I am posting the following report which is a work in progress on the two John Adam Geyer/Geigers of Berks County, Pennsylvania. I would appreciate any comments, additions or corrections anyone may wish to ad. I plan to print this article (in a more complete form hopefully) at some future date in my newsletter The Kiger Kounter. In the meantime I thought the contents of the article might prove useful to both Geyer and Geiger researchers. Joan The Two John Adam Geigers of Berks County 1760s It would appear that entries for the records of Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading, Berks County, PA contain Geyer and Geiger entries for the same family. Below I will list the spelling exactly as shown in the record. Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading: Births: J�rg David (George David) Geier son of Adam and Elisabetha Catharina (Reading) baptized 2 March 1755 �one week old� Sponsors: J�rg Sebastian Krauser and David and Anna C. Wuertz Johann Adam Geyer son of Johann Adam Geyer and wife Catharina born 24 May 1760. The sponsors at his baptism were: Peter Raup and his wife Christina. Christoph Geyer* son of Johann Adam and Elisabetha Catharina born 11 September 1762 and baptized 1762 Sponsors: Christoph Lehman and Anna Regina Maria Catharina Geier daughter of Adam and Elisabeth Catharina born 22 March 1766 and baptized 18 May 1766 Sponsors: John Geiger and Christina Ames [who is this John Geiger?] Johannes Geier* son of Adam and Elisabeth Catharina born 11 June 1769 and baptized 23 July 1769 Sponsors: Johannes Gross and Anna Elisabeth There are two additional children of this couple not found in the church records as follows: Peter Geiger* named in the administration papers of his father�s estate 12 March 1783 as eldest son. No baptismal record has been found to date for Peter. Since son J�rg David and Johann Adam were deceased, apparently without issue at the time of their father�s death, Peter had to have been born prior to 1762. Elizabeth Geiger* married Henry Gerret/Gehret. No baptismal record has been found to date for Elizabeth Geiger. *named in estate anministration papers 12 March 1783 �Christopher and John, minors.� George Geier is named in Adam Geiger�s estate papers as a creditor of the estate. Who is he and how is he related to this family? In another section of the records under the heading �references in baptisms� is listed: Johann Adam and Catharina Geyer................................. Johann Adam Raup Catharina Geiger [note: this is Catharina Harff, wife of Christopher Geiger, son of Adam and Elisabetha Catharina].......................................Sarah Harf [This is Sarah Koller, wife of George Harf, brother of Catharina, wife of Christopher Geiger.] Note: No dates or explanations are given for the above entries. Marriages: Christoph Geiger and Catharina Harff 19 April 1789 Johannes Geiger, [son of Adam (dec)--Oley Township] and Christina Miller 4 July, 1790 Deaths: Elizabetha Cath Geyer daughter of Adam (Master Carpenter) and Elisabeth Cath born 2 March 1755 and died 8 May 1755. Maria Catharina Geyer daughter of Adam 22 March 1766 and died 3 September 1768 Catharine Geiger widow of Christopher born 20 May 1760 and died 22 December 1858 Christoph Geiger (shoemaker) son of Adam and Elisabeth born 20 September 1762 (see baptismal record above for correct date of birth) and died 3 December 1833 Christina Geiger, widow of Johannes, age 63, buried 19 March 1837 Records of Zion�s Blue Mountain Church, Upper Tulpehocken Township, Berks County: John Adam Geiger son of John Adam and wife baptized 8 March 1767 Sponsors: Christopher Kern and wife. also: John Kern son of Christopher Kern and wife baptised 10 May 1767 Sponsors: John Adam Geiger and wife Berks County Tax Lists: 1760 Reading Adam Geiger Married 1763 Heidelberg Township Adam Geiger Single 1764 Alsace Township Adam Geiser Married 1765 Tulpehocken Township Adam Geiger Married 1766 Alsace Township Adam Geyer Married 1767 Alsace Township Adam Geiger Married 1768 Alsace Township Adam Geyer Married 1769 Alsace Township Adam Geiger (taxed nominally--no acreage) [from the notes of Bob Kiger] Others on tax lists that may be connected to this family: 1764 Tulpehocken Township John Keyger Married [could this entry refer to John Adam Geiger listed in Tulpehocken Township in 1765? If so, it would prove beyond doubt the existence of 2 Adam Geigers in Berks County at the same time since the other Adam appears in Alsace Township in 1764.] 1766 Union Township George Kiger Married Abstracts of Wills and Administrations, Berks County: Adam Geiger Alsace Township 21 April 1778 Admin. to Peter Rapp a friend of the intestate. It should be noted that there are other Geiger entries in the records of Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading, but no verifiable connection can be made to the above Adam Geyer/Geiger. Some of the records, including some for a Christoph Geiger and wife Maria Barbara in 1763 and a Christophel Geiger and wife Maria in 1779 and 1784, are for known Geiger families in the area. Christoph/Christopher/Christophel Geiger all refer to the same person. Christoph/Christopher/Christophel born 1720 is the son of Valentine Geiger of the Henckel/Geiger family who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1717 from Ittlingen, Germany. This Christopher had a much younger half-brother John who was born about 1742 who lived in New Hanover Township, Montgomery County. This Christopher�s first wife was Maria Barbara Geiger (nee Geiger) (his brother Anthony�s widow) and his second wife was Mary Robeson, of Robeson Township in what is now Berks County. I mention the fact that this Christoph had a brother John in view of the John Geiger who is a sponsor above at the baptism of Adam and Elisabetha Catharina Geyer�s daughter in 1766. There are also references in the Trinity Lutheran Church records to the family of Paul Geiger (born 1723) of Geigertown, Berks County, PA who arrived in PA on the ship Fane in 1749 from Berwangen, Germany. The Berwangen records for this Geiger family indicate that Paul had a brother John Geiger (born 1727) and there is the notation �aus Pennsylvanin� beside his name. However, he was not on the same ship with his brother Paul. This Johannes Geiger settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. These are just some of the possibilities as to the identity of the John Geiger who was sponsor at the above mentioned baptism. It would appear upon close examination of all the above records that there were 2 John Adam Geyer/Geigers in Berks County at about the same time. The fact that there are baptisms at Blue Mountain Church and Trinity Lutheran Church for children of Adam or John Adam which would indicate that the children were born not more than 11 months apart would be the first clue. The tax record for 1763 listing Adam as single when the previous and later ones list him as married would further support this. The locations given on the tax lists would give added evidence (but not proof). It is my conclusion that the Adam and Elisabeth Geyer/Geier/Geiger of the Trinity Lutheran records refer to an Adam Geyer/Geiger who lived in the Reading/Alsace/Oley Valley area; while the other Adam or John Adam Geiger is the one living in Heidelberg and Tulpehocken. In looking at a map this would appear to be the likely division between the two. The John Adam Geiger who lived in Heidelberg and later Tulpehocken is the one who appears in the records of Blue Mountain Church in Upper Tulpehocken, while the one from the Alsace and Reading area is the one who appears in the records in Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading. He is also the one who died in 1778 in Alsace Township. I cannot say for sure whether his name was originally Geyer or Geiger but the spelling consistently became Geiger beginning with his son Christopher who married Catharina Harf in 1789. The second John Adam Geiger (who always was listed as Geiger) is the one who married Maria Margaretha Fiedler of what is now Jefferson Twp., Berks County, about 1764-65 and appears as single on the 1763 Heidelberg Twp. tax list and as married in 1765 on the Tulpehocken Twp. tax list. He is also the one listed in the Blue Mountain Church records. After the 1767 baptism of his son John Adam, Jr. he and his wife soon prepared to move to Stokes County, North Carolina as there are no further records for any Geigers at Blue Mountain Church and no Geigers are buried there. Most likely the marriage record and possibly other baptisms would be found in the early records of this church in the 1760s if the records had not been lost prior to 1767. Only one John Adam Geiger appears on the ship lists in Pennsylvania German Pioneers which could refer to either of these Geigers. John Adam Geiger arrived on the ship Phoenix on 22 November 1752. At present I am leaning toward the belief that the Alsace Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania Adam Geyer/Geiger is the one who arrived on the Phoenix in view of the fact that we have made a signature comparison of the ship list signature and the signature from the will of John Adam Geiger of North Carolina. The signature do not appear to be a match although it is difficult to be certain in view of the great number of years that elapsed between the writing of the two signatures. There are also two John Adam Geyers on ship lists that could possibly refer to either of the above John Adams. One of these is Johann Adam Geyer who arrived on the Aurora on 8 October 1744 along with his father Johann Sebastian Geyer, and a Johan Besigner Geyer. Also, on this ship is Johannes G�rg Steigler whose wife is Elisabeth Gertraud Geyer, probably the sister of Johan Besigner Geyer. This information comes from the research of Dave Rankin, a Geyer researcher. Dave believes that these Geyers settled in York County, Pennsylvania (where, to further confuse matters, the family is listed as Geiger). The second of the two Johann Adam Geyers arrived on 24 August 1749 on the Elliot. It is believed that he, too, settled in York County, Pennsylvania and may be connected to the previously mentioned Geyers who arrived in 1744. Therefore, I do not believe that either of these John Adam Geyers (or Geigers) can be considered to be the ones who lived in Berks County. I do not know the parents of either John Adam Geiger of Berks County or where they came from. I feel it is quite likely that the John Adam who arrived on the Phoenix is the one who died in Alsace Twp. in 1778 while the other arrived as a child along with other relatives or was born in America. There is an Anna Margaret Geiger born in Bissingen on the Entz, W�rttemberg in 1722 who came to America, settled in Berks County, and married Johannes Schemel. Johannes Schemel arrived in Philadelphia on 16 September 1738 on the Queen Elizabeth. His name is spelled Schimmel on the list. He is listed as being age 26. Those researching him advise me that he settled in Berks County so it is likely that this is where he met and married Anna Margaret Geiger. The couple had one son, Johannes Werner Schemel, born 1 October 1746 in Oley Township, Berks County. John, Jr. married Elizabeth Holder. There may possibly (probably?) be a connection between Anna Margaret and the John Adam Geiger who settled in North Carolina. Johannes Schemel, Sr. died before 3 February 1749 since Anna Margaret married second Peter Binkley on that date. The family moved to North Carolina and Johannes, Jr. went along with them. A granddaughter of Peter Binkley, Christina Moser, descending from his first marriage, married John Adam Geiger, Jr. (son of the above mentioned John Adam, Sr.). A few more details which may yield clues as to the identity and origin of the Tulpehocken Adam Geiger (who appears in the Blue Mountain Church records) come from the fact that the sponsors at the baptism of John Adam, Jr. were Christopher Kern and wife. I did a search of area records for them and found them at Egypt Reformed Church in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The book �Records of Egypt Reformed Church Lehigh County 1734-1834� translated by Charles R. Roberts, 1905 tell us the following: Jacob Kern, son of Christoph Kern and wife Catharina, born 15 January 1785 and baptized 27 February 1785. The sponsors were: Jacob Geiger and wife Eva Catharina. Susanna Geiger, daughter of Jacob Geiger and wife Eva Catharina, born 30 December 1785 and baptized 5 February 1786. The sponsors were: Peter Shreiber and Susanna Kern. Isabella Traxell, daughter of Jonas Traxell and wife Sara born 22 March 1815 and baptized 16 April 1815. The sponsors were: Stephen Traxel and Catharina Geiger. �Jacob Geiger was a clockmaker and died in 1798, leaving a widow and four children Jacob, Catharina, Maria, wife of Solomon Steckel, and Sarah, wife of Jonas Traxel, who later removed to Cassel County (Carroll County), MD. His widow Eva Catharina Kern, was born January 13, 1760 married Adam Traxell, and died August 23, 1829.� It is obvious that there was a close association between these Kerns and Geigers. It would appear that the above mentioned Jacob Geiger would have been too young to have been the Jacob Guyer who is listed on the ship list of the Phoenix in 1752 along with Johan Adam Geiger in view of the fact that this Jacob Geiger�s wife was born in 1760. Additional material received from Barbara Campbell, a descendant of John Adam Geiger/Geyer of Alsace Township, is as follows. Reading, Pennsylvania, was a planned city and the lots were sold at public auction in 1749. There were strings attached to the deeds. The land had to be developed within 7 years. Therefore, carpenters were in great demand in the Reading area in the early 1750s. The John Adam Geyer/Geiger of Alsace was a carpenter. It would be consistent with his profession if he were, indeed, the John Adam Geiger who appears on the ship list in Pennsylvania German Pioneers for the Phoenix in 1752. He may either have been recruited from Germany or met at the docks in Philadelphia and brought to the Reading/Alsace Township area. On the ship Phoenix in 1752 along with John Adam Geiger there was a passenger named Jacob Guyer (whose signature actually appears to read Geiger) as pointed out above. Are the two connected? If so how?