethren, 1900.” Frantz people continue to belong to Pennsylvania Brethren churches down into the present time. Our Aunt Irene, wife of the late Dr. Desmond Bittinger, former President of McPherson College, is a descendant of this Brethren line. Emmert F. Bittinger, MA, Ph.D
136 The Bittinger Story
KEIM KEIM FAMILY HISTORY NOTES Heinrich and Anna Catherina Botig/Bitting/Bittinger of New Hanover, near Pottsown, Berks County, PA, had a son, Ludwig Bittinger, born 1702, who married Sabina Böhm. I have included a section concerning this family in my essay on the Bittinger family of Freinsheim, Germany, who immigrated to New Hanover, PA in Berks/Montgomrry County in 1723. Ludwig and Sabina Boehm (Beahm) lived and died in or near New Hanover. A large amount of information about the Keim family may be found on the Keim Genealogy website and on the Oley Valley Genealogy website under the Keim Family name. There are references and sources given for the Keim family, including Dr. Roudolph Keim and, editor of the Keim book and articles he wrote. Mention is made of Ludwig Keim of Bauen, Germany and David and Mary, authors of the Keim Kude [?] And a “John Keim of the Line of Nicholas Keim.” article or book, “Genealogical Gleanings” (8-46-1981—Pennsylvania German Society). Also mentioned is the Hawk/Hoch/High family allied with the Bittinger family; also Bartelet, mentioned in connection with Philip Bittinger in Maryland. On page 31 of Keim book, Julia Mary Keim Boehm of George and Mary Keim of Reading is named. Named also was Rudolph Keim, an allied family of the Schneiders. The Keims were closely associated with the Schneider family and there is reference to the Hans Schneider Plantation of Oley. Remember that Peter Fike of Eglon married a person of the Snyder line that had moved to Preston County from Berks County. Snyders are mentioned in his book: History, Biography, Genealogy and Folklore, 384 pages; no date recovered. The ancestor of the American Keim family was: Johannes Keim 1675-1753 from Speyer Germany who settled in Oley Valley ca. 1708. Mary Loy Cook, posting on Geneology.com on July 19, 2001 provided interesting information regarding the ancestral Keims of Germany. She mentions as her source her grandmother, Opal Keim, daughter of John Cripe Keim, born January 7, 1857, in Indiana. She was a descendant of John Peter Keim that came from Germany in 1750. From Daniel Kaufman’s Mennonite Dictionary, she had learned about the Keims in the early history of Germany. As early as 1020 mention was made of Gotschalk Keim who died in 1075. In later a later century, descendants of Gotschalk Keim enjoyed good relations with King Henry IV of Germany. Also, a descendant, Albertus Keim, is mentioned as having accompanied King Conrad III on one of his crusades to the Holy Land. In the 15th Century, Keims were numerous in Switzerland and along the Rhein River. Opal Keim’s Aunt Hazel was in possession of a copy of Editor, DeBenville Randolph Keim’s, book, The Keim and Allied Families in America and Europe, no date provided. He names Johannes Keim, born 1675 in Species [Speyer?] Germany, as the founder of the Keim family in America. According to this account, he first arrived in America in 1698, returned to Germany in 1706, married a French bride, and returned to America in 1708. Johannes had 16 children by two wives, ten by the first wife, namely, Henrich, Anna Catherine (who married a Detrick), Bertha, Servena, Rudolph, Johannes, Catherine, John, Elizabeth, Jacob. By the second wife, Elizabeth “Boller”/ Bottig/Bitting), he had six children. The will of Johannes Keim was written 1747 and probated in Berks County, January 1, 1754 (Abstracts of Berks County Wills,
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 137 page 2. This will names six children of his second wife: Catherine, John (Jr.), Stephen, Nicolas, Elizabeth, and Jacob. The first set of children as adults, had indicated their consent to the second marriage and the settlement plan. He granted to each 10 lbs. and to Maria Elizabeth and the remainder including 200 acres to “my wife Maria Elizabeth, her ten children”. Executors of the will were, the wife and Casper Creamer. Witnesses were John William Pott [Bottig?] and Peter Labach. The will of relative Henry Schneider reveals additional connections. Probated Nov. 7, 1763, it disposes of “all lands” in Alsace and two lots in Reading. The wife was Anna Catherina (Keim) who got 1/3 of the estate. The children were: John, Heinrich, Abraham, Leonard, Jacob, Dietrich, and Catherina Schneider. Executors were: brother, Jacob Schneider, and brother in law Nicholas Keim of Reading. Also mentioned on the website is “John Heinrich Boehm”, named as founder of Homeopathic Medicine. He is a descendent of Jacob of Germany, and a relative of our Servina Boehm who married Ludwig Bittinger our ancestor. Ludwig and Sabina and their children should be of great interest to residents of Somerset County, because several of their offspring, including the Philip Bittinger family, and the two who married Keims produced a large descendancy in Somerset County. The purpose of the above section is to report in more detail what the writer has found out about them. CHILDREN OF LUDWIG BITTING/BÖTTIG AND JOHANNA SABINA BÖHM: Ludwig Bitting, Jr. (1729-31-1796) married Susanna High. Her father, John High, moved very early to Hampshire County, W. Va. and settled on upper Mill Creek on the west side of the mountain, High Knob, that bears his name a two or three miles east of Purgittsville where he sired a large High family that settled the Mill Creek vicinity a few moles west of Romney, WVA. Ludwig, Sr., to North Carolina. Henry Bitting (1732-?) m. Eva Barbara Mumbauer Elisabetha Dorothea Bitting (1734-?) m. Gabriel Keim (Nothing found) Phillip Bitting, Sr, (b. 1737) m. Abigail Thomas, to Somerset County. Apparently, our Philip, Jr., was removed from membership when he eloped with Julianna. Anthony Bitting, Sr. (1738-1804) m. Martha (Patty) Poe (Lepaux), 1746-1788. To N. C. Anna Maria Bitting (c1735-?) m. Andreas Graber/Garber, to Somerset County Christina Bitting (1748-1821) m. Frank Leydich Mary Catharina Bitting (bef. 1750) married John Keim (Jr.), to Somerset County Peter Bitting (c1756-?). Two of the above children, sisters of our Philip, Sr., married into the Keim family as is described above, namely, Elizabetha Dorothea Bitting who married Gabriel Keim about whom I have found no additional information. Perhaps he died early or traveled away. Bittingers and Keims were still Amish at this time. To summarize, the list above notes, the offspring that went to North Carolina and the ones who went to Somerset County as far as is known. While they were in Berks County, they had remained under the influence of the Amish community where Livengood was a leader. Subsequently, various
138 The Bittinger Story families moved to Somerset County. There John and Mary Catharina became the progenitors of a large clan of Keims, many or most of whom were Amish, some becoming leaders and ministers in the Amish Community. One of the settlements in Somerset County bears the name of Keim, and the Keim Amish Church bears his name there as well. (See also the Somerset County History and Genealogy website.) Emmert Bittinger, MA, Ph.D. September 10, 2014; 12, 2017
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 139
LANDIS THE LANDIS FAMILY: FROM ZURICH TO LANCASTER THE EUROPEAN ORIGINS Landis families are widely distributed in southern Germany and the bordering land of northern Switzerland, especially Menzinger, Augstst, am Albis, Kilchbberg, Hirzel, Horgen, Richtersville, Schonenber, Urderfg, Wadenswill, and throughout Canton Zurich. Some of the oldest settlements were in and around Horgensberg where our branch of the Landis family first appears. Some of them were called Anabaptists or re-baptizers because they believed in adult baptism of persons of age and able to be taught and able to make, informed and binding commitments to their faith. In rejecting infant baptism and practicing rebaptizing of their converts, they engendered severe persecution during this age of religious intolerance. One of the early families of the Hirzel area was that of Alwin Landis, whose home was in Oberhirzel, (Upper Hirzel), near Wadenswyl in Switzerland in 1483. This Landis home was occupied in the earliest time by Oswald Landis a nephew of Hans the Martyr.69 This home has been in the Landis family for more than four hundred years! The numbering of family names in this article begins with Hans’ father because we do not have the generational sequence down from Alwin70. We suspect, however, that the parents of Hans, the martyr, Hans Landis born 1521 and wife, Katherina Shinz, are of the next generation down from Alvin. Hans of 1521 may be a son of Alvin or one of his brothers if he had any. Additional research is required to resolve this issue. (The Landis name in Switzerland is spelled with “is”, whereas in many other places including Germany, the ending of the name often is with “es”. Because the “is” spelling is older there and because we are discussing Swiss families, we will use the “is” ending throughout.) This means that the spelling of some of the Landises in Germany and America may differ in this article. In the numbering system, each digit represents a generation, thus a person whose number has three digits is of the third generation. 1 HANS LANDIS was born 1521 in Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland. He married KATHARINA SCHINZ 1543 in Horgen, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. (Note: some of the Schinz/Schintz/Shantz family migrated to America and some are found in Somersert Co., Pa.) The children of 1 HANS LANDIS and KATHARINA SCHINZ as known were: HANS LANDIS, the Martyr, b. 1554, Horgen, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland; beheaded September 30, 1614, Zurich, Switzerland. He married Barbara Margaretha Hochstrasser. She was imprisoned in solitary confinement “as a widow” (See MRJ, April 1970, Ira Landis article, “Pennsylvania Landis Pioneers”.) Hans was an Anabaptist minister teaching adult baptism and other New Testament but un-tolerated doctrines at variance with the teachings of the state Reformed and Catholic churches. Exiled from Switzerland several times, he repeatedly returned to aid his large family He then was
He Amish Movement in Switzerland69 See the discussion by Ira Landis in Mennonite Research Journal, April 1970. Alvin is merely mentioned with his date and his village. For pictures of this ancient Landis home, see pages 4 and 5 of Penna. Menn. Heritage magazine, Jan., 2010. 70 Pronunciation of the letter “w” in German is like “v” in English.
140 The Bittinger Story taken captive and and was imprisoned, at least once in Othernbach and tortured at least once on the rack in hopes that he would change his views and come back into the Reformed Church. The Elders of the city again banished him from the city and forbade him to return. (The Martyr’s Mirror, pages 1001-5). Hans was faithful to the Anabaptist teaching and a strong ambassador of the Anabaptist doctrine of adult baptism, denying trans-substantiation which taught that the bread and wine of communion are actually transformed into the flesh and blood of Christ. Other teachings were: be not yoked with evil-doers and remain separate from the world and do not hold public office. Because of these teachings, Anabaptists would not attend Reformed Church Services at a time when attendance was compulsory for all members. City officials charged that Landis preached these doctrines up and down the Rhine River region. The true extent of his missionary journeys, however is not known. Perhaps these preaching tours took place during his periods of exile. He apparently was the principal minister of the Anabaptist congregation of Zurich. He was needed by his family and followers who relied on him for material and spiritual support in his home village (Horgen) as well as by the fellowship of believers at Zurich. Consequently, he continued to return to Horgan and Zurich to care for his family and pastoral duties. This of course again led to capture and exile. Returning again to preach and care for his family, he was arrested. The Zurich Elders had carefully set their trap so as not to execute him on religious grounds, but due to returning from exile. His “official” charge was disobedience of the orders and prohibitions of the city of Zurich, namely, returning to the city after being exiled. Hans had been sentenced on Sept. 29, 1614. As before, he was given trial before the religious and civil authorities in hopes he would recant his religious teachings. When he did not do so, he was condemned to be beheaded at the Wolfstadt, the city place of execution beside one of the bridges and within sight of Zwingly’s Reformed Church, the church he had refused to attend. He was executed the following day for unlawful disobedience of the edicts of the city Elders, a charge designed to avoid the accusation of “religious” persecution. These events reveal much about the courage and character of Hans Landis the Martyr of September 30, 1614. Remarkably, there exists an eye-witness account of his execution contained in a letter written by “Hatavier Salr” (The name varies in its spelling as in Horatio Sailer, Sayler, Sehler, Seller).71 “Hans Landis, tall of stature had a long black beard, a little gray, and a masculine voice. Being led out cheerfully with a rope, to Wolfstatt decollation, the executioner, Mr. Paul Volmer, let the rope fall, raised both hands to heaven, and said: “O! God of Mercy, to thee be complained, that you, Hans, have fallen into my hands; and for God’s sake, forgive me for what I must do to you.” Hans replied: “I am well aware that you must execute the sentence of the Magistry; be undismayed, and see that nothing
71 Descendants of this family later immigrated to America where their numerous offspring are scattered over the continent, some of whom became Brethren. Immigrants Abraham and Adam settled near Littles-town, Pa. and Abraham’s son, James, is the father of Samuel, and grandfather of Anna, the mother of the writer. Samuel Sellers also had Noah, who became a Brethren Elder and Trustee of Elizabethtown College.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 141 hinders you in this matter”, whereupon he was beheaded.”(Martyr’s Mirror, page 1004). The two parts of his body were then thrown into the river, thus his burial place to serve as a pilgrimage place. Around 2002, at the insistence of the American Mennonite Community, an inscribed brass plaque was placed on the river wall to identify the place called Wolfstatt. It contains the names of Hans Landis and Felix Manz. Other executions may have taken place there as well. This sacred spot is continues to be a place of pilgrimage for Anabaptist believers from all over the world. It is said that this was the last execution to take place in Zurich. While this may be technically true, it was certainly not the last death of Anabaptists at the hands of the authorities. A good many additional deaths occurred in unheated prisons from starvation, cold, neglect and mal-treatment, including deaths among imprisoned Landis descendants and relatives as well as other Anabaptists. See Rupp’s 1834 edition of the English translation of the Martyrs Mirror, pages 1005-1020 for a more complete descriptions of these events. After the death of Hans Landis, the Zurich town Elders decided to confiscate the land holdings of the Anabaptists. Apparently land-owners were allowed to continue to live on their lands, but they were not allowed to sell or transfer them. When a land-owner died or if they moved away, their land was taken by the Elders and then sold and the proceeds used by the authorities. The Martyrs book suggests that the money was divided among the Elders for their own profit. These injustices succeeded in rendering Anabaptist families landless. Having no means to sustain themselves, they had either to deny their deeply held religious convictions or to flee. The “exodus” soon began as imprisonments and deaths from maltreatment, cold and starvation continued to occur in the prisons. Our Miller family of Black Rock Church also suffered these persecutions. (See my Muller/Miller Essay.) Numerous Swiss Anabaptist families have since been identified in near by provinces in southern Germany and Alsace, and the exodus was virtually complete by 1675 or soon thereafter. By these means, the city Council of Zurich gradually rid the city of what they regarded as a “troublesome” population whose principal offense was a different worship and a different obedience. The new world lands of William Penn were soon to become the beneficiaries of these hard working, peace loving and devout people who sought only religious freedom, relief from oppression, and a land where they could live in accord with the Holy Scriptures they held so dear. The children of Hans 11 and Barbara Landis (Esther’s ancestors, were, not in their birth order): 111 Hans’ son Felix, born 1585, a faithful and devout man of Horgenburg, was imprisoned in 1642 at the Oertenbach prison (the same prison that had held his father for a time) where he was for a long time deprived of warmth and food. When finally given food, his stomach could not tolerate it. (page 1017, Martyr’s Mirror). Near death, he was carried to the church he had refused to attend and was thrown under a bench where he soon died. In this way his weakened body was forced back into the Reformed Church he had renounced for its unfaithfulness, even as his spirit fled to its heavenly home. Adelheyd Egli, (described in the Martyr’s book as the wife of Felix), received equally vindictive mal-treatment. After her refusal to recant her faith, they imprisoned her also in Oetenbach prison where she was placed in filthy and offensive places, removing her clothes each night, and keeping her in irons. Some how, after four years of suffering, she escaped from prison only to find that her family had been dispersed, her children placed with strangers, and her house and furniture sold for
142 The Bittinger Story
5000 florins, money that was retained by the Elders of the town. She was helpless and vulnerable. Although her fate thereafter is unknown, she likely was cared for by her relatives or other Anabaptist co-religionists. (Martyrs Mirror, page 1007). Perhaps a grandson of Hans of 1521 and cousin of Hans, Felix the third, married 1) Margaret Stoeler (Stoner?) and 2) ______Haas. He was baptized on June 1, 1589 died in 1642 in Pennsylvania. Yet another Felix, also an apparent descendant of this family, (age 45, died 1739). He had emigrated to Conestoga with his wife, Rosina, in 1717 along with a son Felix, age 14 who died in Dauphine County. At the same time a Jacob and Hans Landis (the three immigrant brothers) with the same group came on the same ship. These immigrants are among the earliest known Landises to arrive in America. (See Mennonite Family History magazine of January 1994 for an article by Richard W. Davis for his discussion of immigrants to America prior to 1718. A more complete discussion of the Landis families of Pennsylvania is presented in Part II of this essay.)
This Felix111 family, after being driven out, fled to Alsace and their descendants migrated to the Conestoga area in Lancaster County, Pa in 1717.72 (This is the line of Abraham F. Landis that later after several generations settled in Washington County, Maryland, near Maugansville along the Conococheague Creek. He is the grandfather of the late Harvey Landis and the great grandfather of Esther Landis Bittinger, and the ancestor of a large number of Landis descendants scattered throughout the country, both Mennonites and Brethren.). This family has been holding reunions annually for several generations in nearby Franklin County Pennsylvania. Esther and I frequently attended this reunion when we were still mobile. 112 Hans who married Elizabeth Ertzinger, inherited the Swiss homestead; and had14 children named, 1121 Casper;1122 Hans; 1123 Margaretha; 1124 Elizabeth; 1125 Hans Heinrich; 1126 Rudolph; 1127 Anna; 1128 Hanse Jacob; 1129 Verena; 112A; Barbara; 12B Hans Rudolph; 112C Elsbeth; 112__ Margareth and112E Maria. Ordered out of the country, his inherited property was sold for 7000 Guilders which the authorities kept. (Source, The Martyrs Mirror, page number 1004ff.) 113 Rudolph, ordered out of the country, and his property sold. 114 Hannah b. 1585; 115 Verena, the second daughter, suffered much from starvation and abuse (page 1001). In 1643, Verena was quite elderly and frail. One night, “Beadles” (town policeman) attacked the house so roughly and noisily that she became hysterical. Consequently, she was not taken away to prison but placed under house arrest with the promise that she would never leave her house. Her guardians, however, treated her unduly harshly, supplying her with “very bad provisions”. Consequently, she did not live long and “departed her life in hope and joy” in the year of 1643. The Martyr book refers to Verena as a sister of Hans. Perhaps there were two persons named Verena which was quite common among families at this time. (p. 1018, Martyr’s Mirror) 116 Adelied Egli, imprisoned four years, often stripped naked and left in chains over night in the cold prison. Somehow, she escaped in 1646. Her property, however, had been confiscated and her children “put out with strangers”. Nothing is known of her fate thereafter. Perhaps a few relatives
72 See article by Richard W. Davis, “Swiss and German Mennonite Immigrants From the Palatinate, 1704-1717, in Mennonite Family History Magazine January 1994, p. 15. Undoubtedly of the next generation, a Jacob and Hans Landis also immigrated to America with Felix at the same time.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 143 remained in the area to care for her. Her stolen property had brought 5000 Guilders which was taken as “profit” by the authorities for their own use. (Martyrs Mirror) 117 Jagli, (Jacob?) bap.2-11-1591 d.1-16-1636; 118 Margareth; 119 Welti (died) 110 Welti; 110A, Heinrich; 110B Anna; 110C Mariam 12. Ulrich Landis, b. November 1546
13. Rudolf Landis, b. September 1548, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland.
14 Anna Landis, b. January 1548/49, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland; d. 1550, at Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland.
15. Anna Landis, b. July 1551, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland; d. 1561 at Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland.
16. Hans Hinrich Landis, (also an Anabaptist minister, Horgan), b. April 1553, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland; d. July 01, 1622, Hirzel, Zurich, Switzerland; m.Verena Bertschinger, 1585.
17. Anna Landis, b. March 1553/54, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland.
18. Ludi Landis, b. April 1560, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland.
19. Anna Landis, b. January 1560/61, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland. (Note: When an infant or young child died young, the name would frequently be assigned to another newborn. The same names were use in the next generation as well. Infant mortality was very high.)
20 Rudolf Landis (Hans1) was born September 1548 in Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland. He married Anna Brugbacher 1570 in Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland. He was exiled from Switzerland.
The Children of Rudolf Landis and Anna Brughbacher are:
1 Heinrich3 Landis, b. March 15, 159/70, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland.
2 Caspar Landis, b. March 1571/72, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland.
3 Hans Landis, b. September 05, 1575, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland.
4 Oswald Landis, b. March 1575/76, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland; d. March 04, 1648/49, Hirzel, Zurich, Switzerland; m. Margaret Schneveli, 1599.
5 Barbel Landis, b. August 1579, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland.
144 The Bittinger Story
6 Anna Landis, b. May 1582, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland; m. Conrad Strickler.
7 Rachel Landis, b. January 1582/83, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland.
3. Hans 3 Landis (Rudolf2, Hans1) was born September 05, 1575 in Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland. He married Elsbeth Schneveli 1597.
Children of HANS Landis and Elsbeeth Schneveli are:
1. Hans4 Landis, b. November 1598, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland.
2. Rudolph Landis, b. February 12, 1601/02, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland; m. Barbel Ritter, September 09, 1623, Hirzel, Zurich, Switzerland.
3. Melchoir Landis, b. 1604, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland; m. Klieanna Scharer, February 20, 1618/19.
4. Barbeli Landis, b. September 1607, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland.
5. Hans Landis, b. November 1609, Horgen, Zurich; m. Klieanna Ritter, July 06, 1630.
6 Margareth Landis, b. 1611, Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland; m. Oswald Huliman.
Despite the harsh treatment the Anabaptists had received, including the beheading of Hans Landis, they continued to gather for worship, an action still prohibited. The authorities of the Netherlands sought to soften and temper the treatment being imposed on these peaceful and quiet people, but the effort was only temporally effective, and the persecutions were again resumed (M. M. 1009). In May of 1637, three Mennonite Brethren, Jacob Rusterholtz, Peter Brubach[er], and Hans Landis the second, a minister of the church at “Horgerberg”, and his daughter Margaret Landis, were incarcerated by the balif of Wadischwil in the prison at Ortenbach for sixty weeks, their property sold for 7000 florins taken and applied for their own use. Also Rudolph Eg, who had been imprisoned in Zurich in 1635 had his house broken up, his children driven out, and everything sold for their own use. His wife, Marthe Linedeger, placed in a damp room in Oethenbach prison, treated harshly, taken to the rack room and threatened to the degree that she was forced to tell where the fund for the poor, two thousand “rix dollars” was located. (page1007).
She complained publically after her release and was arrested again and placed in Othenbach. Apparently there was such an outcry against this injustice that some time afterwards she and she and many additional brothers and sisters were released from their bonds without denying their faith. Persecutions did not yet cease, and many pages follow revealing the sufferings and persecutions of the faithful. They are too lengthy and depressing to relate to the reader.
Their only recourse, it appears, was for them to flee to Alsace, thence to America.
Emmert Bittinger, MA, Ph.D. September 30, 2012
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 145
LIVENGOOD/LIEIBENGUT ELDER PETER LIVENGOOD A REMARKABLE MAN Let me tell you about former Amishman Peter Livengood. He and his wife Barbara Nafzinger are the writer’s grandparents of the seventh generation back. Or to say it differently, they are the gggg grand-parents of the the writer and the cousins of his generation. They are also the ancestors of the children of Jonas and Etta Fike Bittinger, and ancestors of the late Prof. Albert Keim of Eastern Mennonite University, of Melvin Keim of the Bridgewater Church, and of Rev. Earl and Rev. Emerson Fike, of our cousin the late Kenneth Resh of Garrett County, Maryland and of dozens of other known and unknown cousins of ours. Peter Livengood, born 1730 and died Aug. 17, 1826, immigrated to this country on the ship Phoenix on Aug. 28, 1750 and lived for ten years in the Pottstown area of Monygomery County, Pa. There he married Barbara Nafziger, said to be a daughter of Jacob Nafziger. He was a weaver and helped to establish a community of weavers. He became a wealthy and highly regarded. In 1769 or 1770, he and Barbara loaded their Conestoga wagon and traveled west fom from his home at Pottstown. This wagon is said to be the first Conestoga wagon to come across the Alleghenies to Somerset County (formed out of Bedford County in 1795). Parts of this wagon are a prized possession today of the Somerset County Historical Society. Peter and Barbara settled on a farm just west of Salisbury on the Casselman River. At this farm is located the Livengood/Keim Cemetery where he and Barbara are buried, their graves marked by field stones. Their sons Christian and John are also buried there; also Jonas Keim who married Sarah Livengood, d/o Christian Livengood. The farm went into the Keim family after the death of Christian. Peter and Barbara built a large log cabin in which they hept a store. Afterward they moved across the river west of Salisbury lived for the rest of their lives. This cabin served for many decades as one of the regular meeting places of the early Amish. Later Peter and Bittingers joined the Brethren (then known as German Baptist Brethren or Dunkers. They formerly had been Amish). Pictures of this cabin were featured along with the life of Peter Livengood in Nov. 21, 1936 issue of the Gospel Messenger. Amish and Brethren met in homes long before they built meeting houses. As you know, Brethren were mostly “house church” people for 120 years after their founding in 1708, and church houses were not widely used until the 1820s. Peter’s neighbors were Brethren ministers, John Hendricks, Bishop John Buechley/Beeghly, and Elder John Keagy. Their homes were on the Tipton Hill Road a short distance north west of Salisbury. There a large Amish Chhrch stood a short distance northwest of Salisbury and the second Livengood home and family Cemetery. This likely was the church that the Livengoods attended before being persuaded to become Brethren. The Bittingers also left the Amish and became Brethren. They had settled a few miles southward in Maryland where their homestead is still occupied by a Bittinger family. My cousin, Stanley and I visited this homestrad on one of my Elder John Kline memorial rides.
146 The Bittinger Story
The Bittingers attended the small Brethren Church in that community. I do not know when the Bittingers became Brethren, but it was likely around the same time the Livengoods changed their affiliation. Peter and Barbara had a large family. As they prospered from their farming, from the weaving industry, and from his first small mercantile busines operated from his farm. Interestingly, Livengood had brought along his weaving frame, and we saw it in a Bittinger home near by. The Livengood family came to be widely known and respected. Peter kept a lengthy and detailed record of his financial transactions in a journal. This journal has been translated and published, providing a fascinating record of life in Somerset County in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Of great interest are the records of the patrimonies and dowries which Peter and Barbara provided to their children to help them establish their marriages and “start” their families. They also placed their children on the numerous farms that they owned. The Livengoods had migrated from near Pottstown around 1769 after Chief Pontiac had signed a peace agreement the year before. Berks and Montgomery Counties ares the areas where Elder George Klein and Elder Johannes Naas had served as a powerful missionary team for the Brethren. Elder Klein continued this work long after Naas’s death in 1741. These two ministers helped to build up several Brethren congregations in Eastern Pennsylvania, namely NorthKill, Swatara and others as well. (See The History of the Brethren in Eastern Pennsylvania, 1915, especially the Amwell section.) There are fifteen references to Elder Klein and his work.)73 It is quite possible that the Livengoods first learned about the Brethren under the influence of Elder George Klein’s preaching while still in Berks County. Elder George Klein was of the fifth generation back from the well-known horse-back riding missionary minister, Elder John Kline of Broadway, Virginia, who himself would visit the Livengoods and the Elk Lick Congregation in his own travels in the 1850s. The missionary tradition obviously is very ancient in the Klein family. (See my presently unpublished article. “Ancestry and Heritage of Elder John Klein”.) Under the leadership of Livengood and the other ministers, the Elk Lick Brethren Congregation began to grow rapidly, eventually drawing in more than 600 members. This was at a time when children were not allowed to join the church and when adult males usually did not join until after marriage. After 1846 when the Summit Mills Church was built, it became the principal meeting house of the Elk Lick Congregation. This Meeting House served as the central meeting place of the congregation and was the place for the Love Feasts. The church could seat 680 communicants. Sometimes a thousand people attended these events, including non-members and on-lookers and curiosity seekers who remained on the outside, occasionally causing a ruckus and being disorderly, which gave the Brethren no end of trouble. Several vital “daughter” congregations were carved out of the original territory of the congregation. These daughter churches still thrive today. The large former church building is now used as a factory.
73 Elder Klein is the ancestor of the Rlder John Kline of Broadway Virginia, famed for his life-long horseback ridinf ministry o the isolated communities of West Virginia. It seems likely that his devotion to missionary activity had its source in hisancestor’s ministry being passed down in oral family tradition!
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 147
The Elk Lick Congregation and the Summit Mills church became so large and well known that it hosted the Annual Meetings of the Brethren on five different occasions—in 1811, 1841, 1859, 1873, and 1894. In 1894 the attendance at the meetings was so great that they had to construct a large tabernacle which was located about one mile east of Summit Mills on what later became the fair grounds. Pictures of this tabernacle are still surviving. Elder John Kline of Broadway, Virginia attended the 1841 and 1859 Annual Meetings there. In concession to the cold and snowy weather on the Applachian Plateau, the Summit Mills Church constructed a baptistery under the floor of their auditorium near the front of the room, one of the earliest in the Brotherhood. The employees of the factory that now own this large sturdy building were pleased to show the writer this unusual feature in the middle of their work area! The trap door was opened at his request. This congregation in western Pennsylvania was the home of the Brethren Fike families and also some of the Bittinger families. Several Bittinger/Bittner people married into the Livengood, Fike, and Miller families, and at least one Bittinger became a Brethren minister in that area. The apparent beginning of the Brethren branch of the Fike family began when Christina, a daughter of Elder Peter Livengood, married a young Amish man, Christian Fike. Christian and Christina are the 6th generation grandparents of Stanley Bittinger and myself and of all the other members of our generation of the Jonas and John Bittinger families of Garrett Co., Md. and Preston County, W. Va. In 2000, the Elder John Kline Memorial Riders (organized by the writer) retraced Elder John Kline’s June 12, 1859 horse-back ride into Somerset County. Elder Kline preached in the Elk Lick Meetinghouse and in two local Brethren Muller/Miller barns, holding three meetings ontSunday in 1859. On their annual ride, the Kline Riders passed by one of the several Livengood farms (then owned by Amishman Albert Yoder). It is located along the Casselman River in Somerset County and still carries on the Livingood tradition of a farm store. The little store there is still called “Dent and Bent!” The Riders had to look carefully in order to recognize it as a store. We also passed by the Keim-Livengood Cemetery and held a service in the nearby Salisbury Church, one of the units of the old Elk Lick Congregation. The Elk Lick Congregation was divided in 1849 into four or five separate “Arms”. This congregation once covered a large part of Somerset County, and it’s numerous off- spring units today populate the surrounding area, including Meyersdale. The other pioneer congregation of Somerset County was Brothers Valley which centered in the “Glades” in the Berlin and Brotherton areas. This became a very prosperous Brethren farming area because the “Glades” were an expansive area of rich farm lands. The “glades” were a large grassy area which was not timbered over. The Brethren came very early, in the 1760s to Brothers Valley and the Glades. Brothers Valley takes its name from the Brethren who settled in the area and called themselves “brothers in the Faith.” The German name was “Brudersthal.” The leader and founder of the Brothers Valley settlement was Elder George Adam Martin who moved with many of his followers from Washington County, Md. and York and Franklin Counties, Pennsylvania in the last half of the 1700s. The Brothers Valley
148 The Bittinger Story congregation is distinguished for having hosted Annual Meeting in 1849 in their Grove Meeting House which no longer stands. Elder John Kline attended this meeting and comments on it in his diary. (See Benjamin Funk, Life and Labors of Elder John Kline, 1900, pages 417, etc.) The riders rode by the site of the old Meeting House on their ride on Saturday. The Kline Riders also spent a night with the Brothers Valley people at Brotherton. There they also shared the Elder John Kline story again. The Brotherton people exercised the ancient Dunker mandate of hospitality to strangers (In this case, the Kline Riders and their horses.). Together they enjoyed the God given bounties of the good earth. Emmert F. Bittinger, MA, Ph.D Revised: Sept. 20, 2014; 11-28-2017 Sources: J. E. Blough, History of the Church of the Brethren in Western Pa. (1916), pp. 291ff and 464ff. Also History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Vol. III, (1906), pp. 229 and 153, 189,259, 404, 474.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 149
ARNOLD-LUDWICK THE ARNOLD AND LUDWICK ANCESTOR CONNECTION
Our Fike and Bittinger descendants share a common ancestry with the Arnold and Ludwick families in the Beaver Run Congregation, Burlington W. Va. One of the founding families in 1794, the Elder Samuel Arnold Family. Samuel and his brothers, Daniel and Zachariah Arnold built substantial log homes. Daniel’s burned down within my memory. (See Beaver Run Church History in Allegheny Passage book, 284. Zach’s house was built at the intersection of Beaver Run Road and Route 50. This remarkable, historic house was moved and reconstructed in Carroll Co. Md. Zach’s brother Eld. Samuel’s house was across the road from Zach a couple hundred yards and is still standing. It provided hospitality to uncounted numbers of Brethren migrants, as, did Zach’s house, as they migrated westward on this famous national road, Route 50. Elder Samuel’s house had been designed to accommodate Brethren and other travelers. For a list of his children and their marriages, see Allegheny Passage. Elder Samuel suffered an early and untimely death in 1831 from a run-away buggy accident being pulled by a horse that was not fully trained. Samuel’s wife was Mollie Ludwick. They were founders of the Beaver Run Church. They had migrated from the lower Middletown Valley, the Burkittsville-Middletown area. One of their children, Magdalene, (Nov. 16, 1796-9-16-1883) married Peter Fike, our great, great grandparents. The Arnold family has an ancient Anabaptist heritage reaching back into the 1250s when one of the Arnold ministers was burned at the stake for preaching adult baptism and other doctrines contrary to the established Churches. See the Martyrs Book, by I. D. Rupp, 1838, that contains an artist’s depiction of the horrible suffering of Arnold standing in the slow fire which had totally burned off all flesh below his knees. Arnolds and Ludwicks have been long slow time faithful members of the Beaver Run Church. See their church story in Allegheny Passage, having migrated with the Arnolds to Beaver Run in the 1790s. ( pp. 177ff.) This article is devoted to ther German/Swiss origins. Immigrants: John George Arnold (S&H, Vol. I, pp.244-245, ship Elizabeth; arrived Oct. 30, 1738. Interestingly, An “Elias Beiniger” also immigrated on this ship. He is a name sake of our earliest known Bittinger ancestor who married Barbara Livengood in Switzerland in the late 1500s! It appears that Bittingers, Arnolds and Ludwicks and Livengoods were part of the persecuted Anabaptist communities in Switzerland at this early time. From their settlement in the Middletown Valley in Frederick County Maryland, descendants Samuel, Daniel and Zacariah Arnold along with Jacob Ludwick, moved to Hampshire County where they founded a Brethren community and the Beaver Run Church near Burlington, W. Va., in 1794. (See my Arnold Article). Jacob Ludwick of Maryland was believed to be the ancestor of Mollie Ludwick who married Elder Samuel Arnold whose daughter, Magdalena, married Peter Fike of Eglon. Through this connection, the Fikes and Bittingers are descendents of an ancient line of persecuted Anabaptists in Switzerland.
Ship Patience, September 19, 1749, pp. 407-408: Hans Adam Ludwig, Johm Peter Ludwig; Jacob Ludwig (sick, did not sign list) in Vol. I, p. 408. Ship Brothers, Sept 16, 175. (Pages 463-464). Jacob Ludwig, along with Philip and Jacob Frantz were listed. Ship Edinburgh, Sept. 30, 1754: Vol. I, p. 615-20: Ludwicks: Jacob, John, Philip, Conrad,Engelhart. Apparently, there were several Jacob immigrants.
150 The Bittinger Story
(We do not know if the Jacob described above as “sick” on the Ship Patience survived his illness. He did not sign the oath of allegiance. If he had died, then the Jacob of the ship Edenburg or one of the others may have been the one that brought our immigrant Ludwick ancestor, founder of our Ludwick line.)
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 151
MÜLLER/MILLER ANDREW MÜLLER’S SWISS ORIGINS
Andrew Miller, famous minister of Conewago Congregation of York County. (See also History and Families of the Black Rock Church by Rev Elmer Gleim74.) My mother, Esther Sellers Bair Bittinger, was a cousin to a generation of Millers in the Black Rock Church, and we often visited them when I was a child. I have always had a special feeling and respect for them and enjoyed these visits. We carried on a correspondence together for many years. Therefore, I wish to honor them by preparing this short essay and dedicating it to the Black Rock Miller Family. Andrew Müller was a minister there and was a well-known evangelist 150 years ago. The Miller family was of Swiss origins and immigrated to the Conewago Settlement of Pennsylvania on the ship Samuel, arriving at Philadelphia on Dec. 3, 1740.75 The Miller immigrant’s name was recorded as “Andrew Miller”, age 24 on the ship list, A. On the port of entry list, B, his name was signed “XXXX,” and written by the Port Clerk as “Andris Miller”; and on List C, he signed his Loyalty Oath with an X as he repeated his oath in the presence of the Clerk who then wrote his name as “Andraes Miller”, though his full name may have been Hans Andrew Müller. Also on the same ship was Nicklas Zöller (Seller). The name Zöller is derived from the town of Zell in Switzerland, although it appears that part of the family lived for a while near Bern. The name has been Anglicized to Sellers. Sellers families were associated with the Anabaptist Movement in Switzerland, as noted above. There was a significant Swiss influence on the Anabaptist Movement due to the religious persecution and intolerance of these families who then migrated to nearby Germany and to Pennsylvania via Alsace in the 1700s. Since the Swiss archives have been made available to researchers, this opens opportunites for examination by our Brethren historians. Calculating from the given age of Andrew Müller in 1740, he would have been born in 1716. A son of this Andrew (1745-1776) and his descendants have been faithful members of the Conewago Congregation, including Andrew, a minister. Andrew (1745-17__ of the second generation) had a will filed Jan. 3, 1777.76 The will names wife Barbara Noll Miller and children Andrew [3rd,], 1762- Oct 12, 1785, Jacob, 1760-___, guardian; Andrew,1762-Oct. 12, 1835; Marillas, 1765- ___; Elizabeth, 1768-___; Michael 1770-___; Barbara, 1772-__. Manheim Township. Gleim includes additional information also. He seems to have been a son or grandson of Hans Andrew Müller, immigrant. Millers and Sellers families were closely inter-related over the years and were described in detail in my Sellers essay.
74 Published by the author and Church, 1986. No or publisher indicated. See page 262 in the index. 75 See Strassburger and Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers (Norristown: Pennsylvania German Society, 1934). See Vol. I, pp., 291-292, ship Samuel. See List C, pages 291-292. 76 See Gleim, Elmer, History and Families of the Black Rock Church (by the author and Church, 1986, op. cit, p.28).
152 The Bittinger Story
In Switzerland, this Müller family members were described by the Swiss Authorities as “taufers”, meaning “baptizers”. Today, we use the term “Anabaptists” which in this context means “re- baptizers”. Religions in Switzerland at this time were “established”, meaning legalized and permitted by the State to meet and organize as congregations to worship and perform their rituals. Without state recognition, sects had no right to hold religious services, and were breaking the law. Only the Lutheran, Reformed and Catholic religions enjoyed legal standing. Anabaptists had no permission to exist and certainly not to baptize. For them to do so was a crime against the State. For unqualified persons to perform religious rites subjected them to prosecution, imprisonment, banishment, torture. If they persisted or continued to offend, a few suffered death by beheading, drowning or starvation. Being severely persecuted, those “taufers” who were able to do so, fled Switzerland and migrated to Pennsylvania, some making their homes in in the well-known Conewago Settlement77 in York and Frederick Counties. See also Elmer Gleim’s book, on Conewago families. You may contact the writer for a copy of the essay for additional details. The reader may Google, “Switzerland, taufers, Muller rfamily”. (Johannes Hannes or Hans Androus) They were described as “troublesome” in Switzerland because, as Anabaptists, they baptized converts as adults. Since these converts had already been baptized as infants into the Reformed, Lutheran or Catholic Churches, these churches as well as Civil Authorities were outraged and tried to get rid of them. Some were imprisoned, tortured, starved to death, and even beheaded as in the case of Hannes Landis in 1614. The wife of Landis was arrested but would not recant her faith. Consequently, she was imprisoned and hung on the stone prison wall without clothes (at night). She lasted five nights before dying of “natural causes”, namely, ill treatment, cold, pain, dis-jointing and starvation.78 The Swiss source may be reached through: Google, “Hans Müller”, or “Andraes Müller, eg. “Switzerland, taufer”, or “Hans Müller, taufer”, etc. Johannes (Hannes) Müller arrived at Philadelphia on October 31, 1737 on the ship William. He usually was known by the shortened name, Hans, in the local community. The Swiss Archives have been “opened” only in recent years, revealing much new information formerly unavailable to historians and researchers. Dr. Emmert F. Bittinger, MA, Ph.D. October 1, 2016
77 (For the Conewago Settlement, see Rev. Elmer Gleim, The History and Families of the Black Rock Church of the Brethren (1738-1988), pages, 1, 5, 7, 8, 10, 14, 19, 30, 40. Published by the Black Rock Church of the Brethren, 1986. The story of the Swiss origins is provided by the present writers’ own research.
78 See Rupp, I. D., page 1004 and following, of the 1837 translation of the Martyrs Book.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 153
PHILLIPPI BITTINGER, LIVENGOOD, PHILLIPPI SWISS ORIGINS Bittingers in Germany: (LDS documents Unknown connection. Event: A Crhistening, Nov. 17, 1717, Evangelisch, Suelze, Mecklenberg-Schwerin, Germany. Mother: Ilse Sophia Buetners. [No father present nor named.] Child: Heinrich Buetners
Event, a christening, Dec. 14, 1727 (Unknown connections. Child: Heinrich Jacob (Our family, Philip not mentioned yet) Place: Petershagen Minden, Westfalen, Preussen Father: Jacob Buettner; Mother, Anna Dorothea Nuerings
SWISS RECORDS Piere (Peter), parents of Piere and Adam of 1660, were Hannes, born Feb. 27, 1614 at “Gondesvill”, and Maria Sabina Muller. Parents of Hannes were Elias Bittinger and Barbell Lybengut born Sept., 17, 1581 daughter of Nicholas and Catherine Frants Lybundgut. These Bittingers share a common origin with the Livengoods, Bittingers and Phillippi families of the New Hanover area in Montgomery County near Pottstown, as well as southern Pennsylvanua lines in York County! MARRIAGES Bittinger, Johan Henricus (John Henry) “Bittinger” married to Barbell Lybundgut, b. Sept. 17, 1581, dauGter of Nicholas and Catherine (Frantz) Lybundgut of Switzerland. Remember also that my great great great grandfather, Peter Fike, father of Christian, married Christina Livengood, daughter of Peter Livengood, an Amishman, of Somerset County! These marriages reveal centuries old family associations of Bittingers, Fikes, and Livengoods. It also reveals the early connection of Bittingers with Amish people since Amish people tended strongly to marry only within their own Faith.
These earliest Swiss records were compiled by Mogens Mogensen of Arbon, Switzerland from records at Melchanu. Some ancestors went to Germany and some to Alsace; from there they went to Pennsylvania.
RECORDS FROM GERMANY The border area between Germany and France (Alsace) was contested and switched back and forth between France and Germany on several occasions making it difficult to discover locations. One must discover names of towns and villages.
SOME BITTINGER IMMIGRANTS NOTED. Hans Adam and Peter Beidinger arrived together on the ship Samuel August 30, 1737 and settled on Beaver Dam in Maryland adjacent to southern York County where some of them are buried. A Christoph Bettinger, born Aug. 19, 1686, Hemmingen, Enz, Germany; son of Hans Andrew Bettinger, born 1660 and Juliana Henrica, born 1664, at H…, Wurtemberg arrived on the ship Brotherhood on November 3, 1750. Andrew Bittinger arrived at Philadelphia in the ship Nancy on
154 The Bittinger Story
September 16, 1751. A Johan Christoph Buttner also arrived on November 2, 1752 on the ship Phoenix. A Heinrich and Hans Michael Buttner arrived in August 1747 on the ship Bilander Vernon. My own observation regarding the above: Bittinger immigrants as they arrived were recorded at the port of entry with a variety of name spellings, making a continuing difficulty in identifying them. Their identity must be based partly on similarity of spellings, partly on who they arrived with, and partly on knowledge of Germanic spelling patterns. This still leaves, unfortunately, a degree of uncertainty. Our Bittinger family line carried the names Henrich, Philip, Juliana and also Anna Dorthea for several generations after their arrival here. This provided help in tracing them. This Germanic custom provided additional support for the idea that these Swiss Bittinger couples are related to the Bittinger/Pittinger couples that immigrated to the port of Philadelphia and first settled in the Chester County-Montgomery-Berks County. (See Chapter II for emigration to America). Much of this large part of eastern Pennsylvanians originally belonged to Philadelphia County. (The date of county formation enters in here as a factor in identifying exactly where on contemporary maps the first Buettner-Pittner and Phillippi families settled.) New Hanover, Cumru, Tulpehochen, Mohenton are places their names appear in the areas around Reading Penna. The Feige/Fike family also settled in the Reading vicinity, only a few miles southwest of that city. (See Morrow’s Fike book and also my Fike essays.) For working out this settlement location problem, we rely on county will records that also often provide the names of offspring and location of the decedent. Another useful approach is to search for the wife’s origin if the maiden name is known. Thus the search for Juliania Bittinger’s (the wife of our Philip Bittinger) maiden name produced a number of new leads. The name Julianna was found as a daughter in the will of George and Margaretha Engelhard of Cumru in Berks County. This lead provided the maiden name of Juliana as a legatee and her family background. The will also named Johannes Phillippi as an Executor since he was a son-in-law. Julianna’s father’s will was written on March 4, 1778 and probated at Reading on Dec. 5, 1778 in Cumru Twp.79 Julianna’s siblings, were named and shared equally in the estate. Offspring named were: Henry, George, Margaretha, Magdalena, Christina, Catherina, Juliana, and Barbara, eight children in all. The will named “friend” Johannes Phillippi as one of the executers along with Isaac Young. Henry Christ (Crist), Jr. was one of the witnesses along with Daniel Morris. [Because Johannes Phillippi was Julianna’s husband, he was named as the Executor, his wife receiving an eighth of inheritance! Other wise he would not be in the will.] This is strong evidence of Phillipi’s wife Julianna’s parentage! She was a granddaughter of the Engelhardts and a daughter of Johannes and Julianna (Engelhardt) Phillippi! In turn, Johannes Phillippi’s will was probated Feb 28, 1781, and his widow, Julianna received her legacy and was named as Executor. These were the parents of Julianna Phullippi who married
79 Abstracts of Berks Co.wills, Martin and Smith, Family Line Publications p. 127.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 155
Philip Bittinger, who by this time had already moved from Washington County, Maryland to Somerset County, PA It will be noticed that Julianna’s father died a several years after Philip and Julianna had gone to the Myersdale area. Also we notice that they were married in Somerset County after the birth of the second child. This sequence of events suggests that Philip and Julianna were living in a common law marriage and probably had eloped! The writer must confess his delight at discovering the maiden name of his fifth great grandmother! Julianna is a beautiful name. It represents a combination of Julia Anna. I hope that some of our descendents will discover it and use it! Julianna’s parents, George and Margaretha Engelhardt, had immigrated on the ship Pheonix that arrived at the port of Philadelphia on Aug. 28, 1750 with 339 passengers packed into her hold. This ship apparently carried a large number of people of Anabaptist background. Among them were Johannes, Sr, Jr. and Andrew, and Christian Phillippi; Beder (Peter) Liebengugt, Hans Jacob, Sr., Jr. Liebengut; George Engelhardt; Immanuel Boger; Gaunz/Gauntz; Zimmerman; Hans George Ludwick, all ancestral to families of our allied lines. Dozens of other Anabaptist family names were also passengers who later are known to be Anabaptists if not at the time of their arrival on these shores, later in their Anabaptist settlements. Some of these are also relatives of the Bittinger and Fike family lines judging by their names! The Englehardt families were prominent citizens of Zurich as early as 1383 when Heinrich Engelhardt served on the council of the city of Zurich. Johannes along with his daughter Katharina lived in Nafels, Glarus, Switzerland where Katharina was married in 1570 to Zacharias Galalti. [Wikitree]. Besides George and Margaretha Engelhardt, the ship list names several Bittinger allied family names such as the Immanuel Boger (Boucher), Livengood, John George Lutwick (Ludwick), John Philipi, Sr., and Jr., several Zimmermans, (Esther’s mother was a Zimmerman), Phillip Fink, Andrew and Christian Philipi, Etter, Farringer, John Garber and numerous other names familiar to Brethren and Mennonites, several being distant relative family names as identified in earlier research. This does not prove a genealogical connection, of course, as other ships also carried persons having similar names though often spelled variably). Several of the above immigrants, however, have been shown by research to be Fike and Bittinger relatives. (Consult other articles I have written about these families regarding their arrival dates and places of settlement.). On Nov. 1, 2012, I was able to connect with a German genealogical report by Larry W. Neff and Frederick S. Wilson that gave data on the earliest Bittinger family so far known, going back to the 1640s at the Bittinger home in eastern Switzerland where on one of our tours we had seen the sign some years ago identifying the “Bittinger Distillery”. This report shows evidence that the York County-Beaver Dam Bittinger families are from the same location in Switzerland (Gutenwil, a few miles north east of Zurich) as the Somerset Bittinger families. The evidence of this connection is the fact that the “Lybensgut” family also was in Switzerland at or near that same place and close enough for the Bittingers and Lybensguts to know each other. There was at least one marriage between Lybengut and Bittinger persons in the late 1500s. This is the earliest evidence we have discovered about the Bittinger and Livengood families!
156 The Bittinger Story
One branch of the Livengood family migrated to Somerset County Pa.in 1767, when Peter Livengood gained the distinction of taking the first Conestoga wagon over the Allegheny Mountains! Livengood was a true American pioneer and was one of the first permanent settlers of Somerset County. The Bittingers also arrived at or near the same time, being recorded on the tax lists by the year 1770. Likely they traveled along with their relatives, the Livengoods, on their strenuous and difficult crossing of the as-yet untamed Allegheny Mountain. Related families and neighbors usually traveled in groups because of the frequent need to assist each other as difficulties and break-downs occurred along the way. The precise date of their arrival is unknown, and the 1770 date refers to land transaction or taxation records. This Livengood wagon record may be found at the Somerset Co., Pa. Historical Society Library. I seem to recall also that this Society has Livengood’s wagon or parts of it in their possession and on display. Peter Livengood became wealthy, partly as a result of hard work and partly as a result of obtaining cheap land. He was no miser, and he knew that that each newly founded family needed help in getting established before the harsh winter weather set in. When one of his numerous offspring married, he gave them each a generous start in their marriage by providing them with a large gift of household furnishings and other goods. Each item was meticulously noted on paper as a record in order to assure that each one received equally, thus avoiding family squabbles! The record of these legacy gifts has been preserved, and a copy is in the writer’s possession. It was also published in Mennonite Family History magazine some years ago. Some of his children were “Dunkers,” and the Brethren (Dunkers) were eager to have Peter Livengood and his extended family members to convert to the Brethren Faith. In those days, much emphasis was placed on following the scripture accurately. With respect to baptism, the Brethren had an advantage over those denominations that sprinkled or poured for baptism. There were numerous public debates in the second half of the 1800s concerning the method of Jesus’ baptism and the correct method to follow. The Brethren claimed Jesus was immersed in the water. A proper baptism, they said, was three immersions forward as Jesus had instructed, once each in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. Great crowds attended these debates, sometimes thousands. That was a pretty difficult claim to put down, and usually the Dunker Elder was declared a winner in these debates! At any rate, Peter Livengood became convinced and went over to the Brethren. He was soon elected to the ministry. Following this significant event, many other Somerset County Amish families, including the Bittingers, also converted to the Brethren faith as well, much to the dismay of the Amish Elders. Both families had been Mennonites in Switzerland but converted to the Amish as followers of Jacob Ammon ca, 1693. (This was the very beginning of the Amish Faith).80 Since our great, great grandfather, Peter Fike, married a daughter of Peter Livengood, I can take the liberty of telling a family story. Before Peter Fike converted to the Brethren, he married Christina
80 For the story of the Mennonites and Amish in Switzerland, see Hostetler, Amish Society; 4th edition. Pages, pages 31- 49. The Bittingers had joined the Amish and suffered the ostracism and prejudice accorded to the early Swiss Anabaptists, and were driven from village to village. See Lucy Forney Bittinger and Bedinger Families . . . .
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 157
Livengood whose family had become Brethren. Wanting to attend the Brethren Love Feast (it was required to attend in those days or one got a visit from a church committee), Christina asked her husband Peter to allow her to buy a pair of shoes, which he denied. She then walked the several miles barefoot to and from the Feast. As she returned and walked into the kitchen, her feet left bloody prints on the floor. When Peter saw these prints the next morning, his heart was softened, and he soon afterwards joined the Brethren, the first Fike known to do so. The Bittingers, Fikes and Livengoods had become e members of the Elklick Brethren Congregation south of Meyersdale. Emmert F. Bittinger, MA, Ph.D. November 14, 2017.
158 The Bittinger Story
SCHAEFER SHÄEFFER FAMILY
Anna Catharina was a daughter of Johannes Adam Schӓffer, the Reformed pastor in Freinsheim. As her husband, Heinricos Bitting, held a respectable and some what protected and enhanced position in the Freinsheim community. Thus, his request to be released from his employment and any other traditional obligations he may have had, were cancelled, and he was he was allowed to move away without hindrance. This elaborate and carefully written recommendation would appear excessive and seems to be designed to protect the already high standing of Anna Catharine Schӓffer rather than to protect her husband. If Heinricos were of equal status, such a recommendation likely would not have been needed. There may be more to this story than meets the eye. EFB (use copy below for the book) This elaborate and carefully written recommendation would appear somewhat excessive and seems to be designed to protect the already high standing of Anna Catharina Schäffer rather than to protect her husband. If Heinricos were of equal status, such a recommendation likely would not have been not have been needed.
Her brother was John Nicholas Schäffer of Freinsheim. He is perhaps one of the two immigrants mentioned below that immigrated to Montgomery County on the ship Edinburgh on October 7, 1749 and signed their names “John Jacob and Johannes Nickel Schӓffer.” (S&H, Vol, I, pp.402-44). Other members of the Shäffer family emigrated from Freinsheim on November 3, 1750 on the ship Brotherhood. (S&H, Vol. I, p. 447.) The names were Johannes and Johan Nicholas Shäffer. These two names appear again on the list of the ship Priscilla that arrived August 31, 1750 (although the name is poorly written as “Jonickle.” (Other Shӓffers arrived on the ship Brothers on August 4, 1750, namely, John Matheis and Johann Jacob Shäffer. (S&H, Vol. I, p.437). These families settled in western Pennsylvania where their family name is now very common.
At the death of Anna Margaretha Schäffer, widow of Michael, in Tulpehochen, Berks County, ca. December 23, 1783, her will included John Nicholas, a son, among the legatees as well as three daughters, Margaret Elizabeth Rudy, Elizabeth, wife of Casper Reed, Jr. and Anna Maria Catharina Schaurkirchin. These name similarities, although quite common, support the notion that these Schäffer persons are a part of the family of Heinricos Bitting’s wife Anna Catharina.
Some members of the Shaeffer family became Brethren, and a branch of the family migrated to York County and others to Somerset County where a number of the descendent men became Brethren ministers. See J.E. Blough, History of the Church of the Brethren in Western Pennsylvania. This book is in my library. Blough refers to the fact that the Shaffer family came from the Berks County- Montgomery County area near Philadelphia. December 18, 2013
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 159
SOME DESCENDANTS OF HEINRICH AND ANNA CATHERINA (Schäffer) BITTINGER
Heinrich Bӧttig/Bitting and Anna Catherina (Schäffer) Bӧittig, the ancestors of our Bittinger line, lived in Freinsheim, Germany on the upper Rhine opposite Manheim. This brief essay will provide additional details about their son Ludwig. He is the progenitor of our Bittinger line as is described in my essay, “Bittinger Family Peregrinations”. Heinrich was employed by the Freinsheim Town Council, which, upon his request, released him from service so that he and his wife, Anna Katharina, could emmigrate to America on the ship Globe in 1723. They settled near Philadelphia at New Hanover.81 Apparently, not all of their children accompanied them as some of their names appear on ship lists at later dates. Heinrich’s wife, Anna Catherina was a daughter of the Pastor of the Reformed Church of Freinsheim and obviously from a family of high standing. Their reasons for emigrating remain obscure as the family obviously enjoyed a comfortable position. LUDWIG, their second son, was born 1702 at Freinsheim, in the Palatinate of Germany, on the west side of the Rhine River below Heidelburg near Manheim. Freinsheim is a good sized city today. He died in Lehigh County a short distance north of Philadelphia in 1775. Our Bittinger line descends from Ludwig, Sr., through Ludwig, Jr. to Philip, Sr., to Philip Jr., born at or near New Hanover a short distance north east of Pottstown outside of Philadelphia. The old German spelling of the name appears to have been “Bӧittig”, evolving into Büttner in Germany, then in America into Bitting and Bittinger, sometimes spelled with a “P”.82 Heinrich was a son of Hans Andrew, born 1660, and Julianna Heerica, born ca.1664. Sometime earlier, the Bittingers were in nearby Switzerland where the earliest forebears lived. Hans Andrew was a son of Hans Bittinger, born February 27, 1614 and Sabina Müller. Hans Bittinger was a son of Elias Bittinger, born 1560, who married Barbel Lybengut, born September 17, 1581 at the village of Gutenswil, a dozen or so miles east of Zurich, Switzerland. The Swiss branch of the Bittingers emigrated with the Livengoods through Alsace. After their arrival at Philadelphia, the Livengoods settled at Douglas, then a village at the north edge of Pottstown, only a couple miles from the New Hanover Bittingers. Other Bittingers settled near Hanover in York County and south-ward in nearby Carroll County Maryland. The description of the American settlements in much more detail is found in the Bittinger essay previously mentioned, an article consisting to approximately 80 pages in length. We return now to our discussion of Ludwig Bittinger, Sr., born 1702, who was married ca, 1728 to Susanna daughter of Johannes Philip Bӧhm. Ludwig, Sr. born in Freinsheim, Germany, lived in Berks County, New Hanover area, where he died in 1775. His wife Susanna was of a distinguished and well-known family of Germany. Her father was John Philip Bӧhm (1683-1749), a school-master who had immigrated to America in 1740 where he became involved in church work. He is credited with “gathering together” the scattered members of the Reformed Church into twelve congregations in eastern Pennsylvania. (Bre. Ency.,
82 The name is often mis-pronounced despite the fact that the name includes the two most common word suffixes in the English language, namely “ing” and “er”. Syllibalized, the name appears as Bitt-ing-er
160 The Bittinger Story
Vol., I, p.56) The Bӧhm ancestor was a famous Inspirationalist leader and philosopher in Europe, Johannes Jacob Bӧhm. The children of Ludwig and Susanna Bӧhm were: 1) Ludwig Bitting, Jr., (1729-1796); married Susanna Hoch (High) and are said to have gone to Wytheville VA, then to Germantown at the north edge of Winston Salem, North Carolina where he is buried in the Nazareth Lutheran Church Cemetery at Rural Retreat. Susanna’s father, John Hoch (Hawk, Hog) who was a member of the Brethren at Oley. He moved very early to Hampshire County, now in West Virginia and settled on upper Mill Creek on the west side of High Knob (named after him) about 12 miles west of Romney where he sired a large family. The writer has discovered six High cemeteries in the Mill Creek Valley. The High family before 1800 belonged to the near-by Beaver Run Congregation organized ca. 1785 and also attended the union Old Pine Church above Purgittsville. Ludwig Bitting and family were neighbors of Daniel Boone who in his extensive explorations of North Carolina and Kentucky, provided the impetus for the Ludwig Bittinger, Sr., family to move to North Carolina. George Bittinger became a famous Kentucky Pioneer. 2) Henry Bitting (1732- ?), Eva Barbara Mumbauer 3) Elisabetha Dorothea Bitting 1734-? She mMarried Gabriel Keim, (nothing found.) 4) Anna Maria, born ca. 1735, m. Andraes Graber/Garber 5) Philip Bitting, Sr., born 1737, m. Abigail Thomas or Day (They were the parents of Philip, Jr., and are our ancestors. They settled in Somerset County.) 6) Anthony Bitting, born October 10, 1738, m. Martha Poe (Lapaux) To North Carolina. 7) Christina Bitting, (1748-1821), m. Frank Leydich 8) Mary Catharina, born ca. 1750 m. John Keim—to Somerset County, many descendants 9) Peter Bitting, born ca. 1756 The Keim families mentioned here settled near Salisbury in Somerset County, and the Livengoods are buried in the Keim-Livengood Cemetery near Salisbury not far from the Livengood and Bittinger homesteads in that county. The Livengood, Bittinger and Keim families were Amish. In Somerset County, however, they soon became Brethren, worshipping with the Brethren in the nearby in the Salisbury area where the Elk Lick Congregation became established. The Livengood families produced several influential ministers among their descendants. 83 Most Keims remained Amish. As help-mates of their husbands, Bittinger, Livenhood and Keim women obviously played a role in the building up of the Elk Lick Congregation one of the largest in western Pennsylvania. After the agreements with Chief Pontiac in 1768, land became available for settlement. This, along with the early talk of revolution, undoubtedly entered into the decision by Peter Livengood and Philip Bittinger, Sr., in 1769 to travel from their homes in Montgomery County near Pottstown westward across the Allegheny to what was then still in Bedford County in search for land. Obviously, Philip did not want to lose the rights to that land. This is why Philip Sr., (likely already there), and Philip, Jr., divided from the Ludwig party who were going to North Carolina. These facts seem well established. Philip’s land was located on Berkley Flats Road a short distance north-east of Meyersdale. The Bowser Family was located a short distance away on the west side of the Berlin Road. See
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 161 accompanying Map. Our great great great grandfather Henry Bittinger married Barbara Bouser in Somerset County. Sometime later Henry and Barbara with her parents moved to adjacent Garrett County, Maryland a couple miles south of Grantsville where they settled, some of them attending the nearby Maple Grove Church of the Brethren. This is the church where the writer preached his first sermon in 1943. One of the colored windows in this church is dedicated to Noah Bittinger. The Henry Bittinger farm a mile distant is still in the Bittinger family. Henry and Barbara, among other children, had twins Jonathan and Solomon. They are buried in the church cemetery a few miles south at Bittinger crossroads. Johnathan is the father of David Bittinger, our great grandfather. He is the father of Jonas who married Etta Mary Fike of Eglon, our grandparents. They lived at Eglon and were active in the Maple Spring Church of the Brethren. Emmert F. Bittinger May 2014
162 The Bittinger Story
SCHNEIDER/SNYDER SCHNEIDER/SNYDER FAMILY HISTORY A Snyder/Schneider family history summary is included because descendants of the Schneider family intermarried with the family line of Peter Fike and Magdalena (Arnold) Fike in Eglon. They are therefore an important part of our genetic and religious heritage. Schneiders also had migrated with the Fikes from Somerset County to Eglon. Christian Fike, (June 2, 1761-Feb. 8, 1851) married Christina Livengood (Mar. 2, 17__-May 5, 1857). They are the parents of seven children as listed on the first page of Chart 1 (center). One of these children was Peter Fike who married Magdalena Arnold, daughter of Elder Samuel Arnold of Beaver Run Church near Burlington, W. Va. Her dates are 1791-1884. Their family is described elsewhere in the Bittinger-Fike essay. In this essay, we mention the three children of Peter and Magdalena Fike who married into the Snyder family, namely, Susanna Fike, (b.1819) who married John Snyder; Rachel Snyder (Feb. 19, 1824 -Dec. 4, 1884) who married Elder Samuel A. Fike (Dec. 22, 1820- Mar. 7, 1905) in Fayette County ; and David Fike (1823-1907) who married Elizabeth Snyder. Not all dates are available. Other children of Peter and Magdalena (Arnold) Fike were: Lydia, Christina, Mary, Anna, Madalin, and Elder Aaron. Aaron (1810-1916) married Rebecca Roudolph, and their offspring were Phoenas, Emra T., and Lorenzo.84 Another son, Moses, (1837-1934) married Sophia Roudolph, and they are the writer’s great grandparents. After Sophia bore and raised their children, she died. Moses then married Rebecca Beaghly and then Betty Digman. Moses was born 1837 and died in 1934 at the age of ninety-four. Peter and Magdalena Fike’s large family at Eglon have been a great asset to the church. Their children included three ministers, their names being 1) Samuel A., 2) Moses, (father of Etta Fike Bittinger, wife of Jonas Bittinger), and 3) Elder Aaron Fike. We will focus on Samuel A., because his wife was Rachel Snyder, Snyders being the topic of this Essay. (Our line of Moses Fike is discussed in a different essay). The Fike (Feige/Feick) family moved from Fayette County Pennsylvania to “The German Settlement” (Eglon) in 1854. Elder John Kline of Broadway, Virginia, visited the area in 1854 at the request of Peter Fike’s call for a minister to visit and organize a congregation. On that occasion, Samuel A. was elected to the office of deacon, in October after his marriage to Rachel Snyder occurred. In the following year, 1855, he was elected to the ministry on the occasion of the second visit by Elder Kline. Thus, he became the first minister of the Congregation. Deacons also were elected on this occasion. This marks the beginning of the Maple Spring Congregation. Elder Samuel
84 A handy source for the Eglon Fike family line is the late Edwin and Maye Fike whose massive compilation of Fike and Rogers family materials was personally researched, published, and spiral bound and released in 1987. They lived in Flemington. W. Va. We shared information with each other for many years.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 163
A. presided over the rapidly growing congregation, and may be credited faithfully nurturing it into one of the most influential Brethren congregations in the state, rivaling Beaver Run and Sandy Creek in size and influence. Jonas Fike, son of Elder Samuel A., and Rachel Snyder, succeeded his father as presiding Elder in the Maple Spring Church. Jonas was born December 22, 1851 and died June 24, 1925). He led an active ministerial life and kept a record of his remarkable ministry.85 Grandmother Etta Fike Bittinger took great pleasure in keeping track of the number of Brethren ministers in her Fike and Bittinger family lines. Before her death ca 1971, she had counted more than one hundred. The German word “schneider” means tailor, or more generally, one who cuts, makes, concocts or, forges). Elder Emra T. Fike spoke of the Fikes as “weavers”, which if correct, would be a related occupation of tailor and would tend to suggest a common occupational background for the Livengoods, Fikes and Snyders in Germany and in Berks County. This county was adjacent to Germantown, Pottstown and other German settlements nearby. This area was the arrival point for many Palatine immigrants including those fleeing religious intolerance. Immigrants often were hosted there by relatives or church people while thy recovered from their arduous journey and adjusted to their new setting. While temporally sheltered there, they would gather needed information about the strange Pennsylvania landscape and make their plans for traveling to their new homes. A settlement of weavers was located in the vicinity where they could temporarally support themselves. Grandma Etta’s father, minister Moses, and her Uncles, Elder Jonas, Elder Aaron, Elder Samuel A., and Elder Jeremiah Miller (the latter marrying into the Snyder family), made up a team of ministers that were mainly responsible for the rapid growth of the Maple Spring Congregation. A picture of four of these preachers, bearded and dressed in the required “Dunker Garb”, may be found on page 129 of the book History of the First District of West Virginia by Foster M. Bittinger, (Brethren Publishing House, Elgin, Illinois, 1945). The picture was taken in 1908. Their fame was acknowledged by the title fondly assigned to them—“The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. This book provides some of the data in this essay. A team of ministers familiarly known as the “The Four Snyders” lived in Somerset County before some of them moved to Eglon in Preston County. Thus, we are able to ee how far the history of the older generations back to Germany for the older generations of the family, leading down to the Peter Fike generation. Source: Mennonite Family History, July 1993, page 139 for the older generations of the Schneiders. I. Hans Schneider b. 1534, m. Catherine Hans II Jacob Schneider, b. 1561, m. 1586 Anna Maria Brech III Peter Schneider, 1590-1663 m. Susanna Reisz. (Remember, Heinrich Bittinger, s/o Heinrich & Anna Catherine Bittinger, married a Reis.) IV Jacob Schneider, 1524-1679 m. Anna Maria Müller, 1626-1679
85 See Bittinger, Foster M Bittinger; History of the….First District of West Virginia, 1946, p. 134. Cited below.
164 The Bittinger Story
V Jacob Schneider 1663-1727 n. Veronica Schmidt, b. 1662 VI John Schneider, immigrant, married Susan Bauman VII Christian Schneider m. ______? VIII Herman Schneider (1767-1851), a Mennonite Bishop, married Magdalena Graybill (1774-1851) IX Jacob I. Snyder (1793-1865) married Hannah _____ (1795-187_). Numerous Snyders arrived in America at different times in the early years, and we have not yet made connections to those listed above. They were mostly Mennonites. Number VI above is indicated as one of the immigrants. The list of immigrant Schneiders in the ship lists index contains two pages of Snyder immigrants! Some Fikes and Snyders were converted to the Brethren Faith in Somerset County where they came under the influence of Brethren Elder Peter Livengood, an Amish man who had converted to the Dunker faith, and brought other Amish families with him, including the Bittingers. It was there that Christian Fike married Christina Livengood, a Dunker, who by her own loyalty and example, inspired Christian himself to become a Dunker. This is also the time that our own Bittinger branch (of Philip and Julianna) became Brethren. They were living at the northern edge of Meyersdale at the time. It was sometime later that the family migrated to the Eglon community with the Fike clan ca. 1854 or shortly before. When did our Schneider ancestors immigrate to America? For the answer we again must resort to the ship lists. The name of our oldest known Schneider must be searched in the ship lists for the matching name. The immigrant lists must be surveyed carefully since they arrived at different times. On October 31, 1765, the ship Betsey arrived at the port of Philadelphia carrying 75 named immigrants. Women and children were not named. The ship carried four Schneiders (spelled variably), John Adam, John Philip, John George, and Peter Schneider. We do not know if or how they might have been related to each other. The ship also carried William and John Frederick Schaffer and Hans Merkle, All these names are prevalent in our family and widely distributed among the Appalachian Plateau Dunker Congregations. Both Schaeffer and Schneider immigrants were numerous in the ship records. Their names are on tomb stones of the Maple Spring cemeteries. As suggested by Edwin Fike’s research, Fike and Rogers, 1989, p. 94, our Snyder immigrant most likely was “Devalt (H) Snyder”. He immigrated on the ship Dragon that arrived at the Port of Philadelphia on September 26, 1749 (S&H, (Vol. I, pp. 413-14) in company with “John Nicholas Schneider” and “Michael Schneider,” the latter standing beside two Schaffers, “John Nicklas” and “George Jacob”. Both of these family names were present in the Bittinger-Fike family background and common in in Somerset County. Devalt was born November 2, 1755 in Walabar, Germany and died December 17, 1828 in Somerset County about three miles from Rockwood not far from where Middle Creek and the Casselman River intersect. The family graveyard of a half dozen stones overlooks the Casselman River. The old house, no longer standing, was located nearby. (Edwin Fike, p. 94) Devalt was married in 1786 to Anna Clarissa Fader (Feather), born April 21, 1768 and died July 17, 1819 at Frankenthal along the Rhein River. Edwin Fike reported the family tradition of the Feather family’s arrival in America in 1775. In checking the ship arrivals that year, I found “Xtian” and Jacob “Vӓtter”. The misspelling is by the ship registrar. [Fӓder in German means Feather.] They had arrived at Philadelphia on October 17, 1775 on the ship King of Prussia. Only heads of families
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 165 and males of age were normally named on the ship lists. (S&H, Vol. I, pp. 762-3.). Other “Fetters- Feathers, John Bernhart and John Peter Fetter were with the Snyders (Vol. I, p. 363 ship Neptune, Oct. 6, 1746); and Ludwig; (Vol. I, 689), with Schӓfers on ship Chance), on Aug.8, 1764. Feathers families still lived in the Eglon community when our family lived there on the Bittinger farm in 1938- 1940. We do not have the complete story of just how our Eglon Snyders are connected to Devalt or just how the line comes down. Did our ancestor arrive later on a different ship? A possible clue is in the names. Among these Schneider immigrants were John and Peter. Several children of Peter and Magdalena Arnold Fike married into the Schneider family and are buried in the Snyder Cemetery east of Maple Spring Church near the site of the old Orphans Home that operated in the 1930s. John Snyder, who had married Susanna Fike, daughter of Peter and Magdalena (Arnold) Fike, is buried there also. Other Snyders, including Silas, Noah, Rachel, Levi, Magdalene, Lydia, Susanna, and Jonas (married into the local Winters family), Calcamp, Wolfe, Glass and Ford families, having moved there with or shortly after the Peter Fike family moved there in the mid-1850s. Snyder genes are well distributed families of the Eglon Congregation! The Snyder family had migrated from Berks to Somerset County where Peter was born in Turkeyfoot Township on August 14. 1797. He died on December 23, 1871 near Donagal and is buried in Fayette County, Pennsylvania in the Lutheran Cemetery. He was married to Susanna Weimer, born December 25 or 27, 1803 and died July 22, 1867 and was buried beside her husband. (Source, Edwin Fike, Fike and Rogers, 1987, page 68) They and their descendants became an important part of the constituency of the Maple Spring Church and were well integrated into the Brethren and other families in the Eglon community.86 Emmert F. Bittinger, MA. Ph.D. February 9, 2016
86 See S. & H, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, Vol. I, pp. 706-7; and E. F. Bittinger, Allegheny Passage, pp. 539-540. See also Elder Emra T. Fike’s small booklet, History of the Ancestry of the Fikes, 1927 and also, Edwin Fike, Direct Line History and Genealogy of John T. Fike and Sylvia Rodger’s Children and Children of Reva Espage Fike Findley; page 94-97, etc.
166 The Bittinger Story
SELLERS, SALR, SAILER, SAHLLER SELLERS AND MÜLLER BITTINGER FAMILY LINES Mrs. Esther Mae Sellers Bittinger Family Background INTRODUCTION Esther was the wife of Rev. Foster Bittinger, a life-long Brethren pastor. Esther’s mother was Anna Sellers of Lineboro, Maryland and the Black Rock Church of the Brethren a mile north across the Maryland line in York County. The Samuel Sellers homestead is located a short distance adjacent to the road that leads up the hill from the front of the Black Rock Church. It is only a hundred yards or so to the ancient stone house that was owned by the Sellers family and where Noah, Anna and Esther Sellers were raised. The log house that preceded the building of this ancient house was built by refugees from the Zurich persecutions of the 1600s. This was the home of James Sellers also, father of Samuel. James and wife are among the earliest burials in the Black Rock Church Cemetery very close to the church building. Tthey were active members of the Black Rock Church, but we know few details about their lives or whether he was one of the founders of the church. Samuel and Lamanda spoke Pennsylvania German as their native language. This was the home where our mother, Esther Sellers Bair was raised and where she learned “Pennsylvania Dutch” as her first language. FAMILY ORIGINS Different researchers have described different immigrants as the ancestor of our Abraham Sellers line. This not only adds an extra difficulty in accurate identification but requires a careful and thorough search for factual evidence. We believe that we have made a careful and valid decision in identifying the immigrant ancestor of our James Sellers family that is the beginning of the Black Rock Sellers line. The decision was not easy because the English-speaking clerks at the port of entry at Philadelphia could not always correctly spell the immigrant names because of their thick German accent. This essay is an attempt to identify the immigrant ancestor, the name and date of the ship of arrival and the European origin of our Sellers, Miller and Bittinger ancestors. This search has led the writer into a challenging but fascinating journey into the deep past. Thinking that this search would take us back to German origins, we have discovered instead that our Sellers-Miller-Bittinger search would lead us to Switzerland and a time of great suffering and persecution experienced by our ancestral families in the Sixteenth Century. This was a time when the Anabaptists were deeply involved in a major religious revolution that began with Menno Simons and the birth of the Mennonite Faith and the Amish division led by Jacob Ammon in 1693-4. In 1925, Edwin J. Sellers published a book entitled, Sellers Family of Pennsylvania pages87. A very careful and extended search of this book does not reveal the name of our immigrant ancestor. It does include the names and history of many Pennsylvania Sellers families, of which there are a large number.
87 Sellers, Edwin J., published by Allen, Lane and Scott, 1925; 58 pages.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 167
In 1986, Rev. Elmer Gleim published a fine book, History and Families of the Black Rock Church of the Brethren (no publisher indicated). Much excellent information is included about the Black Rock Church Sellers families. We will repeatedly refer to it below. It does not discuss the immigrant ancestors or the dates of their arrival to America. The present writer’s research centers on that issue. Fortunately, he was successful in the effort to identify our immigrant ancestors.. On page 92 of Elder Gleim’s book is found the statement that James Sellers had “moved into York County from the Yellow Breeches Creek region of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.” They later moovrd to the Black Rock area. * * * Several forebearers of Pennsylvania Sellers families (not ours) apparently immigrated at an early time and lived in what was then Philadelphia County. The following information is based on the will records of Philadelphia County where a Samuel, Sr., and Samuel, Jr., lived. (not our ancestors). The father Samuel died on April 22, 1732, and his will, written in 1727, was in the court later that year.88 This will mentions the wife Anna, son Samuel and daughters Sarah Ashmead, May Vernon and Ann Pritchet. Samuel Sellers is mentioned as one of the guardians of the children of William Garret of Darby. In 1730, Samuel Seller, Sr., and Jr., are mentioned in the will of John Ball, a Quaker, of Blakley in what was then Philadelphia County. One of them served as executor. In 1732, Samuel Sellers served as an executor of the will of John Lewis. This is not our line. Apparently these Sellers at this time were associated with the Quakers. Later, in 1742, a John Sellers served as executor for the will of John Moore in what was then Lancaster County. There were numerous Samuel Sellers persons in the Sellers book, but none of them match the descriptions of our Sellers ancestors who lived at Black Rock. From my own research, I have become convinced that a different immigrant is the true ancestor of our Black Rock Sellers line. I concentrated on the effort to identify the European point of origin and circumstances connected with the emigration from Europe. I also aimed to identify the ship of entry to the port of Philadelphia. For this purpose the Strassburger and Hinke three volume set of American Pioneers was indispensable. There exists in Switzerland a village by the name of Zell. In researching the Sellers family in the Fort Wayne, Indiana library in 1985 the writer discovered a booklet written by David Ralph Sellers entitled A History of the Sellers Family. (Publisher unknown) This book traces the Sellers family to the village of Zell in Switzerland and cites legends to the effect that this village is the place of origin of the Zeller/ Sellers family. Although legends are often notoriously unreliable as historical resources, they often contain nuggets of truth that can serve as clues. In Switzerland, Sellers names were spelled “Sailer” and “Salr”. In 1614 when Hans Landis, an Anabaptist (Mennonite) preacher refused to discontinue preaching and baptizing adults, he was exiled from Zurich where his family lived. When he returned to provide for his family, he was sentenced to be beheaded. in 1614 Many witnesses were present, including grieving fellow Anabaptists and grieving family members.
88 (See Abstracts of Philadelphia Wills, 1726-1747. in Family Line Publications, 1995, pp. 4, 21, 64, etc.)
168 The Bittinger Story
One of these witnesses was Oratio SALR. When the author of the famous Martyr’s Book was being written by the Dutch writer in the 1660s, this witness, Oratio Salr, provided the information and description of Hans Landises’ beheading.89 The Anabaptists were brutally driven out of Switzerland when new laws prohibited the transfer of their lands to their offspring. Naming customs of Germany and German-speaking Switzerland often attach the name of the village to individuals. This custom is a carry- over from the time when the serfs belonged to the land, were bound to it, and were known by the village or estate name rather than by an individual name. In addition, the suffix “er” attached to a person’s name means “from”. So Zeller meant a person from Zell. One of the most famous and eloquent Brethren preachers of the last Century was Harry Zeller whose name betrays his family’s geographic origins. The English recording clerks usually did not know or abide by the German naming customs. Thus when Abraham and his brother Adam were recorded at the port of entry, their names were recorded “Sell” rather than “Seller” and the “z” changed to “S”. The fact that their names were recorded as Sell strongly suggests that they or their family line had originated from the village of Zell in Switzerland. * * * The arrival of our Sellers Ancestor. On Sept. 1, 1736 the ship Harle arrived at the port of Philadelphia. The published passenger list90 included two Sellers: Abraham Sailer and Adam Seyler side by side. Among the females was the name Catharina Elizabeth Seylerin (the “in” suffix represents the German language custom of attaching female gender designation to the name of the individual. Additional evidence is the fact that her middle name is Elizabeth, the one used in everyday life, the first name often being identical to the mother or father of a child. This also is a good example of the problem of variant name-spellings recorded by the immigration clerks at the Port of Philadelphia—three spellings in the same family! The writer believes this Abraham and Adam pair provides the American beginning of our Sellers line. Aditional circumstances support this hypothesis. For example, the 1736 Harle ship list, the names of Abraham and Adam, standing side by side (ages 30 and 38). They likely were brothers. [One of Abraham’s grandsons, James (Sr) is our Sellers ancestor!] We now return to the story from Elder Gleim’s Black Rock book. James apparently lived for a while in Cumberland County where he learned the pottery trade. One of the sons or grandsons of the immigrant couple was, Abraham whose will was probated July 26 1786 under the name of Sell [Sellers] of Germany Twp. The wife was Hannah, likely a second wife of Abraham. (Clerks often had difficulty with the spelling of German names). Executors of the will were James and Adam Sellers! These names reveal the existence of James and Adam Sellers, members of the early American generation of our Black Rock Sellers, not formerly known to us, and adding valuable knowledge
89 See p. 1004 ff. of the Martyr’s Book, I. D. Rupp translation, 1837). 90 Strassburger and Hinke, Pennsylvania German Pioneers, three volumes; Pennsylvania German Society; Norristown, PA., 1934; Vol. I pp.154-161. (Here-in-after, this reference will be shortened to “S&H” with volume and page number indicated.)
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 169 about our early generation of the Sellers Family. (Recall that the immigrant brothers were Abraham and Adam). Abraham (wife Elizabeth Maus), our second generation American Sellers ancestor, was born in 1781 and was a son or grandson of this immigrant. He was a carpenter. This family was at first associated with the Evangelical Reformed Church at Littlestown. Abraham b. Nov. 13, 1781, York County d. Feb. 23, 1850. Union Twp. Buried: Christ Reformed Church Cemetery, Littlestown, PA. Married: Elizabeth Maus; b. June 28, 1797, place unknown, March 8, 1865, Union Twp and buried: Christ Reformed Church Cemetery, Littlestown, PA The children of Abraham and Elizabeth Maus Sellers were: 1. Samuel b. Nov. 19, 1816 2. James M. (Nov. 21, 1818-Aug. 8, 1884) born near Littlestown, d. Aug. 7, 1884, buried at Black Rock Church. Wife Sarah. 3. Jeremiah b. May 7, 1821, Mt. Pleasant Twp. 4. Ephriam b. Aug. 24, 1831, Straban Twp. 5. Rachel 6. Jesse 7. David 8. Uriah b. Dec. 21, 1841 The James Sellers in the list above, born 1818, is the ancestor of the Sellers family of Lineboro and of the Black Rock Church. James married 1) Sarah Utz. (June 10/11 1818-Aug. 4, 1877) and 2) Sallie “Mother” Bougher. Sarah was a daughter of George Utz (Oct 7, 1774-Jan. 1, 1842) and Magdalena Brungart (Oct. 20, 1783-Oct. 3, 1858). James and wives lived in the ancient stone house up the hill beyond the Church. This is where Noah, Anna, and Esther (Mrs. Foster Bittinger) were born and raised by Samuel Sellers and wife, Lamanda Dups (or Dubs). The children of James and Sarah were:91: 1. Elizabeth, (Nov.12, 1846--), married Jacob Baum/ Boehm 2. Rebecca (June 15, 1848-Aug. 3, 1848). 3. Mandella, (Dec. 13, 1849-__), married Jesse Fuhrman. 4. John (Sept. 26, 1851-__), married Elizabeth Reichard. 5. Samuel (Feb. 12, 1854-Nov. 14, 1934), married Lamanda Dubs (April 25, 1856-Feb. 14, 1938,) eldest daughter of Ephriam of the line of Oswald Dubs, immigrant, who arrived at Philadelphia on the ship Anderson Aug. 21, 1750. (See Strassburger and Hinke, Vol 1, p. 436). Samuel, suffered a broken hip in his last year and died at the home of his son, Eld. Noah S. Sellers in the Black Rock community, (Gleim, p.148). The children of Samuel (born Feb. 12, 1854) and Lamanda (Dubs) Sellers above were: 1. Mary Ellen (Feb. 24, 1877-Mar. 13, 1878) 2. Sarah Jane (July 2, 1879- July 16, 1961)) married Clayton F. Weaver
91 (See Elmer Gleim, History and Families of Black Rock . . . . , p. 92).
170 The Bittinger Story
3. Anna Alice (Dec. 3, 1880-Aug. 7, 1958,) m. Harvey Fitz. Anna had Esther Mae born 1901 died 1996. She married Rev. Foster Bittinger, a Brethren pastor, and father of the writer. 4. Miranda Catharine (Feb. 1883-____married John G. Miller of an ancient Swiss Anabaptist family. See the Muller Essay in this volume. a. One of their sons was John Harold Miller who married Pauline L. Allison. They had three children, 1. Barbara Kay, 2. Bonnie Fey, and 3. Ronald A. 5. James Cleveland, (1884-1968), married Minnie Miller 6. Harry Edward, 1887, m. 1) Sarah Keeny, (1888-1939), m. 2) Lydia Bailey (1905) 7. Emma Caroline (1889-1929), m. Daniel Böhn (1888) 8. Noah Sylvester (1890-1977), m. Lillie Bougher (1887 9. Paul Clinton (1892-1922), m. Mabel Issue (?) 10. Samuel John Tilden (1894-1977) m. Helen Hess (1899)
Several Dubs immigrants had arrived at different times, all settling in Lancaster County except for Oswald who settled in Manchester Twp, York County shortly after his arrival. When James S. Sellers died in the 1880s, his widow was appointed as executor of his estate. His estate list shows many interesting entries reflecting prices and the farm economy of the period. D. S. Dubs qualified as one of the appraisers of the estate charging costs of $3.00 for this service. Samuel charged $21.25 for lumber. E. D. Miller $2.42 for sawing the lumber. Emanuel Dubs was paid $5.00 for a plow. E. S. Miller received $8.38 for thrashing grain, and John Sellers .75 for hauling wheat. A note with interest totaling $73.89 was paid to J. R. Jost. Levi Dubs charged $1.00, possibly for digging the grave. Emanuel Hetrick received $22.50 for making the coffin. Adam Boucher paid $980.00 for the real estate of the deceased. Wm. Bodenheimer bought Samuel’s silver watch, paying $16.00. Dr. Stick’s bill was $16.50, and Dr. Wm. Weaver charged $15.00 for medical attendance. Many additional interesting items of expense appear also on the estate accounting submitted to the Court on Nov. 30, 1885. 6. Alice (Nov. 10, 1857-May 23, 1948/9), married Isaiah Bowser (Mar. 15, 1856-Mar. 19, 1942) and lived near McFarland, Delano, Kern Co., California and is the progenitor of a large branch of the Sellers family on the west coast. The children of Alice and Isaiah Bowser: 1. Clara, b. Jan. 30, 1881 married Mahlen Stoops b. May 3, 1876; 2. Jacob married Flossie; 3. Titus; 4. Emma, (Aug. 4, 1860—1955), married George K. Godfrey.
THE SWISS BACKGROUND OF THE MÜLLER AND BITTINGER FAMILIES. The Miller family appears to be descended from Hans Andraes Miller, immigrant (or son of Andrew.) came on the ship Samuel that arrived December 3, 174092. The son of this immigrant, also
92 S & H; Vol. I. 289-292.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 171 named Andrew, (1745-1776), settled in “Catorus” Township. His will was probated January 3, 1777. His wife was Barbara. Their children were: Jacob (1760- ?), became guardian of Andrew, Jr., (1762- Oct. 12, 1835), Marillas (1765-?); Elizabeth, (1768-?); Michael (1770-?); Barbara (1772-?). [See also Millers in card file box—extensive—in my card box on top of filing cabinet in closet.] Swiss records describe some of these Müllers as “Taufers” (Baptists), and followers of Menno Simons (founder of the Mennonite Faith) because they baptized their converts. (Source: Search Switzerland, Müller, Hans and Andraes Müller families). For this, they were persecuted. In baptizing their converts, they were actually re-baptizing them, because everyone had already been baptized as infants into the Catholic, Lutheran or Reformed Churches. This was not only an insult to the state- licensed churches but also illegal. Only state-licensed churches were allowed to exist. For this they were called “Anabaptists” (re-baptizers), a hated name. They were persecuted and driven out.93 The Hans Andrew [Andraes] Miller-Sellers-Bittinger family associations are very ancient, as noted above. This is where we also discover the family of Hans Bittinger, born Feb. 1613/14, died ca. 1686 of “Gondeswil” (Gutenwil), a few miles east of Zurich. Hans Bittinger married Marie Walchle in January of 1642/3. She was a daughter of Michael and Elizabeth Geyser. Hans and Marie had a son Peter (became Piere when the family fled to Ottweiler in French-speaking Alsace. They became a part of the Conewago-Beaver Dam settlement.) Peter was born Sept. 30, 1660 at and died April 27, 1725 in Ottweiler, France (in or near Alsace). Peter married Maria Sabina Müller on February 4, 1686/7 in Zutsendorf where Melchoir Bittinger was born 1657 and died November 16, 1717.94 HANS BITTINGER and Marie had a son, Elias Bittinger born 1580. Elias was married to “Barbel” (Barbara) Livengood (n.1603), a daughter of Nicholas Livengood and Catherine Frantz, born Sept. 17, 1581. The Bittingers, Müllers, Livengoods, Frantzes and Landises, were severely persecuted as membersof the Taufer-Anabaptist communities of Switzerland 95 . Seeking safety and religious freedom, they fled their home lands to begin their lives anew in in Germany and later in the lands of religious freedom offered by William Penn. These marriages reveal a few of the relationships of the Bittinger, Miller, Livengood and Sellers (Salr-Sailer-Saylor) families within Swiss Taufer (baptist) communities that existed in Switzerland and that still continue even today among our Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Colorado relatives. * * * * One of the grandsons of Andrew (Andraes) Miller, the immigrant, also was named Andrew (1762-Oct. 12, 1835). This Andrew Miller became an “exhorter” in the Little Conewago Church (later known as Upper Conewago, and later still, the Black Rock Church of the Brethren). He was a widely known minister and evangelist. His wife was Anna Danner (Mar. 6, 1768-Dec. 23, 1808),
93 Search Switzerland; Fifteenth Century “Taufer”; also Switzerland, Eighteenth Century, Muller family, Hans, taufer, etc. 94 Alsace appears to have been a well-known place of temporary refuge, a place where refuges could remain for a time prior to emmigrating to Penns Land in America. 95 See web site: Bittinger Family History and Genealogy by Source Danske Danderige and William Bittinger.
172 The Bittinger Story daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Kehr Danner. She is buried at Roths Church Cemetery at Spring Grove, Pennsylvania. (My special card file includes Millers of Cumberland and Wills Creek. These Millers seem to have come from the Conewago Congregation of York Co.) Many of them were “taufers” from Switz- zerland where they were hunted and persecuted). The children of Andrew and Anna were: Barbara (Feb 8, 1787-Nov.8, 1858) married Abraham Bankert, buried at St. Jacobs Stone Church Cemetery; Rachel (Feb. 22, 1789-Mar. 14, 1879) married George Mummert (Sept. 26, ___-Mar. 23, 1863); Samuel D. (below); Henry (Jan. 7, 1797-May 2, 1869); Catherine (Apr. 29, 1798- ?) married David Trimmer; Andrew (Jan.20, 1801-1880) married 1) Elizabeth Latshaw (1802-1867); and 2) Hannah Trimmer; David (April 2, 1803-April 25, 1877) married Elizabeth Petrey. Solomon served in the Mexican war. After Barbara died, Andrew married 2) Elizabeth Utz (Jan. 12, 1781-Nov. 6, 1860), a daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Flickinger Utz. Their children were, John Utz Miller (1810- ?) and Mary Utz Miller who married George Miller. One of the sons of Andrew and Anna Miller, Samuel D. Miller (Sept.20, 1793-May 18, 1870), mentioned above, married Sarah Bougher (Jan. 17, 1797-May 2, 1869). A daughter, Sarah Miller, married Jacob “Buser” (Bouser), buried in Prices Cemetery in Carrol County, Md. Sarah later married James Sellers. She is buried near her husband, James, in the first row of graves at the Black Rock Church Cemetery. Interestingly, some generations earlier, a member of the Bouser family had moved to Somerset County, Pa. where the settled a few miles north of Myersdale. They were neighbors of Henry Bittinger, son of Philip. Henry married Barbara Bowser in the early 1800s, and this couple became the ancestors in the line of the Bittinger family of Eglon, W. Va. This is the family line of the writer. Anna Sellers Fitz, Esther’s mother, was born Dec.3, 1880 and died Aug. 8, 1958 in the home of her daughter, Esther, and son-in-law, the Rev. Foster Bittinger, at Union, Ohio, where Foster was serving as pastor of the Salem Church of the Brethren. Anna was the age of 77 years, 8 months and 5 days. Harvey had passed away some years earlier in Sept. of 1952. Esther Sellers had grown up in the Samuel Sellers stone house at Black Rock where she learned Pennsylvania Deutsch as her first language. Esther’s father, Maurice Zachariah Bair, was personally unknown to her. The relation he had with Anna, her mother is obscure. It appears to have been fleeting and non-consensual. She never willingly talked about it, as such matters were regarded as improper to dwell upon and somehow a stain upon ones reputation, even though non-consensual or forced. Esther’s father, Maurice Z. Bair, was the son of a Hanover funeral director. When his father learned of his son’s transgression, he sent him away to the Naval Academy at Annapolis. Later he attended law school and practiced law in Arkansas. There never existed any further connection of this family with either Anna or Esther as far as we know. Esther knew little about her connection to the Bair family whose name she bore. (See my Bair essay.) Anna went to work in a doctor’s office in York to support herself. Esther grew up in the home of her grandparents, Samuel and Lamanda Dubs Sellers, in the ancient stone house near Black Rock Church.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 173
Rev. Foster M. Bittinger of Eglon, West Virginia met Esther at Elizabethtown College (Foster had been recruited by Elder C. D. Bonsack who often traveled to Eglon to visit his daughter, Dr. Blanche Bonsack Miller at Eglon, wife of Dr. Harold Miller, of a Beaver Dam Brethren family near Johnsville, Frederick County, Maryland,, This medical couple developed a large medical practice at Eglon. Dr. Harold was one of the Maple Spring ministers. Foster and Esther spent their lives as pastor and wife until Foster’s untimely death at the age of 58 in 1959. Esther then taught school in Ohio until she retired in 1963. She then moved to Bridgewater, Virginia where she lived in close proximity to her son, Emmert, and where was remarried to Rev. Carl D. Spangler. She died in 1996 and her ashes are buried in the Eglon, WVA cemetery beside her husband, Foster and where the present writer and wife own a lot. The children of Foster and Esther were: 1) Emmert, a minister and Professor (retired, 1988) at Bridgewater College, who married Esther Landis, daughter of Rev. Harvey Landis and Ethel Zimmerman. 2) Virginia who married Hugh Whitten, of Goode, Virginia, both retired teachers. Hugh’s father was a Brethreen minister 3) Annabelle who married Rev. Charles Whitacre (son of Elder Jessie Whitacre and Ruth Beahm (Böhm)) who served as pastor and wife in Brethren churches their entire careers and 4) Kathleen who married Bob Wright, then Otto Wambolt. Emmert married Esther Landis, daughter of Rev. Harvey Landis (Mar. 29, 1897-Feb. 13, 1970)) and Ethel Zimmerman Landis (Jan.18, 1897-10-15-1933). After Ethel’s death, Harvey married Lois Lauver in 1937. Harvey was a pastor and teacher. Emmert and Esther Landis Bittinger had three daughters: 1) Lorraine Adair born Dec 15, 1949 who married David Lineweaver, born Sept. 18, 1949 son of Carl and Ruth Argenbright Lineweaver; they had Lisa Renee, b. June 17, 1976, and Robert Bittinger Lineweaver, b. Oct.26, 1978. . 2) Mildred Ruth Bittinger, born Aug. 3, 1952, married Dr. Ronald Arnett a Professor at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, born Mar. 10, 1952, son of Arlo and Dorothy Arnett of Fort Wayne; they had Adam Geoffrey,1 born Oct. 4, 1978 and Aimee Gabrielle, born Nov. 4, 1980; and 3) Marion Kay Bittinger, born Aug 3, 1957 married 1) Professor Dr. Carl D. Bowman born Feb. 6, 1957, son of Rev. Fred and Wanda Martin Bowman; Carl and Marion had Maria Bowman born May 6, 1983 and Jordan Bittinger Bowman born April 27, 1986. Marion was later married 2) to Antonio Martinez, son of Dr. and Mrs. Horatio Martinez. Antonio is a professional architect. Grandmother Anna Sellers had several brothers and sisters, namely, Elder Noah Sellers, of Lineboro who was a beloved and faithful Elder in his home church of Black Rock and a Trustee of Elizabethtown College, James C. Sellers of Spring Grove, Harry E. Sellers of New Freedom, Samuel Sellers of Harrisburg, Sarah Weaver of Straustown, and Mrs. John G. Miller of Gettysburg. Rev. Noah Seller (Dec. 31, 1890-April 4, 1977, buried at Black Rock, had a daughter, Florence, born July 24, 1917 who married Vernon Shaffer born Oct. 1 , 1917 died Jan. 11,1990. He was a son of John W. Shaffer, born Aug. 23, 1882 died Nov. 30, 1955 and Emma K. Shaffer (June 27, 1884-April 17, 1973). They had three children,
174 The Bittinger Story
1) Donald LaMar Shaffer born June 12, 1940 married Janice Dorothy Sammon born Aug.26, 1938. They had Richard Lee, born May 25, 1961 and Charley born Sept. 1, 1962. 2) Richard Lee born Dec. 14, 1941 married Joy Brenda Tracy born Dec. 2, 1941. They had Linetta Rene Oct. 21, 1963 married a Jones, and Randall Lee born July 4, 1966, 3) Dale Eugene born July 16, 1944 married Inta Zarrins born Oct. 26, 1942. They had Peter Edward born Feb. 27, 1965 and Andrew Anthony born, Feb. 2, 1970.
Later in her life Anna Sellers married Harvey Fitz, (born 1881, died 1952) and they served as sextons of the Madison Avenue Church of the Brethren in York. Harvey had six sons, step sons of Anna, Charles and Richard of Seattle, WA. John of York, Pa., George in Illinois, Daniel of Verona, Pa., Harvey, Jr., of Harrisburg, PA. Our family usually visited the the Fitz family once or twice a year. We children greatly loved admired Grandmother Anna. We never knew a more saintly person. On Sept. 2, 1952, Harvey died. Anna then lived the remainder of her life in the home of Rev. Foster and Esther Bittinger at the Salem Church in Ohio where Foster was a pastor. Anna’s death occurred on Aug.8, 1958. This completes the telling of the Seller-Bittinger story.
Emmert F. Bittinger, BA, MA., Ph.D. FEBRUARY 2, 2018 Quotations or data obtained or copied from this document must be acknowledged and credited to the present writer. . EFB
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 175
BEAVER DAM CHURCHES AND FAMILIES The Beaver Dam Churches are located about. 2.5 miles east of Johnsville near New Windsor, eastern Frederick County, Maryland, in the Mid Atlantic District of the Church of the Brethren. The Congregation was founded ca. 1747—one of the older ones in the denomination. This was before the Brethren built church houses (first one ca. 1763). Before then, they were “house church people”, holding their meetings from home to home within the congregation. Early Brethren had a strong prejudice regarding large, richly decorated churches and cathedrals, regarding them as a vain expression of pride.96 Two Churches occupy the large property, namely The “Old Brethren” and the Church of the Brethren. The Old Brethren Congregation occupied the large, traditional style older church building that has two entrances, one for men and one for women. I do not know if men and women sit separately according to the original seating pattern in which men and women sit on opposite sides of the center aisle. When the denomination split in 1881, the more progressive group built a new brick church a hundred yards or so distant on the opposite side of the cemetery that continues to be shared by both congregations. The cemetery is very large and is located between the two churches. Its ancient stones contain the names of more than 1200 hundred deceased members of both congregations and is a veritable treasure trove of names of centuries old families and their ministers. A quick review of the list reveal numerous and well-known Brethren family names representing the ancestors of persons and families now scattered through- out the western states. Bittinger/Pittinger family names are there as well, often with varied spellings. The names below are only a few selected names given to provide an impression of Brethren relatedness. Albaugh, Baker, Bart, Piere97 and Adam Biddinger, Bittinger, Pittinger. The old German Böhm family name, has lost its German umlout and is rendered variably as Bome, Bom, and Boham. Other names are, Bowman, Bowers, Bouser, Brown, Crumpacker, Deihl (many), Ecker, Engel, Engler, Garber, Grabil, Grim, Grossnickle, Haines, Hof, Hartsock, Johnson, Long, Klein, Kinsey, Longenecker, Myers, Pfoutz,
96 A traveler in Germany who visits the great cathedrals will notice the elevated pulpits along the sides to the cathedral auditoriums where the pulpit is entered at the side by stairway, to the elevated pulpit sometimes ten or fifteen feet above the congregation, This arrangement expressed the differences in standing of the serfs and “commoners” and the upper classes. They did not “mix,” Martin Luther, founder of Protestantism, lamented these class barriers in 1517 when in Wittenburg, Germany, he organized the beginning of Protestantism. He deplored and was a “protest-ant” of these pervasive class distinctions that divided the classes even within the churches.” 97 Peter, husband of Maria Sabina Muller, are the parents of the father of the Beaver Dam Bittinger branch. He was born at Gutenwil, Switzerland on September 30, 1660 and died at Ottweiler, in Alsace on April, 27,, 1725 while his family was living before moving to Pennsylvania. Source, William Bedinger, Bedinger Family History and Genealogical (no date noted) He traces the Bittinger history back to Gutenswil, Switzerland, revealing a common ancestry with the New Hanover, Pennsylvania Bittingers from whom our own line of Bittingers descend!
176 The Bittinger Story
Rinehart, Rowe, Sayler98, (many), Sappington, Singer, Smith, Snyder, Stoner, Utz. Williams, Warner, Weaver, Wolfe, Yingling, and Ziegler. The names above are not a scientific sample, but simply a selection that is based on the writer’s estimate of the degree of familiarity of names known among the Brethren. Hundreds and hundreds of burials among these and other families, many not mentioned here. There are 33 pages of single-spaced names in the cemetery list. The names listed above represent only an estimated one or two percent of the numbers of people buried in this cemetery. There are 40 names per page making up a total of the thousand or two so named graves. This cemetery list is now available on the internet and can easily be accessed for learning about family names and individuals. There are several dozen each of Bittinger, Böhm,99 (Boehm Bom, Boham), Miller etc.), graves there also. This ancient Cemetery list also may be found in a book of cemetery lists for Frederick County, Maryland cemeteries.100 The name Böhm is of a German religious leader who was founder of the “Inspirationalist” Movement in Germany, Jacob Böhm. (Incidentally this family, is one of the direct line ancestral families of the writer, namely, Ludwig Bittinger, Sr. He married one of the Böhm women of this family line, then still residing in the Pottstown area.) The Böhm family name has been anglicized to “Beahm.” Examples are the late Professors, Anna Beahm Mow and William Beahm. They were teachers at Bethany Theological Seminary, a Brethren Seminary, formerly located at 3435 West Van Buren Street in Chicago, but now located in Richmond, Indiana. The first known Brethren to move into the German Settlement Community of Eglon in Preston County, West Virginia, was “Henry Boham” in 1810. He purchased the land that later became the ancestral home of the present writer’s Bittinger family when it was purchased by his grandparents, Jonas H. and Etta Mary (Fike) Bittinger. The numerous Bittinger names are found on stones in the Beaver Dam Cemetery and represent a Bittinger cousin line. This Cemetery also contains the
98 The name “Salr” is a variant spelling of the name Zeler that, in pronunciation, stresses the long “a” sound from which the spelling “Salr” that was rendered by the Dutch writers. The name “Sahler” appears only once in index of the Strassburger and Hinke Volumes and was apparently not widely used in Europe. They advised that the reader substitute “Sahler” instead. (Vol. III, p. 589) The name “Salr” (Zeller), is derived from the town in Switzerland by the name of Zell. The suffix “er” attached to a place name carries the meaning of “from”. A man whose name was written as “Salr” was a witness to the beheading of Hans Landis in 1614 in Zurich, Switzerland. His name was written as “Salr” by the Dutch writers of the Martyr Book (page 1004), translated by I. D. Rupp in the 1840s). Strassburger and Hinke in the index of Volume III of Pennsylvania German Pioneers, page 704 renders the names Seller and Zeller as equivalent. 99 This German family name is correctly spelled as Böhm. Various anglicized forms have also been used, as in the Beaver Dam Cemetery. It must be noted, reluctantly and respectfully, that the author of the Böhm article in Volume One of the Brethren Encyclopedia in its discussion of the Böhm Family has treated it with lack of certainty and in error, This is perhaps because lack of familiarity with the German Language and its use of the of the umlaut. 100 See Hold craft, John M., Names in Stone: 75,000 Cemetery Inscriptions in Frederick County, Maryland, Vol. I (Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1886, pages, 137 and following. One must search different spellings of the same names all of which are alphabetized. The cemeteries of each burial are named along with cemetery name; a monumental work.
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 177 ancestors of Dr. Harold Miller whose wife was Dr. Blanche Bonsack Miller. Charles D. Bonsack, her father, also is buried there. Additional information about these churches may be obtained in the Brethren Encyclopedia and also in the book by the late Prof, J. M. Henry, History of the Church of the Brethren in Maryland, Elgin, Illinois: Brethren Publishing House, 1936; 536 pages with illustrations. This book has long been out of print. I do not know if separate histories of these churches have been written. [Post Script. The writer reminds the reader that his own actual line of descent comes down from the New Hanover, Pennsylvania, Bittinger branch near Pottstown. His line in ca. 1770, migrated with the Keims, Livengoods, Philippis and others to Somerset County near Meyersdale. See the Chapter 2, “Bittinger Family Peregrinations.” Some of the Maryland branch also moved to Somerset County in western Pennsylvania at a later date.]
Emmert F. Bittinger, MA, Ph.D February 2, 2018
In 1723 the Bittinger name retained the original umlaut and Germanic spelling, eg.,“Böttig”. Also, the suffix “er” that often means “of or from a place of that name” in the German Language, was retained,, “er” and the umlauted “o”dropped producing the spelling, “Bitting” or” Pitting” common in the New Hanover area near Pottstown. ) There are several places in Germany named “Bittinger”. I do not know which is the oldest. We know that at the beginnings of the 1700s they were in Freinsheim. Perhaps there was a place called “Botng” or “Bitting” in Germany. In the early 1700s at the New Hanover settlement near Pottstown, their name came to be spelled without the “er” ending. The family there still uses that spelling. In Somerset County “Bittner” is commonly used. Source: Richard A. Bittinger, “Bittinger Family Outline,” a Bitting researcher of the New Hanover area. The name in that area is spelled “Bitting” and “Pitting”, the suffix “er” which means from or of, is often left off.
See Jerome E. Blough, History of the Brethren . . . in Western Pennsylvania (Elgin: Brethren Publishing House, 1916), for information about the John Keim family in western Pennsylvania churches, p. 439 ff.
Emmert and Esther Bittinger
178 The Bittinger Story
. David and Lorraine (Lori) Bittinger Lineweaver
Kelly & Robert Bittinger Lineweaver, Stowe & Myla Lisa & Brian Hatleberg Hazel and Holly
Chapter IV - The Bittinger Allied Families 179
Mildred (Millie) and Ron Arnett Adam and Karen Arnett and Kellan
David and Aimee Arnett Barrett, Ava, Alexa and Aria
180 The Bittinger Story
Antonio Martinez and Marion Bittinger
Maria Bowman and James Munn Jordan and Molly Bowman
Bibliography 181
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bittinger, Emmert F. Allegheny Passage. Camden, Maine: Penobscot Press, 1990. Bittinger, Wayne. The Bittinger, Bittner, Biddinger and Bittinger Families. Parsons: McClain Printing Co. 1986. Bittinger, Lucy Forney. German Religious Life in Colonial Times. Philadelphia. J. B. L: Lippencot Company. 1906. Brown, Jacob. Brown’s Miscellaneous Writings. J. J. Miller, Printer: Cumberland: 1896. Reprinted by Bicentennial Committee of Cumberland. 1976. Family Line Publications (Editor). Abstracts of Philadelphia County Wills, 1726-1747. Westminster, Md., Family Line Publications. 1995. Johnson, Ralph L. Genealogical Studies of Some Providence Families. The Perkioman Region,. 1934. H. W. Kriel, Editor. 1934. Mayhill, E. Thomas. Deed Abstracts of Lancaster Co. Knightstown, Indiana. The Bookmark. Reprinted, 1968. Reprinted, 1988. Martin, Jacob and John P. Smith. Abstracts of Berks Coounty Wills, 1752-1785. Westminster, Md., Family Line Publications. 1993. Nead, Daniel W. The Pennsylvania German in the Settlement of Maryland. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc. 1980. Schildtknecht, C. E. Monocacy and Catoctin. Two volumes. Westminster Family Line Publications. 1985, 1989. Strassburger, R. B. and W. J. Hinke. Pennsylvania German Pioneers. Three Volumes. Norristown: Pennsylvania German Society. 1934. Wright, E. Edward . Abstracts of York Co., Wills, 1749-1819. Westminster, Md., Family Line Publications. 1995. Wright, E. Edward. 18th Century Records of the Germantown Reformed Church Westminster, Md., Family Line Publications. 1994. Wright, E. Edward. Wills of Chester County, 1713-1778. Three Volumes. Westminster, Md., Family
END March 27, 2018