At Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, MATTER signs the Oath list of the Janet -1751. He and his son's surname become MEDER in the 1785 Reformed records of the Reverend John Waldschmidt, probably Cocalico, in Ephrata Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.. It is probably he and his son who, in the 1800's, are is buried as Mater in a Lutheran cemetery in Carlisle, Cumberland County. A lot of speculation is involved in the above statements because of the name changes but the connections seem likely. Question. Does MATTER and MEDER sound enough like MATER for ministers and census enumerators et al in the 1800 Susquehanna River Valley to record it as MATER? I have stripped away most details to focus on the surnames. I know anything can happen by accident and because of illiteracy, but I am asking about the German speaking sound of the three surnames. Comments appreciated. Regards to the many devoted searchers - Hal