Title: The Harshbarger Family of Montgomery County Author: Jessie C. Watson Date: December 1937 Source: Indiana Magazine of History, Volume 33, Issue 4, pp 505-509 The Harshbarger Family of Montgomery County JESSIE C. WATSON About twenty-five years ago William Anderson, a descendant of the Harshbarger family, compiled the history and genealogy of the family, a record of one hundred ten pages. The data relative to the Montgomery County , Indiana, line of the Harshbarger family are taken from this manuscript record. The name Harshbarger is an Americanized form of the Swiss-German name Hirschberger. Jacob, the emigrant, was born in Basle, Switzerland , about 1722. He went to Holland in 1750, married Maria Eva Petra, and remained there four years to earn his passage money to America by weaving, being an expert in this art. The young couple sailed for America in 1754, with a baby daughter. This child died on shipboard. Jacob and Maria Eva landed at Philadelphia , and leter established a home in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania . They had at least three sons: Christian—b. 1755; d, 1827; m. (1) Barbara Ammen and (2) a widow, Mrs. Garman. Jacob—b. 1757; d, 1850; m. (1) Margaret Keller and (2) a widow, Mrs. Sellebarger. Samuel—b. 1759; d, 1849; M Elizabeth Gish. Little is known of the youth of these three sons. All of them left Lancaster County, Pennsylvania . Their children all lived in Virginia , but Jacob resided for a long period in Maryland . Christian lived several years in Pennsylvania , near his wife's people. After the Revolutionary War, Barbara's father bought 1512 acres of land in southwestern Virginia . In 1784, he took his family, including Christian and Barbara (Ammen) Harshbarger, to the new home on Mill Creek in Virginia . This was about three miles from Fincastle. Barbara died in 1803, leaving a family of eight children: * Child—b. 1780; d. in infancy. * Catherine—b. 1781; m. John Deardorf. * Samuel—b. 1783; m. three times. * Child—b. 1785; d. in infancy. * Jacob—b. 1786; m. Elizabeth Beckner. * Mary—b. 1789; m. John Beckner. * Rebecca—b. 1791; m. Jacob Gish. * Elizabeth—b. 1794; m. John Stair. * Susan—b. 1797; m. David Gish. * Anna—b. 1799; m. John Riddle. Catherine, the daughter of Christian was born in Pennsylvania and married John Deardorf. They moved to Virginia and remained there several years. Then, she and several of her relatives moved to Highland County, Ohio . In less than twenty years, her family scattered westward. She had twelve children, six of whom came to Indiana, but not to Montgomery County . Samuel Harshbarger, son of Christian, settled in Highland County, Ohio , near Leesburg , about 1812. He moved to Indiana in 1828, and died in 1853. He had three wives and fourteen children, and they lived near Delphi. Later, some of them moved to Lafayette , and others to points in Illinois . Jacob, son of Christian, went to Highland County, Ohio , in 1816, and lived near Rocky Ford. He later went to Illinois . He married Elizabeth Beckner. Their eleven children moved westward, many of them to the Pacific Coast. Mary, daughter of Christian, married John Beckner. She died in 1810, leaving one son, Samuel Beckner, who lived in Lafayette as early as 1832 and died in 1890. He was the first mayor of Lafayette . Rebecca, daughter of Christian, married Jacob Gish and moved to Highland County, Ohio . She had seven children all of whom lived in the neighborhood of Lafayette . Elizabeth, daughter of Christian, came to Indiana in 1829 and married John Stair. They liver near the Wabash river, below Delphi. Many of their descendants went to California and other parts of the Far West, only a few remaining in Indiana. Susan, daughter of Christian, married David Gish. They had four children, who settled around South Bend and Lafayette . Anna, youngest daughter of Christian, married John Riddle (Riddell), and died in 1899. They had ten children. Many of the descendants went to Iowa . Jacob Harshbarger, second son of Jacob, the emigrant, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and lived most of his life in or near Hagerstown, Maryland . His wife, Margaret Keller, died there, leaving him, with at least four sons. The name of only one, Jacob, the youngest is known. The other three sons, are known to have lived in the Hagerstown, Maryland , neighborhood. They probably moved westward, as their father Jacob, in his late years, left Maryland and lived among page: 507 [View Page Image] his brothers family in southwestern Virginia . Jacob, son of the emigrant, married in Virginia , a widow, Mrs. Sellebarger, and they had a son Henry who was born in 1820. He married Fannie Traill in 1855 and they had four children: * Jacob—b, 1855. * Henry—b, 1858. * Martha—b, 1860; m.———Patterson. * William—b, 1862. Samuel Harshbarger, third son of Jacob, the emigrant, married Elizabeth Gish, and they had eight children: * Maria—b. 1787; d. 1789. * Elizabeth b. 1790; m. Samuel Frankebarger. * Jacob—b. 1792; m. Salome Ammen. * Catherine—b. 1794; m. (1) Jacob Bonsack and (2) Joseph Brubaker. * Maria—b. 1796; m. Joseph Nofsinger. * Susanna—b. 1799; d, 1888; m. John Bonsack. * Samuel—b, 1802; m. Elizabeth Myers. * Catrina—b, 1804; (no further record.) Elizabeth Harshbarger, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Gish) Harshbarger, married Samuel Frankebarger and their children numbered ten: * William Frankebarger—b.——; d, 1848. * Elizabeth—m. Daniel Graybill. * Samuel—b, 1814; (no further record). * Susan—b, 1816; d. 1900. * Rebecca—b, 1818; m. Samuel Stober. * Mary, m.——Wills. * Jacob—b, 1823; m. Rachel Byrd. * Joel—b, 1825; went to Los Angeles, California . * Sarah—b, 1828; m. Reed Clark. * Anna—b, 1831; m. Oliver Clark. There are many of this family, still living in Montgomery County , Ind., and while the name of Frankebarger is rarely known, the Graybills, Stoners, Byrds, and Clarks, are among the oldest families in that locality. Jacob Harshbarger, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Gish) Harshbarger, married Salome Ammen, and brought his family from Virginia to Montgomery County , Indiana, about 1831. He bought land in the vicinity of Ladoga , and taught one of the first schools, in a log house, in this district. He was also a miller and farmer. At one time he is said to have owned three thousand acres of land in the county. He was a Dunkard, page: 508 [View Page Image] as most of the Harshbargers were and are today, and he helped to organize a Dunkard Church on Cornstalk Creek shortly after coming to the county. Like many of his family, he held tenaciously to German customs and language, keeping the record of births in his family by date, month, and sign of the Zodiac. Many of his descendants may be found near Ladoga at this time. Children of Jacob and Salome (Ammen) Harshbarger: * Son—b, 1815; died young. * Lydia—b, 1816; m. William Myers. * John—b, 1818; d, 1830. * Samuel—b, 1820; m. Elizabeth Graves. Lived in Missouri . * Catherine—b, 1821; m. Zachariah Mahorney of Ladoga , Ind. * Salome—b, 1824; m. M. B. Anderson. * Elizabeth—b, 1826; m. S. P. Frame. Lived in Missouri . * Ann—b, 1830; m. William Frame of Ladoga , Ind. * Jacob—b, 1828, m. Mary Myers of Ladoga , Ind. * Mary—b, 1833; m. D. H. Himes of Ladoga , Ind. Catherine and Susana Harshbarger, daughters of Samuel and Elizabeth (Gish) Harshbarger, who married Jacob and John Bonsack, did not come to Indiana, but went into Tennessee from Virginia , and their families scattered westward. Mary (Maria) Harshbarger, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Gish) Harshbarger, who married Joseph Nof-singer, had seven children: * Salome Nofsinger—b, 1813; m. Joel Britts. Went to Kansas . William—b, 1815; m. (1) Mary Myers and (2) dau. of Gen. Tilghman Howard of Rockville , Ind. * Elizabeth—b.1817; m. Joshua Baker. Went to Kansas . * Mary—b, 1819; m. Daniel Hale. * Peter—b, 1823; m. Phoebe LaFollette. Moved to Kansas . * Jacob—b, 1825; m. Mary Spears. Moved to Wisconsin . * Susan—b, 1825; m. George LaFollette. Samuel, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Gish) Harshbarger, married Elizabeth (Myers) Harshbarger. Their nine children were: * Sarah Harshbarger—b, 1827; m. Robert Miller. * Nancy—b, 1829; mar. Clark Byrd. * John—b, 1832; m. Susan Clark. * Joel—b, 1834; m. Minerva Daugherty. * Samuel—b, 1837; m. Mary LaFollette. * William—b, 1839; m., Anna Peffley . * David—b, 1842; m. Sarah Davidson. * Lizzie—b, 1844; m. Nathan Kessler. * Salome—b, 1847; m. David Peffley . The record of this family has been carried through several generations. The Montgomery County line has been copied and can be used later if space permits. Jacob Harshbarger, son of Jacob and Salome (Ammen) Harshbarger, married Mary Myers, and was probably the best known member of this large Harshbarger family in Montgomery County . He was born in Virginia in 1828, and came to Ladoga with his parents when three years old. He was a successful farmer, president of the Ladoga Bank, and, unlike most of his family, was a member of the Christian Church. His father assisted in establishing the Dunkard Church on Cornstalk Creek, later located a short distance north of Ladoga . Today there is a marker on the Crawfordsville-Ladoga County improved road, just north of Ladoga , pointing to "The Church of the Brethen", the Dunkard Church, which seems quite as prosperous as any other denomination. Many descendants of this Harshbarger family, still members, and one or two of the older women, are said to appear at Sunday services in their Dunkard bonnets. The old Harshbarger Cemetery, on Cornstalk Creek, is across the road from one of the old Harshbarger farms, is still used, and fairly well kept. It is hoped that our D.A.R. Chapter will copy the records in this cemetery, for it seems certain that we shall find the graves of many pioneers of this district. Samuel Harshbarger the son of the emigrant, who died in 1849, is buried there. Source:http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/imh/view.do?docId=VAA4025-033-4-a16 -- Jeffery G. Scism, IBSSG "In the next place, the state governments are, by the very theory of the constitution, essential constituent parts of the general government. They can exist without the latter, but the latter cannot exist without them." -- Joseph Story (Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833) Reference: Story, Commentaries on the Constitution, 191.