A Harter Family in Frederick County; Frederick Co., MD Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Bob Harter [rharter@myexcel.com] Copyright. All Rights Reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ********************************************************* A HARTER FAMILY IN FREDERICK COUNTY The following is, in large part, excerpted from my recent book: “The Joh. Georg and Eva Harter Family: 250 years in the U.S.” 2006 (Available from the Masthof Press Bookstore) Robert D. Harter Johann Georg Harter is a bit of a mystery. He is known to be the father of eleven children, primarily through Frederick County, Maryland church records. He is listed on the 1790 census of Washington County, Maryland, and from Frederick County Lutheran church records we know his wife’s name was Eva. Beyond these facts very little is known for certain. Although assumptions have been made, the date and place of both his birth and his death are unknown. We do know that he was German, and according to a family tradition Georg came from the Frankfort area. I understand that Arthur Leroy Harter (1874-1955) once wrote,1 “I remember hearing father and his brothers saying there was a sizable estate in Germany and they tried to establish possession, but Germany would not allow it to be taken out of that country.” Notably, most of the Harter family signed their own names on early records, indicating they could read and write. This might be supportive of their being from a wealthier family than were many immigrants. The general consensus is that Joh. Georg Harter emigrated to the United States sometime during the second quarter of the eighteenth century, either with parents or alone. His parents are unknown. There were several Harters who arrived in Philadelphia during the early to mid 1700s. In her 1964 book on the Andraes and Anna Catherina (Zahner) Harter family (A Harter History), Mary Harter speculated that another Andraes Harter who came to Philadelphia aboard the Robert and Alice, arriving 24 Sept 1742, was the father of Joh. George Harter’s eleven children. The opinion that an Andraes Harter was the father of the eleven children had earlier been expressed by the late Congressman Wells Goodykoontz (1872-1944), a descendant of Christian Harter. Byron Harter accepted this possibility when writing The Frantz Harter Story in 1973. When Byron later discovered the church records showing Joh. Georg as the family patriarch he assumed that Andraes was Joh. Georg’s father instead. To date, however, no support for this assumption has been found. It is my opinion that Joh. Georg Harter came to this country alone. There was a Georg Härther who arrived 15 Sept 1749 on the ship Phoenix. I believe this person to be our progenitor in this country. In that era a boy was considered to have achieved adulthood on his sixteenth birthday, enabling him to travel alone. This would mean that Georg was born before 1733. Birth dates from 1727 to 1735 have been listed for him. I lean toward 1732 or 1733 as his birth year on the assumption that he emigrated as soon as he was old enough to do so. I have, however, no documentation to support this date nor, for that matter, his arrival alone in 1749. There was a Georg Härter who arrived aboard the Lydia 29 Sept 1741. His age was given as 25, which would make him too old to be Joh. Georg and a bit young to be his father, although he would be old enough to be the father if Joh. Georg was born as late as 1734 or 1735. One other possibility does exist. There was a Johann Georg Harten who, with his wife, Elizabeth, arrived 28 May 1742 aboard the Snow Catharine. They were with a group of Moravians. They could possibly have been Joh. Georg’s parents, but I am doubtful of this. I would not think that the child of a couple associating with the Moravians would be found in Lutheran church records 30 years later - but anything is possible. Before going farther, one piece of erroneous information needs to be put to rest. Many people have wrongly listed Andraes and Anna Catherina (Zahner) Harter as the parents of Joh. Georg Harter. They are NOT his parents, and on this point I can be dogmatic. In Harter History, Mary Harter published her research on this family, which included searching the Oberdigisheim, Germany, church records. This couple had sixteen children over a period of twenty years. Nine of them are recorded in the church records as having died in infancy. Only four are known to have lived to adulthood and marriage. There is no period between the children’s births of sufficient length for an unrecorded child to have been born. It appears that Johann Georg has been confused with Andreas and Anna Catherina’s son, Johannes. Johannes is known to have married an Anna Maria, and to have raised his family in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. His children are known, as is their migration toward the west. In short, there is no correspondence of this family with known facts on the family of Joh. Georg. It can safely be said that they are not the same person. Another mystery is associated with the wife of Joh. Georg Harter. It has been thought that he married Anna Eva Mikesell, daughter of Andraes and Anna Maria (Schwab) Meixel. It is now known, however, that Eva was born 14 April 1730 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania2, and that she married Jonas Adam on 26 September 1748 in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania3. Did Jonas die? Were they divorced? There is circumstantial evidence that Eva, daughter of Andraes and Anna Maria Meixel, married Joh. Georg Harter, but this evidence fails when tested against fact. In a 1795 deed transferring Martin (Eva’s brother) Meixell’s property to his son, Martin4, Andraes’ will was summarized. It clearly and unambiguously includes a mention of “Eva, wife of Jonas Adam” as a daughter of Andraes Meixel. Thus, Jonas neither died nor were they divorced. Jonas did die about April 17905 and apparently Eva subsequently married Phillip Sehler 29 April 1792; she died 21 Jan 1809 in Berks County, PA. It is difficult to understand why Byron Harter concluded that Eva married Georg Harter, because he had been in contact with Ardella Rohde and her book6 includes a transcript of the indicated deed. Needless to say, the question of Joh. Georg’s wife needs further investigation. So far, the whereabouts of Georg and Eva between the early 1750s and 1769 has escaped discovery. We do know from confirmation records7 that their children would have been born during that period. Byron Harter8 lists them as having been born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. No confirmation of this has been found and the source of this assumption remains unknown. There were probably in the range of 200 people living west of the Allegheny Front in the middle 1700s, but the earliest recorded birth in present bounds of Bedford County was 17599 so birth there is doubtful. Furthermore, it does not make sense for them to have moved west to the area that became Bedford County, then back east to Frederick County, Maryland as this is counter to the known migration patterns of the time. Also, there is no record of this Harter family in the Lancaster County or Cumberland County records (respective “ancestors” of Bedford County) of the era, although it is possible that they were migrating westward and developing Indian problems forced them back east. As indicated, the Bedford County area was sparsely populated frontier country in the mid 1700s, so it is conceivable that they were there but unrecorded. In any case, the search goes on for their movements during this period. There is one record which possibly gives an indication of their location: On 24 March 1760 a Georg Härter and wife sponsored the baptism of Catherine Rodebach at the Tulpehocken Lutheran church in Berks County.10 This lead has not yet resulted in further positive results. THE MARYLAND YEARS The family becomes easier to trace after 1769 when they first appeared in the Frederick County, Maryland St. Peter’s Lutheran Church records: 3 June 1769: Georg and Eva took communion with Georg II and Christina. Children would have had to be at least thirteen or fourteen years old to have taken communion. 24 September 1769: Georg and Eva took communion with Christian and Johann. The latter would have been Johann Georg II. 1771: Adam and Frantz Confirmed (exact date unrecorded) 13 September 1778: Jacob, Conrad, Magdalena and Elizabeth were confirmed, their respective ages being given as eighteen, sixteen, fourteen, and sixteen. 28 May 1780: Dorothea was confirmed at age fourteen. 20 May 1784: Georg and Eva took communion with Elizabeth, Dorothea, Christiana and her new husband, Adam Krüger. 19 September 1784: Catharina was confirmed at age seventeen. 27 November 1785: Georg and Eva took communion with Catharina and Christina and Adam Krüger. 6 July 1786 Adam and Christina Krüger took communion. 5 November 1786: Georg II and Magdalena took communion with Georg I and Eva and Adam and Christina Krüger. 17 May 1787 Adam Krüger took communion with Catharina and her new husband, Christopher Meyer. 16 September 1787: Eva took communion. 29 July 1788: Georg took communion with Adam Krüger. (Unknown whether Georg I or II) 9 November 1788: Adam Krüger took communion with Eva and Adam. Apparently Adam was visiting because, as will be noted, he paid tax in Washington Co., PA in 1781. 15 November 1789 Christopher and Catharina Meyer took communion. 27 June 1790: Georg II and Magdalena took communion. 10 October 1790 and 15 April 1792 Adam and Christina Krüger took communion. 27 April 1794 Eva took communion with Adam and Christina Kruger. (So far as we know, all but Jacob’s and Christina’s families had left Frederick County by this time. Eva was probably visiting, but it is possible that she and Georg did not move to Virginia with the family.) Adam and Christina Krüger took communion 26 October 1794, 10 May and 20 September 1795. From the confirmation and communion information the approximate birth date of the eleven children can be determined. The following marriages and baptisms are found in the records of the Monocacy Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Congregation, Frederick, Maryland. 29 July 1771 Maria Catharina, born 29 May 1771, baptized. Parents: Georg and Eva, sponsors: Andreas and Catharina Meixel. This record is very confusing, because Catharina Harter would have been born in 1767 to have been seventeen when confirmed in 1784. This may be an error; the Mikesells may have been the parents, with Georg and Eva the sponsors. 29 Sept. 1777: Jacob, born 27 August 1777, baptized. Parents: Georg II and Magdalena, Sponsors: Christoph and Christina Kitterman (Magdalena’s parents) 13 Sept. 1778: Johann Georg III, born 22 August 1778, baptized. Parents: Georg II and Magdalena, Sponsors: Georg and Catharina Meixel (Magdalena’s sister) 26 March 1782: Maria Magdalena married David Albach, with Christian, Georg, Frantz, Elisabeth, Dorothea, and Conrad as witnesses. 20 March 1785: Dorothea married Zacharias Albach, Witnesses: “Georg Herder and wife and children. Adam Krüger.” Adam Krüger had married Christina about eight years earlier. 2 July 1786: Peter, born 26 October 1785, baptized. Parents: Georg II and Magdalena, Sponsor: Frantz Herder. 27 March 1787: Catharina married Christoph Meyer with Frantz and Adam Krüger as two of the witnesses. 2 October 1787: Frantz married Catharina Kurtz. The witnesses were Conrad, Georg Adam and Christina Kurtz. George Adam and Christina Kurtz were Catharina’s parents. 4 Dec. 1787: Conrad married Elisabeth Hoffert. None of his siblings were among the witnesses. 8 Nov. 1788: Susanna, born 19 June 1788, baptized. Parents: Conrad and Elizabeth, Sponsors: Frantz and Catharina Herder. 27 Jun 1790: Abraham, born 30 December 1789, baptized. Parents: Georg II and Magdalena, Sponsors: “parents” – (whose?) We have here another mystery. On the obverse of the last leaf and on the rear end paper of Volume I in Pastor Krug’s notation of marriages, 1775 - 1787 is found the following entry: “1781 Frantz Herder and Susanna Kettermaemmin, proclaimed 23, 25, 26 December.” Apparently these were notations of marriages that were canceled, delayed, or occurred in other congregations and not performed by Pastor Krug. There is nothing particularly notable about this entry were it not that on March 12, 1782 Susannah Kitterman married Johannes Fishburn. 11 Upon finding the Frantz Harter entry, Byron Harter assumed that Susannah had subsequently died and that Frantz then married Catharina Kurtz. We know now, however, that Susannah was born 2 Mar 1760 and died 27 Nov 1826 in Allen Co., Kentucky. She and John Fishburn had nine children. What is the story here? Why did Susannah proclaim her intent to marry one man, then just over two months later marry another? Our imagination can come up with various scenerios, but it is unlikely that anyone will be able to definitively answer the question. It is, of course, possible that there were two Kitterman families in the area, each with a daughter named Susannah, and this has been suggested. Christopher Kitterman (Susannah’s father) did have two brothers who probably lived in the area. Unfortunately, to date no evidence has been found that either had a daughter named Susannah. Misc. other records 1781: Adam, Christian, and George were apparently penalized for failure to take to Oath of Fidelity in 1778. They petitioned the General Assembly for relief under a 1780 Act, pleaded ignorance and stated readiness to take the oath.12 This, of course, was about the time of the Frederick County Treason Trials and was likely related in some way. Adam and Jacob were jailed for an unknown reason, possibly related to the above; Magdalena and Dorothea, along with Elizabeth and Susanna Kitterman, were brought to court October 29 for their part in Adam and Jacob’s escape from jail.13 (Outcome unknown) 26 April 1785: Dorothea Harter Albaugh died 37 days after her marriage, buried in Liberty Chapel Cemetery.14 31 October 1787: George, Conrad, and Jacob witnessed the will of Daniel Richards. The will pertains to the land, Richard’s Delight on Simpson’s Chance.15 10 April 1788: Frantz and Catharina sold lot 35 in town of Lincoln to Daniel Albaugh for ?12.16 They seem to have taken a mortgage, and this was released 11 May, 1792.17 4 November 1790: Christian and Elizabeth (Eller) sold lot 63 in town of Liberty to Jacob Kiler for ?22, 10 shillings.18 1790: Maryland Heads of Households census: Conrad, Christian, and Jacob as well as Joh. Georg and Eva were living in close proximity in Washington County. Frantz is found in Baltimore County. No record of George II or Adam, either here or in Virginia, but Virginia’s 1790 census records were destroyed by fire and was reconstructed from data collected in 1784 and 1785 so George II could have been there in 1790. Adam is known to have been in western Pennsylvania. 21 April 1794: Christian and Elizabeth signed over her share in her father’s (Henry Eller, d. Dec 1793) estate to her brother, Joseph, and wife for ?40.19 21 February 1826: Jacob’s estate was distributed to his widow and five children (David, Jacob, George, John, and Judith).20 The family moves on Shortly after the 1790 census the family began to leave Maryland, and by 1792 they were purchasing land in Franklin County, Virginia. By 1820 all but a few of the family was in Western Ohio. Jacob stayed behind in Maryland, and one of his descendants became president of the University of Delaware. Adam moved to Western Pennsylvania, into Kentucky, and finally into Western Ohio with the rest of the family. The 1781 tax list for Bethlehem township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, lists Adam as being taxed on 100 acres plus livestock.21 It would therefore appear that he left for western regions and joined his wife’s Hardman family after his sisters got him out of jail. FAITH There is a strong indication throughout the Harter family history that faith in God played an important part of most members’ lives. Georg was probably Lutheran when he arrived on these shores. The earliest records on the family found to date are in the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Frederick County, Maryland, records. By the time the family moved from Virginia to Ohio, however, the primary association was with the German Baptist Brethren (now Church of the Brethren). I am inclined to believe this switch came before leaving Maryland for Virginia and the family joined the Brethren migration to Franklin County where there was a developing community of Brethren believers. There was also a relationship with the Monacay Lutheran Church which was pastored by a Rev. Krugs from 1775 to 1787. This may be the Rev. Klugs who had earlier (1739 to 1764) pastored the Hebron Lutheran Church in Madison County, Virginia. According to Sappington22 the Hebron Lutherans felt a need for a more spiritual religious emphasis than he was giving them. It seems that Pastor Klugs’ spirituality tended to be more of the liquid variety. While Germans of the era were not likely unacquainted with alcohol, those of a more pious bent would have objected strongly to overindulgence, particularly by their spiritual leader. As a result, many in Madison County left the Lutheran Church and joined the German Baptist Brethren. The same may have been happening in Maryland. Given the social and religious climate of the time, the probability is high that people were leaving the Lutheran Church for a community providing more spiritual guidance. (We do know that Pastor Krugs was the author of an ill-conceived petition for the pardon of those convicted of treason in 1781, a petition which sealed their death sentence.23) Regardless of the reasons, I believe the Harter family began to associate with the German Baptist Brethren in Maryland. To support this belief, it is noted that at least five of George and Eva’s children married into known Brethren families. Christian married Elizabeth Eller; his marriage is not recorded in Lutheran records and he never took communion with the family after 1769. Adam married Esther Hardman; his marriage is likewise not recorded, although he may have married in Washington County, Pennsylvania and records there have not been examined. Catharina married Solomon Meyer, and sisters, Maria Magdalena and Dorthea, married brothers David and Zachariah Albaugh. We are not certain what family Jacob married into, but it is noted that he also did not marry in the Lutheran church nor is there a record of his taking communion after confirmation. While these families could simply have been neighbors, marriage outside the German Baptist Brethren community would have been strongly discouraged. Also, the fact that Christian, George, and Adam had not taken the Oath of Fidelity in 1778 would indicate that they may have been “non- associators,” as were many of the Brethren. Sources: 1 Related by daughter-in-law, Margaret Burton (Mrs. John Spencer) Harter, in a letter to Byron Harter, dated 23 April 1970. 2 Humphrey, John T. 1997. Pennsylvania Births; Lancaster County 1723—1777. Humphrey Publications. Washington, D.C. 3 Marriage Records of Rev. John Casper Stoever, http://www.pa- roots.com/~lancaster/church/stoever/stoevermarriage1.html 4 Lancaster County, PA., Deeds, Record Book XX, Volume II, page 639-645 5 Jonas Paul Adam, b. 03 Feb 1722/23, Eichtersheim, Germany (Source: Church Records: Selected Areas of Pennsylvania, 1600s-1800s, "CD-ROM," Berks County, Vol. 1, Schwartzwald Reformed Church, April 7, 1790 - Jonas Adam, b. --, 1722..); d. Bef. 07 Apr 1790 (Source: Church Records: Selected Areas of Pennsylvania, 1600s-1800s, "CD-ROM," Berks County, Vol. 1, Schwartzwald Reformed Church, April 7, 1790 - Jonas Adam, b. --, 1722..) 6 Meiyssel, Meixel, Mikesell. Ardella M. Rohde. 1985. Self published. 7 records of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church 8 Harter, Byron E. 1982. A Harter Journal; The Family of Jn. Geo. and Eva Harter. Self published. 9 Cooper, H. Austin. 1962. Two Centuries of Brothersvalley Church of the Brethren 1762-1792. The Times, Inc., Westminster, MD 10 Tulpehocken Church Records, 1730-1800. Christ (Little Tulpehocker) Church and Altalaha Church, Rehrersburg. Translated by Frederick S. Werser, 1982. The Pennsylvania German Society, Breinigsville. PA 11 Information from a letter written on Dec. 26, 1830 by John Fishburn. The letter was found in an old secretary that was willed to John Robert Fishburn. 12 Revolutionary Patriots of Frederick County, Maryland. 1775-1783. Henry C. Peden, Jr. 13 Inhabitants of Frederick County Maryland. Volume 2, 1749-1800. Stefanie R. Shaffer. 1999. Page 193. 14 Jacob Mehrling Holdcraft. 1966. Names in Stone, 75,000 Cemetery Inscriptions from Frederick County, Maryland, Vol. 1. Ann Arbor, Michigan. 15 Western Maryland Genealogy. Vol. 7, No. 2. April 1991. Page 90. 16 Frederick County, Maryland, Land Records, book WR 9, Folio 31, F#13949 17 ibid., book WR 10, Folio 615, F#13954 18 Frederick County, Maryland, Land Records, book WR 9, page 493. 19 Montgomery County, Maryland, Deed Records, Book H, page 657. 20 Distribution of Estate accounts, Washington County, Maryland. 1778-1835. Compiled by Dale Walton Morrow and Deborah Jensen Morrow. 21 Ira Hardman, email message 18 December 2004 22 Sappington, Roger E. 1973. The Brethren in Virginia. Park View Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia 23 Cooper, H. Austin. 1988. The Church of the Singing Hills. Locust Grove Church of the Brethren, Mt. Airy, MD.