HISTORY: Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia, Chapter 7, Geiger, Dauphin County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Bookwalter Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/dauphin/ http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/dauphin/runk/runk-bios.htm _______________________________________________________________ Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, Containing Sketches of Representative Citizens, and Many of the Early Scotch-Irish and German Settlers. Chambersburg, Pa.: J. M. Runk & Company, 1896, pages 111-113. _______________________________________________________________ THE GEIGER FAMILY. I. BARNHART (or Bernard) GEIGER, Sr., was born in 1748. His ancestors were Brandenburgers and lived at Frankford on Oder. His father and brothers were in the military service, several of whom fell at Zorndorf. Bernard was a conscript in King Frederick's army and served seven years, but ran away to escape the barbarity of the discipline of the Prussian service, and reached America in 1773. He entered the American army in 1776, and participated in the battles of Monmouth, Brandywine, Germantown, and several minor skirmishes, being mustered out of service in 1779. At the close of the Revolution he removed to Reamstown, Lancaster county, Pa., from whence he came to Harrisburg in April, 1788. There he engaged in blacksmithing. He was one of the founders of the Lutheran Church at that place, and an enterprising citizen. He died July 16, 1811. Mr. Geiger married, in 1779, Mary Smith, a native of Darmstadt, in Hesse. She died at Harrisburg, July 19, 1840. They had issue, all save the youngest born at Reamstown; 2. i. John, b. February 18, 1780; m. Mary Shoch. ii. George, b. April 21, 1782; d. September 6, 1853, at Harrisburg; learned the trade of a blacksmith with his father, and afterwards opened a store in Market Square, second door from the Harrisburg Bank, which he continued in partnership with his brothers Joseph and Bernard for many years. He died unmarried. 3. iii. Joseph, b. December 27, 1784; m. Sarah Rupley. iv. Mary, b. 1786; m. Michael Walters, of Limestone, Clarion county, Pa., nothing further is known of them. v. Susanna, b. December 3, 1787; d. March 30, 1820, at Orangeville, Columbia county, Pa.; m. Andrew Crouse. 4. vi. Bernard, b. October 27, 1795; m. Charlotte Lewis. II. JOHN GEIGER (Bernard), b. February 18, 1780, at Reamstown, Lancaster county, Pa.; d. July 11, 1864, at Harrisburg; he was a prominent merchant there many years; m., in 1807, Mary Shoch, b. April 1, 1788; d. August 4, 1855; daughter of John Shoch and Salome Gilbert. They had issue: 5. i. Sarah, b. October 31, 1808; m. James Wilson. 6. ii. George, b. January 27, 1811; m. Rebecca McGrath. iii. John-Bernard, b. November 30, 1812; d. July 24, 1825. 7. iv. Mary-R., b. October 21, 1814; m. Israel Steel. v. Amanda-E., b. August 1, 1816; d. November 17, 1845, unm. 8. vi. Joseph-H., b. November 11, 1817; m., first, Eliza Ingram; m., secondly, Mary Stewart; thirdly, Sarah Butterfield. vii. Samuel-Shoch, b. June 7, 1819; d. October 30, 1839. 9.viii. Malvina-L., b. November 16, 1821; m. Samuel D. Ingram. III. JOSEPH GEIGER (Bernard), b. December 27, 1784, at Reamstown, Lancaster county, Pa.; d. January 4, 1872, at Halifax, pa.; learned the trade of a blacksmith with his father, and subsequently became a merchant at Harrisburg. In 1821 removed to his farm on the site of old Fort Halifax, and in 1828 to the borough of Halifax, where he resided until his death. He married, February 15, 1819, Sarah Rupley, b. February 16, 1801, in East Pennsboro' township, Cumberland county, Pa.; d. October 25, 1859, at Halifax, Pa.; daughter of Jacob Rupley and Anna Maria Rupp. They had issue: i. Bernard, b. March 21, 1820; d. September 3, 1820. 10. ii. Hiram-Rupley, b. January 24, 1822, m. Elizabeth K. Blattenberger. 11.iii. Sarah-Louisa, b. September 5, 1826; m. Rev. William L. Gray. iv. Mary-Ellen, b. August 25, 1831; d. January 3, 1833. v. Rebecca-Emily, b. April 16, 1834; re- 112 HISTORICAL REVIEW sided in the old homestead at Halifax. IV. BERNARD GEIGER (Bernard), b. October 27, 1795, at Harrisburg, Pa.; d. May 30, 1841; was a merchant at Harrisburg; m. Charlotte Lewis, of Harrisburg, b. March 6, 1805; d. November 19, 1832. They had issue: i. Louisa, b. 1828; d. March 2, 1849; m. Daniel Eppley, of Harrisburg, and had Minnie, b. August, 1847; d. 1867, at East Liberty, Pa.; m. Walter Fahnestock, of Pittsburgh. 12. ii. Annie-Maria, b. 1830; m. David J. Unger. 13.iii. Charlotte-Elizabeth, b. 1833; m. Alexander Roberts. V. SARAH GEIGER (John, Bernard), b. October 31, 1808, at Harrisburg, Pa.; d. January 27, 1842; m., December 22, 1831, James Wilson, Jr., of Philadelphia. They had issue: i. John-Geiger, resides in Philadelphia. ii. James. iii. Sarah-E., resides in Harrisburg. VI. GEORGE GEIGER (John, Bernard), b. January 27, 1811, at Harrisburg, Pa.; was a merchant of Topeka, Kan.; m. Rebecca McGrath, of Martin's Ferry, Ohio. They had issue: i. John, d. s. p. ii. George, d. s. p. iii. Mary, m. _____ Lee, of Kansas City, Mo. iv. Fannie, m. _____ Thomson, of Topeka. v. Malvina, m. _____ Rodgers, of Topeka. VII. MARY R. GEIGER (John, Bernard), b. October 21, 1814, at Harrisburg; d. January 17, 1848; m., 1833, Israel Steel. They had issue: i. Annie-C., b. July 26, 1834; m. Elias J. Unger; reside at Pittsburgh, Pa. VIII. JOSEPH H. GEIGER (John; Bernard), b. November 11, 1817, at Harrisburg, Pa.; removed to Columbus, O.; was attorney general of that State, and then State librarian; was thrice married; first, Eliza Ingram, of West Chester, Pa., and there was issue: i. Eliza-Ingram, resided in Washington, D. C. He m., secondly, Mary Stewart, of Columbus, O., and had: ii. Lydia-I., m. _____ Milne, of West Virginia. iii. Ruth. He m., thirdly, Sarah Butterfield, a native of New England. IX. MALVINA L. GEIGER (John, Bernard), b. November 16, 1821, at Harrisburg, Pa.; resides at Harrisburg; m. January 1, 1843, Samuel D. Ingraham, and had issue; i. John-Geiger, b. October 21, 1843, at Harrisburg, Pa.; d. October 8, 1877; was for several years attached to the reportorial staff at the capital of the State, and local editor of the Telegraph. "Affable in his manners, gentlemanly in his bearing, scrupulously truthful in his official capacity, he won during his brief career as a journalist the warm admiration of a host of friends." Mr. Ingram m. Clara V. Kosure, and left one son. X. HIRAM RUPLEY GEIGER (Joseph, Bernard), b. January 24, 1822, near Halifax, Pa.; drowned in the Juniata, near Lewistown, Pa., June 29, 1849; m., January 20, 1846, Elizabeth K. Blattenberger, b. September 4, 1826, at Mt. Patrick, Perry county, Pa. They had issue: i. George, b. December 16, 1846, at Liverpool, Perry county, Pa.; entered the United States army (regulars) during the rebellion, and rose to the rank of captain of infantry; was killed in the charge on the fort at Blakely Landing near Mobile, Ala., April 9, 1865. XI. SARAH LOUISA GEIGER (Joseph, Bernard), b. September 5, 1826, near Halifax, Dauphin county, Pa.; m. Rev. William L. Gray, b. November 8, 1821, in Cumberland county, N. J.; son of George Frederick Gray and Martha Smith; a member of the Philadelphia conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and now (1883) stationed at first M. E. church, Norristown, Pa. They had issue: i. Hiram-Geiger, b. June 16, 1845, at Fort Hunter, Dauphin county, Pa.; d. December 16, 1865, at Philadelphia. ii. William-Bowen, b. November 11, 1847, at Georgetown X Roads (now Galena), Kent county, Md.; resides at Halifax, Dauphin county, Pa. iii. Joseph-Downing, b. March 22, 1849, at Galena, Kent county, Md. iv. Charles-Brindle, b. February 15, 1851, DAUPHIN COUNTY. 113 at Fulton House, Lancaster county, Pa. v. Sarah-Martha, b. December 1, 1852, at Philadelphia; d. March 18, 1878, at Easton, Pa. vi. Harriet-Rebecca, b. April 13, 1855, at Milford, Pa. vii. John-Milne, b. October 3, 1857, at Pottsville, Pa. viii. Robert-Chamberlain, b. October 18, 1859, at Manayunk, Pa. ix. George-Edward, b. April 28, 1863, at Manayunk, Pa.; d. March 3, 1865, at Reading. XII. ANNIE MARIA GEIGER (Bernard, Bernard, b. 1830, at Harrisburg, Pa.; d. December 12, 1862; m., in 1848, David J. Unger; was a merchant at Harrisburg; was lieutenant of the Cameron Guards and served in the war with Mexico. They had issue: i. Charlotte, d. s. p. ii. George, d. s. p. iii. John-Kunkel, d. s. p. XIII. CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH GEIGER (Bernard, Bernard), b. November 19, 1832, at Harrisburg; d. May 2, 1863; m. Alexander Roberts, a civil engineer of Harrisburg; and they had issue: i. John-Bernard. ii. Alexander. iii. James. iv. George.